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Tudor Pelagos FXD

Earlier this year Tudor resurrected its partnership with France’s navy, the Marine Nationale, some two decades after it last supplied military-spec Submariners to the navy’s divers.

Now the brand has finally revealed a project two years in the making, the Tudor Pelagos FXD “Marine Nationale”. Developed together with the members of the Commando Hubert, the navy’s elite combat divers, the Pelagos FXD is an actual military issue timepiece – the unit’s divers wear the same watch during operations – with fixed bars and a no-nonsense aesthetic.
Images of a Commando Hubert graduation ceremony appeared online several months ago, revealing the watch. So the Pelagos FXD was expected, but still manages to surprise. It is clearly a nod to the ref. 9401/0 “MN” of the 1970s – nicknamed “snowflake” after its hands and dial – and is as close to a vintage Submariner as a modern Tudor can be. But it still has a few extras appeal to military watch aficionados.
Most notable are the lugs, which are a reinterpretation of the fixed bars found on vintage military-issue dive watches. They form one piece with the case, making the connection between the case and strap far more robust. It’s certainly over-engineered for anyone who isn’t a combat diver, but it is a genuine element that’s neither decorative nor artificial.

In fact, the fixed lugs arguably put the Tudor Pelagos FXD in the same category as the quirky P01 – both are “tool” watches that are clearly catered to a niche audience, though the Tudor Pelagos FXD is the only one that is legitimately military spec.
Another important detail is the omission of a date, which is a first for a Pelagos since its debut in 2012. And the bezel is entirely new, being a bidirectional, countdown bezel that is slightly wider than usual – a crucial tool for combat divers performing underwater navigation.

And because the date has been omitted, the Pelagos FXD is 1.5 mm thinner than the standard model, giving it a surprisingly flat profile on the wrist for a true “tool” watch.
Can the Pelagos FXD get better? Maybe but not by much. It has a water resistance of 200 m, which is more than enough for combat divers – the vintage Submariner “MN” had the same rating – but less than the 500 m of the standard Pelagos. At the same time, it isn’t METAS-certified like the Black Bay Ceramic launched a few months ago.

At US$3,900, the Tudor Pelagos FXD is competitively priced just all Tudor watches. In fact, it’s one of the brand’s highest-spec’d watches, making it one of Tudor’s most compelling offerings.
udor started supplying watches to the French Navy almost since the brand started making dive watches. In fact, the relationship began in 1954 – just a year after Rolex introduced the Submariner – when it supplied the navy with the ref. 7922, the brand’s first-ever dive watch.

But the quintessential Tudor military-issue diver is definitely the Submariner ref. 9401/0 “MN” that two decades later. Crucially, the ref. 9401/0 had a few features that set it apart from a Rolex dive watch, making it unique to Tudor. Most obvious are the blue dial and bezel, but the “snowflake” hands and square markers are its defining feature.

Being the iconic dive watch of the French Navy, the ref. 9401/0 “MN” was a natural choice as the inspiration for the Pelagos FXD.
One of the most important historically inspired details is the engraving on the case back, which is unusual for a modern-day Tudor, which typically have plain backs.

The back is engraved with Marine National logo, and also “M.N.21”, short for “Marine Nationale” and the year of production, a reference to the French navy’s numbering convention on the vintage Tudor “MN” watches.

Tudor has dropped a new Pelagos model in association with the French Navy or Marine Nationale, an association that goes back 65 years.

The 42mm titanium watch has been developed using specifications laid down by the force’s combat swimmers, Commando Hubert.

The watch’s bidirectional rotating bezel – which features a sandblasted ceramic ring and overhangs the sides of the case for better grip – allows the unit’s swimmers to navigate underwater undetected, while the FXD is a reference to the solid looped lugs that hold the fabric strap in place without the need for separate springbars.

While not a service issue watch, the new Pelagos FXD carries the same M.N. initials engraved on the caseback along with a 21, denoting a year of issue.

While the French Navy historically had Tudor deliver its watches without bracelets, the Pelagos FXD – which is water resistant to 200m – is supplied with both a woven fabric strap and a one-piece rubber strap.

