REVOLUTION_International_Vol 57

CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEARTBEAT
INTERNATIONAL VOL. 57
ZENITH — DEFIANTLY CHALLENGING THE FUTURE
USA ISSUE 04 WINTER 2020
A COLORFUL
YEAR LIKE
NO OTHER
THE 2020
REVOLUTION
WATCH AWARDS
THE HISTORY OF
THE AUDEMARS
PIGUET
PERPETUAL
CALENDAR
A BREGUET
COLLECTION
GROWS
IN HARLEM
ZENITH
Defiantly Challenging the Future
WINTER 2020 $14.95US
USA 04

TIME INSTRUMENTS
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COVER STORY
70 ZENITH:
Past, present, future
SPLIT SECONDS
22 Spotlight - Gérald Genta and Bvlgari
24 New debuts from Richard Mille, Oris, and more
42 It’s easy being green
44 Heavenly ladies introductions see stars
46 A spectrum of watches for a colorful year
50 Porsche Design, Global Tastes, New Security
58 Executive Profiles - Blancpain and Omega
THE FEATURES
70 Introducing the Zenith Defy Classic Carbon
82 Rado’s Captain Cook Sets Sail
88 The next-gen comes of age
94 Style-Timetoplayagame?
102 The 2020 Revolution Awards
124 Vibrant color sets a new tone - Get happy!

WILD, ICONOCLASTIC,
REBELLIOUS
132
The Complete History of
Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar
COLLECTING
164 A Harlem renaissance of the Breguet Type 20
170 Interview with Alfredo Paramico
176 Introducing the Reservoir x Revolution Hydrosphere Bronze Maldives Edition
182 Introducing the Moritz Grossman Benu 37 Steel for Revolution & The Rake
186 Introducing two Holthinrichs limited editions in collaboration with Revolution & The Rake
192 A New Era for the Bell & Ross BR 05

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CLASSIC FUSION
40 YEARS ANNIVERSARY

his issue of Revolution represents the final issue of
2020. And what a year it’s been, with global upheaval
unlike anything that any of us has experienced
in our lifetimes. And through it all, I have to say
the creativity of the watch industry has offered me a muchwelcome
reprieve and escape from what has sometimes
felt like a relentless tide of ominous news — in particular,
watches like Omega’s incredible “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th
Anniversary Speedmaster, which celebrates the mighty Swiss
watch brand’s receiving of this coveted award for outstanding
service back in 1970. The story of how a Speedmaster allowed
Apollo 13’s astronauts to time their crucial 14-second rocket
bursts to angle their crippled spacecraft, so that it would
make it safely back to Earth and neither burn on re-entry
nor bounce off the atmosphere, still resonates with us today.
Says my friend Raynald Aeschlimann, the CEO of Omega,
“The Silver Snoopy Award and this watch is a reminder that
human beings are capable of overcoming incredible difficulty,
and this story of mental and physical resilience resonates
this year more than ever.” What was so wonderful about the
watch he created was that, with the animation on the back
of it, where Snoopy in his command module begins flying
through space when you activate the chronograph — get this,
he appears visible for precisely 14 seconds — it was an act
of pure, unadulterated watchmaking joy. It reconnected us
with our childhood in a way, reminded us of our dreams when
we were young, and uplifted us and made us smile. I would
like to take this moment to applaud Raynald as well as Jean-
Pascal Perret and Gregory Kissling for this beautiful watch.
Similarly, Rolex created a wonderful act of horological
edification when it took one of its most coveted dials, the famous
“Stella” launched in the 1970s, and placed these multi-colored
gems inside one of its most accessibly priced references, the
Oyster Perpetual. Typical of Rolex, they didn’t boast about
the incredible value represented by this watch, which includes
a case in 904L Oystersteel, the newish 3230 movement with
their proprietary escapement and Chromalight indexes, all at a
hair over five thousand US dollars. But what was clear was that
Rolex wanted to create one of its most coveted watches at a price
that made it accessible to a great many people. Whether or not
those people will be able to acquire these “vibrant-colored”
Oyster Perpetuals offered in 41mm and 36mm case sizes will
be the main question. And I have to say I’m a little concerned
FOUNDER’S NOTE
when full sets of these watches are already making it to auctions
intended for vintage watches, because in some ways this helps to
legitimize the profiteering that has become endemic today.
On that subject, watch brands, in particular the most
successful brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars
Piguet, Richard Mille, Tudor and Omega, need to be careful.
Especially in the case of the first three brands where it seems
that many of their watches are constantly out of stock at official
retailers or their own boutiques, yet all of these references
can be found in abundance on secondary websites but at huge
premiums. The brands of course don’t benefit from these
premiums, except as an expression of their rock-solid brand
equity. It’s the dealer network that does. But at the same time,
the question has to be asked: How is it that these watches all end
up in the hands of dealers? The simple answer is that whoever it
is that decides how the watches are allocated either decides to
sell it directly to a dealer, or sell it to someone who will in turn
sell it to a dealer or resell it themselves. This is really not cool
and, as a result, several of these brands have created a great deal
of unhappiness and resentment from real customers that simply
want to walk into a shop and put their hard-earned money
down to buy the watch of their dreams. By not controlling this
aftermarket/secondary sales problem, the implied statement is,
“You’ll have to dig deeper into your pockets and pay an unfair
markup simply to get the same watch, and we don’t care.” Or
alternatively, the perception could be that brands only want
their watches to be purchased by “hedge fund assholes” who

CALIBER RM 037
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES
ASPEN BAL HARBOUR BEVERLY HILLS BOSTON BUENOS AIRES
CHICAGO LAS VEGAS MIAMI NEW YORK ST. BARTH VANCOUVER
www.richardmille.com

don’t care about the premium or consciously like it because it
shows that they can afford it. But now the watch has become
weaponized as an aggressive symbol of affluence, and all the
sincerity that went into conceptualizing something like the
vibrant-dial Oyster Perpetuals and pricing it so decently has
been subverted.
Is it fair to say that it is simply human nature to profit and
that retailers that are unable to charge a premium on that hotly
contested watch deserve to maximize their profit in other
ways, such as insisting you buy an assload of high-margin,
white-label jewelry in order to be allocated that 5711, 15202 or
Rainbow Daytona? The only people who can afford to do this
are dealers who will dump the jewelry somehow and then take
the Nautilus or Rainbow Daytona to be resold on the secondary
market. Well, to me, this is fucked up. And the fact that retailers
are allowed to get away with this with impunity needs to change.
We let people get away with that because as Jean-Claude Biver
explains, “We are still stuck in the 20th-century mindset that
greed is good, and that if you do not maximize profit, you are
a fool. But look where that has brought us. In 100 years, we
have destroyed the planet and brought about so much disparity
and suffering.” And so watch brands, I urge you to be at the
forefront of the shift to ethical capitalism. You have already
made your manufactures carbon-neutral; you already create
a wonderfully ethical object which takes only the power of
the human wearing it to run forever. Help put an end to this
needless profiteering because it is poisoning the enjoyment and
passion for collecting watches. And what about the dealers that
claim that they have a right to make as much money they can?
Well, I would reply, “No, you don’t. Not if you rob someone of
their dream of owning a watch, and not if you poison the soul of
watch collecting.”
At this point, I am sure I shall be accused of communism,
as I have already been declared an agent of communist China
by Trump supporters on Instagram. For the record, I am not.
And if you knew me, you would understand that my favorite
part of any trip to China is getting on a plane to leave China.
But since the subject of China is upon us, let me explain to you
that the reason watches are in such demand is not a policy of
intentionally undersupplying the market by brands, but because
there has been a strong and permanent global alignment of
taste. A few years ago, everyone outside of China wanted Patek,
Rolex and AP but in China they wanted, let’s just say, other
stuff. But as a result of the world’s interconnectivity and in
particular social media, everyone in China basically woke up
and realized they wanted Patek, Rolex and AP as well. The result
was a massive surge in demand — you are aware there are quite
a few people in China — which has placed these brands in a
position where they are genuinely struggling with supplying
enough watches. Understanding the Swiss, we can see they
are trying to increase production but slowly and methodically,
which means there will still be an imbalance between supply
and demand for some time and maybe forever. Patek is opening
a new manufacture this year. And from what I can understand,
Rolex has been steadily increasing production but slowly and
conservatively as fits their nature.
The last thing I want to discuss is all the hate and vitriol
I see on the comments section on various watch pages on
social media. Interestingly, while studying the phenomenon
the Germans call Schadenfreude or the delight we take at the
suffering of others, scientists decided to map what happens in
the human brain using an MRI machine. What they found was
when you delight when your football team wins, or when you
or your friends succeed, the part of the brain that is triggered
is the same part that deals with morality and ethics. But when
you take delight in your rival team losing, or your enemies or
rivals suffering, the part of the brain that is triggered is the
same part that releases dopamine and is most responsible for
self-pleasure and addiction. The point is “hating” is addictive
and about giving the “hater” self-pleasure through causing
hurt. Considering everything we have collectively been through
in 2020, why don’t we dial the “hating” back a bit? Let’s bring
some serious positivity to 2021. I think we all deserve it.
Peace out!
Wei Koh, Founder
wei_koh_revolution

Time
just
changed.
IT
IECE
IT’S A CONVERSATION PIECE
www.accutronwatch.com

EDITOR’S
NOTE
ow are you?
For me, it’s a question that’s becoming harder to
answer. These days, it’s less about how you are
doing, but how you are adapting; change is the name
of the game. Many of my friends are now working in entirely
different fields than they were in just months ago. Sometimes
it’s hard to believe.
One of the fundamental components of change is timing.
Circumstances that disrupted the watch world this past year
proved that. Yet optimism abounds. For this issue’s cover
story, I talked to Zenith CEO Julien Tornare for the first time
since LVMH held their Dubai Watch Week back in January.
Since then, the brand has flourished during these challenging
times, starting several global initiatives and launching a series
of incredible novelties. Inspirational brand ambassadors
(like producer/DJ Carl Cox!) speak to a new audience and
generation, and the positive messaging emanating from Zenith
is pointing them in an important new direction.
The Zenith Defy 21 Ultraviolet is one of those terrific
novelties. The purple timepiece beautifully illustrates the
most significant trend of 2020: color. From Breitling’s hit
Superocean “Rainbow” to the dazzling new Rolex Oyster
Perpetuals, the use of bold color on cases and dials has made
this a year unlike any other. While Revolution often dissects the
technical side of watchmaking, this issue explores color in its
myriad forms, especially its ability to alter moods and attitudes,
which feels more critical than ever. The bold timepieces on
these pages reflect evolving global tastes and fading dress
codes, pointing us toward sportier, increasingly casual watches.
Change, once again.
Watchmaking evolution continues with the Revolution
Awards; our global team nominated their favorite watches of
the year across 19 different categories, and selected winners.
Elsewhere in the issue, founder and editorial director Wei Koh
examines the history of Audemars Piguet’s Perpetual Calendars
and makes a case for reevaluating Porsche Design, Blancpain
president and CEO Marc A. Hayek recounts the Fifty Fathoms’
colorful year, and president and CEO of Omega Raynald
Aeschlimann talks Bond, NASA, and Snoopy.
For the past few months, I’ve been living about an hour away
from New York City in a small beach town on Long Island.
I’m still close enough to the city to attend photo shoots and
meetings, but worlds away from the stress of pandemic urban
living. I’ve been incredibly privileged to be in this situation,
and I am grateful. A recent visit back to the city allowed me to
meet up with a collector that I’ve been following on Instagram,
known online as @toiche, breaking up work-from-home
monotony with a couple of welcome and unexpected trips to
an unfamiliar area, Harlem. For a jaded New Yorker, I enjoyed
spending time in this legendary, ever-changing neighborhood.
This fascinating and mysterious Insta account belonging
to @toiche eventually became a collector profile in this issue.
For me, it provided a unique deep dive into Breguet’s military
watch history, a story I only knew about in broad strokes.
When we first planned to meet for coffee, I had no idea who
would turn up. His profile only reveals his watches, with
maybe an occasional wrist shot. The young, cool guy that
showed up for coffee to tell me about his Breguet collection
took me by surprise. The story I had planned transformed into
something else.
As I write this note, 2020 is far from over, and there is
a lot of change to come. While it’s not the easiest time with
social distancing practices still in place, working on this issue
confirmed this: remaining open to new people and experiences
is more important than ever. Adapting to change is necessary
and often challenging. But I’ll always keep an open mind.
Stephen Watson, Editor-in-Chief
stephen@revolutionmagazines.com

EDITORIAL
FOUNDER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Wei Koh @wei_koh_revolution
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Stephen Watson stephen@revolutionmagazines.com
GLOBAL CONTENT COORDINATOR
Stephanie Ip stephanie@revolutionmagazines.com
EDITOR, REVOLUTION ONLINE
Sumit Nag sumit@revolutionmagazines.com
HEAD, SPECIAL PROJECTS & MANAGING EDITOR, ONLINE
Kevin Cureau kevin@revolutionmagazines.com
SUB-EDITORS
Catherine Koh & Eileen Sim
LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Yong Wei Jian weijian@revolutionmagazines.com
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Punam Nikki Rai nikki@revolutionmagazines.com
INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
ASIA Wei Koh
AUSTRALIA Felix Scholz
CHINA Taitan Chen
HONG KONG Stephanie Ip
ITALY Maurizio Favot
MEXICO Israel Ortega
LATIN AMERICA Israel Ortega
RUSSIA DenisPeshkov
UAE JolaChudy
UK RossPovey
VISUAL
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Darius Lee darius@revolutionmagazines.com
PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE
Munster munster@revolutionmagazines.com
DIGITAL IMAGING ARTIST
KH Koh
PHOTOGRAPHER
Toh Si Jia
VIDEOGRAPHER
Don Torres
ON THE COVER
Zenith
Defy Classic Carbon
in 41mm openworked, carbon case and
bracelet (Ref. 10.9001.670/80.M9000)
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Adam Craniotes
CONTRIBUTORS
Adrian Hailwood
Amelia Hudson
Andrew Hildreth
Alan Seymour
Arabella Boardman
Arno Haslinger
Atom Moore
Auro Montanari
Barbara Palumbo
Christopher Garcia Valle
Felicity McCabe
George Bamford
George Cramer
India Gaul
James Dowling
Jason Singer
Jeff Stein
Josh Shapiro
Lucia Svecova
Michael Tay
Nick Foulkes
Nick Gould
Nick Scott
Rikesh Chauhan
Robert Hoffmann
Silas Walton
Simon Alexander
Tom Chng
Tom Craig
Tracey Llewellyn
MANAGEMENT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Walter Tommasino walter@revolutionmagazines.com
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Maria Lim maria@revolutionmagazines.com
SENIOR PUBLISHER
Nathalie Naintre nathalie@revolutionmagazines.com
E-COMMERCE MANAGER
James Tay james@revolutionmagazines.com
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC COORDINATOR
Christina Koh christina@revolutionmagazines.com
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER
Yvonne Koh yvonne@revolutionmagazines.com
FINANCE MANAGER
Francesco Lunardon francesco@therakemagazine.com
ACCOUNTANT
Sandy Tan finance@revolutionmagazines.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Low Sze Wei szewei@revolutionmagazines.com
REVHLUTION is published quarterly by
Revolution Media Pte Ltd.
All rights reserved. © 2019 by Revolution Media
Pte Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without
permission is prohibited.
Opinions expressed in REVHLUTION are solely
those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed
by the publisher and its editors.
Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor.
While every reasonable care will be undertaken by
the Editor, unsolicited materials will not be returned
unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope
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For other enquiries, contact:
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CONTRIBUTOR’S PAGE
Adam Craniotes
In addition to contributing
to Revolution, New
York City-based Adam
Craniotes is the founder
and president of RedBar
Group, the world’s
largest collective of
watch enthusiasts, with
chapters in over 60
cities across the globe.
He is a lifelong watch
collector and harbors
an almost irrational
love for G-Shock.
Atom Moore
An internationally
renowned New York Citybased
photographer, Atom
Moore fell into the watch
world by virtue of his love
for macro photography.
He has three acclaimed
photography exhibitions
under his belt. Atom
describes himself as a
cycling, digital technology
and beard enthusiasts. He
also really loves desserts.
Barbara Palumbo
A watch and jewellery
writer, Barbara Palumbo
is also the mastermind
behind the insightful
and humorous web
publications Adornmentality
and What’s On Her Wrist.
Barbara is also a speaker,
podcaster, and regularly
moderates panels within
the trade. She’s vocal
about watches, gems,
politics, all of which come
in large doses of truth
and none of the bullshit.
Christopher Garcia Valle
Christopher Garcia
Valle is a photographer
based in Brooklyn,
New York, whose work
focuses on portraiture
and documentary video.
Christopher’s works often
feature artists in their
intimate spaces like their
homes, studios or offices.
Their work has appeared
in some of the hippest
publications around,
including SURFACE,
PAPER, OUT and Vice.
George Bamford
George Bamford has always
been a passionate collector
of both cars and watches.
George founded the Bamford
Watch Department in 2004
and is the official customizer
of TAG Heuer, Zenith,
Girard Perregaux and Bulgari
timepieces. When not working
at the BWD HQ in Mayfair,
he can be found enjoying
his cars on the country
lanes of the Cotswolds.
Munster
A fashion and commercial
photographer based in
Singapore, Munster has 13
years of experience in the
industry and has worked
with brands and titles both
locally and internationally.
His love for creating
beautiful visuals began
while he was in film school
and he translates the same
richness in motion pictures
to his photography today.
Tom Chng
The founder of the
Singapore Watch Club
and one of Singapore’s
most prominent watch
collectors, Tom Chng has
developed a real eye for
watch photography and
continues to hone his
craft, working with some
of the most well-known
brands and galleries,
including The Pygmalion
in Singapore.
Tracey Llewellyn
A journalist for over two
decades, Tracey Llewellyn
worked at specialist
publication QP for five
years before leaving to
become the launch editor
of Revolution in the UK.
She is currently the watch
editor at The Telegraph, and
regularly contributes to
titles including Vanity Fair
and GQ.

CALIBER RM 72-01
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES
ASPEN BAL HARBOUR BEVERLY HILLS BOSTON BUENOS AIRES
CHICAGO LAS VEGAS MIAMI NEW YORK ST. BARTH VANCOUVER
www.richardmille.com

P R I M E
T I M E

THE HIT MAKER
GéraldGenta’sspiritandlegacyliveonatBvlgari.
Words Stephen Watson
Due to overwhelming demand, pop star Miley Cyrus
recently released a cover of Blondie’s 1979 signature
hit “Heart of Glass.” Miley’s version is compelling, a
retro disco-inspired rock anthem not only refreshed, but even
a bit radical. While no one will ever match Debbie Harry’s cool
fronting Blondie in its heyday, Miley’s version gives the new
wave band a run for their money. Taking on an untouchable
classic is inadvisable for most artists, but in this instance, the
results are clearly worth the risks.
Consider a comparable tale within the world of horlogerie:
it makes perfect sense that watch brand Gérald Genta, acquired
by Bvlgari in 2000, is remixing some of its greatest successes
for a new audience in 2020. Genta was responsible for some
of the watch industry’s greatest hits for over the last 50 years;
modern-day watch design’s lineage can be traced to him. No
modern designer is more influential in the space. For Bvlgari,
reviving the heyday of his career is a fascinating venture, as his
distinctly stylized watches never left the forefront of design.
In 2019, Bvlgari revealed the platinum Arena Bi-Retro 50th
Anniversary, based on an iconic design from 1969, reviving
Genta’s signature jumping hour mechanical movement.
The 50th Anniversary piece’s unconventional dial features
retrograde minutes and date with typical Genta flair, using his
iconic, rule-breaking sense of fun and playfulness, something
sorely lacking in many of today’s watch brands. Bvlgari implied
this 50th-anniversary edition was no one-off special. There
was more Gérald Genta to come.
Genta’s distinctive design codes return with Bvlgari’s
introduction of the 2020 Arena Bi-Retro Sport. This 43mm,
lightweight titanium, “chic-sport” Arena case borrows its
22 PRIME TIME

name and unusual rounded shape from Roman architecture,
reminiscent of amphitheaters or colosseums. The reimagined
Genta logo adorning the dial is as distinctive as the era that
inspired it, seventies glamor that’s filtered through nineties
cool. It’s a design mashup that looks fresher than ever.
Jumping hours and retrograde minutes, combined for the
first time in 1996, are well known Genta calling cards, replacing
traditional hour and minute hands. The hour window and
minute indexes running across the top of the dial allowed for
endless adaptation, including Genta’s beloved “Retro Fantasy”
collection of Disney character watches that disguised technical
prowess behind lighthearted sophistication. Hopefully this
collection will be next on Bvlgari’s list.
The Arena Bi-Retro Sport incorporates Bvlgari’s legendary
attention to detail, utilizing a bi-retro BVL 300 caliber with
automatic, bidirectional winding to power the jumping hours,
210-degree retrograde minutes, 180-degree date, and 42
hours of power reserve. Yellow numerals and hands provide a
sporty flash against the anthracite dial, with a sapphire-crystal
caseback allowing a glimpse of the mechanical movement. The
watch’s case is water-resistant to 100 meters. A matte black
alligator strap with titanium buckle offers an extra layer of
“chic” to an otherwise sporty wristwatch.
Further initiatives for Bvlgari’s Genta revival include
developing a dedicated Gérald Genta website and a renewed
focus on mentoring emerging talent, promising the future of
watch design will be supported and developed for decades to
come. Genta’s legacy is essential to watchmaking at Bvlgari;
his influence can be felt throughout the manufacture’s current
collections. With the relaunch of the namesake collection
within Bvlgari, the legacy of Gérald Genta is in good hands.
The greatest hits will undoubtedly keep on coming.
GÉRALD GENTA
ARENA BI-RETRO SPORT
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber BVL 300; jumping hours;
retrograde minutes; date; 42-hour power reserve
CASE 43mm; brushed titanium; water-resistant up to 100m
STRAP Matte black alligator with titanium ardillon buckle
PRICE USD 14,800
PRIME TIME 23

RICHARD MILLE RM 72-01
LIFESTYLE CHRONOGRAPH
Lo and behold Richard Mille’s first flyback chronograph that is designed,
crafted and assembled entirely in-house.
Words Wei Koh
L
overs of that magical elixir known as Burgundy regard
Henri Jayer as a winemaker whose vision was so seismic
that he radically changed our taste for modern wines.
Jayer was a legend, the man who saw the potential of a forgotten
rocky plot of brush land that was once a vineyard, and set
about reviving it by transforming the soil with 400 charges of
dynamite and forty-eight trucks of bedrock stones, as well as
decades of relentless loving care. This was the legendary Cros-
Parantoux in Vosne-Romanée, which today produces the finest
Pinot Noir wines in the world.
When asked which individual has most revolutionized
modern watchmaking, my response is unequivocal and
unhesitant: Richard Mille. Because encoded in the three
syllables of his name is a vision for creating watches
invoking design codes, technical innovation and materials
gleaned directly from the present and the future, which has
reshaped our taste for watches, in the way Jayer reshaped our
appreciation for wine.
The thing about Richard, and I call him by his Christian
name as I have the privilege of counting him as my friend, is that
his internal antenna receives the frequency of the future before
anyone else. He is not so much connected to the zeitgeist, but
the substance of the zeitgeist itself. So it has been interesting
to see him become increasingly focused in the creation of slim
watches that, while invoking all the scorchingly sexy Mille
codes, are much more wearable than his initial watches which
were entirely focused on radical technical innovation and shock
resistance. That’s not to say Mille watches are not comfortable.
“From the beginning the focus has always been wearability,
which was expressed through the ergonomics of my cases and
also my focus on extreme lightness,” says Richard. And that’s
also not to say that his sapphire split-seconds chronograph
tourbillons are not still the most in-demand ultracomplications
on the planet. But Mille has long recognized the
desire for slim, sleek and thin Richard Mille watches, as the
world re-embraces classical proportions.
If you dig into his brand’s history, you’ll see that Mille
was there before anyone else, offering up slim versions of his
watches such as the RM 016 time and date, the RM 003 round
two-hand watch and the RM 017 ultra-thin tourbillon, as far
back as a decade ago. But it was his tonneau-shaped RM 67 that
quickly became an icon upon its launch, especially in its RM
67-02 guise, which features bright and ultra-light Quartz TPT
and Carbon TPT cases, and skeletonized movements with an
architecture evolved from the RM 59-01 Yohan Blake. These
watches became the de rigueur timepieces amongst some of
the world’s most elite (and luckiest athletes), including tennis
protégé Alexander Zverev, World Rally Champion Sébastian
Ogier, and alpine ski racer Alexis Pinturault, sprinter Wayde
van Niekerk and high-jump athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim —
every one of whom had competed and won with this watch on
his wrist. Recently, the watch has been worn by World Cup
and Olympic Games biathlon champion Johannes Thingnes
Bø, who explained, “This watch is amazing. It is lightweight,
shock resistant, incredibly ergonomic and slim enough that it
never gets caught up in my rifle strap. For my sport, time is an
incredibly important element because we have time limits for
our shooting. With the Richard Mille RM 67-02 on my wrist, I
always feel more mentally prepared and focused.”
Richard Mille
PRIME TIME 25

Above Johannes
Thingness Bø.
Left @santa_laura’s
collection of Richard
Mille watches includes
theRM67-02inthree
flavours (©Revolution).
Top of next page
Benjamin Millepied
choreographed a dance
to showcase the fluidity
of the watch.
26 PRIME TIME

My friend and uber-collector who goes by the Instagram
handle @santa_laura, owns quite a few Richard Milles, but
has focused his collection around the different executions of
the RM 67-02. He explains, “Until you try on this watch, you
can’t understand how incredibly effortless it is to wear. You
absolutely forget it’s there until you look down and you see this
incredible design and performance masterpiece on your wrist.”
So it was that when the latest and now one of my favorite
Mille watches, the RM 72-01 Lifestyle Chronograph was
unveiled, I immediately recognized that this was the expression
of Richard’s focus on slim, elegant wearability expressed
through remarkable design acumen and technical achievement.
The first thing that I loved about the RM 72-01 was that it
was communicated through imagery and a video directed by
Benjamin Millepied showcasing the watch on both men’s and
women’s wrists. While I may not be the biggest fan of gender
fluidity in clothing, I believe the most successful watches in the
world have reached a status so iconic that they can no longer be
gender specific. For example, I have long adhered to the belief
that a gold Daytona looks better on a woman than a man. Think
of the short list of truly immortal watches: the Nautilus, the
Royal Oak, the Day-Date — all of these watches are worn with
equal aplomb by men and women alike.
While Richard’s outgoing, best-selling and massive waitlist-inducing
RM 11-03 might be slightly too big to be worn
by most women, the RM 72-01 occupied the perfect middle
ground from a dimensional perspective, measuring in at
The crown and chronograph pushers side of the The RM 72-01
Lifestyle Chronograph in rose gold.
38.40mm by 47.34mm. (As there are no lugs in a Mille watch,
the dimensions cannot be compared to a normal watchcase.)
And I can tell you as a man whose primary loves are old
American muscle cars, vintage motorcycles, automatic knives,
cigars, Negronis and the opposite sex, every single desire
impulse in my central nervous system was firing like spark
plugs in a 5.4-liter supercharged Ford V8 when I set eyes on
the watch. One of Richard’s great loves is, of course, race cars
and he has always believed that “the best car designs create a
dynamic tension between curvilinear female lines and straight
masculine lines”. And this perfectly expresses the beauty of the
RM 72-01: a watch that takes the Mille tonneau case and adds a
touch of smoothness and fluidity, which is abruptly contrasted
by the sharp vertical lines along the case side that lead the eye
to a massive oversized crown and incredible futuristic-looking
hexagonal chronograph pushers.
PRIME TIME 27

But it is these two buttons that refer to the true revelation in
Mille’s RM 72-01, that has me, a lover of technical movements,
truly blown away. I love chronographs for their ability to give
man mastery over time, but I also love their movements from
a technical perspective. And I have to say that the caliber
CRMC1, Richard’s first in-house chronograph movement, is
nothing less than a revelation.
This is how a chronograph normally functions. You know
that a watch works with a barrel containing a wound spring that
is basically the watch’s gas tank that, through reduction gearing,
ends up feeding power every fraction of a second through an
escapement to an oscillator. The wheel just before the escape
wheel is the fourth, or seconds, wheel. As its name implies, it
makes a full rotation once a minute, and therefore provides
the reading for the seconds. In traditional chronographs, this
wheel is connected to a coupling lever. Co-axial to the seconds
wheel, usually sitting on the lever, is — for lack of a better term
— a second seconds wheel. This wheel powers a wheel of the
same gear ratio, called the drive wheel. When the chronograph
is activated, the coupling lever shifts to bring the drive wheel
in contact with the centrally mounted chronograph seconds
wheel. On the dial side, the chronograph seconds hand starts to
rotate. With each revolution, the chronograph wheel activates a
mechanism which pulls the minute counter forward.
Doesn’t this all sound great so far?
“Well,” says Salvador Arbona, Richard Mille’s technical
director and the man overseeing the advancement of the
in-house movement program, “it is, except for the fact that a
chronograph is an extremely parasitical device. It consumes
a great deal of power and also accentuates the variable torque
in the mainspring as the power reserve starts to diminish. So
if you leave your chronograph on indefinitely, the amplitude
of the balance wheel, and thus the underlying timekeeping
function of the watch, will become compromised. There
have been solutions such as the vertical clutch that have been
implemented, but this is for larger-scale, more industrial
applications.” Indeed, it is often the practice during servicing
for vertical-clutch movements that the clutch section is
removed and replaced. Arbona continues, “So, we decided
to use another solution called the oscillating pinion, which
has three main advantages. The first is that it is a more direct
and simple system; energy is being fed from a geared pinion
directly from the seconds wheel to the chronograph wheel.
Second, because it is simpler, it takes up less space, so you are
able to make a smaller movement. And third, it does not affect
the timekeeping function. However, I say that with a caveat,
because our movement is the first chronograph in the world
with two oscillating pinions specifically for this reason.”
The caliber CRMC1 is the
first chronograph in the
world with two oscillating
pinions incorporated.
The columnwheel
system
in the caliber
CRMC1.
28 PRIME TIME

This is how the caliber CRMC1 works. The seconds wheel
drives an oscillating pinion that is slightly canted when in
its rest position. When it is activated, it shifts to engage the
chronograph wheel. “Yes,” says Arbona, “but another area in
which chronographs lose power is through the system where
the seconds wheel drives the minute counter.” To resolve this,
Arbona created a reduction gear coming directly from the
barrel driving a pinion that powers the chronograph minute
counter. He explains, “This way, the torque directly from
the barrel, where power is at its greatest, is being split three
ways: to the timekeeping function, which also powers the
chronograph seconds; to the chronograph minute counter; and,
using reduction gearing, directly to the hour counter. Because
the hour counter turns so slowly, it is not necessary to create an
oscillating pinion. But the end result is a system that is far less
parasitical and does not affect the underlying chronometric
performance of the movement.”
“There are two other benefits to using a double oscillating
pinion,” Says Richard Mille. “The first is that the movement
can be designed so that aesthetically it very beautiful, and all
the mechanism is laid bare for you to see how each element
engages with the other. A vertical-clutch movement hides
everything away.” Mille is being typically understated. I have
always thought, in terms of design, execution and finishing, the
Renaud & Papi-executed movement for Richard’s RM 004 to
be the most beautiful chronograph movement I’ve ever seen.
But the caliber CRMC1 rivals it and may even surpass it. When
I tell him this, Mille replies with a laugh, “You are too kind.
From the beginning I’ve always created watches where you can
understand how every part interacts with the other, because
for me, all of this — the gears, the wheels, the barrel, the rotor,
the column wheel — is what is beautiful about horology. The
other benefit to our system is that we were able to make an
automatic, integrated, column-wheel chronograph, with a
world’s first, and with incredible timekeeping stability, but at
the dimensions of 29mm by 6.4mm, which is quite a moderate
size for a chronograph.” Accordingly, the 4Hz watch measures
just 11.68mm in height, which, in comparison to the 16.15mm in
height of the RM 11-03, is considerably slimmer.
To me, the caliber CRMC1 is a statement about Richard
Mille’s vision for in-house movements that, in each instance,
will bring some new technical and aesthetic value to every
complication he creates. Richard never makes superfluous
things. Each time he creates a watch or a movement, or even
a strap, it is an evolution to a brand that is 20 years old next
year, but continues to be as innovative as the day it began. And
if the RM 72-01 and the caliber CRMC1 are a symbol of things
to come, you can rest assured that Mille will continue to be the
single most significant name in modern watchmaking for the
next two decades as well. Like Henri Jayer, from a perspective
of cultural impact on his chosen profession, Richard Mille
has ascended into the realm of the immortals. At the same
time, Mille is very much here and more relevant than ever,
thanks to his insistence on underlying substance, integrity and
authenticity in everything his brand creates, and the RM 72-01
is perfect proof of this.
PRIME TIME 29

POWER UNDER THE HOOD
TheOriscaliber400isanewengineforanewera.
Words Felix Scholz
Oris has a proud tradition of
movement development. Over
the course of the Hölsteinbased
brand’s 100-plus years of
operation, the company had developed
some 229 in-house calibers. But Oris
made its last caliber in 1982. From this
point, the brand switched to ETA (and
later Sellita Works) ébauches.
In 2014, Oris fired up the home forges
again, celebrating their 110th anniversary
with the appropriately named caliber 110.
An impressive tractor of a movement, the
110 was a hand-winder with 10 days of
power reserve coming off a single mighty
barrel. A statement, and a big one at that,
but — due to its scale — one with limited
application in Oris’ assortment.
The same cannot be said about the
brand-new caliber 400, which has been
designed by Oris from the ground up,
with components supplied from Oris’
network of suppliers. This movement
is an enhanced alternative to the 733 —
based upon the SW 200-1 — that powers
a significant percentage of Oris watches.
Oris, rather than opt for incremental
improvement such as boosting the power
reserve from 38 to 50 or 70 hours, has
pulled out all the stops. Caliber 400
offers a phenomenal five days (or 120
hours) of autonomy, thanks to twin
barrels with extended mainsprings. The
fun doesn’t stop there, though — Oris
has also deployed a range some 30 nonferrous
and anti-magnetic components in
the movement, including a silicon escape
wheel and anchor. These improvements
will lessen the impact of magnetic fields
that permeate our everyday life, resulting
in greater accuracy over time (Oris rate
this watch as running between −3/+5
30 PRIME TIME

The new Oris Aquis Date
equipped with the new
Caliber 400.

One of Oris’ most
robust movements to
date, with 120-hour
power reserve, antimagnetic
properties and
increased accuracy, plus
a ten-year warranty.

