Monthly Archives: December 2019

tissot heritage porto closeup

HERITAGE PORTO

A FINE VINTAGE

Tissot’s new Heritage Porto watches stand out with their retro-look attires and their Art Nouveau style inspired by the eponymous Portuguese city’s famous bridge.

Although the Portuguese city is famous for its wine, the arch architecture of its Dom-Luis Bridge is also an internationally-recognized reference. Back in the 1910s, it inspired the design of a cambered-contoured, tonneau-shaped case created by Tissot. These Art Nouveau-infused lines are now reproduced in the new version of the Heritage Porto model, unveiled for the first time in 2001. The highly-contemporary 42.5 mm x 31.1 mm dimensions of this case, proposed in polished steel with brushed rose gold PVD around the case-middle, invite time data to reign in a rather airy space. Pear-shaped hands hover delicately over an hour chapter composed of numerals embracing a superbly-arabesque-style typography, a harmony of upstroke and downstroke subtlety. The dial adorns opaline white, black or a sunray-brushed silvery finish to ensure perfect readability.

tissot heritage porto closeupThe multiple versions of the Heritage Porto are complemented by a brown or black leather strap boasting crocodile embossing, attached by a butterfly clasp. The strap is retained by articulated lugs to offer the wearer optimal comfort and to perfectly embrace all wrists.

Price from EUR470 www.tissotwatches.com

By Dan Diaconu

ulysse nardin diver x cap horn nemo point caseback

DIVER X CAPE HORN NEMO POINT

CUT OUT FOR FEATS

With two limited series, Ulysse Nardin accompanies sailors on their 40,075 km journey for the next open-ocean race around the globe.

ulysse nardin diver x cap horn nemo point casebackThese models, bona fide diving instruments, are waterproof to 300 m and come equipped with a unidirectional revolving bezel. Diver X Cap Horn and Diver X Point Nemo are set on a comfortable Velcro-attached fabric strap which wraps perfectly around the bare wrist or over a neoprene wetsuit.

Price: CHF8,900 (Nemo Point) – CHF9,900 (Cape Horn)

By Dan Diaconu

zenith chronomaster 2 2019 both

CHRONOMASTER 2

NEW GENERATION

A limited series of Chronomaster chronographs inaugurates the automatic El Primero caliber which has been totally redesigned by the Locle watchmakers to celebrate its jubilee.

50 years old and still at the cutting edge of performance. The El Primero caliber first issued back in 1969 pursues its route in chronometry. But that’s no reason for Zenith to rest on its laurels. Quite the contrary actually! Given that the firm has unveiled a state-of-the-art enhanced version known as El Primero 3600. This automatic movement which is still set at 36,000 vibrations an hour hosts an integrated construction with a lateral clutch, column wheel and ball bearing-mounted central rotor. Its development was optimized using a performance algorithm. And, the result? The power reserve is extended and now offers a minimum of 60 hours. The caliber now features a stop-seconds device for setting time precisely.

zenith chronomaster 2 2019 bothTo celebrate this event, two 250-piece limited chronograph series have been produced. Both are complemented by an alligator strap in the same shade as the bezel, set off with a folding clasp.

Price: CHF9,900 zenith.com

By Dan Diaconu

tag heuer f1 senna 2019 carrera 02

AYRTON SENNA SPECIAL EDITIONS 2019

A TOKEN OF RECOGNITION

Magic Senna’s spirit continues to haunt Formula 1 Grand Prix races. La Chaux-de-Fonds’ watchmakers pay him an eloquent tribute with two chronographs depicting his portrait.

tag heuer f1 senna 2019 carrera 02Both models are presented in a case specially made for the occasion.

Price: CHF20,400 (Carrera Heuer 02T) – CHF3,100 (Formula 1 Calibre 16) www.tagheuer.com

By Dan Diaconu

jaquet droz petite heure minute rat handcraft

PETITE HEURE MINUTE RAT

THE RODENT AND THE POMEGRANATE

At the end of January, a new cycle in the Chinese calendar will begin, the year of the Rat, a curious, alert little rodent that the watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds is honoring with four new references in the Les Ateliers d’Art collection.

