A timely cause
When Blancpain created the Fifty Fathoms divers’ watch in the early 1950s, the journey into exploring the underwater world began. The most recent initiative supported by its Blancpain Ocean Commitment (BOC) programme is devoted to the study of the hammerhead shark in French Polynesia. Blancpain dedicates the Bathyscaphe Mokarran Limited Edition timepiece to this programme. With every purchase of this special watch, each customer will be part of Blancpain’s effort in supporting the Mokarran Protection Society. A total of US$50,000 ($69,563) will be added to the brand’s regular contributions to promoting, respecting and protecting the oceans. The Bathyscaphe Mokarran timepiece comes in a tropical green dial that catches the light through its sunburst finish. The unidirectional rotating bezel incorporates a green ceramic insert matching the dial. Made of satin-finished black ceramic, the 43.6mm-diameter case is water-resistant to 30 bars or about 300m.
A cross-continental companion
In precision watchmaking, the second time zone function is a particularly convenient complication for those who travel, work and communicate intercontinentally. Fifteen years ago, German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Lange 1 Time Zone watch with dual time zones for this growing market. We may not be travelling much now but in time for when we do, A. Lange & Söhne has unveiled a new edition of this iconic watch that incorporates a new manufacture calibre and two additions to ensure added legibility.
Combining functionality with superb craftsmanship, the Lange 1 Time Zone’s personality is characterised by an asymmetric dial with two time displays, an outsize date, a power-reserve indicator and a switchable city ring that allows convenient setting of the second time zone. What is new is the manually wound manufacture Calibre L141.1, a ring-shaped day/night indicator to assure increased legibility and a daylight-saving time indication in a window at five o’clock.
The dimensions of the new Lange 1 Time Zone remain unchanged — the case diameter remains at 41.9mm and the movement neatly fits into a case height of just 10.9mm. It comes in three beautiful case/dial combinations — white gold/black, pink gold/argenté and, in a limited edition of 100, yellow gold/champagne. The timepiece will be available in the last quarter of the year, just in time for when borders are scheduled to begin opening all over the world.