Women’s Watch Wednesday – Tudor Black Bay 32 – A Small Diameter But It Packs A Punch
A campaign is underway at Tudor to increase the Black Bay’s area of operation. With a solid corps of models, including the newly released GMT Black Bay Pepsi model and the 39mm Black Bay Fifty Eight, there is no stopping the expansion envisioned by Tudor. With the Black Bay 32, Tudor advances into female territory with a model that packs the technical specifications of a mechanical tool watch with a small, more feminine diameter. With Lady Gaga posing as brand ambassador, Tudor is targeting young, dynamic women who don’t necessarily equate femininity with diamonds, flowers and a quartz movement. Sporty with just a touch of stylish vintage-Sub, the watch is designed as a resilient everyday companion for women who want a watch that can keep up with their active lifestyle.
Rado is synonymous with a pioneering use of high-tech ceramic in watches. Attractively sleek, the material is lightweight, hypoallergenic, and virtually scratchproof, making it perfectly suited to watchmaking. However, not so much for those of us who like our watches with a peppering of patina, and enjoy a little wabi-sabi action every now and again. That’s where the brand new Rado HyperChrome Bronze comes in. Combining one of the most modern materials in watchmaking with the world’s oldest alloy. It’s an intriguing mix. Vital statistics This limited edition of Rado’s everyday HyperChrome chronograph retains its scratch-resistant ceramic, monobloc case. Only now it’s finished in a matt black, and then paired with side inserts that are constructed from a quick-to-patina bronze alloy – including the chronograph pushers and crown. Measuring 45mm across and 13mm thick, the case is water resistant to 100 metres, and features a polished black ceramic bezel printed with a tachymeter scale. While a curved sapphire crystal on the front gives view to the vertically brushed black dial, with rose gold applied indices and hands, and a three-register layout that shows the running seconds at three, chronograph minutes at nine, chronograph hours at six, and a discreet colour-matched…
The tit-for-tat battle between Piaget and Bulgari for title of “Master of the Ultrathin” rages on, and it would seem Bulgari has struck another blow at Baselworld in 2018 with the new Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic. The new piece dethrones Piaget’s latest self-winder, the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P that launched ahead of SIHH 2018 as the new thinnest automatic watch, and at the same time swipes the title from Audemars Piguet of world’s thinnest tourbillon, which the brand has been holding onto since 1986. Bulgari was able to swipe the title for thinnest tourbillon movement in 2015; however, it took them an additional few years to build a piece suitable to take on the mighty slender AP. Achieving both of these records in a single piece is impressive to say the least, so we had to take a closer look. Vital statistics A 3.95mm thick case, housing a 1.95mm thick caliber, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic is a real work of art (not to mention engineering). Its wafer-thin mainspring still delivers an above industry-standard 52 hours of power reserve and, all told, the brand still managed to make its movement design visually appealing, which isn’t an easy task when…
Styled by renowned product designer Werner Aisslinger and his creative partner Tina Bunyaprasit, the Autobahn deviates from the German brand’s usual minimalistic palette, and introduces a whole new side to the Nomos catalogue. I’ll admit that when I first saw pictures of the Autobahn, I was left scratching my head, with the automotive-inspired design (the watch is a tribute to the famously speed-limitless highway system) was not something I ever expected to see. However, after getting my hands on one – during one of the more fun appointments at this year’s Baselworld – its purpose became clear in my mind, and my heart was quick to call shotgun. Vital statistics Remaining distinctly Nomos, the Autobahn adds a dash of driving sportiness to the catalogue. The bowl-shaped dial (in sports grey, midnight blue or silver plate) is modelled on the inclined surfaces of a racetrack, curving down towards its centre, and then further again on the sub-seconds dial. Spanning two-thirds of the way around the dial is a segmented luminous ring, reminiscent of a speedometer. And an extra-large elongated date window at 6 o’clock bears a resemblance to a dashboard odometer of a car. A newly developed in-house movement ticks away inside…
It’s always fun seeing Bell & Ross at Baselworld. Aside from the quality, and strong, distinctive DNA of their core offerings, the design-oriented brand is exceptionally good at creating narratives and mythologies around their watches. Case in point is the new Racing Bird series, a colourful take on their vintage line, inspired by a concept plane that (honestly) we wished was much closer to reality. Their collaboration with Renault’s F1 team has the same high speed, high-tech inspiration, but here it’s very much reality. And then there are the latest versions of their 2017 hit, the large and very much in charge BR 03-92 Diver, now offered in two new variants: a blue dial and a (smoking hot) bronze case. And finally there are smart, sensible, and very legible updates to their core — we particularly liked the catchily titled Horolum and Nightlum. So while it’s still squares aplenty over at B&R, there’s plenty of tales to tell and new looks to fall for.
It sort of feels like all we’ve been hearing about from Zenith through the last year leading up to Baselworld 2018 has been all things Defy. And fair enough, the Defy Lab is technically the biggest thing since the horological equivalent of sliced bread (the winding rotor perhaps?). As we got closer to the fair, it was clear that there’s no way a production version of the Defy Lab could be ready in time. Instead, Zenith have treated us to a couple of new models in the collection, including an entry-level offering that takes a healthy dose of design cues from its groundbreaking sibling. Vital statistics A star-like pattern resting above an open dial really couldn’t be a more blatant attempt to draw parallels between the Defy Classic and the Defy Lab, though the two watches couldn’t be more different from one another, other than their shared case design. The Defy Classic is powered by the Elite 670 SK self-winding movement, rather than an El Primero — no doubt to be able to push a lower entry price. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Zenith Elite calibers, so this isn’t really a con. The big selling feature on the Defy…