Welcome to the next instalment of our new series where at the end of every week we pick out our favourite watches from MR PORTER extensive roster of luxury watches. For the second round up, we've got a pretty diverse collection of timepieces, including watches from the likes of Zenith, HYT, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai. Enjoy!
Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special
Encased in 45mm of bronze and strapped to oiled-nubuck, the Pilot Type 20 Extra Special is a mega statement watch that captures the indomitable spirit of aviation pioneers from yesteryear. Featuring a sand-blasted black dial with gold-plated lume-filled hands and bold cathedral-type numerals, you know that legibility will almost never be an issue. The brilliance of bronze is that it will age uniquely, creating a patina dependent on whatever you expose the piece to, meaning that each piece will eventually be completely different to one another.
IWC Portofino Moon Phase
IWC has done well to capture the romanticism of a moon phase complication with the Portofino Moon Phase. A wholly handsome package, the Portofino Moon Phase is delicate, precise and fantastically gorgeous. Subtle details adorn the piece, with the Portofino Moon Phase being well versed as either a daily wearer or something you pair with a more formal outfit.
HYT H0
From the masters of fluidic mechanics comes the H0. This behemoth of contemporary watchmaking features a stainless steel case that measures a whopping 48.80mm across and 18.70mm in thickness. This unprecedented heft is necessary however, to fit the Chronode-manufactured calibre 101 hand-wound movement with its 65-hour power reserve and fluidic time display. It's almost unsurprising that the entrepreneurs who dubbed themselves the 'hydro-mechanical horologists' were once nuclear engineers.
Zenith Defy El Primero 21
With its 44mm brushed-titanium case, the Defy El Primero 21 has a lot of presence, that's for sure. But with thanks to its monochromatic look, it still carries with it plenty of subtlety to fly under the radar. For less than a retail Daytona, you're getting something that is perhaps more interesting, more rare, has a better movement (it has a 1/100th of a second chronograph with two escapements), and on a whole has a lot more value for money, in my humble opinion. Love the black and grey look, with the addition of the power reserve indicator at 12 o'clock acting like the proverbial cherry on top.
Panerai Radiomir California
One of my favourite references of the entire Panerai lineage, the delightful PAM00424 features a California-style dial (where the top half of the dial features Roman numerals for the hour indices, while the bottom half of the dial features Arabic numerals), a railroad chapter ring and luminous hands. The wire lugs and 47mm cushion-shaped stainless steel case round off what is an otherwise very telling and very intriguing watch. Oh, and it features an in-house movement, too.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute
Ah, the beloved Reverso. How can we not feature it? This particular model features a burgundy red sunray-finished dial with a matching strap made by the specialist Argentine bootmaker Casa Fagliano. With its innate ability to be "reversed", thus protecting the dial during polo games, the Reverso's original reason for creation may not be as commonly used nowadays, but it still reminds us of the purposeful nature of one of watchmaking's most iconic watches.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual
Encased in rose gold, the Master Ultra Thin Perpetual is one of the staples of Jaeger-LeCoultre's expansive collection of timepieces. One of the brand's most revered and most beloved watches, the Master Ultra Thin Perpetual combines elements of beautiful classicism with Jaeger-LeCoultre's renowned qualities in a package that is just so damn hard to look past. Easy enough to dress up or down with thanks to its overly simplistic and to-the-point look, the Master Ultra Thin Perpetual is unfathomably faultless.
Smythson Panama Watch Roll
So, you've got a bunch of watches you want to take with you on your trip, but nowhere to put them. Enter the Smythson Panama Watch Roll, a gorgeous must-have for anybody that is half-serious about that watches. Crafted in Italy from cross-grain leather, the Smythson Panama Watch Roll has a suede lining with a padded interior and a snap-fastening mechanism. This particular model comes in a very unassuming yet very elegant and luxurious navy colour.
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