IN-DEPTH: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II
The story in a second Blancpain has upped the ante on last year’s excellent Ocean Commitment watch, with a second – even bluer – limited edition. These days it’s not unique for a watch brand to have a corporate social responsibility program, usually tied in with a limited edition product. Few, however, do it with the level of integrity and (dare we say it) commitment as Blancpain’s work in marine conservation and research programs. Though the Ocean Commitment program itself is comparatively young, Blancpain has donated a total of roughly seven million Euro over the past seven years. But beyond this, the Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II wears its marine allegiances on its sleeve, so to speak, thanks to a unique case. The case The most arresting feature of this watch is the case. On last year’s version, we swore black and (appropriately enough) blue that the case was metal rather than brushed ceramic. This year, the hi-tech nature of the material has been made abundantly clear. For the first time, Blancpain has produced an entirely blue ceramic case, made possible thanks to the addition of pigment and a binding agent into the powdered ceramic during production – a…
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The story in a second: Montblanc’s 2016 Heritage Chronométrie highlight is a complicated number, packed with value. Jerome Lambert descended, whirlwind-like, on Montblanc in 2013. His presence was felt immediately, as the global luxury giant began turning out increasingly impressive timepieces, many with a complicated, heritage bent. Then, as suddenly as he had arrived he was gone, elevated to the rank of Richemont Group Head of Operations in a recent reshuffle. And while he may be running out the clock as Montblanc CEO (replaced by former Head of Sales Nicolas Baretzki), his short tenure will leave a long legacy – a revitalised brand, a serious watchmaker, releasing some of the most competitive, compelling pieces on the market. The Heritage Chronométrie Annual Calendar Chronograph is a prime example of that – bundling fan favourite complete calendar and chronograph complications into a classically styled package, all for under $15,000 in steel (there’s also a gold version). The dial One glance at the Annual Calendar Chronograph and it’s immediately clear that it’s a whole lot of watch. With four subdials, 10 hands and numbers everywhere, you’d be forgiven for taking a few seconds to orient yourself. Having said that, Montblanc has done a good job…
This cool, calm and collected new Yacht-Master almost slipped past me. I was too busy falling in love (again) with the gold and chocolate Rolesor Yacht-Master, which was distracting me and dazzling my senses, but then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a flash of almost-iridescent blue, and my curiosity was piqued. I’m so glad it was, because this steel and platinum Yacht-Master with its dark rhodium dial and blue highlights is an absolute stunner, even though it’s a much more restrained affair than its Everose-embellished siblings (in both Rolesor and Oysterflex variants). This is partly down to the dark dial, but it’s also the bi-directional platinum bezel, which might sound weird given the material, but with a predominantly sand-blasted finish, it’s actually far less in-your-face than ceramic. Not that it’s plain, by any stretch. The shimmering dial, polished bezel elements and centre bracelet links mean it pops where it counts, and the overall effect of metallic grey on metallic grey adds up to a truly luxurious watch on the wrist. Then there’s the blue. It’s funny how that single line of text and sweeping second hand – a comparatively small amount of real estate – can have such massive impact…