Trick or treat with the Zenith Defy Classic Skeleton
Editor’s note: One of my main criteria for a banger watch these days is wearability. Sure, looks are important, but fit reigns supreme. Luckily, the Zenith Defy Classic Skeleton delivers on both fronts … The story in a second: Contemporary design and classic size make this a winning combination. It’s no secret that the Defy is Zenith’s darling this year. Baselworld 2018 saw them release a swag of different versions, including the crazy Zero G, the impressive chronograph, and this watch, the comparatively simple Classic. And while it may lack some of the fancy functionality of its bigger brothers, for me the Zenith Defy Classic – particularly this open-worked dial option – is the real winner. The dial You have to start with the dial, don’t you: a modern open-worked number with a bold star motif, inspired indirectly by the brand’s star logo, and more obviously by the epic Defy Lab limited edition from last year. And while these sort of dials tend to lean towards illegibility, it’s not really an issue here, as the quite large, lumed hour markers are anchored by the contrasting colour of the outer chapter ring, and the hands are bold enough to stand out…
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Editor’s note: Razor-sharp details, timeless style and a solid new movement make the Baume & Mercier Baumatic an excellent option for an everyday dress watch that doesn’t break the bank. The story in a second: Classic on the outside, contemporary on the inside. Baume & Mercier are onto a winner here. I’ve always thought Baume & Mercier were at their best when they were playing with the classics. The Clifton, with its classical proportions, vintage inspiration and strong value offering, is a proposition that was hard to beat. But beat it they did, with the deceptively simple Clifton Baumatic, and its powerful movement. The case An elegantly proportioned case is a hallmark of the Clifton family, and this Baumatic version delivers, with neat and tidy dimensions of 40mm across by 10.3mm tall. But even though it’s a Clifton, it’s not quite the same Clifton as before. The regular — non-Baumatic — Clifton is a shade wider at 41mm. It’s not just the overall width here that’s slimmer, the lug shoulders are more slender too, giving a greater air of timelessness overall. As you’d expect, the crystals are sapphire on the front and the rear, and it’s rated to 50 metres…
There was a lot going on in the middle of the 1960s. The space race was in full swing, the Australian dollar was introduced, and the launch of the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Collection. This collection was launched alongside a number of other projects that Girard-Perregaux were working on, including being aggressively competitive in the Neuchâtel Observatory chronometry trials, and producing the first watch movement to beat at 10 beats per second or 36,000 times an hour. Today, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Collection lives on as cleanly sophisticated dress watches that have their designs rooted in the middle of last century, with movement technology that is firmly planted in the 21st. We were recently lucky enough to get a closer look at two attractive references from the 1966 Collection, the Full Calendar and the Date & Small Seconds. Both have their own very different charms despite being clearly from the same design DNA. Girard-Perregaux Full Calendar and Girard-Perregaux Date & Small Seconds The Girard-Perregaux Full Calendar is $16,000 AUD. The Girard-Perregaux Date & Small Seconds is $25,500 AUD. Made in partnership with Girard-Perregaux. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.
Hublot has just dropped the Big Bang MP-11 SAXEM, once again demonstrating why they are the vanguards of the horological industry when it comes to innovating new materials for wristwatches. The stunningly green case of the new Big Bang MP-11 is hewn from a material that has never been used before in a timepiece’s case – SAXEM. An abbreviation of Sapphire Aluminium Oxide and rare Earth Mineral, the high-tech material receives its brilliant emerald green colour as a result of the Hublot Manufacture mixing materials such Aluminium oxide, which is the basic component of sapphire, with rare-earth elements such as thulium, holmium and chromium. The outcome of this process is a case material with several benefits. For example, SAXEM is not only far stronger than emerald, it also possesses a much richer and deeper colour than sapphire. Housed inside the revolutionary new case, which measures an impressive 45mm, is Hublot’s highly technical Caliber HUB9011, a manually wound skeletonised movement that features no less than seven barrels and a whopping 14 days of power reserve. Speaking about the watch, Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO Hublot said: “With this new Big Bang MP-11, Hublot once more asserts its regal mastery of innovation, at both…
It will surprise precisely no one to learn that round watches are the most popular category. But, versatile as the circle is, the round watch can be a bit same-samey. That’s not an issue with this fancy pair of Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Dates, offered in some stylish new dial variations. Before we get to the dials, let’s check in on the watches themselves. They’re 40mm steel watches, in a very ’70s ‘television’ case shape which looks funky and wears great. They’re chronographs (obviously), and 4Hz column-wheel flybacks at that. With a very nice 70 hours of power reserve (appropriate). But really, the party is on the dials. As you can see, there are two options, one a little more muted than the other, but both stunners. There’s a galvanised grey option with sunray finish and black dégradé, or if you’re feeling like living your best ’70s life, a green version. And while the dials have plenty of flash and sizzle on their own merits, for me the real winner is the combination of these period-correct Pforzheim-produced dials with the sensuous lines of that polished steel case. Very nice. Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date price Glashütte Original Seventies…