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Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious

As far as statement timepieces go, few brands do a better job than Jacob & Co., which was founded in 1986 initially as a jewelry outfit and started making watches in 2002. There is nothing conventional about Jacob & Co.’s watches, as evidenced by pieces such as the Astronomia Solar and the Epic SF 24. This year, the brand unveiled what could be one of its most elaborate and outrageous watches yet, the Twin Turbo Furious. The name hints at the velocity at which its twin tourbillons rotate, but what it doesn’t tell you is that the twin tourbillons are actually triple-axis variants, and that it also contains a decimal repeater, monopusher chronograph, and an unusual complication called the reference time differential. Let’s take a closer look at the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious .
The Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious is a follow up to the Twin Turbo Twin Triple Axis Tourbillon Minute Repeater (Yes, that’s the name. It doesn’t roll off the tongue, does it?) watch from 2016. Like the Twin Turbo, the Twin Turbo Furious comes in a modern rectangular case that measures a whopping 57mm wide, 52mm from lug to lug, and 17mm thick. The watch looks even larger than what the specifications suggest because much of it is actually a large, curved sapphire crystal. People will notice the watch, I guarantee it.
The most unusual aspect of the case has got to be the crown and the accompanying crank-handle. The crank handle can be detached from the case and it makes winding the watch easy and fun. On the opposite side of the case is the activator for the decimal minute repeater. The decimal minute repeater is different from traditional minute repeaters because it chimes the tens of minutes rather than the quarter hours. This makes it easier to ‘hear’ the time.
The expansive dial is a cacophony of colors, dials, and hands. The main dial itself is actually a piece of smoked sapphire crystal with the Jacob & Co. logo. Around the periphery is a red neoralithe ring with white Super-LumiNova hour indexes and the seconds. Working our way in, we have the Pit Board, which is part of the reference time differential. This complication is used in conjunction with the chronograph to quickly indicate how many seconds faster or slower the elapsed time was in comparison to the reference time. The reference time is set using the crown and can be set up to 5 minutes and 59 seconds, which is indicated by the aperture at 6 o’clock on the main timekeeping dial. In the image above, the reference time is set to 1 minute and 56 seconds. Once the chronograph is stopped, owners can quickly see how much slower or faster the elapsed time was by reading the chronograph seconds hand off Pit Board wheel.
Moving on to the rest of the dial, we have the usual running seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock and the chronograph minute counter at 3 o’clock. Below the timekeeping dial are the two triple-axis tourbillons that are connected by a differential, so that the rates of each tourbillon are actually averaged. These tourbillons spin very quickly, hence the name Twin Turbo Furious. The first axis makes a revolution every 24 seconds, while the second axis makes a revolution every 8 seconds, and finally, the third axis makes a revolution in 30 seconds. The end result is quite stunning as the tourbillon is in constant “furious” motion. In between the two tourbillons is a power reserve indicator.
Contrary to what you might think, the dial is actually quite easy to read. Admittedly, it is quite cluttered but the large red hour and minute hands painted with red tips and white Super-LumiNova help greatly with legibility. The bigger issue is trying not to be mesmerized by those two fast-spinning tourbillons.
The movement within is the Jacob & Co. caliber JCFM05 and it is visible through a sapphire display caseback. It is a beast of a movement with a staggering 832 components and an unusual architecture. Up top are the hammers for the decimal minute repeater, and working our way down is the column wheel for the chronograph. Dominating the bottom of the movement are two gold skeletonized wheels for the tourbillons.

The movement is highly decorated too, with hand beveled and polished plates and bridges, black polishing on numerous surfaces, circular graining on wheels, barrels, and plates, and polished jewel countersinks. Speaking of jewels, the movement has 75 jewels in all.
The Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious is one heck of a statement piece. The styling is bold and the technicalities of the watch itself more than match its styling. Despite what you might think about its looks, there is no denying that this is one hell of a complicated watch with some interesting complications. Making a decimal minute repeater is hard enough, but combining it with two triple-axis tourbillons, a chronograph, and a reference time differential is unheard of. Unfortunately, the price for all of this is equally outrageous.

