REVOLUTION_International_Vol 52
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CELEBRATING THE MACHINE WITH A HEARTBEAT<br />
INTERNATIONAL VOL. <strong>52</strong><br />
THE REVIVAL OF THE<br />
INTEGRATED BRACELET<br />
COOPER MACNEIL<br />
LOVES HIS WRIST GEAR<br />
THE SINN × <strong>REVOLUTION</strong><br />
EDITION “DARK STAR”<br />
USA ISSUE 93 AUTUMN 2019<br />
AUTUMN 2019 $14.95US
PHILIPPE<br />
WATCH ART EXHIBITION<br />
ARRIVES IN SINGAPORE<br />
20 Tudor and the Rugby World Cup<br />
22 Audemars Piguet in Atlanta<br />
26 Rolex’s Laureates for 2019<br />
28 Tiffany for Men<br />
30 TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer Lady<br />
32 Moritz Grossmann’s World Tour<br />
34 Omega’s Speedmaster: The Sartorial Choice<br />
40 Travel Time — Caving in Vietnam<br />
46 Glashütte Original — Impeccable Style<br />
54 Dress Your Wrist
COLLECTION<br />
Villeret<br />
©Photograph: patriceschreyer.com<br />
NEW YORK · 697 FIFTH AVENUE BETWEEN 54 TH &55 TH STREET · 212 396 1735<br />
LAS VEGAS · THE FORUM SHOPS AT CAESARS PALACE · 702 369 1735
COVER STORY<br />
64<br />
PANERAI:<br />
THE INSTRUMENT<br />
FOR HEROES
THE MODERNIST<br />
86<br />
78<br />
GRAND SEIKO<br />
AND TIMELESS LUXURY<br />
INTRODUCE A SPECIAL<br />
EDITION FOR 2019<br />
The Royal Oak Self-Winding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin<br />
80 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda Re-Edition<br />
82 TheBell&RossBR-05—ANewEraBegins<br />
88 The Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Caliber 115<br />
92 Frank Dubarry’s wild Crazy Wheel 2 GMT<br />
94 Maurice Lacroix Aikon Venturer<br />
96 Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical — A W10 Revival<br />
98 Gucci’s New Grip Collection<br />
100 Risky Business — The Dark Side of Social Media<br />
106 Hamilton and the Power of Cinema<br />
112 Nautical Measures
CALIBER RM 16-01<br />
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES<br />
ASPEN BAL HARBOUR BEVERLY HILLS BOSTON BUENOS AIRES<br />
LAS VEGAS MIAMI NEW YORK ST. BARTH TORONTO VANCOUVER<br />
www.richardmille.com
BACK TO<br />
THE FUTURE<br />
126<br />
CHOPARD’S<br />
ALPINE EAGLE<br />
120 The Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs TM Le Corbusier Limited Edition<br />
132 IWC’s The Longest Flight Takes Off<br />
140 Cooper MacNeil — Driving Legend, Watch Enthusiast
« Some watches<br />
tell time.<br />
Some tell<br />
a story<br />
Black high-tech ceramic case<br />
Silicon balance spring and pallet horns<br />
Double barrel, 18K white gold rotor<br />
Sapphire dial, 18K white gold indexes<br />
Grande Seconde Skelet-One<br />
«<br />
Please visit the “Story of the Unique” exhibition<br />
Jaquet Droz at 711 5 th Ave, New York, NY 10022<br />
Discover our official point of sales on www.jaquet-droz.com
VINTAGE<br />
156<br />
THE REVIVAL OF THE<br />
INTEGRATED BRACELET<br />
WRIST WATCH<br />
146 The Sinn × The Rake and Revolution 155 Bundeswehr Edition “Dark Star”<br />
1<strong>52</strong> Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony Loves the Blues<br />
164 Rolex’s Two-Tone Watches are Enjoying a Revival<br />
168 The Universality of Watch Lovin’ Today
SEVEN DAYS<br />
V45 S6 SQT<br />
212.463.8898<br />
WWW.FRANCKMULLER.COM
FOUNDER’S NOTE<br />
sometimes wonder what the Greek philosophers<br />
would think about us today. I imagine Plato or<br />
Socrates observing young couples conduct entire<br />
conversations through WhatsApp on their phones<br />
while sat across from each other at dinner and I<br />
can already imagine them slapping themselves<br />
in the forehead. And, yes, I am aware there is an<br />
emoji for this gesture. No, I do not imagine Plato messaging<br />
this to Socrates on his iPhone. I am quizzical as to what they<br />
would say about people meeting their potential spouses<br />
through an application that allows them to form a onesecond<br />
impression of an image projected on the screen of<br />
their mobile phones before they swipe left or right, before<br />
they’ve ever spoken a word to one another. And, most of all,<br />
I wonder what they would make of social media. Because in<br />
Plato’s allegory of the Cave, he cautions the world against the<br />
dangers of manufactured reality. But in the modern day, we<br />
have all selected manufactured reality as our chosen flavour<br />
of Kool-Aid.<br />
I get it. I am not immune to the siren call of selfaffirmation<br />
through anonymous likes. And maybe that’s<br />
because real life actually kind of sucks ass. I mean,<br />
the environment is going to hell in a handbasket. Ask<br />
anyone who signed the Paris Accord — which was<br />
basically everyone but Donald Trump. Unless you are<br />
mainlining endless sums of Rothschild-like inherited<br />
wealth, today, if you’re under the age of 50 and live in<br />
an urban metropolis, your apartment is most likely the<br />
size of a science experiment on the long-term effects of<br />
claustrophobia. Yep, reality literally bites the big one.<br />
Because in real life, you are defined by your hairline,<br />
your anaerobic threshold, your body mass index, your<br />
inability to twerk, your rapidly diminishing bank account,<br />
your education and your peer group. It’s all just so<br />
depressing. F**k it, now I feel like drawing a hot bath and<br />
opening a vein. But wait… because through my Instagram<br />
persona @wei_koh_revolution, a globe-trotting sybarite<br />
always swilling #baller wines and being ferried whilst<br />
inebriated through the airport on a golf cart (#buggylife), I<br />
can escape the banality of my existence. So is it any wonder<br />
that we have collectively chosen to view the shadows cast on<br />
the cave walls by the flickering fire as our selective reality,<br />
and in so doing relegated the actual world as a collection<br />
of obscure vintage albums that we subjectively sample<br />
from to create the dope jam of our manufactured lives on<br />
Instagram? Yep, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
Similarly, social media has had one major effect on<br />
watches: the global alignment of tastes — meaning, for the<br />
first time in the history of the world, guys in Abu Dhabi,<br />
Shanghai, New York, and yes, even the magical island of<br />
Ibiza, all want the same watches. I’ve been to all these places<br />
and can legitimately report back that everyone wants the same<br />
Patek Philippe Nautilus watches — in particular, the 5711 and<br />
the 5740; the same Audemars Piguet watches — in particular,<br />
the 1<strong>52</strong>02ST or the ceramic perpetual calendar; the same<br />
Richard Milles — the RM 11s or RM 35s; the same Rolexes<br />
— meaning all sports models, but in particular, Daytonas in<br />
any form. Yes, even the guy dancing to EDM in the swimming<br />
pool next to his girlfriend, drinking horrific Spanish rosé out<br />
of plastic wineglasses as they take a selfie at the Nobu Hotel in<br />
Ibiza, wants those watches.<br />
Shouldn’t there be a higher echelon of global collector?<br />
Well, yes, but they all want the same things too. They all want<br />
Omega Speedmaster CK 2915-1s or Ultramen. They are<br />
all honing in on yellow-gold green-dial Daytonas, Arabicdial<br />
Rolexes, semiprecious-stone-dial Day-Dates and<br />
Daytonas. They all want Patek Philippe Ref. 2499s (first or<br />
second series in particular) or 3448s (second series, please,<br />
with the smaller date font). Because everyone is posting<br />
the same stuff all the time and the alignment has become<br />
widespread and permanent. The Rainbow Daytona is a watch<br />
that became a global sensation because of its widespread<br />
Instagram popularity, and the accolades and positive<br />
reinforcement in the comments section that it received each<br />
time it was posted.<br />
We all like the same things now. And, don’t get me wrong,<br />
all of these watches are great watches. They are absolutely<br />
fantastic watches. But it does make me wonder whether there<br />
is still space for individuality in watch collecting in the era<br />
of social media. It kind of reminds me of the movie world.<br />
In the ’70s there was this incredible period of social realism<br />
and rebellion in Hollywood, and as a result, all my favorite<br />
films, from The Godfather to Taxi Driver to Badlands to The<br />
Deer Hunter, were made in one amazing decade and some<br />
genuinely weird dudes became movie stars. Does anyone<br />
remember the amazing John Cazale?<br />
Today it’s all about pre-manufactured superhero<br />
franchises and pretty actors. It’s about always taking the safe<br />
choice. And in our watch collecting, we have similarly become<br />
somewhat lemming-like. Because when you go out on a limb<br />
and strap something that’s an unproven entity on your wrist,<br />
you take the risk of rejection in the popularity contest that<br />
has become our lives. Well, a whole lot of people are going<br />
to take that risk primarily because of one watch, and that is<br />
Chopard’s Alpine Eagle.<br />
It seems like we’ve been waiting since time immemorial<br />
for a brand to step up and make a viable run at the<br />
integrated-bracelet sports-luxe category that has been so<br />
completely dominated by Patek Philippe and Audemars<br />
Piguet and that is the single hottest watch category on the<br />
planet today. Many brands have come for some of their<br />
thunder — Vacheron Constantin with the Overseas (I have<br />
to admit, the ultra-thin Overseas perpetual calendar is<br />
great), Girard-Perregaux with the Laureato, Piaget with<br />
the Polo Chrono, IWC with the Ingenieur — and yet, not<br />
one has yet to assail that seemingly insurmountable wall that<br />
separates the Nautilus and Royal Oak from everyone else.<br />
Well, to me, for the first time, we’ve got a watch that<br />
is actually a viable alternative. Wait, let me rephrase that.<br />
Wearing an Alpine Eagle is not, from a cultural perspective,<br />
going to make the same statement of the 5711 or the 1<strong>52</strong>02ST,<br />
but the point is, if you are judging the Alpine Eagle based on<br />
how well executed it is, how great it feels on the wrist and<br />
how much pleasure you will derive from wearing it, then it<br />
may just be the watch that you choose to buy. Personally I<br />
love it and hope that every person reading this will go and try<br />
one on. I also love the fact that Chopard, during the period<br />
where everyone is increasingly reticent to do anything truly<br />
courageous, absolutely demonstrated huge brass-balled,<br />
no-fear badassitude in entering a category that most brands,<br />
frankly, find vastly intimidating.<br />
I hope the success of the Alpine Eagle will give rise to<br />
a rebirth in the culture of individuality. Where people are<br />
not afraid to buy and wear watches based on what tugs at<br />
their heartstrings and not what will assure them the greatest<br />
Instagram accolades. One guy I know who is a big believer<br />
in the power of individuality is our new USA editor-in-chief<br />
Adam Craniotes, whom you may also know as the founder<br />
of RedBar and who has specialized in taking online passion<br />
offline. What I love about RedBar is its egalitarianism and<br />
openness to everyone. I love the fact that you could rock up<br />
to one of its gatherings wearing a Greubel Forsey Double<br />
Tourbillon or a Full Metal Casio G-Shock and be judged<br />
based on your enthusiasm, politeness and passion rather than<br />
the size of your wallet. Because sometimes watch collecting,<br />
and certainly watch collecting on Instagram, can be just a big<br />
dick contest. And, honestly, that just doesn’t play well in the<br />
future. Because arrogance and ego are no longer in fashion.<br />
Today the world is all about humility and openness and the<br />
generation of community. And what I like about RedBar is<br />
that it ditches all bullsh*t and focuses on the positive aspects<br />
of watch collecting. Same thing with Adam. Together with<br />
him and RedBar we hope to be a galvanizing force that unites<br />
the global watch community by never taking ourselves too<br />
seriously and only taking the watches seriously, no matter how<br />
much pressure to be liked on Instagram we feel.<br />
Wei Koh, Founder<br />
wei_koh_revolution
CALIBER RM 07-03<br />
RICHARD MILLE BOUTIQUES<br />
ASPEN BAL HARBOUR BEVERLY HILLS BOSTON BUENOS AIRES<br />
LAS VEGAS MIAMI NEW YORK ST. BARTH TORONTO VANCOUVER<br />
www.richardmille.com
EDITOR’S<br />
NOTE<br />
un…<br />
This may seem like a strange word<br />
to kick off my inaugural Letter From The<br />
Editor, but it speaks volumes if you think<br />
about it. I’ve always said that if you’re not<br />
having fun with this hobby, then you’re<br />
doing it wrong, and I believe that this<br />
applies equally to all aspects of this wonderful, wacky world<br />
that we obsess over and love to little bits and pieces.<br />
And yet, are we still having fun?<br />
Sure, the rise of social media has brought this<br />
community closer together than ever. As a “great<br />
equalizer”, it has allowed people from all over the world<br />
and from all walks of life to gather over a shared passion,<br />
and in a way that we’ve never seen before. Indeed, when I<br />
was coming up in the world I had to hustle to amass what<br />
little knowledge was available. This meant haunting the<br />
local magazine store (until they kicked me out), or haunting<br />
the local Tourneau boutique (until they kicked me out).<br />
Even better, social media has enabled the rise of collecting<br />
communities like RedBar, which took the conversation<br />
offline and brought people physically together.<br />
However the egalitarian nature of social media is the<br />
very definition of a double-edged sword. On the one hand,<br />
we have access to practically unlimited knowledge at the<br />
very tips of our fingers — the value of which can be hardly<br />
understated — but this has given rise to a herd mentality,<br />
wherein certain watches become absolute must-haves,<br />
regardless of their actual merit; or watches themselves<br />
become an asset class, which places them out of reach of<br />
rank-and-file collectors who would actually, you know,<br />
wear them, as opposed to placing them in a safe and<br />
waiting for the next Christie’s/Phillips/Bonhams auction<br />
to come around.<br />
That’s not fun.<br />
In the coming months, we’re gonna have fun. Now,<br />
yes, there is a serious aspect to this industry, which will be<br />
given its proper due, but without the F-word, then what<br />
exactly is the point? Watches occupy a rare intersection of<br />
art, science, technology and craftsmanship, which makes<br />
them among the most human of creations. And while a<br />
very good case can be made for their obsolescence —<br />
we are surrounded by time as it were via our phones,<br />
computers, cars, etc — they remain as viable today as they<br />
were fifty years ago when a watch was far more than just a<br />
simple affectation.<br />
So, how exactly is this so-called fun going to manifest<br />
itself? That’s a good question, the answer to which I’m not<br />
quite ready to blow the lid off of. At least not just yet. For<br />
now I think that it is enough to say that our shared love of<br />
horology dovetails rather neatly with other hobbies and<br />
industries and I would very much like to explore these<br />
connections with you, our dear readers.<br />
So, with that said, I invite you to enjoy this issue and it is<br />
my sincerest hope that you’ll have as much fun reading it as<br />
I did contributing to it.<br />
Adam Craniotes, Editor-in-Chief<br />
adam@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
craniotes<br />
LIAM O’DONNELL
TIME TO REACH YOUR STAR<br />
DEFY<br />
EL PRIMERO 21<br />
ZENITH-WATCHES.COM<br />
THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL SPACESHIP.<br />
FOR NOW.<br />
THE FUTURE OF SWISS WATCHMAKING SINCE 1865
EDITORIAL<br />
FOUNDER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR<br />
Wei Koh<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Jay Gullers jay@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF<br />
Adam Craniotes adam@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITOR, <strong>REVOLUTION</strong> ONLINE<br />
Sumit Nag sumit@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITOR, <strong>REVOLUTION</strong> E-COMMERCE<br />
Yeo Suan Futt suanfutt@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
SUB-EDITOR<br />
Catherine Koh & Eileen Sim<br />
SENIOR FASHION STYLIST<br />
Marie Lee marie@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
FASHION STYLIST<br />
Joe Tan joe@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR<br />
Punam Nikki Rai nikki@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
INTERN<br />
Clare Ang intern@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS<br />
ASIA DarrenHo<br />
AUSTRALIA Darren Ho<br />
CHINA Taitan Chen<br />
HONG KONG Stephanie Ip<br />
ITALY Maurizio Favot<br />
MEXICO Israel Ortega<br />
LATIN AMERICA Israel Ortega<br />
RUSSIA DenisPeshkov<br />
UAE JolaChudy<br />
UK Richard Holt<br />
VISUAL<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Darius Lee darius@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
PHOTOGRAPHER-AT-LARGE<br />
Munster munster@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
DIGITAL IMAGING ARTIST<br />
Ciwie Goh & KH Koh<br />
JR. PHOTOGRAPHER & DIGITAL ARTIST<br />
Toh Si Jia<br />
COVER<br />
Officine Panerai<br />
Submersible Carbotech TM 47MM PAM01616<br />
Photography: Munster, assisted by Randey Ng<br />
Styling: Joe Tan, assisted by Norman Nur<br />
Hakim Bin Abdul Rashid<br />
Grooming: Rina Sim, using Kevin Murphy<br />
and Sunday Riley<br />
Model: Robson Guaragni / AVE<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS<br />
Ken Kessler<br />
Ross Povey<br />
Milagros Rawson<br />
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Adrian Hailwood<br />
Alan Seymour<br />
Arno Haslinger<br />
Colin Crisford<br />
James Dowling<br />
Jeff Stein<br />
Ken Nichols<br />
Nick Foulkes<br />
Nick Scott<br />
Tomas Monka<br />
Simon Alexander<br />
Simon De Burton<br />
Tom Craig<br />
Sofia Cederström<br />
Anton Thorsson<br />
Söderberg Agentur<br />
Jamie Ferguson<br />
MANAGEMENT<br />
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER<br />
Dr. Bruce Lee<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR<br />
Maria Lim maria@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR, E-COMMERCE<br />
Walter Tommasino walter@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
OPERATIONS MANAGER, E-COMMERCE<br />
Shazlina Shukor lina@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC COORDINATOR<br />
Christina Koh christina@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
PRINT PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER<br />
Jo Low jl@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER<br />
Belinda Soh belinda@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
FINANCE MANAGER<br />
Jay Wong jaywong@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT<br />
Samuel Ching samuel@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
CIRCULATION & ADMIN ASSISTANT<br />
Waylon Yeo circulation@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
REVHLUTION is published quarterly by<br />
Revolution Media Pte Ltd.<br />
All rights reserved. © 2018 by Revolution Media<br />
Pte Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part without<br />
permission is prohibited.<br />
Opinions expressed in REVHLUTION are solely<br />
those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed<br />
by the publisher and its editors.<br />
Editorial enquiries should be directed to the Editor.<br />
While every reasonable care will be undertaken by<br />
the Editor, unsolicited materials will not be returned<br />
unless accompanied by a self-addressed envelope<br />
and sufficient return postage.<br />
For other inquiries, contact:<br />
info@revolutionmagazines.com<br />
PPS 1609/06/2013 (025530) MCI (P) 037/12/2018<br />
ISSN 1793-463x<br />
USA circulation, marketing and operations:<br />
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<strong>REVOLUTION</strong> (ISSN # 1793-463x) Winter 2018, USA issue 84.<br />
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WHAT YOU<br />
(PROBABLY)<br />
DIDN’T<br />
KNOW<br />
ABOUT<br />
THE<br />
RUGBY<br />
WORLD<br />
CUP<br />
Rugby World Cup is kicking off.<br />
If you’re unfamiliar with the sport,<br />
here’s a quick primer to its origins.<br />
PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES<br />
INVENTED IN 1823<br />
Rugby was invented by<br />
William Webb Ellis of the<br />
Rugby School, one of the<br />
oldest independent grammar<br />
schools (since 1567) in 1823,<br />
when he picked up a soccer<br />
ball and ran with it. (We’re<br />
guessing he didn’t understand<br />
why people were deliberately<br />
opting out of using all their<br />
limbs in a sport.) It quickly<br />
turned into a proper sport<br />
with new rules, which were<br />
codified in 1845, and the<br />
first rugby team was formed<br />
at Cambridge by a former<br />
student of Rugby School,<br />
Albert Pell.<br />
IT’S THE FATHER TO<br />
AMERICAN FOOTBALL<br />
Early rugby game rules varied<br />
from each school, in the<br />
United Kingdom and the<br />
United States. As a result,<br />
in 1875, Harvard and Yale<br />
came up with their own rules<br />
for the game in the USA, and<br />
Princeton joined the league<br />
in 1876, which then led to the<br />
NFL as you know it today. The<br />
core changes to American<br />
football were in the scoring<br />
system, team sizing (11 versus<br />
15) and the introduction of<br />
the snap, which then added<br />
further complications to rules<br />
for the American sport.<br />
RUGBY BALLS USED<br />
TO BE ROUND<br />
Throwing a spiral wasn’t<br />
possible in the past. Rugby<br />
balls were made out of pig’s<br />
bladders in the game’s early<br />
days, and that changed into a<br />
sphere when tire tubes were<br />
used to make them. They<br />
became egg-shaped, because<br />
these were easier to catch and<br />
run with than a round ball.<br />
There were more than a few<br />
games lost because someone<br />
dropped the ball, which is<br />
incidentally how the phrase<br />
came about. Eventually they<br />
turned into the oval-shaped<br />
balls we’re familiar with today.<br />
LEAGUE OR UNION?<br />
The schism between Rugby<br />
League and Union came about<br />
in 1895, primarily due to the<br />
success of working class rugby<br />
teams that were gaining in<br />
popularity and success. The<br />
League instituted rules which<br />
denied payments to players<br />
being compensated for<br />
having to take time off work<br />
to play, and the Rugby Union<br />
separated. Today, both Rugby<br />
Union and League exist, with<br />
the Rugby Union World Cup<br />
taking place this month in<br />
Japan, where 20 teams across<br />
the globe will compete for the<br />
Webb Ellis Cup.<br />
20 SPLIT SECONDS
TRYING IS MORE THAN<br />
ENOUGH<br />
In rugby, scoring is known as a<br />
try, when a player crosses the<br />
touchline and touches it to the<br />
ground. A successful try lets<br />
you attempt a goal post score,<br />
with points for both the try<br />
and goal. New Zealand’s All<br />
Blacks have a lock on virtually<br />
all significant statistics when<br />
it comes to Rugby World Cup,<br />
including the world record<br />
for most points scored by a<br />
team in a single match (145).<br />
Incidentally, its opponent in<br />
that 1995 match was Japan,<br />
the host for this year’s Rugby<br />
World Cup.<br />
THERE’S A SPECIAL<br />
WATCH RELEASED THIS<br />
YEAR FOR THE RUGBY<br />
WORLD CUP<br />
Tudor has sponsored and<br />
partnered the sport, starting with<br />
supporting the All Blacks team in<br />
2017 and last year’s Rugby World<br />
Cup Sevens in San Francisco.<br />
This year, it’s an official sponsor<br />
for the Rugby World Cup and<br />
releasing an all-black Black Bay<br />
Chronograph with the event. The<br />
Black Bay Dark Chronograph is<br />
designed to match the All Blacks’<br />
jersey, and is limited to the<br />
number of players that have<br />
played for the team — 1,181 at<br />
time of writing.<br />
RUGBY IS MUCH<br />
SAFER THAN<br />
AMERICAN FOOTBALL.<br />
It might surprise most people,<br />
given that both are contact<br />
sports but rugby players don’t<br />
carry nearly as much gear as<br />
American sport. That is<br />
because rugby rules only allow<br />
players from screening or<br />
blocking the person carrying<br />
ball, who can pass it<br />
laterally, run on or kick the<br />
ball forward. Hard tackles<br />
are not allowed and players<br />
are taught to tackle with care<br />
avoid injury. As a result,<br />
severe physical injury is rare,<br />
compared with the NFL.<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 21
AUDEMARS<br />
Watches of Switzerland and<br />
Audemars Piguet have<br />
opened a new boutique in<br />
premier upscale mall Lenox Square,<br />
Atlanta, Georgia in their latest retail<br />
joint venture.<br />
The concept store invites visitors to<br />
step into the world of Audemars Piguet,<br />
with design elements that reflect the<br />
company’s heritage from the Vallée de<br />
Joux. It carries design codes shared by<br />
all Audemars Piguet outlets, featuring<br />
a custom chandelier and paved with<br />
Vals quartzite specially quarried from<br />
the Swiss mountains. Customers may<br />
browse Audemars Piguet’s entire<br />
collection in the intimate 530 square<br />
foot showroom.<br />
“Atlanta is a place where our brand<br />
already has a significant established<br />
clientele and room for even further<br />
growth in the market.” said Patrick<br />
Ottomani, CEO of Audemars Piguet<br />
North America. The store fills a retail gap in the Southeastern<br />
region, and is part of Audemars Piguet’s gradual move<br />
towards mono-brand retailing to bring greater appreciation<br />
of its craftsmanship closer to customers.<br />
PIGUET<br />
ARRIVES IN ATLANTA<br />
The well lit store<br />
and façade bears<br />
elements that<br />
remind visitors of its<br />
Vallée Joux origins.<br />
22 SPLIT SECONDS
Patek Philippe will be holding its<br />
Watch Art Grand Exhibition<br />
in Singapore at the Marina Bay<br />
Sands Theater from September 28<br />
until October 13. Admission is free.<br />
Held every two years in selected<br />
cities around the globe, this is the first<br />
time Asia is hosting the event, and it<br />
will be the biggest and longest Grand<br />
Exhibition yet.<br />
Ten themed rooms will let visitors<br />
immerse themselves in the world<br />
of Patek Philippe and admire the<br />
brand’s mastery of watchmaking and<br />
métiers’d art accumulated during<br />
its 180-year history. On show for<br />
Clockwise<br />
t’s illustration of the space<br />
atch Art Grand Exhibition; a<br />
pocket watch titled “Factories<br />
n” featuring miniature painting<br />
ase; the reference 20074M “Thai<br />
nts” domed table clock in grand<br />
onné enamel; Patek Philippe’s first<br />
tch with a perpetual calendar.<br />
will be Patek Philippe’s<br />
that cemented<br />
and legacy as a pioneer at<br />
of haute horlogerie.<br />
these pieces and presenting<br />
decorative techniques<br />
selected rare handicrafts and<br />
timepieces from the Antiques<br />
from Patek Philippe’s<br />
in Geneva. Watchmakers<br />
artisans will be present to<br />
live demonstrations and give<br />
insight into the craftsmanship<br />
into the making of these<br />
masterpieces.<br />
conjunction with the Grand<br />
Patek Philippe will launch<br />
edition timepieces inspired by<br />
and art of Southeast Asia<br />
PATEK PHILIPPE<br />
GRAND EXHIBITION IN SINGAPORE<br />
24 SPLIT SECONDS
WATCH WINDERS | WATCH BOXES | SAFES<br />
JEWELLERY BOXES | TRAVEL ACCESSORIES<br />
W O L F 1 8 3 4 . C O M<br />
MEMENTO MORI
ROLEX’S 2019 LAUREATES<br />
Five Rolex Laureates for 2019 were announced at the Rolex Awards Ceremony at the<br />
Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington. The awards recognize exceptional<br />
visionaries who are significantly improving the world around them. The Rolex Awards for<br />
Enterprise supports their causes with funding, access to the collective expertise of previous Rolex<br />
Laureates and a Rolex chronometer.<br />
For the first time, public opinion was included for the first time as one of the criteria judges used<br />
to select the Laureates to make the selection process more holistic.<br />
H<br />
D<br />
G<br />
F<br />
J<br />
HERE ARE THEIR PROJECTS:<br />
D Miranda Wang has devised new<br />
ways to recover chemicals used in<br />
the manufacture of plastic from<br />
previously unrecyclable plastic. Her<br />
inventions will reduce the world’s<br />
reliance on petrochemicals and may<br />
even open up landfills as a source of<br />
plastic as a raw material.<br />
F Grégoire Courtine wants to conduct<br />
clinical trials for his treatment to<br />
help restore mobility in paraplegics<br />
with an electrode implant that helps<br />
the brain reconnect severed spinal<br />
cord connections. He has helped<br />
seven people walk again.<br />
G Krithi Karanth’s Wild Seve raises<br />
conservation and damage mitigation<br />
awareness in communities living<br />
in regions bordering India’s<br />
national parks. Her wild service<br />
also fosters trust and cooperation<br />
between farmers and authorities<br />
by streamlining and facilitating<br />
compensation claims by those<br />
affected by wild animal intrusions<br />
and attacks.<br />
H João Campos-Silva wants get<br />
more Amazonian villagers to<br />
protect and manage local lakes to<br />
secure a sustainable Amazonian<br />
fishery industry and conserve the<br />
endangered 3 meter-long pirarucú<br />
fish (Arapaima gigas). His trial<br />
program has lifted participating<br />
villages out of poverty, yielded a 30x<br />
increase in pirarucú numbers and<br />
eased food and hunting strains on<br />
the local ecology, allowing other<br />
threatened species to recover.<br />
J Brian Gitta has a personal vendetta<br />
against malaria. Early treatment<br />
reduces malaria’s lethality, but<br />
requires specialised equipment<br />
and manpower that is not always<br />
accessible in Africa and South Asia.<br />
He seeks to improve diagnosis times,<br />
accuracy and cost with his portable<br />
Matiscope testing system.<br />
26 SPLIT SECONDS
Hydrosphere<br />
Retrograde Minute Jumping Hour Power Reserve<br />
RESERVOIR Watch SAS - RCS Paris 821 693 <strong>52</strong>0 - 2019<br />
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contactUSA@reservoir-watch.com<br />
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Visit us online at<br />
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TIFFANY & CO:<br />
NOT<br />
JUST<br />
FOR<br />
WOMEN<br />
High jewellery house and<br />
watchmaker TC has redoubled<br />
its efforts to attract male<br />
clientele by diversifying its product<br />
offerings with dedicated Tiffany Men’s<br />
collections. The new lines include<br />
men’s jewelry, cuffs, barware and<br />
other accessories from the Tiffany<br />
1837 Makers and the Diamond Point<br />
collection. These pieces fully showcase<br />
the brand’s artisanal expertise and<br />
celebrates the brand’s American<br />
heritage and pioneering spirit in the<br />
field of silversmithing. Amongst the<br />
new collections are a unique handmade<br />
solid sterling silver and 18K yellow gold<br />
vermeil chess set, and bespoke Tiffany<br />
1837 Makers trophy rings.<br />
While Tiffany & Co. gained renown<br />
for its women’s jewelry and lapidary, it<br />
has been making timepieces such as the<br />
CT60 for both genders since 2015. The<br />
fashion house is serious about making<br />
watches as well — in 2017, it released<br />
a limited edition 1920s vintage-styled<br />
Tiffany Square honey gold 27mm watch,<br />
featuring the company’s very first inhouse<br />
movement.<br />
Men’s jewelry<br />
accessories from the<br />
Tiffany 1837 Makers<br />
collection; the CT60<br />
Chronograph by<br />
Tiffany & Co., for the<br />
Tiffany Men’s series.<br />
28 SPLIT SECONDS
EMBRACE<br />
TAG Heuer’s most recent additions<br />
to the stainless steel Aquaracer<br />
Ladies line are simply begging<br />
to be seen at the beach, in water and<br />
underwater. Bearing a deep ocean blue<br />
guilloché sand-wave dial with a reflective<br />
sunray finish, they evoke the shimmering<br />
ebb and flow of warm and gentle waves.<br />
They may even match the dial’s hue and<br />
theme when worn on a sailing ropetextured<br />
rubber strap instead of a stainless<br />
steel bracelet.<br />
Should one prefer a more reserved<br />
look, a version of the Aquaracer Ladies<br />
with a white mother-of-pearl dial on the<br />
textured rubber strap is available.<br />
These quartz-powered Aquaracer<br />
Ladies watches are naturally fully equipped<br />
with the Aquaracer’s signature diving<br />
features, despite their smaller 35mm<br />
case. A unidirectional bezel, screw-down<br />
crown, antireflective sapphire crystal,<br />
SuperLuminova coated hands and indexes<br />
and double security clasp ensures the<br />
wearer can enjoy watch’s water resistance<br />
to 1000 feet (300 meters) in maximum<br />
comfort and functionality.<br />
THE WAVES WITH<br />
TAG HEUER’S<br />
AQUARACER<br />
SPLIT SECONDS 30
ORIS.CH<br />
Oris<br />
Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115<br />
Isn’t it nice to know how things work? These days,<br />
we’re surrounded by technology that’s simple<br />
to use, but few of us know what lies behind it.<br />
At Oris, we only make mechanical<br />
watches. The latest is the Oris Big Crown<br />
ProPilot X Calibre 115, a watch with a<br />
fully skeletonised movement that tells<br />
Oris’s watchmaking story.<br />
We started with the movement. Since<br />
1904, Oris has created 270 movements<br />
in-house. We took that knowledge<br />
and experience and used it to create<br />
a beautiful skeletonised movement<br />
that features a 10-day power reserve,<br />
a small seconds and an Oris-patented<br />
non-linear power reserve indicator.<br />
Then we stripped every element back<br />
so you can see how they come together.<br />
Even the extended mainspring, which<br />
stores the watch’s power, becomes visible.<br />
You can see it coiled at 12 o’clock.<br />
WehousedCalibre115inabrushed<br />
titanium case inspired by architecture,<br />
aviation and historic Oris pilot’s watches,<br />
to show how forward-thinking this watch<br />
is. Forward-thinking? The mechanics in<br />
traditional watchmaking may be centuries<br />
old, but the more time passes, the more<br />
we long to understand how things work.<br />
Because it’s only then you can<br />
Go Your Own Way. Which at Oris just<br />
comes naturally to us.
