2024 has been a stellar year for IWC Schaffhausen. They launched the new look Portugieser collection at Watches & Wonders 2024, which I felt was one of the best collections released at the fair this year. Whilst other brands focused their efforts on just a few models or high complications, IWC took the opportunity to re-vamp the entire line, with new colourways reflecting the times of the day and in steel and precious metals. They also had an epic soundtrack playing in their booth, which could be heard throughout the Palexpo, so it was almost as if IWC provided the soundtrack to Watches & Wonders 2024.

They also released the Portugieser Eternal Calendar as part of this collection which was the brand’s contribution to the high-end pieces we saw throughout the fair, which then went on to break the Guinness World Record for most accurate moon phase in a wristwatch, and most recently taking out the Aiguille D’Or, the top prize at the GPHG awards last month.

So with all this playing out with the Portugieser collection, we’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on a couple of the new releases this year. Chamath was seen sporting the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar in Horizon Blue (my personal favourite of the entire collection), last month for a bit, and I’ve now been able to wear the Portugieser Chronograph 41 in the ‘Dune’ colour for a week.

First impressions

Well, it is really my second, actually, third first impression with this piece, having had the chance to see it first at Watches & Wonders, then a few months ago at an event in Brisbane with IWC and The Hour Glass. But each time was a little fleeting, and with lots of other people, so this was the first time I had it in my hands and all to myself to get a proper “First Impression” of the watch.

The Dune colourway is unique in the fact there are not too many other watches on the market today that have a similar colour dial. I’m getting more and more into watches that are not your typical watch, and while that is a broad statement, when it comes to dials, something a little different to the standard black, white or dark blue is refreshing.

It is an elegant-looking watch as well, which is kind of the point of the Portugieser collection. It’s part contemporary and part historical, something that Christian Knoop, Chief Design Officer at IWC Schaffhausen talked to us about when we caught up with him earlier this year in Geneva.

“In the Portugieser you have to respect that it is more consistent and is going in a continuous and timeless direction. We look at the Portugieser as still a very contemporary watch, and not a kind of traditional watch…It’s not like people look at this and say, Oh, this is a traditional watch! No, it should be received as an incredibly modern watch!”

Christian Knoop, Chief Design Officer for IWC

That being said, I still see the Portugieser as being a little more formal in nature, and with the alligator leather strap, it is even more so than on the rubber, so I was keen to see how I would go with a more dressy watch compared to my usual pure sports pieces. The one area I’ll point out that is different in the ‘Dune’ Portugieser Chronograph is the monochromatic dial. While the other colour variants have contrasting numerals and hands, this is all done in the golden ‘Dune’ colour. More on that later…

The Design

The IWC Portugieser dates back to the late 1930s, and rather than the Art Deco design style, which was popular at the time, IWC went the more German Bauhaus route. This DNA can be seen in the Portugieser today, but with a whole suite of modern design cues, not to mention materials. These design cues are present across the entire range of the Portugieser collection, but in reference to this particular model, the 41mm Chronograph, we can see the modern and clean interpretation of the DNA shining through.

RELATED READING: Legacy Of Iconic Watch Designs – The IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser

The dials on the new collection are the focus points for the Portugieser, so much so that they have been designed with different times of the day in mind. With ‘Dune’, it reflects the way the light permeates everything in a golden glow in the late afternoon, that time just before dusk. You can see this coming out in the striations of the beautifully finished sunray dial, and to create this depth and effect, IWC applies 15 layers of transparent lacquer, part of the 60-step process that goes into designing just the dials themselves. Having the symetrical two-subdial design, there is no date window on the IWC Portugiser Chronograph. For me, I love to have a date as it adds to the functionality of the watch, I’m constantly using it. For others, it won’t matter much at all, so it depends on which side of the fence you sit on this issue as to whether this will bother you or not.

The ‘Dune’ Portugieser has hand-applied numerals on the dial, done in a rose gold plating and polished, allowing them to catch the light and reflect it at different angles. This also goes for the hands on the Portugieser Chronograph, finished beautifully with a slim curved profile. This elevates the watch and takes it out of the sports watch category and into a more dress watch category. The sub-dials have a beautiful graining to them, milled directly into the brass dial and then the way IWC prints on them allows for a greater 3D effect.

The one element I found with the dial, being all the same colour, is the lack of contrast. For me, the matching colours of the dial, subdials, hands and numerals were perhaps a little too much. Compare this to the ‘Horizon Blue’, the ‘Obsidian’ or the ‘Silver Moon’ dials which all have contrasting dial elements. ‘Horizon Blue’ has rhodium-plated hands and numerals that are silver to contrast with the light blue dial, the ‘Obsidian’s’ are gold on the black dial and on the ‘Silver Moon’, you have blue hands and numerals that pop against the silvery dial. This is more a personal preference, so depending on your likes or dislikes, may or may not be for you.

RELATED READING: IWC Launches New Portugieser Chronograph Collection

The case is pure Portugieser in the sense that is so recognisable when looking at it compared to the original reference 325. The curved lugs help the watch to get a better fit, and the shape has remained relatively unchanged for almost 100 years, albeit more refined, obviously. This is where the DNA of a watch comes in. Those design cues are iconic and lets a watch transcend time, allowing it to be both modern in style, and timeless in design. It’s a hard line to walk, but the best watchmakers do it well. The Portugieser is no exception and the combination of the brushed steel case, the flat pump style chronograph pushers and the polished raised bezel encompassing the dial let the Portugieser Chronograph fit in with our tastes in 2024, without losing the heritage of the past.

How It Wears

On my 17.5cm wrist, it looks pretty proportionate and the curved lugs make it wear pretty well. It doesn’t seem overly thick either, and at 13.1mm it is in the range of not being thin, but not too thick either. Also, thanks to the case design with only about half of the thickness being attributed to the actual case side itself, you don’t notice it as much. I feel it wears pretty true to the measurements on paper, potentially looking slightly bigger than 41 millimetres perhaps due to the lack of a flat bezel and a larger dial area, but only slightly. It’s really neither here nor there.

From the top down, you get another perspective here, and as a comparison, I’ve added in Champs’ wrist to show the 17.5cm circumference of my wrist compared to the 16.5cm of Champs’. While it potentially fits mine slightly better (I also don’t wear my watches as tight as Chamath does), the 41mm diameter and 48mm lug-to-lug on his wrist seems proportionate as well.

If you can get the right fit, it feels fairly comfortable to wear, but as it’s on a leather strap with a folding clasp and pin buckle, you will just need to play around with this and wait for the leather to soften and mould to your wrist after a little bit of wear. Being warm at the moment, I found that my wrist was in between the holes on the strap so a good fit wasn’t easy for me to achieve. As a result, I had to wear it on the slightly loose side, but in the warmer weather, this is most certainly not a bad thing!

One thing I don’t love about the claps on the IWC is it is hard to undo once on the wrist as it’s a friction release clasp, not a push button. So taking it off does require you to grasp it firmly on either side and pull it, alternatively, slide your finger under the clasp as a lever to unclip it. With this style of clasp, which is not unique to IWC I’ll say, they are always a little tricky to open, so my preference would be to have a push button release to make it easier and with less wear and tear.

Now, coming back to the style factor here, being a more dressy watch, I wanted to see how this piece wore around town, and given it’s now summer and the hot weather is here to stay, how I felt with it on in more casual attire. I’m not talking about gym clothing or singlets and boardshorts, but more just your day-to-day wear when out in the city, doing school drop-offs, coffee at a café, that sort of thing. I feel it did play the more casual part, elevating what I was wearing to a point and given that the Portugieser isn’t a dress watch so to speak with more sporty elements to it, you don’t feel like you’re trying to pass it off as something it’s not. This probably exemplifies what Christian Knoop spoke about with the modernity of the piece – those subtle style and design cues allow it to be more than one thing.

I mentioned in a previous review about the way many brands are now doing the reverse style strap, threading the strap though towards the body (if you’re wearing it on your left as most people do), which is the case on the Portugieser, rather than away from the body. I personally find this a little weird, only because I’m not used to it for the most part. I did mention however in the aforementioned review that the end of the strap would catch my pockets as I walked thanks to the longer strap and it protruding a little. It was something I hadn’t considered with the strap around this way, until it happened numerous times that is. Thankfully, the Portugieser didn’t have this issue at all as the strap is a little shorter at the end, and the double strap minders keep it in place.

The Movement

IWC are putting more and more emphasis on their movements these days. Back in 2018, they released the Calibre 69355 which was a full in-house manufactured movement brought out to help celebrate their 150 years. This is part of IWC’s 69000 family of calibres, which is the automatic winding chronograph utilising a column wheel and a bidirectional pawl-winding system. For the calibre 69355, IWC has altered this to drop the chronograph hour sub-dial function, basically due to aesthetic reasons to balance out the dial itself. The movement pivots on 27 jewels, is adjusted to five positions and beats at a 4Hz beat rate with a standard 46-hour power reserve. Yes, the power reserve could be better and bumped up to 72 hours, which is becoming more and more the standard these days, but as this is a piece meant for everyday wear, then it’s less of an issue.

Operating the chronograph, the buttons are crisp, with the start/stop pusher having a small amount of resistance when starting the timer. The reset button is a little bit softer to the touch, with a bit less resistance, but I feel this is a good thing as it makes the chronograph easier to use when resetting it quickly. While I may be a little critical of the way the pushers feel, that is the watch reviewer coming out in me. For the average person however, this won’t matter all that much, or even be noticeable, whereas for me, I’m comparing this to all other chronographs I’ve tried and tested over the years.

The pull-out crown is easy to operate when changing the time. The knurling is enough to offer grip and there is very little movement or give in the crown when setting the time, meaning you’re not turning the crown much before the hands start to move. You sometimes have this on less well-made watches, turning the crown sometimes up to 30 degrees before the hands turn, making it harder to set the time accurately. It’s a big bugbear of mine, and if this happens, it shows that the crown stem isn’t tight allowing movement in it before the ratchet wheel starts to come into play against the gear train.

The winding mechanism also has a great tactile feel in this watch when winding it manually. I would say it is a smooth crispness, not gritty or clunky like some. Again, this is a watch nerd thing, but is one way of seeing, feeling and hearing how well the movement is put together. The crisper and smoother the feel, the better (in most instances) the movement is made.

Final Thoughts

IWC at its core is a brand that has an engineering heart, designing watches with movements that are engineered very well, both in design language and construction. You see this with not only the Portugieser collection but most of their watches across the different model lines. The Portugieser, for me anyway, has always been a collection that is about simplicity and elegance, but with that slightly sportier edge, and because of this, I have slightly mixed feelings about the IWC Portugieser Chronograph ‘Dune’.

On one hand, it’s a great watch, with a timeless design, from a brand that I have a lot of respect for and is elegant with a touch of sportiness about it, as I’ve just mentioned. On the other hand, I’m not sure if the ‘Dune’ colourway was for me personally, and without a date function, and on a leather strap, it’s less of a day-to-day piece for my lifestyle – so I’m slightly conflicted. That being said, this variant is the only steel model of the new chronograph models released this year, with Horizon Blue and Obsidian in white and red gold respectively, so it’s more durable for everyday wear but elegant enough for dressing up for more formal occasions.

My feeling is that for someone like me, who gravitates a lot more towards sports steel pieces, it takes a little while to warm up to. But that’s ok as sometimes watches grow on you the more you wear them, and the Portugieser Chronograph in ‘Dune’ did just that. It grew on me over the week, and because of this, I found myself picking outfits that would better compliment the watch, and I did feel a little dapper with it strapped to my wrist.

Overall I enjoyed wearing it – it gave me something different to wear on a daily basis that pushed me out of my comfort zone so to speak, in a colour that is different to what I would have traditionally chosen. In this statement, there is a lesson for me, and for those readers out there stuck in a certain way when it comes to watches. That is, try on different pieces and get out of your comfort zone. Try something you wouldn’t normally wear and see how it makes you feel, and when it comes to your next purchase, you may just find yourself picking out a watch that adds more variety to your collection!

References: IW371624 ‘Dune’

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 41mm, 13.1mm thick & 48mm lug-to-lug
• Case Material: Brushed and polished Stainless Steel
• Dial: Sunray brushed ‘Dune’ colour with applied numerals, milled subdials and red-gold plated hands
• Crystal: Sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
• Water resistance: 30m / 3 Bar
• Movement: IWC-manufactured calibre 69355 beating at 4Hz (28, 800 VpH) and 27 jewels
• Power reserve: 46 hrs
• Strap: Black alligator with steel folding clasp with pin buckle

Australian Recommended Retail Price: A$13,200

Availability: Available now at IWC Boutiques, authorised retailers or online at IWC.com

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Just one month out from the start of the holiday season, November was filled with exciting releases that are sure to get everyone in the mood for gift buying! Although brands tend to quiet down towards the end of the year, it is also an ideal time for releasing new timepieces to get people thinking about what to buy for their loved ones or even to treat themselves!

