2012 Chopard Classic Manufactum watch

Pocketwatch styling generally means lots of empty dial space and clean-cut, understated styling – the Classic Manufactum piece has both in abundance. The pure, pristine dial is not made from enamel but it gives an impression of purity and bareness.

 The slender numerals are positioned right at the edge of the dial and have a subtle sheen, the date window is proportioned and perfectly positioned and aligned with the 3 o’clock marker, the hands are eye-lash slim – all authentic features synonymous with traditional design.

 At 6 o’clock a railtrack encloses the small seconds subdial.  Inside is the Chopard Calibre 01.04-C automatic movement with 60 hours of power reserve.

The Chopard Classic Manufactum will be available in rose gold, yellow gold and white gold editions, each polished and trim-bezeled case will measure 38mm across – on-trend for the smaller wrist/vintage styling so popular in recent times, and will be presented on a black alligator strap.

Inside is an in-house movement, developed and created in the brand’s Fleurier Manufacture but, unlike the highly regarded L.U.C. collection, it is not the calibre which seeds to pay tribute to the establisher of the Chopard brand, but rather the styling of the piece which takes strong inspiration from the pocketwatches from which the young M.Chopard first gained his prized reputation.

The Scheufele family continue to honour the founder of the company, Louis-Ulysse Chopard, this time with a new collection simply named “Classic”, this is the first piece in the portfolio, the Chopard Classic Manufactum.

2012 Zenith El Primero Espada Restraint And Refinement As Standard

  Now it is back to the classical styling and traditional values which made Zenith special in the first place – you can see it in everything that they do.  Last year’s models were superb, this year seems set to be even better.

the first edition of the historical movement was introduced in 1969 and the brand have been “dining-out”on it ever since – and why not?  it was the first (-best?) high frequency chronograph and this variation beats at 36,000 vph.The El Primero Espada will no doubt be a crowd-pleaser. 

With a 40mm stainless steel case it is perfectly sized, with those broad applied indices and faceted hands it is perfectly styled.

 Inside is the automatic in-house Zenith El Primero 4650B with 50 hours of power reserve, The date window at three o’clock is tucked right at the dial edge, and the cool little Zenith star counterweight, always a charming feature overhangs the seconds hand.

This is the Zenith El Primero Espada, a new three-handed watch for 2012, styled with the restraint and refinement that have now become the “norm” at the brand’s design department.

The “new” Zenith has shed its excess weight and the “dead wood” in a portfolio bursting with models some of which were not exactly pleasing on the eye.

2012 Zenith Pilot Doublematic World Timer watches

This is the Zenith Pilot Doublematic World Timer, one of a trio of superb aeronautical timepieces unveiled by Zenith for 2012, which hark back to a time when the brand  supplied not only precision cockpit instruments, but were also the watch of choice for some of the world’s most celebrated pilots.

 We have already featured the Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20, the Doublematic is every bit as handsome and is more than useful – it displays the instantly readable time in 24 time zones, it features an alarm function and it also packs in a 30-minute chronograph – that’s a whole caboodle of information,

 but on the dial all is orderly and neatly displayed, 24 city locations on an outer disc, day/night on an inner disc, the 30-minute counter a-top the number 3 and a generous date aperture located at 2 o’clock – an arrangement which leaves ample space for the alarm function.
This is the Zenith Pilot Doublematic World Timer, one of a trio of superb aeronautical timepieces unveiled by Zenith for 2012, which hark back to a time when the brand  supplied not only precision cockpit instruments, but were also the watch of choice for some of the world’s most celebrated pilots.

2012 Zenith Pilot Big Date Special – Well you would watch

 It certainly has all the required aviation-inspired attributes – the clarity of  white numbers and counters against a matt black dial, in-proportion counters and of course that “Big Date” aperture at 6 o’clock …. but there’s more.  There is a little quirkiness in the style of those white numerals, a little extra character in the deeply recessed date window and just a little extra diligence given to the contrasting finishing on the case.  It would appear that despite the years of discontinuity, that when it comes to creating a Pilot watch, Zenith still have the knack.Continuing the trilogy of Pilot watches unveiled by Zenith this year here’s the Zenith Pilot Big Date Special. Zenith’s boss Jean-Frédéric Dufour ordered his design department to create a limited edition aviation-inspired watch for release in 2011, and the 500 piece edition was snapped up so readily that you would have to question the wisdom of a brand who were canny enough to trademark the term “Pilot” so no other watchmaker could use it,The Zenith Pilot Big Date Special is powered by the selfwinding El Primero Calibre 4010 movement with 50 hours of power reserve housed within a 43mm steel case and comes presented on a hand-stitched leather strap or a mesh bracelet. but who were daft enough not to make a “Pilot” watch since the 1960′s. Zenith describe this one as “Modern, balanced, classic, masculine…” and they’re right.  There are many fine Pilot-styled watches out there, but if you were given the chance to slip this one into your collection, well – you just would, wouldn’t you?

2012 Longines Single Push-Piece Chronograph 180th Anniversary Limited Edition

Inside the automatic L788.2 Calibre has a 54 hour power reserve and for chronograph connoisseurs, The Longines Single Push-Piece Chronograph 180th Anniversary watch forms part of the celebratory editions for 2012 and comes presented on a brown alligator leather strap with a “dainty” buckle. the magic words “Column-Wheel”, or in other words, an integrated chronograph, not a bolted on module.  As a further bonus, this is a monopusher operated timer, hence the little protrusion on the crown and the absence of case-clutter.
It pays tribute to the brand’s first wrist chronograph developed in 1913, so naturally you would expect it to be vintage in style – and it is.  The Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph 180th Anniversary watch is a polar opposite in almost every sense.The information is neatly displayed and still allows for some empty dial space.  The balanced counters are overlayed on the dial so they nibble into the swirly numerals, there are blued steel hands and a quirky but quintessential red “12″, fundamental features back in the day.  The 40mm round case is polished to a mirror finish and looped “bracelet” lugs attach it to leather in style.

