Another week has come and gone, and that means another round up of all the latest watch news in our regular series, Watches of the Week. In this week's column we'll be featuring new watches from the likes of Omega, Audemars Piguet and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Enjoy!
Omega Speedmaster 'Silver Snoopy Award' 50th Anniversary
New from Omega is the Speedmaster 'Silver Snoopy Award' 50th Anniversary, a piece that pays homage to NASA presenting the Silver Snoopy Award to Omega following the Apollo 13 mission. The Speedmaster 'Silver Snoopy Award' 50th Anniversary celebrates the 50th anniversary of the award in a captivating package that is perhaps the best version so far. Featuring a stainless steel 42mm case with blue accents and a blue strap with the iconic Snoopy image in the small-seconds register, the Speedmaster 'Silver Snoopy Award' 50th Anniversary is a delightfully casual albeit serious bit of kit with enough heritage to appease even the staunchest of moon-related watch collectors. The Omega Speedmaster 'Silver Snoopy Award' 50th Anniversary is not a limited edition piece and will be priced at $14,700USD.
Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie
Audemars Piguet's CODE 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie is back, this time being treated to a dial made by world-renowned enamelist, Anita Porchet. The pailloné enamel dial features takes an immense amount of time and patience to create, with the end result being an incredibly beautiful and intricate work of art atop what is one of the world's most complicated movements. The CODE 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie is available in a limited run of 5 pieces and is priced at 710,00CHF.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Collection
Jaeger-LeCoultre's new Polaris Mariner Collection is a sporty casual blend of watchmaking that is both modern in its aesthetic and classical in its approach. Two models have been released, the Polaris Mariner Date and the Polaris Mariner Memovox. Both models are highly contemporary, dotted with bright orange accents, with both models emphasising a more modern direction for the brand's most versatile model. The Polaris Mariner Date will be priced at $11,000USD, while the Polaris Mariner Memovox will be priced at $17,600USD.
Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde
The first of three new releases from one of the most exciting accessible Swiss watchmakers is the Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde. The Excellence Petite Seconde sports a case reminiscent of the roundness of old pocket watches along with distinctive hands inspired by the trees that fill the Jura Mountains which serves as the perfect picturesque backdrop to the Louis Erard maison. The Excellence Petite Seconde is a simplistic yet ultimately very beautiful timepiece that combines multiple dial finishings, those tree-shaped blued steel hands and a soft silvered matte look that is undeniably appealing. Nostalgic yet still very much in-tune with the demands of a modern timepiece.
Louis Erard Excellence Régulateur
Next up is the Louis Erard Excellence Régulator. The régulator function is one of my personal favourites, dividing the passing hours, minutes and seconds into separate displays. In the instances of the Excellence Régulator, this is done by way of separate sub-dials. The silvered matte dial and blued steel hands continue the theme introduced earlier with the Excellence Petite Seconde, again with a dial that features multiple contrasting finishes and shifting levels. Love it.
Louis Erard Excellence Chrono Monopoussoir
Last but certainly not least is the Excellence Chrono Monopoussoir. This is a monopusher chronograph, as the named indicates, and it is my favourite of the three new Louis Erard releases. In keeping with the Art Sapin theme as with the Excellence Petite Seconde and the Excellence Régulateur, the Excellence Chrono Monopoussoir is a beautifully elegant, timeless piece whose design and architecture resonates throughout. Indicative of its stature, the Excellence Chrono Monopoussoir has a certain poise about it that masks how truly complex it is. Easily one of the best affordable monopusher chronographs available, period.