ORIS
AQUIS DATE CALIBER 400
MOVEMENT Oris self-winding caliber 400; hours, minutes and seconds; date;
120-hour power reserve
CASE 43.5mm; stainless steel with ceramic bezel insert; water-resistant to 300m
STRAP Black rubber or stainless-steel bracelet, with quick-change system
seconds). Another area that Oris’ techs
have marked down as a problem area in
the past is around the ball-bearing system
of the oscillating weight. To this end, the
caliber 400 uses a low friction slidebearing
system. These improvements
mean that Oris is comfortable offering
not only a 10-year warranty on watches
with the caliber 400, but also a 10-
year service interval. It’s a momentous
move for the value-oriented brand, one
which enhances its offering and sets
them up well for future developments.
So that’s the movement, but
what watch has Oris chosen to debut
this beast in? None other than their
perennially popular modern diver, the
Aquis. From the dial side, you could
be forgiven for thinking that this was a
“regular” Aquis, with strong lines and
a gorgeous gradient blue dial. Look
closer at that 43.5mm case, and you’ll
spot a few tell-tale signs that something
special is going on. The date display is
black and slightly larger than normal.
There’s also a discreet line of text saying
“5 days”, that really gives the game
away. Flip the watch over, though, and
you get the whole show — thanks to a
sapphire display back larger than any
an Aquis had ever seen before. Finished
in Oris’ usual industrial aesthetic, the
architecture is still pleasing, with the
balance and the barrels visible through
the openworked rotor. Once you’ve
finished taking the caliber 400 in, you
might also notice that the bracelet boasts
a brand-new quick-change system,
further adding to the functionality.
The Oris Aquis Date Caliber 400 has
a suggested price of CHF 3,200 on a
bracelet, compared with CHF 1,950
for a comparable model without the
new movement. Given the significance
of the specs bump, it’s safe to say that
Oris’ reputation for value is intact.
PRIME TIME 33

The new NOMOS Lambda
in steel with a 42mm
case and impressive
84 hour power reserve
indicator at 12 o’clock.
34 PRIME TIME

A TIMELY TRIBUTE
NOMOS Glashütte celebrates 175 years of German
watchmaking with a trio of new models.
Words Tracey Llewellyn
It would not be stretching the truth to say that when
NOMOS introduced the Lambda and Lux models in
2013, there was a degree of confusion and a number
of questions. The roots of the company, which launched
in 1990 with four models — all still available to buy
today — were, and remain to this day, solidly within
the dictates of the Deutscher Werkbund association
of craftsmen (established in 1907, and a forerunner
to the Bauhaus school), whereby traditional craft was
integrated into industrial production, bringing quality
design within the reach of every man.
While modest prices and a deliberately pared-back
aesthetic had been the company’s trademarks, with the
two new models, NOMOS entered new territory both
in terms of design and price point. The cases were in
gold — a first for the German maker — the movements
were in-house and the finishing was a notch or two
higher than the deliberately utilitarian look the market
wasusedto.
While the tonneau-shaped Lux made the biggest
statement with its large 40.5mm × 36mm, white-gold
case and mid-century color palette, it was the super
elegant 42mm Lambda models in white or rose gold that
were to become the true jewels in the NOMOS crown.
Powered by a hand-finished DUW 1001 manually
wound, twin-barrelled movement with swan-neck
regulator, the impressive 84 hours of power reserve was
shown at 12 o’clock via a 297-degree arced indicator,
intersected by a small seconds at six. The caliber
PRIME TIME 35

features finishing peculiar to German watchmaking,
from the solid gold chatons and blued steel screws to
the hand-bevelled, polished edges and the rhodiumplated
three-quarter plate decorated with sunray
striping. The balance cock is hand-engraved with the
legend “Mit Liebe in Glashütte gefertigt” (“made with
love in Glashütte”).
Unabashedly proud of its German roots, NOMOS
has always been keen to promote its manufacturing
base of Glashütte, one of the greatest watchmaking
heartlands outside of Switzerland. A small town in
eastern Saxony, this year Glashütte celebrates 175
years of timekeeping excellence, and many of its
horological inhabitants have marked the event with
the release of limited-edition watches.
NOMOS has already given us three new versions
of the minimalist Ludwig — all made in limited
editions of 175 (what else?) and priced between
USD2,260 and USD4,200. Judith Borowski,
NOMOS’ chief branding officer, says of the pieces:
“With its Roman numerals and elegant casing,
Ludwig is the most classical of all NOMOS models.
The limited edition celebrating 175 years of German
watchmaking takes classicism a step further — with an
enamel-white dial, blue-tempered leaf hands, and a
classical railroad track minute scale.”
And, as the anniversary year draws to a close, the company has now
unveiled the cherry on top of the birthday cake: three new versions of the
super-luxe Lambda. As Borowski says: “Since 1845, fine timepieces have
been crafted by hand in Saxony. As a proud local company, NOMOS
Glashütte is paying tribute to 175 years of the watchmaker’s art. And
what model could be better suited to make this homage than the haute
horlogerie timepiece Lambda, a work of watchmaking art?
“The Lambda model counts among the very best to ever come from
Glashütte. The dial is as delicate as a fine pencil drawing, while the
NOMOS caliber within features fine sunbeam polishing, gold chatons,
and a hand-engraved balance cock [bearing a] message hand-engraved by
a highly skilled watchmaker. Another example of the town’s rich heritage.”
“Unabashedly proud of its German roots, NOMOS
has always been keen to promote its manufacturing
base of Glashütte, one of the greatest watchmaking
heartlands outside of Switzerland. A small town in
eastern Saxony, this year Glashütte celebrates 175
years of timekeeping excellence”
The caliber features handbevelled,
polished edges and a
rhodium-plated three-quarter
plate decorated with sunray
striping. The balance cock is
hand-engraved with the legend
“Mit Liebe in Glashütte gefertigt”
(“made with love in Glashütte”).
36 PRIME TIME

This time, NOMOS has cleverly made the Lambda
more accessible in terms of price (USD7,500 as
opposed to the previous range of USD17,000 to
USD20,000), while still restricting availability
through limited production. Made for the first time in
stainless steel, rather than gold, the highly-polished
finish makes these watches suitable for everyday wear.
NOMOS
LAMBDA IN STEEL
MOVEMENT Manual-winding caliber DUW 1001;
hours and minutes; subsidiary seconds; 80-hour
power reserve
CASE 40.5mm; stainless steel; water-resistant to 30m
STRAP Black Horween shell cordovan
The glossy enamel dials — in white, blue or black — are gently curved and
this, plus the domed sapphire crystal, creates an optical illusion that gives
depth despite the compact silhouette.
At 40.5mm in diameter, the watch sits midway between its two
Lambda siblings — the original 42mm version and the smaller 39mm
introduced in 2015. It is by no means huge, but the dial feels spacious
and open thanks to the narrow and delicately engraved bezel. The minute
track and ultra-thin stick hands (in complementary colors) add to the
overall elegance but still allow for easy reading of the time at a glance. As
with previous iterations, the watches are powered by the DUW 1001 and
presented on a Horween shell cordovan strap – a type of horse leather
valued for its high quality, good looks and durability.
Tasked with honoring the past through contemporary craftsmanship,
Borowski says the Lambda was the perfect design choice. Describing the
reasoning behind the celebratory trio she says: “A new stainless-steel
case, a new size, new dials in enamel white, black and blue, and regulated
according to chronometer standards — in short, that’s what makes these
three new Lambdas so special. Each colorway is limited to 175 pieces, and
each individual watch is crafted using the traditional techniques of this
historic town.”
PRIME TIME 37

WILD HORSES
Ralph Lauren introduces the Polo Watch Collection based
on their visionary logo.
Words Stephen Watson
If you’ve ever seen or attended a polo match in Argentina, you
know about the sport’s brutal reality. The ultra-competitive
athletes, recognized as “hired assassins,” going full-tilt on
the pitch. It’s all surprisingly violent.
The rarefied universe of Ralph Lauren paints a different
picture. Chalk it up to decades of brilliant marketing,
advertising, and brand-building. Polo is evocative here, the
aspirational and compelling concept that gave Ralph Lauren a
winning company name in 1967. Soon after, the concept was
distilled down to a singular icon, woven into the body of a shirt:
man, mallet, and steed. Now, the symbol has taken its rightful
place on the dial of a new line of timepieces.
“My new Polo watch with the symbol of the Polo player
artfully rendered on the dial represents the timeless spirit of
authenticity that has always inspired me,” says Lauren.
Still, like Ralph Lauren’s endlessly adaptable fashion
collections, the straps are where the self-expression really
begins. Mix-and-match fabric straps (inspired by Ralph
Lauren’s shirtings) can be easily swapped out for leather straps
and steel bracelets. Perhaps the most desirable is a NATO strap
printed with the PoloSport logo, inspired by resurgent interest
in vintage Lauren wares from the 1990s, now fiercely sought
collector’s items for the hypebeast set.
That’s not to say the new Polo Watch is a mere fashion
item. Mr. Lauren’s personal love of mechanical watches shines
through by way of an automatic Swiss movement, Caliber
RL200, manufactured by Sellita. Elevating the watch further,
this movement is decorated with vertical Côtes de Genève
stripes and circular graining known as perlage, visible through
the sapphire crystal open caseback.
“A watch is like a piece of art with a quality and character that
goes beyond functionality. It is the most personal accessory,
and during times like these, a most reassuring piece of who we
are, of one’s personal style,” says Lauren. “It feels like a classic
because it has been part of our heritage for almost fifty years.”
MOVEMENT Sellita Automatic Swiss Made movement, Caliber
RL200, 26 jewels, Frequency 28’000 vibrations per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve of 38 hours, Vertical Côtes de Genève and pelage
(circular graining)
CASE 42 MM stainless steel polished case; black PVD stainless
steel with black eloxed aluminum bezel; green eloxed Aluminum
bezel, blue eloxed Aluminum bezel, or black eloxed Aluminum
bezel; white Super-LumiNova Arabic numbers; curved sapphire
crystal, internal colorless anti-reflective treatment; open
caseback with sapphire crystal; water resistance to 10 bar (100
meters); Crown: Stainless steel with Pony logo.
DIAL Green, blue, black lacquered with 3-D printed polo player;
White Super-LumiNova printed Arabic numbers; white printed
minute track; black with white Super-LumiNova sword-shaped
hour and minute hands; red seconds hand.
BRACELET Stainless steel three-link bracelet with
interchangeable pin bar/quick release; tie silk and tan leather
strap; tan calf leather strap; NATO strap with POLOSPORT
printing; and black sandblasted stainless steel three-link bracelet
fortheblackPVDstainlesssteelmodel
PRICE USD 1,650 to 2,150 depending on dial/strap combination
38 PRIME TIME

Reservoir × Revolution Hydrosphere Bronze ‘Maldives Edition’
The Reservoir Hydrosphere is the world’s only retrograde minute,
jumping hours dive watch. Now, Reservoir has created a unique bronze edition of their
Hydrosphere for The Rake & Revolution, dedicated to our first shop
situated on the Fari Islands, in the Maldives, due to open in April 2021.
The watch is priced at USD 4,400, measures 45mm in diameter
and will be produced in just 100 examples.
For enquiries, please email: shop@revolutionmagazines.com

S P L I T
S E C O N D S

Oris
Oris Hangang Limited
Edition, Ref. 01 743
7734 4187-Set’;
USD 2,600; oris.ch
Rado
Rado True Square
Automatic, Ref.
R27077312; USD 2,150;
rado.com
Montblanc
Montblanc Heritage
Automatic 40mm, Ref.
126464; USD 11,735;
montblanc.com
THE GREEN LIGHT
A most chaotic year produced a bloom of green-dialed gems.
Product planners will tell you even the slightest design tweak —
a minutely realigned index, reshaped seconds hand, or simple
dial variant — takes years upon years of careful planning.
How then, should we explain this year’s sudden explosion of
green? From Moser to Rado, Switzerland to Japan, the color green
has bloomed across the watchmaking industry. No longer content
to drift in the sea of staid, black-dialed sport watches, product
planners jointly acknowledged the need for something fresh.
Whatever the reason for this trend, the real surprise has been just
how many ways this color can be expressed. The Piaget Polo S’s sealike
dial feels more likely to hide a kelp forest than 25 jewels and a
swirl of circular Cotes de Genève. Blancpain adopted a more organic
tone for its Bathyscaphe chrono, while Audemars Piguet elected a
robust army green. Then, of course, there’s Rolex, who unfurled a
bouquet of colors along the Oyster Perpetual line, capped by this
green-dialed 41mm model that looks like it fell from a Skittles bag.
More than an antidote to normalcy, the green-dial trend feels
intentional. The color lends a sense of peace and contentment with
every glance down at these gem-like dials. What could be more
necessary in 2020?
Blancpain
Blancpain Bathyscaphe
Chronographe Flyback,
Ref. 5200 0153 B52A;
USD 17,200;
blancpain.com
42 SPLIT SECONDS

IWC
IWC Portugieser
Chronograph, Ref.
IW371615; USD 7,950;
iwc.com
H. Moser
H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Centre Seconds,
Ref.6200-1200; USD 21,900; h-moser.com
Piaget
Piaget Polo Watch,
Ref.G0A45005;
USD 11,900;
piaget.com
Rolex
Rolex Oyster Perpetual
41, Ref. 124300;
USD 5,900;
rolex.com
TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer Carrera,
Ref. CBN2A10.BA0643;
USD 5,750;
tagheuer.com
Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Offshore
Selfwinding
Chronograph,
Ref. 26405CE.
OO. A056CA.01;
USD 34,900;
audemarspiguet.com
SPLIT SECONDS 43

Bell & Ross
BRS Grey Diamond Eagle
Ref. BRS-ERU-ST-LGD/SCA
USD 6,300
bellross.com
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Constellations are one of the oldest inspirations
for humankind.
De Bethune
DB25 Starry Varius
Ref. DB25VTIS3
USD 69,900
debethune.ch
H.Moser & Cie
Endeavor Perpetual Moon
Concept Aventurine
Ref. 1801-1201
USD 34,900
h-moser.com
The night sky has enchanted humankind since the
very beginning, it was vast, enabling philosophers
and dreamers to imagine a world beyond the one
underneath their feet; it provided guidance, as early travellers
and navigators looked to the stars on their expeditions; it is
still mysterious today, as we continue to explore the universe
beyond our own planetary system and try to make sense of the
stars that dot our sky.
Our watches, which encapsulate so much of human history,
have also been very much part of our celestial journey. The first
and foremost that comes to mind is Van Cleef & Arpels, whose
Lady Arpels Planétarium depicts the nearest planets, Mercury,
Venus and Earth (and the Moon) orbiting on an aventurine dial
around a golden Sun. Hermès did a wonderful job in bringing
the phases of the moon alive with the Arceau L’heure de la
Lune, which uniquely offers up a simultaneous display of the
moon phases in both northern and southern hemispheres on a
beautiful meteorite dial. H. Moser & Cie beautifully highlighted
the moon phase on an aventurine dial in their Endeavour
Perpetual Moon Concept Aventurine. The watch comes sans
hour markers for one of the most minimalist celestial watch
we’ve seen.
Other constellation inspired watches include the Zenith
Defy Midnight, with a gorgeous gradient blue dial with
diamonds scattered to depict the starry sky. The Bell & Ross BR
S Grey Diamond Eagle similarly has a sprinkling of diamonds
to look like stars. And Omega, who recently dressed up the
Constellation in an aventurine dial with diamond markers to
razzle and dazzle.
And last but not least, the De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius,
which comes with a dial that can be customised to show your
preferred view of the night sky, be it your favourite constellation
or even the Milky Way. You may not be able to rewrite your
destiny, but you at least, get to choose which star to keep close
to heart.
44 SPLIT SECONDS

Zenith
Defy Midnight
ref. 16.9200.670/01.M10001
USD 10,700
zenith-watches.com
Omega
Constellation Co-Axial
Master Chronometer
ref. 131.15.29.20.53.001
USD 11,400
omegawatches.com
Van Cleef
Lady Arpels Planétarium
ref. VCARO8R500
USD 241,000
vancleefarpels.com
Hèrmes
Arceau L'heure de la Lune
Martian Meteorite Price
upon request
hermes.com
SPLIT PRIME SECONDS TIME 45 45

Givenchy + Tutima
Tutima Saxon One
Chronograph, Ref.
6420-07; Stainless-steel
casewithsteelbracelet;
USD 6,500;
tutima.com
Comme des Garçons +
Breitling
Breitling Superocean
Heritage '57, Ref.
A103702A1C1A1;
Stainless-steel case with
steel bracelet;
USD 5,025;
breitling.com
THE ART OF COLOR
A colorful year of watches unlike any other.
Words Stephen Watson
rench artist Paul Cézanne said it best, “We live in a rainbow of chaos.”
However difficult, chaos and disorder often propel us into new and positive
creative directions. Cézanne’s post-Impressionist paintings create order out
of dissimilar swirls of paint, the abstract brushstrokes melding into a distinctive,
singular image. Sensitive to how colors can make us feel, Cézanne’s work displays
such powerful emotion, it can alter a viewer’s mood and attitude. Creating beauty out
of chaos is a message the fashion world picked up early this year, illustrated by the
wild, color-packed fall-winter menswear collections shown this past January.
The watch world smartly followed suit, with a bloom of unusual dials and case
materials unlike anything seen in years. Rainbow watches have been growing in
popularity, with Breitling’s colorful and optimistic Superocean limited edition selling
out immediately (with the added benefit of a timely charity component). Dials in
red, turquoise, green, and orange have provided an immediate lift to the usual sea
of black-dialed sport watches. Even surprising colors like canary yellow and purple
made multiple cheerful appearances. It’s been a year unlike any other, a real standout
for color, and oh man, those feel-good Rolex Oyster Perpetuals. Let’s rejoice!
46 SPLIT SECONDS

Valentino + Bell & Ross
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Orange, Ref. BR0392-D-
O-ST/SRB; Stainless-steel case with orange synthetic
fabric strap; USD 3,900;
bellross.com
Berluti + IWC
IWC Portugieser Chronograph, Ref. IW371615;
Stainless-steel case with alligator strap; USD 7,950;
iwc.com
Fendi + Doxa
Doxa SUB 300T Divingstar, Ref. 840.10.361.10;
Stainless-steel case with steel bracelet; USD 1,890;
doxawatches.com
SPLIT SECONDS 47

Berluti + IWC
IWC Portugieser
Chronograph, Ref.
IW371615; Stainlesssteel
case with alligator
strap; USD 7,950;
iwc.com
“ What you wear is how you present yourself to the
world, especially today, when human contacts are
so quick. Fashion is instant language”
— Miuccia Prada —
Gucci + Rolex
Rolex Oyster Perpetual
41, Ref. 124300;
Oystersteel case with
Oystersteel bracelet;
USD 5,900;
rolex.com
Prada + Bvlgari
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo,
Ref. 103431; Stainlesssteel
case with steel
bracelet; USD 11,900;
bulgari.com
48 SPLIT SECONDS

Sacai + NOMOS Glashütte
NOMOS Tetra Plum, Ref. 499/488; Stainless-steel
case with gray suede strap; USD 2,780;
nomos-glashuette.com
Craig Green + TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer Carrera, Ref. CBN2011.BA0642;
Stainless-steel case with steel bracelet; USD 5,350;
tagheuer.com
Tom Ford + Zenith
Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Ultraviolet, Ref.
97.9001.9004/80.R922; Micro-blasted matte
titanium case with rubber strap; USD 13,100;
zenith-watches.com
SPLIT SECONDS 49

Overlooked–
The World’s First
Blacked Out Watch
The Porsche Chronograph 1 radically reimagined the
sports chronograph in the 1970s, and was designed by
none other than Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, who also
designed the iconic Porsche 911.
Words Wei Koh
N
ecessity, as they say, is the mother of invention — a
concept certainly not lost on a young Ferdinand
Alexander Porsche, otherwise known by the nickname
“Butzi”, when he found himself along with all other members
of the Porsche dynasty cast out of all executive roles in the
family company. This decree came from his father “Ferry”
Porsche, son of the company’s founder Ferdinand Porsche,
who had become so exasperated by the constant in-fighting
with his sister Louise Piëch’s side of the family that he decided
to unilaterally remove all of his father’s descendants from
management duties. Butzi, who had — amazingly enough —
designed the Porsche 911 which debuted at the 1963 motor
show and would go on to be the single most enduring and
iconic act of automotive design the world would ever know,
suddenly found himself unemployed. But ever the scrapper, he
immediately set up Porsche Design Studio (initially in Stuttgart
before he moved it to Austria) and set about creating products
that would redefine their respective industries.
Porsche’s Chronograph 1, as its first offering was called
when launched in 1972, was one of the most radical reimaginings
of the sports chronograph. Its dial was matte black
with white indices and subdials, and a red seconds hand — it
looked essentially like the speedometer and tachymeter in the
Porsche 911 dashboard. It had a flat crystal, a large tachymeter
50 SPLIT SECONDS

— of course — integrated into a flange surrounding the dial,
and was configured with a 30-minute counter at 12 o’clock,
a 12-hour counter (key for endurance racing) at six o’clock
and continuous seconds at nine o’clock. Day and date were
provided in a set of apertures at three o’clock. In the context of
sporting chronographs, it was a massive amount of information.
The ability to provide all this information as well as a 4Hz
vibrational speed, ultra-efficient winding and reliability, was
thanks to an all-new movement called the Valjoux 7750, which
was designed by a brilliant engineer named Edmond Capt. Capt
was tapped by Valjoux to rapidly create an integrated automatic
chronograph movement to respond to the release of the Zenith
El Primero and the Calibre 11 in 1969. Capt used the manualwinding
7773 movement as the starting point, and with the help
of a new technology called the computer, he was able to create a
movement that replaced the column wheel with an oblong cam
and was much easier and cheaper to industrialise. Even though
the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 was “launched” in 1972,
the first examples reached customers by 1973 and represent
some of the very first watches in the world to feature this radical
new movement. The Valjoux 7750 even had a quickset day and
date indicator, the first of its kind in a sports chronograph.
Now think about this in the context of the early ’70s. Seiko had
launched the Astron and initiated the Quartz Crisis three years
earlier, yet Butzi Porsche insisted on a mechanical chronograph
featuring this new and advanced movement, and a new surface
treatment that had never been used on watches before: physical
vapour deposition, better known as PVD.
While black watches are commonplace today, in the context
of 1972, a black watch was shocking. Butzi was known to
have experimented with different treatments, including auto
Left The Porsche
Design Chronograph
1 was the world’s first
blacked out watch.
painting techniques, but in the end, it was only PVD, which
vaporises metals and binds them to the surface of the watch
case, that worked well enough for him. Although the technique
reaches back to 1852, it was only perfected in 1968; and while it
is fragile in comparison to the DLC coating available today, at
the time it was incredibly groundbreaking. The fact that Butzi
Porsche chose this treatment for his watchcase some 20 years
before Panerai used PVD-treated cases in its Pre-Vendome
Luminor Marinas, speaks of how visionary he was.
Of course, Porsche was not a watchmaker. To collaborate
with him on his watch, he chose Orfina, a Swiss company
owned by an Italian racecar driver named Umberto Maglioli
who had finished his career with — you guessed it — Porsche
Racing. Very early models have the name “Orfina” above the
day-date windows while later models have the distinct and
attractive Orfina logo above these windows. Below the dateday
indicator are the words “Porsche Design”. To me, these
amazing Valjoux-powered Porsche Design Chronograph 1
watches have incredible historic significance. They were the
first serially produced black watches and had matching black
bracelets (a bead-blasted steel version was also offered). Their
dial design was radical in its straight-up utilitarian racing
instrument look, and they were one of the very first watches to
feature the legendary Valjoux 7750. Finally, they were designed
by the genius behind the Porsche 911.
But around 1975, something happened that compelled
Butzi Porsche to have to create a new version of this watch.
Now fully reeling from the decimation by the Quartz Crisis,
Valjoux ordered Edmond Capt to destroy everything related
to the Valjoux 7750. Instead, he would, like Charles Vermot at
Zenith with the El Primero, hide all of the tooling. This gives you
an idea of how dire the prevailing outlook was for mechanical
watchmaking, and yet, instead of switching to quartz engines,
the amazing Butzi Porsche would double down on mechanical
timekeeping. With the supply of Valjoux 7750 movements
coming to an abrupt end (the movement would only be revived
in 1984 by Théodore Schneider for the Breitling Chronomat)
he and Maglioli turned to another mythical maker of watch
movements named Lemania.
I have long professed my love for Lemania, in particular
because of its chronograph calibre 2310 that forged the
base of the famous Omega Calibre 321 that equipped every
Speedmaster that went to space. But my second favourite
movement created by this incredible manufacture is the ultraradical
calibre 5100. When launched in 1974, the Lemania
5100 looked like it had stepped out of an alternate universe.
It was created specifically to be the most reliable, shockresistant,
legible and cheapest movement you could find. As
such, there was not a simple bridge or plate that was milled — it
was all stamped. Further, it made extensive use of Delrin a
high-tech plastic. Delrin was used for the day and date wheels,
the switching cam and the chronograph clutch plate in this
incredible movement. Even its balance wheel was mounted on
a shock-absorbing Delrin plate, and all around the movement
was a Delrin buffer to isolate it from the impact of shock on the
watchcase. Finally, the movement used a vertical clutch, which
meant that the chronograph could be left on indefinitely with
SPLIT SECONDS 51

Early models of the 7750
powered models have the name
Orfina above the day-date
windows instead of the logo.
(Image: Christies Online)
Above and below
The Lemania 5100-powered
version is distinguished by the
12 o’clock subdial that shows
time in 24-hour format.
(Image: Watchpool24)
52 SPLIT SECONDS

Above The military
version comes
with a central
chronograph
minute hand in
black with an
orange-tipped
airplane pointer.
(Image: A
Collected Man)
Right On the
military versions,
the tachymeter is
typically replaced
with a 12-hour
scale to enhance
readability in
a cockpit. (Image:
A Collected Man)
no adverse effect on isochronism. The rotor is seated on a hard
iron bearing and held in place with a push fork. Like the Valjoux
7750, the Lemania 5100 runs at a decidedly modern 4Hz, and
the day and date are quickset. All this means that you could take
your Lemania 5100-equipped chronograph and use it to smash
open coconuts or clamshells in a desert island scenario, and
it wouldn’t lose an iota of accuracy. Indeed the Lemania 5100
is the movement that powers the Omega Speedmaster, which
Omega expert Chuck Maddox referred to as the “Holy Grail”
for the extraordinary performance package it represents.
But the dial side of the Lemania 5100 brought about a
subtle but important redesign in the Orfina Porsche Design
Chronograph 1. The movement is distinguished by a central
minute counter co-axially mounted on the cannon pinion with
the chrono seconds hand. The chrono seconds hand remains
red, but the minute counter is white, features a “lollipop”
and is read off the same indices as the minutes. As such, it is
a 60-minute chronograph counter. At 12 o’clock you have a
subdial that shows time in 24-hour format while the 12-hour
chrono counter and the continuous seconds are found at six
and nine o’clock respectively. The confusion is that this watch
(more specifically known as reference 7177 and 7178) is also
called the Porsche Design Chronograph 1.
Note that these watches were made in civilian as well as
military versions for various air forces, including the West German
Bundeswehr. In the case of military watches, the Orfina logo was
replaced with the word “Military”. Also these watches usually
came equipped with a Bund-style two-piece leather strap instead
of a bracelet. Further, as they were to be used in the cockpit,
oftentimes the tachymeter was replaced with a 12-hour scale for
enhanced time-reading legibility. Finally, all military Porsche
Design Chronograph 1 watches fall into the Lemania 5100 model
reference and not the Valjoux 7750. One important detail to look
out for is that the minute counter hand on the military version is
blacked out with a red/ orange plane-shaped pointer. Military
models usually have extensive engraving on the caseback.
The entire Orfina era of the Porsche Design Chronograph 1
lasted from 1972 to 1978. The switchover from the Valjoux 7750
seemed to have occurred around 1974–’75, which coincided
with the launch of the Lemania 5100. In 1978, Porsche Design
would start their collaboration with IWC, which resulted in
some equally famous watches, but the Orfina watch holds a
special place in my heart as the original timepiece created
by Butzi Porsche and that is interlinked with two of the most
important movements ever created.
On the silver screen, the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 was
worn by Dustin Hoffman in Kramer vs Kramer, Martin Shaw in
The Professionals but perhaps most significantly by Tom Cruise in
Top Gun. The fact that this watch was selected as the timepiece
of choice for Naval Aviator Lieutenant Pete “Maverick”
Mitchell was a perfect fit, considering that the Lemania-based
references were selected as official equipment by several air
forces around the world (although, he seemed to be wearing
a civilian version of the watch). What is exciting was that after
filming for the first Top Gun wrapped up, the original Maverick
Porsche Design watch sat in producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s safe
for 34 years before it found its way back to Tom Cruise’s wrist
for the new film, Top Gun: Maverick, to be launched this year.
However, it was another pilot — specifically a Formula 1
pilot — the legendary Mario Andretti, whose career was most
synonymous with the Orfina Porsche Design Chronograph 1.
Andretti wore his watch all throughout the 1978 season. The
story goes that after the Brazilian Grand Prix, Andretti went for
a stroll on Ipanema beach and promptly fell asleep. During his
nap, someone stole his beloved Porsche Design Chronograph
1. When news of this reached Butzi Porsche and Umberto
Maglioli, they promptly sent him a replacement watch which he
wore to five more first-place finishes that season and it was on
his wrist when he became the Formula 1 Champion at Monza.
Today, these amazing watches are almost half-a-century
old, and yet the story they tell about the incredible vision of
Butzi Porsche and an insistence on mechanical timekeeping
even during the darkest hours of the Quartz Crisis, resonates
stronger than ever. Amazingly, these watches can still be had for
relatively accessible prices. Both Valjoux and Lemania models
seem to hover around 3,000–4,000 USD, with a 25-percent
premium for military models.
SPLIT SECONDS 53

Trends may come and go, but tried and true classics
provide enduring staying power during uncertain
times. Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Rolex
WORLDOFTOMORROW
Thought leaders predict changing global tastes in a
COVID-19 world.
Words Stephen Watson
To predict where watchmaking trends might head in
coming months, one might compare notes with the
past. The recent global COVID-19 crisis isn’t entirely
unprecedented; history has a manner of repeating itself.
Looking back to previous disruptions provides clues about the
ways we might dress and adorn ourselves, reflecting the social,
financial, and political state of the world in which we live.
Then again, things might be different this time. Trade fairs
were canceled and quickly replaced with virtual presentations.
Our shopping, already done mostly online, migrated to
e-commerce permanently. It makes sense then, that many
watch retailers saw sales increase in large numbers from stayat-home
shoppers. Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed
two clear trends emerge.
The first is a return to classicism. Provenance, history,
heritage, longevity; these comfort us right now. For some, that
trend means investing in something bigger than ourselves,
perhaps a watch that will last generations. The watches with
proven staying power are safe bets as ever, tried and true, never
out of style. You might reach for a classic housing an inventive
new movement, or with a flash of fabulous color on the dial.
Or maybe an all-time great upgraded to a precious material, or
with an unexpected sprinkling of gemstones.
The second trend appears more daring and unusual: the
emergence of extraordinary one-of-a-kind dream watches
designed for the top-tier collector. Ultra-rare and often priced
in excess of six figures, these exceedingly scarce timepieces
are almost impossible to believe, utilizing the finest materials,
technology, and workmanship. Both eye-catching and bold,
these one-of-a-kind watches are not for the faint of heart
(or wallet).
Whatever the circumstance, our reasons for buying a watch
remain. It’s a celebration, a way of treating yourself, of taking
a moment, or commemorating a special occasion. A watch
is an object that takes time to produce — the materials, the
technology, the craft — instilled with passion and art. A watch
represents a human connection to a shared history, an object
imbued with a universe of meaning. Like the ever-changing
seasons, this moment in time is both an evolution and part of a
greater cycle. Where are we headed next?
Let’s ask the experts:
54 BUSINESS

FRANÇOIS-HENRY BENNAHMIAS,
CEO, AUDEMARS PIGUET
Clients, especially the younger generation, want more
transparency. They also want to purchase from brands that
share their values. So at the end of the day it is not a matter of
trends for us. It is about offering the client the opportunity
to discover what’s behind the brand so that they understand
who we are while we discover who they are as well. This will
enable us to take care of them in the right way, establishing
an authentic relationship and delivering the right emotions
and services. We’re in this for the long haul, which is a great
advantage compared to other industries. Only with time can
you build authentic meaningful relationships.
MAXIMILIAN BÜSSER, FOUNDER, MB&F
The past year’s challenges should spur an overwhelming
amount of creativity in our pretty conservative industry, but I
am not sure that will happen. This is the perfect time to take
more risks, to be bolder, to generate excitement. MB&F’s
incredible success over the last eight months (sell-out is up
+40% on last year to our great amazement!) is proof that
creativity, more than ever, gets timepiece buyers’ hearts racing.
But with certain major markets like China powering up the
business again for the larger groups, our industry will probably
go back to its old ways and play it safe.
I would love to think that going forward, personal fulfillment
will be more important than status, but human beings tend to
go back to their comfort zone — and the Maslow pyramid has
not changed. What has changed is our relationship to how we
buy. Zoom presentations and buying online are no longer only
for tech geeks. We have been amazed at the number of orders
we have taken online and how clients (both retailers and endconsumers)
interact so much more with us on digital platforms.
It has definitely become a new norm.
GEORGES KERN, CEO, BREITLING
While it would be difficult to anticipate the year’s effect on
consumer tastes and future trends in terms of product design
and materials, it is safe to say that attitudes and mindsets
will be strongly affected. People have been reassessing their
priorities in every aspect of their lives and this will certainly
influence sentiments and consumer behavior. There is clearly
an increased interest in sustainable products that offer real
meaning and brands representing values the customers can
identify with.
The world is becoming increasingly casual and less formal,
and customers are, more than ever, seeking purpose in their
consumption. Long before the pandemic, Breitling had been
focusing on inclusive luxury. We are seen as a cool, informal
alternative to our more conservative competitors, and our
commitment to sustainable luxury has been resonating with a
broad range of demographics.
BUSINESS 55

BRUNO BELAMICH, CREATIVE
DIRECTOR, BELL & ROSS
We do not feel this unpredictability will affect our design at Bell
& Ross for the simple reason that we have always gone to the
essentials when creating our timepieces. Back to essentials,
the very principle of our own design. We leave no room for
the superfluous. In this uncertain period, the question of the
meaning of our lives, of our professions, of what we buy, and
therefore in our case, watches, arises more than ever. We must
hold on to the beautiful object that lasts. The Bell & Ross watch
is a utilitarian object, with a timeless design.
EDOUARD MEYLAN, CEO, H. MOSER & CIE
I think this year’s challenges have made us pay more attention
to not only what we consume, but also how we consume.
Discerning clients are developing more responsible
purchasing habits, not necessarily in regard to pricing, but
rather focusing on emotion and intrinsic value. They look to
brands representing their priorities through corporate social
responsibility programs — whether sustainability or social
action — and through meaningful relationships with the
people behind the product. In my opinion, these consumer
needs are even more prevalent than design choices at the
moment. Since people are now more connected than ever,
this effect is amplified through social media and a common
human challenge.
Generally speaking, clients buy either safe designs that
they are used to or iconic designs that are like a piece of art.
Watches that are out of this world, made in small quantities, will
continue to rise in popularity. I do not believe it is a decision
based on price or understated design. It is about appreciating
genuinely unique qualities that make a brand or timepiece
special. Whether a never-before-seen take on an existing
category — as we did with our Streamliner and sports steel
watches — or a design disruptor challenging the traditional look
of a watch, it was a trend before the pandemic, and it seems that
recent months have only reinforced it.
MARC A. HAYEK, PRESIDENT & CEO,
BLANCPAIN, BREGUET, JAQUET DROZ
Obviously, the past few months have been an opportunity for
most of us to slow down a little bit, for better or for worse, and
to think. In that regard, this year has certainly changed the way
clients look at products and brands. I feel that the consumer’s
search for meaning will increase significantly and that
expectations will be higher. True experiences that go beyond
just the watch; authenticity, trust, and global responsibility are
all criteria that will predominate.
56 BUSINESS

