FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE LOOKING (A LITTLE) RUGGED WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT
SPORTS WATCHES THAT WE WOULD NOT SUBJECT TO ROUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
01 BLANCPAIN FIFTY FATHOMS BATHYSCAPHE QUANTIEME ANNUEL
If you use dive watches for actual dives, you would (a) be in the minority of dive-watch owners, and ( b) probably want a simple watch that is easy to read in deep water. In a nod to the swelling ranks of desk divers who mostly appreciate the robustness of diving timepieces, however, Blancpain has added calendar complications to its new Fifty Fathoms and Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe models: The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantieme Annuel, for instance, is the fi rst annual calendar within Blancpain’s dive watches. Although yes, you could wear it underwater if you wanted to – the 43mm steel watch has 300-metre water resistance and a unidirectional ceramic bezel that indicates how long you can stay beneath.
02 ROLEX GMT- MASTER II
We cannot quite decide if the new Pepsi bezel (the popular term for red-and-blue bezels) GMT-Master II in steel is actually dressier than the whitegold version that was launched four years ago. On one hand, this 2018 version comes in a hardier (and of course, much more affordable) metal – and it is also powered by the efficient, new-generation calibre 3285. On the other hand, it is fitted with Rolex’s Jubilee bracelet, an elegant five-link bracelet usually found on the Datejust, a more formal model. Whether in white gold or steel, we’re pretty sure these covetable timepieces will not be subjected to much banging around.
03 HUBLOT BIG BANG REFEREE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA
Next month marks the start of the Fifa World Cup – and this 49mm titanium smartwatch might just be the perfect companion for football-loving armchair athletes with sufficiently large wrists. The Big Bang Referee’s main USP is, unsurprisingly, its World Cup- centric apps that will allow wearers to keep track of game times and match schedules, and view real-time displays of match statistics.
04 ZENITH DEFY EL PRIMERO 21 SWIZZ BEATZ
Under the watch of LVMH watch chief Jean- Claude Biver, Zenith’s Defy El Primero 21 was launched last year, featuring a chronograph that could record timings precise to 1/ 100 of a second – a useful feature for timing motor- sports and the like. However, we can’t help feeling that this latest gem- encrusted version of the chronograph (there are five carats’ worth of diamonds here) – one of three limited- edition novelties created by Zenith in collaboration with American hip-hop star Swizz Beatz – will be more sought-after for its bling factor rather than its timing prowess.
05 PATEK PHILIPPE NAUTILUS PERPETUAL CALENDAR
If you are among the Patek Philippe sports-watch fans who fi nd themselves torn between the Nautilus and the Aquanaut, you might fi nd yourself as confl icted as ever this year, with the brand releasing handsome additions to both families. Equipped with Patek Philippe’s ultra-thin automatic movement, calibre 240 Q, the Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5740/ 1G- 001 is the fi rst Nautilus with a perpetual calendar – and this white gold watch is now the brand’s slimmest wristwatch with this complication. With its sunburst black dial and sporty orange accents, the Aquanaut Chronograph Ref. 5968A- 001 in steel – the fi rst chronograph in the Aquanaut range – has a compelling presence of its own.