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Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Baguette

The latest bespoke timepiece from Jacob & Co. is an update of the company’s Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon. After inking a partnership deal with luxurious automobile company Bugatti in 2019, Jacob & Co. has released a number of delectable watches based on various Bugatti’s.

The bedazzled Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Baguette Black and Orange is inspired by the iconic Bugatti 16-cylinder engine. A revamp of the original watch released last year, this updated version is powered by a 578-component manually wound movement designed to replicate the Bugatti’s two turbochargers. The movement appears to be floating in mid-air (it’s suspended in four spots) while the engine block animation is “one of the smallest and most complicated watch parts ever manufactured,” according to Jacob & Co.
Along with the intricate movement, the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon is adjourned with precious stones. The 18K white gold case is detailed with 190 baguette white diamonds, 109 baguette black sapphires, and 42 baguette orange sapphires. There’s also an additional 60 black sapphire baguettes in the crowns and pushers.

It’s another masterful creation from Jacob & Co. that’s sure to be seen on the wrist of a movie star or athlete in the coming weeks. Jacob & Co. haven’t released a price, but if you think you can afford this enigmatic wristwatch, you can hit up the watchmaker themselves.
Sometimes owning a multi-million-dollar supercar isn’t enough. Some folks also need a diamond-encrusted replica of the engine mounted on their wrist as well. This is why Jacob & Co.’s Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Baguette Black and Orange Sapphires watch exists.
Sometimes owning a multi-million-dollar supercar isn’t enough. Some folks also need a diamond-encrusted replica of the engine mounted on their wrist as well. This is why Jacob & Co.’s Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Baguette Black and Orange Sapphires watch exists.

Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Specs
In partnership with Bugatti, noted luxury watch brand Jacob & Co. has just released a highly technical watch inspired by the absurdly powerful Bugatti Chiron. The tourbillon houses a blinged-out miniature reproduction of the Chiron’s W16-cylinder engine.

Sporting 190 baguette white diamonds, 169 baguette black sapphires, and 42 baguette orange sapphires invisibly set in an 18k white gold case. To properly fix the stones in the case, Jacob & Co. stated that the get-setters used new proprietary techniques and advanced technologies.

The 55mm by 44mm case sports the similar flowing lines of the Chiron and a few Bugatti logos to make the watch’s inspiration clear. Inside the case is a replica of the Chiron’s 1,500 horsepower 8.0-liter 16-cylinder engine, with 16 tiny pistons and a steel crankshaft that actually move as they do in the real engine. To complete the illusion, two turbochargers spin in tandem with the cylinders (two less than the actual car, but likely two more superchargers than you’re wearing right now). Framing the engine are two “exhausts” which complete the theme.
It’s equipped with Jacob and Co.’s 578-component JCAM37 manual winding movement, which is suspended in four places with parts reminiscent of the Chiron’s automobile shocks. The shocks are visible through the sapphire crystal window and provide a 60-hour power reserve that’s indicated by the gas pump symbol on the side of the gauge (because why not).

Even the crowns pay homage to the famed supercar. Set into the back of the case like exhaust pipes, the left crown sets the time, the middle crown winds both the movement and the engine animation, and the right-hand crown starts the animation.
Yes, it is an extremely gaudy and intricate timepiece, but if you’re a Bugatti fan, subtlety is probably not your thing anyway. While most people aren’t in the market for a watch in this price range, it is a beautiful example of artwork, engineering, and design. Just like the car that serves as its inspiration.

If black and orange sapphires aren’t your thing, the watch is also available in black, blue, or grey titanium, rose gold, and diamond baguette versions as well as one with a case made entirely out of a single block of sapphire crystal.

Jacob & Co.’s Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon Baguette Black and Orange Sapphires is going for $560,000, which is a steal compared to the 3 million dollar supercar on which it’s based. Good thing you loaded up on all that Dogecoin.

