Monthly Archives: June 2018

bell and ross br 01 laughing skull open mouth

BR 01 LAUGHING SKULL

Bell&Ross

JOLLY ROGER IS BACK!

Almost ten years after its first Memento Mori watch, the Parisian brand returns with a skull this time featuring unusual animation, bringing a smile to the Jolly Roger.

Introduced at the Couture Show in Las Vegas, which took place from 31 May to 4 June, the limited edition BR 01 Laughing Skull has joined the collection of skull watches launched by Bell & Ross in 2009. This was the year that the Parisian brand, in defiance of fashion, designed its first watch displaying its famous skull on the dial. Later, several other models were produced with a tourbillon (2011), a bronze case (2015) or an engraved and lacquered case (2016). The BR 01 Laughing Skull, however, has a little twist helping it to stand out from its predecessors: here the Jolly Roger comes to life. It opens and closes its jaw in a silent grin when the user winds the watch with the crown.

bell and ross br 01 laughing skull open mouthThe open-work dial features the metallic Jolly Roger design made using the stamping technique. The forehead reveals the escapement, accentuating the living aspect of the grinning skull. In the nose area, two sword-shaped hands coated in black Super-LumiNova® display the hours and minutes.

500 pieces of this new watch by Bell & Ross have been made. It is also available with a bezel set with diamonds or a case covered in jewels, two models each limited to 99 pieces.

Price: 9,900 CHF (steel version) – 16,000 CHF (jewelled bezel) – 27,000 CHF (jewelled case and bezel)

By Sharmila Bertin

tudor black bay gmt 2018 straps

BLACK BAY GMT

Tudor

MORE THAN A FAMILY RESEMBLANCE

This model, with its two-colour bezel, recalls a watchmaking classic. But take a closer look and you’ll see that the brand with the Tudor rose has kept its own personality intact.

They always manage to surprise us. For the past few years, Tudor has regularly been the focus of attention with their models launched at Baselworld. For 2018, the Black Bay GMT is undeniably the watch in the spotlight. It’s true that the bidirectional revolving bezel is quite reminiscent of the legendary Rolex GMT-Master II, but look closer and you’ll see that this watch has the technical talents and specific features to make it very attractive. First of all, this really is an all-terrain model, at home on land or in the water with a robust steel case that is watertight down to 200m. The Snowflake hour hand, an aesthetic hallmark of the collection, and the minute hand point towards luminous hour markers that stand out nicely against the black dial for optimal readability, even in the dark. Along with the central second hand, there is a fourth, red hand that revolves once around the dial every 24 hours, so the owner can see the time in a second time zone using the figures around the bezel. The blue and the burgundy colours show the night and day times respectively. A date rounds off the time information.

tudor black bay gmt 2018 strapsAll these features are driven by an automatic mechanical movement (70 hours of power reserve), with accuracy certified by the COSC. It also has a “stop second“ system for precise time setting.

The Black Bay GMT is worn with a steel, leather or NATO strap. Tudor has reminded us that a practical watch can also be stylish!

Price: 3,400 EUR (leather-NATO) – 3,700 EUR (steel)

By Dan Diaconu

omega speedmaster dark of the side moon apollo 8 caseback

SPEEDMASTER DARK SIDE OF THE MOON APOLLO 8

Omega

FLYING ABOVE THE MOON

The rugged surface of the moon is displayed on the dial and back of this new Speedmaster, as seen in close up by the three American astronauts on the famous Apollo 8 mission.

On 21 December 1968, almost half a century ago, the three men in the Apollo 8 mission took off towards the moon as part of the NASA space programme, launched during the presidency of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). This trip into the depths of space, outside the earth’s orbit, led to the American astronauts orbiting the moon, seeing our planet in its totality for the very first time and observing the famous “Dark Side of the Moon”, the name given to the Speedmaster collection by Omega.

omega speedmaster dark of the side moon apollo 8 casebackOn the case back with its sapphire glass cover are a number of inscriptions, including the famous words of Jim Lovell (1928), the command module pilot, just before going behind the moon and temporarily losing contact with the Earth: “We’ll see you on the other side”.

Price: 9,700 CHF omegawatches.com

By Sharmila Bertin

chopard luc xp esprit de fleurier peony caseback

L.U.C XP ESPRIT DE FLEURIER PEONY

Chopard

A BLACK AND WHITE BOUQUET

True to the traditions of the land of its birth, Chopard pays homage to its Swiss roots by creating a bouquet of stylised black and white peonies and highlighting two regional arts, paper-cutting, inspired by such techniques as poya, and Fleurier engraving.