Longines Master Collection Retrograde Moon Phases

This abundant array of displays are presented on a barleycorn guillochéd dial which looks particularly sharp in the black dial option.Longines present a new piece, the Longines Master Collection Retrograde Moon Phases.  If you enjoy a bit of dial action this one has it all – six hands, four of which are slender retrogrades fluttering like flirty blue eyelashes, to these add two apertures for the moonphase and day/night indicators and you have one of the busiest dials unveiled at BaselWorld 2011. On the right is the calendar, on the left is a 24 hour second time zone with the small seconds retrograde down at the bottom. 
 The Longines Master Collection Retrograde Moon Phases watch features a classically rounded stainless steel case available in two sizes, 41mm or 44mm with brown or black alligator leather strap options.
The piece uses a new movement the automatic L701.2 Calibre with 46 hours of power reserve, which for the first time adds a day/night indicator – you’ll find it tucked in beneath the retrograde day of the week display at the top.

Hublot King Power Alinghi Limited Edition watch

The Hublot King Power Alinghi Limited Edition

Present at the launch, and recipient of piece number 1, was Ernesto Bertarelli, President of the successful Alinghi team  who later this year will defend the Americas Cup for Switzerland against US challengers Team BMW Oracle Racing in the 33rd running of the famous yacht race.

The Hublot King Power Alinghi

The new Hublot Big Bang King Power Alinghi is striking in that it’s part-skeletonised dial – beneath which beats the new in-house Hublot UNICO Calibre movement – leaves the impression that the chronograph counters appear to ‘hover’ independently between crystal and dial, a feature which is exacerbated by the Alinghi motif at the 9 o’clock position.
While it is always interesting to see the launch of new a piece, whether it is to one’s taste or otherwise, this occasion was significant in that it represented the beginning of a new era for both Team Alinghi and the Hublot brand, for previously the Alinghi name was closely associated with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore editions, a relationship which expired along with it’s contracts mid 2009.

With the signature pieces from both watchmakers being so competitively poised in adversity, one imagines that when the opportunity came around for JC Biver’s Hublot brand to pick up the torch left behind by Audemars Piguet, that he moved in fairly quickly (as is his way).

Indeed the deal was agreed in outline within 24 hours of Biver and Bertarelli discussing the potential at the unveiling of the Alinghi 5 catamaran last year.

Hublot Big Bang in Red A special for St Valentine’s day

The watch features a quartz movement whose functions are; hours, minutes and seconds.
Featured on the Hublot site under ‘Novelties’, the Big Bang in Red further underlines the company’s fun, funky  – and no doubt opportunistic – approach to it’s place among watchmakers with it’s eye on the more youthful, sporty and funloving client.

Specially manufactured for St Valentine’s Day 2010, (and don’t forget it’s February 14th!)  the new piece is somewhat of a departure from the ‘typical’ Big Bang in that it is aimed (like Cupid’s arrow) directly at the fairer sex or the male collector whose sweetheart may be feeling a little overlooked in the watch department and whose conscience is pulling at his heartstrings.The Hublot Big Bang in Red edition should surely tick that box. In keeping with the company’s Art of Fusion ethos, it is produced in a white ceramic and red composite resin 38mm case on a red alligator and natural rubber strap it is a dazzling affair indeed with it’s 126 diamonds on the steel bezel in particular catching the eye.

Basel 2012 Linde Werdelin Oktopus II Double Date

Much like Linde Werdelin’s other dive watches, the Oktopus II Double Date can be used as a platform for their Reef dive computer and this functionality explains the lack of a dive bezel on the Double Date as the Reef add-on can track this sort of data.

 Click here to see a short film promotional film for the Oktopus II Double Date.

As frequent desk-divers, we think a dive watch should always have a countdown bezel as their usefulness extends well beyond the borders of the underwater world.

After the success of the very cool SpidoSpeed and SpidoLite series, it’s not at all surprising to see Linde Werdelin commanding big luxury prices as their designs have been very well received in the market and the Oktopus II Double Date looks to be an interesting and unique addition to their line up.

This new model will be available later this year and each of the three variations carry luxury price tags, the titanium/ceramic model will cost CHF 8800 (~$9700) with the DLC titanium/ceramic model listing for CHF 9400 (~$10,400) and the titanium/rose gold commanding an eye-water price of CHF 18,500 (~$20,500).

Canada’s Momentum GMT Watches

We love the Vortech GMT’s simple aviator style, the subdued case design, and the additional contrast provided by the red and yellow hands for the Alarm and GMT settings, respectively.

Momentum is claiming the alarm is quite loud and that pricing will start at a very reasonable $285 with a yet-to-be-priced option for a sapphire crystal (the base model uses mineral glass). Even among other quartz competition, that is a strong feature set, clean styling and a wearable size, all for under $300!

Canada’s Momentum Watches has announced a very cool looking titanium aviator that features both GMT and alarm complications.

This new model is called the Vortech GMT and, given its feature set, should make for a very practical and easy-to-wear watch. This new model will be available soon and sports a 44mm titanium case with a lug to lug distance of 53mm and is powered by a Swiss ISA8176/1990 quartz movement.