INTRODUCING: The IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years”
Mention the words “digital watch” and most minds instantly fill with images of G-Shocks or the trusty Casio calculator watch. However, long before the invention of those little battery-powered timekeepers, came the Pallweber pocket watch. Patented in 1883 by Salzburg-based watchmaker Josef Pallweber — who then licensed his invention to IWC, and later to other manufacturers — the Pallweber featured jumping numerals in a digital display. And despite a relatively short production run from 1884 to 1890, it’s perhaps the most iconic IWC pocket watch of all time. Next year, with the company celebrating its 150th anniversary, the Schaffhausen manufacturer is launching a tribute to the original digital pocket watch. Only this time it’s made for the wrist. Measuring 45mm across and 12mm high, the case of the Tribute to Pallweber is made from 18-karat red gold, with thin wire style lugs and a black alligator strap. Inside is the all-new IWC-manufactured calibre 94200. This clever hand-wound movement is able to run unaided at 4Hz for 60 hours. The impressive power reserve – almost unheard of in a digital jump hour display, is thanks to the movement’s dual gear-train design, each supplied by their own barrel. The main gear train keeps the…
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Seiko has just released three limited edition black divers, and they couldn’t be hotter. We’ve already shown you the automatic SRPC49K, but there are two solar options on the table as well. The SSC673P is a stealthy version of the SSC618P we looked at a little while ago. It’s worth noting that in these images the 15-minute demarcation period on the bezel is quite pale. We shot a pre-production model, and I’m not sure if the colour will be the same on the final model. It measures 43.5mm across and is powered by the cal. V175. Seiko Prospex SSC673P Moving onto the SNE493P. With the now familiar black and orange colour scheme, this solar diver has a raised chapter ring that adds a nice amount of texture to the dial. The case is 43.5mm across, with crown (and guards) at three. It comes on a silicone dive strap. Seiko Prospex SNE493P Seiko Prospex SSC673P and SNE493P Australian availability and pricing Seiko Prospex SSC673P, $650; and SNE493P, $625, both limited and available in early 2018. Images by Jason Reekie. 
The belles of Grand Seiko’s Baselworld ball this year were three takes on the first Grand Seiko, a buttoned-up dress watch that managed to be both effortlessly timeless and very of-its-time, all at once. Grand Seiko released steel, yellow gold and platinum takes on the classic, but they also released a completely new interpretation, the SBGR305, a watch very much in the same vein, but with numerous contemporary touches, such as the larger 40.5mm case, the brilliant hard titanium case material (a proprietary, extra hard version of the lightweight metal), and the addition of a date. The dial, too, is what we’ve come to expect from Grand Seiko: crisp, with a fine, hammered texture that’s hard to beat. So if you like the old stuff and the new stuff, you’ll like this one. Grand Seiko SBGR305 Australian pricing and availability Grand Seiko SBGR305, limited to 968 pieces, $10,400
A history born on the open ocean. Ulysse Nardin gained fame for marine chronometers, found in the pockets and on the wrists of many of the world’s navy captains in the 19th century. The Marine Collection has since become the brand’s most emblematic. However, renewing the focus and direction of the collection, earlier this year UN added the streamlined Marine Torpilleur Chronometer. And with SIHH 2018 just around the corner, they’ve unveiled another inclusion to the Torpilleur family. One that is less the officer and the gentleman of its predecessor and more the rough-and-ready adventurer of the high seas. Forging forward with a more modern focus is an upsized 44mm stainless steel case. With a thinly pronounced fluted bezel, it follows the same curves and lines of the original Torpilleur. Only now it’s matted-out with a sandblast finish. A look that when combined with the oversized onion-shaped crown, really flexes the military vibin’ muscles of this new edition. Water resistance is also maintained at 50m, thanks to the screw-down crown and a solid caseback engraved with a seafaring Torpilleur boat. There will be two dial options offered by UN, both limited to 300 pieces each. An eggshell white with lume-filled…
