SIHH 2015: Ralph Lauren Sporting Automotive Skeleton

OK... I think I'm in the minority here. But I quite like the new Ralph Lauren watches with the wooden bezel. Amboyna burl wood to be precise. It feels like they have finally found their "calling" and designing watches inspired by Mr Lauren's expansive vintage car collection. I believe this whole wooden thing is inspired by the dashboard of his 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe.

Granted, the massive RL initials logo is a bit of an amateurish attempt at an LV style logo and it doesn't work. (I'd much rather the simpler Ralph Lauren spelt out) I'm pretty sure I have a polo short from RL where the RL isn't overlapping. Even that was better. But having said that it is nice to have some sort of a logo at 12:00. Actually, scratch that. I'd rather a massive Arabic numeral 12 (like the khaki range). See that oversized 12 could almost become a design feature, along with the wooden bezel and the 6 bezel screws. and the designer lugs.

The overall look (I can't quite say feel since I'm only basing my very subjective judgement from images) is very clean and I like the colorway. It's powered by a lovely movement from IWC, just a shame that most of the target market of said watch won't care. It's a pleasant surprise from Ralph Lauren. Now I just need to find out if people actually bought these watches...

SIHH 2015: Cle de Cartier

The Cle de Cartier (Cle - French for key) is one of the nicest, cleanest designs I've seen from Cartier since the Santos Dumont. I believe the jury is still out of the use of the "key" rather than the "Crown" but given their whole line is named after said key, I'm sure their R&D department has thoroughly tested the idea to make sure it works in everyday situations. But then again, not everyone wears a different watch everyday and given that it's an automatic, I suppose you set it once and off you go. no need to touch the key again till the shorter months where you'll need it to advance the date. Plus, I'm sure the target market for this watch will have some sort of watch winder at home. whether that be an actual mechanical devise or someone you pay to wind the watch for ya.

I like these oval shaped cases. A nice through back to the sixties and seventies where these sort of cases were all the rage. Omega (Constellation, Seamaster) and IWC (Yacht Club) comes to mind immediately. It's a shape that's worked extremely well in the past I don't see why it won't work again today. It's distinctively Cartier, thanks to the Roman numeral hour markers and the blue sapphire used on the crown, sorry, key. Perfectly balanced and retains the classic Cartier elegance and design elements that we are so accustomed to.

Bravo.

SIHH 2015: A Tale Of 2 Ultra Thin Chronos

So it looks like thin is still very much in vogue this year, with 2 companies both coming out with a thinnest of sorts. Piaget with their thinnest hand-wound flyback chronograph and Vacheron with the thinnest automatic split-second chronograph.

Here are the specs before we move on:

Piaget Calibre 883P:

Movement Height: 4.65mm
Watch Height: 8.24mm
Manually wound, 50 Hour power reserve

Vacheron Calibre 3500:

Movement Height: 5.20mm
Watch Height: 8.40mm
Automatic (peripheral oscillating weight), 51 Hour power reserve

That's pretty close, not much in it, although I think Vacheron managed to cram more into a similar watch height. (extra hand and automatic winding)

Hey no matter which way you cut it, it's damn thin. this is about half the height of your average Valjoux 7750 powered chronograph. Actually most 3 handed watch on the market are thicker than this pair. If you think about it, that's pretty impressive engineering and craftsmanship.

SIHH 2015: Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph

Yes it's yet another Montblanc piece from SIHH. What can I say? I am very impressed with their offering. And their price points. ridiculous. How ridiculous? I mean, this is a brand that is offering a tourbillon and a chronograph (albeit a pretty useless one), with date in pink gold case for around about $55K Aussie. Although that amount may move up slightly no thanks to the strong Swiss Francs and the weak Aussie ruble.

