Zenith has released a fresh take on its El Primero Chronograph to celebrate 55 years of Cohiba cigars. They did a brown edition five years ago, but this one has a wild Ducati 748 eyllowness about it which we kinda like.
You get a five pack of cigars included in the deal, which costs £7600 approx (limited to selected retailers by the way). It won’t actually be available until October this year however. Here’s the press release;
From Havana to Le Locle and all over the world, cigar aficionados are celebrating 2021 as the 55th anniversary of one of the most distinguished and revered Cuban cigar makers, Cohiba. Now marking its fifth year of collaboration with Habanos and the sixth special edition with Cohiba, Zenith is joining the celebration with a delectable and highly exclusive commemorative edition of the Chronomaster Open.
Zenith has reimagined its emblematic Chronomaster Open in a manner that immediately evokes Cohiba’s unique aesthetic. Taking on the striking design codes of the packaging and paper bands that wrap each of its entirely hand-rolled and exquisitely blended cigars, the dial of the Chronomaster Open Cohiba 55th anniversary edition is done in the distinct saffron-yellow tone and white on black checkered motif. A yellow chronograph seconds hand with a star-shaped counterweight completes the look, while the black alligator leather strap harmoniously accentuates the checkered pattern of the dial.
Limited to just 55 pieces, the Chronomaster Open Cohiba 55th anniversary edition is completed with a special display back with the special Cohiba 55 logo printed on the interior side of the sapphire crystal. To enjoy the full epicurean experience, each watch will come with a set of 5 special Cohiba cigars presented in an exclusive
cobranded porcelain jar.
The Chronomaster Cohiba 55th anniversary edition will be available exclusively at Zenith boutiques and select retailers around the world from October 2021.
Green is everywhere this year, from Boris Johnson’s latest attempts to micro-manage our entire lives by banning gas boilers, bacon sandwiches and petrol cars, to the myriad – yes we used myriad – green dial watches showcased by Rolex, IWC, Patek, Tudor and others at Watches & Wonders.
Now TAG has joined th party with a green dial variant on their classic Monaco model. I refuse to say `iconic’ because some herberts on local news websites are now describing their local bus depot as iconinc. It’s laughable. OK then, classic TAG Monaco features like the 39mm case, black sub-dials, plus it a luminous green glow at night on the hands and markers. The see-thru caseback has some green text, plus there’s a dash of green on the movement too.
Yours for £5500 and there are just 500 pieces available. Verdict; we still the Gulf Porsche racing colours is the best TAG Monaco of modern times. There, we said it.
We begin the farewell to our popular 17-series with the 17.09: an evolved daily wearer, with new, extra functionality and overall design updates. We also aim to address the increase in demand with a new ordering system which should allow more collectors to experience a MingVersion 2.0
This one has a Sellita movement inside, a two-piece dial with a Clous-de-Paris pattern and a brushed outer track. There’s also a bit of lume in the sapphire crystal, which is something different and really catches the eye. It has a feel of the 1950s US neon shop and bar signage that spread from Miami across the East Coast. They are very striking watches.
You have a 38mm case size, in stainless steel, which is an ideal dress watch size for many collectors. You can pull the crown out and move the hour hand independently of the minute, which is handy if you are lucky enough to blag some travel this year. Price is 1950 Swiss Francs and stocks are limited, you can buy on the 15th April and get it delivered in July 2021.
The latest from Armin Strom who have launched the Pure Resonance Sky Blue recently. Yep, they are only making three examples. Pretty rare.
Clear Design
In general, Armin Strom carefully maintains a pared-down approach that keeps the brand’s style of watchmaking focused on its essence. How concentrated that style may be, this special-edition head further in that direction, squarely placing emphasis on the watch’s most remarkable feature: the visible dual balances oscillating in resonance. The special blue dial and the matt hand decorated finish are highlighting the swiss German style of this timepiece.
The dial offers a “Kari Voutilainen hand Guilloché” subdial for time displays: Roman numerals dominate the off-center subdial displaying hours and minutes in white with steel hands, while a classic railroad track marks the exact minutes. The smaller subdial at 7 o’clock displays seconds using only a baton-shaped hand and a simple track. The Sky blue colored hand made Guilloché dial from Kari Voutilainen has a special lack finishing (Email à froid) in order to reinforce the unique look of the dial. The Bridges are decorated with succinct, eye-catching côtes de Genève, applied for the first time in straight lines. It’s absolutely spectacular movement finishing is often overlooked as the hypnotic pulsation of its clutch spring and the synchronized motion of its two balance wheels provide a mesmerizing distraction that invariably captures most of the attention.
