INTRODUCING: The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M in ceramic and titanium, with no date
One of the most exciting watches of last year was the significantly revamped Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, a modern icon of the brand that managed to sneak into both Andrew’s and my own ‘best of 2018’ lists (so it must be good). Well, the SMP just got a little bit better — Omega has announced a new version, in an oh-so-sexy looking black ceramic case, topped off with a titanium bezel with a matching black ceramic insert. This is a watch case that really works with ceramic: the complex shapes (like those lyre lugs) and mix of brushed and polished surfaces really amp up the ceramic-ness. The crown, escape valve and caseback are all titanium, like the bezel, which adds a little bit of muted contrast to the affair. The strap is rubber, and the buckle ceramic. Even that glossy, wavy dial is ceramic — and — in an exciting move for the purists out there, there’s no date window, ensuring the look is as stealthy as possible. The other interesting news is that this model is a shade larger than last year’s metal offerings; it measures in at 43.5mm. As the name would suggest, it’s rated at 300 metres,…
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My last list — a trio of well-priced SIHH offerings — could be neatly broken down into a loose theme of air, sea and land. But this trifecta, covering the much broader $10,000 – $35,000 price bracket, is much less easily pigeon-holed. But if I had to find commonalities I could well go with elegant shapes. The Piaget Polo S A case of a simple change making a big difference, I like this rich green take on the sporty Polo S so much more than I would have expected. It’s an absolute cracker, and a real change in personality from the blue. The Cartier Santos de Cartier Chronograph Next up, from Cartier, the masters of shaped watches, is the new Santos de Cartier Chronograph. This is a bit of a funny pick for me, as chronographs, especially more dressy ones, aren’t typically my bag. But there you go, the combination of beefed-up Santos case (not that it needed beefing) and unusual chronograph system won me over. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds There’s not much new or novel here to win me over. It’s not a new watch, or even a new case. It’s simply a new colour — rich red…
Materials innovation is looking like quite a thing in 2019 and for you, the watch buyers, that has to be good news: more aesthetic choices and (hopefully) better performance. Which brings us to IWC’s new Top Gun Double Chronograph Ceratanium. Ceratanium? It’s a naturally matt-black finish, but differs from PVD/DLC in one crucial respect: rather than a coating, it’s integral to the base material (its name being a contraction of ceramised and titanium). It’s the product of five years R&D within IWC, and is made by first milling the parts (case, pushers and crown) from a titanium alloy, then subjecting them to intense heat. The composition of the alloy triggers what IWC calls a “diffusion” process, which transforms the structure of the alloy’s surface into ceramic. The result is a best-of-both worlds material – as light and unbreakable as titanium, and as hard and scratch-resistant as ceramic. What’s more, being part of the material itself, the finish cannot chip or wear off as a coating might. To the eye it looks deeply black, with neither sheen nor texture, but seeming to absorb every last suggestion of light. In the hand, the watch feels light yet very substantial. Although Ceratanium isn’t…
