Another week down, another round up of all the latest watches in our regular series, Watches of the Week. The past seven days has seen some pretty cool pieces being released from the likes of H. Moser & Cie, Franck Muller, Arnold & Son and Oris, amongst others.
Enjoy!
H. Moser & Cie Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue
From one of my favourite independent watchmakers comes its latest piece, the H. Moser & Cie Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue. Featuring a striking combination of colour, of boldness and of presence, the Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue features a 42mm wide stainless steel case, wire lugs, ornate crown and a funky blue fume dial with a sunburst pattern. Accentuated by the raised cathedral-like numerals and hands, the Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue is as cool as a heritage watch can get. Lots of lovely details throughout and I hope that H. Moser & Cie expand the Heritage collection! The Heritage Centre Seconds Funky Blue is priced at $22,100AUD.
Franck Muller Black Vanguard Skeleton
Tonneau-shaped watches are in (just look at Richard Mille), and perhaps the most overlooked brand continuing to produce these kinds of watches is Franck Muller. The Black Vanguard Skeleton is a sight to behold, that's for sure. A black on black theme is both confronting and completely intriguing. Featuring a 7-day power reserve within its in-house skeletonised movement, the architectural and geometrical nature of the Black Vanguard Skeleton is superb. If Richard Mille were to have been the name in front of "Black Vanguard Skeleton" instead of Franck Muller, then this would have been lapped up by many a hypebeast-follower. Pricing is slightly ambiguous but it looks as though it will be priced at £35,800. This is an exciting watch and I absolutely love it!
Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon Escapement
The first of two watches released by Arnold & Son is the Double Tourbillon Escapement, also known as the DTE. Featuring two separate tourbillons within its A&S8513 calibre, the DTE is an astounding piece of haute horlogerie. Its calibre enables the accurate recording of two separate times by utilising a single common motor organ, two barrels each with their own separate gear trains, which in turn each end in the tourbillon. It's a beautiful example of symmetry and complexity that I find compelling. Available in either white gold with a silvered opaline dial or red gold with a white lacquered dial, the DTE is priced at 192,600CHF and 185,000CHF, respectively.
Arnold & Son Double Balance GMT
The second piece is a less complex timepiece, albeit a far more stimulating affair, at least from a visceral perspective. The Arnold & Son Double Balance GMT is offered in a partially skeletonised variation in a 44mm wide rose gold case. The Double Balance GMT is representative of Arnold & Son's masterful craftsmanship and meticulous levels of workmanship, and is a shining example of why this brand is still around. Using the same principle as the DTE, the Double Balance GMT features two regulating organs each with its own independent kinetic chain (meaning it has its own barrel, gear train, escapement and balance-spring). Far less dear than its tourbillon equivalent, the Double Balance GMT is priced at 35,300CHF.
Oris Star Wars 'Dark Side' Limited Edition Set
The Star Wars franchise has taken the world by storm since its inception all those decades ago. And now Oris has just dropped an incredible set of watches that truly does the franchise justice. There is the Aquis which is clad in white, with the Prodiver in black rounding of a two-watch set. Available together for $6,900USD or $2,700USD for the white Aquis only, the set is obviously the one you would want to go for.
LVMH Buys Tiffany & Co. for $16.2 Billion
In breaking news that has the entire industry frothing at the mouth, the massive conglomerate Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton SE (which owns brands like Belvedere, Bulgari, Fendi, TAG Heuer, Zenith, Hublot, Hennessy and of course Louis Vuitton) has bought out Tiffany & Co. for a staggering $16.2 Billion USD. This equates to an offering of almost $135USD per share of Tiffany & Co. What does this mean, exactly? Well, I presume more distribution (and thus more access) to Tiffany & Co. products. But does that include double-signed Patek Philippes? Only time will tell...
IWC “Lewis Hamilton” Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition
To commemorate Lewis Hamilton’s incredible 6th championship win, IWC has created the“Lewis Hamilton” Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition. Featuring a black ceramic case and a Bordeaux-red dial, the “Lewis Hamilton” Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition fits the larger than life personality of everybody’s favourite motorsports driver. The “Lewis Hamilton” Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition is limited to only 100 pieces and features IWC’s manufacture calibre 52615, a perpetual calendar movement with an accuracy of more than half a millennium. Pricing is yet to be announced.