Monthly Archives: July 2017

hermes arceau tgm closeup

HERMÈS – ARCEAU TRES GRAND MODELE

ELEGANCE OF A (VERY) GREAT CLASSIC

Created in 1978 by the talented designer Henry d’Origny, the iconic Arceau is available in several different sizes, including two large models, one powered by a calibre made by Hermès and the second with a quartz movement.

The unchallenged queen of the Hermès watch collections since the late 1970s, the Arceau watch, created by the Parisian firm’s star designer Henry d’Origny, is one of the rare timepieces that can be instantly recognised on the wrist. The case with its asymmetrical lugs, recalling the world of horse-riding – Hermès was originally a saddle-maker – and the shapes depicting a galloping horse, gently transmitting a sensation of speed, are the Arceau watch’s two main aesthetic features. The watch is also like a creative white canvas for Hermès, with a whole host of different versions, including women’s models or watches designed to celebrate the rare arts and crafts professions chosen by the brand each year for the greater enjoyment of its many fans.

hermes arceau tgm closeup

In this early summer, the Parisian company is providing its customers with two new timepieces of a larger size, and both available with a 40mm-wide steel case: the Arceau Très Grand Modèle. While one tenderly evokes awakening nature with its light brown colour, the second is clothed in a dark blue coat like the night.

The hazelnut version of the Arceau Très Grand Modèle watch plays on its different materials. The dial’s central disc features a vertical herringbone and guilloché pattern where the two leaf-shaped hour and minute hands are set, while the embossed hour rim is placed on a sunburst ring. The minute track is made up of tiny dots running round the chapter ring, and the date appears in an open window at 6 o’clock. The different functions are driven by the calibre H1837, a self-winding movement made by Hermès and providing 50 hours of power reserve.

The version with the blue lacquered and sunburst dial has the same elements (hours and minutes at the centre, date at 6 o’clock), but is powered by a Swiss-made quartz mechanism.

Price: 5,000 CHF (self-winding model) – 3,050 CHF (quartz model) hermes.com

By Sharmila Bertin

breitling superocean 44 special black dial caseback

BREITLING – SUPEROCEAN 44 SPECIAL

CONQUERING THE DEPTHS

Available with a black or blue dial, the Superocean 44 Special by Breitling has all you need to explore the ocean depths with peace of mind.

To qualify as a diver’s watch, a timepiece must have some specific features. It has to be water-resistant down to 100m, include a power reserve indicator and be shock-resistant… While Breitling has strong links to aeronautics, the company also has the expertise to supply watches for underwater explorers by producing models with all the features divers need, such as the new Superocean 44 Special. It meets the challenges of the sea depths with water-resistance down to 1000 metres. On a 44mm-wide steel case with a satiny finish, the rotating bezel made of high-resistance ceramics will guarantee that even the most extreme missions are a success. The bezel is unidirectional, preventing any unwanted prolongation of diving time.

breitling superocean 44 special black dial caseback

The Superocean 44 Special is powered by a self-winding calibre that has been certified as a chronometer by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), a guarantee of precision. A range of straps are available, with Ocean Racer and Diver Pro rubber straps, or a metal Professional strap, designed to suit divers’ preferences.

Price: €3,710 (rubber strap) – €4,160 (steel strap)

By Dan Diaconu

frederique constant classics automatic gmt closeup

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT – CLASSICS AUTOMATIC GMT

TRAVELLING LIGHT

On the eve of the summer holidays, Frédérique Constant offers fans of watches with an impeccable finish and affordable prices a timepiece with a second time zone, guaranteeing travel with peace of mind.

You come from Geneva, you fly to Hong Kong, you work in Los Angeles… Today, the planet has become, so to speak, “smaller” than before. The development of civil and commercial aviation during the 20th century led to a considerable reduction in distances, so that mankind could (again) become a nomad and travel easily from time zone to time zone. For people hurrying from one plane to the next or who work with a range of distant countries, Frédérique Constant has designed a watch with a classic look and a GMT function that is both easy to read and to use: the Classics Automatic GMT.frederique constant classics automatic gmt closeup

This new watch makes its appearance along with summer and is available in two versions. The Classics Automatic GMT comes with a 42mm-wide steel case or a pink gold-plated steel case. The case back with a glass window reveals part of the mechanism of the calibre FC-350 driving this duo of watches and providing a power reserve of 38 hours. The self-winding movement powers the time display (local and home time), the minutes and seconds – at the centre of the dial – as well as the date.

