SIHH 2017 – IWC Da Vinci Chronograph Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks you should already be aware that 2017 is the year of the Da Vinci for IWC. In layman’s terms that means that Schaffhausen-based manufacturer has completely overhauled the Da Vinci collection this year, complete with a return to the more traditional (and in my opinion, more attractive) round case. Included within this newly revamped collection is the Da Vinci Chronograph Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation”, a special watch with an ulterior motive. Read on to find out what it is.
SIHH is as common an abbreviation to us as YMCA. It doesn’t have dance moves, it’s not the Nutbush City Limits, but it does involve the team covering some serious mileage early in the year, every year. The question is, what happens at SIHH? What is it actually like? We made a video, to complete our two-part series revealing the truth about watch fairs (part one is here).
This year it appears that the Submersible collection is a major focus for Panerai, with the brand releasing a veritable pack of new models in all manner of materials and sizes. But there’s one watch above all else that has inflamed the passions of the Paneristi, and that’s the PAM 00671 – AKA the Blue Bronzo. For anyone not familiar with the legend of the Bronzo, a little backstory. In 2011 Panerai released the PAM 00382, a green-dialled Luminor Submersible cased in bronze, limited to 1000 pieces, though we suspect they wouldn’t have had too much trouble selling 10 times that number. While it wasn’t the first ever bronze cased watch, it was the watch that started the bronze craze. Well, this year the Bronzo is back, and blue. And what a blue! Forget any notions of in-your-face summer blue. Instead this is the darker, more mysterious hue of deep oceans. In fact, under the halogen lights of SIHH, the dial looked almost black, with occasional brilliant flashes at just the right angle. The colour of the dial might be the most obvious change, but it isn’t the only one. The luminous material on the hands, dial and bezel has been given a vintage creamy tone to match…
One of the standout watches of last year was the Drive de Cartier. The collection impressed with its assured case shape – a pleasing blend of robustness and classicism that, for many, epitomised what Cartier is all about. Well, the Extra Flat takes things a few steps further, removing any and all extraneous elements from the Drive and making it even more sublime. What do we mean? For starters the watch is, well, flat. At 6.6mm thick it’s some 40 per cent more slender than the regular automatic Drive – a feat achieved largely thanks to the manually wound caliber 430MC (based on the Piaget 430P). Cartier has also made the case a touch smaller (39mm), removed the small seconds and foregone their usual guilloche on the dial. The resulting watch is far more dressy, and absolutely stunning. Offered in pink and white gold, our pick is the more reserved white gold option, which is paired perfectly with a subtle grey alligator strap. Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra Flat in white gold Australian pricing and availability Cartier Drive de Cartier Extra Flat, white gold, limited to 200 pieces, with an indicative price of $24,000 Note: the crown is set with…
James Marsden, a face you will recognise from at least one of your favourite films (guys: Zoolander, girls: The Notebook, me: Westworld), describes the moment he surprised/scared IWC’s Creative Director, Christian Knoop, the night before. “I was chatting with Christian and I told him can you please make a perpetual calendar with a split-seconds chrono in a 43mm case. Please?” Knoop’s expression must have been somewhat like mine, read, the open-mouthed emoji with red cheeks. “His mouth was agape, he was like ‘How do you know about the 89630 movement in my new perpetual calendar?’ And I was like, it’s because I’m obsessed. They made a perpetual calendar with a chrono in the older Da Vinci, I think it was 2004 or something, and they’ve brought that back now and I just love a chrono movement with a perpetual calendar. He was like… ‘How do you know this, actor guy?” T+T: When did you get your first good watch? James Marsden: An IWC was the first really special watch I was given when we wrapped the last season of a show… Ally McBeal in 2002… It was given by David E. Kelley… It was the first upper tier nice watch I’ve ever owned. It was…