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Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon

The Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon is the most recent exercise in extreme automotive engineering from Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon , and for car lovers, it seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. I had an opportunity to experience the Veyron when it first came out, and although I am pretty sure I am as far from its target demographic as it is possible to be and still be a member of the species H. sapiens, I thought it was a ton (well, two tons and change, to be more exact) of fun, and I am glad that it exists.
I feel the same way about watchmaking from Jacob & Co. The company continues to practice a kind of watchmaking which at one point many were attempting and at which few succeeded: Maximalist, irrepressibly over-the-top timepieces which were time-telling instruments only incidentally. These were and are wrist-mounted mechanical fantasies that have, perhaps, more in common with mechanical entertainments like automatons than with conventional watches.

The recent partnership between Bugatti and Jacob & Co. has just given birth to one of the most exuberantly diverting watches I have seen in a long while: the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon. The Chiron is an exercise in pure excess – the centerpiece of the car is its huge, mid-chassis mounted 8-liter W16 engine, which puts out – hold onto your knickers, Gertrude – 1,479 horsepower and easily propels the car to its electronically limited top speed of 261 miles per hour. (HODINKEE’s James Stacey has driven the Veyron and tells me it could find 200kph in fourth gear “on any on-ramp, no exaggeration.”)
The Jacob & Co. Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, natürlich, is also an exercise in pure excess. Albert Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity came about from asking a very simple but penetrating question: “What would the world look like if you rode on a beam of light?” The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, likewise, came about from asking an equally simple and penetrating question: “What would you get if you made a miniature, working mechanical model of the W16 engine in the Bugatti Chiron, and put it in a watch, oh, and we should probably throw a tourbillon in there, and don’t forget the turbochargers?” What you get is the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon.
As the saying goes, “Just What It Says On The Tin.” This is indeed a tourbillon watch, of Brobdingnagian heft and Herculean impact – 54mm x 44mm. But then, the basic dimensions dwindle into insignificance when considered next to the actual watch. The case is occupied by the caliber JCAM37, hand-wound, with a tourbillon regulator and an honest-to-Betsy working W16 engine inside, which takes up at least half the volume of the case. You push an actuator on the side of the case, and the crankshaft turns, pistons move, and miniature turbochargers begin to rotate.
If there were ever a watch that demanded to be seen in action to be appreciated, this is it. It is a truism that you can only go so far judging a watch from a photograph without seeing it in the metal; it is absolutely true that to get a sense of the impact of this watch, you have to see it doing its thing.
There is a famous line in the movie Jurassic Park, in which the chaos mathematician Ian Malcolm reproves the dinosaur-maker, shouting, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should!” Of course, the fact of the matter is, the moment you see the T. rex, you’re on the side of the dinosaur makers – institutional ethics review boards be damned, making a dinosaur is cool. I kind of feel the same way about this watch. Certainly, there is no reason for it to exist; inarguably it is as damnably indefensible a way to blow a quarter of a million bucks as the Chiron is to blow four (or more, at that point, though, who’s counting?).
It is also, however, a firmly upright middle finger in the face of the sort of lack of imagination and timid incrementalism that characterizes so much of high-end watchmaking from Switzerland. Okay, bien sûr, it is a car-themed watch that costs $280,000; so what? Overpriced car-themed watches are a dime a dozen, and we all know what most of them are like. A little carbon fiber here, some rubber there, a perforated strap with colored stitching and voila, a car-themed watch. To actually be so single-minded as to produce a miniature working engine – with a solid synthetic sapphire engine block, by the way – sets a new high bar for making a car-adjacent timepiece. I shall never ever own a Chiron or this watch, but I can’t clap hard enough for the combination of imagination and sheer bullheadedness it must have taken to make it happen.

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Jacob & Co.’s New Epic X Titanium & Epic X Baguette Rose Gold

As members of an internationally lauded jewelry and global retail operation, the watchmaking team at Jacob & Co. create timepieces that unapologetically venture into the realm of statement-making adornment while still honoring the traditions of haute horology. And the new versions of the Epic X wristwatch – the Epic X Titanium and Epic X Baguette Rose Gold – are certainly no exceptions to that rule. Jacob & Co. Epic X Titanium and Epic X Baguette Rose Gold

Amazingly, by gorgeously constraining and framing the fully observable, skeletonized, manual-wind movement within a bold case design, the company has produced two visually stunning timepieces with modern appeal that show off the brand’s adherence to the classical, as well. Jacob & Co. Epic X Titanium and Epic X Baguette Rose Gold