November also saw some exciting collaborations unfold, one of which was great for the Australian watch community. However, one of the more talked-about collaborations was the latest release from Audemars Piguet x Kaws. Released as part of the brand’s concept line, the watch featured the iconic ‘Companion’ 3D figure on the dial, captivating viewers as Audemars Piguet pushed its own boundaries with a few brand “firsts.”

In this article, we look at some of the releases that you may have missed, from under-the-radar launches to hidden gems. With so many launches this month, it’s impossible to cover everything in real-time, but we didn’t want these exceptional releases to go unnoticed!

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Ceramic

In June this year, Blancpain released their first full ceramic Fifty Fathoms Complete Calendar Moonphase collection, which featured stunning blue and green dials encased in a black ceramic case and bracelet. Now, their latest additions to the ceramic collection released this month are the simple three-hander and date timepeices along with a chronograph complication.

The three-hander timepieces are offered in two colour variations, the same as the ones we saw released in the middle of this year. The dials have a stunning sunburst effect, with the colour ranging from dark blue and green to very light green and blue shades. The bezel inserts match the dial colours nicely, giving an overall dark yet colourful aesthetic appearance.

Reference: 5000A 0140 01S (Blue dial), 5000 0153 01S (Green dial)
For more information: Blancpain.com

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback

The second variant that was released as part of Blancpain’s latest Fifty Fathoms full ceramic collection is the Bathyscape Chronographe Flyback. There are a few differences between the standard three-hander release and this variant, besides the complication, of course!

Firstly, this latest Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback is only offered with a blue sunburst dial, unlike the three-hander release, which included the green dial variant as well. Blancpain could be holding out on a green dial variant as a future release! The next change is the bezel, which, instead of the being colour-matched to the dial, is a polished black finish. The watch is also offered with extra straps; in either a NATO fabric strap or a leather strap, both in blue colour.

Reference: 5200 0140 01S
For more information: Blancpain.com

Breguet Blue Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077

The Breguet Blue Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077 was first introduced in 2015, and for this year, gets a new ‘Breguet Blue’ look. As we know, Breguet makes some impressive mechanical timepieces in which the heart of the movement is open for all to see. The Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077 is no different, as it boasts two independent gear trains; one of the time operating at 3Hz, and the other for the chronograph, operating at a higher frequency of 5Hz.

The Breguet Blue Tradition Chronographe Indepedant 7077 keeps the signature Breguet styling with the welded lugs, fluted case band, engine-turned dial and the iconic Breguet hands. The timepiece was a work of mechanical art when it was first introduced, and now it comes with a beautiful “Breguet Blue” dial and matching “Breguet Blue” alligator leather strap.

Reference: 7077BB/GY/9XV
For more information: Breguet.com

Breitling – Limited Edition Endurance Pro Ironman 2024 70.3 World Championship Taupo

Breitling’s Endurance Pro was designed to be a timepiece that can withstand heavy shocks. Made for extreme athletes that need a watch that will not only keep up with them, but also look aesthetically pleasing on the wrist! Breitling’s latest version of the Endurance Pro is a limited edition timepiece dedicated to the Ironman 2024 70.3 World Championship held on the 14th and 15th of December in Taupo, New Zealand.

The 44mm case of the watch is made from Breitlight, which is an ultralight, scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic material. It is 3.3 times lighter than titanium and approximately 5.8 times lighter than stainless steel, making it the perfect wristwear for high-performance athletes. This Limited Edition Endurance Pro Ironman 2024 70.3 World Championship Taupo comes with a striking red dial and red rubber strap, along with the black case and white dial and bezel markings, which reference the Ironman competition colours.

Reference: X823107C1M1S1
For more information: Breitling.com.au

Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Hodinkee Limited Edition

The Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer Limited Edition is the result of the collaboration between Hodinkee and the luxury watchmaker. The elegant timepiece comes with a guilloche pattern on the “centre circle” of the dial, while the hour “track” features a smooth “matte-like” finish. This beautiful green dial has been produced by Metalem, who is a famous dial maker known for producing stunning dials for Philippe Dufour and watchmakers alike.

Turn the 18k white gold case over, and you are treated to a fully polished caseback, with the centre being the “hunter” caseback. It is, again, a beautiful display of guilloche finishing that is indeed very aesthetically pleasing. With the push of a button, the caseback can also be opened to reveal the L.U.C 96.01-L in-house movement, along with its various decorated finishes.

Reference: 161242-1003 – limited to 25 pieces

Christopher Ward 37mm C1 Moonphase

Christopher Ward’s C1 Moonphase is a one of the seven watches from the brand to be nominated for the prestigious GPHG awards (akin to the Oscars). Christopher Ward si known for creating timepieces that are great value for money, and the C1 Moonphase perfectly fits the bill. The C1 Moonphase was first launched with a 41mm case size, which for this year, the brand has downsized to a much more wearable 37mm case size.

The main talking point about this timepiece is, of course, the dial. Kept bare minimum to show the beauty of the aventurine dial, the watch only comes with simple three-hander and a moon-phase complication at 12 o’clock. The timepiece has been designed to reflect the starry night sky, with the moon making its way through the dial based on the lunar cycle. The aventurine dial is perfect for this depiction, as the material comes with the “starry night sky” aesthetic already.

Reference: C01-37AMP2-S00B0-MB
For more information: Christopherward.com

Girard Perregaux – Laureato 38mm Sage Green & Midnight Blue

Girard-Perregaux’s latest release for 2024 is updating their iconic Laureato collection. This time, focusing on the simple time and date 38mm models in the Laureato collection, Girard-Perregaux has given two new dial colours for the timepieces. The colours being presented are sage green and midnight blue, nicely complementing the tonneau-shaped slim stainless steel case.

The models retain the signature styling of the Laureato, which includes the Clous de Paris pattern on the dial, the baton-style hour indices and hands and, of course the iconic octagonal shape bezel on the circular plinth case. While both colour choices are great, the blue stands out better due to the contrasting of the white SuperLumi-Nova on the hands and indices against the dial.

Reference: 81005-11-3407-1CM (Sage Green), 81005-11-3460-1CM (Midnight Blue)
For more information: Girard-Perragaux.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph in Pink Gold

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph in Pink Gold builds on the success of the steel and pink gold versions of this timepiece released during Watches and Wonders 2023 by introducing a limited edition model, again in pink gold! This time, however, Jaeger-LeCoultre has done the case, dial, and movement bridges all in pink gold, giving the timepiece a completely new look from its predecessors.

The double sided display of the 49.4mm x 29.9mm x 11.4mm thick case houses a time display only on one side of the dial, while the other side exposes the stunning Calibre 860 movement. The movement display also features a time-dial, which means you can enjoy the skeletonised view with the watch still being functional!

Reference:  Q389256J
For more information: Jaeger-LeCoultre.com.au

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 Midnight Blue Dial

Another Jaeger-LeCoultre release this month is the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362, this time coming in a new aesthetic that highlights the contrast between the beautiful midnight blue of the dial and the polished white gold casing. This is one of the more complicated timepieces in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s lineup, as the watch features eight patents, which includes six inventions that have been developed specifically for this timepiece.

This latest version of the Master Hybris Mechanica Calibre 362 Midnight Blue Dial features a aesthetic blue sunburst dial that differents from royal blue to midnight blue tones. White gold was chosen as the case material due to the metal’s superior acoustic qualities, which play an immense part when it comes to the sound of the minute repeater that lies within this timepiece.

Reference:  Q1313581
For more information: Jaeger-LeCoultre.com.au

Longines Mini Dolce Vita Gold

Longines has updated their Mini Dolce Vita Gold collection to now offer timepieces made from 18-carat yellow gold and rose gold materials. This precious metal upgrade brings forth more elegance and class to the existing collection which currently features stainless steel timepieces.

The Longines Mini Dolce Vita Gold collection was first introduced in 2023. The collection takes references from the brand’s own design back in 1927 when they released a tank-shaped timepiece. This latest update to the collection also adds diamonds on the case to various models, further enhancing that luxury appeal and aesthetic.

Reference: L5.200.7.71.6 (Yellow gold), L5.200.9.71.6 (Rose gold)
For more information: Longines.com.au

Nomos Club Sport Neomatik 34

This month, Nomos released the smallest size of their Club Sport Neomatik collection, while also introducing three colours to the lineup. Previously, the Nomos Club Sport Neomatik was available in three different sizes: 42mm, 39mm and 37mm. These size variations would cater to quite a large audience, however, the brand opted to go even smaller with this latest release, making these new collection “unisex”.

Nomos is offering the new collection in 34mm size, making it perfect for ladies and for the gentlemen that prefer to wear the watches smaller on the wrist. The colours being added to the lineup are rose gold, gold and purple. As per the design of the Club Sport Neomatik, all three variations feature mix of Arabic and baton-style hour indices with a constant seconds counter at 6 o’clock.

Reference: 756 (Rose), 755 (Gold), 757 (Purple)
For more information: Nomos-glashuette.com

Omega – Seamaster 300M ‘Daniel Craig’ And Silver-Dialed Companion

After appearing on the wrist of James Bond’s (Daniel Craig) wrist at the Paris Olympics 2024, the much-awaited stainless steel no-date Seamaster 300M finally arrived this month. Omega is releasing this timepiece in two dial colours: a black dial variant and a silver dial option. The black dial timepiece comes with a large aluminium bezel with the signature Seamaster 300M design, while the silver dial comes with a laser-ablated titanium bezel insert.

The black dial features the iconic wave pattern on the dial, while the silver option is actually a brushed PVD-treated stainless steel dial. Both models are offered in a stainless steel mesh bracelet as standard; however, there is also an additional black double-ridged rubber strap.

Reference: 210.30.42.20.01.010 (Black Dial), 210.30.42.20.06.002 (Silver Dial)
For more information: Omegawatches.com.au

Zenith x Collective Defy Skyline C.X Edition

Zenith’s Defy Skyline takes centre stage as the latest collaborative project between the luxury Swiss watchmaker and Collective Horology. Collective Horology, in a nutshell, is an online retailer for independent watches, with its presence being well known for its collaborative efforts with various Swiss watchmakers. The latest collaboration with Zenith saw the release of a matte silver-grey dial that features Zenith’s signature star-patterned dial.

The stars on the dial have been done in a way so that the ones closer to the centre of the dial have a deeper engraving, and as you progress towards the outer part of the dial the engraving becomes less. This gives a beautiful gradient effect, which, even on the matte silver-grey dial, is still somewhat noticeable! The watch is offered with two strap choices, either a steel bracelet of the stand-out orange rubber strap.

Reference: 06.9300.3620/06.I001
For more information: Zenith-watches.com

In-Depth Articles for November Releases

Audemars Piguet x Kaws Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon ‘Companion’

Related Reading: INTRODUCING: Audemars Piguet x Kaws Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon ‘Companion’

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Laurent Grasso Limited Edition

Related Reading: Space Out With The Bulgari Octo Finissimo x Laurent Grasso

Hublot – Big Bang Unico x Novak Djokovic

Related Reading: INTRODUCING: The Hublot Big Bang Unico x Novak Djokovic (Live Pics)

TAG Heuer – Monaco Chronograph Skeleton Pink

Related Reading: REVIEW: Hands On With The TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Skeleton Pink!

TAG Heuer – Time + Tide Aquaracer Solargraph ‘Sundowner’

Related Reading: TAG Heuer Drops New Solargraph “Sundowner” Australian Limited Edition

2024 has been a celebratory year for A. Lange & Söhne. The Saxony brand has celebrated two birthdays this year, the first being the 25th Anniversary of the Datograph, which was showcased at Watches & Wonders this year with the stunning Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen and the Datograph Up/Down, but the second, and maybe the most important was the 30th Anniversary of the Lange 1, the first modern watch the brand created after being brought back to life.

RELATED READING: Happy 30th Birthday to A. Lange & Söhne’s Lange 1!

So, it is safe to say that the Lange 1 is a special piece when it comes to A. Lange & Söhne, and when we interviewed A. Lange & Söhne’s Asia Pacific Managing Director, Nicolas Gong, a couple of months ago, he had this to say about the Lange 1, and I think he summed it up perfectly:

“It’s the first watch that we launched and part of the first collection we launched. For me, it was a striking launch because basically A. Lange & Söhne disappeared for 40 years and up to that point, no one had seen anything contemporary from the brand, so it’s the start of contemporary watchmaking for us. It was really unique at the time because if you look through the Lange 1, you have the outside state, which is inspired by the 5-minute clock (talking about the large date window), and you have all the details behind the watch, meaning the movements. You have the hand polishing, you have the three-quarter plates, a signature of German watchmaking and A. Lange & Söhne. It’s everything related to the Lange history.”

First Impressions

A. Lange & Söhne has been somewhat of an underappreciated brand in my view, and only recently has started getting the attention it rightly deserves. In a world where Swiss watches reign supreme and the Geneva Seal is coveted, the way A. Lange & Söhne creates, crafts, and finishes their watches is sublime. What is also astounding is that even though the brand was resurrected in 1990, and the first watch not being released until 1994, in that time, A. Lange & Söhne have been able to bring back the craftsmanship Ferdinand Adolph Lange started back in 1845, and over the past 30 years, have created 73 in-house movements, all with impeccable finishing I might add.

