What’s Tickin’
Highlights of the horological year
Watch Rebels
Independent watchmakers H Moser & Cie and MB&F have joined forces to create two horological masterpieces known as the Legacy Machine 101 MB&F x H Moser and the H. Moser x MB&F Endeavour Cyclindrical Tourbillon, melding the specialities and aesthetic signatures of both brands. MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser revisited his famous Legacy Machine 101, which in his own words is the “very quintessence of mechanical watchmaking”. For this collaborative piece, MB&F abandons its signature floating domed sub dials for the hours, minutes and 45-hour power reserve, instead placing the hands directly on the famous fumé dials by H. Moser. On the Endeavour Cyclindrical Tourbillon, the typically sleek watch takes on dramatic aesthetics inspired by MB&F’S Flyingt line with its slanted sapphire dial and its unobstructed flying tourbillon display.
Pasha 2.0
Pasha de Cartier, the round and chic wristwatch that first sashayed into the Cartier family in the 1940s and at once made an impression with its powerful yet elegant aesthetic, was relaunched in September with a refreshed look. Headlining its starstudded campaign shot by New York-based photographer Craig Mcdean were Rami Malek (pictured), Troye Sivan, Willow Smith, Maisie Williams and Jackson Wang, personalities who are as exuberant and unapologetically nonconformist as the Pasha de Cartier watch they wear. The Pasha comes in a steel version and gold, and either in 35mm and 41mm, set with diamonds or a skeleton movement.
Perfect Pitch
Patek Philippe reasserts its mastery of the music of time as it launched its first wristwatch with a grande sonnerie, thereby fulfilling the wishes – and expectations – of many connoisseurs, collectors and aficionados. Presented only in November, the grande sonnerie automatically strikes the full hours and the quarter hours. This grand complication – exceptionally rare in a wristwatch – is complemented by a petite sonnerie, a minute repeater and a patented jumping subsidiary seconds. The Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie has a new 703-part movement, cased in platinum, as well as a black dial in grand feu enamel.
A-listers
Breitling introduced the Spotlight Squad in October to coincide with the launch of its new line of Chronomat 36 and 32 watches designed for women. This elite group includes Hollywood actress Charlize Theron, American dancer Misty Copeland, and Chinese actress Yao Chen, who were chosen for being among the crème de la crème in their respective fields, and who have shattered gender stereotypes.
Dive Companions
Just when everyone thought it wouldn’t happen this year, Rolex eventually unveiled its 2020 watches in September, which included improved – and slightly larger, at 41mm – Oyster Perpetual Submariner and Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date watches which, aesthetics-wise and aside from the remodelled bracelet, stay true to the original design. The Submariner in Oystersteel (right) comes with its usual black dial, rotatable bezel and matching Cerachrom insert, while the Submariner Date now comes in a yellow Rolesor version – a combination of Oystersteel and yellow gold – with royal blue dial and a Cerachrom bezel insert.
For greater legibility the graduations on the bezels come with Cerachrom inserts in black, green or blue (depending on the case and bracelet material), while the ribbed edges also provide excellent grip, allowing divers to adjust the time even while wearing gloves. The watches are now equipped with a self-winding movement fitted with the patented Chronergy escapement made with nickel-phosphorus, making it impervious to magnetic fields.
Optimum Performance
It was a big year for Richard Mille as it presented the RM 72-01 Lifestyle In-house Chronograph, which is equipped with the brand’s first ever in-house chronograph movement. It’s a skeletonised movement, which, by the way, can be appreciated through its crystal caseback, with automatic bidirectional winding, featuring hours, minutes, small seconds, date, flyback chronograph, function indicator and stop seconds; it also boasts 50 hours of autonomy. Power efficient, the RM 72-01’s patented flyback chronograph splits the torque generated across the chronograph’s various counters; the display and the connection to the minutes and hours are then disengaged from the chronograph’s seconds wheel, optimising the chronograph’s performance.
Fly Me To The Moon
This year, Omega eventually and successfully recreated the Calibre 321, the movement that was on the Omega Speedmaster watches famously worn by the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission when man took its first-ever human footsteps on the moon. The recreated movement was fitted into special timepiece known as the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Stainless Steel, a non-limited timepiece that comes in a 39.7mm stainless-steel case. The watch’s design includes a bezel ring in polished black ceramic with a tachymeter scale in white enamel, as well as the iconic “Dot over Ninety”. Gracing the black step dial are the familiar Moonwatch hands, along with a vintage Omega logo.
Awesome Aluminium
Among the most talked about novelties this year was the Bulgari Aluminium Watch collection, a contemporary sports timepiece with its unmistakable Bulgari seal. Owning a black and white aesthetic, with options of a time and date format and a chronograph, the Aluminium looks as sharp as it did when it was first launched in 1998. As its name suggests, the watch uses aluminium, and rubber – materials not usually associated with luxury watches. Equipped with ETA movements that allow for a very accessible price point, the 2020 Bulgari Aluminium Watch is being positioned as the brand’s hipper and entry-level models targeted at the younger crowd.
Rallying Resilience
In the midst of the pandemic, IWC Schaffhausen released a series of inspiring short films in hopes of uplifting spirits. One is a beautifully shot film entitled Born of a Dream: A Boy from San Mateo, which features IWC brand ambassador Tom Brady, one of the most accomplished professional athletes of all time, telling his story of how he pursued his childhood dream relentlessly and passionately, which eventually led him to become a champion quarterback. In the film, Danish director Rune Milton takes the audience on a visually stunning and captivating ride to some of the most significant milestones in Brady’s life and early career.