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Dress Watches · Page 89

Panerai Introduces the Luminor Due Trio in Titanium SJX Watches
Aug 26, 2019

Panerai Introduces the Luminor Due Trio in Titanium

A downsized, slimmer sports watch that’s the most civilian of Panerai’s military-inspired watches, the Luminor Due is now available in three sizes with a brushed titanium case (the PAM 926, PAM 927, and PAM 964). All have a date function, and the largest 45mm model has a second time zone and power reserve. Prior to this launch, the Luminor Due was only available as a time-only in two case sizes (42mm and 45mm), so the newly launched trio substantially increases the offerings in the lightweight metal. The Luminor Due 42mm PAM 927 in titanium But perhaps more significant is the newly developed calibre inside the new models. The P.900 is a large movement at 12 1/2 lignes, or about 28mm, in diameter, but slim. In fact, it’s the thinnest movement produced by Panerai, measuring just 4.2mm high. It’s automatic and has a three-day power reserve. Not much else has been revealed about the movement yet, but it is likely to be the brand’s new entry-level calibre. The smallest of the trio is the Luminor Due 38mm PAM00926 that’s powered by the automatic P.900 movement. It’s the first time the smallest Luminor Due case is being offered in titanium. The Luminor Due 42mm PAM00927 is one step upwards in size, but otherwise identical, with the same movement and specs. And the top of the line watch is the Luminor Due GMT Power Reserve 45mm PAM000964. This is equipped with the P.4002 automatic movement that has a second time zone, power reserve and zero-reset hack seconds....

Up Close: Voutilainen 28TI - “Titanium Inverse” SJX Watches
Aug 19, 2019

Up Close: Voutilainen 28TI - “Titanium Inverse”

Voutilainen’s signature watch is the Vingt-8, powered by the cal. 28, which is time-only but impressively constructed and beautifully finished. So earlier this year Voutilainen flipped the movement, inverting the calibre to have the interesting bits on the front, and relegating the base plate to the back. The result is the 28TI – short for “titanium inverse” – a watch that has all the trademark elements of a Voutilainen, gorgeous detailing and refined decoration, but is as over the top as a classical watch can be. Inverted movements are not new, they can occasionally be found in antique pocket watches, and over the last two decades they have gradually become fashionable in modern watchmaking. The pioneer in the current era is the Breguet La Tradition, though strictly speaking it is not an inverted movement since it was constructed from the ground up to look like a 19th century souscription pocket watch. Actually inverted is the Glashütte Original PanoInverse, and more recently, the Moritz Grossmann Backpage. But none of the other brands making such movements do so to the same quality as Voutilainen, making the 28TI unique in its class. The 28TI Telling time indirectly Mechanically the 28TI is largely similar to the standard cal. 28, with some changes in the construction for the flipped display. Additional gearing is required to drive the hands in the opposite direction, while also allowing for hand-setting via the crown. The changes start with a series o...

The Observatory Chronometers that Timed the Tour de France SJX Watches
Aug 12, 2019

The Observatory Chronometers that Timed the Tour de France

Watches once owned by prominent personalities are captivating. Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” Daytona, the Rolex “Bao Dai”, Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster Moonwatch, the Henry Graves Supercomplication, and even J. Pierpont Morgan’s lost pocket watch, are amongst most sought after timepieces in the world. In fact, a good number of the most expensive watches ever sold at auction have notable provenance, which turns a mere watch into a historical artefact. Probably the most important timekeepers in cycling, these are a pair of Longines split-seconds stop watches – refs. 7411 and 8350 respectively – that were used by Jean Pitallier, the former president of the French Cycling Federation, to time the Tour de France in the fading glory days of mechanical sports timing, just before quartz stopwatches took over. In fact, the pair of stopwatches are not merely chronographs, but also observatory certified chronometers. Watchmaking once represented the cutting edge research of mechanical engineering. Observatory time trials at Neuchatel, Geneva or Kew were rigorous scientific affairs, with movements Peseux 260 and Zenith 135 competing to be the most accurate movement in the world. But such movements were three-hand, time-only. Aside from tourbillon movements, very few complicated calibres were submitted to timing contests. Mr Pitallier’s pair of Longines were both certified by the Neuchatel observatory. The swan song of competitive timekeeping In modern day watch collectin...