For the past few years, Chopard has placed its romantic soul on the dial of its watches, an intense feeling shown in an artistically interpreted bouquet of peony flowers. The limited edition L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier Peony is no exception to this exclusive rule since each of the eight precious pieces combines two craft techniques from the tradition of Switzerland, the brand’s birthplace: paper-cutting, inspired by poya techniques, and Fleurier engraving.

chopard luc xp esprit de fleurier peony casebackPrice on request chopard.com

By Sharmila Bertin

jaquet droz grande seconde tribute details

GRANDE SECONDE “HOMMAGE“

Jaquet Droz

CLOTHED IN LIGHT

Enhancing the layout of a legendary dial, Jaquet Droz has provided a new, refined combination with warm tones, like a golden sheath.

First launched in 2002, the Grande Seconde is now the aesthetic flagship for Jaquet Droz’s contemporary watches. Available in a wide range of materials – red gold, ceramic, steel – the model now comes with a 43mm-wide yellow-gold case. This limited edition of 88 pieces was introduced at Baselworld 2018 and celebrates the 280th anniversary of the brand in unique style. On the ivory-coloured “Grand Feu” enamel dial of the Grande Seconde “Hommage”, we can see the very distinctive layout that helps it stand out from the other designs available on the watch market. At 12 o’clock, a disc displays Roman and Arabic numerals with the hour and minute hands. In the lower part of the dial, a larger, off-centred circle displays the sub-seconds. The two geometric shapes overlap to form a figure 8. This artistic display also provides excellent readability.

jaquet droz grande seconde tribute detailsThe time is displayed with the help of an automatic movement. With its two barrels, the calibre 2663 provides the watch with 68 hours of power reserve. The yellow-gold rotor that is visible through the sapphire caseback is enhanced by a hand-made guilloché pattern and by two engraved stars, another of Jaquet Droz’s symbols.

This elegant model comes with a strap made of blue alligator leather. It can be worn beneath the sleeves of a made-to-measure shirt and jacket or with a “casual chic” outfit.

Price: 21,900 EUR jaquet-droz.com

By Dan Diaconu

zenith pilot cohiba gold closeup

PILOT TYPE 20 EXTRA-SPECIAL COHIBA–MADURO 5 EDITION

Zenith

CUBA SI!

Two new limited editions this year embody the partnership launched in 2016 between Zenith and the famous Cuban cigar manufacturer Cohiba.

If, as the traveller and writer Sylvain Tesson says, “fans of Havana enjoy being wrapped up in smoke”, they never say no to being surrounded by beautiful objects either. The partnership signed by the Zenith and Cohiba brands will no doubt delight them with a limited edition of two elegant pilot’s watches. The Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Cohiba-Maduro 5 Edition is built around a large, 45mm-wide rose gold case. The warm tones of the metal are enhanced by the black dial and brown leather strap. The overall effect evokes the colour of dried tobacco leaves in a Cohiba cigar. Key features of the design on this type of timepiece are Arabic numerals and an XL-size crown. The imposing presence of hands coated in luminous material also provides excellent readability, even in the dark.

zenith pilot cohiba gold closeupIt’s worth noting that the 50 watches are joined by another limited edition of 150 pieces. The Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Chronograph Cohiba-Maduro 5 Edition stands out with a case of the same size but made of bronze. This version houses an automatic El Primero 4069 movement to take care of shorter time intervals while you are enjoying your Maduro 5 cigar.

Price: 7,900 EUR (chronograph) – 21,900 EUR zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

breguet classique 5157 closeup

CLASSIQUE EXTRA-PLATE 5157

Breguet

A TASTE OF ETERNITY

Launched in 2005 in a yellow gold and white gold versions, this year’s 5157 model is made of pink gold to keep up with the times. The calibre is more resistant with the inclusion of silicon elements.

Skill, excellence, technical expertise… There is no shortage of words to describe the work of watchmakers. Sometimes a watch is worth more than a thousand words! You just need to see the Classique Extra-Plate 5157 to agree. The version introduced by Breguet at the recent Foire de Bâle is another illustration. The watch dimensions, 38mm wide and 5.45mm thick, embody our idea of a timepiece with timeless elegance. Inside the fine pink-gold case with a fluted body can be found all the signature elements of the prestigious brand. The silvered gold dial stands out through the central guilloche technique with a hand-made “Clou de Paris” pattern. It is encircled with an hour rim with Roman numerals and naturally features blued steel Breguet-style hour and minute hands with “moon” tips.

breguet classique 5157 closeupThe timepiece runs on an automatic movement. The extra-flat calibre 502.3 provides 45 hours of power reserve once fully wound. It also includes the latest innovations from the manufacture with an anchor escapement and silicon spiral. The sapphire caseback unveils the workings inside.

The Classique Extra-Plate 5157 is worn with a brown alligator leather strap featuring a tang buckle. The finished result is a work combining art and craftsmanship. All the models are numbered on the dial. As a guarantee of authenticity, on either side of the watch is a XII, the discreet signature first introduced by the watchmaking genius to combat counterfeiting.

Price: 18,300 EUR breguet.com

By Dan Diaconu