CHRISTIAN SELMONI, HERITAGE & STYLE
DIRECTOR, VACHERON CONSTANTIN
Despite the situation, our teams at the manufacture and
worldwide are committed to delivering the right pieces at the
right place and moment. What we notice today is that clients
favor solid and reassuring values in a global context. When
speaking about trends that might come out of this, we think
that the ultimate exclusivity and luxury, represented by Les
Cabinotiers, is something appealing to clients. In addition,
sport-elegant timepieces with their strong and resilient
elements. As a matter of fact, the Overseas novelties launched
this year have encountered great success. We feel confident
about the novelties to be revealed in 2021 at
Watches & Wonders.
When money is no object, unparalleled quality,
innovative design, and scarcity signify the top level
of watchmaking for the ultimate collector. Audemars
Piguet, Richard Mille, Breguet
BUSINESS 57

A GREATER CAUSE
Environmental sustainability drives Marc A. Hayek,
president & CEO of Blancpain.
Interview by Stephen Watson
Environmentalism has remained a core brand value at
Blancpain for decades, bolstered by president and
CEO Marc A. Hayek, a diving enthusiast and ardent
supporter of ocean preservation. Hayek, grandson of Swatch
Group founder Nicholas G. Hayek, is also a board member
and president & CEO of three prestigious brands: Blancpain,
Breguet, and Jaquet Droz.
The Bathyscaphe range has become quite a comprehensive
assortment of dive watches, and I understand you are an avid
scuba diver. How has your knowledge of diving influenced the
Fifty Fathoms collection? Can you tell us about some favorite
dive sites?
I have always said that people must be able to dive with the
Fifty Fathoms, even nowadays. Although divers currently use
computers (to calculate depth and elapsed time), the Fifty
Fathoms remains a real diving watch that I personally want to
take with me when I dive. Thus, the watch has evolved over the
years. We have for instance improved the bezel’s resistance
and the overall readability of the watch, which are particularly
important underwater. My knowledge of diving has also
influenced the complications featured in the Fifty Fathoms
collection. It would not have been logical to extend the line
with all the existing complications, but having a moonphase,
for example, was useful and meaningful for me; there is indeed
a natural relationship between the moon and the tides. As for
the tourbillon, looking at it underwater is just stunning. For
the Bathyscaphe, which is an everyday watch you can dive with,
having additional functions such as calendar indications made
sense. Not only are these complications useful on a daily basis,
but they are also not “diver unfriendly.”
As for my favorite dive sites, the Maldives and French
Polynesia are definitely part of my top 10 destinations. Those
islands are paradise for divers.
Blancpain recently added stunning color to the collection,
particularly the green Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Mokarran,
a favorite of Revolution. What was the directive for the
piece, and can we expect to see more surprises like this in
Blancpain’s future?
As part of our annual publication Edition Fifty Fathoms, we
have been collaborating since 2008 with the world’s best
underwater photographers to share the wonders of our
oceans. Their pictures, showing the variety of environments
that can be explored with diving, inspired the green color of
the Bathyscaphe Mokarran Limited Edition timepiece and
the Flyback Chronograph we just released. This new hue is
enhanced by our peerless expertise and skill in dial-making.
The color reveals subtle shades according to the angle of
illumination on the dial, sometimes taking on metallic nuances.
Alongside blue, green is omnipresent underwater in places
such as mangroves, kelp forests, the Arctic with its Greenland
sharks, and of course in freshwater. As an underwater
photographer myself, I had the chance to witness these amazing
colors in astounding compositions.
The Fifty Fathoms collection, which is a pillar of Blancpain,
will of course be enriched with new models in the future. We
mentioned the green pieces, but we just launched a new Day-
Date watch with a special gradient-colored, sandy beige dial.
However, the evolution of the Fifty Fathoms will not only rely on
new colors. We have many developments in progress to extend
the collection with more technical pieces.
58 PROFILE

Environmental concerns and sustainability are also top of
mind in 2020. It’s an important initiative, especially for
younger generations. Blancpain has been heavily involved
with ocean conservation for some time. How will these
concerns influence Blancpain’s future?
I have to say that I am very impressed by the younger
generations for their consciousness regarding the environment.
Had we had the same implication in the past, things would
perhaps be different today. I have always said that one of my
deepest wishes was to leave a cleaner world for our children. As
long as I am here, I will continue to give back to the oceans, try
to educate people, try to help, try to motivate people to protect
our oceans and preserve their beauty.
The Ocean Commitment means a lot to Blancpain, not only
because I am a diver and passionate about the oceans, but also
because it is part of our history. What started with the Fifty
Fathoms in the 1950s was much more than just a watch. It was
the release of a diving instrument that contributed to opening
up the underwater world.
Blancpain’s Ocean Commitment is a charity close to your
heart. How did you become personally involved? Have you
witnessed marine ecological problems for yourself?
Personally, I do not really like the word “charity.” Through the
Blancpain Ocean Commitment, we do not just finance projects
that aim to protect the oceans. It is not just about spending
money. It is about implication, offering a platform. It is our duty
to raise awareness. We reach clients all around the world who
are opinion leaders. Together, we can make a bigger difference.
People often do not know that the oceans are fundamental to
human well-being on the entire planet. It doesn’t simply concern
coastal areas. The ocean is an indispensable part of Earth’s lifesupport
system, which sustains the species and the ecosystems
upon which we depend. It regulates our climate, drives weather
patterns, and reduces the impact of climate change by absorbing
25 percent of the carbon dioxide released by human activities.
As a scuba diver for more than 35 years, I witness of course
the ecological problems oceans and their ecosystems are
facing. I have gone regularly to the Maldives for the past 25
years. Two years ago, I did one dive which brought me to tears.
As far as you could swim and see, not one coral was still there.
Everything bleached, dead, destroyed. But there is still hope;
environmental efforts can definitely make a difference. In the
south of France, thanks to protection and awareness initiatives,
fish species are coming back. There were no more sea urchins,
cuttlefish, or grouper. Now they are coming back, and much
quicker than I would have thought.
When diving, which Blancpain do you reach for?
I wear a variety of watches from our Fifty Fathoms collection,
depending on the dive. Sometimes it is the “classic” Fifty. I love
the blue titanium version, which is very light and comfortable.
Sometimes, I use the X Fathoms. I’ve also done many dives with
the Tourbillon.
The last watch I wore is the prototype of a technical piece we
are currently working on, the same that equipped the wrist of
Laurent Ballesta and his team during the Gombessa V expedition.
Another Blancpain initiative is the art of living, “L’Art
de Vivre,” which celebrates the pursuit of excellence.
This concept relates closely to Blancpain’s Métiers d’Art
collection. Can you tell me about the directive of the artistry
within this collection and what clients tend to look for?
Actually, the art of living does not relate specifically to our
Métiers d’Art collection. It is a global concept that is dear to
Blancpain for many reasons. The links between Blancpain,
the art of living, and fine dining, spring from the conviction
that there is a close bond between these worlds and traditional
watchmaking. The quest for excellence, expertise, meticulous
craftsmanship, and true passion, are the kind of values we
share. These values are reflected in everything we do, from the
creation of our timepieces to the warm welcome and service we
offer in our boutiques.
Regarding the Métiers d’Art collection, I would say that two
main characteristics are evaluated before starting a new project:
technicity and beauty. We are trying to put forward techniques
that have rarely been seen in the world of watchmaking — as
is the case with damascening and shakud , for example — or
mastering processes in-house that are usually handled by
third-party manufacturers. The artistic approach required
for the new material or skill thus has to be interesting and
challenging, and the pieces crafted beautifully. By introducing
new Métiers d’Art techniques and skills, our aim is to show
clients that Blancpain’s creativity and expertise are limitless,
and this is what they are looking for. With our Métiers d’Art
pieces, we allow clients seeking to acquire a personalized model
to contribute to the design of their watch, while benefiting
from our ideas and savoir-faire, in harmony with our DNA and
watchmaking tradition. It is teamwork: true watchmaking and
artistic experience resulting in unique pieces of art.
This year has been tough on everyone, and evolution comes
slowly to the watch industry. The past few months have
brought about radical changes with the industry’s calendar,
trade shows, and travel plans. What are some things we can
look forward to in this post-Baselworld era?
I definitely think that the past few months have raised the
importance of humility in every sense of the word. Thinking
locally instead of globally. Valuing intimate gatherings. Creating
tailored local experiences. Simplifying our presentation
calendars. Engaging even more deeply with our partners.
Listening further to and communicating even more with our
clients, to whom our watches are dedicated. And of course,
reinforcing our digital offerings, as well as taking advantage
of today’s technology to strengthen our relationship with
our customers.
PROFILE 59

In Conversation with
Raynald Aeschlimann, CEO Omega Watches
Words Wei Koh
H
e’s one of the most dynamic leaders in the watch
industry and also one of the most genuine, sincere
and kind individuals I know. On 5th October of the
most challenging and imperiled year human history has ever
known, Aeschlimann and his team at Omega created an act
of horological magic. Ostensibly, it was a Speedmaster watch
meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Omega receiving the
Silver Snoopy Award. This honor is bestowed by NASA on just a
small percentage of their external suppliers for truly outstanding
service. Omega, of course, received this award for helping to
save the lives of the astronauts on Apollo 13. But the watch that
Omega created was something more than a celebration of their
history. It was, in some ways, the healing balm and uplifting
act that we all need, now more than ever. It was the watch that
brought smiles to the faces of collectors around the world.
Why? Because in an act of incredible imagination and creativity,
Omega has designed a watch with an animation of Snoopy flying
through space in his command module for exactly 14 seconds —
the time for the critical engine burn in Apollo 13 — that suddenly
made us forget everything else and revel in pure childlike
joy. You see, the Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th
anniversary is not just a watch, but also a message of hope and a
reminder of human resilience and courage against all odds. I had
the pleasure to catch up with Aeschlimann a few days after this
launch to discuss the watch and all things Omega with him.
Well, Raynald, you’ve done it. You just blew the minds of all
the Omega Speedmaster lovers out there with what has to be
the coolest and most uplifting Speedy of all time. Can you tell
me a bit about the creative process behind the “Silver Snoopy
Award” 50th Anniversary?
Thank you, Wei. It is kind of you to say that. I was very clear
from the start that to create this watch properly, we had to
be incredibly respectful. First, we had to be very respectful
to the Silver Snoopy Award because this is something that is
bestowed to very few of NASA’s external suppliers, and only in
the instance of achieving some true service to the astronauts
and to the space program. We received this award in 1970 for
the Speedmaster’s service to NASA and in particular for the
role we played in safely returning the astronauts onboard Apollo
13. As you know very well, after a major electronic failure, the
astronauts had to calculate the exact angle of reentry to Earth
that would not cause them to burn up because the angle was too
steep, nor bounce off the atmosphere because the angle was too
shallow. The Speedmaster was used to time a precise 14-second
engine burn to position the craft exactly. This is real history
and a reminder of human resilience — which is, perhaps, in
the context of 2020, more important than ever. You know, less
than one percent of NASA’s suppliers are ever awarded the
Silver Snoopy, so it means a lot. So, while the Snoopy watches
have become valuable collectibles and collectors love them,
first and foremost, I wanted the watch to be a real tribute to how
much we value the Silver Snoopy and treasure our relationship
with NASA’s astronauts and the Mercury and Apollo Space
Programs. We still have an incredibly strong relationship with
NASA, and so, we had to live up to the incredible history of our
partnership and make something they would look at and say,
“We love it.”
The sheer audacity and creativity of Snoopy flying in space
in his command module, for 14 seconds each revolution of
the chronograph seconds, is brilliant. How did you come up
with this?
The second thing I told my team — headed by Jean Pascal
[Perret] and Gregory [Swift], who are great guys — is we
have to do something more. We have to elevate the concept
The Omega
Speedmaster “Silver
Snoopy Award” 50th
Anniversary edition.
SPLIT SECONDS 61

On the caseback,
Snoopy in his
command service
module flies for
precisely 14 seconds
every revolution of the
chronograph seconds.
even further than what we already did for the 2015 45thanniversary
Silver Snoopy Award Speedmaster, which had
the beautiful hand-carved Silver Snoopy medallion against a
bed of aventurine on the caseback. If we don’t, then we aren’t
going to do it. I prefer to be criticized for maybe going too far,
than not doing enough. But I have to say, the team was aligned
in agreement with this, and so, we started to conceptualize
something far more ambitious than we had ever done. So what
Gregory and Jean Pascal did was, they went to NASA to have a
meeting with them and start to discuss ideas. And it was after
the conversation with them that we refined all the small details
that made the watch so meaningful. For example, Snoopy is
in his command service module, and he is flying precisely 14
seconds before he disappears from sight behind the moon. The
14 seconds is, of course, related to the 14-second engine burn
of Apollo 13, which inspired the words, “What can you do in 14
seconds?” on the dial of the 2015 Silver Snoopy watch. After
this Snoopy disappears behind a photorealistic moon, which
references the fact that Apollo 13 used the gravitational pull
of the moon and traveled around the dark side of the moon to
slingshot themselves back to Earth. My philosophy — and the
philosophy at Omega — is about creating all these small details
that together add up to a watch that is so perfect and expresses
all these things that we love about our history with the space
program, and even human history.
What is the most important thing you think about when
creating a new watch?
I always say, at Omega, we aren’t making products. We
are making watches that mean something. Watches whose
intrinsic values are as important as their external value and any
associated marketing. I think what gives us one big advantage
at Omega is that we are all watch people. We all love what we
do and we love watches. So when we made the effort to really
grow the story of the Speedmaster, to really connect people
emotionally to this icon, it came very naturally for us because
we genuinely love this watch. We are not trying to come up
with a clever marketing product that we want to convince
people to buy. We consider ourselves the guardians of a true
treasure. Of course, we want to modernize it and grow the
audience, but never at the expense of the core, essential values
of the Speedmaster and its incredible legacy, which no other
chronograph in history can compete with. It was the watch
chosen by NASA, the first watch on the moon, and the only
watch ever officially certified for the Space Program. It was the
watch that genuinely helped to save the lives of the astronauts
on Apollo 13. Look, for example, at the incredible rise of the
value of vintage Speedmasters in the last decade. These watches
went up in price not because of speculation, but because as
we and others told the story of how they were connected to
the most incredible adventure in human exploration, people
62 SPLIT SECONDS

understood their significance. People loved this and became
super passionate about this. And, I like to say that the reason
for the rise in the prices of these vintage watches and expansion
of this passion, is that the story of the Speedmaster is a real
story rooted in truth — whereas with some other brands, I think
the rise in their prices might have more to do speculation than
anything else.
Why is it that everyone who sees this new Speedy just smiles
so broadly with sheer childlike joy?
Well, we started to think about this incredible opportunity to
create a watch with a link to Snoopy. And we asked ourselves,
why is it that the very thought of Snoopy makes people smile?
We concluded that it’s related to our childhood, and his
appearance as an animation character. That gave us an idea.
Since I’d challenged the team to do something truly ambitious,
we arrived quickly at the idea of creating some animation on the
watch featuring Snoopy. We also looked at this watch from the
perspective of the two previous Snoopies — the second watch
[Silver Snoopy] was already was an advancement from the first
watch [Blue Snoopy], We wanted a collector who already owned
the previous two watches to look at the 50th-anniversary watch
and see a real, sincere evolution from one watch to the next. So
we said, “Let’s make something more. Let’s combine animation
with watchmaking.” The idea of Snoopy flying in the command
module on the caseback came from this.
I love that the Earth on the watch rotates once a minute as
well. Why did you decide on this?
When we created the background of space for Snoopy to
fly across, we immediately thought about depicting Planet
Earth. You always hear about astronauts having this almostreligious
experience when they see Earth for the first time from
space. And it really reminds them that we are all on one planet
together. This message couldn’t be more important than now.
Are you talking about what the astronauts call the “overview
effect” where, from space, national boundaries and conflicts
vanish and Earth is seen as a small, fragile ball of life, a “pale
blue dot”?
Yes, precisely. We loved this idea of a blue planet where you
can see that we are made primarily of water, and that we must
all do our part to conserve our resources and protect the future
of Earth. This was quite an emotional idea for many of us: the
way in which we conceptualized this Earth is as it is seen by
astronauts from space. To me, it reminds us of how the whole
world is connected, and the human connectivity that binds
us all together. We are all on one single planet, and maybe
this message is more important this year. With this pandemic
we are facing, we understand that the whole world is in this
fight together. To highlight that the Earth is a living planet,
we decided to connect it to the seconds wheel so that you can
see it revolving. Bear in mind that when you view Earth from
anywhere above it in space, such as looking at the North Pole,
it appears to be rotating counter-clockwise. Which is what you
have on our caseback.
We wanted a collector who already
owned the previous two watches to look
at the 50th-anniversary watch and see
a real, sincere evolution from one watch
to the next. So we said, “Let’s make
something more. Let’s combine
animation with watchmaking.”
OK, I have to ask: why is this not a limited-edition watch?
It’s funny. I read on the Omega forums that they were
complaining that the watch should be limited, and I was
thinking, “Thank you, guys. You were complaining five years
ago that we should stop with the limited edition, especially
because not enough people can get the watches.” Anyway, I
didn’t want to create such a watch that we knew people would
feel emotionally connected to, and then not make enough so
that most people who want one cannot have one. This will,
of course, be a gradual process. Every year we will make the
number of watches that we are capable of. I’m sure that there
will be a surplus of demand, but we will make more each year,
and eventually, the people who dream to own the watch can
make this a reality. I think this is very important, because
otherwise, with limited editions, sometimes people get upset
because they feel left out. We are Omega, we don’t like to
exclude people as some others do. We want those who dream
about it to be able to get it eventually. This will be a model we
will continue to make, but never in huge quantities and without
any time limitation. It will be a limited production every year.
We already know it will be a very popular watch, and so, we will
make precisely the quantities that we had planned, which will
not be a lot. This also allows us to closely monitor the sale of
each watch, so that we can do our best to ensure each Snoopy
ends up in the hands of a true collector and not a reseller.
How do you make sure the watches end up on the wrists of real
customers and not resellers?
That’s one of the biggest issues that I have. OK, to begin with,
I would say it is important that we create a watch that is the
right price. We could have taken advantage of the huge preowned
market price of the 2015 Silver Snoopy and made a
more expensive watch, but that is not the way we do things at
Omega. I can see that some opportunists are already trying to
SPLIT SECONDS 63

speculate on the 50th-anniversary Silver Snoopy and this is a
concern for me. We really want this watch to be on the wrists of
the right people. Our biggest asset in accomplishing this, is our
network of 160 boutiques in the world where real clients have
developed a relationship with the staff there and we know these
are genuine people. Some brands don’t believe in this direct
contact with their clients, but for us, we love this. We love to
hear their feedback and get to know them on a personal level. So
I would say that our own network is the best tool for “vetting”
clients, to ensure they are genuine in their appreciation of
the watch. We make a real effort to monitor that these special
watches end up on the right wrists. It’s funny, I sometimes feel
other brands even encourage the speculation on their watches
as a sign of their desirability — but that is not the Omega way.
Did you see some clown on a trading forum trying to sell a
watch that hasn’t been delivered yet, for 38,000 dollars?
I saw that. But this is a gray market dealer or a speculator
who’s trying to profiteer on the watch’s success. This is,
again, one of the reasons why I prefer not to make it a
limited edition — so that if you are a genuine collector and
have some patience, you will get the watch.
How do you think the events of 2020 have changed
the way we regard luxury watches?
I have to say, I don’t think the desire for luxury watches has
changed. I saw this very much with our online sales, which we
accelerated during the lockdown and which went totally crazy.
But the success of this was because we did the online platform
in the right way. It was already prepared when we launched it,
so we didn’t have to rush to integrate online sales at a time when
no one could leave their home. It was interesting to me that one
of the results of this year is that people are really engaged and
they read everything; they want to be informed, so if you are
able to create a narrative-rich environment, and if you have
watches that are truly connected to some of the most important
and uplifting acts in human history — which we have with the
Speedmaster and its story with the Space Program — people
will respond very enthusiastically.
There’s this famous quote from Warren Buffet:
“When the tide comes in, you see who’s swimming naked,”
This year, the tide came in, and we saw some brands
increasing market share in a big way, and others really
suffering. What made the difference?
I think that this year was already tough on brands that were
extremely authentic and really making watches that are
expressions of their true DNA. That means that for all the
guys who were making tactical moves or marketing-driven
strategies, this year was very difficult for them.
In times of crisis, do people retreat to known values and
entrenched models and brands?
I’ll put it this way: brands that don’t have a true history, who
are not the reference in at least one of the major categories, and
who don’t have truthful watches, will not be successful in these
difficult times. In difficult times, we go back to real values, we
Omega’s redesigned
caliber 321 and
the Speedmaster
Moonwatch Caliber
321 Steel “Ed
White”.
go back to friendships, to family, and to the relationships that
are the most authentic. So if you as a watch brand do not have
a relationship with the client that is also authentic in this way,
you will not only have a difficult time this year, but also in the
years ahead. Let me be clear that it is not only big brands that
are authentic; there are small ones that have done a great job
as well. To me, in our consumption, our shopping, we make
a statement on the values that are important to us. What was
interesting to see is that if you have this authenticity to the
brand, then you can definitely transit this to people digitally,
and they will respond and buy your watches.
The watches that feature the new caliber 321 occupy a higher
price category that the caliber 861 watches. I understand
that they even feature a double assembly process. Was it your
objective to make the caliber 321 watches Omega’s examples
of haute horlogerie?
I’m glad you brought this up. The caliber 321 is something
almost mythical for watch collectors, and in particular, for
Omega. It was created by Albert Piguet, who was the technical
director of Lemania, which was part of the same company
as Omega in the 1940s. The movement really enabled us to
become the leader in chronographs from the ’50s onwards. The
movement enabled the Speedmaster to be selected by NASA as
64 SPLIT SECONDS

The Seamaster
Planet Ocean
“Tokyo 2020”
Limited Edition.
There are countries like China that were relatively
unaffected this year and whose economies even grew,
how is the business there?
Well you can also feel, especially in places like China where
most things are open, that people are very, very motivated to get
over this. Like everyone else, they went through a difficult time,
and now, they want to express their desire to get past this, to
celebrate, to move forward. This time has made us more human
and more emotionally honest humans.
Aeschlimann with James Bond actor Daniel Craig;
the Seamaster Diver 300M 007 edition for the
upcoming No Time to Die movie.
the only watch to be officially certified for the Space Program.
The caliber 321 was in every watch that went to space, and was
the watch worn by the men who walked on the moon for the first
time in human history. The movement was in the Speedmaster
that helped save the astronauts in Apollo 13. So when it came
time to bring it back, we had to treat this movement with the
ultimate dignity respect and reverence. I wanted to treat this
movement as something that made us who we are. It was very
emotional for us to bring this movement back. I do not say it is
haute horlogerie, because there are other brands in our Group
that are the true stars of high watchmaking. The movement is
decorated, assembled and regulated by watchmakers dedicated
to the 321 in our manufacture. The movement is one of the very
few that actually undergoes a double assembly process where it
is put together then stripped down, finished, and put together
again. Then the watchmaker who built that movement is the
one also placing it inside the case and even signing the warranty
card. And when you look at the movement through the caseback
of the watch, I think you’ll feel all this. To me, this watch is an
emblem of our pioneering spirit. And it is an example of the
highest quality we can achieve, but made in an industrial way,
which was always Omega’s philosophy. So even though it is, in
absolute terms, a more expensive watch, I would say — as with
all Omegas — it offers a very honest value proposition.
You have a partnership with the two biggest events in 2020,
the Tokyo Olympics and the James Bond film. Both of these
have been shifted to 2021. Has this affected your business?
Don’t forget we launched the James Bond Seamaster Diver
300M “No Time to Die” in December 2019, and similarly we
launched the Tokyo Olympics one year before the Games were
meant to happen. And what we can see is that we are at maximum
production for these watches and they are all still on backorder.
So, it didn’t affect our business for these watches at all, and in
some ways, makes them relevant well into next year. The thing
is, we are not a mono-product or mono-message brand. Our
messages are universal, and I think the messages of next year
will be incredible. We are going to start with the America’s Cup.
Then we will have James Bond. Then we will have the Ryder
Cup and we will have some amazing new watches related to the
Speedmaster. We will have the new Moon watch coming out. So,
2021 will be an incredible year focusing on the biggest pillars of
our brand. I am looking forward to 2021, and even though it will
be crazy busy, I can’t wait. It will be a great year.
What is the mission of watchmaking in 2020?
The mission of watchmaking is to keep people optimistic, to put
a smile on people’s faces. We can all agree that 2020 has been a
little somber. We miss the big opportunities to celebrate and to see
each other, to be positive and to find this kind of emotion in our
hearts and our souls. The essence of the 50th-anniversary Silver
Snoopy Award is to bring a smile — and even life — to courageous
men who were the greatest explorers we’ve ever known.
SPLIT SECONDS 65

Presented by HODINKEE Insurance
HODINKEE INSURANCE
HODINKEE now offers a luxury watch insurance solution
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Words Revolution
Recently, our friends at HODINKEE announced the
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underwritten by Chubb. Now the question that has been asked
since the program was launched is this: What does a watch
media authority, who also happens to be a leading online
retailer, know about insurance?
HODINKEE knows watches. Founded in 2008, by
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In the wake of HODINKEE’s success, various other outlets
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there is more information about horology available online
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with due research, has the possibility to make equally robust
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Almost everything else in life that occupies the price
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instance — have countless options of insurance products. In
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investments and chances are the answer will be that they’ve
never given it a thought.
66 SPLIT SECONDS

For the people who have genuinely attempted to get insurance
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SPLIT SECONDS 67

F E A T U R E S

Defy Classic Carbon, the first all-carbon watch in
Zenith’s history.
70 COVER STORY

SIDE BY SIDE
While looking defiantly to the future, Zenith stays grounded
initsillustriouspast.
Words Stephen Watson
“The past should not be opposed to the current time we live in or
the future. Tradition should not go against innovation.”
In early September, Julien Tornare, CEO of Zenith Watches,
took to the stage for an unusual press conference in Le
Locle, Switzerland. There he laid out his vision for the
LVMH-owned maison. Those lucky VIPs still able to travel
looked on, wearing masks while seated in a socially distanced
configuration. The rest of us watched from home. It was notably
different from the extraordinary press conference held earlier
this year in Dubai, where attendees traveled from around
the world to celebrate the first LVMH Watch Week, setting a
powerful new precedent for the unified luxury group.
Our world has changed dramatically since LVMH Watch
Week, but for Zenith, their underlying message is still the same,
to produce their own movements and complications in-house
with groundbreaking innovation and outstanding reliability. No
matter the circumstances, the main objective is to fulfill these
ambitions. It’s what drove Georges Favre-Jacot, the founder
of Zenith, to success in 1865. It’s what inspires Zenith today. It
informs their ongoing global campaign, “Time to Reach Your
Star.” The initiative positions Zenith alongside those who reach
for their dreams, regardless of circumstance. In addition, a new
“DreamHers” campaign, announced by Tornare in September,
places a renewed focus on women. For in a year of shifting
politics, impossible setbacks, and financial difficulty, it’s a
mantra we can all stand behind. It’s a message of positivity—a
message of vision. Speaking with Revolution after the
presentation, Tornare exhibits both, sharing great insight on
how Zenith — and the rest of us — can move forward.
“I think we’ve learned a lot going through this tough time.
All of this has to push us to evolve as a company of the 21st
century. Because in the watch industry, you tend to have two
categories. You have watch brands that have a long history that
are scared and nervous about going forward and not repeating
the past,” Tornare says. “We have to preserve our purists, the
collectors, saying we should not do this, we should not do that.
Other brands can start with a blank piece of white paper and the
ability to innovate. They don’t offend anyone from history. I’ve
always believed, and I had a long discussion with Jean-Claude
Biver [the architect of LVMH’s watchmaking division] about
this. The past should not be opposed to the current time we live
in or the future. Tradition should not go against innovation.”
COVER STORY 71

Zenith CEO, Julien Tornare sharing his vision for
the brand at the Zenith Manufacture in Le Locle,
Switzerland.
INNOVATIVE BUT TIMELESS
Imagination lies at the core of Zenith’s strength. Always has. It
can be found in the creation of the groundbreaking El Primero
automatic chronograph movement in 1969. It continues with
the remarkable story of how that movement survived the Quartz
Crisis, its architecture stashed away carefully by Charles
Vermot, a senior engineer at Zenith who hid the El Primero’s
technical plans. Hoping that Zenith might return to mechanical
watchmaking after management decided to cease production
of the El Primero in 1975, Vermot defied his superiors with
his company-saving insight for the future. Vermot dared to
preserve the manufacturing process needed to build the famous
chronograph movement. His decision changed history.
“When I celebrated the El Primero last year, I met many
of the people who worked on the movement, people in their
eighties, and these gentlemen, they told me, ‘Julien, you should
not only repeat and give tribute to what we did in the ’60s. You
have to innovate because contemporary today will become
tradition tomorrow,’” Tornare says. “Innovation today might
become icon pieces in the future. I think it’s our responsibility.
I feel very comfortable playing between the past and the
future. I think this is a way to show the younger generation the
watchmaking industry is not static.”
Storytelling remains essential for watch companies, and
today there are faster, smarter, better ways to get their messages
out. In observation of social distancing measures, Zenith
has found new ways to bring clients, friends of the brand, the
media, and ambassadors together like never before. Digital
activations — like “live” features on social media, Instagram’s
“On Air” initiative, and e-commerce operations — continue
72 COVER STORY

to advance with speed. At the same time, Zenith focuses on its
boutiques and retailers, introducing limited number editions
and exclusive regional editions at a rapid clip.
“We’re a small production and Zenith is still very, very
intimate. Whatever Zenith you buy, you’re part of a small
club, and sometimes we need to create even smaller clubs,”
Tornare explains. “The Manufacture Edition, which evolved
from a dial that we found in the attic, makes people crazy right
now, just because it’s not readily available. That’s part of the
power of luxury, I think. We don’t do it on purpose. We limit
the channel of distribution through our manufacturing site and
e-commerce. It’s part of the magic, and it’s very important to
work smartly around this concept.”
Zenith’s archival references are thoughtful, expressing a
balance more in tune with today’s dress codes than recreating
museum artifacts. But for Zenith, a lineage of imaginative
design and mechanical mastery must be maintained, and in
a market often obsessed with vintage, it’s rare to find such a
bold approach to inventiveness. It’s easy to replicate the past,
but creating real concepts for the future requires courage. It’s
why Zenith’s “Defy” range is so aptly named. It’s why Zenith’s
entire collection feels so progressive.
“We would like to be seen as innovative but timeless.
A perception driven by our ‘Time To Reach Your Star’
philosophy that is reflected in the past, present, and future: be
it e-commerce, boutique design, watches, PR, ambassadors,
and most importantly, our employees. We will continue to
pursue this strategy, focusing on our four main pillars — namely
Chronomaster, Defy, Elite, and Pilot — and celebrating women
with the Defy Midnight in the ladies’ segment,” says Tornare.
“We have just revealed on social media and our website the new
global ‘DreamHers’ campaign in this regard.”
These days, vision emerges from Zenith’s Defy laboratory,
a testing ground for wild innovations and groundbreaking
technical achievements. Look to Defy, a collection built with
over a century of knowledge, but with a propensity for maximum
visual modernity. The Chronomaster provides timeless
interpretations of the legendary El Primero. It’s been a year of
bold materials, intense colors, and mechanical wonders based
on a legendary chronograph movement, with roots stretching
back more than 50 years. Introductions from 2020 continue to
propel Zenith forward, but remain invariably respectful of the
past. 2021 promises further discovery and innovation. Zenith
never lacks vision.
Ambassadors from the new DREAMHERS global
campaign represent accomplished women from
around the world for the launch of Zenith’s first
exclusive ladies collection, the DEFY Midnight.
From Top: Artist, Teresa J. Cuevas; Actor, Song
Jia; Dancer, Precious Adams; Gymnast and TV
personality, Airi Hatakeyama.
COVER STORY 73

DEFY MIDNIGHT
Introduced in Dubai, the Defy Midnight expresses all the
mystery, glamor, and natural beauty of the Middle Eastern
city where it debuted. “Plenty of women are interested in
mechanical movements, and we wanted to offer a contemporary
watch that would suit today’s modern tastes,” Tornare explains.
For now, ladies’ watches are the smallest percentage of the
Zenith business, but the potential appears as endless as the
starry sky depicted on the dial. With additional watches for
women planned for this year, and 2021, this category’s growth
potential is unprecedented.
REFERENCE
16.9200.670/01.MI001
MOVEMENT
Self-winding Elite caliber 670 SK; hours, minutes and
seconds; date; 50-hour power reserve
CASE
36mm; stainless steel with diamond-set bezel; waterresistant
to 100m
STRAP
Stainless-steel bracelet with an interchangeable strap
system
PRICE
USD 10,700
74 COVER STORY

DEFY CLASSIC CARBON
This futuristic skeleton, the Defy Classic Carbon, is the first
all-carbon watch in Zenith’s history. Incredibly lightweight,
at only 65 grams (!), the watch is 40 percent lighter than
the Zenith Defy Classic in titanium. The patterning of the
carbon occurs during its manufacture, those unique textures
picking up light with its dark crystalline iridescence. The
classic tonneau-shaped case is redefined in black carbon,
with a matching bracelet made of more than 50 components,
requiring incredible technical skill to assemble. Limited in
number by the complexity of production, the Defy Classic
Carbon resembles watches costing 10 times the price.
REFERENCE
10.9001.670/80.M9000
MOVEMENT
Self-winding skeletonized Elite caliber 670 SK;
hours, minutes and seconds; date; 50-hour power
reserve
CASE
41mm; carbon; water-resistant to 100m
STRAP
Carbon bracelet
PRICE
USD 19,500
COVER STORY 75

DEFY 21 BLACK & WHITE EDITION
The 1/100th of a second chronograph reinterpreted in the Black
& White Edition outlines the movement with an incredible
appeal. Similar to the Defy Classic edition, the Defy 21 allows
the contrasting ceramic bezel to create a striking framework for
the exposed El Primero 21 movement inside. Subdials stand out
sharply, the two colors playing off each other, highlighting the
styling’s futuristic spirit.
REFERENCE
49.9007.9004/11.R923
MOVEMENT
Self-winding El Primero caliber 9004; hours and
minutes; subsidiary seconds; 1/100th of a second
chronograph; 50-hour power reserve
CASE
44mm; black matte ceramic with white ceramic
bezel; water-resistant to 100m
STRAP
Black rubber with white “Cordura effect” rubber
PRICE
USD 13,600
76 COVER STORY