THE STORY SO FAR:<br />
MORITZ<br />
GROSSMANN<br />
TOURS<br />
THE<br />
WORLD<br />
Moritz Grossmann is travelling<br />
the world for its inaugural<br />
Roadshow 2019. Instead<br />
of participating in Baselworld earlier<br />
this year, the Glashütte manufacture<br />
has made stopovers in Dubai, Tokyo,<br />
Hong Kong and London, unveiling new<br />
collections, brand firsts and novelties at<br />
each stage.<br />
This unique sales format lets the<br />
brand personally engage local audiences<br />
and create impressions tailored to<br />
the host region. In Dubai, Moritz<br />
Grossmann introduced its first dual<br />
The Moritz<br />
Grossman TEFNUT<br />
1001 Nights<br />
Milanaise in rose<br />
gold, presented<br />
in Dubai; the<br />
Corner Stone<br />
watch in rose gold,<br />
the brand’s first<br />
rectangular watch.<br />
timezone ATUM GMT and the sinistral<br />
TEFNUT 1001 Nights Milanaise,<br />
with a dial set with mother-of-pearl<br />
marquetry inspired by a moonlit<br />
landscape of sand dunes on a milanese<br />
gold bracelet. Tokyo saw the reveal of<br />
Moritz Grossmann’s first rectangular<br />
watch line CORNER STONE, and<br />
the brand’s first self-winding Moritz<br />
Grossmann Hamatic was unwrapped<br />
in Hong Kong. Finally, London was<br />
presented with the POWER RESERVE<br />
Vintage commemorating the brand’s<br />
revival, followed by the classic 37 Arabic<br />
Black & White and the MOON in<br />
SPACE.<br />
Moritz Grossmann will present<br />
its latest collections outside of the<br />
Roadshow in other countries. It was<br />
most recently spotted in Singapore<br />
at the 15th Anniversary Exhibition of<br />
TEFNUT collaborator and jeweller<br />
Caratell in August.<br />
32 SPLIT SECONDS
Nº 03 – US Edition<br />
Limited to 50<br />
Call today to reserve<br />
727-89<br />
www.meistersin
34 SPLIT SECONDS
SPLIT SECONDS 35<br />
From left<br />
Mark Cho; Lorenzo<br />
Cifonelli; Nicola<br />
Ricci; K.E. Guerre;<br />
Fabio Attanasio;<br />
Alessandro Squarzi;<br />
Andrés Velencoso;<br />
Ethan Newton;<br />
Robert Spangle and<br />
Sergio Guardi.
Anyone familiar with horological inclinations knows a large<br />
part of my heart — at least one full chamber — is filled to<br />
the brim with affection for Omega’s iconic Speedmaster.<br />
Because it was this watch, originally built for the burgeoning culture<br />
of auto racing, that was the only timepiece to be certified as official<br />
equipment by NASA for their Mercury and Gemini astronauts.<br />
In 1964 the NASA engineer James Ragan reached out to the<br />
U.S. importers of Longines, Rolex, Hamilton and Omega with a<br />
request for quotations and for sample timepieces to be tested.<br />
Testing lasted from October 21, 1964 to March 1, 1965. It was,<br />
for lack of a better description, fiendishly brutal. It involved six<br />
shocks of 40Gs, each 11 milliseconds in duration, progressive<br />
acceleration from 1G to 7.3G in 333 seconds, and temperature<br />
variations from -18 to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Ragan essentially<br />
tried to decimate these timepieces. In the end only the Omega<br />
Speedmaster (specifically a reference 105.003 model) was left<br />
standing thanks to its flawless performance.<br />
The story of man’s conquest of space is inextricably linked with<br />
the Speedmaster. It was worn by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin<br />
during the Apollo 11 mission that resulted in the moon landing in July<br />
1969, and it was on Aldrin’s wrist when he stepped out of the lunar<br />
module onto the moon. But I have noticed something interesting.<br />
During the past decade or so, the Speedmaster has become the watch<br />
of choice for a certain type of discerning and sartorially inclined<br />
individual. And so, at Pitti Uomo in June, I wanted to gather together<br />
a group of sartorial legends, all of whom share my unyielding and<br />
ceaseless affection for Omega, and specifically the Speedmaster.<br />
Each of the men chosen were asked to wear their modern<br />
Speedmasters in a way that best expressed their individual style,<br />
and not unsurprisingly they uniformly chose to remove the watch’s<br />
steel bracelet and pair it with one of Omega’s array of NATO straps.<br />
I am of the opinion that these are the best quality NATO straps in<br />
all Christendom. The result cemented in my mind the idea that the<br />
Speedmaster is the new watch of choice for the innovators in men’s<br />
tailoring. Whether it is Ethan Newton, the founder of Brycelands, an<br />
extraordinary menswear company that merges tailoring with a vintage<br />
military and workwear aesthetic, or Mark Cho, who, with his creation<br />
of The Armoury, has singlehandedly ushered in a new era of modern<br />
urban dandyism, or the photographer K.E. Guerre, one of the fathers of<br />
modern street-style photography, or the former Marine turned fashion<br />
lensman Robert Spangle, it was great to see the salient and authentic<br />
connections the Speedmaster forged with each individual. Tailors such<br />
as Lorenzo Cifonelli, Nicola Ricci of Puglia’s Sciamat, and the maverick<br />
shoemaking rock-star Sergio Guardì of Barbanera, each naturally and<br />
perfectly made their watch align with their vision of style. The Italian<br />
style icons Alessandro Squarzi (a man who is in possession of one of<br />
the greatest Speedmaster collections) and Fabio Attanasio, the founder<br />
of The Bespoke Dudes, lent their charm, ebullience and incandescent<br />
elegance to the gathering. And Omega’s own ambassadors, Johannes<br />
Huebl, Bruno Santos and Andrés Velencoso, cut a swathe of rakish<br />
aplomb through the sweltering Florentine shoots and our bucolic dinner<br />
in the garden of the Four Seasons Hotel, where the world’s greatest<br />
watch collector, Auro Montanari, aka John Goldberger, made a surprise<br />
guest appearance wearing one of the world’s rarest Speedmasters.<br />
36 SPLIT SECONDS
SPLIT SECONDS 37
38 SPLIT SECONDS
SPLIT SECONDS 39
A RAPID ASCENSION<br />
Montblanc is reclaiming its roots and origins in pursuit of the pinnacles of adventure,<br />
with the 1858 collection leading the way.<br />
WORDS DARREN HO<br />
In the absence of external digital stimulation or access<br />
to limitless data, the mental thought process of a<br />
hyperactive addled mind such as that of this journalist<br />
might run something like this. “Why did I choose to wear,<br />
of all things, two layers of cotton while embarking on this<br />
jungle and cave hike? Isn’t cotton supposed to let the skin<br />
breathe and so cool the body? But then, how can it also be<br />
so good at absorbing sweat? What is the weave on a cotton<br />
T-shirt? Didn’t René Lacoste wear cotton on the tennis<br />
court? Why was the weave he used called piqué? Is that why<br />
Djokovic beat Federer at Wimbledon?” And so on.<br />
In the spirit of a (James) Joyce-ian stream of<br />
consciousness, those were the thoughts running through<br />
my mind as I scrambled up relatively steep rocky inclines<br />
clambering through the jungle caves of Tú Làn, the biggest<br />
and deepest cave network across the middle of Vietnam, on<br />
what had been described as a relatively easy adventure. All<br />
things considered, our group should have known better.<br />
After all, this was the brand which sent a couple of my peers<br />
up Mont Blanc itself, with the advice that it would be an easy<br />
ascent. But perhaps this reflects the spirit of the brand and<br />
what it believes: that challenges can be overcome by sheer<br />
will of force and personality, and that you might surprise<br />
yourself with what you can achieve when pushed.<br />
To be clear, I’m not averse or unfamiliar with outdoor<br />
sports, nor am I terribly unfit, if you consider a CrossFit<br />
session each quarter of the year sufficient sports. But<br />
dressed in a chambray shirt and a cotton tee underneath,<br />
and carrying in my backpack a ridiculous amount of<br />
unnecessary equipment for the jungle, in sweltering<br />
95-degree heat, I was sweating buckets while trying to keep<br />
up with our guides from Oxalis, a cave-exploration and<br />
guide company, who were as sure-footed as vicũna are on<br />
sheer cliff faces. As they hopped from rock surface to rock<br />
surface with seeming ease, I internally bemoaned my lack of<br />
foot-eye coordination, resorting to clambering up hill and<br />
down dale with hands and feet while they looked upon us<br />
with the bemusement of experienced climbers.<br />
DISCOVERING TÚ LÀN<br />
The province of Quang Binh, home to the Tú Làn system<br />
of caves which are the largest in the world, is surprisingly<br />
metropolitan. The town centre hosts massive five-star<br />
hotels and malls, and even a cigar store. However, the<br />
cave system which has captivated the world since 2012 lies<br />
roughly two hours out, and since its official discovery in<br />
2011, continues to offer new discoveries in cave extensions.<br />
To date, 350 have been found, an extensive network that<br />
hosts a massively undiscovered ecosystem of fauna and<br />
flora, stretching across the middle of Vietnam and luring<br />
visitors who are eager to rediscover nature’s allure. The<br />
riches are truly sublime: within the caves, crystals of water<br />
that look like growths of pure quartz and veins of golden<br />
algae run across extensive networks, with cave lakes that<br />
are home to massive fish that would put sunfish to shame.<br />
Waterfalls within and without of the caves abound; each are<br />
stunning, and incredible to discover.<br />
The story of the Tú Làn cave system is well chronicled.<br />
In the late ’80s, a farmer, seeking shelter from heavy rain,<br />
accidentally discovered an open cave where he waited out<br />
the rain. He would go on to forget the location of the cave,<br />
only to meet a group of British cave explorers a couple<br />
of decades later who were curious about the mountain<br />
networks of Phong Nha and Quang Binh. He recalled his<br />
discovery and spent much time searching for the same cave<br />
entrance, only to realize when he finally ventured further in,<br />
that this wasn’t a closed-off cave. It was, in fact, a complete<br />
subterranean network that spanned the entire mountain<br />
range, with lakes and rivers flowing in and out as well as<br />
underground, giving rise to some of the most spectacular<br />
and untouched caves in the world.<br />
The Tú Làn system is not merely massive in size and<br />
complexity. It dates back to the Cambrian era of the<br />
Earth, at the time when complex multicellular organisms<br />
exploded into a diversity of lifeforms across the world.<br />
The mineralized remnants of this era formed the<br />
beginnings of these structures within the caves, as layer<br />
upon stratified layer piled on and intermingled with the<br />
jungles of the region. The limestone caves of Tú Làn are<br />
formed over hundreds of thousands of years, filled with<br />
massive stalactites and stalagmites that measure tens of<br />
meters in height. (Incidentally, it takes 10,000 years for<br />
a centimeter of stalactite or stalagmite to form.) When<br />
they join, the columns broaden in width and spread out,<br />
forming curious shapes over eons. Water runs through<br />
underground, creating lakes and rivers within the cave<br />
system, and cascading into waterfalls within and without<br />
the caves. The Son river, which flows through this part of<br />
Vietnam, rises during the rainy season, causing the caves<br />
to flood.<br />
The 1858<br />
Geosphere on<br />
my wrist.<br />
40 TRAVEL TIME
SPLIT SECONDS 41
The river’s floods have gotten more intense over recent<br />
decades due to climate change and extreme weather,<br />
culminating in one deadly flood a decade ago. Farm houses<br />
were submerged under 30 meters of water rushing through<br />
the valleys, and the government established a secondary<br />
floating house solution for the people of the region. Built on<br />
stilts and lashed with floating barrels underneath the floor,<br />
they can house a family of six and sufficient foodstores for<br />
a week, so they no longer have to flee to the mountains to<br />
escape floods. However, these homes are rather expensive<br />
to construct (approximately USD2,000) each, and some<br />
homes remain lacking.<br />
Oxalis was established by a native of the Phong Nha<br />
region and began their work as caving guides in Tú Làn<br />
when the caves were rediscovered. The owner wanted<br />
to give back to his region, and today, they not only act<br />
as guides to the terrain, but also as the region’s primary<br />
employer and social support network. Education and<br />
sanitary health are two main pillars of its foundation arm,<br />
and the construction of the floating homes are also a focus.<br />
The company has committed VND 3,000,000,000<br />
(SGD180,000) to supporting these needs, and donations<br />
to support them are welcome. In Phong Nha, they employ<br />
90 percent of the town’s population, which sees around<br />
40,000 tourists each year. Most are here to visit the easilynavigable<br />
caves of Phong Nha, while around 15,000 are<br />
looking for the sort of adventure that Montblanc Southeast<br />
Asia set us on.<br />
RECONNECTING WITH NATURE<br />
The aim of the program was to discover and reconnect<br />
with our natural environment, and with Montblanc’s<br />
1858 collection as well. The special editions, which are<br />
constructed in bronze this year, come in gorgeous forestgreen<br />
dials and military-green textile NATO straps that<br />
are built for the outdoors. Montblanc also worked with a<br />
fashion and celebrity photographer, Dennis Leupold, to<br />
create a video featuring the brand’s flagship 1858 model, the<br />
Geosphere, and showing how his love of the natural world<br />
inspires his work in the celebrity sphere.<br />
The 1858 collection is a relatively new member of<br />
Montblanc’s product lines, and is aimed at reconnecting<br />
This page, clockwise<br />
Admiring stalactites<br />
that date back to<br />
the Cambrian era;<br />
the Montblanc 1858<br />
Geosphere on our<br />
guide; the aging<br />
of the bronze case<br />
gives the watch a<br />
distinct patina.<br />
42 TRAVEL TIME
STP 3-13 Automatic movement<br />
100 ATM water resistance<br />
45mm stainless steel case<br />
zodiacwatches.com
This page, clockwise<br />
Hiking through a<br />
field of wild flowers<br />
as we make our way<br />
into the complex<br />
of caves; the 1858<br />
Chronograph is<br />
another member of<br />
Montblanc’s 1858<br />
series, encased<br />
in bronze; scenic<br />
sights abound in the<br />
valley; a naturally<br />
formed column,<br />
occurring when<br />
a stalactite and<br />
stalagmite meet and<br />
join together. This<br />
pillar is immense.<br />
(see what I did there?) the two manufactures owned by the<br />
brand — one in Le Locle, the other in Villeret. The Minerva<br />
manufacture in Villeret dates back to 1858, and has been<br />
the inspiration for the collection, hence its name. Back in<br />
its heyday, Minerva was renowned as a racing stopwatch<br />
maker and its Calibre 20 chronograph remains an icon<br />
of watchmaking in the early 20th century. Montblanc<br />
continues to build on the brilliance of its designs, innovating<br />
with new technologies while maintaining the traditional<br />
watchmaking techniques used at Minerva. Its most complex<br />
movements are manufactured there, including the stunning<br />
hand-wound 16.31 and 16.29 calibres.<br />
But 1858 also displays Minerva’s clean and functional<br />
design language, rejecting overly complex dials and<br />
bringing in clean, functional slates. The 1858 Geosphere<br />
is the best example of this, with a second-time-zone<br />
display and a day/night indication of both hemispheres as<br />
well as globe maps, with markings to indicate some of the<br />
highest summits across the world. It’s unique in its design<br />
and style, and even has compass markings so you could<br />
technically use it as a guide if you know how. It’s designed<br />
for the outdoors, and actually useful if we’d gotten lost in<br />
the jungle, though our guides were more than able to lead us<br />
on the right path.<br />
The adventure arena is one that is mostly occupied by<br />
digital watches and smart watches, equipped with mapping<br />
functions and more. We decided to do away with all our<br />
digital equipment and simply thrive on the analogue. At<br />
the end of each day, as we sat together and indulged in<br />
conversation and simple fare prepared by the porters (and<br />
a bottle of Ketel One I’d snuck into my pack), we found<br />
ourselves sharing ideas that we wouldn’t usually indulge in.<br />
Frank opinions seem to flow much more freely when there’s<br />
no fear of someone posting it on Twitter.<br />
Whether it was reconnecting with nature, or oneself,<br />
or with each other, the exploration of Tú Làn certainly<br />
demonstrated to me that I was physically capable of more<br />
than I’d believed — which is comforting, considering that at<br />
the end of the hike, I learned that our journey was only the<br />
second easiest (level two, out of six levels). I’ll certainly be<br />
returning to Quang Binh, but only after I start doing a lot<br />
more CrossFit.<br />
44 TRAVEL TIME
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VISIT US AT<br />
WindUp Watch Fair New York<br />
October 25–27, 2019
WORDS ADAM CRANIOTES<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY TOMAS MONKA<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTION JAY GULLERS<br />
RETOUCHING BY SOFIA CEDERSTRÖM<br />
SET DESIGN ANTON THORSSON AND SÖDERBERG AGENTUR<br />
IMPECCABLE STYLE<br />
GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL<br />
Revolution reveals the incredible refinement of Glashütte Original’s latest timepieces.<br />
For 2019, we see Glashütte Original simultaneously<br />
moving forward and emphasizing its roots with<br />
a collection that celebrates both its past and its<br />
future. Indeed, Glashütte Original is one of but a few<br />
authentic high-end manufactures with an uninterrupted<br />
history of more than 170 years. This history imbues it with<br />
a weighty heritage that on the one hand requires restraint,<br />
but still allows for true innovation. Innovation that has<br />
manifested itself in an updated collection that shows<br />
exactly what they’re capable of.<br />
By now, the Glashütte tradition of fine watchmaking is<br />
well defined, with firmly established design hallmarks that<br />
speak to the skill, craftsmanship and heritage of the brand.<br />
Even without the branding that comes part and parcel with<br />
pretty much every manufacture these days, any collector<br />
worth their salt would be able to call out a watch<br />
from this region merely by giving the movement even<br />
a cursory glance.<br />
This is a good thing.<br />
While Glashütte Original’s big story this year is<br />
the forward-looking SeaQ from the new “Spezialist”<br />
collection, which sees the revival of their historic diving<br />
watch, the Spezimatic Type RP TS 200, tradition still<br />
has its place, and the updated PanoMaticLunar and<br />
PanoReserve, the streamlined Senator Chronometer<br />
and the stunning Senator Chronometer Tourbillon<br />
— Limited Edition make this apparent with highly<br />
technical movements and expertly finished cases and<br />
dials that hearken to the storied Glashütte history of fine<br />
watchmaking at the highest levels.
BLUE IS THE NEW BLACK<br />
At Glashütte Original, 95 percent of their<br />
manufacturing is done in-house. To top this<br />
off, they also manufacture their own dials<br />
at their facility in Pforzheim, a rarity even<br />
among high-end manufactures. This comes<br />
also into play with the stalwart PanoMaticLunar<br />
and PanoReserve, which, for the first time<br />
combine red gold with galvanic blue dials. It<br />
is said that blue is the new black, and it’s hard<br />
to argue otherwise when presented with dials<br />
such as these. Blue can be a notoriously difficult<br />
color to get right, but Glashütte Original<br />
has absolutely nailed it. Naturally, the<br />
Glashütte Original mantra carries through to<br />
the flip side with their in-house movements,<br />
both of which feature Glashütte Original’s<br />
trademark double swan-neck regulators and<br />
hand-engraved balance cocks.
The Glashütte Original PanoMaticLunar in<br />
red gold with galvanic blue dial, off-center<br />
display and signature Panorama Date.<br />
Previous spread<br />
The Glashütte Original PanoReserve in<br />
red gold with galvanic blue dial, off-center<br />
display and signature Panorama Date.
A TRADITION ON THE HIGH SEAS<br />
To say that the marine chronometer changed the course<br />
of history is no idle boast. These highly accurate and<br />
durable clocks transformed ocean navigation and truly<br />
opened up the world to any and all. And while the marine<br />
chronometer will always be associated with the Englishman,<br />
John Harrison, whose H4 is considered to be the first of the<br />
breed, Glashütte has been quietly leaving its own mark on<br />
the industry since the late 19th century. It was then that the<br />
German government decreed that the Imperial Navy should<br />
be equipped with marine chronometers of German origin,<br />
and it was Glashütte that answered the call. Indeed, since<br />
the first marine chronometer was produced in 1886, more<br />
than 13,000 of these exceptionally precise timekeepers have<br />
been manufactured.<br />
Of course nowadays, oceangoing vessels rely in the main<br />
on satellite and inertia-based navigation systems, but a case<br />
can still be made to have one certified marine chronometer<br />
on board as a back up. And while Glashütte Original no<br />
longer produces marine chronometers for ships, the wrist is<br />
another matter altogether. Take the Senator Chronometer,<br />
updated for 2019, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary,<br />
now with a slimmer bezel and a case rendered in rose gold.<br />
Underneath the clean, legible dial which evokes marine<br />
chronometers forebears, you’ll find the expertly finished<br />
in-house manual winding caliber 58-01 movement. A quick<br />
look at its construction belies its teutonic origins — the<br />
Glashütte three-quarter plate with stripe finish, swan-neck<br />
fine adjustment, hand-engraved balance, heat-treated<br />
blued screws, and screw-mounted gold chains are all<br />
present and accounted for — but a deeper dive reveals the<br />
genius that is Glashütte Original. Not only is the caliber<br />
58-01 a true chronometer that meets DIN 8319 standards<br />
as certified locally by the German Calibration Service, but<br />
it also includes innovations such as an ingenious stop/reset<br />
hacking mechanism that returns the second hand to zero,<br />
thus simplifying the process of accurately setting the time.<br />
(Frankly speaking, every chronometer-rated watch ought to<br />
have this complication, but that conversation is for another<br />
time.) As for that certification, each Senator Chronometer<br />
must undergo 15 days of testing in five positions and at<br />
temperatures that vary from 8 degrees Celsius to 38 degrees<br />
Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.)<br />
At the end of this time the watch must deviate no more than<br />
+/-2 seconds per day.
The Glashütte Original Senator<br />
Chronometer in red gold with silvergrainedlacquerdialandbluedhands.