When it comes to a beautiful dressier piece, then I can think of no better brand than A. Lange & Söhne to put on the wrist, and if you’re going to have such a nice piece, then why not add in a complication or so just to top it off? Enter the Lange 1 Time Zone. Now I can’t stress enough how nice these pieces are on the wrist, and it is one of those things that you need to try for yourself. The weight of the watch, combining the white gold case and German silver in the movement and dial has a sort of luxuriousness about it. The leather strap compliments the piece beautifully, and while it is 42mm, A. Lange & Söhne has been able to pack all the functionality of this piece into a case that is less than 11mm thick. Its clever design and engineering, both something the Germans are renowned for.

The Design

The design of the Lange 1 is unmistakable. The offset main dial, smaller sub-dial, and large panorama date are all hallmarks of the brand, as are the smooth polished case and welded lugs. In the case of the Lange 1 Time Zone, these hallmarks are all there, just more. A. Lange & Söhne have cleverly added more functionality to the watch and showcased this on the dial with ease.

You still have the asymmetrical dial design, with the man time zone centre left, and the small seconds have been moved from the main sub-dial normally at 4 o’clock down to the bottom of the main dial. In its place is the second time zone with a day/night indicator at 4:30 allowing you to see at a glance a secondary time, which, depending on your destination country, can be set by the pusher at 8 o’clock. Pushing this allows you to cycle through the world time disc on the outer dial, which is aligned to the white gold arrow hand with the red marker between the 4 and 6 on the sub-dial. If the marker is red, it indicates that the city has daylight savings time, if it is not, then the city doesn’t observe this. While this is useful, you still need to set the time based on this, as there is no way the watch is able to adjust for the 1 hour time difference at certain times of the year. It’s one issue with 99.9% of all mechanical world timers, all but the Bovet Recital 28 Prowess 1 which just won the GPHG Mechanical Exception Prize, being the first mechanical watch to solve the daylight saving time zone issue automatically.

The Lange 1 Time Zone also indicates the day/night with the small blue rings on the inner of the main and second time-zone dials, which you can see in the image above. When the hour hand is in this zone, it means the time is between the hours of 6pm and 6am, thus indicating night. In the above image, the main time would be 1:50pm in the afternoon, and the second time zone would be 6:50pm in the evening.

RELATED READING: The Legacy Of Iconic Watch Designs: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1

On the outer part of the dial on the right is the power reserve indicator, showing how much of the 72-hour power reserve you have left. AUF = full, and AB = empty, (this isn’t the literal translation from German to English, it’s more to explain the points on the scale), so it’s a handy function for those who may not wear this piece each day, and like all Lange 1 models, the large outsized date at 1:30. Now I love the look of the outsized date, but the one thing that has always bugged me about it is the start of the month, specifically between the 1st and the 9th of the month. When the date is in double digits, I.e. 10th onwards, it looks great, it’s balanced. But between the 1st and the 9th of the month, only the numeral in the right window appears with the left window empty, and thus, looks unbalanced. Personally, I’d love to see the single-digit dates represented as “01”, “02”, “03” etc to keep the consistency with the other 66% of the time.

A. Lange & Söhne has designed the case with 18-carat white gold (in this model specifically) and has the lustre you just don’t get with steel. The case is a combination of high polish on the bezel, lugs and underside of the case, and the middle section is brushed, which gives it more texture and alleviates some of those pesky surface swirls you get with polished white gold. As Lange opts to do most things the traditional way, the case and lugs are separate, with the lugs being welded onto the case, and then hand-finished to create a clear definition between them. What always amazes me is how sharp the artisans can get the join, with almost no signs of the welding apparent, and a nice clean finish that sightly angles or steps in at the top of the lug where it joins into the case.

How It Wears

The 42mm, well, 41.9mm to be specific, sized case may seem a little large for some, as A. Lange & Söhne have used the Grand Lange case for the Time Zone, but the proportions for me seem pretty spot on for a watch like this. You need the dial real estate to show the numerous functions clearly, which there is plenty of here, but that being said, the domed bezel helps to effectively slim, or shrink the watch down visually across the wrist.

With a lug-to-lug of just under 50mm, the Lange 1 Time Zone does feel a little broad across the wrist, but it’s not overly so thanks to the broader than normal 22mm lug width of the Grand Lange case. This actually gives the watch a better proportion, and as you can see below, the lugs in combination with the 41.9mm case still has plenty of wrist on either side.

At just 10.9mm thick, this is not a thick watch, especially when you consider that A. Lange & Söhne have packed in a dual time zone, geographic or world time, power reserve, small seconds indicator and an outsized date into the piece along with a display case back. Even so, the Lange 1 Time Zone wears slightly thinner on the wrist thanks to the stepped case back, meaning the watch sits into the wrist a little, and there is less side case visible. The domed bezel also helps to thin it out in addition to making it seem a little smaller in diameter thanks to the curvature of it.

In terms of style, Lange 1’s are not sports watches. For me, they sit in the dress watch realm, but I’ll caveat this by saying they are technically not dress watches by definition. They are however, a good blend of traditional style meets modern tastes, a watch that can be dressed up or down depending on what you’re wearing on the day. Would I wear this to a kids sports match on the weekend? Probably not. Would I wear it on the weekend out to lunch or afternoon drinks? Definitely! I feel shorts and a T-shirt would be a stretch, but a nice pair of jeans and a polo shirt would be elevated by the Lange 1 Time Zone, equally, a suit would perfect the look also, hence my choice of business casual for the photoshoot here. I may have gone too Don Johnson with the cream-on-white look, but it worked nonetheless.

Taking the above comments into account, I would say this: The Lange 1 Time Zone is probably not an everyday watch for most people. Yes, it is versatile enough to be worn with different outfits for different occasions, but don’t forget this is a white gold watch, and as such, needs to be treated with respect. By this I mean you can’t just do your everyday activities with this watch and expect it to hold up over time. Gold is soft remember, and scratches easily, so you would need to care for it as such. If you’re a corporate type in a suit and in the office, you could get away with this piece on your wrist each day. However, if you’re like me and are not in such a job, and you’re out and about, doing different things for work or otherwise; kids pick-ups, photoshoots etc, then this is more of a special piece that would come out when the need calls for it.

RELATED READING: Getting To Know A. Lange & Söhne Up Close In Sydney – Photo Report

The Movement

This is the second generation Time Zone, which has now been around for four years, originally coming out in 2020. Inside this beats the manufacture calibre L141.1. At its core, you have a 72-hour power reserve which comes from the energy stored in two barrels in the manual winding movement. It beats at 3Hz or 21,600 VpH, which is not on the high side compared to other modern watches these days, but I would say that this helps extend the power reserve out of the two barrels, meaning the barrels can effectively be smaller, allowing room in the movement for all the other complications.

The movement itself is a work of art, and when it comes to finishing, very few are at the level that A. Lange & Söhne are at. One of the distinct hallmarks of the Lange 1 is the three-quarter bridge, made of German Silver that covers the barrels and drive train. Now don’t be fooled, German Silver isn’t actual silver, it is a Nickel/Copper/Zinc alloy that has a warm hue, and while it’s highly corrosion resistant, it can still tarnish and change colour over time. This is one reason why the watchmakers at A. Lange & Söhne have to be highly trained and no bare fingertip can touch the German Silver components otherwise that small area can oxidise from the oils in the skin and change colour at a greater rate.

Delving a little deeper into the movement, every surface is finished, and I mean finished! All of the edges are bevelled and polished, even the service hatch in the middle of the main bridge has hand-polished bevelling. The use of both blue-fired screws and black-polished screws is evident and showcases Lange’s desire to incorporate different finishes to create an overall aesthetic. Even the rubies are set into gold chaton cups, surrounded by three blue-fired screws, which is reminiscent of historic German pocket watches, as is the rest of the movement.

I’d add as a last point on the movement, A. Lange & Söhne is famous for having to assemble, disassemble and then re-assemble their movements once fully finished to ensure both accuracy and quality. The watches are also tested in 5 positions once cased, so you can be sure that not only are you getting an impeccably finished movement, but it’s also robust and accurate as well!

Final Thoughts

All good things must come to an end, and this sums up my time with the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone. When you’ve worn a piece like this for a while, it’s hard to give back. I mentioned at the start of the article that a beautifully designed precious metal piece on the wrist is like no other and you need to try it on to see what I really mean. The combination of the gold weight mixed with the finish of the watch, and a very stylish alligator strap makes you feel like a million dollars, and somehow, just that little more sophisticated.

While no watch is without its flaws, every now and then some pieces come close, and for me personally, the Lange 1 Time Zone is one of these watches. Yes, it has aspects that I don’t LOVE, but at the same time, none of these are deal breakers and to be honest, I’ve had to nitpick here. With A. Lange & Söhne only making around 5,000 watches in total a year, and with their strict adherence to quality and craftsmanship, not to mention their ability to develop so many in-house movements, I would expect their pieces to be mostly flawless, and thankfully, this has been my experience here.

I’ve always looked at Lange 1’s as the epitome of class, and should a more dressy piece find its way into my collection, it would be hard to go past a Lange 1 of any variant. The Time Zone takes it up another notch with the additional functionality, and when you’re travelling overseas several times a year, it would come in very handy. Will I be seeing one on my wrist as the proud owner any time soon? I’ll see if I win that Powerball jackpot this week and tell you. But if not, then it’s a grail addition for sure, another one added to the list of watches I need to own in my lifetime.

Reference: 136.029 / LSLS1363AG

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 41.9mm, 49.8mm lug-to-lug & 10.9mm thick
• Case Material: Brushed and polished 18k White gold
• Case back: Brushed and polished 18k White Gold with sapphire crystal display
• Dial: Black galvanised Sterling Silver with two-time zone displays, world time function, power reserve indicator, outsized date and day/night indicators, white gold hands and indices
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
• Water resistance: 30m / 3bar
• Movement: Calibre L141.1 hand-wound movement beating at 3Hz / 21,600 VpH and pivoting on 33 jewels
• Power reserve: 72 Hours
• Strap: Brown sustainably sourced alligator leather strap with double folding 18k white gold clasp

Australian Recommended Retail Price: $99,000 AUD

Availability: Available now from A. Lange & Söhne in Martin Place, Sydney. Enquire online at Alange-soehne.com

Image Gallery

In 2021, Hublot welcomed World #1 tennis star, Novak Djokovic into the fold, and since then, has been seen sporting many of Hublot’s pieces, such as the Big Bang Meca-10 and Big Bang Unico. It was a seemly great fit for the brand, as well as Novak himself. Both have carved their own path in their respective fields, and both are not without some controversy, but most importantly, both have dared to be different and through this created success. So it was only a matter of time before Hublot and Novak Djokovic put their heads together to create a collaboration fitting of the 24x Grand Slam winner.

The result is the new Hublot Big Bang Unico x Novak Djokovic. A 42mm Big Bang Unico, but it’s not just any old Unico, nor is it a piece where they have used a signature or colourway. Hublot, always a brand to try something new has created the lightest Big Bang Unico ever, and a watch that not only has performance at its heart, but sustainability as well.

Weighing a mere 49.5 grams on the elastic strap, the Hublot Big Bang Unico x Novak Djokovic is lighter than a tennis ball, a feat that has been achieved through several innovations that talk to the above – performance and sustainability. The watch is made from a composite that comes from 25 HEAD racquets (Novak’s racquet of choice), as well as 17 dark blue and 15 light blue Lacoste polos used by Djokovic during his 2023 season, the year in which he broke the records by winning his 24th Grand Slam singles title – edging out both Rafael Nadal (22 Grand Slams) and Roger Federer (20 Grand Slams) and equalling Margret Court’s record.

The composite material of which the case and bezel are made is an Epoxy resin, which is reinforced with quartz powder and glass veil that has been fused with recycled racquets and shirts. The result is a case that is speckled with fragments of light & dark blue textiles and black carbon, which creates this blue camouflage effect.

The weight-saving measures don’t stop there, however. Hublot has designed the crown and pushers out of aluminium as well, as has the case sides and caseback. Rather than traditional sapphire crystal, Hublot has chosen to use ultra-tough Gorilla Glass, similar to that found on the new iPhones. It’s highly durable while being 2x lighter than sapphire.

The movement is Hublot’s Unico HUB1280 movement but with a small (or rather large) change. In order to make the watch super light, the Unico movement has been altered, and instead of the standard materials, Hublot has swapped these out for aluminium, reducing the weight of the movement by 27%. Not only this but due to the lightness of the watch and the way it is made, this is a piece that you can strap on and play tennis in. The aluminium in the movement is anodised in light blue or grey to echo the camouflage colour scheme and is visible through the display caseback.

The watch is one for not just fans of Hublot but of Novak Djokovic and tennis in general, with many nods to the player and the game. As mentioned, the start/stop pusher at 4 o’clock is tennis ball yellow, and on the bezel, Hublot has designed the screws to be reminiscent of tennis balls, now rounded with the curved lines of the ball instead of the traditional H screws. The counterbalance on the chronograph second hand is Novak’s logo and the the watch is limited to just 100 pieces worldwide.