DEFY CLASSIC BLACK & WHITE EDITION
When the Defy Classic was introduced, it disrupted the status
quo, looking ahead rather than resurrecting the past. The Black
& White Edition pushes the bold aesthetic further, updating
the case and dial with a slick monochromatic sharpness. The
matte ceramic case with the white ceramic bezel complements
the open dial’s graphic lines, pushing an already contemporary
watch toward ultra-modernism.
REFERENCE
49.9005.670/11.R943
MOVEMENT
Self-winding Elite caliber 670 SK; hours, minutes
and seconds; date; 50-hour power reserve
CASE
41mm; black matte ceramic with white ceramic
bezel; water-resistant to 100m
STRAP
Black rubber with white “Cordura effect” rubber
PRICE
USD 8,200
COVER STORY 77

DEFY 21 ULTRAVIOLET
Unexpected color has become a hallmark of Zenith’s watches
recently, and the Defy 21 Ultraviolet uses this striking shade to
its best advantage. For Zenith, color is not merely an accent; it
becomes an essential element reflecting the design’s audacious
originality. “The colors violet and ultraviolet have the highest
frequency for the eye,” explains Tornare. “This is the fastest
frequency for a chronograph, with the highest frequency color,
it’s a perfect match. We created a prototype, and when we saw
it, everybody was like, ‘Yeah, this is a gorgeous watch.’ So we
launched it as an edition of Defy 21. Sometimes it’s not rocket
science. But we went looking for something special, and then we
realized that the ultraviolet color was a perfect fit.”
REFERENCE
97.9001.9004/80.R922
MOVEMENT
Self-winding El Primero caliber 9004 with
ultraviolet finishing; hours and minutes; subsidiary
seconds; 1/100th of a second chronograph; 50-
hour power reserve
CASE
44mm; micro-blasted titanium; water-resistant to
100m
STRAP
Black rubber with ultraviolet “Cordura effect”
rubber
PRICE
USD 13,100
78 COVER STORY

COVER STORY 79

CHRONOMASTER REVIVAL SHADOW
This blackened steel prototype, designed in the ’70s, was to be
revived and reimagined for the El Primero’s 50th anniversary.
Once only a rumor, the rare prototype finally became a reality.
At the time of its creation, an all-black dial and case would
have been incredibly groundbreaking, prophesying a style
that appears right at home 50 years later. Classic elements
were transposed, but much of the Shadow is new. Microblasted
titanium replaces black-coated steel, and the visible El
Primero movement takes the place of the original manual-wind
chronograph movement. Once again, a reinterpretation of
Zenith’s esteemed history that’s not stuck in the past.
REFERENCE
97.T384.4061/21.C822
MOVEMENT
Self-winding El Primero caliber 4061; hours and
minutes; subsidiary seconds; chronograph; 50-
hour power reserve
CASE
37mm; micro-blasted titanium; water-resistant to
50m
STRAP
Black “Cordura effect” rubber
PRICE
USD 8,200
80 COVER STORY

CHRONOMASTER REVIVAL LIBERTY
NORTH AMERICA EDITION
The definition of Liberty is “the state of being free within
society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on
one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.” Following the
Cover Girl and the Shadow’s recent success, Zenith heads in a
spirited new direction with a limited-edition Chronomaster,
designed exclusively for North America. Housed inside a
37mm stainless-steel case, the Chronomaster has proven to
be endlessly adaptable, taking on a red, white, and blue, as
its well-timed subject matter. The trio of colors holds great
importance; red signifies courage, determination, and fairness;
white for sincerity and integrity; blue denotes vigilance. Deeply
meaningful on many levels, the Revival Liberty represents
Zenith’s overall ideology, the freedom to reach for the stars,
and to achieve them.
REFERENCE
03.US384.400/57.C823
MOVEMENT
Self-winding El Primero caliber 400; hours and
minutes; subsidiary seconds; chronograph; date;
50-hour power reserve
CASE
37mm; stainless steel; water-resistant to 50m
STRAP
Blue “Cordura effect” rubber
PRICE
USD 8,700
COVER STORY 81

82 RADO

SETTING SAIL WITH
THECAPTAINCOOK
Rado’s dive watch heritage advances with new
materials and colours.
Words Adam Craniotes
For most, the name Rado conjures up visions of sleek,
indestructible ceramic watches and decidedly avantgarde
design language, which should come as no surprise,
given that Rado is best known for their pioneering work with
ceramics. From the original Integral, which made its debut in
1986, to the iconic Ceramica that followed, Rado’s reputation
has been built on its innovative use of materials. But even so, the
brand does have a storied, if somewhat brief, tradition beneath
the waves.
RADO 83

84 RADO

RADO 85

DIVE INTO THE PAST
The Captain Cook made its debut back in 1962, at a time when
the public was still newly fascinated with the undiscovered
world of the briny deep. With echoes of Jacques Cousteau’s
groundbreaking documentary Le Monde du Silence reverberating
culturally, the television show Sea Hunt airing in millions of
homes, and sport diving coming into its own, dive watches were
all the rage. In light of this, it should come as no surprise that
Rado wanted in on the action. However, as a relative latecomer to
the dive watch genre, which got its start in the early to mid-’50s
with the likes of Blancpain and Rolex, it had to work harder to
separate itself from the pack. And it did with a forward-looking
case and bezel design that was at once unique and immediately
recognisable, as well as practical in use and highly legible. Indeed,
to these eyes, the design serves as well today as it did back then,
without looking overtly retro for the sake of being retro.
A big part of what made the Captain Cook so unique was its
inward-sloping bezel, which, when coupled with its box acrylic
crystal, gave an impression of substance that belied its modest
35.5mm case size. And, of course, the looks were backed up
with real diving chops — the Captain Cook was rated to a
depth of 220m, which was a big deal in an era when 100m was
considered a feat unto itself.
To this day, vintage Captain Cooks remain rare in the
vintage marketplace by dint of their low production numbers
— approximately 8,000 were made in total — and the fact that
many were used exactly the way that Rado envisioned.
SMOOTH SAILING AHEAD
Alas, the Captain Cook was only produced for six years, and
in 1968 it sailed off into the sunset — until 2017 when Rado
reintroduced the collection with a remarkably faithful homage
to the original.
Clocking in at a mere 37mm in diameter, the new Captain
Cook was larger than the original, but otherwise, it was a deadringer.
(Indeed, at the time, Rado referred to it as a “vintage
replica”.) All of the key details were present and accounted
for, though in many cases, updated with today’s technology.
For instance, the delightful box acrylic crystal was replaced
with sapphire, while — perhaps most notably, given the brand
— the concave bezel was now rendered in ceramic. And for
those who wanted to make a more contemporary statement, the
Captain Cook HyperChrome — released simultaneously — was
rendered entirely in hardened titanium and measured a robust
45mm in diameter.
[It should be noted here that here at Revolution, we were
so impressed with the reincarnated Captain Cook that we
partnered with Rado not just once, but twice with our “Ghost
Captain” limited editions in 37mm and 42mm, respectively.]
Initially, these watches were considered outliers in Rado’s
portfolio, but it didn’t take long for their combination of
style, provenance, and relative affordability to catch on with
collectors. Traditionally a cult favourite due to its limited
production, the new Captain Cook introduced an entirely new
generation of dive watch aficionados to Rado’s underdog diver,
and their success in doing so led to the creation of an entire
collection. Today, that collection has something for pretty
much everyone.
The 37mm homage is still part of Rado’s catalogue, but the
go-to size is now a more modern 42mm, which can be had in
either stainless steel or bronze (the 45mm titanium version
has since been discontinued). And while the steel versions
may be the closest in spirit to the original, the bronze models
are the ones that have taken centre stage of late. Of course,
bronze is nothing new in the dive watch genre these days, what
with everyone and their grandmother having since jumped on
the bandwagon — but few, if any of the current crop of bronze
divers wear their duds as convincingly as the Captain Cook,
and certainly not at this price point. Interestingly, unlike most
manufactures, Rado chose a bronze/aluminium alloy similar to
the one used by Tudor, which mitigates some of the trademark
ageing that comes part and parcel with the material (patina
lovers, take note). Even better, the Captain Cook Bronze is
available in not one, but three dial colours — green, blue and
brown — with matching ceramic bezels and leather straps.
Should stainless steel be your material of choice, however,
you can choose from black, blue, green, grey or brown dials.
Regardless of case material, however, all 42mm Captain
Cook models adhere to the same vintage-inspired design, which
is reflected in such details as the red-printed date wheel, an
available period-correct beads-of-rice bracelet option, and the
whimsical pivoting anchor — a feature of all Rado automatics
— that sits proudly on the dial. What’s more, Rado has
implemented their EasyClip system here, which makes swapping
out metal bracelets, leather and NATO textile straps, sans tools
a breeze. Water resistance has been upgraded to 300m.
Under the hood, one could be excused for expecting to find
the legendary workhorse ETA calibre 2824, which has been the
movement of choice for countless tool watches owing to its sturdy
construction and ease of service. Instead, however, Rado has
seen fit to go with the capable RADO Caliber 763 (ETA calibre
C07.611). What separates this movement from the standard
fare that you would expect to find at this level is its impressive
80-hour power reserve, which ETA accomplished by reducing
the beat rate from 28,800vph to 21,600vph, among other things.
The hat trick here, however, is that in doing so, they still managed
to keep the accuracy consistent, even at lower power levels,
thanks to new manufacturing processes and materials.
SETTING A COURSE TOWARD THE FUTURE
After having been dormant for decades, it is a true testament
to the vision of the designers of the original Captain Cook that
it resonates as strongly as it does today. Unlike other brands,
which have strained and diluted their past catalogues to create
timepieces that are the barest echos of what came before, Rado
has remained utterly faithful to their roots, and in doing so,
has breathed new life into a piece from their past and created a
collection that will take them well into the future.
And, speaking of that future, a quick look into our crystal
ball hints at new dial/bezel colours, and possibly even a full
ceramic version… Only time will tell. For now, the course has
been set, and clear skies are ahead.
86 RADO

RADO 87

This is the New Gen
The brands proving that great watches don’t require deep pockets.
Words Felix Scholz
You don’t need to be an economist or a business expert to work out that 2020
has radically changed how people buy watches. People — especially people
from China — aren’t traveling, and that’s caused watch markets that rely
on the tourist dollar to dip dramatically. In many parts of the world, retail outlets
have been closed for extended periods, and even when they are open, people are
spending less than usual because of the pervading mood of financial instability. Not
to mention the fact that many brands have pared back their release schedules. This
year, Swiss watch exports are down around 30 percent from last year. The flip side
of this is that watch brands, and consumers, are adapting. More luxury brands than
ever before have started offering fully-fledged e-commerce, and the quality and
breadth of collector-focused offerings in more “entry-level” brands are better than
they have ever been.
Above
The original
reference 5774
Right
Longines
has done an
exceptional job
this year with
its heritage
releases made
to please a
niche group
of collectors.
88 FEATURE

Capitalizing on its
strong heritage,
the Longines
Spirit has serious
mainstream appeal.
Take, for example, Longines. The Saint Imierbased
brand has always recognized the importance of
enthusiasts, seen most clearly through their heritage
collections. And this year has been especially strong
for that collection, with Tuxedo dials, Sector dials,
a brace of classic chronographs, and the very cool
Heritage Military Marine Nationale joining the
family — all watches that look great on the wrist and
feel good on the wallet. But, as Mr. Walter von Känel
(who took a well-deserved retirement this year after
an astonishing 51 years as head of the brand) was
always quick to point out, Longines’ heritage releases
were made to please a relatively small group of buyers,
enthusiasts and watch journalists. The same cannot
be said for the Longines Spirit, a heritage-adjacent
watch with serious mainstream appeal. The Spirit has
aspirations to be a fully-fledged sports watch. And,
thanks to a pleasingly rich dial design, quality build,
solid movement and very competitive pricing (you’re
looking at around USD3,000 for the chronograph
and USD2,000–3,000 for the automatic), it
presents a compelling offer for someone looking for a
lot of watch for not too much money.
FEATURE 89

The Seiko 55th Anniversary dive watches,
the SLA039, the SLA037 and the SLA041.
Everything that makes watch collecting great exists at all price
points, and people are starting to realize this.
Seiko, as always, is another brand that excels at this point
— although, in the case of the Japanese giant, the recent trend
has been toward incremental price increases, along with an
accompanying boost in quality and finesse. Look at the 55th
anniversary releases. These are a series of very smart dive
watches that offer a modern reinterpretation of Seiko’s first
diver, the 62MAS, with 40.5mm cases, serious style, and
enough bells and whistles to give some Swiss alternatives a run
for their money — especially since these watches retail at just
north of USD1,000. Given this value proposition and Seiko’s
strong fan base, it should come as no surprise that Seiko is
having trouble keeping this watch family in stock.
An even more compelling argument in favour of lowerpriced
watches is the Timex Q. Originally released in 2019 as
a quartz-powered ersatz GMT, this sub-USD200 stunner
set watch fans on fire. The Timex Q was a watch that was fun,
quirky and cool in a way that watches with a few more zeros on
the price tag struggle to match. And that original model has
now spawned several other versions, including an automatic
model that still manages to come in at under USD300.
I’m not bringing up these watches as a way of saying
you should stop spending small-to-medium fortunes on
precious wrist candy — far from it. I’m merely suggesting
that everything that makes watch collecting great exists at all
price points, and people are starting to realize this. For some,
it took COVID-19 and a rapid readjustment of buying habits
to discover the joys of refreshing the tracking on a guiltfree
purchase winging its way to your door. Others, perhaps
newer to the field, aren’t quite at the point or don’t have the
desire to drop big bags on a stainless-steel sports watch. Or,
perhaps, they actually want to dive, drive and generally wear
their watches hard — something that watches like the Rolex
Submariner was traditionally made to do, but, thanks to rapid
appreciation in that space, people are looking for alternatives
that can handle the licking, without every scratch causing
noticeable depreciation.
90 FEATURE

FEATURE 91
It’s not only the big brands that are
creating some exceptional value-oriented
offerings; smaller boutique brands are also
creating watches that aim to offer something
lacking elsewhere on the market. Take Serica,
for example. The French-born watch brand
partnered with Matt Hranek, the wellmannered
and even better-dressed man
behind the WM Brown Project, to launch a
special edition of their W.W.W. The watch
itself is well executed, but, as Hranek explains,
it’s the rationale behind the collaboration
that really sings: “I love a military-styled
wristwatch, a manually winding, stainlesssteel,
very analog watch — I do own versions
of them, but now they’re too expensive to wear
and beat up, to go fishing and swimming and
all that. So we set out to build that idea — a
full, unadulterated mil-spec watch. For me,
the most important thing about this project
was that it had to be reasonably affordable.
Realistically we couldn’t make it for USD100,
but it had to be well under USD1,000, and still
be elegant and perfect and smart with a suit, or
terrific in a flystream.”

Another brand that offers something
a little outside of the well-priced box is
anOrdain. Not only does anOrdain hail
from Glasgow — a city not renowned
for its watchmaking industry — but
their stock in trade is timepieces with
grand-feu-enamel dials, priced between
£1,000–2,000. Not only that, but the
dials anOrdain makes in-house, with
its small team, are quite different from
the much pricier Swiss alternatives,
a decision founder Lewis Heath was
quick to explain: “It’s possible, thanks
to investment. The cost is in the labor
for enameling, so we spent years and a
considerable amount of money getting
that production ability in-house. To
make a watch, it may take, say, four
days of labour, paid at a good living
wage for Glasgow. If we bought that dial
from a supplier, we’d be paying their
Swiss wages, overheads, markups and
duties. The same goes for hands, design,
photography, assembly — everything
really. Making parts in-house gives you
more control, lower costs, and ultimately,
a better product. We also work directly
with those suppliers we do have, rather
than through a manufacturing agent,
which is unusual for small to medium
brands.” Keeping the price point
accessible has another benefit for
business, “There’s obviously the value
to the customer who couldn’t otherwise
experience that level of workmanship,
but from our perspective, having a
broader customer base helps to sustain
and develop those skills. If we were
making more expensive pieces, I’m not
sure we’d be as busy, and perhaps we
wouldn’t be taking on apprentices and
maintaining a team this size.” In addition
to keeping costs down, this in-house
approach leads to a distinctive aesthetic
that you can only get from not simply
using off-the-shelf parts. In fact, one of
the brand’s first hires was a typographer,
who helped build anOrdain’s strong
visual identity. This design-led approach
is one that has served the company well
and serves to illustrate a point that good
design is not only synonymous with a
higher price tag. And while you could
easily pigeonhole the brand as ‘entrylevel’
simply because of the price point,
Heath’s analysis of their customer
base paints a different picture. “It’s an
interesting demographic, I’d originally
expected we’d have customers who
buy at this price point — Seiko, micros
and the rest — but what we’ve found is
about 60 percent of our customers are
pretty heavyweight, with Patek, Lange, et
cetera. The other 40 percent are people
who really appreciate what goes into
making the watch.” And it also turns out
that for a brand with a largely directto-consumer
model (though it does
have some select retail partners like The
Armoury and MoMa), that COVID-19
hasn’t hurt business: “Surprisingly, the
COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t impacted
business too much. I wouldn’t bet on it
continuing like this, but sales have been
great. The challenge for us is making sure
the workshops are safe, and sourcing
from a supply chain, which has been
knocked pretty badly this year.”
92 FEATURE

Baltic is another e-commerce brand that has boomed in a
year that — for many — is a bust. The French brand, founded in
2017 has quickly built up a well-earned reputation as fan (and
critic) favorite, thanks to watches like their neo-vintage diver,
the Aquascaphe. In fact, two Baltics — made in collaboration
with US-based Worn & Wound — sold at the recent Revolution
and The Rake Odd Balls Auction in support of COVID-19
relief for significantly above retail. Etienne Malec, founder of
Baltic, attributes the brand’s online presence as significant in
its success. “The watch industry is very competitive, but not
an industry that embraced the e-commerce wave early, and is
only now getting seriously into the space. It’s also a space that
has changed dramatically in the last decade. We are making
the most of it by offering a complete range of cool watches,
for a decent price with flawless customer experience.” And,
clearly, something is working for Baltic, as Malic explains:
“Our business is e-commerce, which has thrived during the
lockdown. It’s fair to say that 2020 is our biggest year so far,
and it is a very important year in terms of development.” While
price points and online presence are important for Baltic, they
aren’t the only markers of success — after all, digital native
watch brands are a dime a dozen, and very few of them truly
excel. Instead, for Baltic, it is proportion and style that separate
them from the pack. “
“My 15 years of experience as a collector, looking at
thousands of watches on the Internet and handling a lot of
watches in real life, have helped to hone my eye on what makes a
good-looking watch. Rather than having the best specifications
(we do not offer very complicated movements or high
horology), we are focusing on the most simple, good design. We
are obsessed with getting the right proportions. We are doing a
lot of tests, a lot of prototyping process to get it right. We’re also
very concerned about getting the right amount of details in our
watch without doing too much.” It’s not easy to get these details
The Baltic
Aquascaphe SB01.
Below
The Baltic HM2
002 (left) and the
Bicompax 002 (right).
right, at any price, and the fact that Baltic is doing
so well while keeping costs down, is a testament to
the talent in the team.
There’s a hoary old chestnut that’s trotted
out by bored news editors and clickbait sites
every so often, that younger people don’t wear
watches. That’s patently not true, and if you don’t
believe me, ask Apple and Daniel Wellington. It’s
closer to the mark to say that traditional luxury
watchmakers have historically struggled to engage
younger customers and newer collectors. This is
an issue that’s equal parts attitudinal and the fact
that the barrier to entry is punishingly high for all
but the most well-heeled. It’s clear though that
the winds of change are blowing, with brands like
Longines, Seiko, anOrdain, Baltic and many more
offering diversity, quality, craft and experience,
alongside value for money.
FEATURE 93

As the festive season approaches, it’s time to unwind with
a glass of the good stuff, light a cigar and enjoy a game or
two. And of course, you want your wrist to look as good as
the backgammon board that you’re using.
PHOTOGRAPHY FELICITY MCCABE
CREATIVE DIRECTORS ARABELLA BOARDMAN & INDIA GAUL
PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT LUCIA SVECOVA
FASHION ASSISTANT AMELIA HUDSON
94 STILL LIFE

STILL LIFE 95
Rolex
GMT Master II
Oyster 40mm
Oystersteel and
Everose Gold

Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Automatic
Pickett
Roll Up Backgammon
£295
96 STILL LIFE

Patek Philippe
Men’s Annual Calendar Ref.
5205R-001 in rose gold. White
opaline dial with gold applied
hour markers
Linley
Tumbling Blocks Game
STILL LIFE 97

Hublot
Classic Fusion
Titanium Blue 42mm
Linley
Giant Match Holder
98 STILL LIFE

Jaeger-LeCoultre
Master Ultra Thin
Small Seconds
Pickett
Single Peruvian
Dice Game
STILL LIFE 99

100 STILL LIFE

Bell&Ross
BR 03-92 Diver Full Lum,
available at Bell&Ross
Burlington Arcade Boutique
Tudor
Black Bay Fifty-Eight
Stainless Steel Navy Blue 39m
Pickett
Dominos Set
STILL LIFE 101

In our last issue of every year, it has become tradition
for us to celebrate by sorting through the wide array
of watches launched over the course of the year
and bestowing awards among the best of the best. It’s
not an easy task to begin with, and in a year such as
this one, almost an impossible one. Despite the many
challenges we’ve faced, on a whole, so many maisons
have turned out gorgeous timepieces and made
significant breakthroughs; it was tough having to vote
any of them out. But we’ve done it again, contended
with ourselves over the virtues of each nominee,
argued vehemently for our favorites, and here it
is. Here are the watches we picked for the 2020
Revolution Awards.
2020
Revolution
Awards
Words Revolution Editorial Board
Photography Munster
Digital Editing KH Koh
Stylist Yong Wei Jian
102 REVO AWARDS 2020

REVOLUTIONARY WATCH OF THE YEAR
BVLGARI OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH SKELETON AUTOMATIC
This should actually be an award for most
revolutionary brand of the last decade.
Because in just six years, Bvlgari has
achieved six groundbreaking records,
including in 2014 the world’s thinnest
tourbillon, in 2016 the thinnest minute
repeater, in 2017 the thinnest automatic
watch, in 2018 the thinnest automatic
tourbillon, in 2019 the thinnest
automatic chronograph and now the
thinnest tourbillon chronograph. But
far beyond giving a whole new relevance
to the ultra-thin watch, Bvlgari offered
the first serious competition to the
entrenched kings of the sports chic
category, the Nautilus and the Royal
Oak, and did it with a head-turning,
thoroughly modern design all their
own. One key part of their aesthetic
strategy was to push the boundaries of
the dynamic tension between a larger
muscular case diameter contrasted
by an ultra-sleek profile, which was
exactly what Gérald Genta did when
he created the other two watches. But
if Genta invented flight, then Bvlgari
took it supersonic! By uniting in-house
case making, dial making (ain’t no
supplier gonna make you a 0.2mmthick
titanium dial), movement making
and bracelet making, they created the
coolest sports chic icon of the modern
age, the Octo Finissimo. This year’s
magnificent skeletonized monopusher
tourbillon chronograph automatic
gives a new relevance to the dusty term
“grand complication,” bringing an
urgent sexiness and an ultra-cool matte
titanium monochrome aesthetic. In
addition, the movement of this watch has
to be one of the most intelligently and
beautifully designed. Want proof? Check
out that skeletonized boomerang-shaped
bridge connecting the column wheel
to the oscillating pinion that feeds the
energy from the tourbillon cage directly
to the chronograph seconds wheel.
Amazing!!!
Wei Koh
REVO AWARDS 2020 103

MOST UPLIFTING WATCH OF 2020
OMEGA SPEEDMASTER
“SILVER SNOOPY AWARD”
50TH ANNIVERSARY
I have to say, amid the inclemency of 2020, the Swiss watch
industry has done a remarkable job of lifting our spirits. But
there is one watch, which launched on 6 October, that has
brought the hugest collective smile to the faces of collectors
around the world — and that is the Omega Speedmaster “Silver
Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary.
The Silver Snoopy Award is bestowed by NASA upon
external suppliers that have provided extraordinary service on
their missions. And there was no one more deserving of this
than Omega. Onboard the ill-fated Apollo 13, the Speedmaster
was used to time a crucial 14-second engine burn to ensure the
crippled craft adopted the precise flight path that would allow
them to neither burn up on re-entry, nor bounce off the Earth’s
atmosphere, but return safely to Earth.
Omega has big shoes to fill for this watch, as the two
previous “Snoopies” have already become the object of cult
collectibility. The 2003 Blue Snoopy is highly coveted, while
the 2015 Silver Snoopy, named as such for the presence of a
stunning silver Snoopy medallion on an aventurine sky on the
caseback, is considered a modern Grail and sells for almost
four times its original price.
However, to me, the 2020 50th Anniversary watch
ascends to the all-time-greatest throne of the specialedition
Speedmasters simply for the pure exhilaration and joy
that it expresses. The watch features the iconic 42mm steel
Speedmaster lyre-lugs case, but the dial is solid silver and laser
engraved with incredible detail, featuring a dancing Snoopy
in astronaut regalia against a bed of stars at nine o’clock. This
is the exact iconography of the Silver Snoopy pin awarded by
NASA. Now, this would already be quite a charming homage,
but turn the watch around and your jaw will simply drop.
Because, on the caseback, you’ll find Snoopy again — this
time, sitting inside his command and service module. He
is connected via what Omega calls a “magic hand”, to the
Master Chronometer-certified caliber 3861 featuring a Co-
Axial escapement and silicon hairspring. When you start the
chronograph, Snoopy and his spacecraft will start to fly against
the backdrop of space. The Earth, which is represented by a
photorealistic disc, is connected to the continuous seconds
hand and spins, completing a full revolution each minute.
I cannot think of a more joyful animation to celebrate the
partnership between Omega and NASA, and more importantly,
the courage and resilience that they both represent and that we
can take inspiration from this year.
Bravo, Omega! This watch is wonderful and well deserving
of the Revolution Award for Most Uplifting Watch of 2020, a
category that is perhaps the most important of all.
Wei Koh
104 REVO AWARDS 2020

REVO AWARDS 2020 105

BEST COLLABORATION
MB&F AND
H. MOSER & CIE
It takes, as the saying goes, two to tango. And rarely has a dance
been as beautiful, passionate and — dare we say it — sensual as
the fruits of the union between MB&F and H. Moser & Cie, two
of the Swiss industry’s most creative companies who brought
us the Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon and the LM101.
These two collaborative creations work so harmoniously
together that at first glance it isn’t immediately apparent
where the MB&F starts and the Moser ends. The dials of both
watches are Moser’s famous fumé, in a range of colors. The
LM101 is more classically MB&F, given that it’s based on
an existing Legacy Machine model, with the 40mm Legacy
Machine case and distinctive suspended balance wheel setup.
But the novel movement architecture shines even brighter
thanks to the vibrant backdrop provided by Moser’s dial. The
Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon is something else entirely,
a perfectly harmonious fusion of MB&F and Moser codes to
create something entirely new. The dramatic open tourbillon
and inclined sapphire dial is taken straight from the FlyingT
but placed against the backdrop of a Moser dial and housed
under that bubble-like crystal in Moser’s 42mm Endeavour
case. These watches work because both parties involved in
their creation carry equal weight. Not only are these watches
successful in their own right, but they serve as a reminder that,
as in all things, we can be better together.
Felix Scholz
106 REVO AWARDS 2020

REVO AWARDS 2020 107

BEST COMPLICATION
FERDINAND BERTHOUD CHRONOMÈTRE FB 2RE
Our Best Complicated Watch award for 2020 goes,
uncontested, to the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre
FB 2RE because of this simple fact: with the FB 2RE,
the maison has managed to create a timepiece that is
seemingly a simple, time-only watch, brought to life
by an exceedingly complicated movement with high
chronometric ambitions, ever so elegantly executed.
Turning the watch over is where the true genius is
revealed. First and foremost, we start with the expanse of
the hand-frosted remontoir bridge. The bridge keeps focus
on a fusée-and-chain mechanism as well as an escapement
assembly, hiding the remainder of the gear train.
But the escapement assembly, too, is no average
implementation. What you have is a one-second remontoir
d’égalité with its remontoir spring, the escapement wheel with a
triangular ruby cam — crafted by hand — and a three-arm stop
wheel co-axially mounted. The three-arm stop wheel is directly
what provides for the dead seconds display on the front of the watch.
Next to the escapement assembly is an anchor and locking
fork, which works in conjunction with the three-arm stop
wheel and ruby cam, respectively, to regulate the dissipation of
energy from the fusée-and-chain mainspring assembly to the
escapement wheel, which works with the escapement fork to
provide impulse to the balance spring.
The impressive movement is not just for the sake of the
wow factor. Ferdinand Berthoud’s chronometric pursuit
has resulted in the watch also being officially chronometercertified
by the COSC.
Sumit Nag
108 REVO AWARDS 2020

BEST SPORTS WATCH
RICHARD MILLE
RM 72-01
I love Richard Mille. When you think of the
testicular fortitude it takes to bid adieu to
his best-selling, waitlist-creating 11-03 in
its current form, when he could have made
that exact same watch for another decade,
you have to bow with respect to the man. But
at the same time, he demonstrated what the
future has in store for his eponymous brand
with the absolutely stunning RM 72-01
Lifestyle Chronograph. Which is a watch
with all the incredible technical value he’s
established over the past 19 years but that
is slim and elegant on the wrist, thanks to
his first in-house chronograph movement
that measures 29mm × 6.4mm. And
moreover, the CRMC1 integrated automatic
column-wheel-activated movement is a
masterpiece of intelligent design combined
with drop-dead gorgeous aesthetics. In a
normal chrono, the coupling system, as well
as the click that drives the minute counter,
is highly parasitical. Meaning leaving it on
will affect the amplitude of your balance
wheel big time. Mille got over this by using
two oscillating pinions, one driven by the
seconds wheel to drive the chronograph
seconds and one driven by a de-multiplying
wheel to drive the minute counter. The
barrel directly drives the hour counter. This
eliminates the parasitical effect. Meaning
you can leave it on with impunity. This,
combined with the RM 72-01’s ravishing
looks and enhanced wearability, has it easily
winning our sports watch category.
Wei Koh
REVO AWARDS 2020 109

ULTIMATE VALUE
ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL 36
‘VIBRANT DIALS’
Look at it from this perspective. 2020 has been a
year of unremitting bleakness, with the only bright
spots for me being, after several Negronis, bingewatching
Rage Against the Machine reaction videos.
So when Rolex decided to launch its new watches
on September 1st, I welcomed the distraction, only
to discover that they were absolutely fantastic. The
new 40.53mm Submariner (vs the 40.2mm “Maxi”
case) is the perfect evolution to the iconic family,
enhancing sleekness and wearability with an allnew
case profile complemented by a wider 21mm
bracelet. Then I set eyes on the Oyster Perpetual
“Vibrant Dials” collection and I felt instantly uplifted.
Because here were modern interpretations of Rolex’s
famous layered enamel “Stella” dials, characterized
by stunning uplifting colors but placed inside one of
Rolex’s most accessibly priced models. These were
Stellas for the people at a hair over five thousand US
dollars, democratized in price if not availability. It
would have been impossible for Rolex to know the
state of the world today when it started creating these
watches, but the end result is that Rolex has launched
the watches we love the most at a time when we need
them more than ever.
Wei Koh
110 REVO AWARDS 2020

BEST DRESS WATCH
CARTIER TANK ASYMÉTRIQUE
The Tank was dreamt up by Louis Cartier in 1917, inspired
and designed after the Renault FT-17 French tanks that were
used during the First World War. It was a radical design for
its time, but more importantly, it was a design that was so
perfect, it remained virtually unchanged for 100 years. Of
course, the Tank went through a number of incarnations that
gave us the Tank Française, the Tank Américaine, to name
a few. But the one that is deserving of the Best Dress Watch
this year is the Tank Asymétrique. First launched by Cartier in
1936, the parallelogram-shaped Asymétrique had a dial that
was shifted 30 degrees to the right so that the 12 o’clock mark
was at the top right corner of the watch — a unique design
statement then, as it is now. So why is this watch our pick for
Best Dressed? First of all, we can think of no other watch that
is more classical than the Tank. And the fact that Cartier has
relaunched the model this year as part of the Cartier Privé
collection speaks volumes about how significant this watch is.
The design of the Asymétrique is classical — you’d be hardpressed
to find a Cartier design that isn’t — but it holds just
the right balance of playfulness in its lines. It’s dressy, but not
somber; it means business, but knows how to play. The watch
comes in three versions, platinum, pink gold or yellow gold,
as well as skeletonized versions in platinum or pink gold. The
one we have picked is the platinum non-openworked version,
its monochromatic dial looking particularly contemporary
and striking against the gray alligator strap and ruby cabochon
adorning the crown.
Stephanie Ip
REVO AWARDS 2020 111

SPORTS CHIC
VACHERON CONSTANTIN OVERSEAS PERPETUAL
CALENDAR ULTRA-THIN SKELETON
Over the past decade, we’ve watched dress codes evolve from
suits to sweats, casual Fridays spilling over the weekend and
back into Monday, amplified now by a world working from
home. As such, the voracious appetite for stylish sports watches
remains, and it’s unquestionably here to stay. Ours is an
informal world where versatility is key. The industry reflects our
changing tastes, as waiting lists for luxury sports watches grow
by the day. It’s further proof that sports watches reflect our
current state, with Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas Perpetual
Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton being a standout example. Why
do we love it so?
It must be the eye-burning glamor of the Vacheron’s
18K pink-gold case, or the perpetual calendar’s vast
information expressed so clearly and beautifully. Maybe it’s
the performance of the self-winding caliber 1120 QPSQ, now
entirely openworked, revealing exceptional hand finishing
beneath the sapphire crystal. It might be that complex
movement’s dashing slimness, a mere 8.1mm thick. Or even
the Overseas’ interchangeable strap/bracelet system — the
distinctive Maltese cross bracelet, croc strap, or rubber strap
— providing surprising versatility for a watch of this stature.
These elements combine to form a luxurious, go-anywhere,
do-anything, sports watch. An incongruous combination of
sporty practicality with mechanical complexity might be the
ultimate expression of modernity, and that’s precisely why this
Vacheron Constantin might be one of the few “price-uponrequest”
sports watches to aspire to, a dream watch in every
sense of the word.
Stephen Watson
112 REVO AWARDS 2020

