VIDEO: Our favourite watches of SIHH 2018 – part 3, $20,000-30,000
With parts one and two of our SIHH video series receding into our proverbial rear-view mirror, it’s time to look to the future, and the future is looking, well, expensive. Today, we’re well and truly in the realm of serious horology. And, as with yesterday, we’re keen to avoid spoilers, so to find out what Andrew, Sandra and Justin would choose if they had a spare $20-30K in their pockets, hit play. I do think it’s only fair to warn you that we’re a tad disorganised at the start of this one. However, I’ll spill the beans on my pick — the IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition ‘150 years’. Now, to be honest, I didn’t pick it for the less-than-pithy name but rather the fact that it’s a watch that looks back at IWC’s heritage and honours it. For me, the red gold, white and blue Portugieser Nailed. It.
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Yesterday, we ran through our picks of SIHH 2018 at the more accessible end of the spectrum, bearing in mind that the HH in SIHH stands for ‘High Horology’. Today, we kick it up a notch, looking at watches that come in between $10-$20k. There are a lot of meaty options in this price point, something that’s reflected in the fairly diverse opinions of Sandra, Andrew, Justin and myself – as we’ve picked out simple, time-only pieces as well as some more complex pieces. I’m not going to spoil the surprise (or the LOLs), but take, for example, Justin’s pick – the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph WT, a watch that is just over the top end of our budget but offers a strong mix of world time and chronograph complication in a stylish sports case and with a pretty exceptional movement. Or, as Justin puts it: “I’ve always found it hard to find a nice world time chronograph with more then 30-minute registers. It drives me bonkers.” We hear you, Justin, we hear you. Now, onto our top watches of SIHH 2018, between $10,000 and $20,000, Stay tuned as things get more expensive tomorrow.
In the midst of the hectic schedules and bustling halls of SIHH, Andrew and myself, along with freelancers Sandra Lane and Justin Mastine-Frost, found a spare hour to sit down in front of the steady lens of Marcus’ camera to discuss our favourite watch of SIHH — while they were fresh. But rather than just cherry-pick the (many) exceptional watches on offer, we opted to make things a bit trickier by breaking the watches down by price. So, in part one of our four-part mini-series we talk about the (roughly) sub-$10,000 price point. So, here are (what we think) are the best watches of SIHH 2018 – under $10,000. Stay tuned for the other instalments. Sandra’s pick – the Hermès Carré H “It’s lovely, the shape of it as it goes onto the wrist is almost like a bathtub.” Felix’s pick – the Montblanc 1858 Chronograph (in bronze) “It’s a really good, strong, general-appeal chronograph.” Andrew’s pick – the Cartier Santos de Cartier “Cartier are acknowledging a lot of broader trends in the way they’ve packaged this up.” Justin’s pick – the Zenith CP-2 Flyback Bronze “It looks stunning. Bronze is everywhere now – I’ve got a soft spot for it…
Editor’s note: Way back at Basel 2017 we instinctively christened the Black Bay S&G ‘Le Tigre’ when we first saw it. And, passing jokes aside, this watch has stalked our idle thoughts, much as its carnivorous namesake stalks its prey through the dense brush. Our cameraman Marcus has already succumbed, picking one up late last year. Who will be next? Read on to discover the secret behind the power of … Le Tigre. The story in a second: Two-tone is back, baby! Steel and gold watches have been around for years. Hitting peak popularity around 30 years ago, they were the epitome of ’80s style, but, then again, so were pastel polos with double popped collars. However, while the mix of these two metals has been used by countless manufacturers, I’ve just never been a two-tone guy. It’s not that I have anything against the combination (double popped collars are a different story), it’s just that they were never for me. This year, something happened that I think no one saw coming. Tudor released a two-toned Black Bay, and, I have to say, I think they’ve changed my mind. The case Apart from the obvious, not much has changed with the…
If you follow the world of independent watchmaking you’re likely familiar with the name Peter Speake-Marin. Until recently, Speake-Marin was the man behind the eponymous watch brand. After 17 years, the English watchmaker stepped away from the brand (which is still in business) and announced a new venture – The Naked Watchmaker — a site that bills itself as a sort of horological encyclopaedia, utilising Peter’s formidable watchmaking skills to strip watches down to their barest essentials, taking numerous macro photos along the way, with brief (not overly technical) explanation. It’s an excellent resource, regardless of where you are on your watch journey. The other day we spotted a watch deconstruction we suspect a few of you might be interested in — the mighty Rolex Submariner. Thanks to its solid back, you don’t typically see inside the Sub. But if you’ve ever wondered what lies beneath that iconic dial, in minutest detail, you’ll want to click this link. Images via thenakedwatchmaker.com