UNCHARTERED<br />
TERRITORY<br />
All of the above notwithstanding,<br />
the there are still new worlds to<br />
conquer, and it is with the Senator<br />
Chronometer Tourbillon - Limited<br />
Edition that Glashütte Original<br />
brings all of their years of acquired<br />
knowledge to bear.<br />
detent to create a world first among<br />
tourbillons. The significance of<br />
this cannot be overstated, given<br />
the technical challenges presented<br />
by modifying such a complicated<br />
escapement, and yet here it is. To<br />
this end, this movement has not just<br />
one, but two patents pending. As<br />
a logical successor to the original<br />
Glashütte marine chronometers, the<br />
Senator Chronometer Tourbillon -<br />
Limited Edition more than makes a<br />
case for itself.<br />
Flying Tourbillon replete with<br />
stop/reset hacking second? Check.<br />
Hand-engraved dial and movement<br />
construction? Check. Case crafted<br />
entirely from platinum? Check. Meets<br />
DIN8319 standards for chronometry?<br />
Check. The Senator Chronometer<br />
Tourbillon - Limited Edition is the<br />
real deal Holyfield and proof positive<br />
that Glashütte Original belongs<br />
firmly at the top rungs of mechanical<br />
watchmaking. And yet, in spite of<br />
the seeming frivolity of such a piece,<br />
Ultimately, the caliber 58-05 is a<br />
master class in the Glashütte tradition<br />
of movement design and presents<br />
as perhaps one of the most beautiful<br />
movements released this year, due in<br />
no small part to the precise handengraving,<br />
which ensures that each<br />
one of the 25 pieces created for this<br />
series is unique. The combination of<br />
forward-thinking movement design<br />
and traditional hand-engraving<br />
techniques make the Senator<br />
Chronometer Tourbillon - Limited<br />
Edition a worthy flagship for the brand.<br />
it remains firmly grounded in the<br />
cannon of the brand. To wit, the flying<br />
tourbillon was first conceived of and<br />
implemented by Glashütte native<br />
and one time head of the Glashütte<br />
School of Watchmaking, Alfred<br />
Helwig in 1920. By anchoring the<br />
tourbillon on one side, he freed it to<br />
“float” on the dial. Not content to<br />
leave things standing pat, Glashütte<br />
Original watchmakers improved on<br />
the original design by implementing<br />
the aforementioned second stop<br />
mechanism, zero reset and minute<br />
OVER THE<br />
HORIZON
In the future, mechanical timepieces aren’t<br />
relics of the past. Instead, they’ll have become<br />
Replicant-worthy inventions, crafted to the<br />
needs of a rugged and dangerous future.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER<br />
ASSISTED BY SI JIA TOH<br />
FASHION STYLIST JOE TAN<br />
ASSISTED BY NORMAN NUR HAKIM BIN ABDUL RASHID<br />
DIGITAL ARTIST KH KOH<br />
54 WHAT MAKES US TICK
Omega Seamaster<br />
Diver 300M Co-Axial<br />
Master Chronometer in<br />
black ceramic case and<br />
black with red 5-stripe<br />
polyamide NATO strap.<br />
Brown reflective-polyester<br />
with gross-grain tape and<br />
incorporated backpack<br />
detail hoodie,Ermenegildo<br />
Zegna;Blackcottonpoplin<br />
shirt with zip detail,<br />
Hermès; Brown reflectivepolyester<br />
with gross-grain<br />
tape detail trousers,<br />
Ermenegildo Zegna.<br />
WHAT MAKES US TICK 55
Panerai Submersible<br />
42mm in steel case with<br />
black ceramic bezel and<br />
black rubber strap.<br />
Brown wool coat,<br />
Ermenegildo Zegna;<br />
Blue-striped cotton<br />
shirt, Gucci.<br />
56 WHAT MAKES US TICK
TAG Heuer Carrera<br />
CaliberHeuer02T<br />
Chronograph in black<br />
sandblasted steel<br />
with ceramic case and<br />
black sandblasted<br />
ceramic bracelet.<br />
Black,grey,andorange<br />
check wool coat, orange<br />
nylon vest, all from<br />
Ermenegildo Zegna;<br />
White cotton jumper,<br />
property of Revolution.<br />
WHAT MAKES US TICK 57
58 WHAT MAKES US TICK
Longines HydroConquest<br />
in stainless steel case<br />
with blue ceramic<br />
bezel and stainless<br />
steel bracelet.<br />
Red wool three-piece<br />
double-breasted suit,<br />
red wool shirt, all from<br />
Gucci; blue silk tie with<br />
diamond pattern detail,<br />
property of Revolution.<br />
WHAT MAKES US TICK 59
60 WHAT MAKES US TICK
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms<br />
Bathyscaphe in black satinbrushed<br />
ceramic case and<br />
black canvas strap.<br />
Black bonded cashmere<br />
single-breasted overcoat<br />
with nappa-leather<br />
trimmed lapel detail, black<br />
silk knitted-sweater, white<br />
silk knitted shirt, black<br />
wool-flannel trousers, all<br />
from Bottega Veneta.<br />
WHAT MAKES US TICK 61
Rado HyperChrome<br />
Captain Cook Automatic<br />
in stainless steel case<br />
with blue high-tech<br />
ceramic bezel and<br />
stainless steel bracelet.<br />
Grey wool-flannel jacket<br />
with leather-trimmed<br />
pocket detail, charcoal<br />
Maxi Torsade 180 wool<br />
turtleneck pullover with<br />
orange knitted-print<br />
detail, grey herringbone<br />
wool-flannel trousers, all<br />
from Hermès.<br />
62 WHAT MAKES US TICK
Chanel J12 with<br />
diamond indicators<br />
in white ceramic with<br />
steel case and white<br />
ceramic bracelet.<br />
White and black<br />
houndstooth tweed<br />
overcoat with metallic<br />
thread detail, Chanel;<br />
Green cotton-jersey<br />
turtleneck, black<br />
herringbone wool-flannel<br />
trousers, Hermès.<br />
GROOMING: RINA SIM USING<br />
LANCOME AND KEVIN<br />
MURPHY MODEL:MICHEL<br />
SAMSON / MANNEQUIN<br />
SPECIAL THANKS TO<br />
POTATO HEAD FOLK<br />
(WWW.PTTHEADFOLK.COM) AND<br />
SUNDARAM TAGORE GALLERY<br />
(WWW.SUNDARAMTAGORE.COM)<br />
WHAT MAKES US TICK 63
64 COVER STORY
HEROIC<br />
INSTRUMENTS<br />
Panerai’s timepieces for 2019 are built for the most extreme<br />
of environments, designed in partnership with individuals<br />
who are changemakers and modern heroes. These are<br />
instruments for the heroes of today.<br />
WORDS ADAM CRANIOTES<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER<br />
FASHION STYLIST JOE TAN<br />
DIGITAL ARTIST KH KOH<br />
COVER STORY 65
The history of Panerai is inextricably linked to the<br />
sea. Every aspect of their watches is in some way<br />
influenced by the deep blue. And while their military<br />
affiliation may be cause for some to reflect on the bellicose<br />
nature of humanity, the end result is nothing short of a true<br />
classic for the ages.<br />
To underscore this connection, Panerai has deemed<br />
2019 to be the Year of the Submersible, and to this end the<br />
model line has come it to its own as a standalone collection<br />
in Panerai’s stable, alongside the stalwart Luminor, the<br />
classic Radiomir and the svelte — relatively speaking, at<br />
least — Due.<br />
But before we delve into the Submersibles and what it all<br />
means for the future of Panerai, it’s worth taking a walk (or<br />
more appropriately perhaps a swim?) down memory lane to<br />
figure out exactly how we got here.<br />
IN THE BEGINNING<br />
Though Panerai was founded in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai,<br />
the first Panerai wristwatches weren’t produced until<br />
much later. These were pure tool watches, with the only<br />
guiding design principles bending on knee in the service of<br />
delivering Italian naval divers to and from their intended<br />
targets in the time allotted. This meant large dials, bright,<br />
long lasting lume and rugged, waterproof cases that<br />
contained simple, reliable movements (mainly cribbed from<br />
Rolex pocket watches). The original Radiomirs introduced<br />
highly luminous — and radioactive — sandwich dials to<br />
the horological lexicon, while the later Luminors saw<br />
the inception of the iconic crown guard, which has since<br />
become a trademark for the brand.<br />
It is worth noting here that the word “Radiomir” actually<br />
refers to a patent that PaneraI filed in 1916 for a radiumbased<br />
luminous powder; it wasn’t until 1936 that it would be<br />
applied to the watch that would bear its name, in this case,<br />
the original Radiomir dive watch, of which ten prototypes<br />
were made for the Italian navy. By 1938 production began,<br />
with the watches eventually evolving into the design that<br />
currently stands today as a pillar of Panerai’s collection.<br />
Throughout WWII, Panerai continued to refine and<br />
develop the Radiomir, with the so-called Radiomir “1940”<br />
introducing integrated lugs and culminating with a patent<br />
for a new luminescent material, Luminor, and a new case<br />
design and crown guard. The Luminor would form the basis<br />
for the modern Submersible line as we currently know it.<br />
These watches predate the legendary Blancpain Fifty-<br />
Fathoms and iconic Rolex Submariner by well over a decade,<br />
and while they aren’t templates for the modern dive watch,<br />
their place in horological history cannot be denied.<br />
EVOLUTION<br />
Of course, time waits for no one, and with the success of<br />
Blancpain and Rolex, Panerai had to adapt. To wit, the<br />
Radiomir Egiziano G.P.F. 2/56 was born. (“Egiziano” is the<br />
Italian word for “Egyptian”.)<br />
Created for the Egyptian Navy in 1956, the Egiziano<br />
was a whopping 60mm hulk of stainless steel that housed<br />
an Angelus 8-day manual-wind movement. Taking its<br />
design cues from the Luminor 1950, the Egiziano featured<br />
the patented crown guard, but most importantly, for the<br />
we see the inclusion of a timing bezel, a first for a Panerai.<br />
This feature reflected the new realities of diving. Prior to the<br />
invention of SCUBA by Jacque Cousteau, divers relied on<br />
closed-circuit rebreathers which allowed them to remain<br />
submerged for hours at a time, albeit at relatively shallow<br />
depths. To time their dives, commandos would set the time<br />
to 12 o’clock, and thus they would know exactly how much<br />
time had elapsed. With the invention of modern SCUBA<br />
gear, divers could go far deeper, though for shorter periods<br />
of time, hence the one-hour timing bezel.<br />
Thus, more so than any other piece from their past,<br />
the Egiziano is the spiritual successor of the modern day<br />
Submersible. All of the design elements that we have come<br />
to associate with the collection can be found in this watch, of<br />
which 50 were said to be produced .<br />
A NEW PANERAI TODAY<br />
The Panerai of 2019 is a vastly different company from the<br />
one founded by Giovanni Panerai in 1860, and its mission<br />
has changed accordingly. Military divers no longer rely<br />
on mechanical timers, and, indeed, even recreational<br />
divers opt for dive computers that can calculate gas mixes,<br />
decompression times, et al. And yet, the collective desire for<br />
so-called tool watches remains unabated. Perhaps it’s our<br />
The Panerai<br />
PAM00692<br />
Submersible<br />
BMG-TECH<br />
47MM represents<br />
the core ideals<br />
of the collection:<br />
ruggedness,<br />
innovation in<br />
development and<br />
endurance.<br />
Blue polyester<br />
windbreaker jacket,<br />
Hugo Boss;black<br />
cotton t-shirt,<br />
black spandex<br />
shorts, property<br />
of Revolution.<br />
Previous spread<br />
The Submersible<br />
42MM PAM00959<br />
is a classic model of<br />
the collection, and<br />
its distinct looks are<br />
what prompted CEO<br />
Jean-Marc Pontroué<br />
to develop it into a<br />
complete collection<br />
of its own, rather<br />
than as a subsidiary<br />
line of the Luminor.<br />
66 COVER STORY
COVER STORY 67
The Panerai<br />
PAM00979<br />
Submersible Marina<br />
Militare Carbotech TM<br />
is constructed in the<br />
special ultra-light<br />
and ultra-durable<br />
material, including<br />
the dial and bezel.<br />
The case back,<br />
in DLC-coated<br />
titanium, is designed<br />
with an engraving<br />
of the frogman,<br />
harking back to the<br />
brand’s origins as a<br />
military instrument.<br />
innate desire for exploration and derring-do that we look to<br />
add these totems to our daily wear. To this end, the modern<br />
Panerai Submersible remains as capable — far more<br />
capable, in fact — than its military forebears. That said, it<br />
is a testament to the designs of the early watches that they<br />
remain a capable template even now.<br />
The new Submersible collection reflects the Panerai of<br />
today with a wide variety of materials, dials and case sizes to<br />
choose from. In addition to stainless steel, there’s titanium<br />
and more exotic materials like their proprietary CarboTech<br />
and BMG-TECH, of which the latter uses metallic glass to<br />
achieve its strength and resistance to corrosion and wear.<br />
Every story needs a hero, however, and for the Submersible<br />
that hero is the PAM00979 Marina Militare. Crafted entirely<br />
out of Carbotech, the PAM00979 is surprisingly light on<br />
the wrist given its generous 47mm diameter. Oh, and when we<br />
say it’s “entirely” crafted out of Carbotech, we mean it —<br />
almost — even the dial and bezel are rendered in the material;<br />
the caseback is DLC-coated titanium. The hands are an<br />
evolution of the original Submersible hands, while the indexes<br />
are actually solid blocks of lume to ensure that you get a proper<br />
readout while wreck diving on the Andria Doria.<br />
Under the hood resides Panerai’s in-house P.9010<br />
automatic, which beats at 28,800bph and boasts a healthy<br />
72-hour power reserve. The whole shebang is tested to<br />
300M of water-resistance, which is more than enough for<br />
the average night-op in enemy waters. This brings us to one<br />
of the novel ways that Panerai is hyping their new collection:<br />
the PAM00961 Marina Militare Special Edition.<br />
The PAM00961 differs from the standard production<br />
Marina Militare in only a few superficial ways: olive green<br />
lume instead of gray, an olive green strap instead of black,<br />
and, finally, with the seal of the Italian Navy commando<br />
group, Comsubin, engraved on the caseback. That would<br />
be well and good on its own, but the watch comes with one<br />
other thing — an “experience” package that includes a<br />
weekend spent with members of the Comsubin as they train.<br />
As far as underscoring one’s military heritage, it’s hard to<br />
do better than this. Only 33 of these watches will be made,<br />
which means that only 33 individuals will be able to boast<br />
of having this singular experience. One can hope that these<br />
lucky few are up to the challenge.<br />
For those looking for a less arduous, but no less<br />
immersive journey, the second Submersible “experience”<br />
COVER STORY 69
takes place in the warm waters off Tahiti and is led by<br />
Panerai ambassador, Guillaume Néry, world champion<br />
free diver and filmmaker. The watch that unlocks this<br />
trip to paradise is the appropriately named PAM00983<br />
Submersible Chrono Guillaume Nery Edition, though this<br />
time around, only 15 die-hard Panerai collectors will be able<br />
to get in on the action.<br />
The PAM00983 differs from its production<br />
counterpart by virtue of its DLC-coated titanium case and<br />
stunning aquamarine gradient dial. The titanium caseback<br />
is engraved with an image of the Tahitian island, Moorea,<br />
and Mr. Néry’s signature. Moorea is where Mr. Néry makes<br />
his home, the owners of this watch will join him on a free<br />
dive in the waters of French Polynesia to watch whales<br />
up close and personal in their natural habitat. He tells<br />
Revolution that “The color of the dial on my watch is really<br />
the color of the Polynesian waters, which is a place I’ve<br />
known since young. I want to show these collectors just how<br />
beautiful it is, and how important it is to ensure it remains<br />
preserved and protected.”<br />
Not to be left out of the action, Panerai brand<br />
ambassador, explorer and environmentalist Mike Horn<br />
also has a namesake watch, the Submersible Mike Horn<br />
Edition PAM00985. This watch takes its inspiration<br />
from his ecological preservation efforts, and as such<br />
is constructed out a novel material referred to as Eco-<br />
Titanium, which is milled from recycled titanium.<br />
Even the strap is manufactured from recycled plastic. In<br />
a twist, the bezel is engraved and all the dial printing is<br />
etched on the underside of the crystal – both firsts for<br />
the brand. The PAM00985 will be made in a series of 19<br />
pieces, and each one comes with an invitation to join Mr.<br />
Horn on an expedition to the Arctic. The PAM00985<br />
features a sandwich dial with ice blue lume; the production<br />
PAM00984 has green lume. As with the Marina Militare<br />
Special Edition and the Guillame Nery Edition, the Mike<br />
Horn Edition is 47mm in diameter.<br />
Product development director Alessandro Ficarelli<br />
explains that this was something that Mike emphatically<br />
supported. “Recycling materials mean two things: first of all,<br />
that we don’t mine new titanium material, which requires a<br />
long chain of processes that involve toxic chemicals which<br />
then need to be disposed of. Secondly, it’s much more<br />
carbon-friendly. You use five percent of the energy needed<br />
to recycle titanium, compared with new titanium. And, after<br />
treating and polishing, it’s the same.”<br />
The Panerai<br />
PAM00961<br />
Submersible Marina<br />
Militare Carbotech TM<br />
with a military<br />
green rubber strap,<br />
shines in the dark.<br />
The back of the case<br />
is engraved with<br />
the coat of arms of<br />
the Comsubin, the<br />
commando group<br />
of the Italian Navy.<br />
70 COVER STORY
72 COVER STORY
DOING IT FOR PANERAI<br />
CEO of Panerai, Jean-Marc Pontroué is emphatic that the<br />
brand needs to be authentic when it comes to its passion for<br />
the oceans, even if they are expressed in different ways. Be<br />
it the America’s Cup, where Panerai is now partnering Luna<br />
Rossa, or supporting Néry and Horn on their expeditions<br />
and work, it wants to be an example for other brands.<br />
Ficarelli points out that even though they don’t broadcast<br />
it, the manufacture in Neuchâtel is in fact a carbon-neutral<br />
facility, and the recycling of various resources, from water<br />
used in CNC machines and more, has been built into the<br />
brand for a long time.<br />
While the brand is aware that the younger generation<br />
of consumers are conscious about the eco-friendliness<br />
of brands, and their active efforts in conservation and<br />
more, Panerai is doing it because of their ties to the ocean<br />
environment and because it’s the responsible thing to do as<br />
a luxury brand. “Most people aren’t aware of the full impact<br />
that luxury products impose on the world, and we don’t<br />
think about it. But as a brand, it’s essential for us to do so<br />
to ensure that our success continues long after us,” opines<br />
Pontroué. This philosophy holds true as well for its own<br />
watch innovations and developments.<br />
“We’re born for military use,” explained Ficarelli.<br />
“Panerai was the first underwater military watch, so<br />
everything we incorporate into our watches has to be<br />
useful. What’s important on one side is the aesthetics<br />
of the watch, but what’s crucial is its performance.”<br />
The brand’s focus on functional research led to its<br />
debut of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) in 2016,<br />
a first for the watch industry. The complex process is a<br />
combination of 3D printing with laser-melted metallic<br />
powder, which results in the possibility of creating<br />
lightweight, durable and complex geometries without<br />
any compromise in strength.<br />
Since then, it’s continued to roll out ever more inventive<br />
technology, such as Carbotech TM or BMG-TECH TM .<br />
Ficarelli is particularly enthusiastic about the latter. “We<br />
introduced BMG-TECH TM to our watches because of<br />
its incredible shock-resistant qualities. These material<br />
innovations are relevant to Panerai because it’s designed<br />
to be a functional watch. Our watches are a combination<br />
of performance, function and of course, our signature<br />
aesthetics. Within the company now, we have a team of<br />
material experts and we’re constantly testing and searching<br />
for new materials to craft our watches in.”<br />
This page<br />
The Panerai<br />
Submersible<br />
BMG-Tech TM 47MM<br />
PAM0799, which<br />
has an enhanced<br />
shock resistance<br />
compared other<br />
materials.<br />
Opposite, clockwise<br />
The PAM00983<br />
Submersible<br />
Chrono Guillaume<br />
Néry Edition; the<br />
caseback features<br />
Néry’s signature and<br />
his world record<br />
freediving feat;<br />
the PAM00985<br />
Mike Horn Edition,<br />
crafted out of<br />
Eco-Titanium TM ;<br />
Horn’s signature<br />
and an engraving<br />
of Arctic marine<br />
life is featured on<br />
the caseback.<br />
COVER STORY 73
For those who aren’t looking<br />
to live out proscribed Mitty-esque<br />
fantasies a la Comsubin, Mike Horn or<br />
Guillaume Néry, or, perhaps, who have<br />
designs on creating their own personal<br />
experiences, the Submersible collection<br />
rounds out to feature something for<br />
everyone. You want gold? No problem.<br />
Bronze? Hell, Panerai practically<br />
invited the bronze watch craze. Your<br />
wrist can’t handle 47mm? How about<br />
42mm? And for those who prefer to<br />
keep their water-related activities<br />
above the waves, the limited edition<br />
PAM01039 Luna Rossa is available<br />
with a dial crafted from the sail of the<br />
eponymous America’s Cup racing boat.<br />
Indeed, there are now more models to<br />
choose from than ever before.<br />
And yet, the journey most<br />
definitely does not stop here. By<br />
combining cutting edge materials,<br />
time honored history and genuine love<br />
of the sea, the Submersible collection<br />
has truly come into its own, but it still<br />
looks ever toward the future. That<br />
horizon may be distant, but Panerai’s<br />
course is true.<br />
This page<br />
The Luna Rossa<br />
team, which Panerai<br />
sponsors; the<br />
PAM01039 Luna<br />
Rossa is the first<br />
watch inspired by<br />
the partnership<br />
between the two,<br />
with a carbon<br />
fiber case and<br />
sailcloth dial.<br />
Opposite, clockwise<br />
The PAM00982<br />
Submersible<br />
Chrono Guillaume<br />
Néry Edition<br />
houses a flyback<br />
chronograph with<br />
a “shark gray” dial<br />
for a distinct look.<br />
Blue polyester<br />
windbreaker<br />
jacket, white cotton<br />
t-shirt, white<br />
cotton trousers, all<br />
from Hugo Boss.<br />
74 COVER STORY
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: RANDEY NG<br />
STYLIST INTERN: NORMAN HAKIM<br />
GROOMING: RINA SIM USING KEVIN<br />
MURPHY AND SUNDAY RILEY<br />
MODEL: ROBSON GUARAGNI / AVE
THE MODERNIST<br />
Bell & Ross speaks with Revolution on the creation of the BR-05, its latest creation and one that has a wonderful<br />
lineage, not only in the history of modern watchmaking, but also in its own heritage. Find out why we think this signals<br />
a new era in the brand’s future on page 82.
The original RD2 Prototype.<br />
78 THE MODERNIST
WALKING THE ULTRA-THIN LINE<br />
Audemars Piguet’s record-breaking prototype that made heads turn<br />
at SIHH 2018 is now available in a production version.<br />
WORDS KEVIN CUREAU<br />
At SIHH 2018, amongst the grand debuts like Royal Oak<br />
Offshore 25th Anniversary re-issue, the Royal Oak “Jumbo”<br />
extra-thin in titanium and platinum, and even the first Royal<br />
Oak Concept made specifically for women, there was a sleeper hit.<br />
It wasn’t displayed in a glass case for everyone to see.<br />
Instead, selected guests were offered the opportunity for a<br />
private viewing: an R&D watch, in platinum, equipped with<br />
the thinnest perpetual calendar movement ever produced.<br />
Audemars Piguet has a rich history in producing perpetual<br />
calendar watches and thin calibers which has been well documented<br />
over the years so the prototype watch had big shoes to fill.<br />
Dubbed the RD#2 at the time, the watch looked like a Royal Oak<br />
which had gone through a successful weight loss program. The 41mm<br />
case size was identical to the current generation perpetual calendar<br />
Royal Oak, but the total height of the case was reduced to 6.3mm.<br />
To put that into perspective, know that the recently released 41mm<br />
self-winding Royal Oak ref. 15500 has a case height of 10.4mm,<br />
the existing Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is 9.5mm thick, and<br />
the 39mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” extra-thin comes in at 8.1mm.<br />
To achieve this incredible low height of 6.3mm — with the<br />
movement inside — Audemars Piguet re-worked its caliber. It took<br />
the smartest people at AP — and I’m talking engineers, designers,<br />
programmers and watchmakers — to push the limits of their craft<br />
to re-engineer the perpetual calendar movement as we know it.<br />
Where the perpetual calendar functions are normally arranged<br />
on three levels, they have now been merged into a single layer by<br />
integrating the end-of-the-month cam into the date wheel, while<br />
the month cam has been combined with the month wheel. This<br />
resulted in the all new caliber 5133 with a mind-blowing total<br />
thickness of only 2.89mm — and with a full rotor, s’il vous plaît.<br />
Of course these new innovations have been patented, paving the<br />
way for a future generation of thin and complicated watches.<br />
For me however, one key reason for creating thin watches was<br />
to reduce the overall weight of the timepiece; the watch, presented<br />
in hefty 950 platinum kind of defeated the purpose. I had a second<br />
quibble, which happens on the dial side. The new enlarged sub-dials<br />
for the day, date and month, and two tiny sub-dials for the night/day<br />
indicator and leap year, coupled with the signature “Grand Tapisserie”<br />
pattern, made the dial seem rather busy. A little disconcerting<br />
perhaps, since the pattern is a distinct feature of the Royal Oak.<br />
Which brings us to the timepiece we have today which is<br />
essentially the RD#2 but cleaned up — and with a longer name.<br />
I guess I wasn’t the only one who had the same two complaints I<br />
mentioned before because when the final production version of<br />
the watch came out, only two things were changed, and they are<br />
— you guessed it — the dial and material used for the watch.<br />
The dial does away with the tapisserie pattern and is replaced<br />
by a dark blue satin finish which is brushed vertically. The markers<br />
are now much more prominent and pop out from the watch face.<br />
Watch collector Austen Chu was the first person in the world to get<br />
the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin and he<br />
tells me, “The satin dial, in my opinion, fits the watch a lot better<br />
than the tapisserie dial, and it also makes the watch look thinner on<br />
the eyes. The tapisserie pattern brings in a lot of depth. So without<br />
the tapisserie dial, it makes the watch look even slimmer.”<br />
The case and bracelet are now in titanium, which makes a lot more<br />
sense, and the centre links and bezel are in polished platinum. The<br />
result is an attractive juxtaposition of the two metals. The polished<br />
platinum bezel almost disappears under certain lighting conditions,<br />
which makes the watch look even thinner than it actually is.<br />
All in all, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar<br />
Ultra-Thin is a great demonstration of Audemars Piguet’s ability<br />
to innovate and usher watchmaking into a modern era of technical<br />
performances. There is no doubt that we will see more thin and<br />
complicated timepieces in the future and the industry might<br />
look back to this watch as the launching pad for this trend.<br />
AUDEMARS PIGUET<br />
ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING PERPETUAL CALENDAR ULTRA-THIN<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber 5133; hours, minutes;<br />
perpetual calendar with day, date, astronomical moon, month, leap year;<br />
night and day indication; 40-hour power reserve<br />
CASE Satin-brushed titanium with polished 950 platinum bezel;<br />
sapphire crystal and caseback; titanium screw-locked crown<br />
STRAP Satin-brushed titanium with polished 950 platinum links;<br />
titanium AP folding clasp<br />
THE MODERNIST 79
80 THE MODERNIST
BLANCPAIN FIFTY<br />
FATHOMS BARAKUDA<br />
Fans of one of the world’s pioneering diving watches will have reason to join the<br />
queue straight away – the latest Blancpain Fifty is drop-dead gorgeous.<br />
WORDS KEN KESSLER<br />
Lucky ol’ Blancpain: those who were fortunate enough<br />
to see the exhibition a few years ago in Paris will<br />
know that there are enough variants of the Fifty<br />
Fathoms to keep the maison in limited editions for, oh,<br />
a hundred years. This one, the Barakuda, is among the<br />
coolest, thanks to a little touch that differentiates it<br />
from a regular Fifty Fathoms and which is slightly<br />
reminiscent of sister brand Omega’s so-called<br />
“racing dials”, as found on the Speedmaster<br />
Professional “Tintin”.<br />
It’s amazing what a tiny dash of color can<br />
add to a timepiece that, even in its most common<br />
form, is one of the most handsome diving watches<br />
ever produced. This has been so for 66 years, while<br />
this year’s addition to the Fifty Fathoms Collection,<br />
Ref, 5008B-1130-B<strong>52</strong>A, harks back to the tail-end of<br />
the 1960s. As is the company’s wont, they’ve balanced<br />
the character of the original with updated technical<br />
elements, mainly the movements; to put it mildly, firstgeneration<br />
Fifty Fathoms used rather ordinary calibers,<br />
while this has a twin-barrel automatic.<br />
Its tale is oft-told, but to recap, the Fifty Fathoms was<br />
born in 1953, and it vies with a certain rival from Geneva for the title<br />
of “world’s first SCUBA-ready diving watch.” Not a debate I care to<br />
enter, suffice it to say, this watch has peerless provenance. Designed<br />
by and for French military divers, it helped define the diving watch<br />
template of superlative legibility, rotating bezel to show elapsed<br />
or remaining time and security against moisture ingress to betterthan-diving<br />
depths.<br />
When the German Bundesmarine adopted the FF for its frogmen<br />
in the 1960s, the elected supplier was a company named Barakuda,<br />
which specialized in the production and marketing of technical diving<br />
equipment. Barakuda also served civilian clientele, the public being<br />
presented with a model that would distinguish it from the<br />
plain vanilla model used by the Bundesmarine.<br />
For this, Barakuda introduced a model with<br />
distinctive two-tone rectangular hour-markers,<br />
white-painted fluorescent hands and a date display at<br />
3 o’clock. As found on the reissue, some Barakudas<br />
were fitted with a style of strap popular at the<br />
time, a heavy, durable black rubber design<br />
with a textured “tropical” pattern and, with<br />
hindsight, a funky, period feel. The good news<br />
is that it’s also quite comfortable.<br />
To give this faithful reissue a whiff of the<br />
past, the Barakuda approximates its age with the<br />
large red-and-white hour-markers coated with<br />
“old radium” type Super-LumiNova® that suggests<br />
a period patina. Also in keeping with the original, the<br />
luminescent pencil-shaped hands are white-lacquered,<br />
and the date is positioned correctly at 3 o’clock instead of<br />
4.30, as on the standard edition.<br />
As is now the practice to torment those who hesitate,<br />
the Barakuda is limited to 500 pieces. Considering that it’s<br />
arguably the best-looking Fifty Fathoms since the line was<br />
reincarnated, expect it to sell out before it even reaches the shops.<br />
BLANCPAIN<br />
FIFTY FATHOMS BARAKUDA<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding calibre 1151; hours, minutes and seconds; date;<br />
100-hour power reserve<br />
CASE 40.3mm stainless steel; water-resistant to 300m; sapphire back<br />
STRAP Black textured tropical rubber strap<br />
THE MODERNIST 81
The new BR 05 Skeleton features the new in-house BR-CAl.322 movement and is limited to 500 pieces worldwide.<br />
82 THE MODERNIST
THE FIFTH ELEMENT<br />
Bell & Ross’s latest design reminds us why the two gentlemen have<br />
made such waves over nearly three decades of watchmaking.<br />
WORDS DARREN HO<br />
In 1992, two lifelong friends who bonded over a shared love of<br />
aviation and watches decided that, rather than wait for an industry<br />
to create something they would appreciate and love, they’d give it<br />
a shot themselves. They started by teaming up with Helmut Sinn, and<br />
early Bell & Ross watches were a mix of retro-futuristic hits like the<br />
Space 1 and the Bomb Disposal Type.<br />
It took over another decade before Bruno Belamich — the ‘Bell’ of<br />
the brand (pun intended) — would go all out to create the BR 01, the<br />
first square-cased watch of the brand that was inspired by the classic<br />
dashboard instruments of the aviation world. This bold move resulted<br />
in an instant icon.<br />
The BR 01 would usher in a decade of incredible and beautiful<br />
builds by the duo. Carlos Rosillo, ever the gregarious gentleman,<br />
fronted the business while Belamich preferred to remain behind the<br />
scenes, dreaming up timepieces, improving them over and over, and<br />
building more classic variations of each watch over time.<br />
In the last few years, however, Bell & Ross have become more<br />
adventurous and exploratory in their creations — a natural progression<br />
for a brand, now nearing its 30s and wanting to go further, to innovate<br />
even more. It also speaks to the confidence of the brand and its<br />
founders, that at the height of its current success, they’ve decided<br />
to front a new design, of which Revolution had a sneak preview at the<br />
Baselworld fair earlier this year.<br />
Known as the BR 05, it’s both a look at early Bell & Ross<br />
creations through the eyes and hands of a wiser leader with a keener<br />
understanding of watch designs. It’s also the creation of two worldlier<br />
gentlemen, of broadened horizons and deeper thought.<br />
The decision to create a new watch case that is as inspired by<br />
modern design and architecture as much as it is by aviation and its own<br />
history, was one that had been in discussion for some years. The cofounders<br />
had each been considering the need for a new phase in Bell &<br />
Ross’s product development, and when they shared their thoughts with<br />
each other, they were propelled into action.<br />
Belamich explained that the BR 05 is “a project that has been<br />
growing since 2014 in my mind. After three years of reflection, we<br />
started working on this collection. It took two years in total. Between<br />
the moment when we started drawing the first sketch of the watch and<br />
the moment when we approved its design.”<br />
Rosillo adds, “The question was to know what the possible<br />
evolution and direction of our collection would be over the next five<br />
or 10 years. We are evolving in a market where novelty is necessary.<br />
We must innovate constantly, and create a dynamic, maintain the<br />
dream. The evidence was to develop an intermediate model between<br />
the square — our utilitarian icon — and the round — which is universal<br />
and generic. With this new line in mind, we did not want to create a city<br />
watch but a Bell & Ross watch made for the city.”<br />
INTEGRATION<br />
The name of the watch — BR 05 —may come as a surprise to many of us<br />
since technically there isn’t a BR 04, though there are other collections<br />
within the brand such as the BR S and BR X series. But perhaps that’s<br />
because this watch collection is so distinct that it has to stand apart<br />
from its other siblings and be judged on its own merit. Rosillo has a<br />
more amusing take on this, however. “The Asian market is the third<br />
biggest market for Bell & Ross. In China, the number ‘4’ is not a lucky<br />
number, that’s why we jumped from BR 03 to BR 05.”<br />
The BR 05 has links with some watches from the brand’s past,<br />
such as the Demineur Type or Bomb Disposal Type watch, which<br />
featured an integrated bracelet, and the Space series. But it also<br />
shares a strong connection with the existing BR V1, the BR 01 and<br />
even more memorably, the integrated bracelet cases of the ’70s and<br />
’80s, though refreshed for the 21st century. The sleek demeanor<br />
of the watch, inspired by modern skyscrapers and urban spaces, is<br />
simultaneously a Bell & Ross classic and a refinement of what led the<br />
brand to its incredible popularity. The three-link bracelet is in fact<br />
a reconstruction and refinement of the Type Demineur’s original<br />
bracelet, even though it’s sure to evoke comparisons with a Gérald<br />
Genta or Jorg Hysek design.<br />
In fact, the case middle also references the Type Demineur,<br />
though now affiliated with Bell & Ross’s square case form and<br />
softened further with rounded corners into a structured cushion<br />
design. In that regard, it stands apart from the other integrated<br />
THE MODERNIST 83
acelet watches in the industry. The three-part case, with a squared<br />