RECOMMENDED READING: Everything you didn’t know about the Patek Philippe Calatrava Time+Tide
Aug 10, 2019

RECOMMENDED READING: Everything you didn’t know about the Patek Philippe Calatrava

The Patek Philippe Calatrava is probably the most recognisable time-only collection of watches in Swiss watchmaking. Simple, three-handed watches made in precious metal that represent what Patek Philippe is about in its most distilled form – restrained classicism made to exacting standards. In this article by The Hour Glass, the history of the Calatrava is … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Everything you didn’t know about the Patek Philippe Calatrava appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Slim kings - the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin Date and the Altiplano Chronograph Time+Tide
Aug 8, 2019

Slim kings - the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin Date and the Altiplano Chronograph

A few weeks ago we were treated to an evening with Piaget, and their thintastic Altiplano collection. And while we had a bunch of watches in our office, and our excellent photographer Jason Reekie on hand, it would have been a shame not to make the most of it. We’ve already seen what the mighty … ContinuedThe post Slim kings – the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin Date and the Altiplano Chronograph appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary” SJX Watches
Aug 2, 2019

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”

The gradual, one-a-month rollout of the 10-piece A. Lange & Söhne 25th anniversary is, fortunately, almost at an end, with number eight just being unveiled: the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”. Launched 16 years after the Lange 1, the Lange 1 Daymatic was an exercise in practicality, being the first watch in the family to be powered by a self-winding movement, the cal. L021.1. And it also included a day of the week indicator, in addition to the date. A splitting image of the original Though functionally different, it was a mirror image likeness the original Lange 1, featuring the familiar asymmetric dial, but inverted. A retrograde display for the day of the week replaced the power reserve of the original. Not only does the Daymatic look like the original, it also has the same dimension, and even retains the pusher for the date at 10 o’clock. But despite the upgrades, the Daymatic has never been as popular as the original Lange 1, leaving it as the least known of the line-up. The new Daymatic is the commemorative, white gold rendition of the model. At 39mm in diameter and 10.4mm high, it is just 1mm wider and 0.6mm thicker than the standard Lange 1. And, in keeping with the anniversary colour theme, it features a solid silver, argenté dial with recessed, grained segments that’s paired with blued steel hands. Instead of the applied hour markers found on the standard Daymatic, the Roman numerals and indices are printed in blue. Visible through the ...

Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ref. 4300V SJX Watches
Jul 31, 2019

Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ref. 4300V

Vacheron Constantin’s sports luxury line-up is a diverse one, including a world time, dual time, and chronograph. The most appealing models in the range, however, are unquestionably the Ultra-Thins, which are unfortunately only available in 18k gold, making them the most expensive. But they are slim, sharply executed and sit beautifully on the wrist. The collection includes two ultra-thin models, the time-only Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin, and the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin ref. 4300V. Both share the same base movement, and nearly identical dimensions; close your eyes and it’s difficult to tell the two apart on the wrist. But this story is only about the top of the line perpetual calendar. Cutting an elegant figure The perpetual calendar looks like all other Overseas watches, with the trademark bottle cap bezel and sloping case sides. But it is the most elegant of them all despite being a largish watch. It is exceptionally refined in profile – the case is 41.5mm in diameter, but just 8.10mm high. The elegant proportions are similar to those of the luxury sports watch greats, namely the Royal Oak and Nautilus. Because the watch is available only in 18k white or pink gold, it weighs enough to feel as expensive as it is. The weight is reassuring, and an important quality. Put simply, it’s a big, flat and heavy watch, which is what a luxury sports watch should be. Though the perpetual calendar is available in pink gold on a leather or rubber st...

IN-DEPTH: The Piaget Altiplano Automatic 40mm with meteorite dial  Time+Tide
Jul 30, 2019

IN-DEPTH: The Piaget Altiplano Automatic 40mm with meteorite dial 

The story in a second: Ultra thin and out of this world, we have to be talking about the Piaget Altiplano Automatic 40mm with meteorite dial. Piaget’s Altiplano is a staple in the world of ultra-thin watches, with an elegance that matches its slenderness. This limited edition version dials (if you’ll pardon the pun) the elegance … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The Piaget Altiplano Automatic 40mm with meteorite dial  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Full power! The IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Moon Phase Time+Tide
Jul 25, 2019

