Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202IP – Titanium Case, Smoked Blue Dial (SIHH 2018)
As the modern incarnation of the very first luxury-sports watch created in 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202 needs no introduction anymore. Its octagonal shape, its screwed bezel, its integrated chain-like bracelet, its extra-thin automatic movement, its finely guilloched blue dial… Everything in this watch is iconic. Well, for the SIHH 2018, there’s a new version, and don’t be fooled by the familiar look, it has much more secrets than you would expect at first. Please meet the Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202IP – and yes it is titanium and it has a superb and unprecedented smoked blue dial.
According to Montblanc’s Head of Watches, Davide Cerrato, the 1858 collection — the star of their SIHH 2018 lineup — is a “very important second sports line, one that really extends the offer of Montblanc, an offer that before was completely focused on classical watches”. At the core of the 1858 collection’s identity is its vintage style. Cerrato explains: “The vintage look refers to the first Minerva military watch. There’s the SuperLuminova, the cathedral hands, the domed sapphire crystal, the simple – but very strong – case.” All these points are very much in evidence on the 1858 Chronograph, which, like much of Montblanc’s lineup, makes a compelling value proposition. Montblanc 1858 Chronograph steel with black dial (ident 117835 – 117836) First up, there’s the steel-cased, black-dialled option. The dial isn’t matt, instead it has a subtle sunburst finish that adds a touch of class. Design-wise, Montblanc hasn’t messed with the formula too much: bi-compax layout, with spartan Arabic numerals and large registers (seconds on the left and minutes on the right). There’s not much clutter in the watch, just historic text and logo, and an unobtrusive minutes register. No superfluous text to clutter up the picture. The 42mm case is…
In 2016, Montblanc announced a new line, the 1858, a vintage-inspired sports collection. This year, under the keen direction of Montblanc’s Head of Watches Davide Cerrato, the entire 1858 line has received a stylish and oh-so-smart update. There are more complex versions, but the entry-level piece is this, the Montblanc 1858 Automatic. Montblanc 1858 Automatic steel and bronze with black dial (ident 117832 – 117833) There’s a lot to like about these watches, but before we go into details, let’s talk about what the difference is between these and the original 1858 watches. The most significant change is the size, down from 44 to 40mm, which is much more friendly for many more people. Then there’s the movement, the automatic MB 24.15, which is, again, more of a crowd-pleaser. Beyond the basics, the case is more refined than before, with nice chamfered details and a bronze bezel as standard; it’s also rated to 100m. The dial is definitely vintage (thanks in no small part to those cathedral-style hands), and slightly military — which is exactly the look Montblanc were going for. Bonus points for no date window, and the domed sapphire crystal. Strap options are either a high-quality fabric strap (think Tudor),…
As SIHH kicks off, I’m prepared to bet – yes, even on the opening day – that this chronograph will emerge as one of the top watches of the week. Because it’s just so darned gorgeous and it has a great backstory. As you may know, in 2007 Montblanc took over the historic Minerva manufacture and began producing some seriously beautiful high-complication watches – notably the ExoTourbillon and Geospheres series. But a question remained: since Minerva was perhaps the greatest chronograph maker of the 20th century, where were the chronographs? We got the first answer after Jérôme Lambert became CEO in 2013: the Meisterstück Heritage Pulsograph, launched at SIHH 2014 to rave reviews. The styling, based on a 1940s doctors’ watch, was perfectly judged and beautifully executed. The real excitement, though, was the new in-house movement. Calibre M13.21 was derived directly from the revered Minerva cal. 13.20 – a mono-pusher chronograph with column-wheel clutch and horizontal gear coupling (more about this below). Marking the 90th anniversary of Meisterstück, it was a limited edition of 90 pieces. And the movement didn’t appear in any subsequent model. Was that it? Yes but no. At SIAR in October 2015, Montblanc introduced the 1858…
While the automatic, chronograph and Minerva versions of the 1858 collection bear a strong resemblance to the existing 1858 watches, the Geosphere is something else entirely. It’s also a watch that speaks most directly to the “spirit of mountain exploration” that underpins the line. Like all the watches Montblanc have released at SIHH 2018, the 1858 Geosphere is rugged, sporty and quite retro. But on top of this, the 1858 Geosphere has maps on the dial, and a compass on the bezel. But before we get to the details, let’s look at the bigger picture. Montblanc 1858 Geosphere steel with black dial (ident 117837) The 1858 Geosphere offers what Montblanc say is a “new worldtime complication”, which adds some geographic representation and day/night indicator to a dual time watch. The local time is on the large hands, and the home time (hours only) is on the subdial at nine. The dial though is dominated by the northern and southern hemisphere day/night indicators at 12 and six o’clock. In practice, pulling the crown out to the second position of the crown adjusts both time zones, and the hemisphere indicators, while in the first position it adjusts the date and the local time…
For a brand with a long, rich history, Girard-Perregaux is a dab hand at the ultra-modern, as evidenced by this Neo Tourbillon with Three Bridges Skeleton. This watch is the first skeletonised execution of the Neo Tourbillon. And while there’s no denying that this 45mm titanium-cased marvel of miniaturised engineering is – indeed – a watch, from the right angles you could easily mistake it for a scale model of a particularly audacious and artistic building project. The Neo Tourbillon is dominated, as you would expect, by the horizontal bridges, curved and shimmering thanks to the bezelled, sandblasted black PVD-finished bridges (rather than the more traditional gold). Between these bridges, scarcely hidden from sight is the 0.25 gram tourbillon cage at the bottom, and a large power barrel (good for at least 60 hours) at the top of the watch, powered by a unidirectional micro-rotor, in 18K white gold. These elements, which words don’t really do justice to, comprise the calibre GP 09400-0011. The lucky wearer’s view of this aggressively modern 9.54mm thick movement is ensured by the clear, highly cambered convex glassbox sapphire crystal. Don’t be fooled by the size, this sharp style and finely balanced micro-engineering of their Girard-Perregaux…