The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Money
The unusual suspects
Why lose your sense of adventure when buying a watch? Ken Kessler unearths hidden gems
British watch consumers are notoriously conservative. A mere four or five brands dominate the market, while the remainder scrabble for what’s left. The usual suspects benefit from massive promotional budgets, while the smaller brands don’t have the wherewithal to hire A-list ambassadors or sponsor Formula 1 teams. But taking the road less travelled can reveal hidden gems that ooze individuality. Resale value? No reason to buy a watch: if this is what moves you, buy gold bullion. It’s safer.
One well-kept secret is Doxa, newsworthy in its 130th anniversary year because it recently returned to the UK after a period of online-only sales. The first to fit hi-vis orange dials to diving watches 52 years ago, Doxa is marking its birthday with a limited-edition chronograph version of its signature model: the automatic, steel-cased Sub 200 T.Graph. With water-resistance secure to a genuine 200m, this will suit genuine scuba divers, while landlubbers will love it for the look.
Linde Werdelin is a company founded by a mountaineer who wished to produce a timepiece that could survive his activities in the Swiss Alps, and a partner who encouraged the suitability to embrace skiing and diving. Its signature case is a unique and distinctive tonneau form, but with angular surfaces rather than the more typical curves. Undeniably macho in its mien, the 3 Timer Rock Gold (33 pieces only) adds second time-zone capability, thanks to its 24-hour rotating bezel. At 44mm x 46mm, it’s impossible to ignore.
Unusual functions are not the sole preserve of haute horlogerie. Reservoir made a name for itself with accessible watches that show the hour digitally in a window at 6 o’clock, while minutes are displayed with a retrograde hand that spans an arc of 260 degrees before flying back to zero. This is also offered on a fascinating diving model, with helium valve and the ability of time decompression. A standout is the Hydrosphere Blue Hole, its dial colour providing the model’s name.
When your business is restoring and customising one of the world’s finest supercars, the watch bearing your name has to be special, too. Singer Reimagined – a collaboration between Singer Vehicle Design’s Rob Dickinson, watch designer Marco Borraccino and Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, of movement creator Agenhor – produces limited-edition chronographs, boasting automotive flair and an innovative display system. Restricted to 50 pieces, the Track1 London Edition, in a 43mm titanium case, is available at Perpetual, a newly-launched boutique located on the 3rd floor of auctioneer Phillips’ London offices on Berkeley Square.
French-made and taking influences from both the streets of Los Angeles and the beaches of Biarritz, March LA.B has recently opened a London boutique at 47 Lexington Street. A perfect example of its chic is the AM2 Automatic, offered with a choice of dial colours, including a fetching burgundy to distinguish it from a world of silver, black, off-white or champagne dials. Its look is cosmopolitan, the 39mm square case evocative of the 1930s and 1940s, while a crown at 4 o’clock adds a touch of wry wit.
While there’s comfort in numbers, your wristwear needn’t portray you as a follower. Any of the above will mark you as an iconoclast. Maybe even a bit subversive.
And that’s to be celebrated, surely?
Resale value? No reason to buy a watch: if this is what moves you, buy gold bullion. It’s safer