VIDEO: The hottest Moser watch releases of 2019
Visiting the team at H. Moser & Cie. is always one of the highlights of SIHH. You never quite know what you’re going to get. Well, that’s not quite true. You know you’re going to be in for some surprises. And seeing Moser at SIHH 2019 did not disappoint. We knew about the Nature Watch, and that statement piece (literally, it was all about the statement of the watch industry’s environmental obligations) did not disappoint in real life (again, literally). Another high-level statement that impressed in real life was the exceptionally minimal Swiss Alp Concept Black — I just shudder to think about setting the time. Really, though, the watches that excited me were the more commercially oriented pieces, like the Pioneer with its ruggedised take on the tourbillon, and the (as always) exceptional dial on the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon, which certainly lives up to its name.
The post VIDEO: The hottest Moser watch releases of 2019 appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.
Sports tie-in watches play a — if you’ll pardon the pun — dangerous game. On the one hand there’s a lot of gloss (and potential sales) to be earned from the association with an event that’s under the spotlight. The downside, though, is you might end up with a watch that looks more like a souvenir than a fine piece of precision engineering. This Rado HyperChrome Match Point walks this line just fine. To most casual — and even closer — viewers, it’s a regular Rado chronograph, complete with the high-tech ceramic case and bracelet so synonomous with Rado, as well as a particularly handsome brushed blue dial and some nice raised, applied Arabic numerals. But look very closely and you’ll notice the subtlest tennis detail on the dial — that outer track is marked with a scale specifically calibrated for the time between points in ATP and Grand Slam games. Now, if that’s not a detail for the real fans, I don’t know what is. Rado HyperChrome Match Point Australian pricing and availability Rado HyperChrome Match Point, limited to 999 pieces, $6475
If you’re looking for a watch that’s a little left-of-centre style-wise, look no further. Rado’s idiosyncratic DiaMaster takes many of the conventions of fine watchmaking and turns them, if not on their heads, at least a little bit sideways. And the resulting watch is, it must be said, quite charming. Of course, there are still some familiar Rado hallmarks on display, like the high-tech ceramic case. There’s also an ever-reliable automatic movement that isn’t content to be relegated to the caseback, instead taking centre stage on the dial side — to great effect. The case is hefty, at 43mm, and rated to 100 metres, which is a nice touch. There are four different variations on the theme, but we were most taken by this black-on-black option. Rado DiaMaster XL Automatic Australian pricing Rado DiaMaster XL Automatic, black ceramic case, $3850
If you had any doubts about Panerai’s position as kings of the deep, their SIHH 2019 release catalogue would have dispelled them. Panerai’s hero watch is, of course, the Submersible. It’s one of the brand’s most interesting designs, as it honours their historically important case shape (cushiony, with a fairly famous crown guard), while adding a very handy bezel and some more contemporary lines. This year sees Panerai tweak a few more details, playing more with smaller sizes and interesting case materials. Here are our top picks. Panerai Submersible Carbotech 42mm – PAM00960 Carbotech is, without a doubt, a cool material, and you know what, it’s still just as cool in a smaller 42mm case. Panerai Submersible 42mm – PAM00959 This is a more classical Panerai execution, with its steel case. But even here there’s something quite special — the pebbly, grainy grey dial that somehow reminds me of shark skin. Panerai Submersible BMG-Tech 47mm – PAM00799 Just quietly, this might be my pick of the bunch. It’s big, and it’s also very complex. Not only is the bezel Carbotech, but the case is made from Panerai’s fancy BMG-Tech material. And that makes for a pretty awesome combo.
