In the Loupe
A closer look at some of this year’s novelties from watch brands around the world
A LANGE & SÖHNE
A Lange & Söhne has produced split-seconds timepieces before, though until now these have always been in conjunction with another complication – one only need think about the Tourbograph Pour la Mérite, for example. With the arrival of the 1815 Rattrapante Honeygold, however, the splitseconds complication gets to stand alone, And why not, when the mechanism required to display the difference between two times is by definition highly complex, involving as it does a pair of column wheels, one for the normal chronograph operation and the other for the split-seconds hand? With the Rattrapante Honeygold, the house has given the complication the justice it deserves by producing an absolutely exquisite watch in a 41.2mm by 12.6mm case with a black solid-silver dial, a seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and a 30-minutes totaliser subdial at 12; three pushers are arranged around the case, at 2, 4 and 10 o’clock. Power comes from a hand-wound L101.2 calibre, whose silver plates and bridges, and polished-steel mechanisms are gloriously displayed through a rear crystal; the movement runs at 21,600vph for a reserve of 58 hours. Manufactured to mark 175 years of watchmaking in the Lower Saxony town of Glashütte, this breathtaking timepiece is available in a limited edition of 100 pieces. JW
AUDEMARS PIGUET
Although many in the horological community were baffled by Audemar Piguet’s Code 11.59 when it appeared in early 2019, finding entry-level versions curiously characterless and bland, that hasn’t stopped the maison from pushing the new collection to the limit. The latest Code 11.59, the Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie, is a case in point: its name alone tells you that it’s a very special watch indeed, the chiming grande sonnerie mechanism being one of the most complex complications of all to master. No so, however, for Audemars Piguet, which over the years has presented us with several grande sonnerie timepieces before revealing its own Supersonnerie technology in 2014. This Code 11.59 represents an even greater achievement, as it combines the Supersonnerie mechanism with grande and petite sonnerie complications, as well as repetition minutes, so that the watch chimes as if it were a miniature clock tower on the wrist. Just as impressive is the gorgeous Paillonné enamel dial, which is painstakingly hand-created by Swiss enamelist Anita Porchet – though fortunately for her eyesight, the Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie is produced in a highly limited edition of just five pieces. JW
BREGUET
Established in Paris in 1775 and one of the world’s oldest continually operating watch brands,
Breguet is also known for pioneering several horological technologies, not least the tourbillon, which was first revealed in 1801.
Following the end of the Napoleonic
Wars, Breguet also manufactured marine clocks for the British Royal Navy. Based in Switzerland since the mid-1970s and today part of the Swatch Group, Breguet is still highly regarded for its haute horlogerie craftsmanship and techniques. Typical of the latter is the Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597, which was introduced in 2020 but references early pocket watches made by the company’s founder, Abraham
Louis Breguet. In a 40mm case of pink or white gold, this beautiful and yet utterly masculine watch features a silvered-gold, off-centred time dial at 12 o-clock and a large retrograde date complication with a stepped bluedsteel hand that takes up much of the lower half of the dial, behind which much of the workings are visible, including the central mainspring. Featuring a thoroughly modern silicium balance spring, the automatic movement provides a power reserve of 50 hours. The Quantième Rétrograde joins six other references in the Tradition collection, ranging from a time-only model with retrograde seconds hand and a twin-dial GMT to a 37mm, diamond-studded ladies’ model.
BLANCPAIN
Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms is based on a design concept dating back to 1953, when the manufacture unveiled the first modern diver’s watch. Thanks to avant-garde technical and aesthetic features, such as large luminescent blackgrounded hour markers, then-unprecendented water resistance and a unidirectional rotating bezel, it quickly became a benchmark for the watchmaking industry. Blancpain also made early use of innovative materials in its timepieces. During the 1960s, it was one of the first brands to use titanium, a metal mainly used at the time in the aerospace industry – when it produced a special series of watches for the US Navy. Now, the maison has unveiled three variants with a new light titanium bracelet: the 45mm Fifty Fathoms Automatique and Grande Date models. The satin-brushed links are joined together by transverse pins to allow for flexibility and a perfect fit on the wrist. Based on a patented system, the screws are placed on the back of the links to preserve the smooth look and feel of the bracelet edges. The Fifty Fathoms Automatique and Grande Date models are respectively equipped with the manufacture 1315 movement – a mainstay of the Fifty Fathoms collection since 2007 – or the 6918B. Resistant to magnetic fields, thanks to a silicon balance spring, the calibres deliver a comfortable five-day power reserve. All featuring a rotating bezel with a scratch-resistant sapphire insert, the Fifty Fathoms Automatique is available with a black or blue sunburst dial, while the Fifty Fathoms Grande Date comes with a black dial.
BREITLING
Under the leadership of Georges Kern, Breitling has continued its gradual move away from chunky aviationinspired watches – though these still form a crucial component of the collection – to designs that evince a more elegant interpretation of masculinity. What’s also crept into its offerings, however, is an unexpected air of fun, which is why we’re especially taken by the range of colourful Endurance Pro sports chronographs that Breitling unveiled in the summer. Made from a material called Breitlight, which the company claims is more than five times lighter than steel and three times lighter than titanium (it’s also said to be hypoallergenic), and powered by a robust, Cosc-certified Superquartz movement, it’s perfect for strapping on – using nylon or rubber – before heading out into the great outdoors. Enormous Arabic numerals daubed with Superluminova mean you can easily tell the time however dark it may be out there, while a compass function on the rotating outer bezel should help ensure you won’t get lost (sad, though, that this feature probably won’t work in tropical zones). And with five colour options – black/white, blue, orange, red or yellow – you can match the Endurance Pro with pretty much any crazy outdoor garb you care to. JW