Welcome back to the next instalment of our weekly series covering all of the latest watches, Watches of the Week. In this week's round up we'll be featuring an interesting collaborative effort between the independent watchmakers MB&F and H. Moser & Cie as well as new pieces from Konstantin Chaykin, Blancpain, Zenith and Longines. Stay safe and enjoy!
H. Moser & Cie + MB&F Collaboration
Two of our favourite forces in independent watchmaking have joined forces to create two brand new wonderful watches, each exhibiting a recognisable trait from their respective watchmakers. The first is the LM101 MB&F x H. Moser. This piece features MB&F's iconic suspended balance wheel a-top H. Moser & Cie's as iconic fume dial, void of any inscriptions aside from the addition of the hour, minute and power reserve indicator hands. The second is Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon H. Moser x MB&F. This piece features Moser's HMC 810 three-dimensional flying tourbillon with cylindrical hairspring and MB&F's 40-degree inclined hour and minute sub-dial. Both pieces are incredible, and while I do apologise for the brevity in my explanation of both watches, I do implore you to head to their respective websites to find out more, especially so about the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon!
Konstantin Chaykin Mars Conqueror Mark 3
Konstantin Chaykin began work on the Martian time project in 2017 with the Mars Conquerer Mark 1, a timepiece that featured his own patented Martian-time mechanism. Fast forward to 2020 and the Mars Conqueror enters its third iteration, the Mars Conqueror Mark 3. Drawing inspiration from the cockpit instruments used in Soviet fighter jets and uses the base ETA 2893-2 calibre (which is incredibly simple in concept and used by a variety of models from Hamilton and Sinn models). The calibre has, of course, been heavily reworked by Konstantin Chaykin. The reworked calibre, named the K. 15-0, will include an hour, minute and seconds display for the local time, a second time zone display for the Earth time, as well as an hour and minutes display for the Martian time. The Mars Conqueror Mark 3 measures 55.82mm across, sits at a depth of 15.30mm and is made out of titanium. Konstantin Chaykin has ensured exclusivity by only making 8 pieces, with each model costing a very approachable €19,710.
Blancpain Introduces Two New Villeret Models
Blancpain has announced two additions to its highly acclaimed Villeret collection. The first is the Villeret Ultraplate, a soft and delicate approach to timeless elegance, available with either a steel or red gold case with diamonds. The second piece is the far more complicated and thus, in my personal opinion anyway, more desirable Villeret Quantieme Complet. Also available in the same metal configurations as the Ultraplate, the Quantieme Complet combines calendrier functionality with a beautiful moonphase. The Blancpain Villeret Ultra Plate will cost $22,900AUD, while the Villeret Quantieme Complet is priced at $28,950AUD.
Zenith Defy 21 Ultraviolet
Hues of greys, blacks and violets adorn the latest edition of the Defy 21 to dramatic effect. It's a highly contemporary, avant-garde watch that marries together the notions of traditional high-end complication watchmaking with modernity and stylistic flair. Aside from its sandblasted titanium case and violet colour palette, the highlight of the Defy 21 Ultraviolet is, of course the 1/100 of a second chronograph -- a sight to behold in person. The Zenith Defy 21 Ultraviolet will be available from August this year and will cost $13,100USD.
Longines Spirit Collection
Part of the Heritage line, Longines' Spirit Collection is comprised of watches that draw inspiration from pioneers of exploration and the adventurous spirit that was so prolific during those formative years. Made up of two pieces, the Spirit Time-and-Date and the chronometre certified Spirit Chronograph, the new Spirit Collection is an extension of Longines' vintage approach to the vast majority of their new watches. The Spirit Time-and-Date is priced from 2,000CHF, while the Spirit Chronograph will cost 2,900CHF.