The watch keeps the same dimensions as a conventional Big Bang Unico, 42mm diameter and 14.5mm thick, and so on the wrist, it wears pretty much the same as your standard, albeit it is much, much lighter. I mentioned that on the elastic strap, this watch is lighter than a tennis ball, at only 49.5gms, but should you not want to put this on the elastic strap, Hublot also includes three other straps –  a velcro strap as pictured here, making the watch a total of 54gm, a tennis wristband increasing it to just 65gms, or on the standard Hublot rubber strap and titanium clasp making it the heaviest version at 75gms. Whatever you choose to pair it with, you’re sure to not feel much difference!

Final Thoughts

The release of the Hublot Big Bang Unico x Novak Djokovic showcases what Hublot does best – meaningful collaborations with it’s ambassadors that go far beyond the colour changes, logo additions and caseback motifs. Hublot has a way of teaming up with collaborators and infusing as much of them into the watch as Hublot itself. Just look at the Big Bang Unico Nespresso collaboration with recycled coffee pods and coffee beans, or the Classic Fusion Orlinski that allowed Richard Orlinski to imagine what a Hublot would be if designed by him. Now, teaming up with arguably the best tennis player in the world, a lightweight, fit-for-purpose Big Bang Unico made from actual items from Novak himself, and that can be worn whilst playing. Will we see Novak play with this piece on the wrist? Only he will answer that in time, but the fact is, it can be!

Trying this on for the first time, I can say without question that it is a great piece that will make many, well, 90 collectors happy (Novak bought the first 10 for his support team!), and wears exactly as it should – light, very little movement on the wrist and is just an overall great looking watch. For those of you out there who are looking for something a little different and has some real sporting credibility, the Big Bang Unico x Novak Djokovic is a piece that you should consider adding to your collection!

Reference: 441.QKB.5120.NR.DJO24 – limited to 100 pieces

Specification:

• Case: 42mm x 14.5mm thick
• Case Material: Composite epoxy resin made from 25 recycled HEAD tennis racquets & 17 dark blue and 15 light blue Lacoste polos
• Dial: Matte sky blue open-worked dial with white luminescent indexes and
• Crystal: Gorilla Glass
• Movement: In-house HUB1280 Automatic calibre with a flyback chronograph movement. Beating at 28,800 VpH / 4Hz and pivoting on 43 Jewels
• Case-Back: Polished Sky Blue Anodizing Aluminium with Gorilla Glass inset
• Water resistance: 100 metres / 10ATM
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Straps: First strap – tennis wristband, second strap – blue elastic, third strap – blue velcro fastener fabric & fourth strap – white rubber strap 
• Buckles: Polished Blue Aluminium Sport buckle for the velcro strap, & a Titanium Deployant Buckle for the rubber strap.

Australian Recommended Retail Price: A$78,700

Availability: Available through Hublot Boutiques, and online at Hublot.com

Cartier is perhaps one of the best-known watch brands in the world, and rightfully so. Their pieces are timeless and classic, with a style to suit all tastes. You can not watch a red carpet event without seeing an A-list celebrity wearing Cartier. Celebrity style aside, Cartier has a rich history of watchmaking, and most notable, (which we have covered here), is the advent of the world’s first wristwatch and pilots watch in the form of the Cartier Santos.

Last year, we held a similar event at the Cartier Boutique in Brisbane, showcasing the 2023 Watches & Wonders novelties, and for those lucky enough to get an invite, thoroughly enjoyed the night. As a result, we were not short of requests when it came to this year’s event, focusing on the watchmaking of Cartier, and to say all enjoyed themselves would be an understatement!

Guests were greeted in style with Canapés and Champagne, old friends catching up and new friends getting to know each other, all with one thing in common – watches!

To kick off each night, all were welcomed by Nicola Ashworth, Cartier Watches Australian Marketing Manager, Chantal Pankov, Cartier’s Brisbane Boutique Manager and Chamath Gamage, Watch Advice Founder.

But, it didn’t take long for people to get straight into checking out the watches on show, with the guests getting right in at the start and trying on a range of pieces on display before the formalities started.

What makes this type of event unique is the intimacy. The ability to sit down almost one-on-one with those who know the brand best, and can tell the stories behind the watches. While larger events are great, don’t get us wrong, but only having a small group of watch enthusiasts who can see, play with, and try on all the pieces and take their time with them allows people to connect with the watches. What is amazing to see is the look on people’s faces and the way they light up when they try on a piece they may not have considered or been on their radar at all!

On show were some incredible pieces. Some of these you’re able to buy in the current Cartier catalogue, but some of the pieces were very special, with only one of two pieces available in the country, and like all exclusive pieces, will go to a deserving client.

Of course, there were quite a few Cartier watches on display on people’s wrists, with the guests proudly wearing their personal pieces. Watch events are always great watch-spotting opportunities, and when it comes to Cartier, people show this love perhaps more than any other brand!

Cartier are known for their watch shapes, and across the collection, you can see this come to life with the variety of models, from Santos, to Pasha, to Baignoire to Cloche and Tortue. However, the also do some amazing high-watchmaking with the like of the Pasha de Cartier in Rose Gold, diamond set bezel and tourbillon with the Cartier logo embedded, or the Rélévation d’une Panthère which uses gold beads to release the Panther’s head within the dial of the watch.

In addition to the great timepieces on show, it wouldn’t be a Cartier event without some of the jewellery, both high jewellery with the likes of Panthère and lifestyle pieces, such as the bracelets you can pair and stack with each other, or if you’re inclined, the watches!

Over the two nights, all guests saw some amazing pieces, many of which were available just for our event, so we feel lucky and privileged to partner with Cartier and the Cartier Australian team to make this happen and to allow some members of our watch community to be able to see these pieces. We look forward to doing it all again in 2025!

This article is written in partnership with IWC Schaffhausen

Christian Knoop has an envious role. As the Chief Design Officer at IWC Schaffhausen, he is largely responsible for not only how the watches look, but also the way the IWC brand is positioned in terms of thematics, look and feel. It’s a big job, but Christian seems right at home with the Schaffhausen brand, and like many people who work there, loves it with a passion!

During Watches & Wonders 2024, Chamath and I sat down with Christian to get his perspective on the new Portugeiser collection, what it is like working as the Chief Design Officer, and how he along with the team at IWC balances heritage and modernity in their designs. It was an interesting talk, and we got to see this passion first-hand, which we learned comes from his Industrial Design background.

“I must say, I’m trained as an industrial designer, and prior to working at IWC, I was working for a couple of brands and international agencies on many different products, be it electronics, furniture, or industrial machines, but no watches at all! When I got in contact with IWC, what spoke to me was the design legacy IWC had, such as working with big names like Gerald Genta, so there was a strong affinity with design and the strong design legacy in the brand. So I said OK! I would love to work with them!”

His answer to our question is interesting, and somewhat eye-opening as you don’t tend to associate watch brands generally with industrial design and engineering, which they quite obviously are, but it’s almost a secondary or afterthought, not the first thing that springs to mind. Design is in fact at the heart of IWC Schaffhausen, and everything they do is linked in some way to it – from the watches themselves to the actual Manufacture in Schaffhausen which was designed by IWC’s current CEO, Chris Grainger-Herr, who is an architect by trade himself. We wanted to delve a little deeper into Christian’s day-to-day, and what it means to be the Chief Design Officer for IWC.

RELATED READING: Our Experience At The IWC Manufacture

“Being the Chief Design Officer at IWC Schaffhausen is a great opportunity really. It means I have the responsibility for the entire look and feel of the brand and everything we do, obviously with the watches at the heart of the brand. We also design all the corporate design, all the packaging, all the communication for the advertising, the boutiques and even the menu cards (pointing to the food and drink menu sitting in front of us in the IWC booth). The level of detail we can go into creating the entire expression of the IWC Schaffhausen brand is incredible, and still, I find this a great pleasure and a great challenge at the same time!”

From how Christian explains it, it does seem like a wide-scoping role and one that many would be envious of and would love to have. But this brings us to our next question, which we wanted to find out a little more about how his team goes about bringing the new Portugieser collection to life, and just how they balance the history and DNA of such an iconic piece for IWC with the needs of the modern watch buyer. From what Christian tells us, it is very much a balance of finding those design codes and looking to amplify them, but in a modern way.

“The Portugieser collection really represents the essence of the IWC brand, combining engineering and craftsmanship. The roots of the Portugieser go back to the 1930s when it was created as a wristwatch with marine chronometer precision, so taking a very robust and accurate pocket watch movement and putting this into a wristwatch. This resulted in it having a large diameter and a very open dial. These aspects – instrument precision, pure design, and a very technical approach to clarity and readability – are still the foundation of everything we do at IWC when it comes to watch design.”

“So, in that sense, the Portugieser was not only the foundation of a collection, but it was also very important to the DNA of the brand. Over the years, the Portugieser collection has evolved – integrating more and more complications, and more functions like chronographs, calendars, perpetual calendars and so on. But always with the idea in mind to have a very pure and reduced watch with the original instrument precision.”

But this balance comes with challenges for a watch and collection being launched in 2024…

“Now, adding to a collection, like the Portugieser, every new relaunch remains a challenge. I mean you have to respect the past, the DNA and the design codes of this particular product, but you also have to surprise your customers with something new. In this case, this year we launched the Portugieser Eternal Calendar and added new colours and some new materials. In essence, we have had to balance all that –  the traditional elements and the novelty aspect.”

Now, Christian mentions the Portugieser Eternal Calendar, which was one of the standouts of the show. We won’t go back into all the details again, as we talked more in-depth about it in our conversation with Markus Bühler – Associate Director of Watch and Movement Assembly At IWC, but we do want to delve a little into the design codes of the new Eternal Calendar, and how Christian and his team tackled this.

“There are a couple of answers to that. We are an engineering and design brand. A part of our culture is that we are constantly challenging the status quo and we’re constantly questioning where we are in the design of our brand, where the voice of performance of our product is, and constantly trying to push the boundaries. This is not only the designers but it is also a culture we live and breathe in Schaffhausen itself. We consider calendars one of our core competence territories. When Kurt Klaus, our former head of watchmaking created the first fully synchronised Perpetual Calendar in 1985, back then on the Da Vinci line, this was a starting point. Later, we introduced annual calendars, complete calendars, moon phases, moon and tide watches, and the Timezoner, so we see all this in the calendar competence and it all happened between 1985 and now.”

“Now we have again pushed the boundaries of these calendars by looking at the central functions. The calendar as such and the calendar programming. The current perpetual calendar watches we have now need an adjustment in the year 2100, which is an irregularity in the secular calendar. So you have to programme to overcome this. Instead of an adjustment in the year 2100, the new calendar is programmed until the year 3999.”

RELATED READING: An Interview With Markus Bühler – Associate Director of Watch and Movement Assembly At IWC

IWC has taken the work Kurt Klaus did back in the 1980s back when the moon phase had an accuracy of being within one day every 122 years. IWC then built upon this with the current perpetual calendars, now having an accuracy of 1 day within 577.5 years, which has again been pushed to the limits in the Eternal Calendar, with a theoretical accuracy of just a one-day deviation in 45 million years. Technical prowess aside, we wanted to talk a little bit more about the watch design itself, the aesthetics not to mention the wearability of the piece. Christian explains…

“We also wanted to find an expression for the design – using a platinum case and treating the case design in a more dramatic and more impressive way by using a huge box glass on top, with the glass dial underneath. Not only that, we even gave it a box glass on the back to visually slim down the watch and give it a very airy and dramatic look!”

“The dimensions are surprisingly comfortable, yes, it is a large watch, it’s 44-millimeter and it is platinum, but using this new case construction, the watch becomes lighter, the watch becomes smoother with soft glass and becomes more wearable. Also, we have used this technology as a kind of signature element for the entire new collection, so the new perpetual calendars use the same construction. The glass is not domed as much as the Eternal Calendar, but we use the same principles: slimming down the case ring and using box glass in the front and back. This is also the same for the Portugieser automatic 42mm and 40mm pieces, they use the same principle.”

And speaking of the new Portugieser collection, the colours this year are fantastic and IWC seemed to have nailed them all the while linking them back to their theme – “A Tribute To Eternity”. For those not aware, the colours on the Portugiesers represent different parts of the day with the Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian and Silver Moon. We delve into this a little deeper with Christian…

“When we started working on this collection we said “OK, we can’t re-work the collection without introducing some new colour. So we were seeking colours that would combine a certain novelty aspect with the variability in the understatement which is part of the Portugieser line. We didn’t want to go into lime green and purple for example, they just needed to have the timeless aesthetics and the classiness that fit the Portugieser collection. So we said OK, why don’t we use the cycle of the day? It is the guiding idea that connects the new colours, starting from the Silver Moon, to the Horizon Blue, and the warm afternoon light for the Dune and then the Obsidian for the night.”