Technology in Service to Chronometry
The reason for this watch’s improved chronometry can be found in the straightforward approach to the movement: the fewer functions a timepiece must perform, the better it can concentrate on accuracy. In other words, with no superfluous functions this watch can focus fully on providing the time in marine chronometer precision. The time displays receive their portioned energy from the lower regulator, while the upper regulator remains in place to create resonance.
My primary objective was to improve chronometric precision via the consistent maintenance of a resonance state. But that consistency was also a prerequisite to sustain a kinetic spectacle on the dial side of our watch. With a great deal of time and effort, our technical and aesthetic ambitions were both ultimately achieved.” – Claude Greisler, Co-Founder and Master Watchmaker
Classic Size
The outward design of the Pure Resonance perfectly reflects the purity of Caliber ARF16. It is housed in a slim 42 mm white gold case with reduced lugs and crown and practically no bezel, though the characteristic lip at 6 o’clock remains – an homage to the ability of Armin Strom to customize any of its watches as well as to founder Armin Strom, who offered this space to clients for personal engraving (and it can still be used for that).
This special edition of the Pure Resonance looks and acts just like a “normal” three-handed watch. And this remains in line with the philosophy of Armin Strom as a brand: just good, proprietary mechanics presented in an impeccably finished and interesting way. The Pure Resonance Sky Blue is limited to 3 pieces.
After nearly two decades of partnership, Bentley Motors and watchmaker Breitling are celebrating the launch of the Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Bentley Limited Edition, produced in an exclusive series of just 25 pieces. One thing we love about this model is the tourbillon being placed at the 12 o’clock position, instead of the more usual 6pm slot. Great green dial too; just something pure Bentley, pure BRG.
A reinterpretation of the original Breitling Premier wristwatches of the 1940s, today’s limited edition does not fall short of its reputation, the Premier B21 Chronograph Tourbillon 42 Bentley Limited Edition is a unique yet classic design. Limited to just 25 pieces, the watch features a 42 mm case in 18 k red gold, rectangular chronograph pushers, a gold-brown alligator strap, and a transparent sapphire caseback revealing the magnificient movement with its 22-karat gold oscillating weight. The highlight is the special chronograph tourbillon caliber and cage seen through the distinctive green dial, reminiscent of the British racing green colour associated with the other models within the Breitling and Bentley partnership.
Powered by the Manufacture Caliber B21, the COSC-certified tourbillon movement offers around 55 hours of power reserve and is water-resistant up to 100 meters.
Willy Breitling, the grandson of the brand’s founder Léon Breitling, was a passionate Bentley driver. He patented the chronograph with two independent pushers at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock in 1934. Besides being tech savvy and bold, Willy Breitling understood the desire for the elegance and glamour from watch lovers. With this in mind, he designed the original Premier wristwatches in the 1940s, Breitling’s first link from purpose to style. As Willy saw it, “When a man puts on his watch, it is the unmistakeable stamp of impeccable taste.”
The same rings true for all Breitling watches today, and is also reflective of the way Bentley Motors’ own customers feel about their cars. The new watch honours the heritage and modern values of both brands in splendid fashion.
Bentley Chairman and CEO, Adrian Hallmark notes: “This striking watch embodies our joint commitment to pioneering spirit, expert craftsmanship and technological excellence.”
Breitling CEO, Georges Kern added: “We’re proud of this elegant symbol of our brands’ shared values: quality, performance, and design excellence.”
In 2002, Bentley Motors commissioned Breitling to create an onboard clock for the Continental GT and the partnership continued to blossom from there. Created in the spirit of unparalleled luxury and peerless quality, the exclusive new chronograph pays homage to Willy Breitling, whose watches changed the face of timekeeping, and to W.O. Bentley, who pioneered the automotive industry.
Ball watches has released a classic black dial, black bezel Roadmaster GMT, making it ideal for post-pandemic jet-setters, influencers and international business travellers. The Marine GMT is already available with blue, white and green dial/bezel options, plus a Pepsi bezel by the way. The day/date option also adds a certain businesslike function to this model – this is a watch for someone who wants to know the exact time, and demands Swiss build quality without a prestige brand price tage. It’s COSC certified, just like class-leading Omega, Rolex or AP models, but you pay less to get the same job done. Just saying.