The year 2020, starting on January 25 to be exact, is the year of the Rat, the first animal in the Chinese Zodiac. Since the dawn of time, this rodent has been admired in Asia for its mental alertness and imagination, its intuition, its curiosity and its ambition. In four new versions of the famous Petite Heure Minute with a simple display of the time basics in the upper section of the dial, Jaquet Droz poetically depicts the little animal along with another powerful image of Oriental culture, the pomegranate, symbolizing prosperity and abundance.

jaquet droz petite heure minute rat handcraftFor the “relief“ versions, the case comes in white gold with diamonds on the lugs and rehaut, or in red gold. A black onyx disc covers the dial with a cluster of fleshy pomegranates (at 2 o’clock), an open fruit whose seeds are represented by rubies positioned using the snow-setting technique (at 9 o’clock) and, of course, a rat in sculpted gold holding a large ruby in its claws. At 12 o’clock, a silver or gold ring surrounds the hour and minute display.

Price: 31’150 CHF (39mm red gold) – 38’150 CHF (35mm red gold setting) – 71’300 CHF (41mm red gold) – 91’900 CHF (41mm white gold setting) jaquet-droz.com

By Sharmila Bertin

hermes cape cod chaine d'ancre collection

CAPE COD CHAÎNE D’ANCRE

COMBINING THE CODES

Embracing three powerful signs of the Parisian house’s identity, the famous “square inside a rectangle“ timepiece puts the final touch on its unique look with a double tour strap focusing on the renowned anchor chain.

Three key dates in the history of Hermès have marked the birth of three pillars signed by three major names, and they are now coming together to create a watch, the Cape Cod Chaîne d’Ancre. In 1938, Robert Dumas, the son-in-law of the grandson of Thierry Hermès, the founder, took inspiration from the anchor chains he had seen on the Normandy coast to design a piece of silver jewelry, taking the brand beyond leather for a dive into the maritime world. Then, in 1991, it was Henri d’Origny’s turn to open a new era by designing the Cape Cod, a “square inside a rectangle”, whose straps highlight the silhouette of the Anchor Chain. And lastly, in 1998, Martin Margiela introduced the double tour strap in Barenia calfskin with an elegant casualness to go with this watch model.

hermes cape cod chaine d'ancre collectionPowered by a quartz movement, the hours and minutes are displayed on the opaline dial by two rhodium-plated baton hands hovering over powdered Arabic numerals with thin anthracite outlines.

Price: 2’950 CHF (SM) – 3’050 CHF (LM) hermes.com

By Sharmila Bertin

richard mille rm 11 04 mancini

RM11-04 ROBERTO MANCINI

MASTERING PLAYING TIME

Every minute counts when you’re setting up a game of positions. This timepiece assists astute tacticians from kickoff to overtime, if necessary.

richard mille rm 11 04 manciniThe caliber RMAC3, replacing the RMAC1, powers the functions and complications for approximately 55 hours once wound. This skeletonized automatic winding movement drives the hour, minute and second hands. It also orchestrates the display of an oversize date and the months. Its flyback chronograph helps in tracking short times and match halftimes with a central minute counter.

Price: 195’000 CHF richardmille.com

By Dan Diaconu

panerai luminor marina bucherer blue with caseback

LUMINOR MARINA BUCHERER BLUE

BLUE JEAN

The blue wave never stops rolling in for the watchmaking world. The limited edition co-signed by Bucherer and Panerai has everything it takes to become a collector’s item.

After a Radiomir Bucherer Blue in 2016, Panerai and the Swiss distributor are working together again this year to present a new limited series. The Luminor Marina Bucherer Blue combines the esthetics of the watchmaker’s models with the color imperatives inherent to the collection bearing its name. The dial is in midnight blue with a vertically brushed finish bearing the usual numbers and markers coated in a beige luminescent material unique to the model. A small second counter is located at 9 o’clock, while the date is placed symmetrically at 3 o’clock. It comes in a titanium case with DLC coating that is watertight to 300 meters. This combination of colors and materials reinforces the timepiece’s casual chic personality.

panerai luminor marina bucherer blue with casebackThe Luminor Marina Bucherer Blue is a limited edition of just 188 watches. It comes with an anthracite fabric watchband imitating the famous denim used in jeans. This reference is also available with a solid watchband in matching rubber. Like all the watches in the Blue Edition collection, the Panerai is only available at Bucherer shops and on the website.

Price: 11’500 EUR

By Dan Diaconu