Ulysse Nardin showed a refreshingly diverse collection at SIHH, with everything from clean, simple (dare we say, classic) designs, all the way up to the incredibly complex and cutting edge. So, as you can imagine, our favourite picks cover off both ends of the spectrum, from daily wear to more special occasion pieces. And while we kept our focus to four models, there’s a few honourable mentions, particularly the new Torpilleur models, and the epic Deep Dive. Ulysse Nardin Classico Last year, we were collectively besotted by the blue enamel, guilloche Classico. This year, we fell in love all over again with this new, inky black-dialled beauty. Simple, but refined. RRP $12,995 (indicative) Ulysse Nardin Marine Tourbillon To be honest, Ulysse Nardin’s Marine Tourbillon is one of the leaders in its class. First released last year with a white enamel dial, it was a a very pure execution of the design. This time around, the design is a lot flashier, thanks to the guilloche-finished bleu enamel dial, which just sings under the light. RRP $41,700 (indicative) Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision And here’s where we depart from the world of classical design for the aggressively modern. The Freak is a genuine…
Making luxury watches more approachable without compromising quality is a delicate art, and one that Vacheron Constantin have been quite successful at in recent years. With the unveiling of their all-new FiftySix collection, they have reaffirmed their commitment to delivering some serious, value-packed offerings. All told, the collection is comprised of six models, three in stainless steel and three in pink gold, and at the entry point of the collection we’re seeing a new and lower starting price for the brand with the steel FiftySix self-winding. This is the first time in a number of years that we’ve seen a completely new collection from Vacheron, and even though it’s coming in at the lower end of their range, it is anything but “entry level”. The dial’s opaline centre and a sunburst brushed outer ring creates a subtle contrast that varies significantly depending on lighting conditions — the two being separated by a slim white minute track. A mix of applied baton and Arabic numeral indices are used, with a healthy application of SuperLuminova applied to the batons, as well as its hour and minute hands. Date placement is often a contentious issue when brands start playing in more affordable price…
Ever since we first saw them at SIHH, the collective Time+Tide team has been crushing hard on the new Luminor Due models, particularly the 38 and 42mm offerings. Now, obviously these are watches with strong cross-gender appeal, so we thought it’d be a smart idea to get two takes on these models, courtesy of slender-wristed Sandra and Felix (and his mighty wrists). First thoughts Sandra Lane: Shock, horror! Panerai have made a “small” watch. Some are calling it a watch for women (or – God forbid – even a ‘girly’ watch) but really it’s not. It is simply a watch for those who prefer not to wear a saucer-sized monster on their wrist … for reasons of aesthetics, comfort, fit … whatever. Felix Scholz: Yeah, that did seem to be the initial reaction in some quarters. I think the more prevalent attitude (in the halls of SIHH at least) was — finally! I know so many people who love the PAM look but can’t handle the case size. And you’re absolutely right re the gender split, Sandra, I can easily wear a big, 45mm-plus watch, but would happily strap that 42mm model on any day of the week. The case…
First things first, just what is a pilot’s watch? While I think most of us could instantly recognise one, there isn’t an exact formula like there is when it comes to dive watches — and there’s a lot more to it than simply being a watch a pilot would wear. Ultimately (since you asked), a pilot’s watch is one that is instantly readable at a glance, whether in simple time-only form, or more complicated with functions that a pilot might find useful. And while we can’t all be Maverick or Iceman (no one wants to be Goose), we can still live out the fantasy and feel the need for speed with these … Breguet Type XXI 3817 Andrew developed a serious watch crush on the Breguet Type XXI back at Baselworld 2016 and honestly, I can see why. Those creamy old-world Arabic numerals, the iconic fluted middle caseband, and a view to the first-rate flyback dual-time movement inside. Talk about masculine bravado. RRP $17,800 Breitling Navitimer 01 The icon, the legend, the chronograph with an inbuilt flight computer. The Navitimer and its typical slide rule bezel has graced countless cockpits for more than 65 years. And this year the classic is joined…
Over the past decade, while earning its chops as a serious technical watchmaker, Cartier has demonstrated time and again its mastery of the artistic crafts – métiers d’art in the Francophone world of watchmaking. It has taken traditional techniques and gone further – for example, using straw and flower petals for marquetry. It has also remastered 3000-year-old techniques that were virtually extinct, including granulation – a manner of creating surface texture using tiny gold beads. As a result, we have seen a series of achingly beautiful dials – exquisitely detailed, a celebration of human skill. Beautiful they are, but quite serious. Cartier is not one to fool around. So, who could have guessed that the most fun watch of SIHH 2018 would have come from the grand Parisian Maison? Looking at the photographs of the watch outside Cartier’s booth, I could only think, “Huh? What’s going on here?” A watch with a panther’s face on the dial – so far, so Cartier. Pictures of a slightly pixelated or deconstructed panther’s face? Strange. You need to see the watch in reality (or at least a video) to make sense of it. It’s confounding. It’s delightful. It’s like watching a magic trick.…