Welcome to the next instalment of our weekly series covering all of the latest watch releases, Watches of the Week. In this week's column we'll be featuring new watches from the likes of Tudor, Audemars Piguet and Breguet. Enjoy!
Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue"
Now featuring a lovely blue on the dial and bezel, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue" is Tudor's latest addition to the much acclaimed and well received Fifty-Eight collection. Its stainless steel case sits at 39mm in diameter and 11.90mm in thickness and features Tudor's in-house COSC certified MT5402 calibre. The Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue" is available on a steel bracelet, a navy blue fabric strap as well as a synthetic strap in the same colour way. Not a revelatory piece by any means, but a cool watch is a cool watch nevertheless. A solid yes from us. The Black Bay Fifty-Eight "Navy Blue" will cost $5,000AUD on a bracelet and $4,580AUD on either fabric strap. Oh, and it’s so much better in the metal.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Additions
Audemars Piguet has released three brand new additions to its Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph collection. From the outset I can pretty much definitively say I'm not the biggest fan -- primarily of the super bold and enlarged hour numerals. Everything else seems in-tune with what we've all come to love and expect from a Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph. The new Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph is encased in 44mm of ceramic and comes in three colour variations, black ceramic and pink gold, black and green ceramic as well as black and blue ceramic. Pricing for the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph starts at $34,900USD.
Richard Mille RM 11-05 Cermet Limited Edition
Cermet is almost as hard as a diamond and is routinely used in creating heat shields for space shuttles. Now it's being wrapped around a Richard Mille movement, and to dramatic effect mind you. The soft, grainy look of the Cermet case is accentuated by the soft blues and pastel oranges of the movement, which in itself incorporates a GMT, a flyback chronograph and an annual calendar. All the tell tale signs of a Richard Mille piece are at play here. Drama, character and a sense of individuality. Add the super unconventional use of an alloy like Cermet and what you have is a very intriguing watch. The RM 11-05 Cermet Limited Edition is priced at $215,000USD.
Breguet 7097 Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde
The new 7097 Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde is a boutique edition and features a blue guilloche dial, differentiating it from the other models. A divine piece with plenty of beautiful details, the 7097 Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde features a blue guilloche engine-turned dial in gold, a very cool retrograde small seconds indicator and perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring rotors I've ever seen. The Breguet 7097 Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde is available now and will cost $36,100USD.
Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Opaline
Laurent Ferrier seems to have a knack for creating timeless watches that have a distinct old-school charm but are still in-keeping with modern size and style demands. Here is the Classic Origin Opaline, a beautiful combination of vintage flair, contemporary design and modern movement architecture. The Classic Origin Opaline was crafted to celebrate the atelier's 10th anniversary, and it features a titanium case, a gorgeous silvery-white opaline dial with a slate grey hour track off-set with burgundy-coloured numerals, as well as white gold baton-shaped hands. This is actually the first time Laurent Ferrier has used titanium as its case material, proving again that this is truly a modern manufacturer. The Classic Origin Opaline is powered by the new manually wound calibre LF 116.01, a stunning movement that has a power reserve of a very respectable 80-hours. While the calibre LF 116.01 doesn't have Laurent Ferrier's traditional finishing techniques applied to it, the movement does feature an absolutely lovely micro-blasted black rhodium finish.