Chopard’s famous Happy Sport collection turns 25 and celebrates the occasion with shimmering mother-of-pearl dials and a new, purpose-built, in-house automatic movement… Introducing the new generation of Happy Sport.
For once, this won’t a product-related news – understand here, the launch of a new watch – that we will share with you. Instead, we’ll look at the other side of the industry: suppliers. Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, one of the most respected movement constructors of the Swiss industry, indeed unveils an integrated high-frequency column-wheel chronograph, the calibre Seed VMF 6710. And it truly is quite an interesting movement, to say the least.
For several years, Bell & Ross was mainly known for its pilot-inspired square watches. Yet, not all wanted to wear such a large and bold 46mm watch (the BR-01) and what became a true icon of modern watchmaking could have become a trap for the brand. Bell & Ross had to evolve. This was the “Vintage Collection” mission. Entirely redesigned in 2017, this year the brand adds a few vintage elements to make this collection even cooler, with the Steel Heritage. Today, we take a closer look at the BR V2-92 Steel Heritage.
TAG Heuer have, much like Marty McFly and Doc Brown, gone back to the future with their latest partnership, with Gulf Oil International. If you’re not familiar with the world of historic Heuer, the pairing of the Swiss watchmaker and venerable oil company is perhaps surprising, but one larger-than-life character pulls it all together: Steve McQueen. In 1971, during the film Le Mans, McQueen wore a Heuer Monaco while driving a Porsche 917 emblazoned with Gulf’s distinctive blue and orange stripes. Vital statistics Now, it’s not just the car that has the livery, it’s also the special edition Monaco Gulf, a regular calibre 11-powered Monaco (much like this one), with a blue sunburst base, and bold powder blue and orange stripes on the right-hand side of the dial, and a Gulf Oil logo above the date at six. The strap is a nice blue perforated calf, with contrasting orange stitch. First thoughts Now, this isn’t the first Gulf-striped Monaco TAG Heuer have produced, not by a long shot, but this is a particularly nice interpretation, thanks largely to the choice of the classic calibre 11 Monaco as a base. And while the big bold stripes aren’t to everyone’s tastes, if…
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Right in the middle of the Geneva car-show, TAG Heuer just announced that a global partnership has been signed with Gulf Oil International, one of the most legendary motorsports’ sponsors. So, what happens when a brand known for its racing-car roots teams up with one of the best-known players in the automotive industry? Well, the result is the immediately recognisable famous blue and orange stripes applied to one of the most iconic motorsports chronographs, the square-shaped Monaco. Please meet the TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf 2018 Special Edition.
For those who are familiar with Italian brand Anonimo, they know that if the design is clearly easy to recognize, it is not what can be called “subtle elegance”. Large, sporty or even clearly military-inspired, Anonimo’s watches are on the tool-ish side. For Baselworld 2018, a hint of sporty-chic Italian lifestyle will appear in the collection, with the new Anonimo Epurato. Smaller, more refined but still very much Florentine, meet the brand’s new chic timepiece.
Moser & Cie. revisits its winning Perpetual Calendar complication in a Cosmic Green fumé dial. Like its 2017 predecessor, the new 42mm white gold Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Purity applies a radically minimalist approach to one of the most revered complications in watchmaking. A triumph of simplicity and elegance, Moser’s Perpetual Calendar Purity belies the machinations of its complex hand-wound movement. Belonging to H. Moser’s Purity line and released in a limited edition of just 50 pieces, this perpetual calendar pushes the envelope of minimalism one step further dispensing with any sign of branding on the dial, in the same spirit as Moser’s Concept watches.
Last year, Andy and I put together a fun little speculative list on heritage reissues we’d like to see in 2018. It was a fun story, so we thought we’d revisit it — with a Basel twist. We sat down over some cold brew (coffee, not beer) and hashed out our wish list of Basel releases, and then brutally critiqued the plausibility and flaw in each other’s ideas. Like I said, fun. Tudor Green Pelagos Andy: Somewhere, someone on the interwebs had the idea (and photoshop skills) to turn the Tudor Pelagos green (one of our photos no less!). Now, for obvious reasons, I’m a sucker for green — and let me just say — this works. In terms of likelihood, I’m 50-50 here: the Pelagos already comes in a pretty bold blue, so green isn’t unreasonable. This release will come down to how close Tudor want to play to Rolex’s Green Submariner. Either way, I think we will see the Pelagos receive a little more attention this year, and Tudor might give the Black Bay collection some time on the backseat. Likelihood: 5/10 Felix’s take: Cool as it would be, I think it would infringe on Rolex’s rich green turf too…
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Oris is a frequent contributor to the limited editions. The Clipperton Limited Edition, the Movember Edition, the Royal Flying Doctor Service Edition… Yet, many of these special watches are linked to a good cause or a mission to bring “change for the better”. Oris continues its mission with a new limited edition of the praised Aquis, the ‘Source of Life’ Edition, a watch that celebrates water (the source of life…) – and good news is that it is based on a new version of this cool dive watch, now with circular date feature.
If you’re a regular reader, I’m willing to bet that your views around quartz timekeeping will be pretty negative. After all, this is a technology that was (almost) responsible for the downfall of mechanical watches. But, as you’re about to find out, not all quartz watches were created equal. Sure, there’s the cheap and cheerful plastic contraptions that consist of battery, circuit board and a very big spacer. And then there’s the 9F. Seiko pioneered quartz technology with the release of the Astron back in 1969, and they’ve innovated ever since. Of all their many achievements in the field, one of the most impressive is the 9F, introduced in 1993 as part of Grand Seiko’s quartz line. Simply put, it’s a true, high-end quartz movement, treated with the same level of care and precision as a traditional mechanical movement. Hand-assembled, with 133 parts, an aged quartz crystal, which is paired with a specifically programmed integrated circuit, for optimal accuracy. Not to mention the sealed, finely aligned coil block. The date wheel shifts in 1/2000th of a second, and the whole thing can go for 50 years without needing lubrication. And on the accuracy front, it’s good for +/- 10 seconds…
The post HANDS-ON: High-end quartz – Grand Seiko celebrates the 25th anniversary of the 9F with two limited editions (SBGT241 and SBGV238) appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.