The ongoing partnership between Swiss watch manufacture Bovet and the Italian car design studio Pininfarina has resulted in one of the most fascinating timepieces on the market. Packed with all the mechanical complexity and refined finishes we associate with Bovet’s timepieces, the OttantaSei has a sleek, aerodynamic case and the symmetrical layout that belies the hand of Pininfarina.
This year Omega celebrated the 70th anniversary of one of its two emblematic collections, the Seamaster. Born in 1948, made waterproof thanks to the experience acquired with military watches however in a civilian and rather elegant way, the early Seamasters were still gentlemen watches – and not the robust, professional tool that most of us know today. At Baselworld 2018, the brand came with an extremely faithful commemorative pair of watches – the 1948 Seamaster Limited Edition – and now we have a more luxurious version, yet highly exclusive, which made it to the collection. Meet the Omega Seamaster 1948 Limited Edition now in Platinum.
Panerai dedicates a model from its Luminor 1950 Regatta family to celebrate the Regatta Transat Classique, the most extreme and exciting race for classic yachts covering 3,000 miles and departing next 8 January 2019 from Lanzarote. The new limited edition 47mm Luminor Regatta Transat Classique PAM00956 is a flyback chronograph fitted with a regatta countdown function, a knots scale to calculate speed, a robust 3-day power reserve and a navy blue colour scheme that evokes the deep blue. Fitted out with a titanium hull, the 47mm Luminor Regatta Transat Classique is shipshape and ready to sail.
HFLE, an abbreviation few of you will probably be familiar with, is an indication quite known to Dutch watch collectors. Each year, this abbreviation is stamped on a watch, produced in limited numbers and selected through a democratic voting on the Netherland’s largest Dutch spoken watch forum: Horlogeforum.nl. After a bit of back-and-forth between the people of the forum and a watchmaker, a proposal is drawn up and scrutineered by the forum members. This process results in quite interesting collaborations, with the Pellikaan Timing Flying Dutchman GMT selected as the 2019 Limited Edition for the forum.
MeisterSinger is following up on last year’s No. 01 City Edition, which represented 45 different cities in an equal number of limited edition watches. The company is known for having single hand dials that actually make up their entire portfolio, which is unique among watch brands. They’re now bringing 58 City Edition pieces for 2018 to represent 58 different cities or countries around the world, from New York to Munich to The Hague.
Favre-Leuba has a long tradition of crafting dive watches. A couple of years ago, the brand introduced the Raider Harpoon, a retro-themed dive watch whose quirky design features a barrel shape case with dual crowns and unique time display. The brand now adds a new version, a more ‘tool watch’ take on the model with an all-black colour scheme.
If you are a regular reader of MONOCHROME, you are probably familiar with Brellum. This young micro-brand was launched two years ago by Sebastien Muller with the Duobox, a cool, retro-inspired chronograph powered by COSC-certified Valjoux 7750 movements. After this first (and rather successful) attempt with a sporty chronograph, it is time for the brand to expand the collection with a new classic watch, the Brellum Wyvern Manufacture.
There is an inextricable link between cars and watches. It isn’t as simple as saying that “People who love watches also love cars” or the other way around, there is something more to it. Something deeper. Perhaps it is the immediate sense of belonging that a fine watch or fine car brings out in their owners? You fall in love with one marque and that’s it. Once you “join the team” you stay with the team for a long, long time. It isn’t about brand loyalty – people switch brands; billions of marketing dollars are spent to ensure we do. It is about the “thing”; the watch, the car, music, a whole list of things that enter our lives that we continue to obsess over until we are too old and too grey to obsess anymore. It could be Ferrari as easily as it could be Audemars Piguet as easily as it could be Manchester United.
Ace Jewelers and Nomos Glashütte have teamed up for the second time to create a limited-edition wristwatch. Their first attempt was a cool, slightly “out of the box” Orion watch inspired by art movement “De Stijl” and featuring a unique dial with asymmetrical indexes. For their second watch together, the Dutch theme is still present (Ace Jewelers is one of the largest retailers in the Netherlands) as inspired by the city of Amsterdam. Meet the original, fresh-looking Nomos Club Campus Amsterdam Limited Edition by Ace Jewelers.
Earlier this year, for Baselworld 2018, Maurice Lacroix introduces its own vision of a “luxury sports watch” – but of course with accessibility in mind. Based on the well-designed Aikon concept, the 2018 editions were equipped with the automatic movements they deserved. Now that the collection is established, it is time for expansion and new models. After the “Chase Your Watch” Limited Edition based on the chronograph, it is time for the 3-hand model to receive a new material. Meet the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Automatic Bronze Limited Edition – and bronze isn’t the only novelty here.