“I have to create,” said company founder Jacob Arabo. “My dream has always been to invent things that haven’t been done before. For the brand, it’s about making the impossible, reality.”
In the titanium execution, the superbly skeletonized movement, featuring a rose gold balance bridge at 6 o’clock, an openworked mainspring at 12 o’clock, and a 72-hour power reserve, is held in place by two robust vertical bridges that extend from the lugs down the mid-length of the timepiece. Not only does this construction allow for a great deal of transparency through the depth of the watch and out the back, but the parallel bridges create empty space on either side of the watch face, which results in a visually arresting effect. Indeed, the movement seems to almost float in the middle of the timepiece.
The X-motif starts at the four points of the burly lugs, which, like the case, are etched, micro-blasted, bordered, and expertly polished in outline, offering some unexpected gleam to titanium’s often matte presence. The prominent crown and protectors work seamlessly with the classic-meets-modern execution. Skeletonized twin-blade hands with bold red tips extend over the whole package and tie it together.
Meanwhile, the open-worked, hexagonal, honeycomb-patterned rubber strap (or alligator strap) echoes the geometrical DNA of the design and its modernity. To cap off the robustness story, the watch is unexpectedly water resistant to 50 meters (164 feet), as well.
Of course, as a renowned jeweler, gem-setting is never too far from the mind of Jacob & Co.’s design efforts, with most of its watches created in anticipation of added adornment. In the case of the Epic X, the design canvas proves to be ideal for the addition of 26 baguette-cut white diamonds (with an approximate total carat weight of 4.6) to the bezel.
While the gem-setting approach will use differently sized stones depending on their application, the baguette-cut diamonds used in the Epic X Baguette Rose Gold emphasize the rectangular frame of the skeletonized movement. Plus, the expertly finished 18K rose gold case, movement components, and hands raise the eye-candy factor even more.
In this case, a sky-blue rubber honeycomb strap (or alligator strap) holds this masterpiece in place. And, despite its more elegant nature, the Epic X Baguette Rose Gold is also water-resistant, this time to 30 meters (98 feet).
Of course, at 44 x 12.3mm, neither of these timepieces will not go unnoticed on your wrist. But the presentation doesn’t feel overtly attention-getting or blingy. It feels more – ok, I’ll say it – “epic.”
Jacob & Co. Epic X Titanium and Epic X Baguette Rose Gold

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Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition

Girard-Perregaux has revealed the second watch in its new partnership with Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition, the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition.

The 42mm chronograph plays on both the “Aston Martin Green” shade that has been a signature of the British supercar marque since it won its first Le Mans 24 Hours in 1959, and the “AM” diamond crosshatch design, still used for the stitching of its quilted upholstery.

Girard-Perregaux’s dial makers engraved the crosshatching pattern before applying seven layers of paint.

The case and bracelet are machined from 904L stainless steel, which is the same alloy Rolex used for its steel watches before adopting the Oystersteel name, rather than the more commonly used 316L alloy.

It is also the first Laureato Chronograph to feature an exhibition sapphire crystal caseback, here revealing the automatic in-house Calibre GP03300-0141 chronograph movement and displaying the Aston Martin logo.

“Our Manufacture has a long history of collaborations,” says Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Girard-Perregaux. “Beginning with our founder Jean-François Bautte who brought different “établisseurs” together under one roof, effectively creating one of the first Manufactures as we know them today. Not only has our partnership with Aston Martin yielded two exceptional timepieces now, it is indeed a meeting of the minds and marks the beginnings of a true friendship between both brands and our teams.”
Aston Martin’s racing green looks astoundingly on the latest creation from Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Girard-Perregaux. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition timepiece is a collaboration between the two iconic brands and is now available worldwide.
Ever since the early 1900s, Aston Martin adopted green as its color for its racing cars, with the famous DBR1 being just one of the iconic examples from the past. It is a color that gave the watch manufacturer a lot of trouble as it applied the paint 21 times to the dial to form seven distinct layers.

Other Aston Martin influences can also be found in this equally functional and exquisite timepiece, such as the familiar diamond-like pattern seen in the car brand’s logo between 1921 and 1926 and in many of the quilted seats of its sports cars.