Over the last few years there’s been a lot of noise about how the watch industry has returned to smaller sized watches, abandoning the larger diameters that dominated wrists in the last decade. And while it’s true that we are seeing more new watches in the 36-40mm range, that doesn’t mean that the ‘go large or go home’ brigade isn’t well represented, as these two monsters from Cvstos clearly demonstrate. You’re looking at two watches from the Cvstos Challenge collection. Large, sporty tonneaus with formidable dimensions of 45mm from side to side, and 59mm from lug-tip to lug-tip. The orange model is a limited edition made to celebrate Spanish Grand Prix motorcyclist Dani Pedrosa (there’s also his number on the side of the case and his name on the dial). The distinctive case is made from a titanium core, with orange aluminium outer elements. If orange isn’t your speed, don’t stress, because there’s also this bright yellow, regular production, version. Aside from being colourful, the cases owe much of their design to the stripped back, sporty aesthetic of high-end performance machines, hence the GT nomenclature for this style of case. As you might expect, these watches are chronographs, with stylised…
It’s the kind of story you could easily gloss over, or embellish, as the president of a large watch company. A collector contacts you with a rare piece. You confirm that it’s original, share the images around the business, get feedback from the heritage team that it might be a good piece to reissue, then conveniently forget — when the accolades roll in — where the story started. That’s not Walter von Känel’s way. He admits in this interview that the Longines’ GPHG Winner of the ‘Revival Watch Prize’ the Avigation BigEye is, indeed, collector, rather than museum-contributed. “What is interesting is that it has been brought to us by a collector,” Mr von Känel explains. “We didn’t have it in the museum. We checked if it was original and then our heritage team convinced me to re-do it, and it was a good decision. I like it.” 
It’s the kind of story you could easily gloss over, or embellish, as the president of a large watch company. A collector contacts you with a rare piece. You confirm that it’s original, share the images around the business, get feedback from the heritage team that it might be a good piece to reissue, then conveniently forget — when the accolades roll in — where the story started. That’s not Walter von Känel’s way. He admits in this interview that Longines’ GPHG ‘Revival Watch Prize’ winning Avigation BigEye is, indeed, collector, rather than museum-contributed. “What is interesting is that it has been brought to us by a collector,” Mr von Känel explains. “We didn’t have it in the museum. We checked if it was original and then our heritage team convinced me to re-do it, and it was a good decision. I like it.” 
It’s something of a truism to say that everybody loves a good dive watch, regardless of their scuba certification status. Watch brands know this, and their 2017 releases did not disappoint, offering retro to futuristic and everything in-between. Rolex Sea-Dweller Without doubt the biggest dive watch of the year is the hotly anticipated Rolex Sea-Dweller, with expanded case, improved movement and single red dial text. And while not everyone’s a fan of the added cyclops, it’s still one of the hardest new-release watches to track down right now. RRP $14,400 Rado HyperChrome Captain Cook At the opposite end of the size spectrum is the positively petite reissue from Rado, a 37mm limited edition that’s a virtually perfect facsimile of the 1962 original, only with ceramic and sapphire upgrades. If you can’t handle the smaller size, there’s also a more modern 45mm interpretation. RRP from $2475 Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC Rado aren’t the only brand embracing the smaller side of dive watch life, Blancpain’s latest tribute to their famous diver seduced plenty of wrists in spite of (or perhaps because of) its 40mm case. The fact that the moisture indicator on the dial makes for a very cool talking…
The Wind Down this week is a little bit terrifying to be honest. You know why? Christmas in just over a month, SIHH 2018 in two. You know that emoji guy with the gritted, grinning teeth? That’s us. We’ve got some serious thousand-yard-stare happening right now. Maybe a beer will help. What happened Everyone with more than a passing interest in watches has an opinion on the inimitable Jean-Claude Biver. Regardless of where your opinion lies, you can’t deny his impact on the industry, and the size of his personality. Over the span of his 40-odd years in the industry, thousands of litres of ink have been spilled, exploring the man and the myths that have built up around him, but I haven’t read many better than Nick Foulkes’ write up for GQ. The photos alone are worth the click. You get the sense that, for the last few years, the watch industry has been looking hard for any good news story it can lay its hands on. And this week they found a good one. The most recent month’s Swiss export figures indicate that shipments of Swiss watches are at their highest level since January 2013. Must be all…