My pals on the ground at SIHH mentioned that the finishing of the Montblanc isn't quite up there yet. I think they will get there. In time. Granted, if you're paying the price of a nice Mercedes A250, you'd want better finishing on the movement (yes, this can be seen thanks to hi-res images these days. Have a close look at where the tourbillon is). But this could be because the watch is a prototype, but even then, this sort of price for a tourbillon from a Swiss Manufacture is quite unheard of.

With the sort of style and pricing and marketing push I think their inhouse silbing, closest in terms of price point, ie, Baume & Mercier could be in a little bit of trouble. I don't think JLC will have issues... just yet...

So let's have a look at this Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph. I wondered about the double sided hands of the chronograph. When the hands are pointing at 12, the other side would kind of just hang off the stepped dial and kinda be limboing in mid air. Not sure how well that would look. The balance itself and the thick bridge across the top of the tourbillon looked a little... inexpensive from the hi-res images. Other than that, it's a beautifully designed piece, perfectly symmetrical and layout is proportional. Plenty to love.

MSRP: 38,000 Euros

SIHH 2015: Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Ultra Slim UPDATED!!

Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Ultra Slim

I wish Montblanc would offer more information on this piece. I think this is definitely the pick of the show for my kind of budget. I heard from the grapevines that the retail will be around about $2500 for the stainless steel version. Who cares about all the over the top complications and straps that hooks up to your phone?? I want this!!! A simple, elegant 2 handed manually wound watch, perfectly sized at 38mm in diametre and a very very svelt 5.8mm in height, this is an ultra thin watch in every sense of the word. OK, maybe not JLC/VC/Piaget thin, but none of them retails at low 4 figures. 

Montblanc has continued to impress in terms of design and pricing. Yes yes I know the designs kinda came from a photocopier but this is the way a lot of brands, in a variety of industry has done in order to cement a foothold in the market. Take what you know to be working, and price is juuuuust right, and voila, instant market share. Don't laugh. Have a look at what Lexus did back in 1989 to break into the luxury car market. Look where they are now. I'm sure Montblanc won't take as long.

I'm sure more information will surface as time goes on, but for now, just the one PR image from MB, and not much info. But it will take a lot to dislodge it (the steel version) as my pick of the show. Really.


UPDATE: Thanks to the interwebs we now know the movement is a Peseux 7001 (well, ETA 7001) minus the small seconds at 6:00. This is a very reliable movement having been in production since 1972 and it is a fairly slim movement at a not-too-shabby 2.5mm thin. Added to my shopping list...

SIHH 2015: MontBlanc's Tribute to Jaeger-LeCoultre and A.Lange & Sohne

As we all know the Swiss watch industry is small. So small that sometimes it feels a little incestuous. Why incestuous? Well, when brands within the same group jumps in bed with each other (or maybe just the designers??) they come up with quite, erm, similar looking watches which may or may not be a pillow talk too far after one too many St Moritz at Grand Hotel Kempinski.

I suppose when it's within the same group it's ok, whereas if it's from a competitor, you can be sure high-priced lawyers are on the ready. This SIHH,  we have the new MontBlanc Dual Time, which takes the case from JLC, mate it with dial and hands from Lange, slap on the nunber 12, and call it a day. Oh, and of course, undercut both brands in pricing.

Look I know I'm being a little mean here. There is nothing wrong with taking the best of the designs and something that's worked, and refine it for a different market. Everyone needs to make money, and Jerome Lambert (who's hand a HUGE influence in making JLC what it is today and I believe, have also had a hand in directing Lange) needs to bring up the watchmaking side of MontBlanc, cuz as we all know, people don't much use pens these days...

Taking inspiration from models that are known to work is a short cut to success. These watches are designed to appeal to first time prestige watch buyers. Someone who's not able to afford a JLC or a Lange just yet, but loved the look, and knows the brand.The picky anal watch collectors are collectively shaking their heads at MontBlanc watches, but seriously, Jerome wasn't given that role for no reason. I'll say give him another 5 years and you'll see. MontBlanc will no longer be known as a penmaker with a bit of wallets on the side.

MontBlanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time Specs

Calibre MB 29.19 with Manufacture complication

Power reserve Approx. 42 hours

Case diametre: 41mm

Case height: 10mm

Price: 3990 Euro

SIHH 2015: Panerai PAM 604 Radiomir Firenze 3 Days Acciaio - Tribute to Magrette Moko...

So.... in the not too distant past, Magrette Timepieces were politely "accused" of copying Panerai's cushion case style. To me, I feel their styling more closely resembles that to Anonimo, a company which kind of grew out of Panerai. But in any case, Margrette had their own kiwi identity, as seen on the Moko model, where the case is engraved with a contemporary Maori tribal art design, one that is so popular today, not just on watches, but on human canvases. (Thanks for that term, Inkmaster...)

In SIHH 2015, we see Panerai returning the favour, and introducing their own engraved case Radiomir, with all engraving done by hand by expert Italian craftsmen. The design motif? Panerai says they're important emblems such as Florentine lily, from Tuscany's most important city. That's really just the Italian version of the Maori tribal art ain't it?

Having said that, it's a gorgeous piece, and of course, like all highly sought after models, these are geographically limited to one boutique in Florence. Unless you have connects, in which case, hit them up. Hit them up hard.

The Panerai PAM 604 Radiomir Firenze 3 Days Acciaio is powered by the trusty inhouse P3000, as used in many other models that precedes it. Should run ok.

SIHH 2013 - Ralph Lauren's Portentous Tourbillon

This is a bit of a surprise. No, not that Ralph Lauren has released a tourbillon. No. Anyone who's everyone are releasing tourbillon watches. This once-coveted high-end watchmaking is now being produced a dime a dozen.

Yes you read right.

What's the easiest way for a new brand to 'cement' themselves on the high watchmaking scene (and thus setting a higher price point)? Do a tourbillon.

No. The surprise is that no Richemont brands were involved in the making of this tourbillon. (Previous releases all state with crystal clear transparency whose movements were used, be it IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre or Piaget) No. It is supplied by La Fabrique du Temps, a company that specialises in high complications. IE, high comp for hire, if you will. Well, in this case, for sale. I'm surprised given the close relationship and shareholding of Richemont and Ralph Lauren's watch and jewellery department, that no one was appointed to supply the movement. Hmmm... portentous twist, perhaps? Or am I reading too much into the use of Sellita movements for their entry level Sporting watch?

Do you want to know what else made me read just a little too much into this info? Assuming that my sources are correct, (in terms of La Fabrique du Temps supplied the tourbillon movement, cuz it certain don't look like ANY of the Richemont brands')  La Fabrique du Temps was acquired by Louis Vuitton in July 2011. Why buy movements from your direct competitor (LVMH) when you have plenty of capabilities within the group?

Other than that, am I the only one who thinks that the watch seems a bit too... rough around the edges? The movement looks unfinished. The dial looks like it was "cut" in "haste" to show off the tourbillon. The micro-rotor is a nice touch though. Let's hope that it's due to bad photography of a badly made prototype and when the real deal is realised it'll look a lot more finished. But then again for a paltry $55k (taking the brand image into consideration) suppose one cannot ask for too much?

Images from Forbes.com

SIHH 2013 - Panerai PAM 510 - In-house 8 Days 44mm Luminor Case!

Remember how I mentioned that brands were holding things back at SIHH? So they could possibly release these during/before Baselworld for thunder-stealing? some eagle eyed peeps on the forums discovered this gem!

This is what we all wanted/needed from Panerai! In-house, 8 days, manual wind in a 44mm Luminor case. Looks to me the perfect replacement for the current ETA-powered PAM 111

Rumoured pricing is around 5900 Euro, which, when you think about, isn't actually too bad. Compared to the price of IWC's Portofino 8 day in-house manual wind, it's a bargain! (And have a look at the retail price of the PAM 111 for comparison)

Let's hope this pricing is accurate. Because if it is, start saving now!!!