bezel that maintains Bell & Ross’s strong, classic BR design, a<br />
sharp-angled integrated lug that wraps itself around the wrist, and<br />
the screw-down caseback through which the BR-CAL.321 can be<br />
seen, enhances its modern design. Exposed screws that are beautifully<br />
polished on the sides of the bracelet, lugs, bezel and crown guards,<br />
add greater flavor to the watch.<br />
The choice of a brushed surface treatment on the case, alternating<br />
with polished angles on the bezel, case middle and back, as well as the<br />
central links of the watch and sides of the crown guards, gives the watch<br />
that architectural slant which Belamich aimed for. Non-braceleted<br />
versions of the watch are available as well, with a molded and tapered<br />
rubber strap that’s striped and adds a different look to the watch.<br />
Belamich adds, “We wanted to complement our two existing<br />
pillars. It is the missing link between our two existing collections and<br />
BELL & ROSS<br />
BR-05<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding BR-CAL.321 movement; hours,<br />
minutes and seconds; date; 40-hour power reserve;<br />
or self-winding BR-CAL.322 skeleton movement (limited-edition<br />
model)<br />
CASE 40mm in stainless steel or<br />
18K rose gold; limited edition with skeleton dial (500 pieces)<br />
STRAP Integrated bracelet in stainless stel or 18K rose gold;<br />
rubber strap with deployant clasp<br />
cases’ shapes. The round is inspired by the History of Aviation, the<br />
past, and the square for its radical form and for professional use. We<br />
wanted to create a watch with the iconic Bell & Ross case and to merge<br />
it with a steel bracelet. With the BR05, we now have a Time Instrument<br />
for urban explorers.” He also points out that he found inspiration in<br />
Mies van der Rohe’s work as much as the Demineur Type itself was a<br />
reference for the watch.<br />
The stars of the collection are the BR 05 Skeleton, which features<br />
the skeleton in-house BR-CAL.322 automatic movement, in steel<br />
and limited to 500 pieces worldwide; and the rose-gold model<br />
with a black dial sans minute track. With the Br 05 Skeleton, the<br />
movement’s oscillating rotor had to be re-designed to work perfectly.<br />
“The [oscillating weight which looks like a] wheel completely covers<br />
the movement but without hiding it. This was a technical challenge:<br />
perfectly balanced, it had to be unbalanced so that it could work.<br />
The mass therefore had to be revised and corrected, thus creating a<br />
disproportion of its weight.”<br />
The bracelet edition of the rose-gold watch is magnificent to<br />
behold in the flesh, and a hefty hunk of metal on the wrist as well. A<br />
version in a black rubber strap is available for those who are looking for<br />
a slightly more subdued piece, though we say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.<br />
IN COMPARISON<br />
It’s what everyone will inevitably bring up when drawing associations<br />
with the new BR 05: is Bell & Ross’s design derived from the success of<br />
industry predecessors who have achieved acclaim with their sportsluxe<br />
watches?<br />
In truth, yes and no. Belamich, growing up in the era of modern<br />
design and contemporary architecture, was surely impressed by the<br />
designs of Genta, Hysek and a plethora of other great watchmakers,<br />
all of whom leapt onto the new sports-luxe category that was created<br />
by the surge in the Italian market in the ’70s and ’80s. Just as that has<br />
influenced the work of hundreds of others in watchmaking, it would be<br />
ridiculous to think he would not have found their work impressive in<br />
design. Rosillo opines that “the lines of [the BR 05] case combine round<br />
and square, the basic geometric shapes that form part of Bell & Ross’<br />
identity. For me, it is more than a watch. It is the design of an era.”<br />
But to assume that is the only reason for this collection’s existence<br />
is to overlook Bell & Ross’s own slice of watchmaking history. Two<br />
watches that were mentioned earlier, the Space 1 and the Type<br />
Demineur, draw particularly close to what Belamich has built with the<br />
BR 05 — in fact, a close examination of the Space 1 shows how similar<br />
the two watches are. Clearly this is a watch that has been brewing in<br />
Belamich’s mind for some time, now with an in-house caliber and a<br />
dial design that’s iconic to the brand. Today, it’s reality.<br />
84 THE MODERNIST
This page, clockwise from top left The steel editions come in a blue, black or anthracite dial (not pictured), with a minute track on the black dial; the riminspired<br />
design of the oscillating mass is deliberately unbalanced for efficiency; the full gold braceleted case with black dial is a sublimely beautiful watch.<br />
THE MODERNIST 85
A BLIZZARD IN TEXAS<br />
To celebrate the first anniversary of their flagship boutique in Plano, TX.,<br />
Timeless Luxury Watches collaborates with Grand Seiko to create a truly unique watch,<br />
the Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT Timeless “Blizzard”.<br />
WORDS ADAM CRANIOTES<br />
The word “blizzard” occupies a special place in<br />
Grand Seiko history, and this particular dial<br />
hearkens back to the limited-edition SBGA125 from<br />
2015, which sported a similarly textured dial. Indeed, it was<br />
Timeless Luxury Watches that coined the term “blizzard” to<br />
differentiate it from Grand Seiko’s now-iconic “snowflake”<br />
dial found on the SBGA211, which might explain why it was<br />
requested for their first collaborative piece. The inspiration<br />
for the finish was, as you might imagine, an actual<br />
snowstorm that hit the manufacture in Shinshu, Japan.<br />
While it comes off as a bit of a cliché, we can assure<br />
you that, in this instance, the following statement applies:<br />
Photographs do not do this dial justice. The depth, the<br />
sparkle… There’s quite literally nothing else on the market<br />
like it. Viewed in person, it can take on a frosty, bluish hue,<br />
which brings us to the hands. Yes, the trademark, laser-cut<br />
dauphine hour and minute hands are present and accounted<br />
for, and as is par for the course, they — and the indexes<br />
— are flawless examples of zaratsu mirror-polishing. The<br />
other watch hands, however, deviate from the norm. The<br />
independent GMT hand, second hand and power-reserve<br />
indicator are all rendered in heat-treated blue, and boy do<br />
they pop. What’s more, in certain light, they lend a cerulean<br />
hue to the dial to gorgeous effect.<br />
As noted, this particular Grand Seiko also sports a GMT<br />
complication, which is one more differentiating factor<br />
between the SBGE249 and the SBGA211. It’s worth pointing<br />
out that this is a true GMT, in that the hour hand is set<br />
independently from the minute hand, which is our preferred<br />
method for approaching this particular complication.<br />
TIMELESS STYLE<br />
In another departure from the SBGA211, the Blizzard is crafted<br />
entirely from stainless steel as opposed to titanium. The reason<br />
for this stems from Timeless Luxury Watches’ owner, Dan<br />
Broadfoot’s desire to have a bit more<br />
heft in the timepiece. As an added<br />
bonus, stainless steel achieves a brighter<br />
hue when hand-finished and polished.<br />
Nitpicks, we have a few. Okay, just<br />
two, though neither represents a hill<br />
for us to die on. While we don’t have a<br />
problem with the trademark powerreserve<br />
indicator on the dial — this is<br />
a feature of all Spring Drive-equipped<br />
Grand Seikos, and draws attention<br />
to the movement’s generous threeday<br />
power reserve — there are those<br />
who would prefer to see it removed<br />
completely, or at least relegated to the<br />
rear of the movement. This brings us<br />
to our second critique: the sapphire<br />
caseback. Ordinarily, this provides<br />
an expansive window into the expertly<br />
finished mechanics of the caliber 9R66<br />
Spring Drive movement, but here that<br />
view has been obscured by a vintageinspired<br />
Grand Seiko lion logo and<br />
the words, “Limited Edition”. (Thank<br />
you, Grand Seiko, but we already<br />
know this.) If we had our druthers,<br />
this would’ve been divided between<br />
the rotor and retaining ring, or at least<br />
reduced significantly in size.<br />
The above notwithstanding, it<br />
is our contention that the SBGE249<br />
ranks right up there with the<br />
SBGA211 in terms of execution and<br />
desirability, which is no mean feat. It<br />
then builds on the formula by adding<br />
function to form with its classically<br />
executed GMT complication.<br />
Timeless Luxury Watches<br />
and Grand Seiko have created<br />
something truly special here, a force<br />
of horological nature, if you will.<br />
It’s a shame that only 250 lucky<br />
individuals will be able to enjoy it.<br />
The Grand Seiko SBGE249<br />
Limited Edition Spring Drive GMT<br />
has an MSRP of US$5,900 and<br />
is available exclusively through<br />
Timeless Luxury Watches.<br />
GRAND SEIKO<br />
SBGE249 LIMITED EDITION SPRING DRIVE GMT<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding Spring Drive GMT caliber 9R66; hours, minutes and seconds;<br />
date; second timezone; 72-hour power reserve<br />
CASE 41mm; stainless steel; water-resistant to 100m<br />
STRAP Stainless steel bracelet in brushed and mirror finish<br />
86 THE MODERNIST
THE MODERNIST 87
THROUGH THE<br />
LOOKING GLASS<br />
Oris’ latest timepiece is a stunner and one that has been years in the works. It also highlights<br />
a broad modernisation across the company, ready to embrace a 21st-century look.<br />
WORDS DARREN HO<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER DIGITAL ARTIST KH KOH AND SIJIA TOH<br />
The municipality of Hölstein is<br />
one that can only be described<br />
as serene. It’s a picturesque<br />
landscape that’s laden with streams and<br />
rivers, arable land and a smattering of<br />
industrial buildings that would easily fit<br />
into a Waterhouse painting. It’s also the<br />
home of Oris, one of the few remaining<br />
industrialized and independent<br />
watchmakers in Switzerland. The<br />
company remains rooted in the original<br />
building that it was founded in, though<br />
it’s expanded on its premises since<br />
1904, to accommodate for an influx of<br />
machinery and staff.<br />
Most watch lovers know of Oris, or<br />
are at least familiar with its reputation<br />
for creating handsome and well-priced<br />
timepieces. Some examples include the<br />
Aquis series of diving watches, or more<br />
notably, the Divers Sixty-Five, its first<br />
diving watch in 1965 that offered a full<br />
timer scale, unidirectional bezel and<br />
100-meter water resistance. Since<br />
the brand revived the line in 2015,<br />
it’s achieved critical and popular<br />
acclaim, with numerous special<br />
editions including one of our own,<br />
the Divers Sixty-Five “Honey”.<br />
Some may even be familiar enough<br />
with Oris’ history to know that in<br />
the early 20th century, Oris earned<br />
plaudits for its chronometric performance, and was in<br />
fact one of the largest Swiss watchmakers in the industry.<br />
After the Quartz Revolution, the company, along with the<br />
entire industry, shrunk in size. Thanks to its two leaders<br />
at the time, Dr Rolf Portmann and Ulrich Herzog (now<br />
the brand’s chairperson), who organized a buyout of the<br />
company, it survived the era and returned to the mechanical<br />
watchmaking standards of the past.<br />
The two gentlemen helped assert Oris’ distinct style<br />
through the revival of its earliest watch collection, the<br />
Big Crown, an aviator-themed watch range designed for<br />
convenient operation by gloved hands. The Big Crowns of<br />
the 1940s offered a pointer calendar display, a style that has<br />
become an Oris regular today.<br />
THE 21ST CENTURY ORIS<br />
As the brand reclaimed its ground in watchmaking, it also<br />
began to expand its presence in other spheres, drawing<br />
upon music influences and motorsport to build a range of<br />
timepieces that were varied and pragmatic in operation. The<br />
utilitarian character of the brand revealed itself through the<br />
practical solutions it created for the end-consumer, from<br />
a convenient quick-lock crown to a bezel lock that ensures<br />
it doesn’t move out of position. Utility isn’t just a matter of<br />
appearance to the brand; it must also serve an actual purpose.<br />
But the brand’s biggest milestone came in 2014 when<br />
it introduced the Caliber 110 on its 110th anniversary. It<br />
was Oris’ first in-house movement since post-Quartz<br />
Revolution and it was a statement that the brand was more<br />
than capable of producing a fine in-house movement.<br />
The manually wound, 3Hz caliber offers a 10-day power<br />
reserve and a patented non-linear power display, running<br />
on one single, massive barrel with a<br />
mainspring that measures 1.5 meters<br />
long. The movement itself is sturdily<br />
built and designed for robustness,<br />
with convenient easy-adjustment<br />
on the regulating organ and minimal<br />
power fluctuation across the entire<br />
reserve of energy.<br />
The 110-series movements and<br />
its successors aren’t aimed at fully<br />
verticalising the manufacture, but<br />
really are selectively produced for<br />
special premium timepieces that<br />
epitomise the brand’s core values of<br />
quality and performance. Since then,<br />
there’ve been four variants of the base<br />
movement, numbered sequentially.<br />
And for its 115th anniversary, the<br />
brand’s delivering a futuristic look at<br />
the 110 caliber, as well as its product<br />
design. The Big Crown ProPilot X is<br />
the B-2 Spirit plane of the line, a sleek,<br />
provocative slice of equipment that’s<br />
an architectural beauty.<br />
According to Oris’ senior product<br />
design engineer Lukas Bühlmann, the<br />
inspiration of the watch came from<br />
“aviation and architecture. The idea<br />
behind the watch started with the<br />
movement, and we gave this a strong<br />
architectural look. The skeletonized<br />
barrel draws your eye first and then the<br />
88 THE MODERNIST
THE MODERNIST 89
90 THE MODERNIST
Previous spread<br />
The Oris Big Crown<br />
ProPilot X is a brand<br />
new, full titanium<br />
watchwithan<br />
integrated bracelet<br />
and a futuristic<br />
presentation<br />
of the Hölstein<br />
watchmaker<br />
Opposite<br />
It’s unfair to call<br />
the Caliber 115<br />
a skeletonized<br />
edition of the 110,<br />
as the brand had<br />
to disassemble the<br />
entire movement<br />
and re-construct it<br />
to show the skeleton<br />
watch in full glory.<br />
bridges, and then you start seeing the detail in the wheels.<br />
The case is more like a stealth plane. There’s an exciting<br />
interplay between the movement and the static elements.”<br />
Chief operating officer Beat Fischli adds that the idea<br />
for the watch had been in his head for years. “We’ve been<br />
building towards this moment. But until now, it just wasn’t<br />
the right time. We’ve known for a long time that we had the<br />
know-how in-house. Calibers 110 to 114, each unique,<br />
gave us confidence, because they were so well received.<br />
Each time, we learned new things... We have the freedom to<br />
create watches our customers want and that we like, because<br />
we’re independent. After these developments, we felt ready<br />
to produce and release a high-concept piece that would<br />
show the world on another level who Oris really is.”<br />
NOT JUST A SKELETONIZED MOVEMENT<br />
In fact, according to Michael Meier, the regional manager<br />
for Oris Southeast Asia, the idea to create a skeletonized<br />
version of the 110 had been in discussion since it was<br />
created. To call the Caliber 115 a skeletonized version<br />
of the 110 would be unjust, however. The designers and<br />
engineers began by taking the movement apart in order<br />
to see what could be hewn from the original, and in doing<br />
so, constructed a skeleton movement that added the<br />
openworked bridges too.<br />
As Bühlmann points out, the inspiration for the calibre’s<br />
construction was architecture, and elements of man-made<br />
architecture can be seen throughout the watch, from the<br />
centre bridge which literally references the design of a<br />
bridge found in Hölstein (although to my untrained eye,<br />
it reminds me of the Eiffel Tower in a mirror reflection).<br />
He points out the differences between the 115 and its<br />
predecessors, one of which is the shifted small seconds<br />
counter, which now lies at the seventh hour, instead of the<br />
ninth. “This is actually the actual position of the seconds<br />
wheel in the movement; we shifted it in the past for balance,<br />
but it fits perfect here.”<br />
Then there is the case, in full titanium with a slim<br />
bezel that’s machined, angled and knurled to resemble<br />
the spinning turbines of a jet plane, and the inner bezel<br />
that’s notched in the opposite direction to enhance this<br />
idea. The case is angled with soft edges for an industrial,<br />
modern feel, with integrated lugs and an integrated titanium<br />
bracelet that’s tapered and angled in a 15-degree “V”,<br />
which really reminds one of the wings of the B-2 Spirit. The<br />
angling serves to wrap the watch around wrists of any size,<br />
making the 44mm timepiece fit snugly against your skin.<br />
The patented safety belt clasp of the brand is also given a<br />
modernist take, and around the back of the case, you can<br />
see the other side of the Caliber 115. The monochromatic,<br />
anthracite uniformity of the watch and movement doesn’t<br />
dull the watch; instead it serves to highlight the multilayered<br />
movement and the brass wheels and rubies on the<br />
movement, centered around the massive mainspring that’s<br />
exposed to view. The use of concentric, overlapping circles<br />
for the counters and barrel guides the eye around the display.<br />
If it seems like I’m gushing about the watch, it’s because<br />
I am. The ProPilot and other Oris collections have typically<br />
been more classic or rule-based takes on watchmaking, be<br />
it a diving, aviation or classic piece. This feels like the team<br />
at Oris have thrown out the rulebook and asked themselves.<br />
what it would be like if Porsche Design made an Oris<br />
concept watch. Meier points out that this is “the first time<br />
the brand has made a ProPilot with no numerals”, a point<br />
reiterated by Bühlmann. “It’s certainly not a conventional<br />
pilot’s watch... This is the first Oris pilot’s watch without<br />
any numerals on the dial. But the aviation DNA is still there<br />
in the details. We used titanium for the case, for example,<br />
because it’s very light. What really makes this a pilot’s watch<br />
is its technical look. Technology is the driving force behind<br />
aviation today.” And frankly, at CHF7,200, it’s a steal<br />
(CHF6,800 for the leather strap option). If this is the future<br />
of Oris’ design, the future is looking very bright indeed.<br />
ORIS<br />
BIG CROWN PROPILOT X CALIBER 115<br />
MOVEMENT Manual-winding skeletonized caliber 115;<br />
hours and minutes; small seconds; patented non-linear<br />
power-reserve display; 10-day power reserve<br />
CASE 44mm; titanium; water-resistant to 100m<br />
STRAP Multi-piece titanium bracelet or black leather,<br />
both with titanium “lift” clasp<br />
THE MODERNIST 91
MAD ABOUT YOU<br />
Frank Dubarry has made an improved version of the Crazy Wheel.<br />
It’ll keep your eyes glued to the dial.<br />
WORDS DARREN HO<br />
When Frank Dubarry founded his eponymous<br />
brand in 2014, he decided that he wanted<br />
something bold and astonishing to surprise the<br />
audience. The brand’s visual aesthetics had been defined in<br />
an audacious terms, inspired by the dual themes of Celtic<br />
designs and tattoage. But within the watch, he wanted<br />
something eye-catching: that was the Crazy Wheel. Where<br />
watches typically had counters under the main time display,<br />
he mounted one over the hour hand instead, and added<br />
a useful function for a quick time-read: the second time<br />
zone. However, his development was then subject to one<br />
shortcoming: the lack of a minute hand, meaning time was<br />
told off one hand.<br />
Five years on and countless prototypes later, Dubarry<br />
has finally found a solution he’s satisfied with. Enter the<br />
Crazy Wheel 2 GMT, an upgrade to the original, and a rather<br />
significant one at that.<br />
BALANCE IN DESIGN<br />
When product designers speak about design, words like<br />
‘harmonious’ and ‘balanced’ seem to constantly hover at<br />
the tip of their tongues. That’s because our eyes and brains<br />
are hardwired to focus on symmetry. The mono-hand form<br />
of the Crazy Wheel, while disruptive, needed fine-tuning.<br />
The Crazy Wheel 2 perfects the design of his flying GMT<br />
indicator, which he calls a Gravitational GMT.<br />
A bridge that sits above the hour hand, supports a<br />
series of wheels that connects with the gear train and<br />
indicates the home time hour on the counter over the<br />
hour hand. The main time display indicates local time.<br />
A mechanical differential ensures that the disc remains<br />
in the horizontal position when the watch is vertical. An<br />
additional minute hand, which could now be added thanks<br />
to new manufacturing technologies that slimmed down the<br />
complication’s additional wheels, runs freely.<br />
The case itself has undergone a dramatic change as well.<br />
While the Crazy Wheel had a romantic design, with tattoo<br />
engravings on concaved curves and a large bezel, that’s all<br />
been slimmed down and slicked up for the 21st century. The<br />
brushed titanium case and bezel have been slimmed down<br />
with sharper angles, while the lugs extrude outward into<br />
the bezel. The case middle is composed of layers of colored<br />
carbon composite and woven carbon fiber, making the<br />
entire watch an incredibly light machine.<br />
The straps that are fitted to each Crazy Wheel 2 timepiece<br />
are made from Nomex®, a heat, chemical and radiation<br />
resistant fabric. It’s used in firefighter equipment and<br />
military gear. They are incredibly durable, and also designed<br />
for easy swapping thanks to a quick change system unique to<br />
the brand. The watch comes in a variety of color accents, all<br />
designed to match the carbon composite case middle. For a<br />
useful watch complication in an unconventional format, the<br />
Gravitational GMT is a fine choice.<br />
FRANK DUBARRY<br />
CRAZY WHEEL 2 GMT<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding FD02 caliber; hours, minutes and seconds; second time zone;<br />
360° rotating bridge; power reserve of more than 2 days<br />
CASE 44mm x <strong>52</strong>mm; multilayered carbon or carbon fiber case middle; black or<br />
gray DLC titanium case; vulcanized rubber bezel; carbon fiber dial with gold or black<br />
coating; 100-meter water resistance<br />
STRAP Nomex® with quick release system<br />
92 THE MODERNIST
THE MODERNIST 93
94 THE MODERNIST
MAKING AN AIKON<br />
Maurice Lacroix is no stranger to creating unconventional sporty watches. With the Mercury and<br />
Venturer, it’s found a strong design language that unifies the brand.<br />
WORDS EDITH PAGE<br />
For the last couple of years,<br />
Maurice Lacroix has been<br />
focused on making watches<br />
that are easy to digest, with the aim of<br />
shoring up its foundations so that it can<br />
develop more organically as a brand.<br />
Thus, its attention has been focused<br />
on the entry-level Aikon series. With<br />
its integrated lug design, available<br />
paired with a bracelet or with rubber<br />
or alligator-leather strap alternatives,<br />
the Aikon has done exactly what it’s<br />
meant to do. That should come as no<br />
surprise: the quartz-powered Aikon<br />
Chronographs are handsome and<br />
easy to wear, with a focus on style and<br />
trendiness that certainly appeals to the<br />
younger audience.<br />
Aikon’s success gives the brand<br />
license to indulge in a little fun,<br />
which it did this year with the Aikon<br />
Mercury. Maurice Lacroix has in<br />
the past created some unusual watch<br />
complications and functions, from the<br />
Masterpiece Gravity to its squarewheeled<br />
Masterpiece Square Wheel<br />
Retrograde. Why, you ask? Largely<br />
because watchmaking today is an<br />
expression of personality, and if you’re<br />
a person of whimsy, this may well suit<br />
you. Managing director Stéphane<br />
Waser explained that the rationale<br />
was really based on the relevance of a<br />
display of time only when one looked at<br />
it. And that’s how the Mercury works: a<br />
weighted lever system essentially drives<br />
two snail cams connected to the hour<br />
and minute hands, keeping track of the<br />
actual time, while the hands swing to<br />
12 midnight. When you turn the watch<br />
to face yourself, the levers swing back<br />
and activate the cams, which return the<br />
watch to the correct time display.<br />
DIVING IN<br />
The Mercury has earned its share<br />
of interest, and with the success of<br />
the Aikon in the last few years, the<br />
brand’s now bulking up on its stable of<br />
watches, starting with a new Venturer<br />
in a special edition. The Venturer is the<br />
equivalent of a diving-style watch for<br />
the brand, with a stronger bezel design<br />
that immediately catches the eye.<br />
Where the other Aikons have a polished<br />
pair of steel “arms” over the bezel<br />
at the decimal points, the Venturer<br />
eschews this with rectangular blocks<br />
engraved with Arabic numerals instead.<br />
A 20-minute countdown indication<br />
further ratifies it as a diving watch, with the unidirectional<br />
bezel notched for easy turning. The bezels are laid with a<br />
ceramic ring that are styled to match the dial in color.<br />
The Aikon Venturer isn’t the brand’s first diver. You<br />
may recall the Calypso, a line of watches with a compact and<br />
rounded form with six arms over the bezel, reminding one<br />
of the traditional spoked helm of a yacht. The brand also<br />
developed a diving timepiece under the Pontos line, the<br />
Pontos S Diver. The new Venturer references the Calypso,<br />
but there are plenty of distinctions between the two, starting<br />
with the Aikon’s integrated lugs.<br />
The integrated lug and bracelet watch has become a<br />
signature of modern watchmaking. The case is immediately<br />
elongated and then narrowed, giving it a barrel-style shape,<br />
which one instinctively associates with a curvy figure. Add<br />
strong clean lines and angles to it and you have a watch that<br />
appeals to both men and women equally. In the Venturer,<br />
this is particularly noticeable in the full bracelet version<br />
of the watch, while the rubber-strapped model offers a<br />
more eye-catching burst of color. The sunray-brushed<br />
dials add a touch of polish to the watch. It meets ISO 6425<br />
requirements as well, good for up to 300 meters of water<br />
resistance. In the Aikon, it looks like the brand has found a<br />
steady formula for success.<br />
MAURICE LACROIX<br />
AIKON VENTURER LIMITED EDITION<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding caliber ML115, based on the Sellita SW200-1; hours, minutes<br />
and seconds; date; 38-hour power reserve<br />
CASE 43mm; stainless steel; water-resistant to 300m<br />
STRAP Five-row stainless-steel bracelet and blue leather with orange stitching and<br />
folding clasp, featuring EasyChange system<br />
THE MODERNIST 95
AROYALRETURN<br />
Hamilton is reviving a classic military timepiece, the W10, and it’s available on Revolution.Watch first.<br />
WORDS DARREN HO<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY SI JIA TOH DIGITAL ARTIST KH KOH<br />
The term ‘Mil-Spec’ refers to<br />
international standards meant to<br />
span the gamut of products used<br />
by the military and aimed at achieving<br />
interoperability across platforms. It began as<br />
an intercontinental project in the 19th century<br />
and gained worldwide acceptance with the<br />
20th-century world wars. The code ‘W10’<br />
referenced an army issue, and the NATO code<br />
‘6645’ referenced a timepiece. In the United<br />
Kingdom, the Smiths W10 watch was the last<br />
mechanical wristwatch issued to the military.<br />
This later translated to the Ministry of<br />
Defence timepieces commissioned between<br />
1973 to 1980, of which Hamilton was the first<br />
supplier from ’73 to ’76.<br />
Hamilton has been connected with the<br />
world of aviation since the early 20th century,<br />
as American airmail services developed.<br />
The American watchmaker was the official<br />
provider of timekeepers for US Airmail, and<br />
in the mid-19th century it similarly equipped<br />
American frogmen on tactical missions.<br />
But as Swiss watchmaking gained increased<br />
prominence, American watch manufacturing<br />
shrank in demand and in 1974, the brand<br />
was then acquired by SSIH (the predecessor<br />
to the Swatch Group). It was then called the<br />
Hamilton Watch Company, and the Hamilton<br />
W10 was one of its most significant projects<br />
during that time.<br />
The watches designed by Hamilton were<br />
housed in a tonneau case with integrated lugs,<br />
issued to all three branches of the British<br />
military — the Army, Navy and Royal Air<br />
Force. Equipped with an ETA 2750 calibre,<br />
a 3Hz manual winder with hacking seconds,<br />
sword hands, tritium lume and a broad arrow<br />
dial, it also came fitted with a plastic composite<br />
domed covering which could be easily polished<br />
to eradicate scratches. This was a pragmatic<br />
move for a military-issue timepiece, which<br />
pilots needed to accurately set the time<br />
according to standardised radio broadcasts so<br />
they could plot their routes manually.<br />
The markings on the caseback<br />
represented military codes. ‘W10’ indicates<br />
a military-issue equipment, ‘6645’ being the<br />
NATO code for a watch, ‘99’ representing the<br />
United Kingdom, ‘<strong>52</strong>3-8290’ a general-issue<br />
wristwatch, along with serial number and year<br />
of issue. The broad arrow dial was a Ministry<br />
of Defence indication, and over the years,<br />
the W10 has become an important piece of<br />
watchmaking history. Three companies were<br />
commissioned between 1973 to 1980 to create<br />
the W10 — Hamilton, CWC and finally, a<br />
M.o.D in-house brand.<br />
ANEWW10<br />
This year, Hamilton is introducing a revival<br />
of the W10, named the Khaki Pilot Pioneer<br />
Mechanical. The watch is an exact remake,<br />
modernized to new industrial standards<br />
with a box-shaped double anti-reflective<br />
coated, hardened mineral crystal protecting<br />
the dial, with a brushed stainless-steel<br />
case. Keeping true to form with the original<br />
W10, the watch features a manually-wound<br />
movement, the H-50, which is a cousin of the<br />
more frequently used H-10 calibre. Both are<br />
Hamilton in-house constructions based off<br />
ETA designs and feature an 80-hour power<br />
reserve — more than ample for regular use.<br />
The lume used on the dial indices and hands<br />
is a vintage-style beige SuperLuminova, to<br />
mimic the aged tritium effect commonly seen<br />
in classic mid-century timepieces.<br />
The caseback is a soft-curved cushion<br />
secured via four screws and the dial itself<br />
comes in a unique beadblasted texture, one<br />
that recalls classic military field equipment<br />
designed to provide an improved grip.<br />
Oversized fonts and an italicized Hamilton<br />
logo shows how this watch really stands out<br />
from its Khaki Pilot siblings, and delivers a<br />
distinct vintage appeal. Available in a grey<br />
textile NATO strap or brown leather NATOstyle<br />
strap with matte keepers, it’s certainly<br />
an exciting refresh of a memorable timepiece<br />
made for the modern era.<br />
This watch will be exclusively available on<br />
Shop.Revolution.Watch from 1st September<br />
onwards. Order yours now.<br />
HAMILTON<br />
KHAKI PILOT PIONEER MECHANICAL<br />
MOVEMENT Manual-winding H-50 caliber;<br />
hours, minutes and seconds; 80-hour<br />
power reserve<br />
CASE 33mm x 36mm stainless-steel case;<br />
hardened mineral crystal in box shape with<br />
double anti reflective coating<br />
STRAP Brown leather strap with NATO-style<br />
keepers; grey textile NATO strap<br />
96 THE MODERNIST
The Hamilton W10 timepiece (centre), originally created for the Royal Air Force, is revived with two strap styles as the Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical: a grey textile<br />
NATO strap (left) and brown leather NATO-style strap (right).<br />
THE MODERNIST 97
GET A GRIP<br />
Gucci mixes maximalism with minimalism in the new Grip collection of watches.<br />
Ever since Gucci’s creative director Alessandro<br />
Michele was appointed to the role in 2015, he’s<br />
directed a top-to-toe transformation of the brand,<br />
breathing new energy into one of the most coveted luxury<br />
brands in the world. In the process, Michele has brought<br />
the culture of the street to the brand’s finest products, be it<br />
leather goods or ready-to-wear. His penchant for the arts<br />
has also injected new creativity into the brand’s products,<br />
which range from whimsical designs to the ornate.<br />
At Baselworld this year, the brand aligned the designs of<br />
its novelties with the brand’s bold signatures of the year. As<br />
with its runway collection, Gucci has infused a retro-vintage<br />
appeal into its contemporary products. Taking reference<br />
from the late ’70s, the brand has unveiled a new collection<br />
called the Grip — a reference to skateboarding lingo and<br />
the tape applied over the skateboard deck that allows shoes<br />
to grip the board well. Skating and the underground culture<br />
began to really take form during the era, exploding into the<br />
mainstream lifestyle today. At the same time, the watch<br />
industry was also experiencing a transformation in design,<br />
with bold new watch designs emerging from some of the<br />
most important icons of our era. The brand’s affinity with<br />
skateboarding culture and street style ties in nicely with<br />
the collection, which is both contemporary and references<br />
traditional watchmaking.<br />
GRIP COLLECTION<br />
The Grip line shown in Baselworld comprised four<br />
references housed in a well-designed cushion case that<br />
is bevelled at the edges and polished, contrasting with the<br />
brushed finish of the rest of the case. The watch design is<br />
reminiscent of classic “window displays” which were stellar<br />
hits in the early 20th century. These watches featured a<br />
closed dial and counters within which the time was shown on<br />
discs, with the hours and minutes appearing in two separate<br />
windows. The brushed surfaces of the case relate to the<br />
skating reference of the watch’s name.<br />
The Grip line of watches house a Swiss Ronda quartz<br />
movement, upon which the hour and minute discs are<br />
mounted. As the day passes, the discs rotate counterclockwise,<br />
to show the time within the windows. Two<br />
pointers under each window specify the exact time, with a<br />
third aperture at the base of the dial indicating the date.<br />
Although this is a classic timekeeping design, Gucci<br />
has modernised the watch’s style and made it its own. The<br />
bracelet models feature a subtle logomania, stamped with<br />
The Gucci Grip in<br />
yellow gold PVD<br />
case and bracelet<br />
with GG engraved.<br />
Opposite, clockwise<br />
An advertising<br />
campaign image<br />
for the Grip; the<br />
watch is available<br />
in steel case with<br />
interchangeable<br />
green leather strap<br />
or in steel case and<br />
bracelet with GG<br />
engraved; another<br />
version proposes<br />
ayellowgold<br />
PVD case with an<br />
interchangeable<br />
bordeaux<br />
leather strap.<br />
the double ‘G’ logo of the Maison on the brushed surface.<br />
The backs of the cases are printed with an alternating<br />
‘G’ pattern. The other two references are placed on<br />
interchangeable leather or snakeskin straps, with a clean,<br />
minimal surface and the same caseback in both models. Two<br />
executions — in a gold PVD treatment or steel — exist in<br />
each version, and the multitude of interchangeable straps<br />
make the watch both fashion-forward and androgynous.<br />
A POWERFUL GRIP<br />
Mr. Michele has tapped into a fount of youthful energy<br />
with Gucci’s seasonal fashion products, and translated<br />
that into the Grip line of watches. The classic LCD-styled<br />
fonts used on the disc displays are reminiscent of the<br />
digital scientific calculator displays used in schools across<br />
the world, refreshed for a more luxurious platform. The<br />
time displays make up a wedge from the date to the hour,<br />
which again draw one’s mind to a classic radar display,<br />
combined with the logomania of the ’90s. Michele’s use of<br />
maximalism and minimalism simultaneously demonstrates<br />
his sophistication in design — one that’s amplified when it<br />
comes to the compact wristwatch. The Grip will certainly be<br />
a new mainstay of the brand, and for those who wish to wear<br />
their Gucci on their wrist, this is a watch that stands out.
