ABSOLUTE CLARITY
AYE AYE SKIPPER
The new Tag Heuer Skipper directly references the brand’s yachting heritage. It commemorates Jack Heuer’s sponsorship of the 1967 America’s Cup-winning yacht Intrepid. The original Skipper honoured the Intrepid’s iconic win that year through colour-coded countdown subdials mirroring the yacht’s aesthetics: teal, green and orange; this latest edition of the watch replicates those distinctive colours. The original Skipper had a limited production run from 1967 to the early 1970s before being discontinued, and now fetches up to US$80,000 on the secondhand collectors’ market. While the new rendition is far more accessible, only time will tell if it becomes as desirable as the original.
Project Z16 is luxury jeweller Harry Winston’s first watch with a full calendar displaying the date, day and month. Limited to 100 pieces, it features an openworked dial showcasing a 3D cityscape of gears,
inspired by the columns and bridges of New York’s architecture, all made of Zalium, a zirconium-aluminium alloy. The intricate details, with star-shaped discs arranging the days and months and red indicators pointing to them, make it one of the most advanced complication watches the house has revealed to date. It’s powered by the in-house Harry Winston HW3200 automatic movement, and the highlight of the watch’s functionality is its dual retrograde indicators. Both hands are skeletonised for maximum visibility against the busy backdrop of the dial.
IN EVERY HUE
In July, we spoke about new variants in Blancpain’s Ladybird Colors collection. The house has now added yet another version, one with an iridescent mother-ofpearl dial and colourful hour markers. These intricate 12-hour indices are overprinted five times to add nuanced depth, and complemented by sophisticated strap options in lemon sorbet, raspberry pink, apple green, midnight blue and white. Within the 18-karat white-gold case of 34.9mm diameter sparkle 59 diamonds; there’s a total of two carats for the bezel alone. Powering the piece is the brand’s reliable 1163 automatic movement; the 100-hour power reserve and silicon hairspring ensure precision and reliability. And despite the elegance of this reference, it is water resistant down to 30 metres.