Since Davide Cerrato took the gig as Montblanc’s top watch guy, the brand’s timepiece offerings have been steadily ramping up, becoming more focused and more appealing. To my mind, Montblanc’s SIHH 2019 saw the brand in high gear, on the inside track and with the intensity of a winner. Two hero collections and a range of watches to appeal to a wide range of tastes. Here are our five picks. Montblanc 1858 Geosphere LE Last year’s complicated two timer was already a good-looking beast of a watch, and this year the Geosphere’s gone green, making it even more Hulk-like. Montblanc 1858 Chronograph While it might not have the same incredible engine as its Minerva brethren, the 1858 Chronograph, with its bronze case and mossy green dial, is one undeniably attractive piece of kit. Montblanc Heritage Automatic While the 1858 family was all about the green, the freshly minted Heritage line is looking dapper with its copper-y salmon colourways. Add to that the complex dial construction and you’ve got a winning proposition on your hands. Montblanc Heritage Perpetual Calendar Montblanc’s meteoric re-emergence into serious watchmaking was its aggressively priced QP. Since then, it’s become a staple of the collection, and this…
Over the last few years, Cartier’s watch releases have been consistently impressive, alternating between savvily commercial and outrageously stunning. This year we saw that strong trend continue. Cartier Santos de Cartier Chronograph The big news was the addition of a chronograph to last year’s wildly popular new Santos. In addition to complication, this model adds some not insignificant bulk. Cartier Tonneau Deceptively simple and unerringly elegant, this quartz-powered Tonneau is a real looker, and as someone with a fairly large wrist, I was surprised how good it looked on me. Cartier Tonneau Dual Time Skeleton This watch is a classic case of why you need to see real-life pictures of a watch (or even better, the actual watch). When I saw the press release renders I was a little underwhelmed. In real life? I was blown away. Cartier Santos-Dumont This simple, slender quartz watch was one of the most pleasant surprises of SIHH, eminently wearable and Cartier design at its most pure. Cartier Santos de Cartier Skeleton If you’ve ever wanted proof that Cartier is interested in growing its fanbase, this is the watch. On the one hand, it’s classic Cartier — the skeletonised Santos has been a staple for…
The talk of the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth at SIHH was the incredible (and incredibly well-sized) Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, but that rare bird was in hot demand, so we didn’t manage any quality one-on-one time with it. But that’s OK really, as there were numerous other exquisitely finished offerings on hand, from the Reverso and Master families. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel This watch and the two other Master Thins take several design cues from the grand daddy Gyrotourbillon, but in a package that’s in the realm of mortals. The dials are a rich and complex blue guilloché, and the movements in these three pieces have been revamped and improved. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel Building on the same formula as above, this watch offers a significantly more complex perpetual calendar. Bonus points for a design that manages to balance complexity and beauty. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel JLC’s expertise with tourbillon is legendary, something that’s apparent to anyone gazing at that well at six. Gorgeous. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Changing gears to the iconic Reverso, JLC offered a few snappy dial and case variations this year, including this rich and full-bodied Tribute Small Seconds…
One of my highlights of SIHH every year is IWC – and not just because their booth is exceptional; this year it was dominated by an actual gleaming silver Spitfire. No, I like seeing IWC because the watches rarely disappoint, and this year was absolutely no exception. The Pilot’s collection is one of the brand’s iconic staples, and hugely popular in Australia (and, for that matter, around the world). And at SIHH it got some major new additions, mainly in the Spitfire and Top Gun sub families. Spitfire is the more retro of the two, and covered off the classics — a pitch-perfect 39mm automatic, a chronograph, a simpler Timezoner, a Big Pilot-cased perpetual and even a welcome return of the UTC. Now, while it’s easy to get caught up in the bronze cases and green dials on offer, for me the really big news is that the whole Spitfire family is now powered by in-house movements. Over in the Top Gun line, novel materials were the name of the game — with Ceratanium making an appearance on the Doppelchrono, and a gorgeous khaki ‘Mojave’ limited edition that I just can’t get out of my head. So, time to cue…
OK, here are the watches that put the HH into SIHH, the sort of timepieces that challenge and define exactly what it’s possible to do with a watch on your wrist. These sort of movements take years and years of development, so it’s unreasonable to expect a new one every year, but at this year’s instalment of SIHH, the top end of town was very well represented, with some genuine innovation, and true ingenuity on show. Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar One of the real standouts of the show was Vacheron Constantin’s innovative Twin Beat, which boasts twin balances beating at different rates. The real trick, though, is that the wearer can set which balance is in use, either an active or a passive mode. Something that, in effect, means you get up to 65 DAYS of power reserve. Handy if you don’t want to reset that perpetual calendar. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel While none of the grand complications in this JLC is new per se, they’re all exceptionally well executed, the Westminster Carillon in particular. The real feat, though, is combining this much complexity in an eminently wearable package. Ressence Type 2 And, finally,…
If my other two lists (here and here, in case you forgot) had loose themes tying them together, this one is all over the shop, covering off the serious to playful spectrum very nicely indeed. So, let’s start with the serious … A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk Date It’s larger and thinner, but the real news is the smartly executed date. You’d be forgiven for expecting a date aperture, in line with the time display, but no, Lange opted for an open-worked date disk that looks very nice indeed. Cartier Tonneau Dual Time Skeleton Cartier’s skeleton watches are well known, and typically they’re not the sort of watch I could imagine myself wearing. This guy, though, I would wear all the freaking time. Perhaps it’s the combination of the richly shaped case and skeleton movement, or maybe it’s just the smart dual dials. All I know is I love it. Richard Mille Bonbon collection Picking an entire collection is a total cheat move, but you know what, I don’t care. All these watches — indulgently artistic takes on the sweeter things in life — are great, playful and absolutely ridiculous. Richard Mille, masters of the high-end timekeeping machine, prove that things…