RISKY BUSINESS<br />
Social media stalking has gained a darker presence, with<br />
criminals using it to scout potential targets.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
ILLUSTRATION AIN<br />
“Hearken, ye judges! There is another madness besides,<br />
and it is before the deed. Ah! ye have not gone deep enough into this soul.”<br />
— Fredrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathusa<br />
The Buddhist summed it up with perfect economy: desire is the<br />
root of all suffering. And though they mean that unrequited<br />
avarice is poison to the soul, it can also elicit suffering for those<br />
in possession of that object of desire — especially if that object is a<br />
Rolex watch.<br />
Now more than ever, it seems the world is rife with increasingly<br />
blatant violent acts of theft, robbery and assault perpetuated by<br />
thieves wanting to get their hands on Rolex watches. Why Rolexes in<br />
particular? Because they are more than the world’s most recognizable<br />
and universally coveted timepieces, and to a large extent, they<br />
represent a currency unto themselves.<br />
It is said that if you go to any location in the world, even if you don’t<br />
speak the language and even if the money in your wallet is meaningless,<br />
if you have a Rolex on your wrist, you have something of real value. Walk<br />
into any of the older shopping malls in Singapore and you will see shop<br />
after shop with seemingly endless trays of pre-owned Rolex watches.<br />
Why? Because in addition to being a symbol of success, beyond being<br />
a genuinely beautiful watch, every single Rolex on the planet has a<br />
residual value — something that honestly cannot be said about any<br />
other watch brand. In some instances, that value is slightly lower<br />
than retail; in some instances, it is the same; but in many instances,<br />
especially with the current worldwide shortage of steel sports models,<br />
it can be well above retail. Watch values fluctuate daily, and at some<br />
point someone will come up with a global exchange similar to FOREX,<br />
where everyone will have access to the current market value of a Rolex.<br />
The point is, if you have a Rolex and you want to sell it, there is always<br />
someone who will buy it; it’s just a question of how much they will pay.<br />
And for thieves, this makes Rolex the easiest watches to trade in.<br />
What are the most valuable Rolexes in the world? Beyond gem-set<br />
watches such as the Rainbow Daytonas that have a street value of a<br />
quarter of a million dollars, even if its retail price is only one-third of<br />
that, vintage Rolexes like Paul Newman Daytonas range in price from<br />
just under 200K to well within the million-dollar range. And, as a<br />
result of the headiness of the vintage market, a whole new subcategory<br />
of high-end vintage theft has been created.<br />
SMOOTH OPERATORS<br />
The rule of thumb in the vintage watch world is simple: knowledge<br />
is power. And so, thieves are educating themselves. Case in point:<br />
at a recent auction in New York held by one of the world’s greatest<br />
authorities in vintage watches, a particularly ingenious thief walked<br />
in for a viewing. This is where the public at large can come to the<br />
auction house and physically examine the vintage watches that<br />
are to be sold. During the examination of a rare Rolex Milsub, a<br />
watch that was purchased by and issued to the British military the<br />
thief performed a sleight of hand, substituting the real watch for a<br />
counterfeit that was convincing enough to fool the auction staff until<br />
much later. The point is, the thief or thieves needed to have nearexpert<br />
knowledge about military Submariners as well as the skill to<br />
mock up a convincing fake undoubtedly based on the image of the real<br />
McCoy in the auction catalog.<br />
Want further evidence that the sky-high prices of vintage watches,<br />
in particular Rolexes, have given rise to a new breed of watch savant<br />
criminal? Check out YouTube to see a man in San Diego walk into<br />
a store to examine, of all things, a Rolex Mark II Double Red Sea-<br />
Dweller before grabbing it and sprinting away. The thief had apparently<br />
made contact with his target through an ad posted on Chrono24, which<br />
is becoming a fertile hunting ground for this kind of criminality.<br />
Most recently a dear friend of mine who had just finished<br />
welcoming friends to his new hotel which he’d created by renovating a<br />
historic building in bucolic Provence, went out to dinner only to return<br />
home to discover that his house had been ransacked. And although<br />
his normally showroom-perfect home was in distressing disarray, it<br />
soon became clear that the thieves were after something very specific:<br />
ILLUSTRATIONS ARE A REPRESENTATION OF THE INCIDENTS AND ARE NOT AN ACTUAL<br />
DESCRIPTION OF THE INCIDENTS DESCRIBED IN THE STORY.<br />
100 THE MODERNIST
his vintage Rolex collection, in particular his half-milliondollar<br />
Paul Newman Daytona.<br />
Alexander Kraft is one of my favorite people. We met<br />
on a vintage car rally from Munich to Lake Como a few<br />
years ago, and have become great friends since. One of the<br />
qualities that I admire in Kraft is his capacity for selfinvention,<br />
and I mean this in a very sincere way. I admire<br />
it in the same way that I admire how Ralph Lauren created<br />
an image and persona of himself that became the ultimate<br />
expression of the American Dream; and the way Cary Grant<br />
transformed himself from Archie Leach the vaudeville<br />
performer to the paradigm of glib suaveness.<br />
The thing with Kraft which most people don’t know,<br />
is that although he was always strong in academics, he was<br />
painfully shy when he was young. So much so that he flubbed<br />
an interview for an elite school in Germany. Afterwards,<br />
his interviewer explained that though he had the grades, he<br />
lacked the requisite dynamism to gain approval.<br />
Cue music, because chapter two of his life story has<br />
Kraft walking into a Ralph Lauren boutique and seeing<br />
a vision for style that to him conveyed confidence and<br />
strength. And so, he remade himself both sartorially and<br />
in terms of persona to become the ultimate expression of<br />
gentlemanly prowess. The result today is his ownership of<br />
Sotheby’s realty for France and Monaco, properties around<br />
the world, a fleet of vintage cars and a hotel, all accompanied<br />
by his beautiful and adoring wife and trusty dog. The thing<br />
to understand about Kraft was that he was able to make<br />
this transformation because, first and foremost, he has<br />
great taste. He has great taste in clothes — he was an early<br />
devotee of Lorenzo Cifonelli and has single-handedly<br />
made the double-breasted waistcoat relevant to a whole<br />
new generation of tailoring fans. He also has great taste<br />
in watches, which saw him buying his pump-pusher<br />
Rolex Paul Newman Daytona 6239 and his screw-pusher<br />
Paul Newman Panda 6265 when they were still relatively<br />
affordable. He says, “I think you told me that you asked<br />
Ralph Lauren if he had to assemble his car collection all over<br />
again today, could he do it, and he said, ‘No, the cars are<br />
all too expensive now.’ What I admire about Lauren is that<br />
he bought them before they became this crazy appreciable<br />
asset class. It was the same for me with relation to watches.<br />
Paul Newman Daytonas were interesting because of the<br />
connection with the actor and because there was something<br />
Burglars targeted<br />
Alexander<br />
Kraft’s vintage<br />
Rolex collection.<br />
The operation<br />
demonstrates just<br />
how sophisticated<br />
they are becoming,<br />
striking when they<br />
knew he would<br />
not be around.<br />
THE MODERNIST 101
of a cult for them in Italy and in Japan. But, really, I just<br />
bought them because I like the way they looked.”<br />
June this year saw an important milestone in Kraft’s<br />
life. He had just fulfilled a dream to create his own hotel<br />
situated in the same charming town in Provence where he<br />
lives. I often joked that, as with Brunello Cucinelli who<br />
owns the entire medieval hamlet of Solomeo, Kraft is vying<br />
to purchase all the property around him and transform<br />
it into a principality called Krafty Land, complete with a<br />
statue of him and his Jack Russell terrier Bertie in the town<br />
square. He had inaugurated his hotel by making it the home<br />
base for his annual vintage automobile rally — a heady,<br />
wonderfully hedonistic three days of driving and feasting<br />
that also included visits to the architectural marvels that<br />
were François and Betty Cartoux’s summer home and<br />
Bernard Buffet’s home. A mutual friend of Kraft’s and<br />
mine had intended to join the rally, but had to postpone his<br />
arrival in order to attend his father’s knighthood by Prince<br />
Charles. And when he arrived in Provence, it was the day<br />
after the rally. Nonetheless, he, Kraft and their partners had<br />
a charming and ebullient dinner. But when Kraft returned<br />
home after the meal, he found that he had been burgled. His<br />
normally meticulous reception area was strewn with broken<br />
vases as if the thieves had been in a violent rush. As he<br />
entered his study, he already knew with plodding, depressing<br />
finality what the thieves had been after: the vintage Rolex<br />
that he placed on his study table. He explains, “Normally<br />
they would be locked away in a safe deposit box, but for the<br />
rally I had selected a few of my favorite timepieces, including<br />
my Paul Newman Panda [valued at half a million dollars].”<br />
When I asked if he had considered if it was an inside job, he<br />
replied, “Please don’t make me even more depressed.”<br />
THE SOCIAL NETWORK<br />
But there is one tool that thieves are using with increasing<br />
efficacy today, and that is the social-media platform of<br />
Instagram. There Kraft has a staggering 157K followers who<br />
are given a glimpse of the glamorous life he leads. He says,<br />
“To some degree it’s a marketing tool. When you’re in this<br />
kind of business, you need to create a certain image; but<br />
moving forward, I am going to be a lot more careful about<br />
what I share on Instagram.”<br />
Instagram is unfortunately the tool that thieves used to<br />
steal my friend Warren de Montague’s collection of Rolex,<br />
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and Patek Philippe Nautilus<br />
and Aquanaut watches. For Warren, watches should be<br />
big, brash and bold, as demonstrated by his penchant for<br />
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oaks, in particular the ursine<br />
Offshore model, and Patek Philippe’s Nautiluses. Thanks to<br />
his imitable style, he became one of the most avidly followed<br />
style icons in social media. However, it was through his<br />
social media that thieves realized that he was on vacation<br />
and took advantage of this to break into his apartment in<br />
Milan and steal part of his watch collection.<br />
Says Austen Chu, a.k.a Horoloupe, an Audemars Piguet<br />
brand ambassador and well-known collector, “After hearing<br />
stories like this, I am really careful about what I share on<br />
In particular, the<br />
burglars took a rare<br />
reference 6239 Paul<br />
Newman Daytona<br />
with panda dial and<br />
pump pushers, a<br />
prized possession<br />
of Kraft’s.<br />
Opposite<br />
Famous individuals<br />
such as former<br />
F1 head Bernie<br />
Ecclestone have<br />
been increasingly<br />
targeted in recent<br />
years over their<br />
watch collections.<br />
Instagram; and, in particular, I will never share images of me wearing my watches<br />
in a specific place at the actual time I’m there. I’ve become quite paranoid about<br />
this and now I always give it a few days, or wait until I leave a specific city, before<br />
posting any content about my being there wearing my watches. It is too easy to<br />
become a target on Instagram today.”<br />
Paul Feig is one of Hollywood’s most successful directors, but what I admire<br />
most about him is that he’s achieved success on his own terms in that he militates<br />
against how a traditional film industry power player comports himself. Preferring<br />
intelligent affability over braggadocio, bespoke Anderson & Sheppard suits worn<br />
on set over the unvariable state of Los Angeleno clochard-like homeless chic.<br />
He is also one of the sincerest, kindest and downright nicest people I’ve ever<br />
met — making him something of an anomaly in Hollywood, which I have always<br />
believed is built directly over the gaping jaws of hell. So when strangers come<br />
up to him and proffer a handshake, his internal code of conduct dictates that<br />
he would reciprocally reach out his hand. Which was what happened as he was<br />
exiting one of the incredibly tiny London private members’ clubs tucked away on<br />
Berkeley Square, located in one of the city’s most expensive and purportedly safest<br />
neighbourhoods. However, in this unfortunate instance, the clean-cut man who<br />
greeted him clasped hold of him and he and an accomplice proceeded to forcibly<br />
wrest Feig’s Rolex Day-Date from him. Feig recalls, “It was primarily the shock<br />
of it; you wouldn’t imagine this happening in Mayfair.” Amazingly, the two thieves<br />
ran past two heavily armed embassy guards who, despite cries from passers-by to<br />
apprehend the crooks, impassively watched them flee. But the point is, in London,<br />
102 THE MODERNIST
“I never share images of me<br />
wearing my watches in a specific<br />
place at the actual time I’m there.<br />
I’vebecomequiteparanoid<br />
about this and now I always give<br />
itafewdays,orwaituntilIleave<br />
a specific city, before posting any<br />
content.” — Austen Chu, @horoloupe<br />
thieves have become increasingly brazen in committing their acts of<br />
robbery with audacious insouciance.<br />
HIT AND RUN<br />
Just ask the staff of Watches of Switzerland on London’s posh Regent<br />
Street, when last June, one Jamie Farrell, aged 31, and five of his<br />
accomplices decided to rob the prestigious watch boutique. Their<br />
technique, which was both brutalist and effective, was to drive a scooter<br />
through the doors of the watch shop, wedging the door open. Half the<br />
crew ran inside with sledgehammers and went directly to the showcases<br />
featuring — yes, you guessed it — Rolex watches and proceeded with<br />
a rudimentary smash and grab. Outside, the remainder of the gang<br />
armed with hunting knives kept the public at bay. They made off with 30<br />
Rolex watches with a value of £440,000 pounds. They fled in different<br />
directions, but Farrell was chased and apprehended after he ditched a<br />
bag containing 11 of the watches. A further six watches were recovered<br />
close to one of the abandoned mopeds in Islington. In total, £309,350<br />
of stolen property was recovered. However, the cost of the store repairs<br />
well exceeded £100,000.<br />
Watches of Switzerland was far from the only target in this breed<br />
of violent robbery which has become increasingly common in London.<br />
Just the month before, The Hour House, a shop specializing in rare and<br />
vintage watches located in the exclusive neighbourhood of Marylebone<br />
was also robbed when a group of three moped raiders armed with<br />
weapons smashed the windows and made off with close to half-amillion<br />
pounds in timepieces. British reality television personality<br />
Spencer Matthews had gone into the shop to pick up his Zenith<br />
movement-based (made from 1988-2000) Rolex Daytona when the<br />
thieves invaded. He and his friends hid themselves in the shop’s vault<br />
during the robbery, which, while far from courageous, was probably<br />
extremely wise.<br />
It seems that today, there is no city in Christendom where watch<br />
theft is not at an all-time high, including the Calvinist city where<br />
many of them are made — Geneva. Each year there are two major fairs<br />
for the Swiss watch industry: the Baselworld Fair held in the sleepy<br />
town of Basel, Switzerland, near the German border; and the Salon<br />
<strong>International</strong> de la Haute Horlogerie held in the more sophisticated<br />
and urbane Geneva. These fairs are a celebration of Swiss horology,<br />
where the world’s most elite collectors, retailers, distributors and<br />
journalists get to see the newest launches of their favorite brands.<br />
They are also fertile hunting ground for watch thieves. I used to joke<br />
that during these fairs, every criminal in Europe would descend like<br />
an Old Testament plague of locusts upon the cities where revelers<br />
and attendees are invariably clad in some of Switzerland’s greatest<br />
watchmaking finery. I mean, if there is ever a time to wear a rare Patek<br />
or Richard Mille, it’s during these fairs. Often times, with their guards<br />
brought down by constant wining and dining, watch collectors will be<br />
targeted for theft.<br />
My friend Nick Foulkes is one of the people I admire most on<br />
this planet. First of all, he is a great human being; second, he has the<br />
greatest sensitivity to beauty of anyone I know; and third, he is the<br />
single greatest luxury journalist on the planet — no one even comes a<br />
close second in his sheer capacity to edify the English language. And so<br />
he is probably the person least deserving of having his watches stolen<br />
from him, as they were at the SIHH fair several years ago. After a week<br />
of interviews, social engagements, and product presentations, he had<br />
checked out of his hotel in Geneva’s Old Town and placed the bag with<br />
THE MODERNIST 103
his watch collection in the trunk of the car. When he returned to pay the bill, one<br />
thief distracted the driver and another two extracted the bag and ran away. I’ve<br />
never asked Nick what watches were in the bag, but based on the refinement of his<br />
taste, they must have been some of the most extraordinary watches. Police raided<br />
one address that night, but while the watch thieves were apprehended, the watches<br />
in their possession were not Nick’s.<br />
The watch I treasure most, or would if I were still in possession of it, was a<br />
simple steel Rolex Datejust with a slate grey hobnail dial. This was the watch that<br />
my grandfather gave to my uncle when he turned 16 years old, just before he went<br />
to study in Australia; and the watch that my uncle gave me when I turned 16 years<br />
old. Several decades ago, my father had been on the board of the Rolex Enterprise<br />
Awards and had become friends with Patrick Heiniger, the brand’s CEO. Even<br />
though Rolex didn’t restore vintage watches, as a favour to him, Heiniger had<br />
arranged for my watch to be brought in and completely overhauled. The watch<br />
was returned to my father who took it with him to New York City where he had<br />
a meeting at the United Nations before he returned to Singapore. During the<br />
trip, the watch was stolen from his room in what is, to me, clearly an inside job.<br />
Because my father was in New York in his capacity as Singapore’s ambassadorat-large,<br />
he decided not to file a police report; and though the hotel was informed<br />
of the theft, they were painfully unable to help in any constructive way as this was<br />
before the era of CCTV.<br />
What bothers me the most about this is that there is, somewhere in the world,<br />
someone with my Rolex on their wrist that he’d bought from a second-hand<br />
shop or a pawnshop. To him, it’s just a watch, but to me it is a family heirloom. I<br />
suppose the best thing that could happen is the person wearing it now treasures<br />
104 THE MODERNIST
Author and TV<br />
personality Spencer<br />
Matthews at the<br />
scene of The<br />
Hour House’s<br />
armed robbery.<br />
The thieves used<br />
a similar modus<br />
operandi as gang<br />
that struck Watches<br />
of Switzerland.<br />
(Courtesy of<br />
PA Images.)<br />
Opposite<br />
AttheWatchesof<br />
Switzerland store<br />
on Regent Street,<br />
the gang used<br />
sledgehammers to<br />
smash the windows<br />
open, and grabbed<br />
the merchandise<br />
and ran.<br />
it and will make it his own heirloom that he will pass down<br />
to the next generation. But you get why this upsets me when<br />
I think about it. And that’s something thieves will never<br />
understand. When people resist giving up their watches<br />
even when facing physical danger, it’s not because they<br />
care about the monetary value of their watch. It’s because,<br />
for watch lovers, that entity on our wrists is not an object,<br />
it is not a currency; it is a companion that has been with us<br />
through the journey of our lives. It is part of us.<br />
So, what’s the solution? Well, beyond walking around<br />
strapped with a Para Ordnance 38 Super (my caliber of<br />
choice) handgun and a belt stuffed with high-capacity<br />
magazines loaded with Black Talon fragmentation rounds,<br />
I’ve learnt — in particular from my frequent visits to Naples<br />
— that avoidance is the best policy. The thing is, I feel a deep<br />
sense of aesthetic and spiritual malaise when I don’t have<br />
a decent watch on my wrist. But I’ve also learnt in recent<br />
years how liberating it can feel to wear a great-looking watch<br />
whose absolute value is a few hundred dollars, as opposed<br />
to a few thousand. Seiko Divers, Casio G-Shocks, Swatch’s<br />
and watches from companies like MKII watches founded<br />
by Bill Yao, are great substitutes. My personal favorites are<br />
Hamilton watches, in particular the Khaki Field Mechanical<br />
and the incredible new W10 model which Revolution.watch<br />
has an e-commerce exclusive on from 1–21 September.<br />
Because we are not going to be able to change human<br />
nature. Since the dawn of time, when the first primitive man<br />
found himself a perfect piece of quartz on a river bed and<br />
hand rubbed it until it shined and threaded a leather thong<br />
through it so he could wear it around his neck, there was<br />
someone in his tribe who coveted it and waited until he was<br />
asleep to rip it from his neck and flee. The motherf*cker.<br />
Every person I’ve mentioned in this story is a friend and<br />
someone I clearly care about. And it fills me with homicidal<br />
Charles Bronson, Death Wish, kill-’em-all rage each time<br />
I hear about someone getting a watch taken from them. I<br />
think the best that we can do as a community is to look out<br />
for each other. For example, if your friend has had too much<br />
to drink, make sure he gets in a taxi safely, or even take his<br />
watch off him and keep it safe if he seems determined to hit<br />
the after-hours clubs. Also, lay off social media or at least<br />
adopt a time delay in posting so criminals cannot use your<br />
Instagram stories as a way to geo-locate you and your watch.<br />
Hopefully, if a victim has the serial number of his watch,<br />
we can try to get the information out there (though, quite<br />
honestly, chances of recovery are not great). And of course,<br />
remain vigilant — always be aware of your surroundings.<br />
No matter how erudite you are, there is always someone<br />
thinking about parting you from the watch you worked hard<br />
to own. Now more than ever.<br />
THE MODERNIST 105
Retailers tell us how watches featured in movies<br />
and TV translates to awareness and sales.<br />
WORDS KEITH W. STRANDBERG<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER<br />
FASHION STYLIST MARIE LEE<br />
Throughout history, watchmakers have been trying to control and regulate time,<br />
while the art of film focuses on capturing moments in time. In both of these art forms,<br />
the highest achievements become timeless classics.<br />
Watches are one of the ways that men and women can showcase their style and taste,<br />
so it makes sense that Hollywood uses them on the wrists of stars to delineate their<br />
characters. There have been many Hamilton success stories in the world of watches<br />
and entertainment and today, more and more people are paying attention to what<br />
watches are on the wrists of their favorite stars.<br />
There is little doubt about the impact of movies and TV shows on popular culture.<br />
Trends are created and destroyed, based on what is popular on the silver screen and<br />
on TV.<br />
T-shirts, surprisingly, can show us the impact movies can have on consumer<br />
behavior. In the 1934 film It Happened One Night, Clark Gable took off his dress<br />
shirt to reveal his bare chest, no undershirt. Well, men all around the world<br />
wanted to be like Gable and stopped buying undershirts. Sales plummeted.<br />
Then, 17 years later, Marlon Brando appeared in Streetcar Named Desire<br />
as Stanley Kowalski in a tight t-shirt and made undershirt sales hot again.<br />
Order was restored.<br />
Hamilton has had some of the highest profile uses of watches in<br />
movies and TV shows where customers have gone into watch stores<br />
without even knowing what make or model of watch it is, just asking<br />
for “the (insert title here) watch.”<br />
Revolution USA reached out to several Hamilton retailers to<br />
learn about their experiences and their perception of the impact<br />
of Hamilton’s movie and TV experiences on brand awareness<br />
and actual sales.
ROB CAPLAN,<br />
TOPPER JEWELERS<br />
(BURLINGAME, CA)<br />
I think that Hamilton’s entertainment<br />
industry history is really important.<br />
I believe that cinema is the greatest<br />
and most powerful form of art<br />
in the modern world, and has an<br />
immeasurable impact on our culture.<br />
Watches are just as much about<br />
emotional connection with the wearer<br />
as they are about being functional<br />
devices. Having them presented in the<br />
most powerful art form, and often in<br />
ways that impact the storytelling, has<br />
tremendous value, as they can help<br />
add to the story, and also provide extra<br />
layers of meaning when they are for<br />
sale in the actual world. As a retailer<br />
we want to sell things that are of<br />
impact, and the connection to cinema<br />
gives the watches much more impact.<br />
While Hamilton has been involved<br />
in countless projects over the years,<br />
the two most successful examples are<br />
Men in Black and Interstellar.<br />
People love the tone of Men in<br />
Black and a huge part of it was the<br />
attitude and the gear of the characters.<br />
Tommy Lee Jones practically defined<br />
dry wit in that movie, as he played a<br />
character that was both futuristic and<br />
reminded you of G-Men from the<br />
1950s with his gear being an extension<br />
of his character. The Ventura watch<br />
that was worn in the movie was perfect<br />
for his character, as it was both sleek<br />
and futuristic, yet had design cues<br />
from the 1950s. People often come<br />
This spread,<br />
clockwise from top<br />
Rob Kaplan (l.) and<br />
Russ Kaplan (r.),<br />
with their mom<br />
in the middle.<br />
“Movies provide impactful<br />
and meaningful moments<br />
in culture, and by designing<br />
watches for special movies,<br />
Hamilton injects itself into<br />
the heart of our culture.”<br />
into our store wanting to wear the<br />
watch that was part of the MIB gear.<br />
Interstellar is another example of<br />
watchmaking and storytelling coming<br />
together. There were two watches<br />
in that movie that were prominently<br />
featured. One was worn by the main<br />
character, Cooper, played by Matthew<br />
McConaughey, which people in<br />
our dimension could actually buy,<br />
and one was used to signal the time<br />
jumps in the movie and represented<br />
the relationship between father and<br />
daughter, as he gave it to his daughter,<br />
Murph, early on in the film. The<br />
“Murph watch” was a one off that you<br />
couldn’t originally buy, as Hamilton<br />
specially crafted it for the film as no<br />
watch in their collection had the exact<br />
look that the film creators wanted. The<br />
“Cooper watch” was a huge hit at the<br />
time of the film and people often come<br />
in asking for it. Hamilton introduced<br />
the Khaki Murph watch as part of their<br />
collection this year to great acclaim.<br />
Movies provide impactful and<br />
meaningful moments in culture,<br />
and by designing watches for special<br />
movies, Hamilton injects itself into<br />
the heart of our culture.<br />
My favorite Hamilton appearance<br />
would have to be the original Men in<br />
Black. For two reasons: I think it was<br />
the best use of a watch for the tone of<br />
the film, and it was my favorite movie<br />
that Hamilton has participated in<br />
so far.<br />
My favorite Hamilton watch is<br />
actually one of the new releases: the<br />
panda dial Intra-Matic Auto Chrono.<br />
It’s got a great design, is great value,<br />
and is a great size. It’s hard to think of<br />
another $2,000 chronograph that is<br />
made as well as this one.<br />
I like that Hamilton watches<br />
are manufactured in Switzerland to<br />
a high standard, and have specific<br />
collections that really flesh out and<br />
develop a theme. Some of my favorite<br />
watches are their Pilot and Field<br />
watches. When you look at watches,<br />
like the Khaki Field Mechanical that<br />
is $475, it can still be appreciated by<br />
someone who has 50 watches and<br />
wants to explore a vintage military<br />
theme without the headaches that go<br />
with owning actual vintage watches,<br />
or by someone who has saved up for<br />
their first watch. The watch itself is a<br />
great bang for the buck and there is<br />
an intriguing and authentic history<br />
behind the brand.
SCOTT J. MELLER,<br />
PRESIDENT,<br />
FELDMAR WATCH COMPANY<br />
(LOS ANGELES, CA)<br />
Hamilton as a watchmaker alone has<br />
a fantastic history which is more than<br />
enough to solidify their position within<br />
the Swiss watch industry, however<br />
their long history of being featured in<br />
film adds another valuable dimension.<br />
We regularly receive inquiries<br />
from clients requesting the Men in<br />
Black or Interstellar models. After<br />
appearing in these blockbuster films,<br />
models take on an additional life with<br />
nicknames associated with the film.<br />
They achieve a level of recognition<br />
comparable to some Rolex models<br />
with nicknames like “Batman”<br />
or “Hulk.”<br />
Mentioning Hamilton’s history<br />
in movies adds a dimension that<br />
resonates with some clients, and<br />
film is a huge part of culture around<br />
the world. This is especially true in<br />
emerging markets as video becomes<br />
more and more accessible via<br />
the internet.<br />
In my opinion, the Hamilton<br />
Ventura featured in Men in Black is<br />
the most significant movie appearance for Hamilton. It<br />
propelled that model to new levels of recognition and<br />
popularity never before experienced by Hamilton.<br />
I am not sure I have a favorite Hamilton watch as there<br />
are so many wonderful Hamilton models from over the<br />
many years Hamilton has been producing timepieces. As<br />
we feature an after-sales service department, we see many<br />
vintage Hamilton models come through our doors and each<br />
one is wonderful and special in its own way.<br />
Today, Hamilton offers a high-quality timepiece<br />
with exceptional design deeply rooted in its corporate<br />
history and DNA, all for an unbelievable value. What more<br />
could you ask for when purchasing a fine timepiece?
RYAN MILLER,<br />
BRENT L. MILLER JEWELERS & GOLDSMITHS<br />
(LANCASTER, PA)<br />
Hamilton’s long history in the movies is vital to the brand.<br />
It reminds consumers how important Hamilton is in the<br />
watch world and how long they have held this place in<br />
history and pop culture.<br />
We often get customers in looking for a particular<br />
watch from one of Hamilton’s movies. Most frequently<br />
they are looking for the Interstellar watch. Last year we<br />
had a customer that specifically wanted to get a watch<br />
like Murph’s for his daughter, and the watch Cooper<br />
wore for himself. Now, Hamilton has made the Murph<br />
watch, which is great and has been a huge hit.<br />
I most often tell the story of Elvis wearing the<br />
Ventura in Blue Hawaii, and though the watch was<br />
part of his costume in the movie, it became his<br />
favorite watch and he was photographed wearing<br />
it for many years after the movie.<br />
Young people who don’t know the history of the<br />
Ventura call it the “Men in Black watch.” I received a<br />
Hamilton Ventura as a high school graduation gift from<br />
my dad in 2001, and everyone still calls it the MIB watch.<br />
From there, the watches in Interstellar, The Martian,<br />
Jack Ryan and others have been getting a lot of attention.
This spread,<br />
clockwise from top<br />
Ryan Miller; the<br />
French poster of<br />
Blue Hawaii;Elvis<br />
Presley wearing his<br />
personal Hamilton<br />
Ventura on the set.<br />
“I most often tell the story of Elvis<br />
wearing the Ventura in Blue Hawaii, and<br />
though the watch was part of his costume<br />
in the movie, it became his favorite watch<br />
and he was photographed wearing it for<br />
many years after the movie.”<br />
iller, Brent L. Miller Jewelers<br />
My favorite Hamilton cameo is in Casino Royale<br />
(2006), where Felix (the American CIA agent) wears<br />
a Hamilton Khaki X-Wind. I love that the American<br />
guy is wearing a Hamilton. James Bond movies have so<br />
much style influence, and Omega gets so much attention<br />
in that movie, the subtlety of the Hamilton appearance<br />
makes that my favorite.<br />
I think the old marine chronometers are the coolest<br />
clocks ever, in my opinion, but I’ll pick a modern watch<br />
that is my favorite in the collection today. The Hamilton<br />
Khaki Field Mechanical is just so special. The military<br />
history of the watch is incredible, and the design is so<br />
simple, clean, and like the original. It’s a watch that<br />
transcends price because the history is so powerful and<br />
the design is so classic. The fact that it’s a manual wind<br />
gives it a nod to the old school that I really appreciate.<br />
I’m passionate about the history of Hamilton. I<br />
live three blocks from the original factory in downtown<br />
Lancaster, and our store is only a little bit farther away,<br />
so I frequently imagine what it used to be like. We hear<br />
details about the way the factory ran, like they had their<br />
own oil refinery, and they had a bakery that made dough<br />
every day, because the watchmakers used it to pick up<br />
and handle tiny watch parts. Today’s Hamilton really<br />
does honor the heritage of the brand with beautiful<br />
designs closely inspired by the original watches that<br />
were designed here in Lancaster, PA. In addition to my<br />
passion for the history of Hamilton, the value proposition<br />
Hamilton offers really is something special. An 80-hour<br />
power reserve automatic movement with an open case<br />
back, sapphire crystal, with Hamilton’s build quality, for<br />
well under $1,000 on many watches is something special.<br />
Hamilton is one of the brands that transcends price. I think<br />
a Hamilton makes its owner feel special, whether it is their<br />
wedding day or a day in the office.<br />
Appearing in movies and TV is a powerful marketing<br />
tool and Hamilton has certainly benefited from all<br />
the movies and TV shows (more than 500) they have<br />
appeared in.<br />
Up next, Hamilton is featured prominently in the<br />
latest MIB movie, Men in Black: <strong>International</strong>.<br />
There are definitely more movie and TV appearances<br />
in Hamilton’s future, so keep your eyes open.
Rolex Yacht-Master<br />
42mm in 18K white<br />
gold case and black<br />
Oysterflex bracelet.<br />
112 THE MODERNIST
Precise watches were what allowed ocean explorers to discover the<br />
world. Today, they continue to arouse our passion for the seas.<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER<br />
FASHION STYLIST JOE TAN<br />
ASSISTED BY NORMAN NUR HAKIM BIN ABDUL RASHID<br />
DIGITAL ARTIST KH KOH<br />
INTO THE DEEP<br />
THE MODERNIST 113
114 THE MODERNIST
Opposite<br />
Breitling Superocean<br />
Heritage Chronograph<br />
44 Ocean Conservancy<br />
Limited Edition in steel<br />
withgoldcaseand<br />
blue-striped ECONYL<br />
yarn NATO strap.<br />
IWC Aquatimer<br />
Chronograph Edition<br />
“Expedition Jacques-<br />
Yves Cousteau” in<br />
stainless steel case and<br />
black rubber strap.<br />
THE MODERNIST 115
TAG Heuer Aquaracer<br />
Calibre5inblackPVD<br />
coated sandblasted<br />
titanium case and<br />
black nylon strap.<br />
TAG Heuer<br />
Aquaracer Calibre 5<br />
in fine-brushed and<br />
polished steel.<br />
Opposite<br />
Bell & Ross BR 03-92<br />
Diver Black Matte in<br />
matt-black ceramic<br />
case and woven black<br />
rubber with ultraresilient<br />
synthetic<br />
fabric strap.<br />
116 THE MODERNIST
THE MODERNIST 117
BACK TO THE FUTURE<br />
A project that has been in the works for several years, IWC has now set off on its global trot with Steve Boultbee<br />
Brooks of the Boultbee Academy and Matt Jones. Their plan: to cross the globe in 43 different segments, and tell the<br />
story of why the Spitfire is such a stunning creation. More on page 132.
Rado the Swiss<br />
watchmaker was<br />
the first to focus on design and technological innovations in watchmaking.<br />
Its latest breakthrough is in the development of colored high-tech ceramic,<br />
shown through a partnership withtheLes Couleurs Suisse, the company<br />
exclusively mandated by the Fondation Le Corbusier.
The Rado True Thinline<br />
Les Couleurs TM Le<br />
Corbusier Spectacular<br />
Ultramarine 4320K and<br />
Gray Brown Natural<br />
Umber 32141.<br />
Without question, the early to<br />
mid-20th century era offered<br />
the biggest transformations in<br />
the artistic fields. This was due to a variety<br />
of factors. Post-war liberation gave life<br />
to bold color palettes, but also challenged<br />
resource management. The two world wars,<br />
having consumed the world’s resources in<br />
the buildup of military needs, meant that<br />
recovering economies had to be smart about<br />
how it spent its existing wealth.<br />
At the same time, design expounded on<br />
a new era of modernist language, one that<br />
was previously caught up in the crossover<br />
from a new modernism to the deconstruction<br />
of a post-modern world. The language<br />
of design was reduced to its raw, natural<br />
and minimalist form, which would later<br />
lend itself to a rough-hewn Brutalism that<br />
swiftly gave way to naturalist styles of a<br />
refined modern bent. It was in this era that<br />
modern architecture prevailed, with names<br />
like Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright<br />
constructing everything from homes to cities,<br />
all of which shared this need for authenticity,<br />
simplicity and a colorful elegance, an<br />
ideology that Rado has embraced.<br />
Rado can be said to be the first 20th<br />
century watch label that opted to drive its<br />
story away from classic watchmaking lingo<br />
of tradition and heritage. It stood as the<br />
first mover of a new era of watch creation:<br />
a design-forward and design-first brand.<br />
This was a period which would give rise to<br />
watch designers like Gérald Genta and Jorg<br />
Hysek, gentlemen who would go on to earn<br />
themselves renown in the creation of watch<br />
icons in modern times. At the same time, Le<br />
Corbusier, who had already earned himself<br />
fame with the construction of the United<br />
Nations headquarters (in collaboration with<br />
Oscar Niemeyer and William Harrison), was<br />
embarking on the greatest project of his life —<br />
the development of Chandigarh.<br />
INSPIRED DESIGN<br />
Till this day, the gardens of Chandigarh are<br />
considered one of the seven man-made<br />
wonders of the world. Le Corbusier was<br />
personally contacted by India’s most famed<br />
prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru to come up<br />
with a design for the city.<br />
He famously wrote, “It will be a city of<br />
trees, of flowers and water, of houses as<br />
simple as those at the time of Homer, and of<br />
a few splendid edifices of the highest level of<br />
modernism, where the rules of mathematics<br />
will reign.” He would later write in a personal<br />
letter to his mother that Chandigarh was “an<br />
architectural symphony which surpasses all<br />
my hopes, which flashes and develops under<br />
the light in a way which is unimaginable and<br />
unforgettable. From far, from up close, it<br />
provokes astonishment; all made with raw<br />
concrete and a cement cannon. Adorable,<br />
and grandiose. In all the centuries no one has<br />
seen that.”
