Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller Globe Night Blue Limited Edition
Passion and love for watchmaking aside, Laurent Ferrier makes damn
good watches. From their famous micro-rotor, to their deceiving
tourbillon, their timepieces are notoriously beautiful and carry an
element of subtlety thats unfortunately lost amongst a lot of other
watchmakers. The Galet Traveller Globe Night Blue has been produced for
London’s only LF distributer, William & Son. The 41mm 18k rose gold
variation of the Galet Traveller is unique in that in place of the UK’s
geographic position, a gold-leaf has been applied to indicate its
location on the blue enamel dial. Beyond the aesthetic change, the Galet
Traveller is typical Ferrier. Gorgeous dial details, a traditionally
shaped case, wonderful leaf-shaped hands and the remarkable LF 230.1
automatic calibre, which employs my most favourite micro-rotor movement
of all time. Limited to only five pieces and costing well over
$100,000AUD (thanks to our crappy dollar..), its going to be a highly
collectible piece in the coming years.
Check it out
Panerai Luminor Due Automatic
Now as most of you know, I’m not the biggest Panerai fan. I think
that their case design, while tried and tested yes, is pretty boring and
doesn’t leave much to the imagination. But the newest piece from
Panerai, the Luminor Due is a gorgeous piece of machinery and one that
is definitely deserving of my attention, deserving or not! I’ve chosen
to talk about the Automatic version of the piece, as opposed to the
manually wound calibre purely for the fact that I adore the micro-rotor
automatic calibre P.4000. Besides the LF 230.1 from Laurent Ferrier,
this is one of the best micro-rotor movements, period. But aside from
its technical beauty, the watch itself is a stunner. The dial has a kind
of sun-burst pattern applied to it which looks beautiful, especially
when its offset by the patina’d colour hands and hour numbers/numeral
batons. It comes in either steel or red gold, with a massive price hike
for the precious metal option. Manually wound or automatic? Steel or
gold? I’d pick the automatic in steel without regret. Well done,
Panerai.
Check it out
Chopard Grand Prix De Monaco Historique 2016 Race Edition
In collaboration with the 10
th Grand Prix de Monaco
Historique event, Chopard has released the 2016 version of their Grand
Prix De Monaco Historique timepiece. So obviously inspired by vintage
racing car designs, the watch pays homage to not just motorcar racing of
a bygone era, but also introduces new-age watchmaking technology in
keeping with the times. Offered in either steel and titanium or 18k rose
gold, the 44.5mm wide piece is sure to cause a stir either way. Its
bold look, piston-shaped pushers, slim-line bezel and sub-dial
resemblance to a racing car’s dashboard all contribute to the
timepiece’s overall aesthetic appeal and vintage feel. The hand colours
(orange for the steel/titanium version, blue for the rose gold version)
offset beautifully against their respective case metals and really
enforce the racing pedigree that the watch represents. Both versions
employ the COSC certified workhorse calibre ETA 7750 finished by
Chopard, giving the wearer about 2 day’s worth of power reserve. Limited
to 500 pieces of the steel/titanium version and only 100 of the red
gold, it’s a beautifully made watch that isn’t tacky and looks great no
matter the occasion.
Check it out
Jacob & Co. Astronomia Sky Celestial Panorama Gravitational Triple Axis Tourbillon
Aside from having one of the most incredible “dials” in the world of
horology, the Astronomia Sky Celestial Panorama Gravitational Triple
Axis Tourbillon also carries with it the longest name. So I’m just going
to call it Dave. Before we start, let me give you Dave’s dimensions.
It’s about 47mm in diameter and sits at about 25mm high. Yep, it has
presence, to say the least. Okay, so it isn’t going to be the most
functional timepiece you’ve ever bought, but rest assured its probably
the most unique. Now I know it looks complex (and don’t get me wrong, it
is), but it still tells you the time. Beyond that, it’ll tell you the
month, whether its day or night, what zodiac it is and impressively a
year indicator. The year indicator is shown by the rotating watch face,
which literally makes a full rotation once a year. And the movement? Its
called the JCAM11, made of almost 400 parts with a power reserve of 60
hours, which means you have to keep it on a winder. Priced similar to
that of a decent sized apartment in Sydney’s CBD, it means that only the
uber-rich will be able to get their hands on one of the eighteen
limited edition pieces. Its truly remarkable what mechanics can achieve
with computer-assisted intervention.
Check it out
Vacheron Constantin Overseas World Time 7700V
I’ve looked at Vacheron’s Overseas collection as a bit of a play on
the Royal Oak’s dimensions and proportions. I thought it a straight up
copy of the Oak’s shape and purpose. But as sure as the Sun rising
tomorrow, my opinion is likely to change. And that it has with the World
Time 7700V. Slightly more elegant than the Royal Oak (who’s status can
be defined as a supreme daily-beater), the Overseas World Time is a
beautiful watch well deserving of the world’s collective attention. The
world time indicator has been cleverly applied, and has been done so
with busying up an other gorgeous dial. Its busy enough to know the
watch means business, but also simple enough to use so that even the
most unattached watch enthusiast can use it. The piece comes with either
a blue, brown or silver dial, all on a steel case, and all looking
superb. Turn the piece over and you’ll be able to see through the
sapphire caseback the beautiful automatic calibre 2460WT. Now I’m not
the biggest advocate of automatic movements, as I think the rotor
obscures the heart of the movement. But in this case, the rotor has been
finished impeccably and fits the construct of the watch perfectly. A
very beautiful watch, but expect to pay a premium for VC’s desired
branding!