Here’s the word from Ball;
Innovation for fearless exploration, a belief that’s not only held dearly in the BALL Watch family, but also fostered the creation of the Roadmaster Marine GMT series. Engineered to the specifications of a 35-year Navy Mariner veteran, it’s the world’s first GMT timepiece with day and date functions, delivering utmost functionality. The pioneering quick-set GMT push buttons revolutionize the way GMT hand is adjusted with its ease-of-use. The tough titanium material and COSC certified mechanical movement guarantee perfect performance in the most imperfect situations. Topping off with the darkness-conquering luminosity of the micro gas tube. The watch that once ran America’s railroads now empowers world explorers to live freely and fearlessly.
Our specially-made GMT movement module allows for three time zones to be tracked simultaneously. Simply by turning and pressing either one of the patented quick-set buttons, the GMT hand can be easily set instead of turning the main crown. The button at 8 o’clock moves the GMT hand backward, while the 10 o’clock button moves it forward. When travelling, the GMT hand reveals the local time in conjunction with the bi-directional bezel whereas the main hour hand shows the home time.
The classic black bezel version marks the latest addition to the signature Roadmaster Marine GMT ceramic series, a statement piece that fits for all occasions. Limited to 1,000 pieces each. The Roadmaster Marine GMT Black bezel is now available for pre-order until 12 May 2021 at an exclusive price, which is £2110. More info at the Ball website.
Bamford London are famed for their unique limited edition watches and this is no exception. Sellita SW300 movement, 40mm stainless steel case and a neat twist to the packaging with a can, not a box. Yes, it’s a Popeye thing.
Just 100 pieces will be made and the UK price is £1500. What we love about this one is the Popeye arms being used as the hour and minute hands – it’s a homage to those Ingersoll pocket watches that featured Hopalong Cassidy and Dan Dare back in the 1950s, which are pretty collectable today if you can find an original that’s still working.
Obviously you have to be a bit of a fan to splash out on the Bamford Popeye, otherwise you could pick up a Sellita powered GMT from another Indie brand for about a grand or less. Maybe a Popeye Doyle French Connection model would actually be a cooler pop culture tie-in and the watch is delivered in a recycled sill of a Lincoln Continental? Just thinking out loud.
At this price point we are gonna choose a Yema Superman, or perhaps a Naruto Seiko 5 to save some money and still add a little comic book magic to your collection. Yep, we know the Yema isn’t a `Superman’ branded watch, but still it’s a great dive model for under 1000 euros. What the heck.
JLC have sent us info on a special Fagliani edition of their famous Reverso, and we kinda like that bold red & gold vibe. Here’s the press release;
Uniting the dual-time zone complication of the Duoface with the purified aesthetic of the Tribute collection, the new Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano is complemented by an original strap, specially designed and hand-crafted by Casa Fagliano, the world-famous Argentinian maker of polo and riding boots. Issued in a limited edition, with a burgundy-red dial and pink gold case, the new timepiece pays tribute to its rare and timeless design.
Inspired by the canvas-and-leather boots that it makes for summer polo, Casa Fagliano combined cordovan leather and canvas for the new strap – as always, cutting and stitching every piece by hand.
As it has a gold case, you would expect this art deco classic to come with a hefty price tag and you are correct in that asumption. It retails at just over £20,000.
We like Norway, we love Vikings. The TV show deserves its own watch frankly, but fans will have to make do with this tribute to athletes who don’t storm beaches in longboats, but whack a volleyball about until they win gold meadals. Hey, it still isn’t easy. Here’s the word from Maurice Lacroix. Oh yeah, it’s quartz, but we love the design so it gets a mention.
Two years ago, Maurice Lacroix was delighted when Anders Mol and Christian Sørum joined the ML Crew. Throughout their careers they have won numerous gold medals and are currently ranked number 1 in their chosen sport. Building on its relationship with Anders and Christian, Maurice Lacroix has created a limited-edition timepiece encompassing the ideas of the ambitious duo. Indeed, both athletes played an active role in the design process.
Anders and Christian wanted a watch they could wear while competing on the court. This meant the watch had to be light, comfortable to wear and precise. It was for this latter reason that a quartz movement was selected. Moreover, the watch needed to be shock resistant, a useful attribute when the players are 100% committed to the game. By taking into account the requirements of Anders and Christian, the AIKON Quartz Chronograph – Limited Edition Vikings came to fruition.
The AIKON Quartz Chronograph – Limited Edition Vikings, a limited-edition of 250 pieces, is suffused with Beachvolley Vikings’ team colours. This chronograph stylishly combines blue, red and white tones, conferring a young, vibrant appearance. The watch is housed in a 44mm stainless steel case. Dressed in red, the dial features a sun-brushed effect and incorporates three snailed counters presented in a contrasting shade of blue. Since the outset, the AIKON has always been known for blending different finishes on its dial and case, enriching the ownership experience. The AIKON Quartz Chronograph – Limited Edition Vikings proves no exception.