Likewise, the refreshing and modern<br />
designs of Rado were a purist, formative and<br />
naturalist impulse. The brand’s innovative<br />
developments focused not on traditional<br />
watchmaking materials but a brand new<br />
technology: high-tech ceramic, based on<br />
zirconium oxide. Rado’s mastery of materials,<br />
particularly of high-tech ceramic and its<br />
qualities, were what shaped the brand’s<br />
designs as it pushed the boundaries of hightech<br />
ceramic.<br />
A THEORY OF COLOR<br />
Le Corbusier wasn’t just an architect or<br />
designer, but he was also an avid painter.<br />
During his early 30s, just after he’d<br />
established his practice with his cousin<br />
Pierre Jeanneret, he encountered Cubist<br />
painter Amédée Ozenfant who inspired him<br />
to start painting and together they developed<br />
a new movement called Purism.<br />
Purism evoked simpler forms and shapes<br />
than the Cubist style of art seen through<br />
the lens of geometry, and a more vivid use<br />
of color compared with its predecessor.<br />
Through his work, Le Corbusier would go on<br />
to develop the Architectural Polychromy color<br />
© FLC/ADAGP/LCS<br />
/ADAGP<br />
architectural elements in variety of colors<br />
(known as polychrome) far earlier in history,<br />
Le Corbusier was the first to create a coherent<br />
system of how they could work in unison. A<br />
palette of 63 colors, divided into nine groups<br />
and created in two collections in 1931 and<br />
1959, they can be combined in any way to<br />
create a harmonious effect. The purist palette<br />
of 1931 offered 43 shades in 14 series based<br />
on solid colors with brightened shades. These<br />
were indicated in the series “32xxx”, and the<br />
architect further created color keyboards<br />
with varying moods to define their use. The<br />
1959 color palette added 20 additional colors<br />
that were more dynamic and powerful, with<br />
a color keyboard that mixed colorful and<br />
achromatic hues and varying brightness<br />
values. Architectural Polychromy defines his<br />
experience both as a painter and architect.<br />
The purity of design also began to<br />
shape watchmaking from the ’70s into the<br />
’90s. Rado rendered design down to its<br />
most minimal, relying on the same ideas<br />
of mathematics determining design as Le<br />
Corbusier did. The Rado True Thinline<br />
collection represents this best, a simple and<br />
refined circular case, with needle like hands<br />
and an integrated bracelet that fuses into the<br />
watch like a stylish bracelet. The True Thinline<br />
renders the watch into a sliver of a case, thin<br />
as a wafer and made in high-tech ceramic.<br />
CEO Matthias Breschan explained that<br />
the True Thinline was the ideal collection to<br />
launch this project, focused on showcasing<br />
the quality and beauty of Rado’s colored<br />
high-tech ceramic. “In many ways, high-tech<br />
ceramic is a wonderful material because of its<br />
impressive physical qualities, but we think of<br />
it as a noble material, one that’s ageless and<br />
timeless. And the more we work with it and<br />
research it further, we begin to discover even<br />
more interesting properties about it. With the<br />
True Thinline, the high-tech ceramic case<br />
© LES COULEURS SUISSE AG
This page<br />
The Rado True Thinline<br />
Les Couleurs TM<br />
Le Corbusier Iron<br />
Gray 32010.<br />
Opposite, clockwise<br />
from top<br />
The complete color<br />
palette of Architectural<br />
Polychromy; The<br />
Pavillon Le Corbusier<br />
in Zurich, Switzerland;<br />
Le Corbusier; the<br />
complete Rado True<br />
Thinline Les Couleurs TM<br />
Le Corbusier collection,<br />
available as a boxed set<br />
(limited to 99 pieces).
and bracelet is the center of attention of this<br />
watch; that’s what we wanted.<br />
“We decided to develop a collection based<br />
on Le Corbusier’s Architectural Polychromy<br />
because of its significance to our modern<br />
urban environment today. This meant<br />
greater challenges as the Foundation and Les<br />
Couleurs Suisse required us to match the nine<br />
key colors precisely.”<br />
RADO, LES COULEURS SUISSE AND<br />
LE CORBUSIER<br />
The Rado True Thinline Les Couleurs TM<br />
Le Corbusier is a collection designed to<br />
be unisex and uni-age, timepieces that<br />
transcend demographic ideology. Breschan<br />
adds, “We don’t think of our customers in<br />
terms of demographic breakdowns anymore.<br />
We want them to connect with our watches on<br />
an emotional level, and that meant rethinking<br />
how we start to develop watches completely.”<br />
Rado is the only Swiss watch company that<br />
is certified by the Les Couleurs Suisse, which<br />
manages all licensing for the Foundation<br />
Le Corbusier based in Paris. An agreement<br />
between the two parties allowed Rado to use<br />
the designer’s Architectural Polychromy<br />
palettes, originally developed for a wallpaper<br />
range for a Swiss firm, for its watches.<br />
Breschan adds that the project had been<br />
ongoing for a while, even before the company<br />
signed the agreement with Les Couleurs<br />
Suisse. “We actually started on this project five<br />
years ago on our own, and the decision to base<br />
the watch colors on Architectural Polychromy<br />
was made without any discussion with them. It<br />
feels completely appropriate, especially since<br />
Le Corbusier lived just a few miles away from<br />
where we manufacture our high-tech ceramic,<br />
to pay homage to his work.”<br />
High-tech ceramic is a material that<br />
offers plenty of benefits, from scratch<br />
resistance to light weight and hypoallergenic<br />
qualities. However, its superb physical<br />
qualities also make its manufacturing a<br />
challenge. Says Breschan, “While hightech<br />
ceramic is now commonly seen in<br />
watchmaking, colored high-tech ceramic<br />
is a development and production challenge.<br />
This is due to the inclusion of additional<br />
compounds, kept under five percent to ensure<br />
the physical qualities of the ceramic material<br />
isn’t affected. However, we have to test each<br />
combination of pigment compounds with<br />
zirconium oxide extensively to ensure they can<br />
endure the sintering and firing processes.”<br />
Rado began developing high-tech injection<br />
This page<br />
The Rado True Thinline<br />
Les Couleurs TM Le<br />
Corbusier Cream<br />
White 32001 and<br />
Pale Sienna 32123.<br />
Opposite<br />
The Rado True Thinline<br />
Les Couleurs TM Le<br />
Corbusier Powerful<br />
Orange 4320S.<br />
molding in 1990, finally perfecting it with<br />
a single block injection molding process in<br />
2011. In addition, over the years, it’s spent<br />
an immense amount of time and energy<br />
developing colored high-tech ceramic in bold<br />
tones, rather than the subdued hues usually<br />
seen in other ceramic watches.<br />
Injection molding is a process that’s<br />
usually used in the manufacturing of small,<br />
precisely shaped components, and is often<br />
applied to materials that experience thermal<br />
shrinkage, as high-tech ceramic does.<br />
However, it has its own challenges, such<br />
as color streaks that can occur due to an<br />
uneven mixing of the raw material. By careful<br />
applications of modern technology, Rado has<br />
minimized these problems. In addition, with<br />
the development of a single block injection<br />
molding, the brand has been able to create<br />
monobloc cases and components to precise<br />
measurements down to micron accuracy, and<br />
in all shapes and forms. That’s how it’s able<br />
to create a True Thinline watch that’s 4.9mm<br />
thin, housing a quartz movement that’s<br />
designed to run steadily for years on end.<br />
The collection is available in a total of<br />
nine colorways, with five from Le Corbusier’s<br />
initial work from 1931, and four additional<br />
tones that have a more vibrant, almost<br />
hipster-friendly presence released in 1959.<br />
From an eggshell “cream white” to a<br />
grapefruit-like “powerful orange”, each<br />
watch is restricted to 999 pieces and makes<br />
for a playful, charming wrist addition. Priced<br />
at an affordable US$2,100, these watches<br />
are, in Le Corbusier’s own words, “adorable<br />
and grandiose”, designed to transcend age,<br />
gender and style. It’s a statement of its own.
ALPINE ASCENT<br />
Three generations of the Scheufele family come together to bring ethical luxury, sports<br />
elegance and technical innovation in one collection. This is the Alpine Eagle.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
Haute monde 1970s was an unabashedly nomadic experience.<br />
You could wake up one day in Mustique and the next in<br />
Marrakesh. Its glitterati eschewed the permanence of any one<br />
home base as it had embraced in the 1950s with New York and in the<br />
’60s with Swinging London. The 1970s effectively fused mid-century<br />
café society with the rebellion of the ensuing decade and an altogether<br />
new breed of peripatetic hedonism. As if in much needed escapism after<br />
a period of radical political upheaval and social change, the ’70s was<br />
about carefree libidinousness with a brazen succumbing to one’s carnal<br />
impulses as demoiselles and dandies alike took to the dance floors of<br />
Regines and Studio 54 in a hedonist trans-global gathering of the tribe.<br />
In the ’70s the watch world was similarly amid upheaval as the Swiss<br />
industry reeled from the opening salvos of the quartz crisis that would<br />
grow to decimate watchmaking so effectively that before the decade was<br />
over, 50,000 people would have lost their jobs . Amid this period of<br />
liminality, in order to reflect cultural changes and express a new spirit<br />
of freedom, one watch designer began to conceptualize a new category<br />
of timepiece that would be equally at home plunging into the swimming<br />
pool of the Hotel du Cap, on your wrist guiding a Haston-clad ingénue<br />
through the serpentine labyrinth of some sweaty after hours boîte, or<br />
holding court in front of your board of directors. It was a watch that<br />
was equally appropriate when you were wearing an evening suit or your<br />
birthday suit. It was the integrated sports chic timepiece and its father<br />
was a maverick genius named Gérald Genta.<br />
His first overture that ushered in an all new era for this style<br />
of watch as the ultimate symbol of rakish elan was the Royal Oak,<br />
designed for Audemars Piguet in 1972. This slim sublime gem of a<br />
steel watch characterized by its octagonal bezel and visible white gold<br />
screws gained further notoriety with a price tag of 3,300 Swiss Francs,<br />
equivalent in those days to the cost of a new Jaguar. And while reactions<br />
initially ranged from outrage to perplexation the watch eventually<br />
struck its intended mark when it was adopted by Gianni Agnelli and his<br />
legion of Italian playboys. Quick to follow up was Girard-Perregaux<br />
with its hexagonal bezel, quartz-powered Laureato designed by a<br />
Milanese architect. Then came Patek Philippe with its Nautilus in<br />
1976 and IWC with its Ingenieur SL from the same year both designed<br />
by Genta. While the Nautilus went on to wild success, the Ingenieur<br />
was always adversely affected by a sort of identity crisis, in that while<br />
it looked like a playboy’s watch, it was positioned as an amagnetic<br />
scientific watch. Scientists, it seemed, were not deemed sexy, not in<br />
1976 and not today. In 1977 Vacheron Constantin unveiled the 222<br />
designed by then hot upstart Jorg Hysek, and remains to my mind one<br />
of the most charming and underrated vintage watches around. In 1979<br />
Yves Piaget designed the delicious Polo which integrated bracelet, case<br />
and even dial with the same design.<br />
As the ’70s gave way to the 1980s a then twenty-year-old Karl-<br />
Friedrich Scheufele became enthused by the idea of his family’s<br />
company, Chopard, also entering the world of the integrated bracelet,<br />
sports chic watch. His rationale was simple. As a young man who<br />
loved motorsports, skiing, sailing and had undoubtedly cut a swathe<br />
amongst the hearts of Geneva’s most eligible bachelorettes, he wanted<br />
a timepiece that embodied the modern world he was connected to.<br />
He wanted a symbol of the future, both of society and of his family’s<br />
firm. And so he began to speak to his father about the idea. Karl-<br />
Friedrich Senior recalls, “I was not initially enamored with the idea<br />
but I appreciated my son’s passion for the project and eventually he<br />
convinced me.” Says Karl-Friedrich, “I knew that this was exactly the<br />
type of watch my generation wanted, something I could wear while<br />
skiing but also when I put on a tuxedo.” The resulting watch, named the<br />
St Moritz, which in Scheufele’s mind perfectly evoked winter’s alpine<br />
equivalent to summer’s Côte d’Azur, was designed, prototyped and put<br />
into production in just 18 months, created totally in-house.<br />
Launched in 1980, the St Moritz was arguably the most original<br />
timepiece in its category since the Royal Oak in that instead of a faceted<br />
bezel, it possessed audacious curving elements to surround the visible<br />
screws. Legend has it that when the watch debuted in 1979 in Hong<br />
Kong, one of Chopard’s biggest markets, it instantly piqued interest<br />
with its dégagé and unconventional charm. When some local dealers<br />
expressed doubts that the watch with its funky bezel, exposed screws<br />
and slim profile was truly 30 meters water resistant, Scheufele took it<br />
126 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
With two screws at each compass point, visible ears and an integrated bracelet, the Alpine Eagle may evoke some association with other integrated bracelet watches,<br />
but it has a contemporary feel all on its own, particularly with its modern fonts on the printed, textured dial.<br />
BACK TO THE FUTURE 127
off his wrist, dropped it inside of a champagne bucket and retrieved it<br />
two hours later to prove it was functioning perfectly. Word spread and<br />
by the first day of the 1980 Basel Watch Fair, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele<br />
at the tender age of 20 years old had his first bona fide hit on his<br />
hands with 1,000 watches ordered. It should be noted that the initial<br />
production of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, which was also 1,000<br />
pieces, took quite a bit longer to sell.<br />
A NEW GENERATION<br />
OK, let’s jump cut to present day. In the ensuing 40 years in the watch<br />
industry, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s achievements have been nothing<br />
less than astounding. And he has become synonymous with genuine,<br />
authentic technical innovation and achievement, underscored by an<br />
old world gentlemanly charm. In 1996 he launched the company’s<br />
first in-house movement, a Geneva Seal, COSC-certified, microrotor<br />
masterpiece, the caliber 1.96 which won multiple awards. He<br />
subsequently created the world’s first wristwatch with four barrels<br />
and eight days of power reserve, the world’s first four Hertz, COSCcertified<br />
tourbillon, the first vertical clutch automatic chronograph<br />
with precise jumping minute counter and zero reset seconds, the first<br />
perpetual calendar with orbital moonphase display, the first triple<br />
certified watch (Geneval Seal, COSC and Qualité Fleurier), the first<br />
8 Hertz watch produced in series, and the first minute repeater to use<br />
sapphire crystal gongs. He’s been the only person to be sitting on the<br />
Geneva Grand Prix’s jury as a result of winning the previous year for<br />
his brand Ferdinand Berthoud, while a watch from Chopard was being<br />
evaluated for the top prize. Ever the gentleman, Scheufele excused<br />
himself during this process so as not to affect the vote. But amusingly,<br />
the genesis of Chopard’s latest collection, the Alpine Eagle, started not<br />
with him, but with an idea that came from his 20-year-old son Karl-<br />
Fritz, in a wonderful moment of history repeating itself.<br />
It should be noted that Karl-Fritz is a smart, dynamic and clearly<br />
sensible young man. He is currently enrolled in the famous École<br />
Hôtelière de Lausanne which his father considers one of the best<br />
management schools in the world. During an internship at one of<br />
London’s famous men’s magazines (not The Rake), Karl-Fritz was<br />
disconcerted by the fact that the staff’s focus revolved around when<br />
in the early afternoon they could acceptably start consuming their gin<br />
and tonics and quickly decided that editorial life was not for him. He<br />
had however become vastly enamored with the watch that his father<br />
had created 40 years before. Says Karl-Fritz, “It was almost a series<br />
of coincidences that I saw this watch on various different people’s<br />
wrists in the company. And we had one retailer who kept asking when<br />
are we going to re-launch the St Moritz. As a result I started to think<br />
about the idea of creating an integrated bracelet sports watch that took<br />
128 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
This spread, clockwise<br />
The Alpine Eagle in twice forged stainless steel with a marine blue dial; an Ethical<br />
gold model with a slate gray dial is a second option; the since-discontinued<br />
St Moritz watch shares a connection with its successor, but also significant<br />
differences upon closer examination.<br />
inspiration from my father’s watch. The only problem was that my<br />
father was not convinced.”<br />
Says Karl-Friedrich with a chuckle, “For me certain things belong<br />
to a specific time in life. The St Moritz was very much part of my early<br />
life at Chopard and a project very close to my heart. But sometimes when<br />
you are close to something, you prefer not to revisit it.” Yet it was not<br />
lost on Karl-Fritz that for his generation and for the modern consumer<br />
at large, the integrated bracelet sports watch has become the single most<br />
dominant category and two models in particular, the Patek Philippe<br />
Nautilus and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ultra-Thin, have become<br />
the world’s most sought after watches (omitting of course sports<br />
Rolexes which should be considered in a category by themselves).<br />
And though he didn’t tell Karl-Fritz, it was probably not lost on<br />
his ever-savvy father that the majority of companies that have tried<br />
to create viable alternatives to these two models had all fallen short of<br />
the mark. Indeed for the past few decades, despite seemingly tireless<br />
new attempts to break into this category, no single brand has managed<br />
to create a true viable alternative to either the Royal Oak <strong>52</strong>02 ST or<br />
the Nautilus 5711. Their status remains unassailable. At the same time<br />
the global alignment of taste, combined with the massive hunger for<br />
these two models, has created an international shortage that means<br />
secondary prices far exceed their retail prices and the waiting list for<br />
both stretch interminably into infinity. Note that this is not a criticism<br />
on my part; in fact I respect both Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet<br />
for consciously not responding to sky-high demand and increasing<br />
production volumes. It is however very clear that there is a huge<br />
opportunity for anyone that could successfully enter this world as a<br />
strong competitor to the iconic Nautilus and Royal Oak. But treading<br />
this path comes with huge risk, because in each past instance, everyone<br />
and anyone who’s tried to make a run at this goal has come up glaringly<br />
and embarrassingly short.<br />
But all this did not weigh heavy on Karl-Fritz’s mind. He simply<br />
wanted Chopard to create a great watch. And he soon found two willing<br />
accomplices in his grandfather and his aunt Caroline Scheufele, who<br />
both loved the idea. Says Caroline, “We could see there was a clear<br />
demand for this type of watch and interestingly, we saw the secondary<br />
prices of the vintage St Moritz pieces rise quite significantly in recent<br />
years. So we took it upon ourselves to design a watch that would be<br />
its successor. Finally when we were happy with the result we asked<br />
Karl-Fritz to present it to his father.” Says Karl-Friedrich, “When<br />
they showed me the watch I was astonished. I think that you can tell<br />
immediately if a watch will speak to you and it immediately connected<br />
with me. I knew that it would take some refinement and I said to my<br />
son. “OK let’s proceed with this watch but only on the condition that<br />
we only launch when all of us are convinced it is absolutely 100 percent<br />
perfect.” Says Karl-Fritz, “Of course I could only agree.”<br />
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED<br />
What is important to understand is that in addition to being an<br />
accomplished watch designer, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is also an<br />
extremely passionate watch collector. He explains, “I knew all the<br />
watches in this category and I knew that every detail of the watch had to<br />
be just perfect.” What neither he or his son would realize was that the<br />
refinement process would take almost three years.<br />
So what’s the Alpine Eagle like? After almost 50 years, has a<br />
brand finally succeeded in fielding a genuine bona fide alternative<br />
to the Royal Oak and the Nautilus? Well yes... and no. No, because<br />
at just a tick over CHF 12,000 for a steel watch, the Alpine Eagle is<br />
less than half the price of either of the other watches and thus not<br />
BACK TO THE FUTURE 129
130 BACKTOTHEFUTURE<br />
Three generations<br />
of Scheufele men,<br />
part of the story of<br />
how the Alpine Eagle<br />
came about; the<br />
Scheufele family in<br />
1980 presenting the St<br />
Moritz collection; the<br />
Scheufele family with<br />
Alpine Eagles, for which<br />
the watch is named.
eally designed to compete in the same category. But yes for one<br />
rather significant reason. It’s interesting, but after a period from<br />
2000-2010 when the watch consumer seemed fixated on movements<br />
and brands pulled out all the stops to create in-house calibers and<br />
vastly complex calibers, the ensuing decade seems to be primarily<br />
preoccupied with aesthetics. Meaning that the consumer today asks<br />
himself first and foremost: does the watch look good? He or she asks,<br />
“When I put it on my wrist do endorphins flood my blood stream and<br />
decimate my impulse control causing me to reach into my wallet and<br />
purchase it?” So the question is, when you place the Alpine Eagle on<br />
your wrist and turn it to face you, does your inner emotional matrix<br />
suddenly flood with unbridled desire? Is it really that good? The<br />
answer to the question is an unequivocal yes.<br />
Is the design derivative of Genta’s creations? Only in the sense<br />
that every integrated bracelet watch, including Rolex’s wonderful<br />
Oysterquartz, will appear to have a genetic connection to Gérald<br />
Genta. But beyond that, with each passing moment on your wrist,<br />
the Alpine Eagle just gets better and better. The size is just perfect,<br />
both on my wrist but also on Caroline Scheufele’s diminutive wrist<br />
(she wears the large version) as she points out to me, thanks to a<br />
bracelet that conforms even the smallest dimensions. The design<br />
features a round bezel with eight visible screws placed in pairs at<br />
north, east, south and west, as with the original St Moritz. The case<br />
has visible ears which act on the right side as a crown protector. But<br />
it’s the dial of the Alpine Eagle that is arrestingly stunning. Designed<br />
with a printed swirling pattern that’s meant to evoke the iris of an<br />
eagle, it is immediately as recognizably distinct as the Royal Oak’s<br />
petite tappiserie or the Nautilus’s horizontal striped pattern, and<br />
yet, it is wholly and utterly original. This wonderfully dynamic dial is<br />
counterpointed by applied Roman indexes framed in white gold, made<br />
from a new kind of Luminova that is 30 percent brighter and degrades<br />
far slower over time. Says Scheufele, “With this watch we wanted to<br />
bring multiple levels of technical innovation and worked hard with our<br />
suppliers to achieve this.” The profile of the watch is wonderfully slim<br />
thanks to the COSC-certified in-house 01.01-C caliber that beats<br />
inside it. (The smaller model uses a 09.01-C caliber that’s also being<br />
certified by the COSC.)<br />
Let’s pause here to say I am aware the last time a watch journalist<br />
went out on a limb to say that a viable alternative to the Nautilus and<br />
Royal Oak had been launched by another brand, he was ridiculed,<br />
vilified and basically euphemistically tarred, feathered and run out of<br />
town like an old-timer carpet bagger caught trying to flog snake oil. So I<br />
get the fact that people get real sensitive about the subject. But I’ll go on<br />
record that the Alpine Eagle is the single best new integrated sports chic<br />
bracelet watch to be created since 1976, and I’ll stake my reputation as<br />
a watch journalist on this. In fact I’ll go far as to challenge you to go to<br />
your local retailer or Chopard boutique to try one on. My preference is<br />
for the slate gray dial model, but the blue dial is highly appealing as well.<br />
And if you don’t think the watch is at the very least, really good, I’ll buy<br />
you a Negroni. I’ll add to that: if you don’t feel that the asking price of<br />
the watch, replete with in-house movement and all-new special steel at<br />
12,000-odd Swiss Francs, makes it a great value, I’ll buy you a second<br />
Negroni. But if you think as I do that it’s epic, then Negroni purchasing<br />
can be reciprocal — even better if it is to celebrate your new purchase.<br />
Wait back up a second. Did I say all-new special steel? Ah, good<br />
you were paying attention. One of my favorite things about Chopard<br />
has been its pioneering approach to bringing ethics into jewelry and<br />
watchmaking. With Fairmined TM gold, Chopard introduced us for<br />
the first time to gold that is mined responsibly to positively impact<br />
the people and environment related to its production, and sold with a<br />
guaranteed fair price. With the Alpine Eagle, the brand has also brought<br />
two important ethical elements to bear. The first is that the steel used<br />
for the watch is the first instance in which recycled steel has been<br />
used in Swiss high watchmaking. 70 percent of the steel comes from<br />
recycled steel and as a result of the material being forged twice, it has a<br />
cleaner purer white color. In addition, it features a much higher surface<br />
hardness of 225 Vickers relative to normal stainless steel’s 150 Vickers,<br />
making for a much more resilient watch.<br />
Says Karl-Fritz, “For my generation it is incredibly important that<br />
any luxury object is impacting the climate, the environment and the<br />
global arena in a positive way. The ethics behind a watch or the brand<br />
that makes it are incredibly important.” Furthermore, the watch takes<br />
its name from a bird that was plentiful and indigenous to Switzerland<br />
but became extinct. Through a special program Chopard supports,<br />
the Alpine Eagle will be reintroduced into the wild. Which adds<br />
another sociological implication related to the Alpine Eagle beyond<br />
all this. And that is as follows. Today when someone wears a 5711 or<br />
<strong>52</strong>02 ST it comes with a certain baggage, as it means that he or she is<br />
well off enough to spend the big premium to purchase one of these.<br />
Conversely the Alpine Eagle has been created to be an alternative which<br />
is great looking, incredible on the wrist and a symbol of understated<br />
charm and ethical thought, which are synonymous with Chopard and<br />
the Scheufele family. Am I saying that it will replace these other two<br />
watches? Of course not, but we might find more and more young<br />
people looking for an alternative which is first a great watch, and<br />
second a reflection of their ethics. And we may find many 5711 and<br />
<strong>52</strong>02 ST owners buying one and leaving their other watches at home<br />
in certain circumstances where it’s better to be discreet. Either way it<br />
wouldn’t be possible if the Alpine Eagle wasn’t irrefutably a damnably<br />
awesome timepiece. Which it most certainly is.<br />
BACK TO THE FUTURE 131
AROUND THE<br />
WORLD<br />
IN THE SILVER<br />
SPITFIRE<br />
WITH IWC<br />
SCHAFFHAUSEN<br />
Revolution celebrates the kickoff of the<br />
“Silver Spitfire — The Longest Flight”<br />
expedition flight around the world<br />
supported by IWC Schaffhausen.<br />
WORDS WEI KOH<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY IWC AND GETTY IMAGES<br />
Iimagine the moment that pilots Matt Jones and Steve<br />
Boultbee Brooks approached IWC’s CEO Chris<br />
Grainger-Herr with the seemingly implausible, highly<br />
irrational and altogether far-fetched idea of getting into a<br />
75-year-old airplane that in stock form has a range of 700<br />
miles — before having to refuel — and circumnavigating the<br />
planet earth in it, he immediately saw the charm in this.<br />
Because there is something about the specific 75-yearold<br />
plane that Jones and Brooks wanted to use to travel<br />
the 43,000 kilometers, which will be divided into 100<br />
segments, that held particular appeal to IWC’s CEO. He<br />
explains, “The Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most<br />
iconic feats of engineering and design. The Spitfire became<br />
a legend during WWII and in particular in the skies during<br />
the Battle of Britain.”<br />
The plane was famous for combining some of the<br />
most advanced innovations of the time. These included a<br />
monocoque aluminum chassis. A retractable undercarriage,<br />
meaning that all landing gear could be retracted to greatly<br />
enhance the aerodynamics of the aircraft. And perhaps, most<br />
famously, the Spitfire used elliptical wings, which induced<br />
the lowest amount of drag while still retaining the necessary<br />
structural integrity to create a robust reliable plane.<br />
132 BACK TO THE FUTURE
BACK TO THE FUTURE 133
134 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
“As an act of design ingenuity<br />
that was tested in the most<br />
harrowing of circumstances,<br />
the Spitfire is a legend... I<br />
immediately saw parallels<br />
with IWC, which is a luxury<br />
Swiss watch brand that<br />
always has engineered<br />
functionalism as one of its<br />
greatest priorities.”<br />
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC<br />
This spread,<br />
clockwise from<br />
top left<br />
A military brass<br />
band performs<br />
around the Silver<br />
Spitfire prior to<br />
takeoff; CEO of<br />
IWC, Christoph<br />
Grainger-Herr<br />
pens a message on<br />
the plane before<br />
takeoff; Pilots Steve<br />
Boultbee Brooks<br />
and Matt Jones at<br />
the official start of<br />
the “Silver Spitfire<br />
-TheLongest<br />
Flight” expedition<br />
in Goodwood.<br />
Previous spread<br />
The freshly restored<br />
Spitfire takes its<br />
maiden test flight.<br />
The Spitfire was also paired with a large Rolls-Royce<br />
Merlin engine that produced 1,030 horsepower and<br />
combined with its incredible light weight, made for the most<br />
maneuverable fighter plane of its era and was a key to the<br />
RAF’s victory over the Luftwaffe in 1940. As a testament to<br />
the plane’s incredible design, in later versions, the engine<br />
would be upgraded to more than double this horsepower<br />
and used in tests related to breaking the sound barrier with<br />
no significant changes to the plane’s original configuration.<br />
Says Grainger-Herr, “As an act of design ingenuity<br />
that was tested in the most harrowing of circumstances, the<br />
Spitfire is a legend. It is a masterpiece of engineering and at<br />
the same time its function is defined by elements such as its<br />
elliptical wings or the rivets that are counter sunk to reduce<br />
aerodynamic drag, these are some of the things that make it<br />
so beautiful.<br />
“I immediately saw parallels with IWC, which is a luxury<br />
Swiss watch brand that always has engineered functionalism<br />
as one of its greatest priorities. Indeed, it was our capacity<br />
to create incredible highly legible and incredible robust<br />
timepiece that made us the supplier to the Royal Air Force<br />
with the famous Mark XI watch.” The timepiece that<br />
Grainger-Herr refers to is in horological terms as legendary<br />
as the Spitfire.<br />
The legend that is the Mark XI began in the mid ’40s<br />
when the British Ministry of Defence sent out a tender for<br />
the creation of a watch for its pilots. The requirements of the<br />
watch were as follows: It had to have a black iron dial marked<br />
with full Arabic numerals from 1-12 and the dial had to be<br />
“luminized,” at the four cardinal indices. It needed to have<br />
a 12-ligne movement, capable of -4/ +4 accuracy, and be<br />
equipped with a hacking function. It had to be waterproof to<br />
20 feet. It had to have a Faraday anti-magnetic cage, hence<br />
the iron dial. Finally its crystal had to be retained by a screw<br />
to prevent detachment during decompression.<br />
The result was the Mark XI IWC watch, which<br />
beginning in 1949 was issued to various branches of the<br />
RAF, equipped with the Caliber 89 movement. All watches<br />
had to be regulated at the Greenwich observatory and<br />
retested there annually. In 19<strong>52</strong> the dial was endowed with<br />
its now iconic triangle-shaped index at 12 o’clock. IWC<br />
was the supplier to the RAF with the Mark XI from 1949 all<br />
the way to 1981. And was the sole supplier from the early<br />
’60s onward. Today Mark XI watches are some of the most<br />
coveted vintage timepieces, while IWC makes a superb<br />
40mm re-edition of this timepiece in its current line-up.<br />
Last year Revolution and The Rake, in collaboration with IWC<br />
created a 150-piece limited edition 36mm bronze case<br />
tribute to the legendary Mark XI that sold out in 18 minutes.<br />
Now that the relationship between IWC and the RAF<br />
has been firmly established it seems a natural fit for the<br />
watch brand to sponsor a Spitfire’s first journey around<br />
the world. The two individuals behind this record setting<br />
flight are not just pilots but cultural historians in their own<br />
way. Together Jones and Brooks co-founded the Boultbee<br />
Academy. Based on Goodwood Estate this is the world’s only<br />
training school to teach pilots to fly Spitfires. It also offers<br />
Spitfire experience flights, in specially outfitted two-seater<br />
BACK TO THE FUTURE 135
planes (the military planes were single seaters) and has<br />
even developed a Spitfire simulator. The two pilots have<br />
dedicated their lives to preserving the heritage and story<br />
of the plane. And it was Jones and Brooks that first began<br />
toying with the idea of taking a Spitfire across the world.<br />
Says Brooks, “There is such reverence for this aircraft.<br />
Children still make models of the Spitfire, yet in many<br />
parts of the world people have never seen one in reality. We<br />
decided that we would fly a plane from England across to the<br />
United States, then to Asia and India before turning to the<br />
Middle East and returning back to Europe. We would stop in<br />
100 different destinations and welcome people to come see<br />
the plane and hear about its history and our adventure.<br />