There is also PAM 511, gold version, and PAM 523 with a white dial.

I'm sure this is just the beginning as Panerai possibly start to phase out all the ETA-based models.

(images from Paneristi France)

SIHH 2013 - TREND: World Timer

I guess you could say there are two types of watches that has the multi-timezone feature. One is where there is a second dial/hand or a 24 hour hand to indicate another particular timezone. So you always have the time in two countries, but two countries only. This would be useful if you travel a lot and need to keep an eye on your "home" time. The other would be for those who may stay at "home" but needs to deal with various people from different parts of the world. This is where the world timer watches come in handy, as you can set the watch up so you can find out either at a glance or a quick turn of the crown (or push a button or something) the time in any given country.

At SIHH 2013 we can see there are quite a few different brands all offering their interpretation on the worldtimer feature. Now the thing with mechanical watches is that it is extremely difficult to meaure time in cities where their timezones are different to other cities in increments of 30min. (say, Adelaide or Mumbai) Up till quite recently, if you lived in these cities well... your best bet is a Casio G-Shock. If I recall correctly both Vacheron and Blancpain (?) managed to overcome that issue recently, but in 2013, JLC brings you a watch where you can set the time accurate to the minute! How's that in advancement in ye-olde-world technology?

IWC jumped the gun on their Richemont sister brands last year with the pilots Worldtimer. Let's see what we have from this year. Again, all the different price points are covered so if you're after a worldtimer, here are your SIHH 2013 choices.

(in alphabetical order)

Baume & Mercier Capeland Worldtimer - I've tried to find a decent pic but the only one I can find on the internet is a pic tweeted by @classiccreation and retweeted by @baumeetmercier. I have a feeling it's not meant to be seen 'officially' yet? Or did I just not look hard enough? This is a classic worldtimer, reminds me of the Longines version...

Cartier Tortue Multifuseaux - Ok, so Cartier also released a world timer last year in the Calibre de Cartier case. This year, in case you don't like round watches, you can have one in the Tortue case.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Unique Travel Time - You can set the second time to the nearest minute. But you'll need to know your GMTs, otherwise there's a chart on the case back outlining which city is at which timezone.

Montblanc TimeWalker Worldtime Hemispheres - it's also a bit of a trend to feature the 'world' on the worldtimer isn't it? Montblanc looked after everyone with 2 versions - northern and southern hemispheres. Wonder which one will sell more?

Ralph Lauren Sporting World Time - If the layout of the dial looks familiar to you, it should. This RL watch runs the JLC Geographic movement (which is also used minus the 'cities' disc in Vacheron's Overseas Dual time watch and AP's Royal Oak/Jules Audemars Dual time watches and a few others)

Richard Mille RO058 Tourbillon Jean Todt Worldtimer - If anyone needs a world timer watch Jean Todt would be it. President of the FIA he's bound to talk to people in various timezones. Most likely all at the same time too...

SIHH 2013 - IWC Year Of The Ingenieur

As a fan of the Inge I'm very happy to see that overall IWC has done a very good job in launching the updated Ingenieur collection. However, what I really don't like is that they are blurring and messing up their collection/status structure. Hear me out.

About 10 years ago, IWC clearly defined their collection status and what each collection stands for. (They also made the decision to NOT do ladies watches but that's another story altogether) The Portuguese would be the high-end line with high complications and what not, the Portofino would be the entry level dress watch, the pilots range the entry to mid level 'sports' watch, Aqua Timer is obviously the divers watch, and the Ingenieur is the 'engineer' watch, you know, tough, anti-magnetic, all-round tool watch. IWC's Rolex, if you will. The Da Vinci (I really don't know where they fit in) perhaps IWC's non-round watch collection. Why not? The Vintage Collection I guess does have a place in the range and overall seem to have been quite well received. I just felt they were all a little too 'thick', but that's personal opinion.