Full power! The IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Moon Phase

Editor’s pick: If you’re in the market for a massive, 45mm manually winding dress watch with more power than you can shake a mainspring at, we think the IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Moon Phase might just be up your alley …  Few things are as tactile and pleasing as manually winding a watch, and I’ve got … ContinuedThe post Full power! The IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Moon Phase appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Grand Lange 1 “25th Anniversary” SJX Watches
Jul 24, 2019

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Grand Lange 1 “25th Anniversary”

The story of the A. Lange & Söhne 25th anniversary set is now well known: slated for October launch, the set will comprise 10 different Lange 1 watches, all clad in the same blue and silver livery. One watch has been announced a month since the start of the year, and the latest addition is the Grand Lange 1 “25th Anniversary”. First introduced in 2003, the Grand Lange 1 was initially criticised for meddling with an iconic design. It has since matured well, helped by several redesigns as well as a movement conceived specifically for the watch. Grand Lange 1 25th Anniversary Bigger and better It’s the larger brother of the Lange 1, with a case diameter that’s 2.5mm larger; making it 41mm compared to 38.5mm for the classic Lange 1. But because the movement inside was designed to fit the watch, it scales up the design while adhering strictly to the proportions and geometry of the original Lange 1. The new movement was required to accommodate the signature, off-centre displays of the Lange 1, which sit on a neat grid. The cal. L095.1 is 34.1mm, compared to the 30.4mm of the first generation Lange 1 movement, the L901.0. An upside of the larger movement is the consolidation of the twin barrels of the smaller Lange 1 into a single, larger barrel, while still maintaining the 72-hour power reserve. That leads to a small but crucial difference on the dial of the Grand Lange 1: the lettering at seven o’clock reads “Gangreserve 72 Stunden”, German for ...

EVENT: Celebrating the slender wonders of Piaget in Melbourne Time+Tide
Jul 18, 2019

EVENT: Celebrating the slender wonders of Piaget in Melbourne

Piaget is a brand that exudes class, and has style to spare. This was something that Time+Tide and our guests got an up-close lesson in on Wednesday night, when the brand showcased their ultra-thin masterpieces for us.  For watches that look so slight, the Piaget Altiplano packs a punch - I had the pleasure of … ContinuedThe post EVENT: Celebrating the slender wonders of Piaget in Melbourne appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Feeling thin with the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin date pink gold Time+Tide
Jul 16, 2019

Feeling thin with the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin date pink gold

Editor’s note: A little while ago, Andrew spent a week with the slender beauty that is the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin date, an unusual expedition into the world of ultra-slim dress watches. So, here goes …  This week on the wrist is borne almost purely out of curiosity. I have tried on Piaget Altiplano watches … ContinuedThe post Feeling thin with the Piaget Altiplano 40mm Ultra-Thin date pink gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Editorial: The Pursuit of Greatness in Vintage Complications SJX Watches
Jul 14, 2019

Editorial: The Pursuit of Greatness in Vintage Complications

There is no real point in collecting anything unless for the sake of beauty. The moment I see a watch for the first time is always the most crucial. The pieces that ended up entering the collection always touched me viscerally when I first saw them.  Over time, almost unconsciously, as the collection took shape, the watches not only have a uniformity of standard and taste, but also reflect an intuition distinctly my own.  Taste is the developed perception of aesthetics unique to every collector, while standard pertains to quality and rarity. In the big picture, “beauty” – in both tangible and abstract terms – has come to encompass all three: aesthetics, quality, and rarity.  The watches I crave and seek, be it the best examples of the most important references of the most important manufactures, or unique “time-only” examples of incredible quality and design, must be eternal in their beauty. In this article we delve into a few complicated watches close to my heart.  Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful. Just look at two of the most important Patek Philippe landmark complicated references: ref. 1518, the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch in the world, and ref. 3448, the first self-winding, perpetual calendar wristwatch. Their designs are perfectly balanced, timeless, as fresh today as when they were first introduced – in the early 1940s and the early 1960s, respectively.  For years, the daunting challenge had been in ...

Comments 2

  1. Anonymous
    the whole point of a dress watch is that it disappears on your wrist. precious metal cases, minimal dial, two hands. that's the formula.
    1. Anonymous replying to Anonymous
      totally agree on the invisibility factor, but i'd push back on "two hands only." a good three-hander with a clean dial still disappears just fine. it's really about restraint, not the hand count.

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