TECHNICAL BREAKTHROUGH
PIAGET ALTIPLANO ULTIMATE CONCEPT
The war for maximum thinness has
been an ongoing affair that with each
new milestone brings us closer to the
point where, supposedly, no one can go
any thinner. It’s like an extreme game
of limbo, only that bragging rights for
the winner are of epic proportions. And
today, it can be said that the escalation
has reached a close-to-insurmountable
limit, thanks to the Piaget Altiplano
Ultimate Concept.
Piaget has unveiled the “final” (for
now) execution in horologic thinness.
At just 2mm in height, this Piaget is
the slimmest mechanical watch ever.
It is only appropriate that it is Piaget
who achieves this feat, given that from
1957, the maison has built a name for its
slender movements, starting with the
historic 2mm-thick caliber 9P.
After several years of fine-tuning,
the fully developed and tested Altiplano
is ready. Enclosed in a cobalt alloy case
— that also works as the caseback and
mainplate — the 900P-UC movement
properly fuses the movement with
the case that houses it. A total of 167
components — some of which measure
an insane 0.12mm in thickness, with
the sapphire glass set at 0.2mm — make
the extreme thinness possible. A 4Hz
balance wheel has enough space to
dance and gives the watch a respectable
precision rate, along with 40 hours of
power reserve. The off-centered dial
plays along the gorgeous movement
architecture.
There will be other battles for
thinness in the world of complications
— over which Bvlgari rules supreme —
but for now, where slim watchmaking is
concerned, we can look up to Piaget as its
champion.
Israel Ortega
REVO AWARDS 2020 113

BEST LADIES’ WATCH
AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK CONCEPT
FROSTED GOLD FLYING TOURBILLON
Today’s feminine watch collectors are
not the same as they used to be; as the
industry has evolved, so have their tastes
and knowledge. It was easy for brands
before to simply release a diamondset
watch to target women without
having to worry about complications or
movements. Now, women collectors are
refined and educated when it comes to
horology, and they want something that
will shine on their wrists but that is also
complicated and showcases certain levels
of craftsmanship. The Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying
Tourbillon is the perfect example of that
ethos and the reason why we at Revolution
have decided to name this timepiece
the “Best Ladies’ Watch” of 2020.
The timepiece pursues the collection’s
interweaving of refined feminine
aesthetics and complicated micromechanics.
The case is for the first time
adorned with Frosted Gold, an ancient
Florentine jewelry technique revisited
by designer Carolina Bucci that delivers
a veil of shimmer produced by a surface
treatment where the gold material is
hammered with a diamond-tipped tool
to make tiny indentations which, as a
result, create this sparkle effect. The
second highlight is the multi-layered dial
composed of four juxtaposed circles of
increasing size and graded hues of blue
emanating from the flying tourbillon
cage at six o’clock. The graded nuances
and sunburst motif further accentuate
the dial’s depth and refinement. The
technicality of the movement resides in
the flying tourbillon, considered as one of
the greatest expressions of watchmaking
art. Paying attention to every single
detail, AP has paired the piece with a
rubber strap with constellation motif,
bringing the watch full circle back to
where it is supposed to be; a highly
technical but very feminine timepiece,
perfect for a discerning female collector.
Kevin Cureau
114 REVO AWARDS 2020

BEST JEWELRY WATCH
ROGER DUBUIS EXCALIBUR SUPERBIA
When we think about the brands that make crazy-sexy-cool
timepieces, Roger Dubuis definitely pops up on the top of the
list. This year, Roger Dubuis again brings another stunning
timepiece to the Excalibur line, a unique work of art named
Superbia that is covered in over 600 diamonds and blue
sapphires. The precious stonework makes its way throughout
the dial, highlighting the aspects of the skeleton display.
The focus of the watch is on the incredible complexity
required to choose, cut, and set the many geometrically shaped
precious stones. Not only that, the diamonds are mystery-set
on the dial and movement of the watch, in addition to the case
and strap.
In addition to the time required to making the underlying
Excalibur Double Tourbillon watch, an additional 900 hours
of work went into the gem-setting efforts required to give the
Excalibur Superbia its superbly elaborate looks, which are said
to be inspired by the design work of Kaz Shirane.
A final detail on the watch is a discreet memento mori
message written on the watch. Roughly translated into
“remember, you will die,” the traditional purpose of the
memento mori was to impress upon people the need to live their
lives to the fullest, or else regret missed opportunities. Moving
forward, Roger Dubuis claims that each of its piéce unique
“hyper-watches” will have memento mori also inscribed on its
movements. Extravagant? Yes. Excessive? Yes. The best jewelry
watch this year? Decidedly so.
Taitan Chen
REVO AWARDS 2020 115

BEST DESIGN
CHOPARD ALPINE EAGLE XL CHRONOGRAPH
Even before we get to the design of Chopard’s 2020 release and
extension of their Alpine Eagle range, inspired by the St. Moritz
integrated-bracelet sports-chic watch created by company
co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in 1980, there is plenty
to admire about the watch. It is the only watch in the luxury
watch industry made from Lucent Steel A223, which features
up to 70-percent recycled steel. Because it is twice forged, it
has a higher Vickers hardness than the ubiquitous 316L steel
used by almost everyone else. In the two-tone version of the
chronograph, the watch features elements in Fairmined gold,
the first guaranteed ethically sourced gold used in the luxury
watch industry and an expression of the Scheufeles’ insistence
on the underlying ethics of their brand. The watch uses a
movement derived from the single most impressive automatic
chronograph movement on the planet, the Chopard L.U.C 11CF
— the first chronograph with a zero-reset function for the small
seconds. While the Alpine Eagle doesn’t have this function, it
still boasts an astounding number of features, including a 4Hz
vibrational speed, a free-sprung balance, a column wheel, a
vertical clutch, a flyback function and, get this, the only precise
jumping minute counter in an automatic chronograph.
OK, now that its credibility is well established, let’s talk
about the design of the Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph, which
is not only devastatingly stunning and totally unique, but
also features the best visibility around. Every counter, hour
marker, and decoration found on the dial was the result of
the slavish devotion and attention to detail of Karl-Friedrich
Scheufele. He explains, “One of the reasons our chronograph
is so easy to read, is that when we designed the movement, we
placed the subdials higher — above the horizontal line of the
crown — to create more balance on the dial and to allow us to
make them much larger.” These two counters for hours and
minutes dominate the visual impact of the dial. Both of these
counters, and that for the small sub seconds, create a sense
of dynamic energy with the use of bold radial indices. In the
two chronograph counters, these are combined with “vintage
inspired” markers, which are reminiscent of the famous
square markers with tails synonymous with the legendary
“Paul Newman” Daytona. But the real stroke of genius here
is how these aggressively functional subdials are dynamically
contrasted by the diaphanous, swirling pattern that evokes an
eagle’s iris. More details abound: look at the way the applied
Roman indices curve sensually around the subdials, and notice
how the tachymeter found on the dial’s flange actually features
tiny hash marks — I’m offering a prize to anyone who can tell
me how many of these there are — to aid the precise reading
of average speed. The date aperture is immense and offers
incredible legibility, while the judicious use of red for just the tip
of the chronograph seconds hand, the hands in the hours-andminutes
counter, and selected markers on the tachymeter, adds
the perfect burst of color. The 44mm case does the perfect job of
framing all this visual brilliance with a design that is made more
aggressive with the chronograph pushers that seem to extend
from the crown guards like the flared neck of a bull.
Wei Koh
116 REVO AWARDS 2020

BEST CONCEPT
GRAND SEIKO T0
For years, we have been waxing poetic
prose about the magnificence of Grand
Seiko. Its level of watchmaking must
be seen and recognized as an equal to
the Swiss powerhouses from Geneva
and Bienne.
But just when we thought that
natured-based artistry and inspiration
were pretty much the main talking points
that accompanied Grand Seiko and its
respected Spring Drive technology, the
year 2020 has granted us a new reason to
be excited about Grand Seiko: the T0, a
constant-force tourbillon movement.
As a way to battle the uneven
performance and torque delivery from
the mainspring to the regulating organ,
Grand Seiko developed the T0, which
uses a twin-barrel system that feeds
energy to the constant-force device
known as a remontoir. The remontoir is
a subsidiary power source that helps the
balance wheel beat at a steady frequency
for longer periods by means of evenstrength
pulses. The T0’s remontoir
stores torque from a gear coaxially
arranged with the carriage; the energy
of its spring drives the tourbillon cage
and its balance wheel. According to
the brand, the T0 reduces the gravity’s
impact on the movement by one-tenth,
while a high accuracy rate was confirmed
for 50 hours out of the nominal 72-hour
power reserve.
Each T0 movement takes three
months to be finished and, of course, it is
fully embellished. So, let’s wait a bit for
the T0 to go mainstream and be ready for
a new watchmaking revolution from the
land of the rising sun.
Israel Ortega
REVO AWARDS 2020 117

MOST AWESOME WATCH
TUDOR BLACK BAY FIFTY-EIGHT ‘NAVY BLUE’
There is literally nothing not to love about the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue. Fans
of modern, well-sized, perfectly priced and pitched sports watches have been blown away
by the quality and price point of the latest addition to the Black Bay family. Lovers of vintage
Tudor have been equally delighted by the watch that is seemingly the perfect celebration and
amalgamation of Tudor’s early “Big Crown” dive watches and the blue watches from the ’70s,
with the house signature of “snowflake” hands. Size also matters and “BB58” is a watch that
is on-the-money in terms of the trend for gents watches to be smaller, and at 39mm, it’s the
perfect fit for both modern and vintage aficionados. Tudor has a right to be immensely proud of
its heritage, especially in terms of its dive watches that were issued to some of the world’s most
prominent navies. The Black Bay has taken that heritage and given Tudor the ability to reimagine
it in contemporary watches that, whilst acknowledging the past, are resolutely forward-looking
and offering watches that today’s consumers are devouring. And much like its elder sibling,
Tudor’s latest BB58 is near-impossible to acquire through authorized dealerships and is selling
at a significant premium. In a year that has been marred by a number of significant global events
and issues, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue has been a high point and a welcome distraction.
But above all else, the watch is just simply awesome!
Ross Povey
118 REVO AWARDS 2020

BEST QUARTZ WATCH
HAMILTON PSR
As the industry’s first mass-produced
digital watch, it’s hard to overstate just how
important the Pulsar P2 was to the world
of horology, and in the PSR, Hamilton
has penned a truly fitting love letter to
this groundbreaking timepiece. From its
delightfully retro case design to its novel
dual OLED/LCD display, the PSR is
nothing less than a master class in how to
pay homage to the past while keeping an eye
on the future. And what was the P2, if not
a wild swing towards the future? Indeed,
it was so forward-thinking that it wasn’t
even referred to as anything so pedestrian
as a wristwatch. Rather, it was a “time
computer,” which may sound quaint when
compared to the smartwatches of today, but
in 1972, when the P2 made its debut, the
ruby red flash of its trademark LED display
signified a better tomorrow filled with flying
cars and cities on the moon.
Okay, so we didn’t get our flying cars
or moon vacations, but for those who wish
to indulge themselves in the optimistic
sentiments of the past, the Hamilton PSR
is the ideal weapon of choice. A press of a
button still summons the same “digit dot”
display of the original — this time rendered
in thoroughly modern emissive OLEDs
— but thanks to its in-house-designed
quartz movement, the time is always
visible in daylight by means of a reflective
LCD display. Another press summons the
seconds display, and that’s that, same as
the P2. What’s also the same is the solid
stainless-steel case and solid-link bracelet,
which are dead ringers for the original,
though the mineralite crystal has been
replaced with sapphire, which helps account
for the 100 meters of water resistance.
The world may not have turned out quite
the way the past envisioned it, but with the
PSR, you can still wear a piece of that better
tomorrow on your wrist.
Adam Craniotes
REVO AWARDS 2020 119

MOST FUN WATCH
BAMFORD × CASIO
G-SHOCK GW-M5610
One thing that makes me happy about the last few years is the incredible creativity
coming from every brand under the sun in the sub-one-thousand-dollar category.
Brands like Baltic with its HMS and Bicompax, Undone with its Basecamp Cali and
Type XX, Bamford with its Mayfair and GMT, have all demonstrated that you can
have an absolutely amazing watch at a price that is incredibly affordable. This is super
important because I’ve heard all kinds of theories about how it’s vital to get iPhone
watches on kids so that they get used to wearing something on their wrists and will
eventually become watch fans. I have an alternative proposal, which is why don’t we
just get dope-ass watches that make them and us smile like crazy on their wrists to
begin with? These can be analog watches or digital watches. I don’t care as long as
they are awesome to look at. Well, it is precisely within this category of “Fun” watches
that the amazing Bamford × Casio G-Shock collaboration falls. Distinguished by its
signature Bamford black and baby blue livery and complemented by a blacked-out
display, the watch, which was massively oversubscribed upon its announcement, made
us smile in a year when there was perhaps not so much to smile about. And as such, the
“Fun Watch” is maybe the most important category of them all.
Wei Koh
120 REVO AWARDS 2020

PERSON OF THE YEAR
CYRILLE VIGNERON
Cartier is the perfect example of a brand that is making exactly
the watch that customers want. Now you might think that
this is a simple thing to achieve, but it’s not, and it is actually
remarkably rare. It is as if the creative team from Cartier is able
to reach into our collective subconsciousness and extract from
it exactly the timepieces we dream about when we sleep. Want
proof? When I asked Eric Ku — the Singer Porsche-driving,
Coche-Dury-drinking legendary watch collector, owner
of the Vintage Rolex Forum and one of the world’s greatest
vintage watch experts — which modern watches he buys most
consistently, the answer is, “Cartier, without fail, they just get it
right over and over again.” Case In point: the Tank Asymétrique
and the Tank Asymétrique skeleton version he purchased
this year. This year has been an amazing one for Cartier, with
the brand unveiling the drop-dead gorgeous and Revolution
Award-winning Tank Asymétrique, the perfect reinterpretation
of the Pasha and one of my favorites, the mechanical version
of the sleek and elegant Panthère. The reason for Cartier’s
impressive track record is its CEO Cyrille Vigneron who has
led Cartier to new levels of success during his five-year tenure
at the helm of the brand. It’s funny because people think of
the giants and entrenched players in the watch world as being
Rolex and Patek Philippe. But you could also add, occupying a
different genre of shaped elegant dress watches, Cartier.
Wei Koh
REVO AWARDS 2020 121

BRAND OF THE YEAR
ROLEX
There is something comforting and reassuring about
familiarity. Sure, it’s nice to sometimes try something new or
experience a pleasant surprise, but nothing beats the familiar.
And this is exactly why we love Rolex so, so much; it’s all
about evolution, not revolution, and this is the genius of the
brand. I often say that the Oyster case, and by extension,
the Submariner, is one of the most iconic designs of the
20th century, akin to the Fender Stratocaster and Porsche
911. This year, we saw again that Rolex’s perfectionist
streak is always at the forefront as they tweaked the aquatic
king of their sports watch line, the Submariner, with a new
movement, case profile and color variations to draw the Sub
ever closer to dive watch utopia. These weren’t sweeping
changes, but rather small edits…the little big things. But
then we got a treat and a pleasant surprise in the shape of the
Oyster Perpetual line with a range of new eye-catching hues
that bear more than a passing resemblance to the incredible
so-called Stella dials from Rolex’s vast back catalog. And
that’s why Rolex is our brand of the year — just when you feel
that everything is safe and familiar, just as we like it, they hit
you right between the eyes with a knock blow. Bravo!
Ross Povey
122 REVO AWARDS 2020

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BABIN
While this is an award for his remarkable achievement over
the 20 years of his career in the Swiss watch industry, Jean-
Christophe Babin would actually be deserving of this award
simply for all he’s done this year alone. Babin is at his core an
innovator, and he has already innovated in every conceivable
way. First he came up with the idea and oversaw the execution of
the LVMH Watch Week in Dubai in January, which turned out
to be not only the only major watch fair to take place in 2020 as
a result of the COVID pandemic, but also was a masterstroke of
positioning for LVMH and its individual brands. Ensconced in
the Bvlgari Hotel, speaking to the CEO Babin and the creative
director of Bvlgari (the brilliant Fabrizio Buonamassa), looking
at Bvlgari watches, the message was not lost. Bvlgari does not
simply make exceptional products; it has coalesced a seamless
lifestyle universe of unparalleled chic. Something that no other
brand in the world has achieved. Then, when the pandemic
broke out, Babin innovated on an ethical level, donating a stateof-the-art
3D microscope to Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital
in Rome to help study the virus at the cellular level, changing a
scent factory into a producer of much-needed sanitizer, and
amazingly enough, creating a virus eradication fund which
has helped to fund the Oxford vaccine (and others) and also
provided scholarships for medical researchers. If all that wasn’t
enough, he then went on to create two of the best watches of
2020. The first is the steel 5.25mm-thick Octo Finissimo with
screw-down crown and 100-meter water resistance, which
from all accounts, is sold out everywhere you look. The second
is the stunning grand complication Octo Finissimo Tourbillon
Chronograph Skeleton Automatic that is our Watch of the Year.
In six years, the Octo Finissimo line has become iconic, which
has everything to do with the man who created it, himself an
icon in our industry.
Wei Koh
REVO AWARDS 2020 123

Put on a Happy Face
In a year draped in darkness, the watch industry is providing some much-needed color.
Words
Photographer
Stylist
Color, as a noun, is first described in the Oxford English
Dictionary as, “the property possessed by an object of
producing different sensations on the eye as a result of
the way the object reflects or emits light.” Color goes far beyond
just nounhood, however. The term can also be used as a verb, as
an adjective, and — as it relates to the study of the mind — color is
considered a branch of the broader field of behavioral psychology.
Those who have worked in the marketing world or with
marketing agencies understand that color has a major impact
on the consumer. A 2006 study by the University of Winnipeg
in Canada stated that, “People make up their minds within 90
seconds of their initial interactions with either people or products.
About 62–90 percent of the assessment is based on colors alone.”
There has been no lack of research conducted to justify just
how positive colors — particularly brighter, more vivid colors —
make us feel, emotionally. Choosing a color for a logo or a product
does indeed require scientific research, which is likely the reason
both Whole Foods’ and Tropicana’s logos are green (the color of
health and growth) and why brands like Target, Virgin, and Lego
have chosen red for their logos (the color most representative of
boldness and youth). Color is as synonymous with our everyday
routines as is showering or getting dressed (well, at least in the
pre-pandemic era), and often without realizing it, we choose
colors that have the ability to strengthen our daily outlooks and
improve our moods — whether it be through the clothing we select,
the foods we eat, the wines we drink, or the watches we wear —
particularly in times of darkness.
Many would agree that 2020 has thus far been the year the
vast majority of the planet would like most to forget. But rolling
off the numerous natural disasters, political atrocities, saddening
statistics, and devastating losses is not what this article is about
— you’re well aware of that information already. Instead, we’ve
chosen to highlight just some of the brands (via seven of their
newest novelties) that have made the choice to spread a little cheer
this year through the introduction of bold and brightly colored
watch dials.
124 FEATURE

Rolex
Oyster Perpetual
36 with a yellow
dial and an Oyster
bracelet.
We find from experience that yellow excites
a warm nd agreeable impression.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
An “agreeable impression” is largely what Rolex received
when on September 1st, the brand introduced to the
world their 2020 collections, including the Oyster
Perpetual 36 in five intensely eye-catching new dial
colors: candy pink, turquoise blue, coral red, green
and yellow. Just as impressionable as the buzzworthy
lacquered dials, however, is the movement within each
of the new vibrant-dialed watches: Rolex’s new inhouse
caliber 3230, which is also the same movement
being used in the new versions of the 41mm Oyster
Perpetual, and the new 41mm no-date Submariner.
Fresh, brightly tinted dials and a new in-house
movement offering 70 hours of power reserve? Color us
five shades of happy.

Breitling
Superocean
Automatic 36 with
an orange dial and
orange rubber
strap.
IWC Schaffhausen
Portugieser
Chronograph in
stainless steel with
a burgundy dial.

“Orange is the happiest color.”
– Frank Sinatra
When asked about the brand’s latest colorful watch releases and new, vibrant dials, Breitling CEO Georges
Kern responded with enthusiasm: “This is a perfect time for colorful watches. They look great and are
definitely mood lifters!”
Since taking over the helm in 2017, Kern has made it clear that Breitling’s outlook for the future is one
of positivity and equality, with offerings such as the very wearable Superocean Automatic 36 designed with
women watch enthusiasts in mind. And by introducing dial colors — and in some cases, strap colors — in
hues such as blue, white, and bright orange (a color said to promote feelings of vitality, compassion and
creativity), the brand continues to make its mark and have its day in the proverbial sun.
“Red is the ultimate cure for sadness.”
– Bill Blass
While technically this particular color of the new IWC Portugieser Chronographs is labeled as “burgundy,”
the watch’s sunburst dial effect tricks the eye into thinking it’s also seeing red — at least, in certain
lighting conditions. This visual characteristic organically evokes heavier, more intense breathing and even
heightened blood circulation for those who set their eyes upon it (although the fact that the new reference
3716 now includes the in-house caliber 69355 may also have something to do with the quickened pulse rate).
At 41mm in diameter, the burgundy version of the Portugieser Chronograph is as gender-neutral as the
color red itself. And like the crimson hue on the face of this release, the watch attracts positive attention
without really putting forth much effort. Red is the color of love, power and youthfulness: three thrillinducing
ideals to constantly covet and of which there is never enough in any one lifetime.
“Green strongly influences the heart and helps alleviate tension.”
–Dr.TaeYunKim
Independent watch brand H. Moser & Cie has a reputation throughout the horological community as a
brand that, while wholeheartedly committed to fine watchmaking, never truly takes itself too seriously. The
company and its CEO — Edouard Meylan — seem to effortlessly make David Blaine-level magic happen,
no matter what they create, and this year’s Streamliner Centre Seconds release with its funky fresh “Matrix
Green” dial and integrated snakelike bracelet was no exception.
“The success of the [Streamliner Centre Seconds] is not due to the green color, but rather to the fact
that this particular color is alive. It varies from gold to olive through a large spectrum of shades of green,”
says Meylan, when asked about the public’s positive reaction to the dial’s unique green color. “Green
is the color of nature; a color of hope,” he adds. “I guess everyone is looking for hope right now.”
“Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the deity to be a source of delight.”
– John Ruskin
It can be agreed upon that there is no shortage of watches with blue dials presently available for purchase,
and with good reason. Blue is an extremely popular color known to elicit vibes of calmness and relaxation; a
color capable of invoking a feeling of serenity and of trust and security. A pale blue sky and a dark blue ocean
can equally quell a nervous onlooker while reminding them to pause time just long enough to take in their
own surroundings and allow themselves to breathe.
The new CODE 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph by Audemars Piguet was introduced this past summer in
five new colors, including a pink-gold edition with a smoked blue lacquered sunburst dial and matching blue
alligator strap. While there may be numerous blue-dialed watches out there, there is only one that has the
look of the CODE 11.59 and only one that is manufactured with Audemars Piguet’s in-house caliber 4302;
an automatic movement with seconds and instant-jump date indications.
FEATURE 127

H. Moser & Cie
Streamliner Center
Seconds with a
Matrix Green dial

Audemars Piguet
CODE 11.59 by
Audemars Piguet
Selfwinding
Chronograph in
rose gold with
a smoked blue
lacquered dial.

“Purple puts us in touch with the part of ourselves that is regal.”
– Byllye Avery
It’s somewhat fitting that a watch brand whose name, by definition, means “the time at which something
is the most powerful or successful” would introduce a watch in a color often associated with royalty,
leadership, and wealth. Presenting said watch in a year when so many feel disconnected from those
particular characteristics took a fair amount of guts, but it also took forethought, and a belief that things
are eventually going to get better for us all. Romain Marietta, head of product at Zenith, feels similarly. “In
color psychology, purple is generally a royal color and is associated with power, luxury, wisdom, sensuality,
imagination, and creativity. It can make us feel very optimistic and hopeful. This is probably why our Defy 21
Ultraviolet has been so successful. It inspires us to dream.”
The Defy 21 Ultraviolet takes “royal highness” to a different level, one that involves light frequency
(on the visible spectrum with regard to the color violet, the hue with the strongest electromagnetic
wavelength) and speed, as it pertains to the watch’s dual escapement (at 5Hz and an incredibly fast 50Hz).
The combination of the two in a microblasted titanium case make for a powerfully perfect and handsome
timepiece worthy of our inner monarch.
“Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton
The symbol of the skull has been a common fixture in watch design for quite a while now, and not because
the horological world has some morbid obsession with the afterlife. On the contrary, it is the time that we
have on this earth, and the reminder that life is precious and worth every minute we spend living it, that often
appeals to watchmakers and designers. The skull in some cultures is seen as the celebration of life, and in
the case of the latest HYT SOONOW watch, that celebratory symbol is made even more vivacious when
surrounded by the colors of the rainbow.
“Color is the result of the reflection of light. Without light, color doesn’t exist,” says HYT’s CEO (and
occasional in-house philosopher) Grégory Dourde. “Time is similar in a way. It’s defined by what we — or
our circumstances — do with it. Time and light perform their intrinsic magic around the clock. And time is
never the exactly the same color twice.”
HYT’s SOONOW Instant Rainbow takes the psychology of color to an entirely different level by
intertwining the emotions that each of the colors of the rainbow evokes with the feeling one gets when
contemplating their own mortality. But it does so using the brand’s patented liquid that shows the wearer
how much time in the day has passed, and what is still to come.
Color psychology is defined as “the study of hues as a determinant of human behavior.” Color affects
everything from moods and emotions, to how foods are perceived as to taste, and to a person’s desires and what
they find sexually stimulating or sensually appealing. And yet, while associations to specific colors may differ
between religions or cultures, it is believed that most genders and races view the various hues in similar ways.
The watch industry — possibly without even realizing it — provided enthusiasts, collectors, and novices
alike with much needed positivity in 2020 by opening their imaginary crayon boxes and forgetting that they
were supposed to color within the lines. Seeing so many vibrant dials was a refreshing and much-needed
change in an era filled with so many shades of gray.
130 FEATURE

Zenith
Defy 21 Ultraviolet
Chronograph in
titanium.
HYT
SOONOW Instant
Rainbow

The CompleteHistory of the
Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar
Words Wei ‘Le Wei’ Koh, in collaboration with Michael ‘Le Mic’ Friedman and Pygmalion Gallery, with thanks to Tom Chng
132 FEATURE

Pictured are three of the
five amazing individuals
— Audemars Piguet’s
then CEO Georges
Golay, Jacqueline
Dimier and Michel
Rochat — behind the
audacious perpetual
calendar project that
savedAPduringthe
Quartz Crisis.
Imagine for a moment you are invited
to a dinner at a stately ancestral home.
And there seated before you are the
living, breathing personifications of the
Holy Trinity of high Swiss watchmaking
brands in dinner-suited human form.
The first to greet you is Patek Philippe
who in this family is the golden child.
He’s the Anderson & Sheppard-tailored
Fulbright scholar, matriculated from
Harvard Law School and Trinity College,
Cambridge, whose future is guided by
divine inexorable perfection.
The second named Vacheron
Constantin is darker, tall, lean and
immaculate in Caraceni; introspective
but fiercely brilliant, holding forth on
the synergistic link between Euclidean
geometry and Sufi mysticism.
Then you hear the door slam. There
with the paint-splattered trousers
of his Cifonelli tuxedo stuffed into
motorcycle boots, his shoulder-length
hair in disarray from racing helmetless
on his vintage Norton from the bucolic
brookside cottage where he was initiating
his mother’s freshly divorced friend into
the art of Tantra, is the wild child.
He has hypnotic, movie-star looks.
Think Jason Momoa channeling Byron.
This is Audemars Piguet. Because while
Audemars Piguet’s brand of Swiss
high watchmaking is unassailable in its
finish and elegance, the quality that I
love most about the Le Brassus-based
manufacture is its wild, iconoclastic,
rebellious creativity which has yielded
some of the greatest game-changing
moments in horological history and
shaped the entire concept of style
combined with technical innovation in
the 20th century and beyond.
Many of Audemars Piguet or
AP’s most stalwart devotees credit
the extraordinarily audacious Gérald
Genta-conceived Royal Oak as rescuing
the brand from the onslaught of the
Quartz Crisis that laid low so many of
its competitors. And without doubt
the Royal Oak was a seismic act of
watchmaking brilliance. But in fact the
true heroes of Audemars Piguet, the men
that came up with a brilliant tactical plan
to combat the ravages of the cheap quartz
invasion, had names that sounded like
resistance-fighter aliases. They were
Michel “Le Mic” Rochat, Jean-Daniel
Golay and Wilfred Berney. For the
purpose of this story, they shall forthwith
be referred to as Team RGB.
And they would be aided by two
extraordinary individuals: the first,
Georges Golay, the boss of AP (known as
“Uncle George” to the Bottinelli family,
one of the families behind the brand) and
a true brilliant leader during this seminal
period; and the second, a design genius
named Jacqueline Dimier, who was in
some ways the protégé of the legendary
Gérald Genta. How did they stave off the
destruction of the Quartz Crisis that had
other brands abandoning mechanical
FEATURE 133

The perpetual calendar, an incredible mechanism that tells calendar information in
perpetuity and compensates for leap years, was invented by Thomas Mudge.
AP’s beloved
historian and head of
complications, Michael
Friedman, credits the
2120/2800 perpetual
calendar caliber as
the movement that
saved AP.
watchmaking, destroying their lathes
and presses and selling off movements by
weight? With the creation of the world’s
thinnest automatic perpetual calendar,
a movement that to this day resonates
as one of the most significant acts in
horological history.
Says Michael Friedman, AP’s beloved
historian and head of complications,
“Think about it in the context of 1978. No
one was making complicated watches,
let alone perpetual calendars. In fact the
only other brand that has made a serially
produced perpetual calendar wristwatch
up until this point was Patek Philippe.
Their watch at the time is the
reference 3448 (launched in 1961),
a round ‘disco volante’ shaped watch
that is 37mm in diameter and 11mm
in thickness. Then we unveiled the
reference 5548, that is so significantly
thinner at 7mm.
It is such an audacious watch.
Because it was saying to the world that’s
being swept up by the quartz craze,
‘Hang on, look what we are capable of
with mechanical watchmaking.’ In the
size of a quartz watch, we’ve placed a
mechanical supercomputer. And because
of the lean elegant dimensions of the
5548, it becomes a symbol of modernity
like the Royal Oak before it.”
What is important to understand
in the context of the era is that while
quartz watches had begun to dominate
consumers with their unfailing
accuracy and cheap price, there
were no complicated quartz watches.
Complications and in particular the
perpetual calendar was the expressed
realm of mechanical watchmaking.
(A lesson not lost on a young Jean-
Claude Biver who was working at
Audemars Piguet at the time and
would subsequently set up Blancpain
specifically to champion complicated
mechanical watchmaking). But of course,
if we could time travel, the question to
ask the trio of Rochat, Golay and Berney
would be, “why the perpetual calendar?”
OK, let’s pause here to explain what
a perpetual calendar is. The reason we
have the four-year leap-year cycle is
that the 365-day year is actually shorter
than the true solar year (365.25 days
approximately). Which means each
year we build up a small debt, which is
accommodated for every four years with
an additional day that is February 29th.
If you want to get even more
technical, every 100 years, the leap year
is omitted because the leap day creates a
slight time overage. Anyway, a perpetual
calendar is an extraordinary watch that
displays the full calendar information
of day, date, month, usually phase of
the moon. Now perpetual calendars
are smart. Like Asian mothers, they
are always right. If they were dogs, they
would be MENSA-qualified border
collies capable of solving complex
algorithms, while composing haiku
poetry, singing Verdi’s operas in pitchperfect
phonetically flawless Italian while
herding sheep. Why?
Because they are capable of
automatically compensating for the
shifting 30/31 rhythm of the months
as well as accounting for the 28 days in
February, and even knowing when the
extra day every leap year is.
The first watch with a perpetual
calendar mechanism was created in
1762 by British watchmaker Thomas
Mudge and became a popular feature
of pocket watches for discerning
gentlemen the following century. The
first serially produced perpetual calendar
wristwatches were the 1518 and the
1526 both launched by Patek Philippe
in 1941. It should be noted that for the
better part of the 20th century, it was
only Patek Philippe and Audemars
Piguet that produced perpetual calendar
wristwatches in series. Wearing a
perpetual calendar wristwatch in the
134 FEATURE

Jules Louis
Audemars’
school watch.
A close up view
of the leap
year display
on Jules Louis
Audemars’
school watch.
context of the time was like showing up to
a dinner party with a Cray supercomputer
strapped to your wrist but expressed with
extraordinary elegance and beauty.
OK, back to the heroic triumvirate
of “Le Mic” Rochat, Golay and Berney
or Team RGB. Why did they decide to
create an ultra-thin automatic perpetual
calendar movement? Well, as it turns
out, Audemars Piguet has had one of the
deepest and most meaningful histories
with this complication. Indeed, we can go
all the way back to Jules Louis Audemars,
one of the maison’s two founding fathers.
Before creating the brand along
with Edward Auguste Piguet in 1875,
Audemars first had to graduate from
watchmaking school. In order for this
to happen, he had to create a “school
watch,” a representation of his mastery
of the education imparted to him.
Audemars, clearly a horological baller
from the start, presented an incredible
quarter-repeating pocket watch, with
dead seconds (where the second leaps
forward only at each second rather than
moving incrementally) and with — yes,
you guessed it — a perpetual calendar.
Look at this watch and you’ll
notice that the full leap-year cycle
is displayed within the subdial at 12
o’clock, which means a full 48 months
with a delineation of which year
in the cycle (shown as 1st, 2nd,
3rd or 4th) each month falls.
This was the traditional way
in which the leap year was shown.
It should be noted that the leapyear
display was also frequently
omitted from pocket watches. Take a
look at the Patek Philippe pocket watch
made for American automobile
manufacturer James Ward,
for example, where in
order for the watch
to be set, it had
to be sent to a
watchmaker who
would usually
take the dial
off to do this.
The fact
that Audemars
decided to
display the full
cycle would set
an important
precedent
for an amazing
wristwatch that
would be unveiled
a full 80 years later
by the brand that
would bear his name.
Note that this
legendary Patek
Philippe pocket
watch made for
James Ward does
not feature a
leap-year indicator
on the dial side
for its perpetual
calendar. Watches
like this were sent
to watchmakers to
remove the dial to
set them.
FEATURE 135