Says Jones, “We have been friends with the IWC<br />
family for many years. The thing that brings us together<br />
is the joint love for engineering precision. Both of which<br />
are vastly important in the creation of the world’s finest<br />
timepieces. In addition we knew that IWC shared our<br />
passion for aviation with its specialization in the creation<br />
of pilot’s watches. Chris Grainger, who lived in England<br />
for many years and is an architect by training, and also<br />
looks for objects that are defined by incredible aesthetics<br />
serving function, had a special reverence for the Spitfire.<br />
After our first conversation with him we knew we had<br />
found the right partner to make our vision for an around<br />
the world flight a reality.”<br />
Says Grainger-Herr, “I was very impressed by Matt and<br />
Steve. They explained to me that the cabin of the Spitfire is<br />
not pressurized so you experience all the weather conditions<br />
in the extreme. Over the Arctic and even the Atlantic at high<br />
altitude they will experience freezing weather and at low<br />
altitudes over Nevada, the cabin will be at boiling point.<br />
This really is a tribute to an amazing engineering icon but<br />
also a huge test of human endurance. I think the two factors<br />
together are really appealing and very representative of the<br />
values of IWC.”<br />
As I was lucky enough to hold the launch party for<br />
IWC’s limited edition collaboration with this magazine, this<br />
January, at the brand’s booth at SIHH, I was blown away by<br />
the very specially prepared Spitfire that the duo of Brooks<br />
and Jones will be using for this incredible journey.<br />
The plane, which is MJ 271, was built in Castle<br />
Bromwich in 1943 and delivered to the Dutch Air Force.<br />
Says Jones, “The plane then was purchased by a British<br />
collector who used it as a static display until we were able to<br />
acquire it from him.” Says Brooks, “We then brought the<br />
Spitfire to Duxford Airplane Restoration Company, where<br />
15 restoration experts spent the better part of two years<br />
tearing the plane down and restoring its tens of thousands of<br />
parts.” Grainger-Herr adds, “Instead of painting the plane,<br />
it was decided that every part of the aluminum body would<br />
be painstakingly hand polished to a high sheen. This would<br />
have not been possible in the context of a military plane,<br />
however for the purposes of a trans global sojourn it brought<br />
a dimension of almost otherworldly ethereal beauty to the<br />
Spitfire.” Hence its moniker, the Silver Spitfire.<br />
He continues, “I think this is without a doubt the<br />
single most beautiful Spitfire in existence. The result of the<br />
meticulous hand polishing is simply breath-taking. Thanks<br />
to this shiny surface the unmistakeable silhouette of the<br />
aircraft and in particular the signature elliptical wings are<br />
more defined and pronounced than ever before.” Instead of<br />
the normal two fuel tanks the Silver Spitfire adds 6 more for<br />
a total of 8 tanks, while the powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin 70<br />
1700 horsepower engines have been given a total overhaul.”<br />
This incredible partnership, of course, begs the<br />
question, which IWC watch will the two pilots have strapped<br />
to their wrists, as they embark on this historic endeavour?<br />
For both men the watch they wear is a vital piece of<br />
equipment especially in a cockpit that is largely devoid of<br />
modern electronics. Says Brooks, “A pilot’s watch means<br />
everything to him or her. When you are flying there are lots<br />
of decisions to make. You need to be able to completely rely<br />
on your instruments and your equipment. Time is always<br />
a critical factor related to flying and it is impossible to<br />
overstate how important your choice of watch is. It is not just<br />
reliability but functionality as well that is massively critical<br />
and IWC watches provide both.”<br />
136 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
BACK TO THE FUTURE 137
“A pilot’s watch means everything to him or her. When you are<br />
flying there are lots of decisions to make. You need to be able to<br />
completely rely on your instruments and your equipment. Time<br />
is always a critical factor related to flying and it is impossible to<br />
overstate how important your choice of watch is.”<br />
Steve Boultbee Brooks, Boultbee Academy<br />
138 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
The IWC Pilot’s<br />
Watch Timezoner<br />
Spitfire Edition “The<br />
Longest Flight”,<br />
the official watch of<br />
the Silver Spitfire’s<br />
global adventure,<br />
is the easiest<br />
multi-timezone<br />
watch to operate<br />
in the industry.<br />
(Image by Sumit<br />
Nag/Revolution.)<br />
Previous spread<br />
Rosamund Pike and<br />
other invited guests<br />
watch as the Silver<br />
Spitfire takes off,<br />
accompanied by<br />
three two-seater<br />
Spitfires and the<br />
Royal Air Force.<br />
Says Jones, “When discussing our choice of watch with<br />
the IWC team, the idea of a UTC watch, that could rapidly<br />
and legibly display time in multiple zones and that could<br />
be reset with ease to a new local time zone, but also show<br />
Greenwich Mean Time or Zulu Time or Universal Time<br />
Coordinated, which is the universal reference time pilots<br />
use, was key. Fortunately IWC happens to have a watch<br />
called the Timezoner, which from a functional perspective<br />
is an absolute work of genius.” OK, if you’ve never operated<br />
an IWC Timezoner before then you need to because Jones<br />
is totally correct. The watch, which has the single most<br />
functional multi-time zone display is actually based on<br />
an innovative bezel control system first invented by a man<br />
named Michael Vogt.<br />
In 2005, along with watchmaking genius Thomas<br />
Prescher, Vogt patented a world time system that<br />
incorporated a bezel marked with 24 of the world’s cities,<br />
each representing one of the world’s 24 major time zones.<br />
The local city was aligned with an indicator at 12 o’clock. You<br />
would set your time and date to this city. Anytime you wanted<br />
to check the time in a different city you simply rotated your<br />
bezel and the central hands, the 24 hour display and even the<br />
date would automatically adjust to the new city and zone.<br />
If you wanted to return to the original city simply rotate<br />
the bi-directional bezel back and the hands and date display<br />
would instantly switch back. It was simply speaking the<br />
easiest to use and most legible world time/GMT watch on<br />
the planet. It was strictly speaking more of a GMT/UTC<br />
than a world time watch because it displayed time in one<br />
zone at any given moment rather than time in 24 zones<br />
simultaneously. However, the world time display would be<br />
all but useless in the cockpit as it would be impossible to<br />
read. Says Jones, “In the cockpit especially that of a Spitfire,<br />
legibility is everything. The IWC Timezoner is the most<br />
legible multiple time zone watch we’ve ever used. In addition<br />
the way you switch between zones by simply pushing down<br />
on the bezel and turning it, makes it something you can<br />
operate even with gloves on. This watch will be a critical<br />
piece of equipment for our global journey.”<br />
What is additionally appealing about the IWC<br />
Timezoner watch is that in the cities that are affected by<br />
Daylight Savings Time there is an additional mark so you<br />
know exactly where on the bezel to align it during this<br />
period, so your watch is always accurate.<br />
To commemorate the incredible journey of the Silver<br />
Spitfire around the world, IWC has created a very special<br />
limited edition called the Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Spitfire<br />
Edition “The Longest Flight”, which injects a large measure<br />
of retro-chic to the iconography of this handsome functional<br />
timepiece. It features an oversized steel case, black dial,<br />
black ceramic bezel engraved with the names of the 24<br />
cities as well as Daylight Savings markings. It also features<br />
luminous material that evokes vintage aged tritium and<br />
comes on a highly appealing and very cool olive green military<br />
styled strap, ensuring that in their historic circumnavigation<br />
Jones and Brooks will not only be two of the most heroic<br />
pilots but also two of the most stylish in the air.<br />
BACK TO THE FUTURE 139
RACE CARS AND<br />
WRISTWATCHES:<br />
A CONVERSATION WITH<br />
SCUDERIA CORSA’S<br />
COOPER MACNEIL<br />
WORDS JAMES LAMDIN<br />
Last month, I sat down and chatted about cars, racing,<br />
and wristwatches with 26-year-old Cooper MacNeil, Ferrari<br />
Pilot and rising star in the international racing community at<br />
Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.<br />
Cooper was born into a racing family, but his story is<br />
unique, and his love for the sport — and for timepieces — is<br />
quite palpable.<br />
It has often been said that the love of cars and watches<br />
go hand-in-hand. As an enthusiast of both, it’s easy<br />
to understand why. Both are mechanical devices that<br />
require human interaction – and through that interaction<br />
we are rewarded with performance and the pursuant<br />
emotional high.<br />
But few sectors of the automotive/horological spectrum<br />
overlap as well as they do in racing, in which the performance<br />
of the car – and of a timekeeping instrument – are not only<br />
practical, but imperative.<br />
James Lamdin: Can you tell me a little bit about how you got<br />
started in motorsports?<br />
Cooper MacNeil: So my dad raced for 20 years. Growing up,<br />
when I was three, four or five years old, I’d go to a lot of his<br />
SCCA races and as a little baby I’d have the headphones on<br />
and just kind of kind of got into it just by being around it. Also<br />
our family business was automotive related, so I was always<br />
around cars, whether it was going to the racetrack with my dad<br />
watching him race, or being at home, we always had car stuff<br />
going on. So I was always around cars.<br />
And one day when I was 15, my dad said, “Why don’t you<br />
have a shot at driving a car?” And I said, “Sure, why not? Race<br />
cars are cool.”<br />
At the time, Randy Pobst and my dad were really good<br />
friends, really close. They finished second together at the<br />
Sebring 12 Hours in 1999. And Randy was my coach. He’s the<br />
second best sports car driver in this country right now, so he’s<br />
one hell of a coach to have!<br />
The biggest thing that helped me was sitting right seat with<br />
140 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Cooper MacNeil<br />
and his team<br />
members (above).<br />
him. So I would sit right seat with him and he would drive and<br />
then it really opened my eyes to what a car could actually do,<br />
and what it couldn’t do.<br />
Then I started doing regional races with Midwestern<br />
Council, which is a very, very low level, basic, great racing<br />
series in Illinois. And from there I started doing some regional<br />
SCCA races, which turned into national SCCA races, which<br />
then turned into placing second at the runoffs in 2010 and<br />
winning the points championship also in 2010. And then again<br />
in 2011. I partnered with Alex Job racing, which is the team my<br />
dad raced with in 1999. So it’s already a long relationship with<br />
him and Alex, and I raced almost a full season of IMSA GT3<br />
Cup and Ferrari Challenge simultaneously in 2011, and then<br />
jumped into an ALMS (American Le Mans Series) GTC car in<br />
Pro Racing in 2012, won the championship. 2013 also won the<br />
championship, the rest is history.<br />
Talk to me about the beginning of your career with Ferrari.<br />
I did the [Ferrari] Challenge Car in 2011. But then I raced a<br />
Porsche because of the relationship with my dad and Alex,<br />
who was always Porsche guy; it was his bread and he’s the<br />
owner of one of the most successful private Porsche racing<br />
teams ever.<br />
I’ve always liked Ferrari. I’ve always liked the balance<br />
of the car. Obviously, there’s the aura around the brand as<br />
well, and especially in motorsports. I mean, the company<br />
was founded on motorsports, not road cars. (Enzo Ferrari)<br />
wanted to race, but he needed a way to afford it, so he started<br />
selling street-legal cars to pay for the factory racing team. So<br />
for me, Ferrari has always been one of the brands that I’d like<br />
to drive.<br />
Tell me about getting started with Scuderia Corsa.<br />
So I wanted to get back into the [Ferrari World] Challenge<br />
Series. I met the [Scuderia Corsa] guys through IMSA.<br />
And they were winning championships. And so we got<br />
partnered with Giacomo [Mattioli] and we won the Challenge<br />
championship last year. Every racecar driver, whether they<br />
admit it or not, would like to race a Ferrari. It’s a Ferrari.<br />
I always wanted to get in one and now I have been in one<br />
for multiple years, and been very successful in it, finishing<br />
on podium twice at Le Mans. It suits my driving style, much<br />
better than Mercedes or Porsche.<br />
So you’ve been at Le Mans, you’ve podiumed at Le Mans,<br />
what’s your next career goal?<br />
To win [24 Hours of] Le Mans. (laughs)<br />
I’ve won the Sebring and finished second at Daytona. So<br />
the two I want to win are Le Mans and Daytona.<br />
I’ve come close so many times — I just need a little extra<br />
Lady Luck on our side. We’ll get it one of these years!<br />
I’ll throw a curveball at you. You’re wearing a pretty cool<br />
Audemars Piguet. Do you have an interest in wristwatches?<br />
Oh yeah, of course, obviously!<br />
How did that happen? Was that hand in hand with cars?<br />
No, that’s actually a very interesting question. I never wore a<br />
watch and I didn’t like (wearing one) for a long time. My dad<br />
142 BACKTOTHEFUTURE
ought me a couple of watches back when I was growing up<br />
but they were always cheaper watches, you know, very basic.<br />
I told him they didn’t really do anything for me, I didn’t<br />
like them. Not that I wanted something fancy to show off. But<br />
then he bought me my first Rolex.<br />
Was that to commemorate a particular moment? Or was it<br />
more of “It’s time to get a real watch, kid.”<br />
Yeah, basically. And then once I put that on, it was like<br />
“alright, I could dig this” and ever since I’ve worn a watch<br />
every single second of my life, minus the time I’m sleeping or<br />
in the shower.<br />
Do you wear a watch while you’re in the race car?<br />
Oh yes.<br />
So you wear this AP Royal Oak Chronograph in rose gold in<br />
the race car?<br />
Every single lap! Sometimes it’s the Royal Oak, sometimes it’s<br />
another watch. You know, to be honest with you, sometimes<br />
while I’m racing I’ll look at it to see how long I’ve been in the<br />
car. How much time I have left in my stint on the straightaway.<br />
So now I just always, always wear one.<br />
Are there any other watches that you’d like to own?<br />
My dad bought me a Patek Philippe for graduating college<br />
a couple of years ago. I’d like to get another one of those for<br />
obvious reasons. I don’t have a Richard Mille. I’d like one at<br />
some point in time. But the cheapest one I could find is 100<br />
grand and then my dad laughs at me.<br />
Just to close up here, do you have any advice for aspiring<br />
race car drivers who would love to get out of their desk job<br />
and get onto the track?<br />
You know, I get that question all I get asked that question all<br />
the time. Because people always want to get into it. Racing is<br />
cool, race car drivers are cool. You know, everybody wants to<br />
drive a race car, right?<br />
But there’s only two ways to get into it: One, you’re the<br />
next Ayrton Senna, so you drive extremely fast, faster than<br />
anybody else. And you don’t hit anything.<br />
Or two, you have money. That’s basically it. Getting into<br />
motorsports without money and without talent is impossible.<br />
Fantastic, thanks man. Best of luck out there and keep<br />
the shiny side up!<br />
(laughing) We’re gonna try!<br />
You know, to be<br />
honest with you,<br />
sometimes while<br />
I’m racing I’ll look<br />
at it to see how<br />
long I’ve been in<br />
the car.<br />
BACK TO THE FUTURE
VINTAGE<br />
It’satruthuniversallyacknowledged,thatwhilenotallintegratedbraceletwristwatcheswerecreatedbyGérald<br />
Genta, all integrated bracelet watches share a DNA lineage that certainly originated from Genta’s impactful designs.<br />
We look at why the ’70s offered the perfect conditions for the integrated bracelet watch to be born on page 156.
146 VINTAGE
THE<br />
BLACK STAR<br />
RISES<br />
Introducing the Sinn × The Rake and Revolution Bundeswehr Edition “Dark Star”.<br />
WORDS KEN KESSLER AND WEI KOH<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY MUNSTER ASSISTED BY SIJIA TOH DIGITAL ARTIST CIWIE GOH<br />
FASHION STYLIST JOE TAN ASSISTED BY NORMAN NUR HAKIM BIN ABDUL RASHID<br />
There’s a delicious irony in military<br />
watches that’s often lost because the<br />
genre implies usage during armed<br />
conflict. Despite the needs created by wars<br />
for the development of watches suitable<br />
to the task, peacetime has also yielded<br />
military timepieces that have deservingly<br />
developed cults. Their desirability is a<br />
direct result of the sheer functionality<br />
that formed the design. Blancpain’s Fifty<br />
Fathoms, IWC’s Mk 11, the Leonidas CP-2,<br />
Zenith’s “A. Cairelli” — all were conceived<br />
for branches of the military during periods<br />
which were (comparatively) free of wars,<br />
but they are hero watches nonetheless.<br />
Among the greatest with appeal to<br />
collectors, thanks to their youth relative to<br />
aged Second World War issue, are those of<br />
a genre one might dub “Cold War Classics”.<br />
This category commenced with the “Dirty<br />
Dozen”, born at the end of the Second<br />
World War, and as such encompassed<br />
the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as well as<br />
the quiet stretches between them. The<br />
timepieces are as diverse as Hamilton’s<br />
W10 and GG-W-113 field watches, certain<br />
Rolex and Tudor Submariners issued to<br />
various navies, Smiths’ W10 (arguably<br />
nicer than the Hamilton), myriad Gallet<br />
pilots’ watches and too many others to<br />
list. But of late, the enthusiasts’ buzz has<br />
been about the so-called “Bund” watch.<br />
Directly related to the aforementioned<br />
Leonidas, the “Bund” watch was<br />
commissioned for the German Air Force.<br />
(Note that the name has nothing to do with<br />
the infamous German-American <strong>Vol</strong>ksbund,<br />
a US pro-Nazi group during the 1930s<br />
and 1940s; it’s derived from the word for<br />
“association” or “league”.) Further info for<br />
linguists: it is also short for “Bundeswehr”,<br />
or “German Federal Republic Forces”.<br />
ON THE BUND<br />
A massive timepiece measuring 43mm,<br />
the Bund watch was initially supplied by<br />
Leonidas, then Heuer (which acquired<br />
Leonidas in the 1960s; Leonidas has since<br />
re-appeared independent of TAG Heuer). It<br />
was driven by a Valjoux manual-wind caliber<br />
222 with Incabloc shock protection, 36-hour<br />
power reserve, flyback facility and hacking<br />
feature. It would thus have been identified as<br />
a Heuer-Leonidas movement, and would be<br />
replaced by the similar caliber 230.<br />
Despite the common base movement,<br />
there were enough differences to require the<br />
various Bund watches to differ subtly in case<br />
shapes. Other varying elements included<br />
the winding mechanisms, the spacing of<br />
the pushers — asymmetry on either side of<br />
the crown is, for example, a likely indicator<br />
that the watch houses a coveted Valjoux 72<br />
movement — and many other minute details.<br />
All Bund models featured two pushers<br />
for the chronograph functions, with two<br />
subdials. The counter at nine o’clock showed<br />
real-time seconds while the dial at three<br />
o’clock was a 30-minute counter. Oversized<br />
Arabic numerals, straight hands and a<br />
“Concorde”-shaped tip for the chronograph<br />
sweep-seconds hand all combined to create<br />
a supremely legible watch. However, the<br />
signature design element was the bezel.<br />
It’s a truism to trace all modern pilots’<br />
chronographs to models like the Type 20<br />
produced by Dodane, Mathey-Tissot,<br />
Breguet and others, as well as the Luftwaffe<br />
chronographs from Hanhart and Tutima<br />
during the Second World War, not least<br />
because of white-on-black numeral/<br />
dial combinations. The Bund shared its<br />
identity with the CP-2 because of the<br />
distinctive, extremely wide, black bidirectional<br />
bezel with semi-matte finish,<br />
a large, white triangle at its zero point<br />
and Arabic numerals at 15, 30 and 45.<br />
It boasted a massive look that must<br />
have been almost comical in the 1960s,<br />
whereas 43mm is now “normal”. It<br />
consisted of a steel case with its back<br />
held in place by four screws, easy-to-use<br />
pushers even when wearing gloves, and an<br />
oversized crown for the same usefulness.<br />
Water-resistance was good to 30m.<br />
An example of the Sinn-dialed version<br />
features in Michele Galizia’s Military<br />
Wristwatches: Sky, Land, Sea. Galizia points<br />
out that the watch dated from around<br />
1970; between the lugs at six o’clock<br />
was the reference 1550 SG. Engraved on<br />
the caseback is the word “Bundeswehr”<br />
above its 13-digit NATO stock number,<br />
and the series number 88053. Inside, the<br />
caseback read Heuer-Leonidas SA.<br />
VINTAGE 147
A SINN-FUL PARTNERSHIP<br />
As all collectors will have anticipated, using<br />
a variety of nearly identical movements with<br />
minor discrepancies brings up the subject of<br />
the myriad variations that occur during the<br />
production span of any watch. Introduced<br />
between 1964/5, the original Bund watch<br />
would be found during its lifetime with<br />
numerous detail changes on the dials, while<br />
the Valjoux movements, though all sharing the<br />
same base caliber, were fitted according to the<br />
supplies available at any given time.<br />
If one were lucky enough to place side-byside<br />
the four or five main variants of the Bund<br />
watch — some sources say there are actually<br />
dozens — it would be immediately apparent<br />
that one requires, for the most part, a trained<br />
eye to detect the differences. Most obvious<br />
is the “3H” in red, in a circle, on models<br />
denoting the use of tritium as the luminous<br />
material. Another readily noted variant is the<br />
name on the dial: Leonidas for the earliest and<br />
rarest examples, Heuer for the majority and<br />
Sinn-badged for the later models.<br />
Helmut Sinn’s role was to service Bund<br />
watches for the Bundeswehr, and when he<br />
supplied them, the watches featured his<br />
name on the dial. It was during this period<br />
that luminous materials were changing from<br />
radioactive to something safer, hence the<br />
dials with “3H” to denote the conversion.<br />
This page, clockwis<br />
ADodaneType<br />
XX chronograph;<br />
Zenith’s take on<br />
the Type XX; the<br />
Heuer red ‘3H’ Bun<br />
watch; Sinn’s red<br />
‘3H’ Bund watch;<br />
the Leonidas CP-2<br />
chronograph, the<br />
original Bund watch.<br />
Opposite<br />
The Sinn × The Rak<br />
and Revolution<br />
Bundeswehr Edition<br />
“Dark Star’ on a<br />
fabric NATO strap.<br />
Like all military watches, the numbers on<br />
the casebacks help to establish provenance.<br />
Interestingly, given that the cuff strap is<br />
associated more with Bund watches than<br />
any others, the indefatigable author and<br />
collector Konrad Knirim wrote that the<br />
13-digit numbers ending in “-3774” were<br />
issued solely as the watch without accessories,<br />
while numbers ending in “-5081” came<br />
with a strap. Period literature shows not a<br />
cuff-type strap but a conventional-looking<br />
leather strap without the extra leather<br />
panel between watch caseback and wrist.<br />
That said, and a point worth noting, is<br />
that every Bund watch I saw “back in the day”<br />
was fitted with the cuff-type strap. This was<br />
148 VINTAGE
VINTAGE 149
This spread, clockwise<br />
The caseback of the “Dark<br />
Star” is engraved with<br />
the same details as the<br />
earlier Bund watches; the<br />
curved lugs and rigorous<br />
case construction can<br />
be seen on the profile;<br />
the dial bears a dark star<br />
where the old ‘3H’ logo<br />
sits; the watch fitted with<br />
the Bund strap, which is<br />
produced by the same<br />
company that created the<br />
original Bund strap for<br />
the historical timepiece.<br />
Leather watch case<br />
(opening spread), double<br />
monkstrap shoe and<br />
cufflinks, all by dunhill;<br />
vintage silk scarf by Gucci,<br />
property of Revolution.<br />
SINN X THE RAKE AND <strong>REVOLUTION</strong><br />
BUNDESWEHR EDITION “DARK STAR”<br />
MOVEMENT Self-winding Sellita caliber<br />
SW510; hours and minutes; small<br />
seconds; chronograph with stop seconds;<br />
48-hour power reserve<br />
CASE 43mm; bead-blasted stainless<br />
steel; water-resistant to 100m;<br />
limited to 150 pieces<br />
STRAP Black “Bund”-style calf leather<br />
with bead-blasted stainless-steel<br />
pin buckle; additional sand-colored<br />
NATO fabric strap with bead-blasted<br />
stainless-steel keepers (to be equipped<br />
with the 1.5mm spring bars); strapchanging<br />
tool provided; additional<br />
Revolution NATO fabric strap<br />
150 VINTAGE
not unique to the Bund, and German pilots’<br />
chronographs from Hanhart and Junghans<br />
were also equipped with these wide straps.<br />
It is also worth observing that, just as the<br />
over/under fabric strap is currently enjoying<br />
its own renaissance, the cuff strap had its<br />
moment in the sun in the hippie era of the late<br />
1960s, and could be found on the wrists of<br />
assorted rock musicians, as well as on Paul<br />
Newman’s own eponymous Cosmograph.<br />
What has categorically changed since the<br />
days when I used to see original Bund watches<br />
all over the place, back in the 1980s and 1990s<br />
during my watch-hunting forays into Milan<br />
and Munich, Frankfurt and Florence, is the<br />
value of secondhand models. I am still kicking<br />
myself for not buying a “red 3H” for £1,000.<br />
THE SINN × THE RAKE AND<br />
<strong>REVOLUTION</strong> BUNDESWEHR<br />
EDITION “DARK STAR”<br />
When we began the Revolution special<br />
editions project in 2018, one of our desires<br />
was to revive and bring back some of the<br />
most iconic watches of the past that today<br />
are largely unattainable by the general public<br />
because of the rarity of price. One of these<br />
watches was the Sinn Bundeswehr.<br />
In recent history, Sinn has only allowed<br />
two limited re-editions of the fabled 155<br />
Bundeswehr military chronograph. The<br />
first was in 2005, a two-counter, manualwind<br />
watch in the original configuration<br />
for the Japanese market, and in 2008, a<br />
two-counter automatic chronograph with a<br />
day-date display. Made in 200 and 272 pieces<br />
respectively, both watches are massive modern<br />
cult collectibles and command significant<br />
premiums over their retail prices today.<br />
This year, we’ve been bestowed the great<br />
honor to collaborate on the third re-issue<br />
of the iconic 155 Bundeswehr, which we<br />
feel offers the best of both worlds. We’ve<br />
gone back to the original two-counter<br />
configuration without date, and added a<br />
warm cream-colored patina to the indexes<br />
and hands to evoke the aged tritium found<br />
on the original watches, and even included a<br />
very subtle fade to the rotating bezel so that in<br />
strong direct light it gives off hues of purple.<br />
The case is matte just as the original,<br />
and comes in the same 43mm dimension<br />
as the vintage watches. We’ve also kept<br />
the original Bund strap that features a<br />
second layer of protection for pilots’ wrists<br />
and that has now become one of the most<br />
popular styles of straps. For added value,<br />
we’ve also commissioned a heavy-duty<br />
sand-colored NATO strap replete with<br />
hardcore brushed steel keepers and provided<br />
a strap-changing tool. We decided on an<br />
automatic movement for modern practicality.<br />
Featured at six o’clock on the dial<br />
is a very subtle black-on-black star in<br />
the exact place where the “3H” marking<br />
(designating the existence of tritium)<br />
appeared on the military watches. It is this<br />
small detail that gives the watch its sobriquet<br />
the Sinn × Revolution 155 Bundeswehr<br />
“Dark Star”. And most importantly, we’ve<br />
kept the price at €2,200, which we feel<br />
represents a strong value as it is actually<br />
more accessible than average secondary<br />
prices for the 2005 Japan re-edition.<br />
Thanks to the incredible Lothar Schmidt,<br />
the current owner and CEO of Sinn since<br />
1994, Revolution is able to embark on this<br />
extraordinary collaboration, coincidentally on<br />
the 25th anniversary of his stewardship. We<br />
are honored and moved beyond words by this<br />
opportunity to resurrect one of our favorite<br />
watch icons. With just 150 examples made, we<br />
feel that the 155 Bund “Dark Star” is on track<br />
to be a future collectible.<br />
VINTAGE 151
The three-hand with<br />
date display in rose<br />
gold exemplifies the<br />
clean, minimalist<br />
lines of the<br />
Patrimony collection<br />
with a self-winding<br />
caliber 2450 Q6<br />
under the hood.<br />
with curved lugs that sits the watch perfectly on the wrist. To<br />
give it a more contemporary look, Vacheron Constantin has<br />
offered this watch in a 40mm case, and it comes in at just<br />
6.8mm in thickness.<br />
The movement powering it is, of course, the caliber<br />
1400, one of the brand’s most vaunted manual-winding<br />
movements. The caliber is often used with Vacheron<br />
Constantin’s métiers d’art watches, with decorative<br />
techniques applied to the movement. While the Patrimony<br />
model doesn’t feature other artistic crafts, the movement<br />
still bears a Geneva-Seal standard of finishing, with Côtes<br />
de Genève on the bridges of the movement and hand<br />
perlage on the baseplate. The movement comprises just 98<br />
parts, with a large balance wheel driven by a single barrel<br />
providing up to 40 hours of power, keeping it a lithe 2.6mm<br />
thick. The caseback is in solid gold and the brand has<br />
offered up the option of a customized engraving service to<br />
personalize it further.<br />
For collectors and watch lovers who are more inclined to<br />
convenience in a watch, the Patrimony Self-winding bears<br />
the same dial details as its manual-winding relative, but<br />
adds a seconds hand and a small date window at six o’clock.<br />
The brand has thoughtfully treated both the dial and date<br />
ring with the same majestic blue galvanisation, so that there<br />
is no interruption to the design of the watch. It’s also strived<br />
to give the date display as minimal a footprint as possible.<br />
Powering the watch is the self-winding caliber 2450<br />
Q6, a Vacheron Constantin base movement that has been<br />
souped up numerous times with various complications such<br />
as world-time functions, annual calendars, tourbillons<br />
and perpetual calendars. The movement is equipped with<br />
a full-sized oscillating weight in 22K gold, stamped with<br />
the maison’s logo and decorated with barleycorn guilloché.<br />
The mainspring offers up to 40 hours of power and the<br />
entire movement is a slim 3.6mm thick, with the watch case<br />
coming in at a slim 8.55mm deep. The beautifully decorated<br />
movement is visible from the caseback.<br />
The caliber 2460 powers the Patrimony Retrograde<br />
Day-Date, with a double-retrograde module equipped on<br />
the base movement. The caliber 2460 R31R7/2 — the “R31”<br />
refers to the retrograde date and “R7” the day indication —<br />
is a rather special movement, with the module integrated<br />
into the gear train using a toothed arm, and one wheel for<br />
each function, coupled with a cam that controls the jump<br />
of the hands when the end of the week or month is reached.<br />
In order to allow the movement and complication to be
admired, the oscillating weight has been skeletonised, with<br />
the Maltese cross logo of the brand carved out and finished<br />
to a high polish.<br />
On the dial, two arced displays indicate the date and<br />
day of the week, indicated by two skeleton pointer hands. At<br />
the end of the week and month, the hands jump back to the<br />
start, and Vacheron Constantin has perfected this operation<br />
so the hands don’t bounce back and forth when the jump<br />
occurs. What’s more impressive, the entire movement is<br />
controlled via a single crown with three positions. Manual<br />
winding of the movement works when the crown is pushed<br />
in, and pulling it out to the first position adjusts both the<br />
date and day displays, by turning it clockwise for the date<br />
and counter-clockwise for the day. In the final position,<br />
the time can be adjusted. Despite the number of additional<br />
components in the movement, the 42.5mm sized watch<br />
remains under 10mm in thickness, demonstrating the<br />
maison’s skill at ultra-thin watch and movement design.<br />
The newest addition to the majestic blue series is the<br />
Patrimony Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin, which features<br />
one of the most impressive calendrical complications in<br />
mechanical watchmaking. The perpetual calendar maintains<br />
an accurate calendar indication up to the end of the century,<br />
on three counters on the dial, along with a moonphase<br />
indicator. The month and leap-year displays are shown on<br />
the same counter at 12 o’clock, and the brand has used a<br />
classic design with a 48-month display, so the hand on this<br />
counter completes one round in four years. The day and date<br />
indicators are at nine and three o’clock respectively, and a<br />
solid gold moon, engraved to resemble the Earth’s Moon,<br />
is shown on a midnight blue background that’s close to the<br />
color of the dial.<br />
The subdials for the calendar functions are decorated<br />
with circular graining and in a deeper blue tone, to contrast<br />
against the sunburst dial. The movement powering the watch<br />
is Vacheron Constantin’s famous caliber 1120 QP. The<br />
1120 is the brand’s highly-prized ultra-thin movement and<br />
offers a full-sized oscillating weight while remaining at just<br />
4.05mm thick, with a sub-9mm case thickness. The balance<br />
wheel runs at a leisurely 2.75Hz, thus allowing the movement<br />
to maintain a 40-hour power reserve. The calendar can<br />
be adjusted via correctors on the sides of the case at two<br />
o’clock (month and leap year), four o’clock (moonphase),<br />
eight o’clock (day of the week) and 10 o’clock (date, day and<br />
month), while the time is set via the crown.<br />
These timepieces in rose gold and a stunning majestic<br />
blue, bring a refined and contemporary style to the<br />
Patrimony, a range that tends toward the formal and<br />
austere in style. They surely reveal a new design philosophy<br />
by the maison.<br />
The Retrograde<br />
Day-Date model<br />
demonstrates<br />
Vacheron<br />
Constantin’s<br />
excellent mastery<br />
in dial design, with<br />
an excellent use<br />
of positive and<br />
negative space.