Since this is the Classics collection, the watch face with silvery tints on this new piece features three levels, adding a certain visual dynamism to a dial with a classic look. The central dial with a Clous de Paris pattern is encircled by a ring with a 24-hour scale in black Arabic numerals. The scale features a hand with a red and white arrow showing the second time zone. A wide sunburst strip features a discreet minute track near the chapter ring and includes an hour rim with Roman numerals, which are also black. Two central Breguet-style hands, with slim, moon-tipped bodies, display the hours and minutes, together with a second hand.

Price: 1,395 CHF (Steel) – 1,695 CHF (Gold plated) frederiqueconstant.com

By Sharmila Bertin

omega planet ocean etnz deep black with caseback

OMEGA – SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN ETNZ “DEEP BLACK”

ON THE CREST OF THE WAVE

Omega is flying the flag for the winners of the latest America’s Cup with a Seamaster Planet Ocean devoted to Team New Zealand.

Team New Zealand beat Oracle Team USA and won the 35th America’s Cup with the official timekeeper, Omega, on board. The brand has unveiled the Seamaster Planet Ocean ETNZ “Deep Black” in the crew’s colours to celebrate the exceptional competition. The black ceramic 45.5mm dial features a ceramic bezel with two functions. It helps the boat get off to a good start in regattas with a diving scale displaying the 15 minutes prior to the race. The first 10 are coated in blue and red rubber to match the New Zealand flag and the next 5 say “START” in LiquidMetal, a high-tech material designed by Omega. The bezel also helps divers in all their underwater excursions with a case that’s water-resistant to depths of 600m.

omega planet ocean etnz deep black with caseback

The timepiece is fuelled by a self-winding bi-directional Master Chronometer 8906 calibre (60 hour power reserve) that displays a second time zone. Its black vertical satin-finish dial makes timekeeping a breeze. The white gold markers are tracked by wide hour and minute hands. A slimmer blue hand points out the time of your choice on a GMT ring with a 24 hr day/night display on the rim of the dial.

The Seamaster Planet Ocean ETNZ “Deep Black” comes with a structured black NATO strap lined with black and blue rubber. The Emirates Team New Zealand logo appears in red on the black case back.

Price: 10,400 €

By Dan Diaconu

breguet classic 7787 white gold closeup

BREGUET – WHITE GOLD CLASSIQUE 7787

A FUNDAMENTAL MASTERPIECE

With a beautifully simple enamel dial, like a classical painting, Breguet unveils a highly refined version of the Classique 7787.

In 2011, Breguet unveiled a pure jewel of expertise, the Classique 7787. The watch included a moon phase on a guilloché dial encircled with Roman numerals. This year, the watchmakers have made a new white gold setting for the most poetic of its complications. The “Grand Feu” enamel dial is individually numbered and signed, setting the stage for this superb composition. Here, the manufacturers have placed their fine, trade-mark Arabic numerals and open-tipped hands made of blued Breguet steel, bearing the name of the illustrious firm. Another house tradition, the minute track made up of tiny stars, with the five-minute markers shown with stylised fleurs-de-lis, encircles the composition.

breguet classic 7787 white gold closeup

The power reserve indicator, meanwhile, is decorated with small arrows, inspired by the ones displayed on the dial of the pocket watch n°92, dating from 1785. Set at 3 o’clock, the indication is shown with an easy-to-read, slender and elegant hand, allowing the owner of the White Gold Classique 7787 to check the power reserve of up to 38 hours at a glance.

While the aesthetic features of the watch highlight watchmaking tradition, the mechanism in this elegant timepiece makes use of the latest technological innovations. The 39mm-wide case of the White Gold Classique 7787 features the Breguet 591 DRL calibre. Like the new watches made by the company, the self-winding movement has an escapement and spiral made of silicon, guaranteeing durability.

Price: €29,500 breguet.com

By Dan Diaconu

hublot classic fusion chrono bom caseback

HUBLOT – CLASSIC FUSION CHRONOGRAPH BOL D’OR MIRABAUD 2017

LIKE A BOAT ON THE WATER

For the 5th year running, the watchmaker from Nyon is celebrating the most prestigious fresh water regatta in the world. A unique occasion to create a limited edition watch in homage to the race.