Ingenieur Constant Force Tourbillon

So each collection has a clearly defined role in the brand. But no longer. Now, you have entry level Ingenieur with an ETA movement, all the way up to a constant force tourbillon. Complete with ceramic cases and carbon fibre cases somewhere in between. I mean, sure, I can see where ceramic and carbon fibre fits into the "engineer" category, but the fact that more than half the collection is not really "anti-magnetic" is a bit annoying. I'm not that much of a purist in this case, but the history of the Ingenieur line lies in their anti-magnetic-ness.

Ok, digression and rant aside, let's have a look at the pick of the Ingenieur line from SIHH 2013

There seem to be a new form of rubber strap - essentially a rubber strap with a leather in-lay...I'm really hoping that the stitching/glue will hold up over time on this...if it does then it's almost the best of both worlds. You get the leather look on the outside, and the durability of the rubber on the inside. Or something like that.

Now, the watches. I have to say I'm really taken with the chronographs. Either the slate grey dial racer or the Silberpfeil (silver arrow) with circular graining dial. The price point, on the other hand, is a little harder to swallow, but given it's an in-house chrono and the unique layout... I guess it's reasonable... ($13,100*)

The 40mm is a gem. It's a back-to-basic model and a true Ingenieur. Some people will complain that 40mm is too small, but the proportion is right and it wasn't that long ago when 38mm was considered the men's size... I just wish they'd stuck something other than an ETA2892 in it. Nothing wrong with that movement. It's a tried and tested workhorse, and I'm sure it's made to IWC's specifications, meaning it'll most like do something like +/-1 seconds a day, but C'mon IWC, how's about an in-house, smallish movement to fit in to watches like these? I mean, Panerai managed... Cuz they're certainly not built "down" to a price point. Not at $6500*

Last but not least, the AMG Black Series. The ceramic is a nice touch. It gives the watch a very stealthy and at the same time technical look. And it's going to look pristine after decades of abuse. Just... don't drop it. ($13,300*)

*Prices I believe are in USD. If you're in Australia, add 10-20% on top for "Australian Tax" and no. I'm not referring to the GST.

Below is the full list of pricing for the SIHH 2013 Ingenieur collection:



Constant-Force Tourbillon ref. 5900: $290,000

Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month ref. 3792: $49,700

Carbon Performance ref. 3224: $26,400

AMG Black Series Ceramic ref. 3225: $13,300

Racing Chronograph ref. 3785: $13,100-$14,300

Racing Chronograph "Silberpfeil" ref. 3785: $13,100

Double Chronograph Titanium ref. $3865: $12,700

Dual-Time Titanium ref. 3664: $8,800

Automatic 40mm ref. 3239: $6,500

SIHH 2013 - TREND: Triple Date Moonphase

I have a feeling that all the brands from SIHH/GTE are holding something back to around late April, you know, just to steal some thunder from the brands that show their new ware at Baselworld. But having seen the releases so far (through the wonderful medium of the interwebs) it seems there is a bit of a trend going on...

The most obvious one that caught my attention was the amount of new "triple date moonphase" watches launched this year. Granted. one of these is an annual calendar (ie only need to change the date in feb) and one has a tourbillon hidden from front view, but nevertheless they all have day-date-month-moonphase on top of time display. Three of the brands have a more traditional dial layout, one has a modern fresh taken on the traditional layout. Three automatics, two manuals.

Personally I find the moonphase one of the most useless complications to have, (I don't follow the lunar calendar, nor am I a werewolf or a witch...) however, I love it as it prettys up the dial. It gives and otherwise boring and monotone the dial that extra pop of colour.

So if moonphase is your thing and you need to know the day-date-month at a quick glance, (no we don't resort to looking at our smarty phones for that. No way.) here are your choices from SIHH/GTE 2013: (all price points and materials covered too!)

(In alphabetical order)

A.Lange & Sohne Saxonia Annual Calendar

Baume & Mercier Clifton 1830 Complete Calendar Moonphase

De Bethune DB16 Tourbillon

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar

Montblanc Star Quantieme Complet