The world of watches is an ever-changing expanse. New watches are revealed constantly, and sometimes it’s difficult to focus on only a few watches. In dedicating ourselves to covering only a handful of watches every week does unfortunately mean that we aren’t able to cover some really very amazing timepieces. So, we’ve decided to create our “Week in Review” column, focusing on the latest and greatest horological wonders released through the week. To be released every Monday AEST, we’ll be providing you with a weekly summary of all the latest watches released over the past 7 days.
Welcome to the very first “Week in Review” round-up!
Breitling Superocean Heritage Chronograph Ocean Conservancy Limited Edition
We featured the Breitling x Ocean Conservancy last week which you can check out here, and it was fairly well received. Featuring a very calming colour palette reminiscent of the ocean, the Superocean Heritage Chronograph Ocean Conservancy Limited Edition represents an amazing initiative of oceanic conservation.
Chopard L.U.C XPS Azur – Cannes Red Carpet Edition 2019
Featuring an azure-blue guilloche dial in a beautiful white-gold case and purpose-built for the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the Chopard L.U.C XPS Azur is the quintessential red-carpet watch. Donning a very subtle, very indiscreet persona, the Chopard L.U.C XPS Azur doesn’t speak too loudly, but when it does open its mouth it absolutely oozes quality and charisma. Powered by the manufacture calibre L.U.C 96.01-L, a personal favourite, the Chopard L.U.C XPS Azur’s simple aesthetic masks its fairly high price-tag.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle
The notoriety of being known as the “watchmaker’s watchmaker” obviously does have its own unique ramifications. You’re expected to produce magnificently complicated watches, and in the case of the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle, Jaeger-LeCoultre have indeed done just that. Combining a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar within a fairly undersized 43mm wide and 13.72mm thick white-gold case is a masterclass in superlative watchmaking, and to top it off as being a completer looker, I absolutely will not argue with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s position of supremacy.
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin
This time featuring a beautiful midnight-blue dial, this latest addition to the almost legendary Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin collection is perhaps the best looking. I’m a sucker for blue, and the combination of the sunburst satin-finished midnight-blue dial within that gorgeously thin pink-gold case is just perfect. To top that off we have one of the most complicated horological mechanisms known to man, the perpetual calendar, and we really do have one hell of a watch from Vacheron Constantin.
Parmigiani Fleurier Tecnica Ombre Noir
A peculiar sight to see from Parmigiani Fleurier, the new Tecnica Ombre Noir is an odd combination of ornate, of modern, of tradition and of complexity. Within the Tecnica Ombre Noir’s 45mm wide rose-gold case lies a behemoth of a complication, including a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar and a minute repeater. There’s a good 504 hand-tended-to components in that calibre, and while the Tecnica Ombre Noir is technically a unique piece, you can get your hands on it for just under 500,000CHF.
Fortis PC-7 TEAM Aeromaster Chronograph & Day-Date
Two new big releases from Fortis with the PC-7 TEAM Aeromaster Chronograph & Day-Date, both of which will be available with either a stainless-steel bracelet or a blue cordura performance strap. Out of the two I would much prefer the added complexity of that chronograph, and considering the fact that it also includes day-date functionality, I feel that it’s a no brainer. Pricing wise though it’s fairly different, with the chronograph model priced at 4,450CHF and the day-date model priced at 2,450CHF. Worth the premium? I think so.
Q Timex
The release of the Q Timex caused many an affluent collector to forgo their usual spending habits in lieu of dropping a couple of hundred dollars to acquire something that is, fundamentally, just really cool. Pepsi bezel, faux-patina, a very 1979-vibe and a nostalgic stainless-steel bracelet, the Q Timex draws inspiration from its older brother, and it does so in such an awesome way. Quartz-powered, fun-loving, the Q Timex is like a breath of fresh air.
Louis Moint Transcontinental
Built to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the very first railroad between the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts in the USA, the Louis Moint Transcontinental’s dial depicts a highly industrial environment, drawing inspiration from a bygone era. Available in either stainless-steel for 38,500CHF or pink-gold for 57,500CHF, the Louis Moint Transcontinental is an intriguing watch but wholly quite dear for what is offered.
Bremont Jaguar D-Type Chronograph
Another watch we featured this week, the Bremont Jaguar D-Type Chronograph draws inspiration directly from the smooth alluring design of the iconic Jaguar D-Type. With a dial reminiscent of the dashboard of the D-Type, the Bremont Jaguar D-Type Chronograph is dripping with that long adored cool-factor.
HYT H1.0
Marching to the beat of their own drum, HYT released the H1.0 recently, again featured on Haulogerie last week. With parts like bellows and fluid running through its capillaries, the HYT H1.0’s movement sounds less like a watch movement and more of a hybrid supercar’s engine.
Blancpain Air Command Flyback Chronograph
The resissue of Blancpain’s extremely rare Air Command Flyback Chronograph is a welcoming one. Once upon a time, the Air Command Flyback Chronograph was produced for the US Air Force way back in the 1950s, in the mid-2000s they’re purely a collector’s item to stow away. But now, with the Air Command Flyback Chronograph, Blancpain have enabled would-be-wearers to buy and wear the watch happily. Costing 18,500CHF, this is far from an inexpensive timepiece, but given its authentic nature and brilliant proportions, I can actually justify its price-tag.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda
The second re-edition is the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, inspired by the original piece supplied to the German Bunesmarines in the late 1960s. Rated to a diving depth of 300m, the Fifty Fathoms Barakuda is a beautiful combination of function, of durability, of real-world relevance and applicability, and of desirability. Plenty of vintage-inspiration lives in the Fifty Fathoms Barakuda. Immensely cool stuff.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘Nageurs de Combat’
The third reissue is the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘Nageurs de Combat’. Originally developed for the French marine combat unit, the Naguers de Combat, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘Nageurs de Combat’ is simple in design but supremely solid in execution. You can definitely tell that the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘Nageurs de Combat’ is a purposeful watch.
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary
Paying tribute to the lunar landing, the Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary combines a brilliant METAS Master Chronometer Certified movement that took 4 years to develop with a stunning aesthetic. Featuring a beautiful 18k Moonshine gold and black ceramic bezel as well as dial accents and encased in a 42mm wide stainless-steel case, the Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary is just superb. The Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary is limited to 6,969 watches, each with its own individual limited-edition number and inscription of Neil Armstong’s foot on the back of the watch
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Chronograph
Available in a variety of metals, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Chronograph features a beautiful wave-pattern on the dial, attenuated by the circular hour markers, second/minute track and exposed pushers. The basis of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Chronograph is that it not only looks good, but it also performs really well. Very capable both as a daily wearer and something you’d want to wear in a more formal setting, there is a whole lot of versatility with every single variation of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Chronograph.
Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395
Available in either rose gold or platinum, the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 is just about as thin as it gets. At 41mm in diameter and a paper-thin 7.70mm in thickness, and considering just how mechanically complex it is, I’d be hard-pressed to find a watch that is slimmer and just as complex as the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 is.
Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon
Devilishly beautiful, meticulously detailed and supremely complicated, the new Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon is more watch than you could ever expect. Featuring a flying tourbillon in a 42mm wide platinum case, this certified chronometer is exceptional, albeit quite unexpected.