RELATED READING: Iconic Watch Designs: IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser

But IWC have actually gone one step further than this as they have incorporated the moon, tides, and even the day/night indicator on the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night in Obsidian so according to Christian, “there’s a lot of calendar and planet observation involved in the story!”

As a collection, the new Portugieser range really stands out, which was one of our first thoughts heading into Watches & Wonders this year. While other brands brought out single pieces, and many of these were high-complications, there were very few that looked at the collection as a whole with a consistent theme running through it. IWC did this from the 40mm Portugieser, all the way to the Portugieser Perpetual Calendars and then added in their very own high complication piece in the Eternal Calendar. It ticked a lot of boxes for a lot of people. Christian elaborates on this line of thinking and how he and IWC tackled the design codes of the Portugieser this year.

“The Portugieser in a sense gives a certain direction, while other collections like the Pilot’s Watch for example allow a little bit more room for interpretation, to go either very vintage or to go super technical and modern. In the Portugieser you have to respect that it is more consistent and is going in a continuous and timeless direction. We look at the Portugieser as still a very contemporary watch, and not a kind of traditional watch, which is why we did this booth here (at Watches & Wonders) which is inspired by the architecture of people like Mies van der Rohe. It has a mid-century architecture that has incredible modernity about it. With this style of architecture, even if the buildings are 70 years old, you don’t look at them like old buildings, they are still modern buildings. This is the same connection we want to draw in order to evolve the Portugieser. It’s not like people look at this and say, Oh, this is a traditional watch! No, it should be received as an incredibly modern watch”

We did want to know what is in store for IWC ovder the next few years, but, as much as we would love to know all of IWC’s secrets and upcoming releases, this is something Christian is going to make us wait for with bated breath, so we have a small laugh at this and change tac and ask, what he finds most enjoyable about his job.

“I have the pleasure to have a fantastic job, and I meet a lot of very passionate and very inspiring people, both my colleagues in Schaffhausen but also with many business partners and customers. We have fantastic customers who really love mechanical watches and have an incredible passion for watchmaking which I still find very motivating, especially when you get compliments from these people who know more about watches than me! But if you ask me as a creative, then for me, the early part of the creation process is always the most exciting part, this is when you really create the essence of the product, the signature of that collection and this is really what I find the most creative and the most interesting in the design process“

Again, as we’ve discovered time and time again, it is the people that make the job. When we spoke to Christian’s colleague, Markus Bühler, he said a similar thing, he enjoys the people and the connections he makes inside IWC as well as outside the business. Christian then talks about the motivation within his job and what inspires him to keep doing it, which is the people and the processes he manages to take a product from start to finish; “The challenge is basically keeping the momentum and taking other people along with your vision, inspiring them and motivating them to contribute in the same way as you would do it!”, I think this is something that we can all relate to, well as least I can!

And with that, we finish the interview just as the drinks arrive we ordered off the IWC menu card Christian talked about at the start of the interview. It’s insightful and another person with a different background and perspective on both IWC Schaffhausen, the industry and watches as a whole, and helps us to see it through their eyes, and why they do what they do.

This article was written as part of a commercial partnership with IWC. Watch Advice has commercial partners that work with us, however, we will never alter our editorial opinion on these pieces, a fact that is clearly communicated to the brands when entering into a commercial arrangement.

During Watches and Wonders earlier this year, Bremont released numerous timepieces for its Terra Nova collection, with various colour schemes and strap options. This Terra Nova collection can be seen as the brand’s redirection, as in early 2023, the company announced a change of leadership with Davide Cerrato taking over the reins.

But let’s take a step back and look at what Bremont was as a watch brand before this new, modern direction took over. As a watchmaker, Bremont has a relatively short history compared to some of the other luxury watch manufacturers; however, in this short span of time, they have already created some memorable timepieces. The story in which the brand was found is also quite the tale!

Bremont was founded in 2002 by British brothers Nick and Giles English. The brothers were drawn to watchmaking and to ultimately created a watch brand through their inspiration for aviation and shared passion for mechanical engineering. The company’s origins have deep-rooted ties to the world of aviation, even though it was tragic family even that created the beginning of the brand.

The story goes that Nick and Giles’s father was an avid pilot and also engineer. One day, they tragically got into a plane crash, which ended with the father sadly passing away while Nick was very badly injured. This personal incident played a major influence on Bremont’s core identity. The name Bremont itself comes from a French farmer, Antoine Bremont, who helped the brothers when they had an emergency landing in France during a flying trip.

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^{The new Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve with steel bracelet. Image ref: Bremontwatches Instagram.}

Bremont has been well known for its aviation-inspired timepieces, referencing the British military and its historical connection to aviation. Some of the more notable collections from Bremont include the ALT1, a collection focus on aviation, the Supermarine, a dive watch collection with aviation inspiration and the Martin Baker line, which was created in collaboration with Martin Baker, the company which makes ejection seats for fighter jets.

Bremont’s Terra Nova timepiece is also notable. The brand introduced it in 2014 when it first released the Terra Nova Limited Edition, designed for polar explorer Ben Saunders for his 1,800-mile Antarctic expedition. At the time, this model was part of Bremont’s Supermarine collection and was created to be a specialised GMT dive watch.

More specifically, the first Terra Nova timepiece paid homage to the great British explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott, who led Antarctic expeditions in the early 20th century. The watch was named after the “Terra Nova”, the ship that took Scott to Antarctica! The Terra Nova timepiece pays tribute to human endurance, exploration, and the British pioneering spirit.

When Davide Cerrato joined the brand in 2023, it marked a significant shift for Bremont. The brand decided to give him the reigns because he was well-known in the industry and had made a considerable impact in roles he had undertaken for other major watch manufacturers. At Tudor, Davide Cerrato was instrumental in reviving the brand’s Heritage line, including the iconic Black Bay model. At Montblanc, he helped to enhance the watch division, focusing more on the luxury sports watches side.

Davide Cerrato has a talent for blending luxury with heritage, and in the case of the latest Terra Nova models released this year, this is precisely what we have seen. The previous models of the Terra Nova featured a vastly different design from the model I have for review, and frankly, I’m pretty happy with this design change! Cerrato’s leadership has seen the Terra Nova go from a pure sports piece to a more refined luxury timepiece made for the outdoors. One thing I will say about this watch off the bat, however, is that the name can be improved. I understand that the name is done to showcase the watch’s features upfront; however, for a timepiece made for the outdoors, I feel Bremont could have done better (Terra Nova Explorer, perhaps?)

Initial Impressions:

This is the first Bremont that I’ve worn for review, and when It was first given to me by the Watch Advice team, it stood out almost immediately thanks to the colour combination. Without getting too early into the nitty-gritty details of the watch, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the steel case, the brown leather band and that gradient blue dial all worked together.

I’ve seen pictures of the watch online; I even wrote the initial release for these models when they were released for Watches & Wonders. Even then, I loved the blue look, whether it was on a steel bracelet or the leather strap. However, when I wore the watch in person, I found that it was vastly different from the generic press photos you see online—in a good way! And this was down to the minute details, along with the exemplary polished finishing seen on the case and bezel.

Cushion-Style Case Design:

The Bremont Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve comes with a 40.5mm x 11.91mm thick 904L steel case that measures 47mm long lug-to-lug distance. The case, as mentioned previously has a cushion-style design which is where its almost like a rounded square design. On the Terra Nova, this can be seen from the case angling slightly upwards at 6 o’clock and downwards from 12 o’clock. Then we have the angled lugs, which work well to give a better fit on the wrist.

Even though the case diameter measures 40.5mm in size, I personally think it wears slightly larger. This can be down to perception of how the watch looks, however. The 22mm wide lug distance and the 11.91mm thickness of the case can make the watch seem larger than it is; however, on my slim wrists, I didn’t find any issues with wearability (more on that later!)

The case comes with a satin polished finishing, which gives the watch a new luxury appearance. I say new here, because the previous versions of the Terra Nova didn’t have this much shine and appeal. The look that this new Terra Nova is going for is a luxury sports piece, made for outdoor adventures. Its designed to be an all-rounder, one that can be comfortably worn to the office just as it can be worn going on a hike.

The large crown is adorned with Bremont’s brand new “Wayfinder” logo, which they state “is a design that builds upon Bremont’s founding propeller identity, overlaying the marks of a nautical compass and weaving in elements of Bremont’s home nation’s Union Flag. Our commitment to creating fine mechanical watches is also conveyed through a sense of movement and rotation. The Wayfinder is our guiding beacon, built to explore the world.”

One of the stand-out features of the Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve (TBPR for short) is the steel bezel. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of steel bezels. I would much rather opt for a bezel with a ceramic insert. However, I do understand the design thought behind using a steel bezel. Firstly and probably the most obvious is that the steel is polished as well, which matches the finish of the case beautifully, further enhancing the “luxury” side of this adventure-made timepiece.

Secondly, having a steel bezel gives it that perception of durability. When you turn the bezel, the clicks feel solid. However, it does require a bit of force to turn, which I think is fine, especially if you are moving about in tight spaces; the last thing you need is the bezel to turn accidentally if you are using the bezel for its intended purpose. And what exactly is the purpose of the bezel? For starters, we have the four cardinal points (north, south, east and west) and a 360-degree scale for directional reference.

Gradient Dial Design:

One of my favourite things about the Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR is the dial and how Bremont has executed it to let the right elements stand out. The Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR is offered in two dial colour choices: the blue that we have for review or an anthracite-coloured dial.

Personally, I’m a big fan of the blue dial. I feel like this is the stand-out piece, not only due to the contrasts between the dial and its elements but also how effective the gradient finish is on the blue dial. This gradient finish is also different from contemporary gradient watch dials. Instead of a circular gradient finish, we get essentially three “vertical stripes” where, for this timepiece, the middle is a royal blue colour, and the outer two transition from midnight blue to a black gradient finish. This gradient finish has been really well executed for the blue dial; however, the anthracite variant is not as prominent due to the anthracite colour being too close in colour to the outer gradient parts of the dial.

Bremont has given this new Terra Nova collection large 3D vintage Super-LumiNova block Arabic numerals for the hour indices, which works well, especially considering legibility. The blue dial gets white indices, which is where the previously mentioned contrasting effect comes in. The white numerals stand out beautifully against the black and blue gradient dial. Not only that, the dial is “block” that is made up of Super-LumiNova, which means that it has a stunning green luminous glow at night/low light conditions.

I also like how Bremont has removed the 3 o’clock hour indices to make way for the date window. They’ve also gone a step further to integrate the date window with the hour indices, so it all blends in nicely. I mention this because for the blue dial, instead of colour-matching the date wheel to the dial, Bremont has opted to keep it white, which matches the white block hour indices. However, for the anthracite dial variant of the Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR, Bremont has colour-matched the date wheel to the dial, as a white date wheel wouldn’t work here and would ruin the aesthetics of the timepiece.

My only complaints about the dial is the power reserve indicator and the constant seconds counter. While the power-reserve indicator positioned well to provide a “balanced” look, and the touch of red adds additional colour to the dial while also being functional, the “Terra Nova London” wording needs to be addressed. I personally think just having Terra Nova would have been fine, as the Bremont is not based in London anymore, so having this location inscription on the dial doesn’t make much sense here.

Secondly, the constant seconds sub-dial could have been executed in a way that made the size of the sub-counter smaller. This seconds counter feels too oversized and disproportionate. If Bremont could have reduced the size of the sub-dial slightly, it could’ve given way to seeing more of the 8 and 10 o’clock hour indices, rounding off an otherwise aesthetically pleasing dial.

Movement:

The engine operating inside the Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR is the Bremont Calibre BE-79AL automatic movement. This is a modified version of the Sellita SW279 movement which comes with the power-reserve indicator, date feature at 3 o’clock and the constant seconds sub-counter.

Bremont states that the movement uses a Glucydur Balance wheel. Glucydur is an alloy made of copper and beryllium. The name itself, Glucydur, is derived from an old interation, beryllium, and “due” for durability. The use of a Glucydur balance in a movement is because it is highly resistant to temperature changes and magnetic fields.

The watch operates at a high-frequency of 28,800 VpH, or 4Hz, which means that it has a high level of accuracy and moves very smoothly around the dial. This high frequency rate can come with a drawback, which is the lower power reserve. As a high-frequency movement requires more energy to operate, the drawback is the drain in total power-reserve, which for the Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR is 38 hours in total.

While I do feel the power reserve needs to be bigger by modern-day standards, it’s certainly not a hindrance, especially if this is a piece you want to wear daily. I have quite a few models in my collection where the power reserve swings around the 40-50 hour mark, and some of these are my daily watches, so I never find that I have to wind them unless I take them off for the weekend. And even then, is this really a big issue? Given that, it will take about 1-2 minutes to get the watch up and running again!

How It Wears:

The wrist presence of the Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR with its blue dial is undeniable. I’ve always been a big fan of the blue and white colour combination, and Bremont has executed that beautifully well on this timepiece—to the point that it stands out from some distance!

