Interview – Davide Cerrato of Montblanc on the Brand and What’s Coming Next (incl. a teaser of a new Goodwood watch)
We’re in Switzerland quite often – according to my wife, who keeps track, I’ve spent a quarter of last year in the land of watchmaking – for all kind of events. Whether for the videos that we make, or events organised by watch brands, or manufacture visits, or the GPHG award night, it always means you’re meeting a lot of people from the watch industry and the good chance to run into a friend. Recently I met with my good friend Davide Cerrato, Managing Director Of Montblanc Watch Division, and we talked about how things are at Montblanc, what’s going to happen at Goodwood and more.
Anyone who knows me knows that I like things a little different from the norm. I’m a sucker for interesting dials and case shapes, pops of colour, and fresh takes on old designs. That’s not to say that I don’t also appreciate the classics, but I do like some uniqueness. So when I was given the chance to take a look at the latest release from relative newcomers to the watch industry, Spinnaker, I knew they’d have something interesting to offer. A brand that I had seen popping up more and more on my insta-feed lately, Spinnaker’s latest release, the Bradner, takes their trademark design approach, combining interesting details with a vintage inspiration. We’ve got the exclusive first look here, and the Bradner will officially launch and be made available on July 20. Vital statistics The watch is named after Hugh Bradner, an American physicist who not only worked on the Manhattan Project with Robert Oppenheimer but also developed the first neoprene wetsuit. The vintage compression diver styling of the Bradner is made immediately apparent. On the 42mm case’s side is a screw-down crown at 4 o’clock that controls the time setting, while a crown at 2 o’clock adjusts the bi-directional…
When Omega releases a limited edition, you’re fairly safe in betting that it will be numbered in the hundreds or thousands. The First Omega Wrist-Chronograph Limited Edition is a little more limited than that … being released in 18 pieces only, and for good reason. This large 47.5mm chronograph was unveiled by Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann at the Omega Museum in Biel, at an intimate event celebrating Omega’s rich history (more on that later). This watch is a tribute to Omega’s 18”’ CHRO movement, launched in 1913, an important calibre in the brand’s history, and indeed that of watchmaking in general. Of course, the genesis of the original large, utilitarian watch was the needs of wartime pilots and other military personnel, hence the focus on legibility and functionality. And while the dial and case design of this re-issue is exceptionally faithful to the original, the real star (and reason for its exceptionally limited nature) is the movement. Every single one of these 18 watches houses an original, 105-year-old 18”’ CHRO movement. Each movement has been sourced by the Omega Museum, and painstakingly cleaned, restored and refinished by Omega’s Atelier Tourbillon on period-correct machines to create the phoenix-like calibre 3018. To…
Editors note: At the moment, the Time+Tide team members whose names don’t begin with ‘A’ and end with ‘ndrew McUtchen’ are pretty jelly of Andrew McUtchen, who is, as we speak, ensconced in the bosom of Omega’s home turf, to celebrate an incredible (and incredibly rare reissue of Omega’s first ever chronograph — the handsome looking fella below). We’ll have to wait for Andrew to tell us the whole tale, but until then, feast your eyes on these pretties … We’ve told you about The Night of Omega Firsts. You’ve seen the video of Omega Museum manager Petros Protopapas in action. We’ve run out of superlatives to describe the experience. The only thing that remains now is to show you all of Omega’s ‘Firsts’ in gorgeous detail, and to trace a journey of more than 100 years. A story that begins in 1894. 1894: The first Omega – the Cal. 19 The watch, or rather the movement, that started it all. In 1894 the Omega calibre was launched, and so accurate, so successful was this movement that in 1903 the company adopted the moniker for the company name, and the Omega Watch Company we know today was born. 1915: Omega’s…