With three-dial counters (two chronograph registers and a small seconds display) and a small date display positioned at 04:30, the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition is housed in a 42 mm (1.6 in) 904L stainless steel case, which offers improved corrosion and scratch resistance. It is also brighter and more luxurious in appearance, as explained by the manufacturer.

The limited-edition watch is a mixture of different shapes, finishes, textures, and hues meant to be a celebration of the past while simultaneously embracing the future. Both companies come with extensive know-how in their fields, an experience spanning over three centuries, but while they respect one another’s heritage, they also share a forward-thinking outlook.
Haute Horlogerie watchmaker Girard Perregaux just announced today the release of the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition, an absolutely stunning version of their already popular Laureato Chronograph. In this case GP has teamed up with Aston Martin Lagonda to create this new offering.

Chronographs in general are in very hot demand this year, along with trending green coloured dials, the combination of both is certainly a winner in watch enthusiast circles. I’ve personally been eyeing the Laureato Chronograph as an alternative to the Rolex Daytona, after all you’re getting haute horlogerie craftsmanship at about half the price of a grey market stainless steel Daytona 116500.
When I saw the new release today from Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph – Aston Martin Edition I was blown away and ready to purchase, but I came to find out this new limited edition is only available in the larger 42mm size, which would be too large for my 6.5 inch wrist. This is literally the only drawback for me personally, but anyone with at least a 6.75 inch wrist and larger should be able to pull this one off just fine.

There’s one massive upgrade on the new Aston Martin limited edition that enthusiasts will love, and that’s the open exhibition caseback which is finally now showcasing the beautiful in-house caliber GP03300. On the regular production models this has always been with a closed caseback.

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Glashuette Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar

Glashuette Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar has unveiled the new Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar with a rose opaline dial.

Limited to 100 pieces, it comes on a dark blue leather strap and is powered by a hand-crafted, finely finished automatic movement from the renowned Saxon manufactory.
The galvanic rose opaline dial is crafted and decorated in an elaborate process with numerous individual steps.

All calendar indications are precisely tailored to suit the various lengths of the months, lending the watch a new look day after day and thanks to its mechanical memory, Glashütte Original‘s Perpetual Calendar won’t need to be reset until the year 2100.

The transparent sapphire crystal case back offers a clear view of the finishing of the automatic movement, its skeletonized rotor and skeletonized Double-G, which renders the rotor even more delicate.

The priority governing development of this movement was to maximise user friendliness and ease of maintenance. A silicon balance spring guarantees precision, while a single spring barrel offers a power reserve of more than 100 hours.

A special engraving on the case back guarantees the quality of each watch while an exclusive online portal also gives owners access to detailed test scores for their watch along with information regarding the individual test procedures.

The new Glashuette Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar is available from the end of October exclusively at Glashütte Original Boutiques and authorised dealers.

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Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date

At Baselworld 2016, Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date release a simple three-hand watch called the Senator Excellence as a home for its new high-performance automatic movement, the caliber 36. Now the German watchmaker has released two new watches additions to the Senator Excellence collection, adding some complications to the caliber 36 base. The Senator Excellence Panorama Date and the Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase start the same way as their predecessor, just bringing a little more to the mix.
The Senator Excellence Panorama Date is the simpler of the two new additions, adding a big date complication to the three-hander. As mentioned, the Panorama Date features the same caliber 36, however a big date has been added at 4 o’clock, giving the dial a little more visual interest. It’s not quite as dramatic an execution of the big date as you’ll find on some other German watches, but it’s extremely practical and well-done. The official name for this newly modified movement is the Caliber 36-03.
The Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date measures in at 40mm in diameter and 12.2mm thick, making it a great size for an all-purpose/everyday kind of watch. It’s also available in either rose gold or stainless steel (the latter with an optional bracelet), depending on your preference. The dial is traditional silver with Roman numerals, blued steel handset and a center seconds hand with the signature double Gs on the end. It’s worth noting that both of the new watches presented here are only available in this more classic style, not the high-contrast black-and-lume style also offered for the original (you can see both of them here).
If the Senator Excellence Panorama Date is one step beyond the original Senator Excellence, the Panorama Date Moon Phase is just one more step in the same direction. Not only is there the big date aperture at four o’clock but also a moonphase function spanning 10 and 11 o’clock. Glashütte Original is calling this movement the Caliber 36-04 (as you could have probably guessed by this point). If set properly, the moonphase indicator is pretty accurate and can go 122 years without a correction –assuming you keep the watch wound, of course.
Like the Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date , the Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase is also available in rose gold and stainless steel, with the exact same 40mm across and 12.2mm thick case (there’s no thickness added for the moonphase display).