Organised by the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is a legendary sailing race that has taken place every year in June on Lake Geneva since 1939. For the 79th year, with 500 single- and multi-hulled boats competing, and for the 5th year in a row, Hublot is celebrating this mythical regatta and has made a limited edition watch for the occasion: the Classic Fusion Chronograph Bol D’Or Mirabaud 2017. With just 79 pieces available, this timepiece borrows its deep blue colour from the waters of Lake Geneva.

hublot classic fusion chrono bom caseback

The dial is covered in blue texalium, a fibre-glass-based material coated with a fine layer of aluminium and resulting, here, in a texture similar to carbon. The applied indices and silver stick-shaped hands at the centre echo the metal subdials.

At the heart of the Classic Fusion Chronograph Bol d’Or Mirabaud 2017 is the calibre HUB1143. This self-winding mechanical movement has a rhythm of 28,800 vibrations an hour and provides a power reserve of around 42 hours. The calibre drives the hour functions (the hours and minutes at the centre), the calendar function (the date at 6 o’clock) and the chronograph (seconds at the centre, minutes at 9 o’clock and hours at 3 o’clock).

Price: 12,400 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

girard perregaux laureato squelette caseback

GIRARD-PERREGAUX – LAUREATO SKELETON

LIVING SCULPTURE

Like a contemporary form of architecture in constant evolution, the Laureato Skeleton has a new, subtle and delicate face at each moment.

An icon of the 1970s, the Laureato collection returned to the watchmaking spotlight in late 2016 with some new, more up-to-date versions. This summer, Girard-Perregaux is launching a model freed of some of its decorative elements, the Laureato Skeleton. As its name implies, the dial, encircled by an octagonal bezel, is reduced to its most simple elements. It reveals a superior watchmaking skeleton movement, the GP01800-0006, providing 54 hours of power reserve. The calibre stands out with the presence of a variable inertia balance wheel at 12 o’clock. This handy mechanism optimises the precision of the time indicators while improving the movement’s shock-resistance.

girard perregaux laureato squelette caseback

The 42mm-wide case of the Laureato Skeleton is made of steel or more refined rose gold, and is equipped with a strap alternating polished and satin surfaces, with a folding clasp.

Price: €32,600 (steel version) – €64,000 (rose gold version)

By Dan Diaconu

iwc aviateur mark 18 with caseback

IWC – MARK XVIII EDITION PILOT’S WATCH “TRIBUTE TO MARK XI“

HOMAGE TO THE PAST

Almost 70 years after the first Mark II model, the watchmaker from Schaffhausen brings this iconic pilot’s watch up to date with a stylistically simple, limited edition with a self-winding mechanism.

In 1948, in the IWC workshops in Schaffhausen, a timepiece was produced for air-force pilots, mainly from the Royal Air Force, and simply named the Mark XI Pilot’s Watch. It was still being made in the early 1980s, and was then redesigned in 1994 to make a model aimed more at the general public, the Mark XII Pilot’s Watch. This year, almost 70 years later, IWC is paying homage to this legendary watch with an edition limited to 1,948 pieces: the Mark XVIII Edition Pilot’s Watch “Tribute to Mark XI”. A long, complex name for a timepiece that is not complicated at all.

iwc aviateur mark 18 with caseback

The Mark XVIII Edition Pilot’s Watch “Tribute to Mark XI“ is above all a watch with a simple design, a rather traditional look and a reasonable size, adapted to male and female wrists alike.

The steel case is 40mm wide and 10.8mm thick; it is equipped with a soft iron inner case, protecting the mechanism from magnetic fields and sudden depressurisation. The mechanism itself is the calibre 35111, an automatic movement running at 28,800 vibrations an hour and providing 42 hours of autonomy.

The black dial on this new watch made by IWC features the famous yellow cross made up of four rectangles coated in sand-coloured luminous material and placed on the cardinal points. The beige colour is echoed on the central hour and minute hands. The Arabic numerals around the hour rim, as well as the minute track running along the chapter ring, are coloured white.

Price on request.

By Sharmila Bertin