The 1948 watch
with the movement
number 52542,
delivered to Gübelin
in 1950.
Right The watch
bearing the serial
number 52722, done
in 1947.
REFERENCE 5516: THE FIRST
PERPETUAL CALENDAR WRISTWATCH
WITH LEAP-YEAR DISPLAY
According to Michael Friedman,
when the onset of the wristwatch
era went mainstream in the 20th
century, Audemars Piguet would
occasionally dip its feet into calendar
complications. However, these were
invariably unique commissions for
discerning and wealthy patrons. The
total number of wristwatches with
calendar complications that were made
before 1950 is believed to number 208
and includes this extremely handsome
two-tone reference 5503 complete
calendar which is, from a design
perspective, a clear kindred spirit to
the reference 5513 which inspired this
year [Re]Master 01 Chronograph.
But then in 1955, Audemars Piguet
brought the real horological heat with
the reference 5516, the world’s first
perpetual calendar wristwatch with leapyear
display.
THE PRE-SERIES REF. 5516
In total there were 12 examples of the
reference 5516 made. Three of these
watches were made with perpetual
calendars but without leap-year
indicators. Michael Friedman refers to
these watches as “pre-series” watches
and we have a nice image of two of
them here. This black and white image
from page 66 of the book Audemars
Piguet 20th Century Complicated
Wristwatches shows two of these
watches. Watch number one, which
bears the serial number 52722, was
created by a watchmaker who found a
perpetual calendar mechanism that he
referred to as under-dial works that
had been “hanging around for 60 or 70
years,” and decided to mate it to a calibre
13VZSS to produce a rather magnificent
wristwatch. The work was done in 1947
and the watch was eventually sold in
Bangkok in 1951. The second watch
bears the movement number 52542
and was made in 1948 and delivered to
famous retailer Gübelin in 1950. Notice
that it is characterized by a much more
stylized and expressive case. And that
in this case, the dial features date that
is displayed by a central hand read off a
scale printed at the perimeter. What is
interesting is that the third of this preseries
exists. It is similar to this watch
and was sold to Patek Philippe in 1961.
THE FIRST-SERIES REF. 5516
The true expression of the legendary
5516 was unveiled in 1955 with the
watch pictured here. In total three of
these watches were made. What makes
them incredibly distinct is the use of
the full 48-month leap-year display
similar to the display created by Jules
Audemars for his school watch in
1875. Information here is beautifully
and artfully arrayed. Says Friedman,
“What is incredible is the level of skill
used to create these enamel dials. Look
how tiny and fine the detail has to be to
accomplish this 48-month indication.”
136 FEATURE

Date is told off the central hand
relative to a scale printed at the perimeter
of the dial, similar to the two pre-series
5516s made in 1948. Phases of the moon
is shown at 12 o’clock, while the month
is actually shown twice, one in a clean,
easy-to-read indicator at three o’clock
and a second time within the dense
information-packed 48-month leapyear
cycle at six o’clock. Based on the
abundance of information on the dial,
it is understandable that date, which is
the most vital information after time,
is displaced to the dial’s perimeter for
maximum legibility. Finally, at nine
o’clock you see the days of the week.
Hour and minute is told off central gold
hands while the seconds are displayed on
a small gold hand coaxially mounted to
the blued hand that tells the leap year.
Patek Philippe ref. 2479 Audemars Piguet Series 1 ref. 5516
The Patek 2497 can be viewed as minimalist, even reductionist, while the Audemars 5516 is just the opposite,
redolent with information. The AP is bold in styling while the Patek is restrained.
All blued hands are related to calendar
information and all gold hands are
related to time. It is hard to overstate the
revelation that the 5516 represented. For
the first time, someone could set their
perpetual calendar themselves, rather
than have to bring it to a watchmaker to
remove the dial and set it. Interestingly,
the watch pictured here was made in 1955
and sold to Vacheron Constantin in 1959.
OK, let’s look at the 5516 in
comparison to the only other serially
produced perpetual calendar around at
the time, the Patek Philippe 2497. The
Patek can be viewed as minimalist, even
reductionist, while the Audemars is just
the opposite, redolent with information.
The AP is bold in styling while the Patek is
restrained. Let’s say the Audemars is the
barefoot Brigitte Bardot, all suntanned
and undulating hips in Vadim’s And God
Created Woman to the Patek’s graceful,
elegant Grace Kelly. If these watches
were women, there’s one you might want
to take home to your parents and another
one you might want to make ravishing love
to. I’ll leave you to decide which is which.
Perpetual calendar wristwatch. Movement No 66136,
case No 11151. Calibre 13VZSSQP, 18-carat yellow
gold case. Gold dial, silver-plated. Black enamel
numerals. Applied yellow gold hour-markers. Yellow
gold timekeeping hands. Blued steel calendar hands.
Movement made in 1955, watch sold in 1959 to
Vacheron Constantin (Genève). Audemars Piguet
Heritage Collection, Inv. 1732
FEATURE 137

An excellent example of the Second-Series ref. 5516 with the leap-year indicator
at 12 o’clock, sans the 48-month scale; the watch seen here is presently part of
the Pygmalion Gallery’s private collection (Image: Photo and watch, property of
Pygmalion Gallery)
Perpetual calendar wristwatch. Movement and case No 73012. Calibre
13VZSSQP, 18-carat yellow gold case. Gold dial, silver-plated. Black enamel
numerals and writing. Applied yellow gold hour-markers. Yellow gold timekeeping
hands. Blued steel calendar hands. Movement made in 1957, watch sold in 1968
to Vacheron Constantin (Genève). Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 1716.
THE SECOND-SERIES REF. 5516
The final six examples of the Audemars
Piguet reference 5516 are a great leap
forward in design language. All six of
these watches were put into production
in 1957 and sold between 1963 and1969.
The major difference between these
watches and their predecessors is that
at this point, Audemars Piguet decided
to eschew the busy 48-month display
of the leap-year cycle and replace it
with a clean display at 12 o’clock that
minimalistically but perfectly expresses
where in the cycle you are at. Could it
be that Philippe Stern would notice this
display when he created the 3970 and
3940, both from 1985, which are the two
first Patek Philippe perpetual calendars
that also use this form of display for the
leap year? (The first Patek with leap-year
indicator would be the 3450 from 1981,
which would display it in an aperture).
As a result of this key change, the dials
of these second series 5516 watches
are significantly cleaner. It is, however,
interesting that of these six watches,
one watch number 73012 would retain
the full 48-month display and place it
within a tiny subdial at 12 o’clock, leading
me to believe reading it could only be
accomplished using a magnifying glass.
THE WATCH THAT SAVED AP THE
ULTRA-THIN AUTOMATIC PERPETUAL
CALENDAR REF. 5548
The year is 1969. Seiko launches
the Astron, a seemingly innocuous,
accessibly priced digital quartz watch
oscillating at 32,768Hz and capable of far
greater accuracy than any high frequency
observatory-certified mechanical
chronometer, that unleashes the Quartz
138 FEATURE

Crisis. (It should be noted that the Swiss
were also working on quartz technology
but were beaten to market by Seiko).
As a result of the massive upheaval,
innumerable venerable watchmaking
houses face insolvency and extinction as
orders for their mechanical watches dry
up overnight. For the Swiss watchmaking
brands, it became a question of survival.
It’s well known that in 1972, just as
the onslaught was hitting Switzerland,
Audemars Piguet unveiled what should
objectively be recognised as the single
most audacious watch in the late
20th century, the legendary, iconic
Royal Oak. It was a watch that from a
design perspective obliterated any link
with the past. Instead, it utilised its
unconventional case construction with
exposed screws running through the
octagonal bezel to the back case, replete
with exposed rubber gasket, as its very
own design leitmotif. It was also the
world’s first integrated bracelet sports
chic watch, where the Gay Frèresmanufactured
bracelet was conceived
as one seamless part of the organic
totality of the watch. Interestingly, even
though the watch was a massive 39mm in
diameter, which resulted in the nickname
“Jumbo,” it was actually remarkably slim
at 7.2mm thanks to the use of the Jaeger-
LeCoultre-designed calibre 2121 that
was only 3.05mm in thickness. (This is
caliber 2120 but with a date wheel).
It was steel but audaciously priced
like a gold watch; in fact, for its 3,650
Swiss-franc asking price, you could
actually buy a Jaguar. Amazingly, and as
an irrefutable demonstration of AP CEO
Georges Golay’s foresight and testicular
fortitude, the brand ordered 1,000
steel cases for the reference 5402 “A”
series of the Royal Oak. A second 1,000
cases would be ordered subsequently so
that the total number of A-series 5402
watches is 2,000 examples.
However, what is important to
understand is that it took time for the
Royal Oak to catch on. Indeed, it was
only its adoption by a certain social
elite including Italian playboys such
as Gianni Agnelli, members of royalty
such as King Juan Carlos of Spain and
Prince Michael of Kent, and designers
like Karl Lagerfeld, that the watch
gained traction and became almost
a club emblem of the international
set. Setting an amusing precedent to
Richard Mille, its staggering asking
price became one of the attractions of
the Royal Oak because it quietly but
pointedly expressed that you could
drop the equivalent of a well-appointed
automobile on a steel wristwatch.
Says Michael Friedman, “All this is
true. But to say the Royal Oak rescued
Audemars Piguet from the Quartz
Crisis is not completely accurate. The
Royal Oak took some time to catch on.
I like to consider it the first step, the
overture to our recovery during this
challenging time. To me, the watch
that really reversed our fortune was the
reference 5548 Ultra-Thin Perpetual
Calendar Automatic watch launched in
1978, at the very height of the crisis.”
By 1978, the number of watchmakers
in Switzerland had dropped from
1,600 to 600. For Audemars Piguet
and the trio of watchmakers behind the
5548 perpetual calendar project, their
motivation was not just to create a gamechanging
complicated wristwatch, but to
keep watchmakers employed. Incredibly,
the project to create the world’s thinnest
automatic perpetual calendar was not
the result of a management meeting but
a project started in secrecy. Almost like
resistance fighters, Team RGB would
work on this project during their off
hours, and meet surreptitiously in the
dark of night.
Karl Lagerfeld (left) and Prince Michael of Kent (middle) helped the Royal Oak gain traction; Michel Rochat (right) with Spanish singer, Dias de Verano, circa 1990.
FEATURE 139

The unit’s leader was Michel “Le
Mic” Rochat, a 34-year veteran of
Audemars Piguet, which means he would
have been with the manufacture during
the creation of the reference 5516. He
tapped Jean-Daniel Golay, the man who
founded the technical department, and
together they began constructing their
plans for this movement using cardboard
mock-ups. They then went to the Vallée
de Joux watchmaking school for help
drawing up their blueprints. Finally, they
approached Wilfred Berney, the founder
of the after-sales service department, to
discuss practical implementation.
It was Berney’s idea that the ultrathin
calendar module should be mated to
the calibre 2120 which drove the Royal
Oak. This proved to be the perfect base
calibre for their project. The 2120 is a
thin movement that is a mere 2.45mm in
thickness. But it is very robust thanks to
its free-sprung Gyromax balance wheel,
and also supplied a constant source of
optimal energy necessary to drive the
calendar mechanisms without affecting
amplitude, thanks to its ultra-efficient
winding system.
In this movement, the rotor has all
its mass placed to the periphery. In
fact, if you look at the underside of the
rotor, you will see that it actually steps
down into the movement. The rotor is
supported around the full perimeter
of the movement by a circular rail
and runs on ruby rollers for added
smoothness and efficiency. It also
features a “suspended” mainspring
barrel, meaning there is no bridge for
this element, decreasing thickness of
the movement. It’s good to know all this
because it will come back to bear when
Audemars Piguet will unveil the ultrathin
perpetual calendar calibre 5133 in
2018’s Royal Oak RD#2.
A view of what is under the dial
for watches powered by the
2120/2800 movement.
VIew from the back of the
2120/2800 showing the rotor
and balance wheel.
FACTS AND FIGURES: THE CALIBRE 2120/2800
DESIGNATION 2120/2800
Diameter
Thickness
Movement Blank
Underdial Blank
Features
Regulating Organ
Calender
Selfwinding
Production (1977-1993)
Models (1977-1993)
28mm (12½ lignes
3.95mm
LeCoultre
Dubois Dépraz
38 driven-in-jewels. Mainplate, bridges and winding rotor in Geneva stripes, rhodium plated. Underdial plate in circular-grained special steel.
Steelwork with polished chamfers and straightgrained surfaces. Polished screws
Free-sprung balance with inertia weights, or circular balance with index adjustment, flat spring. Adjusted in 5 positions. Shock absorbers
12-month star-wheel with two cams and a Maltese cross for the leap year function. Pushpieces to set the days, dates and moonphases. Painted
moons then sapphire-crystal moons
Ultra-thin central rotor in 21-carat gold on jewel bearings
7,291 units
70 references in at least 190 versions
140 FEATURE

Seen here, the rotor
of the 2120/2802
(a derivative of the
2120/2800) clearly
steps down into the
movement along the
movement’s periphery
The brilliant Jacqueline Dimier had
joined AP in 1975 and was responsible for
the design of the first ladies Royal Oak in
1976 amongst many other projects. She
would later go on to design the world’s
first wristwatch tourbillon produced in
series, which would be launched in 1986
and which would feature the famous
sunray guilloché inspired by the Egyptian
sun god, Ra.
For the 5548, it must be clear that
Dimier was aware of the watch that was
her sole competition — the only other
automatic perpetual calendar being
made in series, the Patek Philippe 3448
launched in 1961. She would have also
taken note that the Patek 3448 was 37mm
in diameter but a full 11mm in thickness.
The 5548 would be 36mm in diameter
(up to 37.5mm in some executions) but
measure only 7mm in thickness, which
was a huge difference from the 3448.
Incredibly, the entire thickness of the
2120/2800 perpetual calendar calibre
measured only 3.95mm with a movement
diameter of 28mm. The module would
be made for Audemars Piguet by
complications specialists Dubois Dépraz.
Says Michael Friedman, “This is the
way watchmaking worked at the time
with maisons collaborating with many
specialists’ business in the Vallée de Joux.
AP had a long-standing and excellent
relationship with Dubois Dépraz so it was
natural to work with them in this project.”
In 1977, the trio surprised Georges
Golay with this incredible movement.
He was simply blown away. Says Oliviero
Bottinelli, my friend from the afore
mentioned Bottinelli family, “Uncle
George was a true visionary. He took
chances when the stakes were highest
because he understood that the key to
our survival during the Quartz Crisis was
audacity and creativity. To make what no
one else could dream or dare to create.”
Such was Golay’s confidence in the
project that despite the inclemency of the
times, he immediately commissioned 159
watches, which was almost as many as the
total number of calendar watches made
since 1924 by AP. But a great movement
would be nothing without a great design
and Golay immediately set an exceptional
woman named Jacqueline Dimier to work.
Left Design genius
Jacqueline Dimier,
who was in some
ways the protégé of
the legendary Gérald
Genta, photographed
here on the occasion of
the launch of the Royal
Oak Frosted Gold Below
A prime examples of
Jacqueline Dimier,’s
design work is the
1986 Audemars Piguet
Tourbillon, calibre 2870.
FEATURE 141

Patek Philippe ref. 3448 Audemars Piguet ref. 5548
quartz competition was a mechanical
masterpiece that would never age,
become obsolete or require a battery
change, capable of telling all calendar
information in perpetuity.
Upon its launch, the 5548 was a smash
success. Over 7,219 calibre 2120/2800
movements would be manufactured
over the calibre’s life span. A total of
2,183 documented examples of the 5548
were made during the watch’s amazing
production run between 1977 and 1991.
Of the watches made, yellow gold was the
most popular with 2,066 examples made.
There were just 80 white-gold watches
made, 32 in platinum, four in steel and
just one in rose gold. Incredibly, in 1984
The design of the 5548 is best
described as Zen reductionist elegance.
While the 5516 was all about exuberant
information overload, the 5548 pared
everything back to its core essential.
Of course the first thing you’ll notice is
there is no leap-year indicator as it was
perceived to be somewhat superfluous
on such a cool minimalist watch. The
indication would only return in 1995. The
dial is incredibly legible with the months
at 12, the date at three, the moonphase at
six and the day at nine o’clock.
Note that while the 5516 was
distinguished by its massive central
date (something that would be revived
in 2015 with the calibre 5134’s weeks
display) here the date is calmly displayed
within the confines of the subdial at
three o’clock. Everything is lean and
restrained, markers are baton as are the
bands with just printed indexes at 12, 3
and 9 offering contrast. The lugs taper
dramatically to a very fine point; indeed
the only dramatic element is the sharply
double stepped bezel.
The overall effect is a watch that
feels significantly more modern than
the Patek 3448. Part of this was that
the Patek was created in the bucolic era
previous to the Quartz Crisis, while the
5548 was unveiled in the midst of the
quartz maelstrom. It is clear that Dimier
and the trio of Rochat, Golay and Berney
wanted their watch to be a statement
of what mechanical watchmaking was
capable of. Here in a case the size of its
Audemars Piguet perpetual calendar. Movement
No 274319, 18-carat yellow gold case No C21525,
No 2156. Calibre 2120/2800. Model 5548BA.
Movement made in 1985, watch sold in 1986.
Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 1445.
Documented Examples 2,183
Indications
Movement Production Dates 1977-1991
Delivery Dates 1978-1994
FACTS AND FIGURES: THE REF. 5548
Materials Yellow gold 2,066
The 5548 in 18-carat white
gold powered by the calibre
2120/2800, Audemars Piguet
Heritage Collection, Inv. 1584.
Perpetual calender: days, dates, months hands, age and phases of the moon.
Hours, minutes
White gold 80
Platinum 32
Steel 4
Pink gold 1
Dimensions Diameter 36mm to 37.5mm
Thickness
7mm to 7.8mm
142 FEATURE

Audemars Piguet ref. 5548 Blancpain ref. 6395
Audemars Piguet’s 5548
versus Blancpain’s 6395
Complete Calendar
launched in 1983. Note
that Blancpain’s complete
calendar calibre measures
4.98mm in height vs. the
AP perpetual calendar
calibre which is more
than 1mm thinner at
3.95mm. Blancpain would
not launch a perpetual
calendar until 1991.
the model reached its peak in popularity
with an amazing 675 examples fabricated.
When launched, the price of the 5548 was
15,500 CHF (compared to a 5402 which
was priced at 3,950 CHF at launch).
Says Michael Friedman, “As you can
see it was really the 5548 that rescued
Audemars Piguet. What I love about this
was, at a time when no one was creating
complicated watches, let alone an allnew,
record-setting ultra-thin automatic
perpetual calendar, that’s precisely what
AP did and it made all the difference.
Can you imagine we made 675 of these
in 1984? That year there were only 1,066
perpetual calendars in Switzerland.”
Another important thing to note
is that in my opinion the Audemars
Piguet 5548s are massively undervalued
considering their technical innovation
and historical significance. I’ve seen
yellow-gold examples selling for just
over 10,000 US dollars which to me
is incredible. I would wholeheartedly
recommend collectors and in particular
those looking to find an accessibly
priced, beautifully designed, culturally
significant and groundbreaking
perpetual calendar to look at these with
a focus on the rarer metals. Note that
earlier watches have a “Swiss” signature
at six o’clock, while watches from 1982
onwards have a “Swiss made” stamped
instead. The 5548 can be distinguished
from the very similar 25657 in that their
subdials are level with the rest of the dial.
In the 25657, the subdials are sunken.
…the Audemars Piguet 5548s are massively
undervalued considering their technical innovation
and historical significance
The reference 25657 (around 1984,
AP started slapping a “2” in front of
all their references so the 5548 became
the 25548) was introduced around 1982.
It was made in a total of 1,821 pieces.
1,309 in yellow gold, 362 in pink gold,
128 in platinum, 16 examples in white
gold, five examples in two tone and one
example in steel. It is almost identical to
the 5548 but distinguished by its sunken
subdials. The 25657 was also a canvas
for some wonderfully expressive dials,
in particularly the stunning engineturned
models.
It was also executed in other
interesting dials including an Arabic
index model, a Tuscan-dial model with
an unusual decorative pattern and a
wild version with a four-leaf-clovershaped
sapphire and dial. To me, the
Tuscan dial is one of the all-time most
beautiful watches of this era and our
friend Tom Chng, the man behind the
Singapore Watch Club, happens to
be a proud owner of this model.
The reference 25661 is the same
watch as the 25657, but with a display
back offering a view of the magnificently
decorated movement. It was made in
342 examples, with 244 in yellow gold,
37 in platinum 32 in white gold and
29 in pink gold. On the dial side of the
25661, note the use of the applied dot
markers at 12, 3 and 9.
FEATURE 143

A ref. 25548BA, seen here with a dial in Spanish lettering;
thewatchseenhereispresentlypartofthePygmalion
Gallery’s private collection (Image: Photo and watch,
property of Pygmalion Gallery)
Perpetual calendar with an engine-turned
dial ref. 25657BA; the watch seen here is
presently part of the Pygmalion Gallery’s
private collection (Image: Photo and
watch, property of Pygmalion Gallery)
Above Tom’s ref. 25657PT “Tuscan” dial seen on the left and, also his, the
ref. 5558PT “Skeleton” dial to the right; some grade A examples of creative
expressions of perpetual calendar watches that were birthed from the creation of
the 5548 (Image: Photo and watches, property of Pygmalion Gallery)
Left A close up of the day subdial, showing the sunken level on the dial. Curious
detail to note, the convention of perpetual calendar watches is to list SUN at the
12 o’clock position of the day-subdial. In these special executions however, the
day at the 12 o’clock position is very interestingly, MON. The watch seen here is
presently part of the Pygmalion Gallery’s private collection (Image: Photo and
watch, property of Pygmalion Gallery)
144 FEATURE

The 25661PT, with a salmon dial that was
listed on A Collected Man some time ago
(Image: acollectedman.com)
Openworked
perpetual calendar.
Model 25668BA
(205 examples, of
which 94 in yellow
gold). Movement
No 294476, case
No C51512.
Calibre 2120/2800.
Movement made in
1988, watch sold
in 1989. Audemars
Piguet Heritage
Collection, Inv. 392.
The 25661PT had a display caseback
showing off an ornately decorated version
of the calibre 2120/2800; the present
watch was listed on A Collected Man some
time ago (Image: acollectedman.com)
Here is an image of a beautiful
salmon-dialed 25661 model
sold by Silas Walton of website A
Collected Man.
What are the most beautiful of
the early round-cased Audemars
Piguet perpetual calendar
watches? To me, they would have
to be skeletonized or openworked
models made from 1988 to 1993
under reference 25668. These
were made in 205 examples. 94 in
yellow gold, 79 in platinum, 30 in
pink gold and two in white gold.
The “Clover” Perpetual Calendars ref. 25681BA on the left
in yellow gold and on the right in and the ref. 25681PT in
platinum on the right; the watches seen here are presently
part of the Pygmalion Gallery’s private collection (Image:
Photo and watches, property of Pygmalion Gallery).
FEATURE 145

SOME EXCELLENT EXAMPLES OF PERPETUAL CALENDAR WRISTWATCHES BIRTHED FROM THE 5548 FAMILY
Perpetual calendar with an engine-turned dial. Model 25657PT (1,821
examples of which 128 in platinum). Movement No 373953, case
No C97806. Calibre 2120/2800. Movement made in 1992, watch
sold in 1993. Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 755.
12-sided openworked perpetual calendar. Model 5564PT (16
examples, of which 14 in platinum). Movement No 227069, case
No C12134. Calibre 2120/2800. Movement made in 1983, watch
sold in 1985. Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 1130.
Perpetual calendar, set with baguette-cut. Model 25579BC (19
examples, of which 8 in white gold). Movement No 273819, case
No C4610. Calibre 2120/2800. Movement made in 1984, watch
sold in 1985. Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 1579.
Perpetual calendar with an engine-turned dial. Model 25657BA (1,821
examples, of which 1,309 in yellow gold). Movement No 373937,
case No D7678. Calibre 2120/2800. Movement made in 1992, watch
sold in 1993. Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 1589.
146 FEATURE

Perpetual calendar with a diamond-set dial. Model 5579BA (19
examples, of which 11 in yellow gold). Movement No 273833, case
No C7027. Calibre 2120/2800. Movement made in1984, watch
sold in 1985. Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection, Inv. 1377.
More special creations derived from the 5548 family, on the left the 25586BA
in yellow gold with a skeletonized dial and on the right the 25561PT in
platinum with a “Tuscan” dial; the watches seen here are presently part of
the Pygmalion Gallery’s private collection (Image: Photo and watches,
property of Pygmalion Gallery)
FEATURE 147

The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar was something
the world had never seen before — a total departure from the past,
a modern case and a modern movement united to create one of the
most groundbreaking complicated timepieces of all time.
AN ICON IS BORN — THE ROYAL OAK
PERPETUAL CALENDAR
In 1949, British author George Orwell
imagined 1984 to be a dystopian
future, where the UK, now known as
Airstrip One, was ruled by a draconian,
authoritarian government (some have
drawn amusing parallels to Singapore)
ledbyapersonalityknownasBig
Brother. But the reality was markedly
different. Ronald Reagan was in the
White House and the global economy
was booming. The yuppie had become
a cultural phenomenon and an entire
generation was focused on upward
mobility. In the theaters that year were
optimistic, escapist fantasy-driven
fare like Daryl Hannah’s debut vehicle,
Splash, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and
the Temple of Doom, and the seminal
directorial debut of James Cameron,
Terminator. This film would introduce
us to a seven-time Mr. Olympia
bodybuilder-turned-actor and future
Audemars Piguet ambassador named
Arnold Schwarzenegger. And while AP
was certainly not out of the precarious
shoals of the Quartz Crisis, the company
was stable.
The creation of the 2120/2800
caliber had allowed the manufacture to
double its watchmaking team, creating
precious jobs in the watchmaking
hotbed of Le Brassus in Switzerland’s
Vallée de Joux. In 1984, Audemars
manufactured an incredible 675 watches
with this movement, comprising more
than half of all the perpetual calendars
made in Switzerland that year. At the
same time the Royal Oak had become
a phenomenon, a symbol of style and
modernity and the membership badge
to a very elite group.
It was therefore not a stretch
of the imagination that Golay would
tap Dimier to marry the two iconic
creations of Audemars Piguet during
the ’70s, in what has to be considered
one of the most important watches
of all time. The Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar was born in 1984, and became
an instant icon. It represented the
union of the two most revolutionary
watchmaking acts of Audemars Piguet
— the iconoclastic Royal Oak and
the world’s thinnest automatic
perpetual calendar movement, the
2120/2800.
The 5554 would introduce one of
Audemars Piguet’s most successful
models, a watch that is still as relevant
today as the year it was created. For the
purpose of clarity, I’ve divided the eras
of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
watches into three categories. The
first are the non-leap-year indicator
watches made from 1984 to 1993. The
second category pertains to the leapyear
indicator watches from 1995 to
2014. Note that throughout this time,
the watch remains largely unchanged.
It measures 39mm in diameter and is
9.3mm in thickness which is just 2.1mm
thicker than the 5402’s 7.2mm case.
And then from 2015 to the present day,
when the case of the watch is enlarged
from 39mm to 41mm and receives a
slightly thicker movement with annular
week display (an increase from 3.95
to 4.31mm) that results in a case that
is just marginally thicker at 9.5mm.
Think about it from the perspective
of the time. There was basically no other
shaped, integrated sports chic perpetual
calendar around. The Patek 3448 was
about to transition to the 3940 the
following year. But it was a round classic
watch. Blancpain was still focused on
its calibre 6395 and years away from
launching their perpetual, and their
watch was still thicker than both the
5548 and the new Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar Automatic. The Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendar was something the
world had never seen before — a total
departure from the past, a modern
case and a modern movement united to
create one of the most groundbreaking
complicated timepieces of all time.
148 FEATURE

PART I
THE NON-LEAP-YEAR-INDICATOR
WATCHES, 1984 – CIRCA 1993
OK, the 5402ST Royal Oak A series
measured a scant 7.2mm in thickness
with a movement that was 3.05mm. In
comparison, the Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar 5554 measured 9.3mm in
thickness with a movement that was
3.95mm in thickness. With the Royal
Oak, part of its attraction is the dynamic
tension between its muscular presence
on the wrist and its svelte aquiline
thinness, and so when approaching the
5554, the brand would be careful to
retain this appealing contrast. While
the case diameter stayed at 39mm,
AP managed to place all the perpetual
calendar information into the watch
while increasing the thickness to only
9.3mm, which was still significantly
thinner than a Patek 3448 which
measured 11mm.
THE FIRST-GENERATION REF. 5554
The 5554 is the grail of these watches
based purely on its historical significance.
And accordingly, these first-generation
watches are relatively rare. Initial launch
series comprises just 279 examples, with
Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar. Calibre
2120/2800. Prototype
of model 25554ST
insteel,launched
in 1985. Audemars
Piguet Heritage
Collection, Inv. 455.
229 examples in yellow gold, 49 in steel
and just one watch in platinum. Says
Michael Friedman, “These early watches
had smooth dials without the hobnail
decoration that you see in later models or
associated with the 5402. So if you find
a reference 5554 and it has a different
dial, it is likely that it has been swapped or
changed during a service.”
Just to keep things exciting,
apparently in 1985, the manufacture
released one single reference 25624
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in
yellow gold but set with diamonds along
the edge of the bezel. The last known
whereabouts of this watch relates to its
sale on the collectors’ marketplace at
WatchProSite.com, dating back to 2017.
THE SECOND-SERIES REF. 25636 WITH
SKELETON DIAL
In 1986, the ref. 25636 with a beautiful
skeleton dial was launched. When I say
“beautiful,” I mean “sell your children
and your kidney to fund the purchase
of one of these right now” kind of
beautiful. All skeleton AP Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendars without leap-year
Documented Examples 279
FACTS AND FIGURES: THE REF. 5554
Indications
Perpetual calender: days, dates, months hands,
age and phases of the moon. Hours, minutes
Movement Production Dates 1983-1991
Delivery Dates 1983-1993
Materials Yellow gold 229
Platinum 1
Steel 49
The 25636 with Skeleton Dial, that
was listed on A Collected Man some
time ago; this specific example was in
platinum (Image: acollectedman.com)
FEATURE 149

indicators fall within this reference
(skeleton watches with leap year have the
reference 25829). When I use the term
“skeleton” I mean that the normally solid
dial has been replaced with a sapphire
unit that allows you to see the incredible
levels of finish that AP applies to all
parts of the movement, including those
normally never seen. All in, there were
264 examples of this watch made. 126
in yellow gold, 52 in stainless steel, 49
in two tone, 34 in platinum and three in
rose gold. Two-tone watches include a
rose-gold watch with a platinum bezel
and platinum middle links, and a steel
watch with a platinum bezel and platinum
middle links. To me, these are THE most
beautiful and collectable of the nonleap-year
indicator watches. They are
also, based on examples made, the rarest.
Another unique watch was made in yellow
gold with the reference 25651.
THE THIRD-SERIES REF. 25654
Finally, either in the late ’80s or early
’90s, Audemars Piguet released another
batch of Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
watches without leap year under the
reference 25654. Some very beautiful
watches emerged under this reference.
If you find a pre-1995, non-leap-year
RO Perpetual Calendar with a clous
de Paris or hobnail dial, it should fall
into this reference. Watches were
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Quantième
Perpétuel Automatique, ref. 25636RP, made
in a limited edition of only 25 pieces in 1993,
sold in 1995; case and bracelet in an alternated
combination of 18K pink gold and platinum
(Image: antiquorum.swiss)
Two-tone ref. 25654,
in platinum and gold;
the watch seen here is
presently part of the
Pygmalion Gallery’s
private collection
(Image: Photo and
watch, property of
Pygmalion Gallery)
Ref. 25654ST seen here with a tapisserie dial that
has completely oxidised into a rich milk-chocolate
(Image: watchprosite.com)
150 FEATURE

made in 272 examples in steel, 422 in
yellow gold, 33 examples in platinum
and just one in white gold. In addition,
72 examples were two tone, including
this watch in a lovely combination of
platinum with rose gold (the inverse of
the beautiful 25636 two-tone model).
However, they were primarily made
with the smooth dial. Incidentally,
on the opposite page is the coolest
25654ST I’ve seen, which is a
completely tropical-dial version.
In all, there were 1,630 nonleap-year
watches made, including
the references as follows: first-series
ref. 5554 (25554), second reference
with skeleton dial ref. 25636, and
third reference ref. 25654. There
are further two oddball gem-set
examples made, one under reference
25624 and one under 25651.
You may have noticed that the prices
of these early-reference non-leap-year
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar watches
have almost tripled in the last four years.
Why is that? Well, for one thing, since
the launch of the Royal Oak Ceramic
Perpetual Calendar in 2017 in both
solid dial and skeleton versions, and the
launch of 2019’s amazing Self-Winding
Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin based
on the 2018 RD#2 experimental watch,
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars have
become one of the hottest watches around
with the lifestyle crowd. The second
reason is that with just 1,630 examples
made during the 1980s and ’90s, people
are coming around to just how rare these
watches are. A third reason is that they
are made in such variety it is easy to hone
in on the rarity of specific references.
The fourth and arguably most important
reason is that vintage dealers — in
particular those in Italy that set market
trends — got together and decided to take
a position in them, which started to ramp
the prices up.
Is this wrong? Not necessarily,
because prices will inevitably bear
whatever the market decides. This is
certainly not without precedent. Why do
you think that Zenith-based Daytonas
in the R series, especially the porcelaindial
versions, are way north of 100,000
dollars, or why Paul Newman Daytonas
in general are the price that they are?
Because these same dealers decided to
In 1995, Audemars Piguet celebrated its 120th anniversary with the limited edition ref. 25810.OR.01; the watch
ushers in the reappearance of the leap-year indicator coaxially mounted with the month hand in the subdial
at 12 o’clock; similar to the the leap-year cycle, in exactly the same font as that in the second-series 5516
watches; the watch seen here is presently part of the Pygmalion Gallery’s private collection (Image: Photo and
watch, property of Pygmalion Gallery)
make them cost this much and consumers
were willing to feed the escalation. And
the fifth reason is that as the union of
the Royal Oak’s design with the iconic
2120/2800 movement, these watches are
of tremendous historical significance.
That aside, the Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar is a genuinely amazing watch,
and totally and utterly unique as an ultrathin,
complicated integrated bracelet,
sports chic watch from the ’80s. Indeed,
it would take Patek until 2018 to respond
with a Nautilus Perpetual Calendar and it
is 8.32mm thick.
PART II
THE LEAP-YEAR INDICATOR RETURNS,
1995–2015
In 1995, to celebrate the 120th
anniversary of the maison, Audemars
Piguet released the reference 25810 (or
25810.OR.01 to be exact) with calibre
2120/2802. This was a stunning rosegold
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with
one major difference: the reappearance
of the leap-year indicator. This took the
form of a hand that was mounted coaxially
with the month hand in the subdial at 12
o’clock. As a nice touch, the leap-year
FEATURE 151

The Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar ref. 25686ST, in
steel; the watch seen here
is presently part of the
Pygmalion Gallery’s private
collection (Image: Photo
and watch, property of
Pygmalion Gallery)
The ref. 25686PR, rose
gold and platinum with a
rose gold dial; the watch
seenhereispresentlypart
of the Pygmalion Gallery’s
private collection (Image:
Photo and watch, property
of Pygmalion Gallery)
In 1998, the reference 25820 made its appearance. This is
when the 2120/2802 with leap-year indicator movement first seen
on the limited edition 25810 enters regular production.
cycle is described in exactly the same
font as that in the second-series 5516
watches. To me, this is one of the most
historically significant and attractive
executions of the RO Perpetual Calendar.
Now in 1996, reference 25686
was launched. It is important to note
that these are the LAST of the nonleap-year
indicator watches. Why did
AP launch this reference a full year
AFTER the model with the leap-year
indicator was introduced? Well, it’s
possible that they had some 2120/2800
movements left and decided to use
them for this final series of watches.
The 25686 has a wild and libidinous
variety of dials and executions. I’ve
seen a lot of coloured mother-of-pearl
watches but also watches with smooth
dials, hobnail dials and even Tuscan
dials. These watches included another
two-tone stainless-steel and platinum
version, a full stainless-steel version,
a two-tone platinum and 18K rosegold
version, and a full platinum one.
OK, this is interesting if you have a
smaller wrist or you’re a woman in the
market looking for a value-proposition
complicated AP. In 1997/98, AP
launched reference 25800 with a
diameter of 33mm in different metals
and, for the first time, in white gold. This
is in many ways an oddball watch as it was
created ostensibly for the ladies’ market,
but also for men with smaller wrist sizes.
Because of its size, it is considerably less
expensive than its full-sized brethren.
In 1998, the reference 25820
made its appearance. This is when the
2120/2802 with leap-year indicator
movement first seen on the limited
edition 25810 enters regular production.
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
ref. 25820 was available with five dial
variants in stainless steel (smooth
silvered dial, white tapisserie and three
different hues of blue with tapisserie as
well), two dial variants in 18K yellow gold,
two in platinum, three in stainless steel
with platinum, and perhaps the most
coveted of them all, a tantalum and rosegold
version, a tantalum and yellowgold
version, and the king of all Royal
Oak Perpetual Calendars, the tantalum
and platinum version. One of the most
sought-after versions of this watch is the
platinum salmon-dial version.
In the 1990s as well, the reference
25829 was launched marking the
return of the skeleton dial in stainless
152 FEATURE

The Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar ref. 25686SP, in
steel and platinum with the
ever so desirable “Tuscan”
dial; the watch seen here
is presently part of the
Pygmalion Gallery’s private
collection (Image: Photo
and watch, property of
Pygmalion Gallery)
The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ref. 25686RP,
rose gold and platinum with a diamond-set mother
of pearl dial (Image: christies.com)
The Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendars ref. 25686BA in all
yellow gold on the left and the
33mm ref. 25800BA, also in
allyellowgoldontheright;
the watches seen here are
presently part of the Pygmalion
Gallery’s private collection
(Image: Photo and watches,
property of Pygmalion Gallery)
FEATURE 153

VARIANTS OF THE ROYAL OAK PERPETUAL CALENDAR REF. 25820
Top row, from left
Ref. 25820ST with
a white tapisserie
dial; ref. 25820ST.
OO.0944ST.04
and ref. 25820ST.
OO.0944ST.05, two
of three blue-hue
tapisserie dial
Middle row, from left
Ref. 25820BA, in
all yellow gold with
a white tapisserie
dial; ref. 25820SP, in
platinum and steel
with a white dial
Below
Ref. 25820TR,
in rose gold and
tantalum (Image:
antiquorum.swiss)
steel, platinum, 18K yellow gold, 18K
rose gold, and once again, the three
incredible tantalum combinations
with platinum, rose gold and yellow
gold. To me, the tantalum two-tone
versions of the watch would be amongst
the most sought after! This version
of the watch in steel is worn by my
friend Mo Coppoletta. I’ve always
thought his artistic personality, paired
with his deep technical knowledge
on watches, makes him the perfect
person to own one of these watches.
In 1999, AP brought the serious
bling with 25930PT, a platinum Royal
Oak Perpetual Calendar with factory
diamond-set bezel and openworked dial.
Reference 25865 falls a bit outside
of the lines. While this watch also
features a perpetual calendar, the
movement is significantly different.
This grand complication was created
at Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi,
the high complication specialists that
also make the movements for Richard
Mille’s tourbillons and rattrapantes.
Launched in the mid-’90s the
25865 features a split-seconds
chronograph, minute repeater and
a perpetual calendar. The perpetual
154 FEATURE

calendar module base on its display
does, however, seem to be the Dubois-
Dépraz module from the 2120/2800
just flipped 180 degrees and with the
hands for continuous seconds and
chronograph elapsed seconds added
coaxially to the horizontal subdials.
There would be several other grand
complication Royal Oaks made but
as these watches are not 2120/2800
related, I’ll leave them for now.
In 2008, AP launches the reference
26252 on leather straps. No real big
news here, the Royal Oak perpetual
calendar gets a leather bracelet option.
Which honestly to me is not my favourite
reference as the watch was born to be an
integrated bracelet icon.
The grande
complication
ref. 25865
The Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendar
ref. 25829ST with
the skeleton dial
in steel; the yellow
gold, rose gold and
platinum versions
can be seen on the
side of this page.
FEATURE 155

PART III
THE MODERN ERA OF THE ROYAL OAK
PERPETUAL CALENDAR, 2015–2020
Whew. Still with me? OK, go mix
yourself a Negroni, light your cigar
and let’s get into the modern era of the
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. In 2015,
the reference 26574 (images below)
featuring the calibre 5134 marked the
first major advancement of the legendary
Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar
housed inside an all-new case that
measured 41mm in diameter as opposed
to the traditional 39mm. Rather than
3.95mm, the movement is now 4.31mm
thick. Why? Because of the addition of a
week indicator. AP, however, did a great
job in ensuring that the case of this watch
is only marginally thicker at 9.5mm as
opposed to 9.3mm of its predecessor.
The week was read using a centrally
mounted hand off a scale located at the
very perimeter of the dial (a nice nod to
the date indicator on the 5516). This is
apparently useful for people that work in
finance for financial planning, which I’ve
always found amusing as recognising the
Kevin Hart (right) and
Nathaniel Norment (left).
Hart wears the Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendar Ceramic
Ref. 26579CE (Photo by
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
for Universal Pictures)
decidedly playboy-like leaning of most AP
owners, I would imagine them to all have
teams of accountants supporting them.
The enlarged case size actually finds its
precedent in 2012 when AP changed
the size of the standard Royal Oak from
39mm to 41mm. That year, however, it
also introduced the 15202 Royal Oak
Ultra-Thin in a size almost identical to
the original 5402 (albeit slightly thicker
because of the sapphire caseback).
THE ROYAL OAK PERPETUAL
CALENDAR CERAMIC REF. 26579CE
2017 marks the year when the Royal Oak
became a serious trophy watch because
the manufacture unveiled the all-ceramic
perpetual calendar. Incredibly, every single
part of the watch was brushed and polished
to the high standards of AP, making it
remarkably distinct from the majority of
ceramic tool watches on the market.
It also attracted a whole new clientele,
collectors who would normally be Richard
Mille or, in previous years, Royal Oak
156 FEATURE

Offshore collectors and liked the fresh
injection of modernity to the watch. At
the same time it also managing to strike
a chord with serious horophiles and as a
result, the limited production timepiece
became one of the hottest commodities
in the world. On the opposite page is
American actor Kevin Hart wearing his
AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar to give
you an idea of the clientele that AP began
to attract with the ceramic watch.
THE ROYAL OAK RD#2, 2018
Much of the excitement around the
2018 Salon International de la Haute
Horlogerie (SIHH) focused around a
watch that you couldn’t buy. This was the
Audemars Piguet RD#2, which stood for
Research & Development 2 (the first RD
forged the basis of the brand’s badass
super sonnerie.) The new watch was the
brand’s take on a Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar but now ultra-thin. How
thin, you ask? Incredibly thin actually.
At 41mm in diameter and 6.3mm in
thickness, the watch was almost a full
millimeter thinner than the time-anddate-only
5402 — the 7.2mm-thick
watch that kicked things off back in 1972.
How did AP achieve this? Actually,
very much in a beautiful act of homage to
the original 2120/2800, created by team
RGB, otherwise known as Rochat, Golay
and Berney. At the base of the watch was
the same 2120 calibre, which has been
such a key part of Audemars Piguet’s
seismic horological audacity throughout
the late 20th century and into the third
millennium. However, the calendar
mechanism was significantly changed.
First, rather than a module, all the
perpetual calendar works were integrated
into the base of the calibre 2120. Second,
we saw some major distribution of
movement across a horizontal plane
which made the movement larger; instead
of 28mm, the movement now had a
diameter of 32mm. And this also accounts
for a change in placement of some key
indications. Moonphase was now at 12
o’clock, with months at three o’clock,
date at six and day at nine o’clock. The
key change, however, was that leap year
did not sit coaxially with the months
but appeared in a small subdial at four
o’clock, while a similar dial for day-andnight
indication (key for not setting the
perpetual calendar during the changeover
period) was at eight o’clock. The result is
a movement that is a mere 2.89mm thick
as opposed to the 3.95mm thickness of
the calibre 2120/2800 or the 4.31mm
thickness of the calibre 5134. After
teasing us into a lust-filled lather, AP sent
us packing empty-handed explaining
that RD#2 was strictly a concept
watch, but CEO François Bennahmias
said it with a twinkle in his eye.
AP’s last SIHH in 2019 and as it turns
out the last SIHH of all time — the fair
has since been rechristened Watches &
Wonders Geneva for 2021 — heralded a
seminal year for Audemars Piguet, which
saw the launch of two of its most soughtafter
perpetual calendar watches. These
were the commercial version of the
RD#2 known as the Royal Oak Self-
Winding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin
as well as the new openworked ceramic
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. It should
be noted that a new-case-style CODE
Far left
The Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar Ceramic ref.
26579CE.
Below
The Royal Oak Self-
Winding Perpetual
Calendar Ultra-Thin.
FEATURE 157

11.59 was also launched that year with
a perpetual calendar version in an
appealing aventurine dial.
Don’t say Audemars Piguet doesn’t
give the people what they want. After
teasing us with the RD#2 concept watch
in 2018 and then sending us to the brink
of despair with the “will they/won’t they?”
anxiety, they finally set our minds at ease
and made our wallets 140,000 Swiss
francs lighter — that is, if you can get one
— with the incredible reference 26586,
the production version of the RD#2. The
first thing that was appreciated was the
material of choice, which was titanium
with the addition of a platinum bezel and
middle links. The RD#2 had been made
from full platinum and it was the weight of
a small boat anchor.
REFERENCE 26585
The reference 26585 Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendar Openworked
Ceramic was another staggering hit for
the brand in 2019. By uniting two of it
signatures, the use of black ceramic and
openworked dials, AP created another
horological sensation with this model.
The use of rose-gold accents and the
unrestricted view of the fantastic levels
of finish on the movement create an
altogether different watch than previous
versions of the watch.
REFERENCE 26579
Reference 26579 is a Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendar in white ceramic.
Because, why not? As my friend Mo
Coppoletta explained, “[Pair] this
watch with a blinding white Speedo
and you will be the king of the Italian
Riviera.” Clearly he meant this with
some levity, but the point is that the
most successful watch brands have
immense horological merit and yet have
transformed themselves into lifestyle
brands. This white ceramic perpetual
calendar is a perfect expression of
AP’s success in this evolution.
The black ceramic Royal
Oak Perpetual Calendars
references 26579CE and
26585CE, the latter with
the skeletonized dial.
And with that, we end the story of the
amazing, iconic Audemars Piguet Royal
Oak Perpetual Calendar. But hang on,
because the work of Rochat, Golay and
Berney can also be found in one strange,
unlikely and incredibly cool watch: the
Royal Oak Offshore Perpetual Calendar.
THE ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE
PERPETUAL CALENDAR
REF. 25854BC, 1997
In 1997, Audemars Piguet launched
what I consider to be one of the coolest
perpetual calendar watches of all
time, in a case that at first might seem
counter-intuitive. OK, let’s hark back
to 1993. When in collaboration with a
cool young maverick watch designer,
Audemars Piguet shocked the world (by
this time something of a signature for
these masters of audacity) with a watch
that had many an erudite and refined
horological collectors spilling their cups
of tea in their laps. The name of this
Hand-Finished White Ceramic Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendar ref. 26579
158 FEATURE

timepiece was the Royal Oak Offshore,
perhaps more accurately described by its
sobriquet, “The Beast.”
The designer in question, one
Emmanuel Gueit, had been trying for
some time to convince Georges-Henri
Meylan, then CEO of Audemars Piguet,
to greenlight his project. Which was
essentially to take Genta’s elegant design
for the Royal Oak and seemingly inject it
with growth hormones so that it swelled
up to what could only be described in the
context of the ’90s as behemoth-like
proportions. At a massive 42mm, the
integrated bracelet chronograph was not
so much a sports watch but a personal
defense weapon, albeit one finished to
typical sublime standards.
Eventually, Meylan acquiesced to
Gueit’s constant requests and decided to
launch the Offshore with the expectation
that it would be a flop. Instead, the
watch became a rampaging success with
one early adopter in particular, none
other than the “Austrian Oak,” Arnold
Schwarzenegger. One of Hollywood’s
biggest stars at the time, Arnold even
had special editions of the Offshore
made for two of his films, End of Days
and Terminator Three: Rise of the Machines.
The resulting watches were the allblack
Offshore with yellow accents for
End of Days and the crazy, oversized
T3 Offshore with knuckle-duster-like
protectors for the chrono pushers, would
become two of the most iconic watches of
this hyperbolic era.
The Offshore soon became
synonymous with a type of larger-thanlife
personality. For the next 15 years, the
Royal Oak Offshore became the single
most desirable oversized sports watch
in modern watchmaking history and was
worn by the likes of everyone, including
Jay-Z and LeBron James, both of whom
had limited editions of the watch made
for them, and Kanye West. Serena
Williams’ affection for the watch is
overtly demonstrated by the fact that she
actually wears one while playing, as does
Stanislas Wawrinka.
In 1997, Audemars Piguet created
a perpetual calendar chronograph
version of this watch. This model
features prominently in the collection
A blast from the past, the 1993 launch version of the Royal Oak Offshore ref. 25721ST (right) with the
near-identical 2013 Royal Oak Offshore Revolution Limited Edition ref. 26218ST (left).
The 2013 version (on the left) is distinguishable
bythefactthatithasadisplaycaseback.
FEATURE 159

of renowned watch expert Alfredo
Paramico. The idea behind the watch
actually makes a lot of sense. It has
been explained that the original
calibre 2120/2800 resulted from
the collaboration with complication
specialist Dubois Dépraz. When it was
time to equip the Offshore with the
movement, in order to keep it related
to the original Royal Oak, the decision
was made to use the fantastic calibre
2121. However, what happens when
you have a movement that measures
3.05mm in thickness in a case that
measures 14.90mm in thickness?
Well, you have a lot of space. In order
to make the watch more aggressively
sporty, the decision was to make it a
chronograph and ultimately, AP landed
on the solution of placing a chronograph
module on top of their beloved ultrathin
calibre. Who did they decide to
work with to create this complication?
None other than Dubois Dépraz.
But when they did, they realised that
the distance from the dial to the date
wheel of the watch was so extreme that
it was impossible to see the date. Rather
than imagining this to be a hindrance,
Gueit turned it into a signature design
detail by adding an inverted loupe to the
dial to magnify the date. Eventually, the
watch even received a soft iron inner
shield, allowing AP to proclaim the watch
amagnetic. But even then it stands to
reason there was still some amount of
space in the case, more than enough to
also place the perpetual calendar module
inside, which also happened to be made
at Dubois Dépraz.
The stunning Offshore Perpetual
Calendar Chronograph was made in
several different versions. In 1997,
AP launched the white-gold version
with blue dial — the 25854BC which is
perhaps the ultimate stealth watch. In
looks, it is almost exactly like the steel
watch but it weighs the equivalent of a
boat anchor. This is followed in 1998
by the steel blue-dial version reference
25854ST, and then in 1999, the watch in
rose gold, the 25854OR. Finally, in 2003,
a white-dial titanium version is released
— the 25854TI. The dial of this super
complicated machine was laid out in the
following way: Both continuous seconds
and date shared the subdial at 12 o’clock,
phases of the moon in the subdial at three
o’clock, both day and chronograph in
the 12-hour counter in the subdial at six
o’clock, and month, chronograph minute
counter and the leap-year indicator all
within the subdial at nine o’clock.
Is it crazy to have a refined
complication like a perpetual calendar in
a watch that looks more like a personal
defense weapon? Well, it’s just this
entertaining contrast that has been
the hallmark of Audemars Piguet and,
Top
The 1997 Royal Oak
Offshore Perpetual
Calendar ref. 25854BC in
white gold with a blue dial.
(phillipswatches.com)
Right
The 1998 Royal Oak
Offshore Perpetual
Calendar ref. 25854ST
in steel with a blue dial.
(phillipswatches.com)
160 FEATURE

Left
The 1999 Royal Oak
Offshore Perpetual
Calendar ref. 25854OR in
rosegoldwithabluedial.
(phillipswatches.com)
Below
The2003RoyalOak
Offshore Perpetual
Calendar ref. 25854TI in
titanium with a white dial.
(phillipswatches.com)
without this daring, it would not have
launched and dominated the perpetual
calendar field with such style as it has
over the last half century.
So ends our 10,000-word journey
through the history of one of my
favourite brands, Audemars Piguet,
and its audacious thrilling journey with
the perpetual calendar. I hope you’ve
enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve
enjoyed writing it. With the value of these
watches very much on the rise, I thought
it important to chronicle all the different
references. However, if I’ve missed
out any, please e-mail us at sumit@
revolutionmagazines.com and we will
add it in.
POST SCRIPT — JULES AUDEMARS /
CODE 11.59 PERPETUAL CALENDARS
Lastly, and for the sake of this article’s
completeness, let’s take a brief look at
the Jules Audemars Perpetual Calendar
watches. These came in an automatic
perpetual calendar version, a perpetual
calendar chronograph version, a
perpetual calendar with equation-oftime
version that displayed the difference
between solar time and civil time with
an equation-of-time cam that was
synchronized to the perpetual calendar
version, and even a grand complication
version with perpetual calendar, minute
repeater and chronograph. While these
watches are not as historically significant
as the extra-thin perpetual calendars
such as the 5548 and the Royal Oak
Perpetual Calendars launched in 1984
with the reference 5554, here is a look at
the various different versions made over
these models’ lifespan, which ended in
2017 to give way to the new CODE 11.59
which also comes in a perpetual calendar
model featuring the calibre 5134.
ABOUT THE PYGMALION GALLERY
The Pygmalion Gallery takes its name
from the mythological ancient Greek
sculptor, Pygmalion who is said to have
carved a woman out of ivory of such
beauty and purity that he was compelled
to uttered a prayer under his breath at
altar of Aphrodite, wishing to have his
sculpture come to life so that he might
marry her. His love was so profound, that
Aphrodite granted his wish.
Like the legend, Pygmalion Gallery
honours the beautiful creations born
by talented human hands, and is where
yesterday’s masterpieces come to life.
It is based in Singapore, and has one of
the most extensive collection of vintage
Audemars Piguet timepieces in the world.
Inspired by the love of beautiful things, the
gallery also curates an exclusive catalogue
of vintage AP watches, jewellery, and art
objects for like-minded clients.
www.pygmaliongallery.com
@pygmaliongallery
FEATURE 161

COLLECTING

The History and Romance
of the French Military Issue Type 20
For Type 20 collector Christophe ( aka @Toiche), there is
a Breguet for every occasion.
Words Stephen Watson
Photographer Christopher Garcia Valle
Christophe was more than happy to oblige, explaining the
watch’s authentic roots. Like many military pieces, he told me,
the Type 20 was born of a nationwide government request,
asking watchmakers to propose a hard-wearing, flightready
design.
“The requirements were typical for a 38mm stainless-steel
military pilot watch: a chronograph, a black dial –– a clean
dial, so it is easy to read for a pilot — [with] luminescent Arabic
numerals and hands,” he explains. “The request was also for
the flyback. The flyback function is where you can reset the
chronograph just with one push, so there is no need to stop
and reset. With only one push, it resets and starts again,”
Christophe says. Indeed, each second lost during chronograph
reset could misguide the pilot during the flight, hence the
importance of such a function.
According to Christophe, a number of watchmakers replied,
including the likes of Mathey-Tissot, Boullier, and Auricoste,
among others.
“There are many Type 20 watchmakers, even Girard-
Perregaux. There is even an AVI version from Breitling that
looks very similar. I don’t know if Breitling answered this
contest directly at that time, but for sure Vixa, Dodane,
Auriscote, Airain, and Breguet answered. And the one that was
selected by the government was the one from Breguet.”
As restrictions lifted after many listless months in New
York, I met with a collector of unusual Breguet watches
in Harlem. We sat outside, on Malcolm X Boulevard,
enjoying iced coffees at a distance. It was a welcome reprieve,
made all the better by my guest, Christophe, known as @Toiche
on Instagram. Our topic? The alluring Breguet Type 20, a solid,
utilitarian chronograph created for the French Army during
the ’50s.
This prestigious piece certainly stands apart when
considering the historic watchmaker’s opulent oeuvre. The
Type 20 feels about as far from Marie Antoinette, tourbillons,
and guilloché as possible. That incongruity always lent mystery
to the watch’s design, yet the piece plays an essential part in
Breguet lore. Naturally, I wanted to know more.
THE ORIGINAL TYPE 20S
If it’s not already clear, Christophe is something of an expert
on the Type 20. He’s researched the history of this special
watch extensively, conducting interviews to piece together its
history. His passion for these exceptionally rare timepieces is
rooted in a childhood love of mechanical clocks and a lifelong
obsession with Breguet’s adventurous past. He divides the
Type 20 story in “batches” of production. The first run of
around 2,000 pieces arrived after Breguet won the government
contract, these watches are all stamped with a “Breguet Type 20
5101/54” engravement on the back used as a reference to the
government contract number.
“As Breguet needed to produce a large number of watches
in a short amount of time, the production of the watches was
contracted and assembled by Mathey-Tissot using the Valjoux
164 COLLECTING

Opposite Christophe (aka @Toiche).
Above: A “Big-Eye” Breguet Type 20.
A fine example of the Marine Nationale
military engravings on the case back
provides clues to the past.
222 movement,” Christophe says. “Then there was a new batch
after that in the ’60s for the Marine Nationale, the famous
Aéronavale. There were 500 of those “Aeronavales” produced.
This Marine Nationale version is easy to identify with the “Big
eye” sub-register calibrated on 15mn (instead of 30 minutes
for the first batch), corresponding apparently to the required
time to complete the pre-flight aircraft checklist on the carrier.
They [also produced] the three-register CEV [model] for the
Centre d’Essais en Vol (French Flight Test Center), and made
about 50 of them.”
During the ’50s and ‘60s, Breguet noted civilian interest
in acquiring these watches. So it began manufacturing nonmilitary
versions of the Type 20. These offered the same design,
Christophe says, and the same specifications, but lacked the
Army stamping on the back.
Still, the scarcity of the original military issue pieces drives
Christophe’s obsession. During his initial research, Christophe
decided to cut through the noise and simply contact pilots
directly. What he learned was astounding: “Those military
watches, once they [went] to the Army, needed to stay within
the Army. We know precisely how many got produced. Many
people told me — the pilots, former pilots — when people were
leaving the Army, they had to give all the gear back. All the
uniforms, belts, helmets, packs, everything. Even the watches
… they had to go back to the watchmaker, and he was smashing
the watch with a hammer and tossing them in a bucket.
“So the idea was to destroy them because the military didn’t
want those watches getting out. The only way to withdraw those
watches was for pilots who were part of a critical situation
during a flight, like a near-death experience, like when they
were ejected or an accident. I don’t know, maybe something
very exceptional occurred in their career, they might be able to
keep their watch. But those cases are really, really, rare. And
then the last possibility was for pilots to pretend they lost the
watch and to keep it, basically to steal it.
“I tried to find former Marine Nationale pilots or French
Air Force pilots hoping to acquire a watch, and they all told
me the same thing. Of all the people I contacted, none of
them were able to keep the watch. They all had to give it back.
As a collector, my first goal was to find watches. And when I
contacted pilots, they all told me the answer: ‘No.’”
With his initial survey complete, Christophe began to
glean more about the watch itself, curious about how the pilots
interacted with it day-to-day. Did pilots consider the Type 20
special, or simply another piece of standard kit?
“The funny thing is, the pilots told me that the chronograph
watch was more for backup. The information [the watches]
provided was already on board in the aircraft. All the tools, all
the gear needed were part of the instrument panel. The watch
was more to be used in case of deficiencies with onboard
instruments or if they got ejected or had any other issue,”
Christophe says. “So that’s how I would like to imagine those
pilots using those flyback function chronographs. But in reality,
it was more like a daily watch, a mandatory watch to wear.”
COLLECTING 165

CAPTON

Opposite: The gold Breguet pocket watch that
initially inspired the collection. A rare Breguet
dashboard pocket watch used to calculate longitude.
Above: Extraordinary examples of first military
versions of the Breguet Type 20 with a signed dial
and without.
THE BEGINNING OF A SUPER NICHE COLLECTION
This is where a collector’s dreams take over. Because, for those
of us like Christophe, the allure of the Type 20 rises far beyond
its time in the sky.
“It’s my dream that these watches got used for their
intended purpose. Still, I know those watches retain a lot of
history. That’s true because those pilots [flew many] hours on
aircraft carriers or with the regular French Air Force. There are
so many hours of intense flights, for sure.”
While modern equivalents can be found in many collections,
this utilitarian-military watch has become increasingly rare.
Finding one these days can seem like rediscovering a longextinct
species. Yet Christophe has amassed more than a dozen.
Seeing them together was a rare, incredible sight.
The collecting bug began quite young for Christophe.
“When I was 12, I had an entire Napoleon-style clock in
my bedroom. So it’s more like a grandfather clock. But I
was spending my time trying to fix it, trying to examine the
movement. With every half an hour and every hour, a bell, ‘ding,
ding.’ I loved that. I spent a lot of time looking at watches,
and I had a strong interest in Swatch. Then I discovered the
mechanical version of Swatch. That was a fascination for me. I
was like, ‘Wow. What is it?’
“Later, around 2008, I came to New York, and I remember
stopping by the Wempe store on Fifth Avenue. I began spending
more and more time looking at watches. But still, I was not
buying them,” Christophe says. “And one day, I went to a
French-type Craigslist, and I saw an authentic Breguet pocket
watch for sale. An 18-karat gold pocket watch. And just this
name Breguet, I knew the name because it’s classically French
and very famous as a watchmaker.
“I knew a little bit about Abraham-Louis Breguet. It was
an original Breguet pocket watch. I was like, ‘Wow. That’s
amazing.’ I saw the pictures, I contacted the seller [and] just
bought it. My first expensive watch. I received it, and I fell in
love. I fell in love with this watch.”
The Breguet lore took hold. “It was from the early 20th
century, so it was maybe 1915 or ‘16. Decent. I saw something
on this watch, on the dial. There is a famous thing with Breguet
on pocket watches, the secret signature. A Breguet invention in
the 18th century, a tiny signature to prevent fake watches and
counterfeiting. And the one I bought had a similar little secret
signature engraved on the enamel dial below the “12”, so that
was that for me.”
The extraordinary records kept at Breguet provided more
history. “This was when I contacted Emmanuel Breguet to
help with certification. And Mr. Breguet was so polite and
friendly, and just asked me for pictures and the serial numbers.
And he provided me with the full watch history. When it was
manufactured, the price when sold, and who the buyer was at
the time.”
“I was so impressed with the Breguet archives. Then I met
with Emmanuel Breguet a couple of times, which is when I
started buying more pocket watches. That’s why I’m telling you
my first passion was always about Breguet. I bought one for my
son’s birth and another one for my wedding, I bought more and
more. And each time I contacted Emmanuel Breguet, he gave
me information.” This is where Christophe’s collection began
in earnest.
“One day, I bought an extraordinary pocket watch, a Marine
Nationale deck chronometer. The equivalent of the Type 20,
but for the deck.” This further fueled Christophe’s desire to
collect. Auction houses were the first stop. Private collectors
came next. “I’ve got a total of 12 Type 20s. I’ve got four Marine
Nationale. Just to find those four Marine Nationale, it took me
a lot of time.”
COLLECTING 167

BEYOND THE BREGUETS
Is there a desire for more? What’s left? “I would like to open my
collection to Tudor, the Tudor Marine Nationale. Tudor, these
are also quite famous and full of history, the steel tool watches.
My dream is also a Rolex Milsub. These are quite expensive
now, so I guess it will be tough.” While prices might keep the
collection in check, there are still some unexpected watches
that catch Christophe’s eye.
He shows me a watch that he purchased for about $50, and
the gleam in his eye is similar to his gaze for his rare Breguets.
“What I also like are Russian watches. It’s a Raketa, with a 24-
hour dial. This brand used to be very well known and popular in
Russia. It has a great movement, really robust. It’s not a luxury
watch, but it works well. They provided those watches to KGB,
and I like this style, a 24-hours blue dial.”
Christophe says new collectors should simply buy what
they like. “I may not be the world’s biggest expert on Breguet
Type 20, but I love them. I admire Breguet, the French
military history, the look of these utilitarian tool watches. And
sometimes just liking something for the sake of liking them
is enough.”
168 COLLECTING

COLLECTING 169
Above: A fourth-generation descendant of
Abraham-Louis Breguet would later found Breguet
Aviation, a tie that would lead Breguet to supply the
French military with the Type 20 military watches. A
small selection from @Toiche collection of Breguet
Type 20 watches, all worn regularly,
araresighttobehold.

Interview with
ALFREDO PARAMICO
The Italian-born, Miami-based watch collector and expert tells us about his
love affair with incredibly rare vintage pieces, including his greatest finds and
biggest watch-related regret.
Words Ross Povey
If you spend any time on social media and follow any of the most
prominent Italian watch dealers, you will undoubtedly have seen
Alfredo Paramico. Whether enjoying a good lunch on Davide
Parmegiani’s yacht in Capri or enjoying a glass of Meursault in Monaco
with Corrado Mattarelli, he moves with the pack of the most prominent
Italian watch dealers and market makers. He is a passionate collector
and dealer and has been fortunate enough to handle some of the most
important horological discoveries. He is also a serious fitness fanatic and
a devotee of CrossFit, a fitness regime based on aerobic exercise, strict
diet regimes and Olympic weightlifting. It’s not for the faint-hearted and
requires absolute dedication and focus. So it was the perfect choice for
the dedicated and focused watch collector Paramico.
“I was born in Naples [Italy], the epicenter of the best tailors in the
world, 51 years ago. After completing a degree in economics, I went to
Milan to undertake a master’s degree in econometrics, and then the year
after that, I commenced my investment banking career.” This successful
career in banking spanned almost 20 years and led to positions in New
York, London, Frankfurt, Madrid and Milan. However, since 2004,
Paramico has enjoyed US residency living in Miami.
So how did Paramico first became interested in watches? “Since I was
10, I have been attracted by small and serious objects, and I loved the idea
of keeping one in my pocket. I remember in the early 1990s I came across
the very first watch magazines, and it was truly love at first sight!” And it
was vintage watches that drew Paramico into the vortex of collecting. “My
belief is that the 1950s were probably the best years ever for design and
objets d’art. And so I was incredibly attracted by the Patek Philippe and
Rolex pieces of that era. But it didn’t stop there, and soon I was equally in
love with Longines, Universal Genève and Omega.”
Much like myself, Paramico has an affinity for rare, gem-set Perpetual
Daytonas. What drew him to those and which have been his greatest
finds? “This is very interesting to me. The so-called ‘bling’ watches,
especially Rolex and Patek Philippe pieces, have always been very keenly
sought after by the top watch connoisseurs. We see rarity and unicity in
these watches, and indeed they are extremely rare! Even if I respect any
opinion, I don’t really understand why a vintage Patek Philippe collector
can’t appreciate the beauty of a GMT ‘SARU’ [sapphires and rubies] or a
Daytona 6270.
“Among my best finds, without any doubt is the unique set of four
Patek Philippe white-gold Nautiluses with different-color gem-set
bezels; emerald, ruby, sapphire and diamond. In terms of Rolex, I
Above Paramico is an enthusiastic
CrossFit competitor. In action, doing
some heavy lifting!
170 COLLECTING

Above AuniquesetoffourPatekPhilippe
white-gold Nautiluses with different color
gem-set bezels; emerald, ruby, sapphire and
diamond.
Top right A unique rainbow bezel white gold
Day-Date with match rainbow-hued hour
markers.
Above right Unicorn Duo: A pair of hyperrarereference6270withbaguettediamond
bezels and purple sub dials.
believe the incredible emerald bezel and hour marker
reference 16528 ‘EMRO’ Daytona and the 6270 with
Omani khanjar caseback, which I had been chasing
for almost 10 years, are my finest finds.”
But there have been others that could literally break
Paramico’s heart. “Ross, you ask me two questions
which have the same answer. What was my ultimate
grail find and which watch do I regret selling the most?
Let me first dry my tears…. The unique platinum Patek
Philippe 2497 with emerald Breguet numerals. This
was the most incredible and beautiful watch that I have
ever seen…never mind owned! Let me tell you that 20
years ago it was much easier, not only because grail
watches were more affordable, but they were also in
some ways more readily available. Today they are all
cherished trophies in incredible collections and very
likely will never be on the market again.”
172 COLLECTING

Unique find: a Rolex Daytona reference
16528 in yellow gold with baguette-cut
emerald bezel and emerald hour markers.
Confirmed by Rolex as delivered in this
configuration and the only one ever seen.
What is that Paramico looks for when buying an investment-grade
watch? “Simply quality and rarity! And that is what it boils down to.” And
on this basis, which have been some of his best buys? “I would say the
[Patek Philippe] steel 1518, the white-gold 3450 with Breguet numbers
and certainly the platinum 3700. But I have also bought some superrare
Longines watches, like the Siderograph and a stunning 18K gold
chronograph. Having told you that quality is a key factor, then I should
mention a virtually NOS [new old stock] steel Rolex 6062 I found last
year from the family of the original owner. When I had the watch in my
hands, I had to take a deep breath and pray I was not dreaming!”
It is often said that the Italians “invented” watch collecting. Why does
Paramico believe that watches are so important in Italy? “In some way,
it is true. Maybe it’s the proximity to Switzerland but also the love and
the passion for beautiful objects. I mean Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati,
Bugatti are all Italian, right?” Whatever the reason, the Italian dealers are
a very strong community. “I have had the honor of being close friends with
John Goldberger since I was 20 and it is impossible not to be inspired by
“I always say to collectors that they
should not be afraid to pay a multiple
— yes, I said a multiple not just a
premium — to buy the very best example
of the watch you are looking for!”
COLLECTING 173

a man like him. Not only a great collector but a real
friend. I love our watch conversations! Over the years I
have become friends with some of the most important
dealers from all over the world. In Europe, Davide
Parmegiani and Roberto Caso, and in the US, Luca
Musumeci, Andrew Shear, Eric Ku, Matt Bain and
Justin Gruenberg I would count as great friends.”
With a constant stream of new, young collectors
entering the market, good advice isn’t always the
easiest thing to find. In fact, seasoned collectors
always welcome advice from experts such as Alfredo
Paramico. “I always say to collectors that they should
not be afraid to pay a multiple — yes, I said a multiple
not just a premium — to buy the very best example
of the watch you are looking for!” And are there
always emerging trends or undiscovered watches that
collectors should be looking out for in the current
market? “I think the super complicated Gérald Genta
pieces from the ’90s are amazing value. These were
watches made for gentlemen with an unparalleled taste;
people who wanted the very best. And let me add that a perpetual calendar,
tourbillon, minute repeater, grande et petite sonnerie Westminster
Chimes is a no-joke watch! Taking the big picture view, I would say that
generally the market is very solid for the rarest and best preserved watches
and the trend will continue for the very highest quality pieces.”
Aside from watches, as I stated earlier, Paramico is often photographed
training. And we’re not just talking a light job or some free-weights. We
are talking serious lifting and extreme high-impact interval training that
would make even the most hardened marines end up on all fours, throwing
up their last meal. How did it start? “When I was 25 I weighed something
like 270 lbs. Overnight I said ‘STOP’ and since then I started a healthy
nutrition regime and CrossFit. I like any kind of cardiovascular activity, I
think we have the duty to keep our body and our heart in good shape.”
Surely he enjoys some downtime? “Of course. I like movies and
music, but is there any better thing than enjoying time with your friends
and family? As I previously said, I was born and grew up in Naples;
seaside has always been very important to me. When I decided to move
to the US, I started looking for a place by the sea, with nice weather and
where sports and fitness were part of the DNA. It was LA or Miami — I’d
have to say it was a very tough decision, but you know the outcome!”
174 COLLECTING

This page A very rare Patek
Philippe ref 3974 in white gold
with applied Breguet numerals.
Opposite page (clockwise)
Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual
triple calendar ref 6062; Patek
Philippe 18K Pink Gold Ref 3448
perpetual calendar; Unique 18K
white gold ref 2526 with diamond
hour markers; A unique platinum
Patek Philippe ref 2497 perpetual
calendar with enamel Breguet
numerals; Yellow gold Rolex
Oyster Perpetual ref 6062.
COLLECTING 175

Reservoir × Revolution
HydrosphereBronze ‘Maldives Edition’
A dive watch like no other, the new Hydrosphere Bronze is reminiscent
of the warm sun on an island paradise.
Words Wei Koh
F
rançois Moreau has always had a fascination with
gauges. Something that becomes abundantly clear at our
first meeting in Mexico City during the 2019 El Salón
Internacional Alta Relojería (SIAR) — an event that now seems
like it took place a lifetime ago considering the seismic changes
of the last seven months. Immediately, we begin to discuss the
beautiful pragmatism of gauges like the Smith speedometer
and tachymeter mounted to my 1972 Norton Commando as
well as the VDO gauges that had presided over the strippedout
Spartan cabin of my 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo, a car that
used to try to kill me on a daily basis as a young man living in
Los Angeles. We joke, in particular, about the Turbo boost
gauge that remained motionless even when you had slammed
the accelerator to the floor for several seconds — thanks to the
model’s notorious turbo lag — before skyrocketing beyond
one bar once the turbo finally spooled up and shot you forward
toward what seemed like certain death.
Moreau laughs and says, “Well, anyway, this is a clear
demonstration that for the majority of the 20th century, all
forms of exploration, conquest of the air and the sea, and even
competitive racing on land, could not have taken place without
these extraordinary instruments providing vital information on
everything from oil pressure to altitude.” Inspired by his love
affair with instrumentation, Moreau thus set out to create his
watch company. He explains, “Of course, I was immediately
confronted by the fact that the majority of watches tell time
with hands that revolve around the dial, while gauges provide
information with a linear or ascending semi-circular reading.
So I quickly arrived at the idea of combining a retrogrademinute
hand and a jump-hour indicator.”
For those of you who haven’t experienced the engaging
visual pyrotechnics of a jump-hour and retrograde-minute
watch, this is what happens. The minute hand continues moving
forward in a semi-circular arc until at the end of the 59th
minute — bam — it jumps back to the beginning of its arc, i.e.,
the very first second of the first minute, without losing a fraction
of a second of accuracy. This is thanks to a very cool snailcam
mechanism that loads the spring-powered hand until the
penultimate moment. At the exact same time, the hour indicator,
usually in an aperture somewhere near the center of the dial,
instantaneously jumps. This is, of course, not an original idea;
there have been many jump-hour watches over the years. My
favorites amongst these are the old Gérald Genta Mickey Mouse
watches. Mickey’s hand would serve as the minute indicator
while the jump hour was shown in a porthole beneath his distinct
yellow shoes. And, of course, I also love the iconic Cartier Tank à
Guichet, which dates back to 1928, and features a solid case with
just two windows on what would normally be the dial; one for the
jumping hours and one for the dragging minutes.
Since the creation of the Reservoir brand, Moreau has
offered a charming array of clean, legible, jump-hour watches
characterized by a large arching minute hand, an aperture at
six o’clock for the hours and a linear power-reserve indicator
just under that. The designs of the watches have been inspired
by the worlds of automobiles, aviation and even submarines,
with evocative names like the GT Tour, the Airfight and the
Tiefenmesser, all executed around the same movement, which
starts life as an ETA 2824-2 but then has a proprietary module
for the unique indications added. This module comprises 124
parts and was developed specifically for Reservoir by Télôs
Watch of La Chaux-de-Fonds. And all of these watches I
consider appealing timepieces, with fun contemporary styling,
offered at a competitive price range. So at what point did I
stop thinking about Reservoir Watch as a good brand and start
thinking about the brand helmed by Moreau with the capable
collaboration of his peers François Nakkachdji and François-
176 COLLECTING

Reservoir’s
Hydrosphere, a
retrograde minute
dive watch, is given
the bronze treatment
to evoke artifacts
straight out of a
Jules Verne fantasy.