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Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar

Awhile ago we covered two of the SeaQ models, German watchmaking icon Glashütte Original also sent one of their most recognisable models my way, a PanoMatic, but more specifically, the Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar ref.1-90-02-11-35-30. This watch offers contemporary styling using the split-dial layout that is a hallmark of Glashütte watchmaking. Rather than placing everything onto one dial like a Senator watch, for instance, the Pano models split the hours and minutes, seconds, Panorama date and in this case the moon phase from each other to create a distinct style.
The most crucial part of any watch is the style, why would you wear something that doesn’t suitably reflect you as an individual? To me, the PanoMaticLunar is for someone who can enter a formal situation with ease and grace and yet remain confident and relaxed in a more informal setting. It’s hard to design a watch that can be both. Usually, it ends up as a dressy styled sports watch with an integrated bracelet and a hilariously long waiting list, but Glashütte Original subverts this idea by blending rose gold, a staple of high-end watchmaking, with a deep blue colour. If this were any other colour combination this watch would become formal only, but the use of blue balances it out enough to be worn right down to a casual polo shirt and jeans, as I had it for the most part during the review.
But, having said that, it is just as comfortable with a blazer or even a full-on suit. The stepped bezel means the watch glides under the cuff with ease. In terms of wearing experience, the watch is weighty and substantial, as German products tend to be. It doesn’t showcase finesse through lightness, rather, elegance through robust design and manufacturing. I also want to mention the blue leather strap. Usually, during reviews such as these, I am wearing the watch all day, and sometimes halfway through the review process, the leather strap starts to relax and loosen up, conforming to the wrist more. Not this one, though, it was so thick and well made that it held its shape from start to finish. That’s pretty uncommon, and though it may be a little uncomfortable at first, you only need to loosen it by one notch, and it becomes wearable again. That’s high quality, though you’d expect that at this price level, a point we’ll come to in a minute.
Part of that wearability ultimately comes down to good case design. Being a dress watch primarily, this piece is conservatively sized at 40mm in diameter and 12.7mm in height. The lugs are relatively short, too, so it can fit smaller wrists without dwarfing them.