The curved lugs also go a long way to help provide a better fit on the wrist. Bremont offers the Terra Nova 40.5 TBPR in three strap choices: a steel bracelet, a brown leather strap or a black and grey striped NATO strap. At the same time, I can’t comment on how the bracelet and NATO strap wear. I can say that I was more than happy with the leather strap, not only for how it fits on the wrist but also how the brown colour compliments the watch’s overall look. It also gives it that outdoorsy, adventure-type appearance. Meanwhile, the steel bracelet suits day-to-day life, office wear, and the NATO for the full outdoor experience!

The oversized crown was also relatively easy to operate. It has been designed to be used with gloves on; as Bremont states, “the oversized crown combines functionality and crafted elegance, directly referencing field watches from an era where gloved hands needed to operate the crown accurately.“

With the brown leather strap, this is certainly a timepiece that’s made for functionality and is also an everyday wear timepiece. The watch’s dial has an aesthetic look that fits with most attires; however, the leather strap gives comfortable wear so that it can be used every day.

Final Thoughts:

The Bremont Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve has been reimagined under the creative influence of new CEO Davide Cerrato, marking an exciting new chapter in the brand’s history. If we put Bremont’s change of hands aside and look at purely the timepieces, I can see it certainly as an evolution in the right direction. It will, of course, take some time for watch enthusiasts and collectors to be fully on board, especially with the creative direction of the timepieces. It’s like the old quote by Arnold Bennet: “Any change, even if it’s for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomfort”.

Looking at the previous Terra Nova design and comparing it to this new generation, I dare say that these new models are much more wearable timepieces whilst still retaining that side of functionality. While the previous Terra Nova models were designed as a tribute to extreme exploration, the 2024 models take the adventure-ready features of Bremont and combine them with Davide Cerrato’s refined aesthetic approach, making them a more everyday timepiece that’s targeted at a larger audience.

However, this isn’t to say that the timepiece doesn’t have its drawbacks. While the dial is beautifully designed, certain elements, such as the inscriptions and the oversized seconds counter, can be altered to provide an even better-looking dial. The movement can also be improved. If Bremont were to offer in-house movements for the Terra Nova collection, it would go a long way in cementing the watches a place in the world of horology and even become an icon for the brand! In saying that, these “upgrades” are all for future iterations of the Terra Nova. The Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve has laid the foundation for Bremont. They can now start to push the boundaries of British watchmaking and continue to create watches that are functional in the wilderness as they are elegant in daily wear.

Reference: Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve

Specifications

• Case dimensions: 40.5mm diameter, 11.91mm thickness
• Case lug-to-lug distance: 47mm
• Case material: 904L Steel two-piece cushion case
• Dial: Vertical gradient blue dial with white accents
• Bezel: 904L Steel bezel with cardinal points and 360-degree scale.
• Crystal: Domed anti-reflective, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
• Water resistance: 100 meters/ 10ATM
• Movement: Modified Calibre 11 1/2’’’ BE-79AL 31 Jewels
• Movement Frequency: 4Hz / 28,800bph
• Power reserve: 38 hours
• Bracelet/Strap: Smooth brown leather strap enhanced with boxed stitching in a shade of cream.

Australian Retail Pricing: AU $6,250

Availability: Available now at Bremont boutiques, authorised retailers and online at au.bremont.com

During this year’s Geneva Watch Days, the team from Watch Advice had the chance to sit down with the Product Manager from Speake Marin to talk about the brand, but more specifically on the latest masterpiece that’s been created in the the Ripples Skeleton.

But, before we dive into the interview, who is Speake Marine? And what do they bring to the world of horology?

Speake Marin is quite a young brand, established in 2002 by British watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin. This is an independent brand that blends traditional watchmaking craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. Being an independent brand is a key feature for Speake Marin, as it gives them a lot of creative freedom when it comes to their designs.

What sets Speake Marin apart in the world of luxury timepieces are quite a few elements in which the brand specialises. Firstly, we get the unique case design, which has become quite iconic and is a hallmark of Speake-Marin watches. The Piccadilly case, which has been inspired by traditional English pocket watch designs, is a core element of the Ripples collection as well.

Another aspect of Speake Marin is the horological art of their watchmaking. The brand is known for its high level of artistry and craftsmanship, from the hand-finishing techniques to the open and skeletonised dials. The beauty of mechanical watchmaking is in fine hands with Speake Marin!

“An encounter between English daring and Swiss expertise, the Maison demonstrates a rich creative vein that celebrates the successful merging of design and Haute Horlogerie. The brand’s watchmaking reputation – which, 20 years after its launch, remains as strong as ever – began with the distinctive Piccadilly case featuring a sophisticated balance between its robust lugs and its slim circular shape.“

As mentioned earlier, Speake Marin is an independent brand. This means that when compared to many of the major commercial luxury brands, they can stand out in a few ways. Firstly, independence allows for greater creative freedom, with artistic designs, unique cases and almost in a way “less” influence on their overall final product. The brand truly does create eye-watering timepieces! They have also brought back traditional craftmanship back on the table, even though they have modernised this with a contemporary twist on the techniques. One element of this traditional watch design is the Breguet hands, which can be seen on some of the brand’s timepieces.

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^{An entrepreneur and watch enthusiast, Christelle Rosnoblet has been the CEO of Speake Marin since 2012, steering the ship to new horizons!}

Another aspect of independent watchmaking is the limited production to the watches. Compared to the more commercial brands, Speake Marin produces only a certain amount of timepieces per year, which gives more exclusivity to the timepieces created. As if the designs weren’t exclusive enough!

“Speake Marin is committed to create “Belle Horlogerie” – Beautiful timepieces – in the respect of Swiss fine watchmaking heritage.
All its collections are proposed in Limited editions only.
All its collections are nestled In-house/or Exceptional Movements.
All Speake Marin creations are Exclusive to Speake Marin.“

The brand’s Ripples collection has a relatively short history, as it was only released in 2022. However, this doesn’t mean that the collection isn’t able to hold up to the brand’s other noteworthy models. In fact, within the last two years, the Ripples collection has gained traction due to its unique cushion-shaped case design, its comfortability with dual micro-adjustment bracelet and the exceptional finishing found throughout the timepiece.

Related Reading: GENEVA WATCH DAYS: Speake Marin Introduces All New Ripples Skeleton (Live Pics)

With the release of the Ripples Skeleton this year, the collection has certainly now cemented its place as an icon of Speake Marin. The watch brings forth everything we expect from an independent watchmaker, plus more! It’s also refreshing to see that Speake Marin has listened to the feedback of the fanbase and clientele to adjust where necessary to make the watches more comfortable to wear.

We sat down with Julien Ehrismann to go through this latest masterpiece of horology from Speake Marin and discuss all things related to its inception and design!

“So my name is Julien…I work as the product manager, overseeing everything from design to engineering. I am not a watchmaker; I used to travel a lot to meet collectors, to meet retailers, to get their feedback as well as their passion for watches. You don’t get into this industry out of nowhere! It’s always good to meet people to discuss, and then you get a certain interpretation of watches, which is also the interpretation of Christelle Rosnoblet, who has a strong input on the design. It’s been five years and it’s been fun, we are moving forward, we are going into the right direction”

It’s certainly not easy creating a skeleton watch. Many brands do shy away from this due to complexity and also being able to execute it properly. Speake Marin is no stranger to creating skeleton watches, however, with some of the other collections from the brand already featuring skeleton dial timepieces. While each of the existing collections features at least one skeletonised model, the brand also has dedicated skeleton collections such as Openworked and the brand’s more exclusive Haute Horologerie collection. It’s a great way to showcase the workmanship of a watch. Because it’s a skeleton, you can’t hide a lot. It’s almost like going naked for a watch!

“Yes, this is true; you can see all the features of the watch, so that is important. It’s a good offering; the skeleton is a good way to be transparent; okay, this way, you can see all the components. You can see that the balance wheel is made from Le Cercle des Horlogers, and we are not ashamed of that! It’s good; you have a direct second (as he points to the seconds sub-dial at 1 o’clock), and you can see it is placed right next to the escapement; the micro-rotor can be seen as well (9 o’clock on the dial), which is specific to this calibre. It’s not like an adjusted calibre for Speake Marin. It’s a calibre that is brand new and created specifically for Speake Marin and the Ripples Skeleton. If we take the Reverso on your wrist (referencing the Reverso on Chamath’s wrist) it can be a nightmare to skeletonise. Would it become reliable? If it doesn’t work properly, what’s the use of the micro-rotor? That was a big trial for us when creating the Ripples Skeleton.”

One thing that was certainly noticeable from the Ripples Skeleton is that this is one of those timepieces that just by looking at it from photos you don’t get to see the watch to its full glory. In other words, photos don’t do the watch justice. This is because one of the standout features of the Ripples Skeleton, besides being a skeletonised version of the Ripple watch, is that it has an incredible shine! Just the way the light hits some of the facets and the way they shine felt like Speake Marin spent a substantial amount of work into the baseplate and the movement.

“Actually when we started, we were co-developing the movement next to the design. This is actually the best way to do a skeleton; you develop it based on the design you would expect. For the Ripples Skeleton its a contemporary design of the skeleton dial. We still have to retain the core shape of the Ripples timepiece. The bridges on the dial that hold the movement are all horizontal, much like the Ripple’s waves, which are also horizontal. We kept the ripples as well on the small seconds. So, the identity is still there. It was extremely complicated to do this in small seconds. The indices are 0.10mm, so good luck! Haha”

Keeping the small seconds is vital to most timepieces. However, in the case of the skeleton watch this can be especially tricky as readability is a huge factor. Do you have a central seconds hand like a normal three-hander or do you have a dedicated subdial, and in doing so do you then skeletonise it as well to suit the rest of the dial. This is sometimes why we see brands opt not to show the constant seconds on skeletonised dials, as it can be tricky to implement. With the Ripples Skeleton, Speake Marin has been able to integrate a dedicated seconds subdial without losing the essence of the watch, and in a way add to the overall aesthetic of the timepiece with the exceptional finishing on the subdial.

“It’s true; it’s usually lost within the other features because the skeleton dial drowns it out. But on the Ripples Skeleton, the seconds dial is one of the main focus points. It actually makes sense to do it this way. A skeleton watch is a headache. You question every curve, and you wonder, why did we start this? In regards to the movement, we could’ve gone thinner than 3.25mm. Still, after a certain point, you have to respect the size and technicality of the 3.25mm movement size. We also included the small seconds, which are part of the movement as the bridges hold the gear train. If we build the seconds on the mainplate, however, getting a thinner movement on this calibre could be possible. However, this may not be something we will do, as you can always go thinner, thinner, and thinner all the time, but it’s unnecessary.”

Creating ultra-thin watches comes with its own set of challenges and complexities. Especially since you want to skeletonise the dial and show all the watch’s components, while it can be a technical marvel to create ultra-thin watches, you also need to create watches that are wearable and also versatile. Unless it’s a limited-edition model of only a handful of timepieces, it needs to have a degree of comfortable wearability and versatility that will still cater to a large audience. The lower you go in a watch’s thickness, the more you also lose. So it’s all about finding the balance of creating a thin timepiece while still keeping the essence of what makes the watch great and highly desired intact.

“Yes, if a watch is not comfortable and is not easy to use, it can be a headache and usually will end up in the safe. It’s sad because we believe watches have to be worn. Because wearing your watch is enjoying your watch. You have to find the right line of being too thin. If you go thinner as well, the crown will not be screwed down, so you have to compromise a lot to go thinner. For example, we checked with three different crown makers, who said that the thickness is the minimum we can go (3.25mm). Any thinner and you should remove the screw-down crown. You should not question what you would do with the watch because you also have the integrated bracelet and water depth rating.”

People will consider things like water resistance important, especially for a watch to have around 10ATM (100 metres). However, 50m with a screw-down crown is still very wearable for swimming in a pool. For a dip in the pool, this will do the job fine!

“We were questioning the crown’s design as it is lower on the case. It is easy to handle, and the design proportions are slightly minimal. When you pull the crown, it comes out of the guards by around 0.10mm. It’s nothing! You don’t even feel it. It also has a secure, winding feel. You get full power with 50 complete rotations.”

For the very first time, Speake Marin is using 904L steel as the case material for a Ripple’s timepiece. Previously, the brand used 316L steel, which is the standard steel used throughout traditional watchmaking.  Using 904L steel offers a much higher percentage of nickel, chromium, and copper, increasing the material’s resistance to corrosion and acids. The higher chromium content in 904L steel means that when it’s polished, it will shine a lot brighter! Perfect for the polish-finished bevelled edges on the bezel of the case, which, when paired next to the brushed finish surfaces, allows the watch to stand out beautifully.