Artwork by Alain Bouldouyre, commissioned by Reservoir to tell the story of our collaboration.
Marie Neycensas (yes, apparently a prerequisite to Reservoir
management is being named François)… as truly great? That
was the moment I set eyes on Moreau’s dive watch named the
Hydrosphere. I get that there is a seemingly endless number of
brands offering dive watches. And yes, each one claims to make
the most functional, visible and reliable dive watch around. But
with the Hydrosphere, you get something totally different. It
has to be the single most out-of-the-box, “take the path less
traveled,” march-to-beat-of-its-own-drummer dive watch in
existence, and the one and only jump-hour, retrograde-minute
dive watch in Christendom.
AUNIQUESYSTEM
“Wait a minute. Hold up a second,” you say. Because you too
have immediately zeroed in on the fact that a dive watch needs to
have a unidirectional dive bezel to show elapsed time. And this
elapsed time is read from the bezel relative to the minute hand.
Which would absolutely not work in the context of a retrogrademinute
hand. Well, that’s just what is so damn cool about the
Hydrosphere. Moreau has created the very first dive watch bezel
that functions perfectly with his retrograde-minute indicator.
It works like this. The bezel features two sets of indicators. The
ones in red are for use up to 45 minutes and the ones in blue are
for use after 45 minutes. OK, so what exactly does this mean?
Try the following: Imagine your Hydrosphere’s minute
hand is at the 46-minute marker. Now you turn the bezel so
that the red pearl aligns with 46 minutes. OK, now you can
submerge underwater. Checking the bezel at the end of the
59th minute, the minute hand will leap back to zero where it
now aligns with the blue indications on the bezel, telling exactly
the correct elapsed time. If you set the start point on the 47th
minute, the blue indication automatically moves forward by
one minute, meaning that the bezel functions flawlessly to
show elapsed dive time. It also means that the bezel turns in
only one direction, meaning that you can only accidentally
shorten dive time; not accidentally increase it, which could
be dangerous. Because all dive watches need to have either a
seconds hand or running indication, Moreau has placed a subseconds
disc on the same axis as the minute hand, to show you
that the watch is under power. In addition, there is a powerreserve
indicator just beneath the hour aperture. Note that this
— as well as the seconds indicator, minute hand, the minute
scale on the dial and both sets of minute scales on the bezel —
are all massively luminous.
178 COLLECTING

Stage 15’
HOW TO MEASURE THE DECOMPRESSION
LEVEL OF 15 MINUTES
End 15’
Start 0
Before the hand indicates 45 minutes
Before 45’
Says Moreau, “We wanted to create the world’s first
retrograde dive watch. But only on the condition that it is a
truly functional dive watch. I think the way in which we’ve given
massive luminous visibility to all the most vital information,
such as elapsed dive time, seconds and power reserve, makes
the Hydrosphere hugely functional even while being an
engaging and fun watch to observe and play with. For this
reason, we wanted to include a helium release valve in the case
and rate the water resistance to 250 meters — to stress that
when we make a dive watch, we do it seriously.”
Yes, that’s right — the Hydrosphere, which is not only one
of the coolest-looking, but also definitely the most unique dive
watch around, is super functional and actually features a helium
release valve. So if you wanted to take it deep saturation diving,
you could decompress with the watch on without worrying that
expanding helium molecules from your stay in the hyperbaric
chamber would cause the crystal of the watch to pop off. Says
Moreau, “We wanted to create a devastatingly charming watch
but with no compromise as a diving tool.” Despite all this
technical street cred, it is the design of the Hydrosphere that is
so damnably arresting. Whether it’s the Pop Art Frank Stellalike
color fields of primary hues used around the minute track,
the smooth UFO shape of the watch that is reminiscent of both
Ikepod and Max Büsser & Friends, the entire 45mm-diameter
watch (it wears smaller as there are no lugs) just looks epic and
wildly futuristic on the wrist. And at a hair over USD 4,000, we
can say that it is a strong value proposition as well.
AFTER THE HAND INDICATES 45 MINUTES
After 45’ After 45’
End 10’
End 10’
Start 5’ Start 5’
Before the jump of the minute
After the jump of the minute
COLLECTING 179

… we decided with Reservoir to
create a very special version of the
Hydrosphere — one that evokes the
sun as it dips into the water. The setting
sun is a promise that it will rise once
again tomorrow, bringing with it
a brand-new day. It symbolizes the
beginning of 2021, a year that we
know will bring a renewal of hope,
optimism and prosperity to the world.
Above Each watch is numbered and engraved on the caseback.
Below Theboxsetcomeswithaprintofanoriginalartworkby
Alain Bouldouyre for our collaboration.
THE MALDIVES EDITION
When the opportunity arose to create a special-edition watch
with Reservoir, it was without hesitation that I asked for it to be
on the Hydrosphere platform. And as it turns out, we had the
perfect theme. We will be opening our first physical retail shop
in the beginning of 2021. While many might have speculated
that this would be in a major city like London, New York or
Singapore, our first boutique will be located in the Maldives.
Specifically 50 minutes from Malé by speedboat, on a reef
owned by our partners Pontiac Land where they have reclaimed
three islands for three different hotels comprising a total of
almost 300 villas on the water. To celebrate our launch in this
diving and water sports mecca, we decided with Reservoir to
create a very special version of the Hydrosphere — one that
evokes the sun as it dips into the water. The setting sun is a
promise that it will rise once again tomorrow, bringing with it a
brand-new day. It symbolizes the beginning of 2021, a year that
we know will bring a renewal of hope, optimism and prosperity
to the world.
Says Moreau, “We selected bronze because this has been a
material for some of Revolution’s best-selling special-edition
watches, including the IWC Mark XI in 36mm with a George
180 COLLECTING

The color of the dial
evokes the sunset.
Cleverley 200-year-old Russian reindeer-hide strap. I recall
all 150 pieces of this watch sold in 14 minutes in 2019 when it
was launched. But even more because, in the context of a diving
watch, bronze was always the material that [was] used to create
ancient marine elements like hardware, oarlocks, latches and
even propellers. The use of bronze gave our Hydrosphere the
sense that it was an artifact from a Jules Verne fantasy. We loved
the idea of this watch developing a beautiful patina [because
it] was used in the stunning blue waters of the Maldives. To
complement the bronze case, we found a dial with the perfect
color of the sunset, complemented by a beautiful sunray effect
emanating from the center. Then, we found the perfect tone of
brown ceramic for the bezel insert.”
Note that on this special edition, the indexes are rose gold
in color, filled with luminous material, then applied to the dial
for an extra touch of vibrancy and richness from the regular
production watch. The entire design was an interesting exercise
in playing with much warmer color codes, such as the creamcolored
Luminova used on the bezel. The end-result is a watch
with a totally different character — much warmer and somehow
sensual — and we love it. With the watch, we include both a
rubber strap and a NATO strap with bronze hardware and
RESERVOIR × REVOLUTION
HYDROSPHERE BRONZE “MALDIVES EDITION”
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 2824-2 with patented
124-part module; jumping hour; retrograde minutes;
37-hour power reserve
CASE 45mm; satin-finished bronze; water-resistant to 250m
STRAP Rubberwithbronzebuckle,additionalNATOfabric
mounted on bronze stirrups
PRICE USD 4,400
AVAILABILITY Limited Edition of 100 pieces
keepers. This is an all-new strap design for us and is exclusive
to the Revolution model. The Reservoir × Revolution Bronze
Hydrosphere will be made in a limited edition of 100 pieces and
is priced at USD 4,400. It also comes with a print of an original
artwork by Alain Bouldouyre, commissioned by Reservoir to
tell the story of our collaboration in the lush and wonderous
Maldives. Says Moreau, “It’s funny, when I look at the watch and
dream of wearing [it] in the Maldives, I am filled with optimism.
In some ways, the watch fills me with hopefulness for the
future.” I am most inclined to agree with him.
COLLECTING 181

Moritz Grossmann Benu
37 Steel with Grand
Feu Enamel Dial for
Revolution & The Rake
We collaborate with Moritz Grossmann on the
special-edition Benu 37 Steel that both inherits and
reinvents the traditions of Saxon watchmaking.
Words Wei Koh
G
lashütte, the somnambulant Saxon hamlet, is not only
the birthplace of German watchmaking, but also a
town where female watchmakers have contributed
vastly to the lexicon of modern horology. Case in point number
one is Annegret Fleischer, the goddess of the chronograph,
who created the movement for the groundbreaking A. Lange
& Söhne Datograph. But Christine Hutter is, in addition
to being a watchmaker, the only woman to have founded an
independent watchmaking brand and run it as CEO. And
from the perspective of technical creativity, her brand, Moritz
Grossmann, ranks up there with some of the most sublime in
her field. Her watchmaking pedigree couldn’t be more flawless.
She worked initially as a watchmaker at Glashütte Original and
then A. Lange & Söhne, but a desire to fully master distribution,
182 COLLECTING

communication and branding led her to roles in these areas.
It was at this time that an idea began to coalesce in her mind.
She explains, “Watchmaking is in our blood in Glashütte and
so many of us have parents and even grandparents who were
watchmakers. For everyone, the name Moritz Grossmann
is incredibly meaningful, because in 1878, he founded the
German School of Watchmaking here in our town. Students
from all over Germany and beyond would come here to learn
this craft. Grossmann was also a prolific watchmaker in his
own right and his dial designs and movements in his pocket
watches contributed a great deal to what we think of today as
German watchmaking.” Indeed, Grossmann, who created
his eponymous brand in 1854, was revered by horologists
throughout Europe. He even received first prize from the
British Horological Institute in London for his 1866 treatise,
“On the Detached Lever Escapement.”
Thus inspired, Hutter acquired the rights to the Moritz
Grossmann name in 2008. She set up a manufacture with the
expressed purpose of ensuring that “the Moritz Grossmann
name would never be sullied by ETA ébauche movements”
— a provocative statement about her in-house movement
intentions. Accordingly, the watch world stood by with some
amount of scrutiny when her first watch was released in 2010.
But the thing was, this timepiece named “Benu” was good.
Actually, it was really very good. Says Hutter, “I like to think of
the rebirth of Moritz Grossmann as a resurrection, which, while
contemporary in spirit, is profoundly inspired by the iconic
codes of German watchmaking created by our founder. As such,
I came upon the name ‘Benu,’ which comes from Egyptian
mythology about a divine bird, a heron that was consumed by
fire but left an egg that would hatch into another heron the next
morning. For me, it was making a statement about our roots and
becoming the bridge between the past and the future.”
Instead of pinions mounted
on rubies, they’re mounted on
white sapphires. And instead
of blued hands and screws,
they are flame-treated to a
unique purple hue.
MORITZ GROSSMANN’S TECHNICAL CREATIVITY
One look at the movement of the Benu, and you can immediately
see the link Hutter forged between these two realms. The
Moritz Grossmann caliber 100.0 has bridges and plates crafted
exclusively from untreated German silver. This material, which
is also used by A. Lange & Söhne, famously oxidizes with
human contact and thus has to be treated with the greatest of
care during assembly. But the benefit of German silver is its
wonderfully warm color, which has a tendency to deepen with
age. The two-thirds plate construction comes straight from
Grossmann’s historic playbook. But the details here are truly
Left Moritz
Grossman CEO
Christine Hutter.
Right The
manufacture in
Glashütte.
COLLECTING 183

ewitching. Instead of rubies, Hutter mounted pinions on
white sapphires. Further, every one of these sapphires is fixed
with a gold rim named a chaton, and fixed to the plate using
screws. While most German watch brands flame-blue these
screws, here they are flame-treated to a different temperature,
which results in a unique purple hue that Hutter would use as
a visual signature for the Grossmann brand. The movement is
a masterpiece of hand finish. Glashütte stripes (not Geneve
waves) are applied with artful delicacy and sumptuously
counterpointed by hand-executed bevels. One of the most
stunning details is, of course, the double-spiral sunray finish
on the ratchet wheel which winds the mainspring. The crown
wheel driving it, not to be outdone, is the recipient of spéculaire
or black polish, the effect of hand polishing something so
perfectly that it no longer reflects light. Then there is the
gorgeous hand engraving of the balance cock and the small cock
that is dedicated to retaining the escape wheel. In the original
version of the caliber 100.0 this was not fully visible, but
with the launch of the Benu 37 in 2018 (37mm in diameter as
opposed to the original Benu’s 41mm diameter) the two-thirds
plate was reworked to reveal the escape cock as a transcendent
element of hand craftsmanship.
Then there is the regulator used on the balance cock. As
opposed to a swan-neck-style regulator used by some of
her other Saxon brethren, for her movement, Hutter chose a
micrometer screw regulator. Here, the index of the regulator
is moved up or down to change the effective length of the
hairspring using an adjuster that is fixed at the bottom edge
of the balance cock. This means that the movement has to be
taken out of the watch in order to be regulated. Says Hutter,
“Yes, but the benefit to this system is that it is much more
stable than other regulators. Once it is set, it remains in
place — it is incredibly stable. And at Moritz Grossmann, we
prefer this approach.” Over the ensuing decade, thanks to
Hutter’s technical creativity, Moritz Grossmann has gone from
strength to strength, with notable creations such as the first
stop-seconds tourbillon that uses a human hair as a brake on
the balance wheel. This hair is woven into a tiny brush that is
located at the 25th-minute position next to the tourbillon.
The Moritz Grossmann
Autum “Hommage” paired
with an original 1872
Moritz Grossmann pocket
watch that was auctioned
by Christie’s was the spark
for the entire project.
Instead of the more typical swan-neck-style
regulator, you’ll find the micrometer screw
regulator on the balance cock in the caliber
100.0 movement.
184 COLLECTING

Left The flamed purple color on
the spade-shaped hands.
Right The balance bridge is
hand-engraved in the Glashütte
tradition.
A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE PAST AND THE FUTURE
In 2018, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand,
Christine Hutter curated an amazing collection of vintage
Moritz Grossmann watches paired with her timepieces which
was auctioned by Christie’s. Amongst the auction lots was a very
interesting and unique Atum 37mm by 9.2mm slim Hommage
wristwatch that was paired with a pocket watch with movement
number 6126 made by Moritz Grossmann in 1872. To me, this
wristwatch featured one of the most stunning dials I’d ever set
my eyes on. The elegance of the ultra-slim Roman numerals,
surrounded by the delicately printed chemin-de-fer minute
indicator and contrasted by the four diamond-shaped markers
at the cardinal points, was wonderful. It was the most perfect
example of Zen reductionist tranquility I’d seen in recent years,
and, in some ways, it staged a serious challenge to Laurent
Ferrier’s wonderful language of restrained elegance. But this
hand-fired enamel dial watch was only created in this one
unique execution. Or so I thought, until I had the opportunity
to speak to Christine Hutter on her visit to Singapore last year.
Remarking on the majesty of this watch, she asked if we
might consider collaborating on a version of the timepiece
together. Of course, I was humbled and delighted to acquiesce.
She pointed out that the Benu Heritage 37mm case, which
was launched in April 2018, was exactly the same shape and
dimension and could offer us the perfect platform to start.
We soon returned to her very original idea when she founded
Moritz Grossmann, which was to forge a link between Saxon
watchmaking’s past and future. From the past, we selected a
grand feu enamel dial similar to the pièce unique auctioned
by Christie’s. But instead of white, we decided on an ivorycolored
dial with black Roman indexes, but contrasted by a
soft seductive deep purple chemin de fer, which perfectly
complements the signature flamed purple color on her lovely
spade-shaped hands. To perfectly express the idea of ultimate
horological tranquility, we decided to omit the seconds hand.
This would, after all, be the watch of a flaneur or a boulevardier,
an individual for whom time is a luxury, and it would simply not
do to allow the banal encroachment of a small seconds indicator.
The case would come from the future and would, specifically,
be in stainless steel, the only alloy of this material that can be
hand polished to mirror-like perfection. The movement would,
of course, be the German silver masterpiece of the Benu 37,
which allowed for the unencumbered view of the engraved escape
wheel cock. The balance wheel and winder of the movement are
now also manufactured in-house, allowing Christine Hutter the
dignity of a movement she can call truly in-house. The end result,
the Benu 37 Steel with grand feu enamel dial for Revolution &
The Rake, is one of my favorite collaborations, simply because
it epitomizes a spirit of total authenticity embodied by Moritz
Grossmann and Christine Hutter. And, if I may say so, at 37mm
in diameter and 9.7mm in height, rendered as an expression
of 19th-century evocative calm, it is the perfect watch for that
individual who lives an understated life full of nuanced riches
and calm meditational sybaritism.
COLLECTING 185

Holthinrichs Brutal
Elegance Ornament
Revolution and Refined
Elegance Ornament
The Rake Limited Editions
Michiel Holthinrichs first amazed us with his 3D-printed
Ornament watch; this year the Delft-based watchmaker
continues to impress by collaborating with Revolution and
The Rake on two sublimely elegant limited editions.
Words Wei Koh
Opposite page
The Holthinrichs Brutal
Elegance Ornament
Revolution Limited
Edition.
Below
Michiel Holthinrichs.
O
ne of my favorite discoveries of 2020 has been
Holthinrichs Watches. Michiel Holthinrichs who is
based in Delft, a town about 50km from Amsterdam,
has created precisely the type of watch that I feel the collector
community was searching desperately for. Why? Well, first
he created an all-new design that is simultaneously different
and intriguing but somehow familiar and comforting. Part of
what makes his perfectly sized 38mm case so unique is his use
of 3D printing, which allows a remarkable level of complexity,
particularly in the amazing massive architectural voids he
creates along the caseband and through his signature lugs which
are skeletonized along two axes and are to me reminiscent of the
flying buttresses of France’s iconic Nantes Cathedral. I think
it will come as no surprise that Michiel was an architect in a
previous life. If there was a prize for sexiest modern watch lugs,
I would be engraving Michiel’s name on the trophy.
The second thing I love about Holthinrichs is that each and
every watch is made by him, meaning he applies the angling
to the handmade hands, he is the one applying the angles and
the engraving to the baseplates and bridges of every one of his
highly modified vintage Peseux movements. In a world where
automation even in the rarefied field of horology rules the day, it
is refreshingly human to have the hand of the man whose name
is on the dial actually finish and assemble every timepiece that
leaves his workshop. The closest equivalent I can think of is the
ultra-cool Akira Nakai of Rough World aka Rauh-Welt Begriff,
the famed Japanese Porsche customizer who insists to fit each
and every car with his signature fender flares, nose and speed
tail personally. There are amazing videos of him traveling the
world and taking his air saw to freshly painted Porsche fenders
as he cuts them to make way for his magnificently bombastic
wheel arches. Does this create scale issues for old-school
craftsmen like Holthinrichs and Nakai? Of course it does.
COLLECTING 187

As demand for Michiel’s watches surges, he is already having
trouble keeping up with all the orders. But he likes it like that.
Amusingly, when I spoke to him last he told me he was “buried
in fulfilling the orders for this year, but super happy and loving
my work.” But such is the nature of handcraftsmanship and
I feel that the wait for the Holthinrichs watch is part of the
experience. I particularly love that he militates against other
critically acclaimed brands that are essentially clever designs
with totally outsourced manufacturing.
Finally, what I love best about Michiel is his honesty.
Considering the buzz around him as one of the hottest
independent horological commodities, he could probably
charge twice to three times as much for his watches. But he
doesn’t. He explains, “Sure, I’ve received offers for more to
even skip the line for my watches but that’s just not the type of
person I am or the type of brand I want to have. We are very
down-to-earth people in Delft. I want my customers to feel that
they receive a real value in the watch that I’ve created for them. I
think that especially today there is a real search for authenticity
and I hope my watches represent that.”
HOLTHINRICHS × REVOLUTION
AND THE RAKE
Considering the not-insubstantial demand for his watches
then, I was surprised and touched that he reached out to
propose a collaboration on a small series of handmade watches
after I wrote an article on him previously. Little did I know too,
that The Rake had been essential in building his initial interest
in watches. Michiel confides, “I learned about ultimate classic
style through The Rake, and becoming interested in clothing and
style, this inevitably led me to watches.”
The idea that Michiel had was intriguing. He explained,
“I am a fan of both your magazines — Revolution which is one
of the best and coolest watch magazines and websites around,
and also The Rake which is really a unique
voice for classic elegance. Why don’t
we create a different design for each of
these, one for Revolution and one for The
Rake?” Without hesitation I immediately
agreed and so we assembled a black ops
team consisting of Ross Povey, my UK
editor-in-chief, and Sumit Nag, my
head of online, and began to discuss
the concepts. We decided immediately
to identify one signature shared design
trait that could be carried across both
the Revolution and The Rake model
watches. As I had been buried in my
massive story about Patek Philippe’s
vintage chronographs, specifically the
reference 130 and the reference 1463, I had been poring over
images of these watches. Time and again I had remarked to
Ross and Sumit about the near-hallucinatory beauty of the
rare Breguet-numeral-dial versions of these watches. And so
almost immediately Ross proposed, “Why don’t we use Breguet
numerals?” I was sold.
“I love it,” was Michiel’s reply. And like that he was off on
his design process. Holthinrichs features two very different
case finishes for his Ornament model case. The traditional
finish is smooth-polished and sublimely elegant. But he also
offers what he calls the RAW Ornament, which features a case
surface that looks like it was roughhewn out of granite with a
chisel and a hammer while drinking whiskey straight out the
bottle. It looks like an even more brutal version of the sandcast
magnesium parts found in old Formula 1 cars and super bikes.
And these two finishes gave Michiel the idea for distinguishing
the two watches. He explained, “For Revolution which brought a
‘cool’ attitude to watch journalism, I want to make a watch that
is inspired by Brutal Elegance. We will use the RAW Ornament
case as the foundation for this. But for The Rake which is about
style, I want to make a watch that epitomizes Refined Elegance.
The type of watch a boulevardier or flaneur would wear.” We
loved the idea.
BRUTAL ELEGANCE ORNAMENT LIMITED EDITION
The watches that Michiel designed are as follows. For
Revolution he created the B.E.O or Brutal Elegance Ornament.
This features a 38mm steel case in his signature raw finish
which looks like a sandblasted treatment but is actually the way
the metal emerges from the 3D-printing process. The benefit
to this is significant because although sandblasting creates
a robust-looking finish, it is actually extremely delicate and
scratches very easily. Conversely, the raw finish from Michiel’s
3D printing is relatively resistant to scratching. It is also
The dial of the normal
RAW Ornament looks as
though it was roughhewn
straight out of granite,
and the same technique
is used on the Revolution
edition.
188 COLLECTING

Themovementonthewatch
also keeps with the frosted finish
found on the dial.
uniquely identifiable as he is the only individual in watchmaking
that uses this technique for his cases. As such, his “raw” look
acts as a visual identifier for his brand. The beauty of the raw
finish is sublimely contrasted by the high polishing applied to
areas such as the lugs and the crown. This is a hugely laborintensive
process. Michiel laughs, “I have to finish each of these
cases with a small file and sand paper to achieve the level of
refinement I feel is necessary.” To keep the brutal theme going,
Michiel selected a dial with a similar brutal sandblasted-type
finish. But this is contrasted by stunning high-polished applied
Breguet numerals. Says Michiel, “If you look closely you will see
these numerals have sharp straight edges to keep a maximum
of dramatic contrast with the dial. This idea of dynamic tension
between roughness and refinement is something I learned from
architecture and perhaps most from Le Corbusier.”
For the Brutal Elegance Ornament, Michiel worked on
different minute tracks including applied markers but finally
arrived at a technique that looks like dots fixed to the dial but
actually aren’t. He explains, “Because my dials are also 3D
COLLECTING 189

The Refined Elegance
Ornament Limited Edition
for The Rake fitted on a
beads of rice bracelet.
The Japanese lacquer comes
with a high-gloss finish, which
Michiel proudly stamps with
thewords“MadeinDelft”.
Using 3D printing,
there is a message
written into the
caseband of the watch.
190 COLLECTING

Each watch takes up to six weeks to complete upon
ordering, as they’re all handmade by Michiel himself,
which means if you want your name engraved on
the back of the movement, you totally can.
printed, I could specify to have these dots for the minutes that
stand out in relief from [the] dial but they are actually part of
the printing process.” The result is a watch that expresses a
sense of refined brutality that Michiel complemented with a
rough and heavy buffalo strap.
For the movement, he wanted to keep the sandblasted effect
and used a stunning frosted finish to the white rhodium-treated
mainplate and bridges. The evidence of laborious hand work
is on full display here. Says Michiel, “All the edges of the
bridges are beveled and polished by me with sharp inward and
outward angles that collectors will recognize as signs of real
handmade anglage. There’s no milling machine that is capable
of creating these sharp inward angles. Similarly, all the screw
heads are black polished by hand to achieve a mirror-like
surface that doesn’t reflect light.” Michiel’s slavish devotion
to detail doesn’t end with the movement. He cuts every one of
his own watch hands from extra-hard, rust-resistant spring
steel and then bevels and polishes them by hand. He says,
“I feel that even if you don’t tell the owner about how much
hand work goes into his watch, he senses it unconsciously and
it resonates with him.”
REFINED ELEGANCE ORNAMENT LIMITED EDITION
For The Rake’s R.E.O or Refined Elegance Ornament, Michiel
began with his high-polished 38mm Ornament steel case. He
explains, “Immediately when I thought of a dandy’s watch, I
thought of a grand feu enamel dial. But this would immediately
shift our target price of 5.5K euros up dramatically. So I ended
up using the Japanese lacquer that I have experience with from
my Blue Delft Limited Edition.” This material, also called
“stretched lacquer,” is applied in layers and when it is finished,
comes remarkably close to the look of grand feu enamel but
without the fragility or super-high cost. Says Michiel, “Because
I knew we were going to have to drill holes in the dial for the
applied Breguet numerals, I thought this was the best course.”
Michiel’s attention to detail came down to creating a slightly
different type of Breguet numeral than he used on the Brutal
Elegance dial. He explains, “Here I used numerals with a softer
rounder profile which I feel complemented the lush, stunning
high-gloss look of the Japanese lacquer dial better.”
For the minute indexes and his logo, Michiel selected a soft
gray pad-printing technique which evokes faded indexes in
vintage enamel. He explains, “Initially I tried black print but it
came off too harsh. I wanted something more subtle and timelesslooking
and after many experiments arrived at this gray.” For
the movement, by this point, Michiel and our team had grown so
enamored with the frosted finish applied to the Brutal Elegance
Ornament that we wanted to continue with this finish for our Rake
watch. Says Michiel, “There was of course the temptation to do a
Côtes de Geneve and blued screws finish but there is something
both charming and unusual about the frosted finish. A lot of
watchmakers don’t like to use this because it shows every mark
that’s made on the movement, but it is also reminiscent of the
finish that was used in traditional British watchmaking in the 18th
century. Since The Rake is based in London we thought this could
be a fun nod to the magazine’s roots.” The takeaway from our
collaboration with Holthinrichs is that he considers every detail of
his watches over and over. He explains, “We also included a kind
of hidden message in the caseband of the watch which is deeply
recessed so it is subtle and something for the owner to discover.
I love little touches like this.”
Finally, for the Refined Elegance watch, Michiel and I
wanted to add another signature touch in the form of a “beads
of rice” bracelet reminiscent of the vintage Gay Frères bracelet
worn with a wide array of watches by renowned collectors such
as Auro Montanari, also known by his pseudonym of John
Goldberger. Says Michiel, “To me this kind of ‘beads of rice’
bracelet is the ultimate touch of style and elegance and so we had
to add it to the watch. It took me a while to find a manufacture
that made one with the quality I required, but I finally found a
great company in Germany that made the perfect one.”
Both watches will be limited to 10 examples each at 5,500
euros without VAT. Each watch takes up to six weeks to
complete upon ordering, as they’re all handmade by Michiel
himself. Which brings me to my final point, if you want your
name engraved on the back of the movement, you totally can.
COLLECTING 191

New Era
Bell & Ross creative director
Bruno Belamich introduces
chronograph functionality to
the innovative BR 05, addressing
the needs of the here and now.
Words Stephen Watson
Photo courtesy of Bell & Ross
Challenge is always a source of
motivation. We must innovate
constantly, maintaining and
creating a dynamic dream. We felt it
was time to synthesize the energy of city
life, capturing its rhythm and matching
its pace. We wanted to create a watch
with the iconic Bell & Ross case and
merge it with a steel bracelet, creating a
new urban instrument exuding strength
and elegance. The BR 05 chronograph
is our latest jewel, a masculine,
sculptural, captivating timepiece.
The goal was to develop an
intermediate model between our
square-cased utilitarian icons, and
the rounded, classical references in
our Vintage line. The BR 05 is the
missing link between those two existing
collections and their case shapes. The
BR 05’s round shape takes cues from
aviation history, while its squared
proportions suggest a tool for robust, professional use. The idea
was to bridge the professional world with the urban landscape,
transitioning from off-road to on-road. With this new line in
mind, we did not want to create a city watch, but a Bell & Ross
watch made for the city.
This type of design harks back to a category of sleek sports
watches that appeared in the ’70s, infused with Bell & Ross’s
signature identity. The result is both striking and modern.
The BR 05 enrolls our iconic design in this new category of
integrated-bracelet watches. With the BR 05, we indeed enter
into new territory with different challenges. But we will always
remain faithful to our origins, developing new Vintage and
Instrument watches. In that spirit, the BR 05 instrument is ideal
for the busy man about town, one eager to face life’s modern
challenges, to control time and destiny: the urban explorer.”
– Bruno Belamich, Creative Director, Bell & Ross
Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono Ref. BR05C-BL-ST; Satin-finished and
polished steel; Black sunray dial with Super-LumiNova filled
applique numerals and indexes; Hours, minutes, small seconds
at three o’clock, and date; Chronograph with 30-minute counter
at nine o’clock, central chronograph seconds; Self-winding
mechanical caliber BR-CAL.301; Black rubber strap or polished
steel bracelet; USD 5,900 on rubber strap, 6,400 on stainlesssteel
bracelet; bellross.com
192 FINAL THOUGHTS

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