Another week down, another round up of all the latest watch releases in our regular series, 'Watches of the Week'. This week's column won't include the new releases from 'Watches & Wonders 2020', but instead will feature the latest pieces from the likes of F. P. Journe, Chopard, Hublot and Bulgari. Stay safe and enjoy!
F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance
New from F. P. Journe is the 20th anniversary Chronomètre à Résonance. Last year the collection had been discontinued following 20 years of technical mastery over its competition. And now we have the latest iteration. This model features a brand new movement in rose gold which holds the infamous double balance design, a single mainspring barrel and a remontoir d’egalité, one for each of the two separate going trains. The 2020 Chronomètre à Résonance model features some openworking on the dial much to my delight and comes in either a platinum or rose gold case with the option of having it in a 40mm or 42mm diameter. The platinum model will cost $110,600USD, while the rose gold model costs $106,800USD.
Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin
Chopard's L.U.C Perpetual Twin is a delightful play between technique, an air of nonchalance and brilliance. Its super legible dial, ultra-comfortable case and absolutely gorgeous movement really propels the L.U.C Perpetual Twin to new heights. The L.U.C Perpetual Twin, having been released in 2016, is now available in two new versions: steel with a blue dial, and rose gold with a grey dial. Both models are outstanding, and both feature an easy-to-digest layout of imperative calendrier information. Pricing for the L.U.C Perpetual Twin in steel is $24,700USD, while the rose gold's pricing is yet to be announced.
Bulgari Bulgari 'BB Cities' Special Edition
Capturing the quintessence of the world's 9 major cities, Bulgari's Bulgari 'BB Cities' Special Edition features a mirrored aesthetic for each model, bar the altering city name on the bottom part of the bezel. The cities featured on the Bulgari 'BB Cities' Special Edition include Rome, Dubai, Tokyo, Paris, London, Ibiza, Milan, Mexico City and New York City. I love the look of this black themed watch with its simple gold-coloured highlights, but this is neither groundbreaking nor novel. But still, it's a pretty cool approach. The Bulgari 'BB Cities' Special Edition is priced at €4,250.
DOXA SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers
Made of carbon and featuring a heavily military-inspired aesthetic, the Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers is a robust, durable, heavy-duty timepiece that captures the intensity of the US Navy's diving cohort. It features the US Navy's No-Decompression dive chart on the bezel and the Aqua Lung US Divers Co. logo on the dial, along with plenty of yellow highlights that are sure to be legible 300m below the surface. Sitting at 42.50mm in diameter and 14.30mm in thickness, the SUB 300 Carbon Aqua Lung US Divers isn't exactly overly large, nor is it small. It also features the ETA 2824-2 automatic movement that is COSC certified. In fact, the more that I write about it, the more its $7,690AUD price tag sounds reasonable. Maybe.
Hublot Big Bang GMT All Black for Yohji Yamamoto
Hublot has celebrated the opening of its boutique in Tokyo by collaborating with renowned Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto in the creation of the Big Bang GMT All Black for Yohji Yamamoto. This blacked out variation of the Big Bang GMT sets the mood as being something ultra contemporary, super avant-garde and unapologetically bold. Yamamoto is known for his obscure approach to fashion design, having created 'the Shock of Black', a concept that shattered preconceptions of tailoring. Hublot has grasped this ideology and imbued the Big Bang GMT All Black for Yohji Yamamoto with the same elemental black-on-black look. The Hublot Big Bang GMT All Black for Yohji Yamamoto is available in a limited run of only 50 pieces exclusively from the Hublot Boutique in Ginza and will be priced at $23,400USD.
Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar
Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the Ore Mountains, Glashütte Original's latest version of its acclaimed PanoMaticLunar features a stunning deep green dial, reminiscent of the colours of the tall fir trees surrounding the manufacture. The contrast between the natural look of the green dial and the silver-coloured moon in the moon phase display is really quite appealing, as is the legible layout of the asymmetrically placed sub-dial registers and apertures. The Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar comes on either a brown Louisiana alligator nubuck leather strap or a stainless steel bracelet and is priced from €9,500.