“It’s only steel being used through the Ripples Skeleton, but we have increased the quality of steel used for this version, which is 904 steel. This is good because 904 steel is brighter. However, it is slightly harder to work with. So that’s the difficulty, but it’s also more resistant, which is useful once you start wearing it. It’s hard to say the hours worked to achieve this level of finish. It certainly does take a lot of time, but it is also extremely difficult because you have a certain thickness of the bevel, usually around 0.45mm, so that the case has its defined angle shapes.“

“If you push it too hard when bevelling, you end up removing a lot of material that you obviously can’t get back. Some bridges are made of German silver because they are more resistant, so to be honest, it was extremely complicated to reach all these details. But we did it. We have a good team working on this model. I met them every week until we had the finished product. We first had the theory, which is the concept design. Then comes the practicality, which is creating the product, which is very tricky as it is the most challenging part.“

Speake Marin has used an ultra-high frequency movement named SMA07, which beats at a rate of 5Hz (36,000 VpH). As we know, the Ripples Skeleton has reduced its overall thickness from 9.20mm to 6.30mm. This significant reduction of almost 30% is down to the new generation SMA07 calibre movement, which is only 3.25mm thick. Creating an automatic movement that beats at 5Hz in such a thin size is an achievement in itself. The movement, as stated earlier, is made alongside Le Cercle des Horlogers, who were able to design the movement in a way such that all the core elements (micro-rotor, balance wheel, small seconds, etc.) are retained for view, and the thickness of the movement can be kept to as minimal as possible.

Balancing the power reserve with a high-frequency movement can also be quite tricky. Normally, as the high-frequency drains energy faster, the movement’s power reserve can be hindered. However, Speake Marin was able to find the balance by offering 52 hours of operating time.

“For a movement to have 5Hz is quite interesting. When you wear the watch and it takes a shock, for example, it will only affect the balance wheel one way. With a higher frequency, you will be less affected when the watch comes across small shocks. In other words, a 1Hz movement is more affected compared to a movement with 5Hz. 5Hz is also quite interesting to keep track of time. The seconds will also move much smoother. For the Ripples Skeleton, it is also direct seconds. What does this mean? The seconds sub-dial is placed right after the escapement, so it’s always under tension. If it’s in the centre like a traditional timepiece, you have the gear space that will affect that. With the Ripples Skeleton, you have direct energy transfer. Many big brands do that; I’m a big fan of brands that do that, for example, Grubel Foresey; I love how they do it; they build their movement like that. They have the small seconds near the escapement. I love many brands that do this, which is also the issue!”

“With regard to the power reserve, we are sometimes limited in space. In this case, we have a minimum of 52 hours of power reserve. Based on calculations, it’s 60 hours. We tend to always have more than what’s stated. It was a big question. Initially, we wanted more. Afterwards, you have to compromise. 52-60 hours is comfortable for operating. 5hz consumes a lot of energy!”

One certain aspect of the movement design that stood out was the mainspring barrel. When you wind the watch, you can actually see the mainspring barrel turn. This is the whole point of skeletonised movements: to see the timepiece’s inner workings in action. However, with the Ripples Skeleton, Speake Marin has done a wonderful job in how they display the mainspring barrel. Other brands, without naming names, simply just whack the barrel on the movement or have a dedicated section for the barrel. While this can have its own aesthetic purposes, it seems like the attention is drawn away from the skeletonised movement, and your eye is immediately drawn to the barrel upon first look. What Speak Marin has done well here is that they have implemented the mainspring barrel as one with the architecture of the skeletonised dial.

“It’s not completely open. While the top of the barrel is open, the main bridge and different arms hold it. You don’t see it fully, as it blends with the rest of the skeletonised framework. What is interesting in terms of the design of the watch, as you said, is the construction of the dial is really around the centre. It’s designed in a way that when you go clockwise around the watch, there is always a different element. From the small seconds at 1 o’clock, the power reserve barrel between 4 and 5 o’clock to the micro-rotor at 9 o’clock and finally, the balance wheel at 12 o’clock!“

“I think this design is good. Because sometimes, when the skeletonised watch is “too skeleton”, you can see wrist hairs and whatnot, and some people can be bothered by this. With this Ripples Skeleton, you can show everything, with having some free space as well.”

What Speake Marin has done well in regard to their watch designs, including the Ripples collection, is listen to the feedback of the watch community and Speake Marin enthusiasts. The brand has gone and talked with different collectors to get their opinions on the watches. Take the Ripples collection for example, the small adjustment of the bracelet is a huge win in terms of wearability. Rarely do you see a design where you get micro-adjustments on both sides of the bracelet, which certainly allows for finer adjustments and better fit every day. It almost negates the feeling of a watch not fitting properly because you can still remove the desired number of links and then have the micro-adjustment do the rest.

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^{With the double micro-adjustment available on the Ripples Skeleton, the watch fits with ease on the wrist, providing comfortable wear on the wrist.}

“We try when we start with watches actually to get designs that’s useful and easy to wear. If you talk to the collectors, they say that I love micro-adjustment, so why don’t you do half-links etc? They think it’s a simple solution but it’s not always the case. The Ripples Skeleton is comfortable to wear. Your wrist can expand due to different temperatures, which means sometimes there can be a minor difference in your wrist size, and everybody is different. The Ripples Skeleton has a 2mm adjustment, which isn’t big; however, it’s big enough to make a difference.”

“It’s 2mm on both sides of the bracelet too, which makes 4mm of total micro-adjustment. We try to adjust that as much as possible so you can get a better fit. That was the feedback from the community when we introduced the first Ripples. We were given feedback that people loved the watch, were wearing it, but it was very tight on the wrist. They were asking for a half-link, and while this is good, this adjustment won’t fit all the wrists. By offering 2mm micro-adjustment on both sides, we can cater to a broader audience.”

“One retailer in Vienna told me you don’t look at the watch with your eyes, you look at it with your hands. This is correct because you put it on your wrist and see how it feels. Some were also saying that the inner links of the bracelet were a bit sharp, because of the satin finish, which will give a very angled part of the link, so we listened to the feedback and smoothed it out! This way the watch can sit on the hand properly. All of this is once again done to satisfy the comfortability.”

Continuing with the design aspect of the Ripples Skeleton, another immediately noticeable feature of the watch is the brand’s signature hand-flame-blued hour/minute hands, with the hour hand having a heart-shaped tip. This hand design is quite consistent throughout Speake Marin’s watch collections. The Ripple collection features solely this hand design, with the hands being rhodium plated to match the hour indices. The fact that Speake Marin decided to use blued hands is the perfect choice here.

One aspect of skeletonised watches that brands sometimes forget is that it’s still a timepiece at the end of the day. You still need to be able to read the time in one form or another. When you have the hand’s colour matching with the skeleton architecture of the movement, it simply blends in too much and reading the time at first glance becomes harder than it should be. If Speake Marin were to use rhodium-plated hands, they, too, would have fallen into this trap.

“In regards to the hands, as you can see, they are a beautiful blue, but originally, we were going to do them rhodium-plated, like completely grey in colour. Actually, it’s an internal fight because of its conceptual nature. You know, the point of the skeleton is to dive into the movement, not to have the hands overshadow this. Or you go for the blue steeled hands, which is quite a traditional design for Speake Marin. It’s a balance between aesthetics and function! It’s still a watch, at the end of the day, so you need to be able to tell the time clearly, too! Christelle Rosnoblet actually said we could do two prototypes, one with grey hands and one with blue hands. We tried both and decided which one was better, so there was no discussion afterwards, hahaha. It’s good to test the different ideas!“

With the Ripples Skeleton is cementing the collection’s place in Speake Marin history, and being a show-stopper at Genena Watch Days 2024, we can now, in a way, look to the future to see what else the brand can bring to the table. Speake Marin has tested the waters in creating a successful skeleton watch with an extra thin movement, whilst also being loved by enthusiasts and collectors. It’s possible to see the brand adding in other complications such as moon-phase, however, with the other Ripples models featuring a date window at 6 o’clock, this may be the next evolution of the Ripples Skeleton. Another possibility may be a material change, however, the Ripples collection is consistent in staying with steel, so we would more than likely see the non-skeleton Ripple models change first. A more probable change could certainly be a colour change to the skeleton framework of the movement!

“The moon phase is a complication that is quite traditional, so would it fit in a contemporary interpretation of watchmaking like the Ripples Skeleton? Honestly, it’s hard to say. A material change is certainly possible!”

“As I mentioned before, the movement is 3.25mm thin. However, we can possibly push it to 2.5mm, which is a marvellous playground as you can do so many things around it. Our goal is to always have the watch under 10 mm in thickness, even with complications, so that comfort is retained, especially when you have high-end complications.”

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^{The watch and movements are manufactured and assembled in the brand’s “Cercle des Horlogers” workshop. The engineers and watchmakers here will design and execute any future versions of Ripples Skeleton!}

“In this industry, shrinking the timepiece’s thickness is an incredible challenge, as there is more work required, which also means more costs involved.”

“In saying that, I guess if we don’t aim to do things like this, what’s the point of being an independent brand? We are lucky that Christelle Rosnoblet is right here, and she is open to trying things. She’s not restrictive, which is a good thing, because you have so many different things that have been done in the watch industry for centuries. So the question is, what is adaptive for you, what can be done for you and what identifies your brand? It’s always something you think about. Working in the watch industry is a passion. If you don’t like it, you cannot stand it! You have to be crazy to love watches. When you do it for love, it’s rewarding!”

The Speake Marin Ripples Skeleton is one of the timepieces for the best release of Geneva Watch Days 2024. As mentioned previously, initially, when the Watch Advice team saw the timepiece, they were excited by how well-designed and executed the skeleton dial was. However, this is a watch you need to see in person. The finishing of the movement and the overall watch just cannot be captured through images or press photos. So, when we saw the watch in person, we were delighted by how beautifully executed the timepiece was. It’s not just a timepiece with aesthetics. It’s a watch where form and functionality combine to deliver a total package.

“Haha, thank you, but you have big competition with the other releases on show! The idea for the Ripples Skeleton was to really push the reflection on the watch. Because a watch that doesn’t play with light is a bit boring. The more you wear the watch, the better you appreciate it! You have many details, such as the bridges. The sides have been sandblasted, which means that they will absorb the light. Then you get satin finishes on the watch, which will reflect the light. This mix is what makes it dance with light!”

As our conversation with Julien Ehrismann drew to a close, it became so much clearer just how much passion and great attention to detail go into creating a watch like the Ripples Skeleton. It was certainly our pleasure learning and gaining a deeper understanding of the intricate details, such as the artistic design, and the more complex challenges of creating not only a skeletonised timepiece but also an extra-thin movement! It’s safe to say we left with a deeper appreciation for Speake Marin and what they bring to the table in the world of independent watchmaking!

The watch world is such an interesting world, mainly due to the people who live and breathe it day to day. By that I mean those who work in the brands that we all love and are the ones responsible for driving them forward. Be it the CEO, or the Brand Director, the watchmakers working tirelessly in the Manufacture, or those responsible for the designs we find so attractive. Whomever you talk to, they always have a story to tell, and none more so than IWC’s Associate Director of Watch and Movement Assembly, Markus Bühler who has been pivotal in IWC’s movement development over his career, so much so, that he even has two watches named after him!

We sat down with Markus during Watches & Wonders this year, and picked his brains on what motivates him to do what he does, how IWC is pushing forward with their in-house movements, and of course, his involvement in the world record-holding Portugieser Eternal Calendar that was the talk of the show!

For a man who started out as a carpenter, and is now largely responsible for some of IWC’s high-end movements, he’s achieved a lot over his career but still remains very humble about this, with a sense of pride and humility, which you will see evidence of below. He is a people person and believes this is where the heart of watchmaking lies, the people. And we don’t think he is wrong as at the end of the day, watches have this funny ability to connect people together from all over the world. Watch fairs like Watches & Wonders, Geneva Watch Days, and even local get-togethers are evidence of this.

The other thing very evident when talking to Markus is his passion, for IWC and watches in general, and for those that are reading this and not following something they are passionate about, Markus is a walking example of making a change and following a dream!

“I started my career as a carpenter, and after 10 years of this, I decided to stop because this profession didn’t fill me with passion, I felt that it was not right. I was looking for a new career and watchmaking had always been on my mind, ever since I was a little boy. Thankfully IWC gave me the chance to start as an older apprentice, and for that, I’ve been thankful for most of my life, as it has absolutely not felt like working.”  

Hearing this, you can’t help but feel a little inspired, and personally, we can resonate with this as Watch Advice was a passion project and a dream originally that has (but not for a lot of hard work) come to life for all of us who work here. Talking to Markus, he describes it as a sort of miracle he’s been able to do what he does over the past two decades or more, and how his career grew from an apprentice to now.

“Yes, it was a miracle for me. For the past 23 years, I have been able to do something I love. After I finished my apprenticeship, I took over the position of prototype watchmaker, which is just one of the many positions in the company I had the chance to fill. After that, I took over the lead of industrialisation – we cared for the processes which are necessary to produce quality watches. After doing this for a while, I had the chance to take over the assembly department where I could see each process step by step. So for the last 23 years for me, everything has felt right, and everything I wanted IWC gave me a chance to do it, so yeah I’m in a lucky situation!“

Unlike your standard office job, Markus’s day-to-day isn’t the same. When asked about this, he chuckles with a smile as he finds the right way to articulate this, which he does wonderfully given his job title. He can be doing any of a hundred things in any given week, but at its core, it is all about the watch movement and watch assembly, and both he cares deeply about.