THE SPIRIT<br />
OF INTEGRATION<br />
The integrated bracelet watch has become an icon, one that emerged from the<br />
’70s as a response to a design-centric world. Or did it?<br />
WORDS ADRIAN HAILWOOD<br />
156 VINTAGE
The Da Vinci<br />
Beta 21 watch by<br />
IWC in several<br />
executions. With the<br />
establishment of the<br />
quartz watch, style<br />
became central<br />
to a timepiece.<br />
Opposite<br />
Atruestyleand<br />
fashion icon and<br />
connoisseur, Karl<br />
Lagerfeld was fond<br />
of the integrated<br />
bracelet watch<br />
that is the Royal<br />
Oak, and had a<br />
customised vintage<br />
Jumbo ‘A’ series<br />
model in an allblack<br />
treatment.<br />
Awatch on a bracelet, or a bracelet that tells the time,<br />
the integrated bracelet watch is a bold statement.<br />
Uncompromisingly inflexible, and designed as an<br />
indivisible whole, it is not a watch of half measures. While<br />
its design roots stem from the early 1970s, the integrated<br />
bracelet is making something of a comeback in new and<br />
challenging forms.<br />
Firstly, some definitions… Watches that cannot<br />
be removed from their bracelets have been around for<br />
decades, but they are not the subject for this discussion.<br />
Hammered gold Milanese bracelets soldered onto a watch<br />
case have always been a dressy alternative to a strap watch<br />
for both men and ladies, but the design of the bracelet<br />
does not integrate into the case; likewise, some integrated<br />
bracelets can be removed with varying ease. It is the design<br />
of the watch that is integrated as much as the bracelet<br />
attachment method.<br />
While it is tempting to be male-centric, ladies’ watches<br />
have had integrated bracelets since well before the 1970s,<br />
indeed, the watch presented to Elizabeth I in 1571 was<br />
described as a richly jeweled bracelet ‘in the closing thearof<br />
a clocke, and in the forepart of the same a faire lozengie<br />
djamond without a foyle, hanging thearat a rounde juell<br />
fully garnished with dyamondes and a perle pendaunt.’, and<br />
while no images of the design have survived, it seems that<br />
this was as much a bracelet as a watch. Since then, watches<br />
have been incorporated into bracelet design in more or less<br />
overt fashion. From dials surrounded by elaborate swirls of<br />
diamonds that continue around the wrist, to dials cunningly<br />
hidden within a bracelet, the ladies’ bracelet watch has<br />
been as much a jewel as a timepiece, whether made by Patek<br />
Philippe, Rolex or Cartier.<br />
Men’s watches developed along a different track to<br />
those of ladies. They took longer to be worn on the wrist<br />
rather than in the pocket and, once there, even the most<br />
richly adorned were functional objects more than pieces of<br />
jewellery. This may be the reason why integrated bracelets<br />
took so long to transfer to men’s designs. It seems that<br />
the watch head was the principal product, with the wrist<br />
attachment offered as a secondary, often expensive,<br />
accessory. A leather strap was simple, practical and cheap<br />
to replace, a gold band denoted prestige and wealth, while a<br />
steel bracelet was robust for hard wear or wet conditions. A<br />
study of watch catalogs from the 1930s onwards shows the<br />
relative rarity of bracelets for men’s watches compared to<br />
those offered on straps.<br />
VINTAGE 157
Examples of Rolex<br />
Oyster cases in the<br />
1950s (shown here<br />
is the Submariner<br />
from 1953) with<br />
curved end lugs give<br />
the watch a look<br />
akin to that of an<br />
integrated timpiece.<br />
The 5100 ‘Texan’<br />
from Rolex,<br />
featuring the Beta<br />
21 movement, was<br />
a hulking model<br />
thatappearedlike<br />
it was crafted from<br />
one single block of<br />
metal, with a fitted<br />
Rolex bracelet.<br />
The Omega<br />
Constellation<br />
reference 168.045,<br />
released in 1969,<br />
with a complex<br />
bracelet, is the<br />
first instance of<br />
such a watch.<br />
THE FUNCTION OF INTEGRATION<br />
In parallel, a thriving market developed around the<br />
manufacture and sale of watch bracelets from the likes of<br />
Gay Frères, Zuccolo Rochet or, later, Stellux and Speidel,<br />
allowing wearers to adopt whatever style they wanted for<br />
their watch when their strap or bracelet wore out. Anyone<br />
who has handled early watch bracelets from the ’40s and<br />
’50s can vouch for the fact that all but the most expensive<br />
feel flimsy and, if worn often, must have needed replacement<br />
on a regular basis. As the decades passed, more bracelets<br />
appeared fitted to watches in catalog images. For Rolex this<br />
is due to the success and expansion of the Oyster collection<br />
as their core line, a water-resistant watch that needed<br />
a metal bracelet to fulfil its main function. In the 1950s,<br />
curved end links began to appear, giving watch bracelets a<br />
more ‘integrated’ look. The primary reason for this was to<br />
reduce lateral pressure on the spring-bar by holding it in<br />
place, but it closed a gap between case and bracelet that was<br />
a point of weakness for a sports watch and considered by<br />
some to be unsightly. While the bracelet may have appeared<br />
more connected to the watch case, they were still two<br />
separate elements offering the flexibility of removing the<br />
bracelet for a different option.<br />
There must have been something in the shift from 1960s<br />
to the ’70s, but, as if from nowhere, the integrated bracelet<br />
men’s watch was suddenly in evidence. Like many cultural<br />
phenomena, it is difficult to say where exactly it started, but<br />
we can identify the pioneers and the social environment that<br />
may have influenced them. One of the first to appear was the<br />
Omega Constellation reference 168.045 from 1969. A slim,<br />
sleek minimalist watch, its complex bracelet-case junction<br />
makes it clear that this is a bracelet-only watch and there<br />
would be no fitting a strap, or any after-market bracelet<br />
onto it. It has been speculated that the master of integrated<br />
bracelet design, Gérald Genta may have had a hand in this<br />
watch as something of a pre-cursor to his more famous<br />
creations, but research by Omega collector and historian<br />
Desmond Guilfoyle has shown that Genta was not at Omega<br />
at this time, although he did design the ref. 14900 and the<br />
168.009 and the 1980s Seamaster Polaris in titanium.<br />
The Beta 21 project, while pipped to the post of being<br />
the first production quartz watch, made up for it with radical<br />
styling. A new decade and a new movement demanded a new<br />
approach, and amongst the 21 companies that contributed<br />
to the project, Rolex and IWC delivered a new case-andbracelet<br />
design that was truly integrated. The Rolex 5100<br />
158 VINTAGE
Marlon Brando<br />
(right) and other<br />
male celebrity peers<br />
during the ’60s and<br />
’70s paved the way<br />
for men’s jewellery.<br />
Below<br />
A series of watches<br />
designed by Andre<br />
Grima for Omega,<br />
with an Omega<br />
movement inside.<br />
The watch cases<br />
merged bracelet<br />
design with case<br />
construction in a<br />
seamless whole.<br />
‘Texan’ was produced in 18K gold only, and both case and<br />
bracelet were of hulking proportions. Yes, the bracelet was<br />
attached with a traditional spring-bar, but there was no<br />
slipping the bracelet off to install a strap; the case design<br />
limited this to the factory-made bracelet only. Over at IWC,<br />
they hedged their bets, producing the ‘Da Vinci’, which<br />
had a similar chunky aesthetic to the Rolex, but also the<br />
‘<strong>International</strong>’ with traditional lugs for the non-believers.<br />
This chunky brick bracelet became a regular sight in the<br />
early 1970s, being used for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-<br />
Quartz and Favre-Leuba Quartz Raider, amongst others.<br />
JEWELRY AND MENSWEAR<br />
So, what was the context from which such designs sprang?<br />
The 1960s had seen a flourishing of men’s jewellery, with<br />
trends firmly rooted in the bohemian styles of the antiestablishment<br />
youth. Necklaces and bracelets were beads,<br />
braids and thongs. The early 1970s saw the establishment<br />
appropriate this style with bracelets and necklaces<br />
reworked in precious metals. Wristwear was big, bold, sleek<br />
and geometric. In July 1972 James Caan and Burt Reynolds<br />
posed for Playboy, sporting flamboyant examples of the<br />
latest jewellery trends, including chunky bracelets and<br />
bangles. Even the venerable jewelry house Cartier produced<br />
its first unisex bracelet. Designed by Aldo Cipullo, the<br />
Love Bangle, a heavy gold band with screw-head motif,<br />
was advertised being worn by men and women alike. In this<br />
environment it became far more acceptable for a man to<br />
wear a watch that was also a bold bracelet, or a bracelet that<br />
told the time.<br />
The late 1960s and early ’70s was a time where designers<br />
came out of the shadows to be celebrated by the brands<br />
that they worked for. Back over at Omega, 1969 saw the<br />
beginning of a collaboration with Anglo-Italian jewelry<br />
designer Andrew Grima: these ‘wearable works of art’ were<br />
all built around an Omega watch movement, but the 55<br />
timepieces that make up the final collection were as far from<br />
conventional as they could possibly be. Each one was created<br />
as an inseparable unit with rarely a distinction between case<br />
and bracelet. It may be no coincidence, then, that Omega<br />
was an early adopter in the creation of integrated men’s<br />
watch bracelets.<br />
Broader influences from fashion, design and even<br />
architecture were mirrored in the evolving wristwear. Men’s<br />
fashion built on the floral and paisley romanticism of the<br />
late ’60s with more structured lines, stripes and geometric<br />
prints with plaids, checks and tartan all proving popular.<br />
Collars, lapels, ties and trouser hems were wide with bold<br />
VINTAGE 159
tie-clips and cufflinks to add sparkle. In architecture and<br />
design, brutalist concrete exteriors housed maximalist<br />
interiors with an emphasis on sleek, unbroken, linear forms<br />
in bold colors.<br />
Against this backdrop, the appearance of a watch<br />
such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, does not seem so<br />
groundbreaking. There had already been integrated steel<br />
mechanical bracelet watches (the Omega Constellation);<br />
there had already been expensive integrated bracelet<br />
watches (the Rolex 5100). What there had not been was<br />
a steel mechanical integrated bracelet watch with a slim<br />
automatic haute-horlogerie movement from a named<br />
designer that cost a small fortune. It was this combination<br />
of great design — the case flowing into the bracelet, right<br />
on-trend for 1972 — executed in mundane steel and at an<br />
eye-watering price, that shocked the world. You can almost<br />
hear the exclamations of ‘How much?!’ echoing down the<br />
decades. The steel construction coupled with the price<br />
made it exclusive. You could justify an expensive watch if<br />
it came as a solid lump of bullion, but for steel, and in such<br />
a slim case, only the truly wealthy could rationalize such<br />
a purchase. This was a sentiment delivered through their<br />
advertising slogan: “It takes more than money to wear the<br />
Royal Oak”. Although slow to catch on, the Royal Oak had<br />
four years as the sole member of its sector — in 1976, Patek<br />
Philippe launched its first sports watch, the Nautilus 3700,<br />
also from the mind and pen of Gérald Genta. Genta’s other<br />
launch of 1976, the IWC Ingenieur,<br />
while fulfilling most of the criteria for<br />
this elite club, did not have quite the<br />
brand prestige, or wallet-emptying<br />
price tag, of the other two in this new<br />
‘sports-luxe’ category. The ‘Holy<br />
Trinity’ was completed in 1977 when<br />
Vacheron Constantin revealed their<br />
reference 222, designed by Jörg Hysek<br />
and sharing the same JLC calibre 920<br />
base movement as the other two.<br />
Back in the real world, integrated<br />
bracelets had firmly embedded<br />
themselves in the mainstream. In<br />
1975, Rolex launched reference<br />
1530 in an integrated bracelet form,<br />
discontinuing the reference two years<br />
later to reuse the case for the ref.<br />
17000 Oysterquartz. Omega used<br />
integrated cases widely across their<br />
Genève, Seamaster and Constellation<br />
families for both quartz and automatic<br />
models. Bracelet construction had<br />
improved to the point that frequent<br />
replacement was unnecessary and,<br />
Gérald Genta,<br />
designer of some<br />
of the most<br />
iconic integrated<br />
bracelet watches<br />
in the industry.<br />
The 1972 release<br />
of the Royal Oak<br />
made design the<br />
driving force of a<br />
timepiece, and also<br />
shocked the world<br />
with its sticker price.<br />
160 VINTAGE
Entertainment icons<br />
like Queen further<br />
transformed the<br />
image of men’s style<br />
from a traditionally<br />
masculine idea<br />
into a neweraged<br />
attitude.<br />
with most watches having some level of water resistance,<br />
integrated bracelets doubled up as sports and business<br />
watches. As the quartz era progressed and movements got<br />
thinner, designers had more latitude to create a seamless<br />
transition from case to bracelet. Peak integration was<br />
reached in 1979 with Piaget’s Polo. Its use of the ultra-thin<br />
7P quartz movement kept the case height down, and fitting<br />
the case to a heavy gold bracelet meant that the two could be<br />
of equal depth. The design of the bracelet with brushed links<br />
interspersed with polished godrons continued across the<br />
case and even the watch dial without a break. Only produced<br />
in precious metal, this was maximalism masquerading as<br />
minimalism, and an association with the sport of kings made<br />
it a hit with the rich and famous, accounting for a third of the<br />
brand’s watch sales in the early ’80s.<br />
INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENTIATION<br />
So, where does the integrated bracelet watch sit now?<br />
Has the style become just another design trope, or does<br />
it have a special place in the market? I would suggest that<br />
at the lower end of the market, the integrated bracelet has<br />
little relevance. The restrictions imposed on the wearer<br />
by the lack of flexibility have little pay-off in either design<br />
or prestige, but if you want a different look, you can just<br />
buy a different watch. The fields of prestige or luxury<br />
watches are more interesting and nuanced. There may<br />
be references to vintage models reimagined with modern<br />
watchmaking technology, or the chance to offer something<br />
completely new.<br />
The undeniable kings of the sport-luxe field are the<br />
pioneers Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, whose<br />
original creations have never really gone away. The allure<br />
of the brand names and historical importance of the Royal<br />
Oak and Nautilus have, if anything, increased their demand<br />
over time to the point where they are hard to find at retail,<br />
and resell for a healthy profit in the pre-owned market.<br />
No longer limited to steel, precious-metal and high-techceramic<br />
versions abound, but the originals remain the most<br />
sought after. Vacheron Constantin, as in the 1970s has had<br />
to play catch-up. The original reference 222 was replaced by<br />
the Overseas in 1996, and so, it lacks something of the retro<br />
cachet of the other two. It is a worthy alternative for those<br />
VINTAGE 161
162 VINTAGE<br />
Clockwise from left<br />
The Vacheron Constantin reference 222,<br />
designed by Jorg Hysek; François-Paul<br />
Journe’s Linesport, first introduced in<br />
2011; the Glashütte Original Seventies with<br />
its integrated lugs recalls the impressive<br />
style of the Da Vinci designed by Genta;<br />
rapper Lil Yachty represents a new era of<br />
men’s style, free to adopt jewelry, watches<br />
and other accessories on the wrist.
The Bvlgari Octo<br />
Finissimo is a<br />
wonderful example<br />
of case and<br />
bracelet design<br />
as a seemingly<br />
integrated whole,<br />
and fitted with<br />
impressive<br />
horological<br />
internals.<br />
who want a sports watch from the ‘Big Three’ and has made<br />
great strides in overcoming the inflexibility imposed by an<br />
integrated bracelet, developing a system that allows the<br />
interchange of straps without the need for tools.<br />
Sometimes the resurrection of a vintage model<br />
provides an opportunity for updates. Glashütte Original’s<br />
Seventies model draws on a watch that, being from behind<br />
the Iron Curtain, was far from ‘luxe’; while it had a ’70s<br />
TV-style case, the original bracelet was not integrated.<br />
The new version benefits from a high-end movement<br />
and the case-and-bracelet combination it might have<br />
had if the wall had never gone up in Germany. Girard-<br />
Perregaux’s Laureato was originally a slim quartz, but the<br />
latest version gains an in-house automatic movement and<br />
the bracelet is dramatically improved in terms of finish,<br />
heft and complexity.<br />
With watch brands seeking any opportunity to push<br />
up into the sports-luxe integrated-bracelet sector, you<br />
would be forgiven for thinking that the external design is all<br />
that matters. Is it all about claiming a slice of 1970s cool —<br />
and, hopefully, AP’s and PP’s success — regardless of the<br />
watchmaking on offer? Thankfully, we have examples of<br />
quite the opposite.<br />
In 2011, François-Paul Journe launched his Linesport<br />
collection, a sporty alternative to his usual classicism. While<br />
the case and bracelet may be playful, the inner working<br />
are deadly serious, offering chronographs either with split<br />
timing functions or precision to 1/100th of a second. Over<br />
at Laurent Ferrier, his entry into the world of luxury sports<br />
watches offers the same chronometer-grade tourbillon as<br />
the more sober examples of his art. The 44mm steel case<br />
is both bold and curvaceous, and although it integrates<br />
with a rubber strap rather than a steel bracelet, the cost<br />
of machining a dedicated bracelet for such a low-output<br />
manufacturer makes this forgivable.<br />
The premier example of case-bracelet design being<br />
coupled with the highest horology has to be Bvlgari and<br />
their Octo Finissimo collection. In the five short years<br />
since the collection’s launch, Bvlgari have used the Octo<br />
Finissimo as the launch pad for their ongoing ‘thinness’<br />
contest with Piaget. Every year, records are broken as<br />
more and more complex complications are compressed<br />
into its wafer-thin case. In truth, the watch appears as<br />
both a strap and a braceleted watch, but as, to me, the<br />
watch only comes alive on its bracelet, I will give it a pass.<br />
The 110 case facets are mirrored in the repeating angles of<br />
the bracelet links in one harmonious articulation. It is easy<br />
to dismiss jewelry brands as ‘not proper watchmakers’, so<br />
perhaps it is fitting that a jeweler reminds us what Gérald<br />
Genta demonstrated nearly 50 years ago: that a perfectly<br />
designed case and bracelet can elevate a sports watch to a<br />
piece of wearable art.<br />
VINTAGE 163
ROLEX TWO-TONE<br />
HITS THE HIGH NOTES<br />
Onceasleeperinthevintagemarket,smartbuyersarenowdevelopinga<br />
taste for steel-and-gold Rolesor Rolexes of all ages, says Ross Povey<br />
164 VINTAGE
Sometimes you could be forgiven for thinking that<br />
the only Rolexes people care about are steel sports<br />
watches: the ceramic Daytona, BLNR “Batman”<br />
or BLRO “Pepsi” GMT Masters, “Hulk” Submariners,<br />
“Orange Hand” Explorer 2s. Even the Datejust 41 in steel<br />
is becoming a premium watch and creeping up on the grey<br />
market. With vintage prices rising higher than even the<br />
biggest market champions could have expected, where do<br />
watch buyers go next?<br />
White-gold Daytonas can be cheaper than steel watches<br />
of the same era and yellow gold has its own market that is<br />
taking off in a big way. Have you tried to locate a green-dial,<br />
yellow-gold 116508 recently? But is there a watch that is<br />
still under the radar in both the modern and vintage arenas?<br />
There just may be: step forward the two-tone.<br />
Steel-and-gold, two-tone, bi-color - there are<br />
numerous ways to describe the combination of both steel<br />
and gold in the execution of a watch. With some of Rolex’s<br />
most high-profile launches in the last two years being<br />
Rolesor pieces and with Tudor also presenting their own<br />
regional version of the dish with Steel-and-Gold (S&G)<br />
Black Bays, it is time to look at the bi-color watch with a<br />
fresh pair of eyes.<br />
I recently had lunch with a prominent Mayfair watch<br />
dealer who loves steel-and-gold Daytonas. “The beauty<br />
of steel-and-gold is that it matches both white gold and<br />
platinum jewelry as well as yellow gold,” explains Burlington<br />
Arcade specialist David Duggan. “These pieces were always<br />
a great option for lady customers, but now men are also<br />
wearing a lot more jewelry and so it is a consideration for<br />
them, too.”<br />
We live in eclectic times, where mixing and matching<br />
is de rigueur. The tense focus on matching your wedding<br />
ring to your watch metal and belt buckle color is utterly<br />
unimportant. Rolesor is, therefore, arguably the perfect<br />
companion for the modern man (and woman).<br />
Rolex patented the term<br />
Rolesor in 1933, but they<br />
were producing white<br />
and yellow gold watches<br />
as early as 1928.<br />
Rolex patented the term Rolesor in 1933, but they were<br />
producing white and yellow gold watches as early as 1928.<br />
The rectangular Rolex Prince watches were available in<br />
“Tiger Stripe” yellow-and-white-gold cases and the Prince<br />
Brancard watches were produced in stainless-steel and<br />
yellow-gold cases. In 1931, Rolex’s first Oyster-cased<br />
automatic watch — the Bubbleback — was unveiled.<br />
Immediately the watches were available in all steel, all gold<br />
and steel-and-gold, with notable use of rose gold.<br />
The Rolesor formula was, and still is, a steel midcase<br />
with gold bezel and winding crown. In the case of<br />
chronographs, the pushers are also in gold. The concept<br />
was, from a financial point, half-way between utilitarian<br />
steel watches and the luxurious 18kt gold pieces. Semibling<br />
or toned-down luxe: whichever way you want to look<br />
at it, two-tone worked!<br />
ne Root<br />
ipple<br />
ar nonversion<br />
ips’<br />
tion<br />
385.<br />
twoith<br />
edial.<br />
IMAGE COURTESY OF ANTIQUORUM<br />
VINTAGE 165
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER<br />
Reference 3133 was introduced in 1931 as a beautiful<br />
steel-and-gold watch that’s a product of Rolex’s knack for<br />
producing timeless and elegantly beautiful watches, which<br />
are as relevant today as they were almost 100 years ago —<br />
albeit back then in a diminutive 31mm case size. That’s the<br />
incredible nature of vintage Rolex: it never gets old. Rolesor<br />
stayed in production through the 1930s and 1940s in the<br />
Oyster watches and chronographs.<br />
In the early 1950s, Rolex began experimenting with its<br />
earliest designs for sports watches. Both the Turn-O-Graph<br />
and the early dress Explorers (before the classic black 3-6-9<br />
dial) were available in Rolesor livery. The Explorer finally<br />
settled down as a steel watch whereas the Turn-O-Graph<br />
continued to be available in Rolesor for all of its life.<br />
dial and brown/cream bezel insert. Also known as the Clint<br />
Eastwood, owing to the actor’s penchant for the model, the<br />
watch has always been a cult watch amongst collectors, even<br />
when bi-color was seriously out of favor. The 2018 iteration<br />
is a Rolesor that amalgamates Oystersteel with Everose<br />
gold. It was one of the hottest Rolex releases of 2018 and<br />
continues to be very much in demand.<br />
Then 2019 brought a move that nobody saw coming:<br />
the ultimate tool watch and no-nonsense bruiser of the<br />
family, the mighty Sea-Dweller, was offered for the first<br />
time in Oystersteel and yellow gold. Since its birth in the<br />
late 1960s, the Sea-Dweller has been the real business end<br />
of the dive watch family. It has resisted the move towards<br />
precious metal cases or gem-set hour markers (unlike the<br />
Submariner and GMT-Master), but in 2019 the Rolesor<br />
Rolex has expanded<br />
on its Rolesor<br />
offerings in recent<br />
years, ranging from<br />
the two-tone Sea-<br />
Dweller (left) this<br />
year to the steel and<br />
gold Datejust (right)<br />
released last year.<br />
Opposite<br />
Ararevintageref.<br />
16<strong>52</strong>3 two-tone<br />
Daytona sold by<br />
Christie’s in 2012.<br />
Vintage twotone<br />
Rolexes are<br />
seeing a growth in<br />
interest, thanks<br />
to new releases.<br />
As far as the “rock star” Rolex sports watch references<br />
were concerned, the world had to wait until 1971 for a<br />
Rolesor GMT-Master (Reference 1675/3) and until 1983<br />
for a Submariner when Reference 16803 was released. In<br />
1977, Rolex launched the Rolesor Datejust and gave the<br />
two-tone model its own reference number, 16013. With this<br />
the system was set. Rolesor model references always ended<br />
with a number 3, while steel is 0, yellow gold 8, white gold 9,<br />
Everose gold 5 and platinum 6.<br />
MODERN MOVEMENT<br />
Rolex has had a big push on Rolesor pieces over the past<br />
two years. In 2018, we were treated to a re-issue of perhaps<br />
the most iconic of Rolex’s Rolesor rollouts in the new “Root<br />
Beer” GMT Master. First available in 1971, the Root Beer<br />
was simultaneously launched with the black dial/black<br />
bezel 16753. The Root Beer was different due to its brown<br />
Sea-Dweller reference 126603 brought half the bling to the<br />
deepest diver.<br />
VINTAGE VIBES<br />
Vintage dealers have always been very reserved about<br />
offering two-tone pieces, as the market has always been<br />
quite soft. The only exception to this (notwithstanding the<br />
Root Beer) has been the Datejust. However, the market for<br />
bi-color vintage pieces is starting to rally now, as collectors<br />
and first-time buyers look for ways to collect pieces that are<br />
still relatively accessible.<br />
There was never an officially produced Rolesor manualwind<br />
Daytona and it wasn’t until 1988 with the release of<br />
Rolex’s first automatic Daytona that two-tone Daytonas<br />
were up for grabs, in the form of reference 16<strong>52</strong>3. These<br />
watches house a number of bezel and dial variations that<br />
make collecting the Zenith-era Daytonas so much fun<br />
166 VINTAGE
(the Rolex Daytonas from 1988 to 2000 were powered by<br />
modified Zenith El-Primero movements). With a Rolex<br />
Daytona 16<strong>52</strong>0 so-called “Floating Cosmograph” in steel<br />
now selling for £80-100,000, a 16<strong>52</strong>3 steel-and-gold<br />
model with the same dial type and bezel version can still be<br />
found for £25-30,000. With the Daytona occupying and<br />
driving its own market microcosm, will two-tone begin to<br />
climb steeply over the coming years? Time will tell.<br />
TWO-TONE TRIUMPHS<br />
Bi-color is making its mark and is being acquired by<br />
younger, savvy buyers who like the look and versatility of<br />
the watches. I have two acquaintances in their late 20s who<br />
have been very successful in business and can buy whatever<br />
watches they choose. With no input from me, both guys<br />
independently bought Rolesor Rolex Sky-Dwellers. Not<br />
because they are “good value” or easier to locate than steel<br />
It wasn’t until 1988 and<br />
the release of Rolex’s first<br />
automatic Daytona that<br />
two-tone Daytonas were<br />
up for grabs, in the form<br />
of the reference 16<strong>52</strong>3.<br />
models, but because they look cool and work with whatever<br />
they choose to wear. In simple terms, these guys see Rolesor<br />
as bad-ass watches. And David Beckham’s choice of the<br />
S&G Black Bay in the Tudor campaigns has undoubtedly<br />
had a big impact on the popularity of these models. Becks<br />
really does have the Midas touch.<br />
In closing, I’d like to share a story from the Phillips<br />
May auction in Geneva, when — along with my esteemed<br />
colleague Mr Sumit Nag — I witnessed the setting of an<br />
unexpected world record on the Sunday night sale. During<br />
one lot, someone sitting in front of us waged war against<br />
an online bidder to win a Rolex GMT-Master Reference<br />
16753. This Root Beer was the non-nipple-dial version<br />
and was offered without a bracelet or boxes and papers —<br />
what dealers term as “head-only.” On a good-condition<br />
bracelet this watch can be bought for around 9000 CHF.<br />
This auction ended with an inclusive price of 24,375 CHF.<br />
Rolesor is back with a vengeance.<br />
VINTAGE 167
THE FIRST SIN<br />
Lust is a dangerous and highly appealing iniquity, and one that keeps<br />
the watch industry running like clockwork, says Ken Kessler.<br />
Having more than once pointed<br />
out the irony — or, to be kind,<br />
paradox — of owning watches<br />
that will never be used for their primary<br />
purposes, our UK editor Richard Holt<br />
reminded me that the joke is growing<br />
stale. Even self-deprecation about<br />
the dilemma is old. Maybe, in this era<br />
of hate-filled reactions to the merest<br />
slight, when any unfashionable opinion<br />
is greeted by the cyber equivalent of a<br />
baying horde of villagers with scythes<br />
and axes, loosening up a bit about<br />
such “stuff” wouldn’t go amiss. In<br />
this spirit, it’s time for us — whether<br />
warm-hearted enthusiast or terrible<br />
snob — to be a tad more egalitarian and<br />
generous about matters horological.<br />
I don’t mean that we should<br />
suddenly disregard the vast chasm<br />
between, say, a Swatch and a Greubel<br />
Forsey, and I’m the last person to go<br />
along with the bellowing crowds of<br />
socialists who want to see the end of<br />
the ownership of luxury goods. Worse,<br />
I would hate to see the removal from<br />
society of goals at any level, of the<br />
desire to improve one’s lot, to live<br />
in a nicer home, eat better food. A<br />
communist I am not.<br />
Rather, I speak of something<br />
less earth-shattering, yet relevant<br />
to Revolution readers: that which<br />
drives us to covet — again, in the<br />
context of a luxury watch magazine,<br />
not The Guardian — a specific genre<br />
of timepiece. I marvel at the torment<br />
many of you go through when deciding<br />
which watch to buy, then wear, while<br />
“normal” people simply purchase what<br />
they like, wear them happily for years<br />
and only give their watches a second<br />
thought when they need a service.<br />
Unless you’re, oh, I dunno, 14<br />
and really do give a toss about what<br />
others think, e.g. which trainers you<br />
own, most of us ought to be (or ideally<br />
are) comfortable in our own skins. By<br />
a certain age, you must to accept who<br />
you are, or you will be forever tortured.<br />
Demand for Nautiluses and Aquanauts will continue to exceed supply.<br />
Holding up myself to illustrate this point, I knew long before<br />
puberty that I would never be a 6ft tall blond surfer-type<br />
fending of gorgeous beach babes, never have a hit record,<br />
never win a Grand Prix. Instead I found my strengths and<br />
focussed on other pursuits, among them a passion for<br />
watches, and thus cannot complain about my life as I near<br />
my dotage.<br />
That said, wishful thinking never left me, while realism<br />
always kept me in check, so I knew I would never own, say, a<br />
Patek Philippe Ref 1463 chronograph. But that didn’t stop<br />
me fantasizing, nor exercising preferences with no bearing<br />
on my quotidian requirements. Like everyone alive today, I<br />
don’t need a watch, and handily could deal with matters of<br />
time merely by checking my mobile phone. Watches, then,<br />
became a hobby, personal statement or — more importantly<br />
— an embodiment of my own concerns about time and how<br />
we should mark its inexorable passing.<br />
Confession, then: for 40 years, I have lived the lie of<br />
owning Submariners and other diving watches which are<br />
never to feel the spray of the sea. I will never control nor<br />
navigate a plane despite ownership<br />
of more pilots’ watches than most<br />
genuine aviators. I’ve never been in<br />
the army, navy nor air force, but own<br />
numerous military watches. In weak<br />
defence, at least I can say that my<br />
assorted GMTs do get to show more<br />
than one time zone on a regular basis.<br />
In an issue which celebrates<br />
power and sport and other qualities<br />
or pursuits which are anathematic<br />
to a couch potato such as I, there’s a<br />
certain nose-rubbing going on. How<br />
dare I lust after a watch which should<br />
pre-suppose ownership of the car with<br />
which it is linked? It reminded me of<br />
a remark from a fellow watch scribe<br />
when the Panerai Ferrari watches were<br />
launched. Straight-faced, he asked:<br />
“Who is the bigger arsehole?<br />
The guy with no Ferrari who wears a<br />
Ferrari baseball hat? Or the guy who<br />
does own a Ferrari and wears a Ferrari<br />
baseball hat?”<br />
There are too many other<br />
questions begged among those two, but<br />
it certainly doesn’t explain the hugely<br />
envied success — yet to be repeated<br />
— of the Breitling/Bentley marriage<br />
which resulted in a family of watches<br />
that sold more to non-Bentley owners<br />
than to those with Crewe chariots. To<br />
everyone’s surprise, the combination<br />
worked so well that it produced a<br />
successful, standalone line selling<br />
independently of the vehicles.<br />
It just may be an innate hunger<br />
all people have for “better things.”<br />
We’re in the middle of still-rich<br />
period for the watch biz, whatever<br />
the doomsayers want to threaten.<br />
As Ross Povey points out, bi-metal<br />
watches are suddenly topical. As I<br />
write, Patek Philippe’s CEO, Thierry<br />
Stern, says that demand for Nautiluses<br />
and Aquanauts will continue to exceed<br />
supply for the long-term. As to why<br />
people want diving watches when they<br />
don’t dive? Perhaps the most pertinent<br />
question is: who cares?<br />
168 OPINION
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