Check it out
Speake-Marin Rum Watch
What do you get when you combine a drop of 236-year-old Harewood rum
with one of the most unique dial layouts from an independent watchmaker?
You get the Speake-Marin Rum Watch, duh! Beyond the rum-drop at 11
o’clock, the watch is typical Speake-Marin functionality. A lacking
seconds hand encourages the wearer to focus on the finer details of the
piece. From the rum-drop, to the oddly shaped hours and seconds hands,
to the centre hand cluster in blued steel, its all fine watchmaking.
Turn the watch over and you get Speake-Marin’s fantastic rotor popping
into view from a weirdly small caseback window. The accentuated lugs and
prominent crown finished off the visceral uniqueness. Made in either
titanium or red gold, the watch is going to really only mean something
to those that either have family origins in the Royal Navy (of which the
piece was made in mind of), or that want to be as different as can be.
Either way, bottoms up!
Check it out
Arnold and Son TES Blue Tourbillon
The Arnold and Son TES Tourbillon combines an inverted tourbillon
calibre with a brilliant blue guilloche dial pattern to create a visual
spectacle that will intrigue and astound. The tourbillon, located at 6
o’clock, is seemingly suspending in mid-air due to it hovering over an
open-cut portion of the dial. The rest of the calibre A&S8100 sits
on the dial happily exposed, delighting even the stubbornest of watch
lovers. Beyond the technical beauty that is the TES Tourbillon, the
advent and usage of blue is a bit sickly. I understand that its got the
word “blue” in its model name, but the overexposure of the blue from the
dial to the leather strap is a bit of an overkill. The movement is
decorated beautifully and the dial has been finished meticulously, but
if you’re not an addict to all things blue, then parting ways with close
to $200,000AUD of your hard earned moolah might not be your cup of tea.
If you love blue and have the dosh, go for it. If not, might I suggest
the red gold variation?
Check it out
Longines Conquest Classic Triple Crown Limited Edition
Out of all the watches I’ve featured in this article, the Longines
Conquest Classic is the one I’d be most interested in looking at in the
next couple of years. And why, you may ask? Well, look at the dial. The
dial, as it stands, is a gorgeous oaky brown, and with time I’m going to
assume that it’ll turn a beautiful light brown with hints of golden
patina across it. The hands too will age wonderfully, and as long as the
18k rose gold case is kept free of abrasions and kept from the dreaded
polish-service, it took will age equally as beautiful. Be that as it
may, investing close to $20,000AUD for a timepiece that you think will
look better with age is pretty silly, so what it’d give you now is a
wonderfully busy dial that is both informative and readable, a timeless
case design that will sit comfortably on your wrist, and an ETA-based
automatic calibre 678 that will keep on ticking long after you’ve
stopped wearing it. Maybe the perfect combination between old and new,
dress and casual, the Conquest Classic is the watch for all of us
vintage lovers out there.
Check it out
Calvin Klein City
As stated on the CK website, the City is elegant and functional. And
on the odd occasion, disregarding movement quality is acceptable when a
watch looks as good as this one. A typical Quartz chronograph piece is
something that a lot of people will purchase. They purchase it for the
simple fact that it looks good on their wrist, and there is nothing
wrong with that. The City combines contemporary styling with a simple
dial layout that is in-keeping with the typical chronograph dial design,
but also decorated enough to differentiate itself from the hoard of
Quartz chronographs. The exposed pushers and crown emphasise size but
without making the timepiece a beast, and the addition of the date
window is a welcome functional extra. Beyond the timepiece’s obvious
aesthetic appeal, its versatility and overall wearability is a big plus
for me. Its understated and quiet, but still presents itself with enough
virility and poise to have a presence on your wrist.
Check it out
Rado True Open Heart
I truly believe Rado are paving the way to the future of watchmaking
with the True Open Heart piece. It’s a watch that combines lightness,
elegance, wearability and comfort to great effect, without threatening
the foundations of its design. Integrating a mother-of-pearl dial is a
bit of a hit and miss practice. With Rado luckily, it’s a hit. And with
that translucency you’re able to see the inner workings of the piece’s
movement, which is always fun. When I talk positively about a watch, its
because I’d wear it. Its as simple as that. And with the True Open
Heart (available in matte black or polished white – I’d choose the black
variation_=), that ode still rings true. The True Open Heart is a play
on the senses and is both interesting enough to wear as a special piece,
and as strong enough to wear comfortably as an everyday watch. And at
only $3,050AUD, it really is accessible to the majority of watch
interest fellas. Its fun, its different, and its sure to cause a stir.
If you have the chance, get it!vedere di piu
rolex imitazione e
replica Hermes Classic