“I care about what we produce, and that we assemble watches at the highest quality. The daily business is linked to people because the work of assembling movements in watches is done by people. So, people relationships is one of the key points you have to manage as an Associate Director. It’s not just about the watches themselves. That said, I often go into the [watchmaking] department to see if everything is running and as was taught as a watchmaker because it is important that the quality level is the highest it can be every time.“

And while we could talk more about this, our time is limited with Markus, so we need to come to the topic of the Portugieser Eternal Calendar. Now for those playing catch up, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar was one of the stars of Watches & Wonders 2024. IWC Schaffhausen is known for their Perpetual Calendars, and has some of the nicest PC’s on the market today – like those released at this year’s show.

However, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar is not your everyday Perpetual Calendar. It has a moonphase that is accurate to only a 1-day deviation in 45,000,000 years, which when you think about this feat of engineering, is just crazy. Sometimes we forget that these watches are tiny machines and calculators of sorts, and they can adjust for the days, months, years, and leap years, not to mention moonphases, and all by gears, wheels, and cogs on your wrist!

Talking to Markus about this, we wanted to find out a little more from his perspective about how this came to be, and how much input he and his team had with the Eternal Calendar. To start with, we ask about the conceptualisation of the piece, and just how, or more accurately speaking, WHY make the Eternal Calendar?

“I mean IWC as an “engineering brain” [so to speak] is never comfortable with what we’ve achieved, and we always want to go further and further and further. If you look at the history of perpetual calendars, we started in 1985 with the perpetual calendar where the moon phase was accurate for 122 years. This meant after 122 years you have a deviation of one day and being a perpetual calendar, that means we also need to consider all the leap years.”

“As a second stage, we improved the moon phase precision to 577.5 years. While this was great, we were never comfortable with the results, we wanted to go further. We decided to work on both the moonphase and the Perpetual Calendar itself, which we changed to an Eternal Calendar. What does this mean? It means we now respect the rules of 100 years – which is exactly the same rules as for the leap year. The leap year describes the four-year cycle: Over three years, there are no leap years, and in the fourth there is. So, looking at 100 years, the space is the same in a 400-year cycle. The first three centuries are no leap years and the last century in that 400-year cycle there is and we implemented this in the perpetual calendar to make it Eternal.”

RELATED READING: IWC Receives Guinness World Record For The Eternal Calendar

As a slight aside, the Gregorian calendar only runs up to the year 3999, and we don’t know if the year 4000 will be a leap year or not. When we first heard this, it’s strange as you think of time as being more or less linear and how hard is it to work out if the year 4000 will be a leap year or not? But the fact is, the Earth, Sun, and Moon are not designed by humans to work on our system of time. It’s the other way around. We have based our entire timekeeping system on the rotation of the Earth, the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, and the Moon’s rotation around the Earth, all of which are not exact to our method of time. Due to this, we as humans have, and will again need to, adjust the years and our tracking of time to make up for those small seconds, minutes, and hours we lose over the course of a year, decade, and centuries.

But if it was decided that the year 4000 was in fact a leap year, then according to Markus, the 577.5-year accuracy we now have for the moonphase in an IWC Perpetual Calendar wouldn’t be enough. “So we calculated by 22 trillion calculation runs on a gear train to get us to a theoretical 45,000,000 year accuracy of the moon phase. Together, this is a very good showcase for eternity and for the engineering approach of IWC.“

While Markus wasn’t designing the Eternal Calendar, he and his team played a large role in bringing this piece to fruition.

“Personally, being responsible for movement assembly I care about the assembly process along with our most skilled watchmakers, so we took over the concept from R&D with the prototypes and tried to assemble the first movements to find out if it worked. In order to reach the quality levels customers expect, we would then give feedback to the R&D team to improve on the right things.”

And not surprisingly, there are not a lot of people who are skilled or qualified to work on such a movement. It takes a lot of brains and many years of expertise to do this. Markus explains: “This is a very special, high-complication piece and we have just a handful of watchmakers who are able to assemble such a specialty piece like the Portugieser Eternal Calendar. The other area we needed to focus on for this complication that is important was the tuning – you have to tune the calendar, you have to program it to make sure that the calendar is “eternal” and doesn’t shift on the wrong movement.”

Complex movements require answers to complex questions, and having heard Physicist, Brian Cox talk about time and eternity, it was time to ask our own tough question of Markus. Yes, it’s silly, but one we as watch nerds need to ask… If you had to pick one watch, one that is sentimental to you or your career with IWC, what would that be? What’s that one piece that holds a special place in your heart? His answer, while sounding like a deferral to the question really sums up Markus Bühler, a lover of watches with a deep love of IWC.

“This question I ask myself many times, but I cannot answer this question because every watch we produce, every watch we develop is one thing that has gone through my organisation and the watchmaker’s hands. When we think about the process and how we create watches, a Pilot Mark XX is absolutely the same in my mind as a Perpetual Calendar – for me there is no difference between the different model types. For me, every watch is something unique we produce.”

But there is one watch that is special, and this is the watch, or rather the two watches that are named after him – the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Markus Bühler. The original ref. 5003 was created back in 2003, during the Prix IFHH de l’Horlogerie for apprentice watchmakers in Switzerland. For this competition, Markus came up with a simple yet remarkable timepiece, and out of a total of 64 contestants, Markus’s design emerged victorious. IWC went on to produce 12 pieces as a limited edition which eventually went to market in 2008, and last year, IWC brought back the modern interpretation of the watch with the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 Tourbillon Markus Bühler. So, an interview with the man himself would not be complete without asking about this. His reaction was priceless as Markus was lost for word for a little bit – literally speechless!

“Yeah, I’m really speechless because I had the chance in my early days as a watchmaker to win this competition and IWC gave me the chance. We, together, produced 12 of these watches out of this competition 15 years ago and recently we decided together, “Hey, let’s have a look at all the themes to bring in a new edition of the watch”. So we chose the Tourbillon, and I mean it’s one of the highest complications and I was proud to work on the tourbillon with the teams to bring this signature design to market. And if you ask me if I’m proud, I think I’m very proud to make all these customers happy.

RELATED READING: The IWC Big Pilot Markus Bühler Edition Is Back!

His reaction and expressions as he’s talking about this are of pure joy, excitement, and pride from a man who puts his heart and soul into the watches he works on. Markus mentions people again and reinforces our earlier points on watches connecting people from around the world as coincidentally, he met a couple of customers who purchased the new iteration of his namesake.

“In fact, just today I met two of the owners of this watch, and when I saw them and their smile, I realised I did something right! Yes, I’m proud. I think about that point and I’m proud to have these happy customers. They travelled such a long way from Australia to Switzerland to pick up the watch and meet me before dinner, and then we talked about watches and all these passion points. I think this is something which is unbelievable!

This is probably one of the best parts of this industry, the connections you make as you go through your journey as a collector, or your journey working in the industry for a brand, retail outlet, or like us, the media. Yes, the watches are fun and what draws us all together, but the people are what make it.

Before we said goodbye, we had to ask Markus if he had ever been to Australia before.

“No, no unfortunately not. I have to do this! It’s funny, you know I’m absolutely a fan of these gold mining guys (Talking about the reality show, Aussie Gold Hunters) who are looking for gold with these detectors in these fields. I have to get down there one day!”

We hope he does make it down to see us one day, and as we were able to see his part of the world during our visit to the IWC Manufacture in Schaffhausen, it would be great to host him in ours. But before we say our final goodbyes, we need to ask the ultimate watch question – what watch are you wearing today?

“I am wearing a 3716. It’s a very special piece because it was a gift from IWC for my 20th anniversary with IWC. It’s not from the new collection, but it’s a timeless piece!”

And this is where we wrapped up the conversation with Markus. It was great to meet him personally and talk with someone who has so much passion for what they do and still loves their job and career after 23 years. In fact it’s not uncommon to meet people who have worked in the watch industry and same company for a long time, even to the point for some, it’s a generational occupation. For Markus Bühler, it’s a lifelong love of watches, and dedication to the company that gave him his start and helped make his personal dream a reality.

Hublot’s association with the sea may not be all that evident at first glance to many, but the Swiss brand has long had ties with the ocean – in fact it’s right there in the name, Hublot means Porthole in French. Naming conventions aside, Hublot has a strong R&D arm, Hublot Xplorations which was set up primarily to assist with exploration dives and discoveries under the waves, one of which is the Antikythera Shipwreck, which we covered here. So it’s no surprise that Hublot has partnered with Swiss professional sailor, Alan Roura since 2022 and this year, brings out a limited edition piece that has both nods to his vessel, IMOCA and also Hublot’s origins.

The first thing you notice about the Big Bang Unico Sailing Team is the design and colours. Hublot has opted to mirror the colour combination of Alan Roura’s boat, IMOCA with the black carbon fiber case and pops of bright yellow on the dial and the strap. This colour combination is also a bit of a nod to Hublot’s heritage, with the black and gold colouring bringing back notions of the Hublot Classic Original of the 1980s with the gold case and black rubber strap.

Hublot has kept the Big Bang Unico DNA with this piece and adapted it to suit the needs of Alan Roura as well as the aesthetics of the IMOCA. You still have the open-worked dial which is a staple on the Big Bang Unico with the date wheel peeping through the outer track, small seconds at 9 o’clock and the minutes counter at 3 o’clock. The chronograph hand has a distinctive pop of yellow to easily track the chronograph seconds on the rehaut as does the minutes conter.

The Carbon Fibre case keeps this piece ultra light, which is what you want when tackling the open ocean and darting back and forth on a sailing yacht to keep it under control. The Big Bang Unico Sailing Team is in the 42mm size variant, which I feel is the sweet spot for the Unico range – not too big, not too small. The 14.5mm thickness is negated really by the lightness of the watch, not to mention the all-black carbon fibre design – you know what they say, black is slimming!

“This is the third year running that I’ve worked with Hublot. I’m impressed, as always, by their ability to
constantly push their own limits. I have been sailing with a Big Bang Original since 2022, but this Unico
Sailing Team is even lighter and more robust. In racing, everything comes down to precision and reliability. I
need to be able to count on my equipment 200%. It’s the fusion of the skipper and his equipment that makes
the difference.”

Alan Roura

Personally, I’m a sucker for a yellow and black combination watch. There is something about the way the yellow contrasts with the black, and on the Hublot Big Bang Unico Sailing Team, this is no exception. While the watch comes with a black fabric strap with a velcro fastener, I had to swap it out for the yellow rubber strap and folding buckle when taking these photos as I feel that this combination works so well. The great thing is, Hublot gives you both options included in the set so using the quick change mechanism, you can easily swap one for the other depending on how you feel on the day.

Turning the watch over, peering through the display caseback is the HUB1280 in-house flyback chronograph movement. This is one of Hublot’s in-house movements they developed from the ground up and one that I have said numerous times is one of the best chronograph movements on the market today – don’t believe me, then head into a boutique or retailer and give one a go, you will see what I mean! Hubot has kept the all-back aesthetic for the movement and has the Hublot Sailing Team emblazoned across the crystal.

RELATED READING: Watch Education & The Movements Of Hublot

Initial Thoughts

We didn’t spend a major amount of time with the Hublot Big Bang Unico Sailing Team, but enough this time around to get a good sense of the watch, what it represents and how it will potentially wear in the longer term. For those who like the ultra-sporty look, especially the black and yellow colour combination, this watch will tick a lot of boxes. Having the option to make it pop on the yellow rubber strap, or making it a little more subtle on the black fabric strap also makes this piece a little more flexible.

Like most Hublot collaborations, the Sailing Team is limited to 100 pieces worldwide and will, like most other collaborations Hublto does, sell out fairly quickly. Personally, this is a piece that is great to wear and looks good on the wrist. It is probably not your everyday piece, but you wouldn’t want it to be as you will want to appreciate it for what it is – a light, robust sports watch designed for the outdoors. Or as we are starting to warm up here in Australia, on the yellow strap, a good summer watch and if you happen to be a sailor, well then that is a bonus!

Reference: 441.QX.1149.NR.ARA24 – limited to 100 pieces

Specification:

• Case: 42mm x 14.5mm thick
• Case Material: Shiny black carbon fiber
• Dial: Matte black, open-worked dial with chronograph seconds and minutes, date at 3 o’clock
• Bezel: Shiny black carbon fiber
• Crystal: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating 
• Movement: In-house HUB1280 Automatic caliber with a flyback chronograph movement. Beating at 28,800 VpH / 4Hz and pivoting on 43 Jewels
• Case-Back: Sapphire crystal
• Water resistance: 100 metres / 10ATM
• Power reserve: 72 hours
• Strap: Black fabric with velcro and black ceramic sports buckle. Additional black and yellow lined, structured rubber strap with a black ceramic and black-plated Titanium deployant buckle.

Australian Recommended Retail Price: AUD $37,600

Availability: Available through Hublot Boutiques, authorised dealers and online at Hublot.com