The gold clasp is easy to operate and features a brushed/polished appearance with the double G logo engraved onto it. It’s not a push-button clasp. Instead, it’s a friction type, but to add extra security you need to pull it off from the end of the strap which is usually tucked through the strap minders. Try as hard as you like, it won’t budge if you don’t pull it from the end, and someone trying to pinch it will find that out very quickly.
The blue dial is clear and crisp. Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar calls it galvanic blue, and it certainly stands out. It’s not as deep as you might expect, it shows up in a lot of the photos as a deep and dark, mysterious blue, but it’s lighter than that. It’s very susceptible to the lighting conditions at the time and the viewing angle, thanks to a subtle finishing on the parts that aren’t time dials. The dials that do display the time have their own circular guilloché which reflects light in another fashion, creating a part gold part blue shimmer that is quite attractive. The dial is made in Glashütte Original’s dial manufactory in Pforzheim where experts craft their elaborate and intricate dials.
The Panorama Date and the moon phase (depicted with the delightfully German words ‘Panoramadatum’ and ‘Mondphase’) are the extra features on these timepieces. Last year in a hands-on I had with Glashütte Original’s Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase watch, I mentioned that I found the stars on the silvery moon phase disk hard to make out. This watch also features a silvery moon phase disk which contrasts with their blue dial. However, this time, the moon and the stars are in rose gold, matching the case and making them stand out more easily. The sub-small seconds hand doesn’t touch the markers on the subdial, but perhaps that’s more my undiagnosed OCD kicking in.
The Panorama Date has been a hallmark of the brand since 1997. It uses two discs, sat one inside the other, to switch the numbers independently of each other, which adds to the character of the timepiece. The font is large to allow easy reading and is crisp in appearance, too. It’s a smooth mechanism to operate as well.
Ticking away in the back of this watch is Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar in-house made calibre 90-02. The first thing to become apparent with it is the level of finishing, which is spectacular. The rotor is made of 21k gold with a gold double G logo cut into it and a gold oscillating weight. The rotor runs around a track that makes use of a milling process to create an attractive ribbed design which contrasts the Glashütte striping on the three-quarter plate. The visible gears have a sunburst polish to them as well for added visual attraction. This all contrasts the heat blued screws holding the movement together. But, once you’ve taken it all in for a few seconds, perhaps the most prominent part is the balance bridge. That’s right. This watch uses a bridge to suspend the balance from. “Why?” you ask? The reason is that it supports the duplex swan’s neck regulator assembly, which has been polished and sits on top of the bridge. This is another hallmark of the Glashütte Original brand. A single swan’s neck regulator is not that uncommon, but adding a second one improves upon the standard swan’s neck adjuster.
One swan’s neck regulator on its own is used to set the rate of the watch finely. In this design, the second one adjusts the position that the impulse pin connects to the fork by turning the balance itself. When the impulse pin is set in the optimal position, it means that the watch is running more efficiently and more accurately than before. This means that the watch can be set with extreme precision that other brands can’t do, and while you may not notice the results of that as a wearer, horology fans always appreciate it when watchmakers go out of their way to improve something. That balance operates at 4Hz to provide accurate and precise timekeeping and will continue to do so for roughly 42 hours.
Let’s not forget, though, that the entire balance bridge is not only very technical and forward-thinking in its design, but, like the rest of the watch, it’s very well executed. The engraving is very high quality. For the photography, I used a super zoom function on the camera to get right in close so that I can focus properly. When doing this, I also took the time to perform my own little unofficial ‘inspection’, in the broadest sense of the term, and couldn’t find a fault in any of the engravings on the movement.

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Richard Mille RM 074

There’s an assurance to the watches of Richard Mille RM 074, an assurance that comes from the fact that the brand knows they are at the absolute top of their game, and everything is exactly where they want it to be. The construction is impeccable, the materials and their articulation so ridiculously high-tech you feel like you need a degree in advanced physics to understand them fully. And the aesthetics? Well, it’s Richard Mille. The watches exude the brutish beauty that makes them feel like they exist in a slightly parallel dimension, present but otherworldly. The two new additions to Richard Mille’s automatic tourbillon line-up, RM 74-01 and RM 74-02, certainly possess these unique characteristics.
First up, the more sedate of the two new offerings, RM 74-01. This watch, in Richard Mille’s familiar tonneau, is cased in grey Cermet, which combines the lightness of titanium with the hardness of ceramic — a combination which works pretty well on a watch, it must be said. The material is exclusive to Richard Mille in the watch space, and they’ve made the most of it. Inside the stealthy grey case rests the in-house CRMT6 calibre, with electroplasma treated titanium bridges emphasising the long, curvy case and highlighting the tourbillon with a free-sprung balance that dominates the bottom of the dial.
If the RM 74-01 is stealth, the RM 74-02 is pure wealth. The case middle and calibre bridges are 18K red gold, but it’s another gold-flecked material that really makes this watch shine; Gold Carbon TPT. Richard Mille has a long and rich history with Carbon TPT, and this is the latest expression. The material really ticks all the boxes for the brand. It’s lightweight and corrosion resistant, but also incredibly technical. The final material is created by alternating some 600 layers of Carbon TPT and gold leaf, varying the orientation of the fibres by 45 degrees to ensure strength and that pronounced appearance.
Bringing gold into the Carbon TPT mix is particularly challenging, as the properties of the metal are very different, making the process of fusion and finishing a delicate one. The results speak for themselves, as the laminated layers give the RM 74-02 an unmistakable appearance.