Can you believe that actual radioactive paint was applied to watches in the past? Yep, and watchmakers plus watch factory workers died prematurely because of it. But that was just one of several hundred industrial risks that affected European and North American people in the past, for times were harsher and life was cheap. Yep, even white lives.
Now Blancpain has released a watch to celebrate the end of the radioactive dials, much loved by armed forces procurement officers during WWII and the Cold War. Here’s the press info from Blancpain on this latest limited edition dive watch, which is a tribute to an age of enlightenment as regards tool watches.
Blancpain reinterprets one of its emblematic historical timepieces, the Fifty Fathoms “no radiations”. This mid-1960s diving instrument, of which one version was used by the German Navy’s Combat Swimmers, had the characteristic feature of being stamped with a “no radiations” logo indicating that Blancpain was not using luminescent materials
composed of radium. This distinctive symbol on the watch dial has forged its success; the timepiece and its variants are now among the most iconic Fifty Fathoms models, which
the new Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad intends to honour. Collectors take note: this watch is issued in a 500-piece limited series.
The Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad watch revisits the historical model that inspired it. Its matt deep black dial is punctuated by geometrical hour-markers, combining traditional round dots as well as rectangles and a diamond-shaped mark at 12 o’clock. The chapter ring, the hands and the time scale on the bezel all feature “old radium”-coloured Super-LumiNova® reprising the beige-orange hue of vintage indicators bearing the patina of time. At 3 o’clock sits a date aperture highlighted by a white rim, as seen on one of the 1960s models. The yellow and red “no radiations” logo remains the dominant element on the dial, adding to the already strong character of this timepiece.
FOUR DAY RESERVE
The unidirectional rotating bezel, featuring a graduation typical of the initial Fifty Fathoms models, is fitted with a sapphire insert, a distinctive feature of the contemporary collection. Its domed profile contributes to the depth effect of the watch face, already enhanced by the use of a glassbox-type sapphire crystal. Water-resistant to 300 metres,
the steel case measures 40.3 mm, a diameter exclusive to limited-edition Fifty Fathoms watches. It houses Blancpain Calibre 1151, a self-winding movement equipped with a silicon balance spring and endowed with a four-day power reserve. Its two barrels are wound by means of a rotor with a cartouche-shaped aperture, a nod to some of the historic timepieces in the collection, including the very first Fifty Fathoms. This now atypical detail was formerly used to increase the suppleness of the oscillating weight in order to safeguard the movement in the event of impacts. The watch comes with a strap in “Tropic”-type rubber, a material very popular with divers back in the day because of its durability and wearer comfort.
With this limited series, Blancpain is restoring a cult instrument from its past as a supplier to the navies of numerous armed forces worldwide. In 1953, French Combat Swimmers were the first to use the Fifty Fathoms for their underwater missions. Thanks to its watertightness, legibility, safety and robustness, the watch immediately became an indispensable component of their equipment. Others were to follow, including the German military, which in the mid1960s acquired the Fifty Fathoms RPG 1 model, now better known as “BUND No Rad”. This name refers to the term “Bundeswehr” (armed forces), engraved on the back of the watches that equipped the “Kampfschwimmer”, the elite German frogman commando unit, until the early 1970s. The distinguishing attribute of the RPG 1 model was the “no radiations” logo, featured for the first time on the dial of a Fifty Fathoms.
In the early 1960s, radium – a radioactive element used in watchmaking for its luminescent properties – was declared harmful to health. To reassure professional divers, as well as experienced amateurs who purchased their Fifty Fathoms watches from specialist equipment providers, Blancpain thus decided to clearly indicate that its timepieces were radium-free – and hence harmless. The special symbol consisting of three red segments on a yellow background with a black cross was accompanied by the words “no radiations” designed to ensure that the message was easily understood. The same logo subsequently appeared on the Fifty Fathoms RPGA 1 model, a calendar-based variant of the “BUND No Rad”, for which it would remain the main criterion. These diver’s watches, whose dial indicated the absence of radium through the “no radiations” logo, have become particularly sought-after collector’s items. They now form part of the Fifty Fathoms’ legendary heritage spanning almost 70 years.
UK Price is £11,800, which is kinda tasty but you get a watch that has undeniable credentials underwater, and might just be a collectable item in 25 years’ time.
