Watches - another OCD problem
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Laurent Ferrier is making the buzz with their new integrated bracelet sport model, the lovely, blue dial Sport Auto. Clearly inspired by the Tourbillon Grand Sport, but considerably cheaper at only (hm…) CHF46,000.
https://laurentferrier.ch/products/sport-auto-blue
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Lovely! I love everything but whatever is going on around the date window and I can't make my mind up on whether the crown fits the aesthetic. But the numerals in the date window are attractive. The hands, indices, case, bracelet, movement… beautiful!
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Everything LF does is exquisite. Especially the movement
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Yeah–I mean look closely at the jewels even...
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Largest one I still own - 46.3mm. Haven't worn it in a while though. The only world timer I've ever seen with San Francisco representing Pacific Time instead of LA.
Maybe we do a group wrist shot on Saturday @Giles ?
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So, Leica is releasing 2 luxury watches, made entirely in house, which is impressive. They're not cheap, at $10k and $14k respectively. The movement and technical solutions are innovative, and the watches look very well made on the press pictures. I like to look at the hands, induces, and crown / pushers to see whether corners have been cut, and they look impressive on those watches. The more expensive L2 has a GMT function, which I tend to think is one of the most useful complication, but I don't like the solution they chose. They chose a compressor-style internal bezel for the second time zone and a day / night indicator. I tend to prefer 24h dials on GMTs. I'm also curious about the crown. You actually have to press the monopusher to set the watch instead of pulling the crown.
https://leica-camera.com/en-int/World-of-Leica/Leica-Watch
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IWC are doing a world tour for their Big Pilot watches. This involves sending a few shipping containers around the world, and they were in Melbourne over the weekend. I figured that it would be rude not to take a look…
The Big Pilot was released in a "Mojave" ceramic case last year. Time and Tide watches were excited about it last week when they got to try it on, but I didn't feel it sat well with my pale skin tone. It looks pretty good, though.
If I was to get an IWC, it'd probably be either the Timezoner, the titanium Big Pilot 43, or the unfortunately named Big Pilot Big Date Mission Accomplished (which gives me flashbacks to Dubya's speech on the carrier) that I've seen before, but wasn't at the roadshow.
The Not-So-Big Pilot came out in bronze a couple of months ago. In the press pictures the dial is a brighter green, but it looks almost black in my photo. With the case patinated to black, it's a much more stealth piece than I expected, and I liked it more in the metal.
I was really keen to see the titanium version. Again, the markings look better in real life than in the pre-release renderings. The watch feels heavier than I expected, probably because the lightweight case is offset by a heavy, soft-iron Faraday cage.
Lastly, there was the Timezoner in Ceratanium, which was my favourite. Rotating the bezel changes the time zone displayed, which I haven't had a chance to try before as most watches are wrapped up in plastic for display.
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I enjoy your reviews a great deal @Graeme even if I never comment on the watches. Don’t know much about them at all but I get a kick out of your expert, caring and meticulous commentary. I also feel I’m very slowly getting a free education on the subject. This last bit will be useful if I ever decide to get myself a wristwatch.
Keep it coming!
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@motojobobo glad you like the posts.
I don't think that I'm a particular expert, although there probably aren't a huge number in watch journalism either. Jack Forster strikes me as one of the most knowledgeable. Jason Heaton, who used to write for Hodinkee but hasn't published there anything in nearly a year, is probably the best for reading about diving watches, as he actually takes them diving. (These days he seems to be doing The Grey NATO Podcast.)
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@Graeme – Heaton also has a super rad Substack that I subscribe to. Worth checking out.
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@henry_david thanks. He seems to be writing more under his own banner these days. I hadn't really been following him as much as I should.
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@Graeme the first 3 are my absolute fav.
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Girard-Perregaux have released a new version of their seventies digital watch, the Casquette. This time around, it's in a period-incorrect ceramic and titanium case and costs $4700.
More details at Monochrome.
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Because I have questionable tastes in watches.
Despite that, apparently the Casquette 2.0 has already sold out online. Looks like I was too slow.
If your tastes are a bit more conservative, Monochrome have published their annual Rolex predictions about what models they would like to see released next month. Not that you'll be able to buy any of them.
I like their Milgauss and titanium Yacht-Master concepts. Ben Ainslie was spotted rocking a prototype of the latter, so it's not impossible that Rolex will produce it.
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Totally different pricing tier, but I do enjoy UR Werk when it comes to that sort of side-oriented design.
