Watch Dandy

Last year, Breguet introduced a stunningly simple, surprisingly asymmetrical addition to the Classique family, the Tourbillon Extra-Flat. This year, at Time to Move, they’ve premiered the next chapter. It’s still a Classique Tourbillon, but it’s been dramatically skeletonised. Meet the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Flat Skeleton 5395.  First things first – the fundamentals: 41mm across by a truly slender 7.7mm thick, offered in platinum or rose gold cases. The dial is sapphire, to show off the movement. The hands are (obviously) Breguet. On paper, the 3mm thin movement, designated 581SQ (for squelette, or skeleton), is the same as the existing 581. But in reality it’s a completely different beast, and absolutely beautiful.  Firstly, and most obviously, the closed dial is gone, leaving the inner workings of the watch exposed. And those inner workings have been significantly stripped back, with about 50 per cent of the mass of the movement removed, leaving a fine tracery of extensively hand-worked bridges. These bridges are made from a specific red gold alloy that is harder than usual, so as to effectively support the weight of the movement. Not much of that weight is coming from the off-centre tourbillon — the titanium and silicon carriage weighs in…

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The Seamaster Planet Ocean, with its bright orange details, is a favourite in the modern Omega lineup, a compelling combination of brightness and brown. And now we’ve been treated to a brand new version. First of all, this watch is large: 45.5mm across, and  tall on the wrist. It’s also heavy thanks to the steel case. If you really want to double down on the weight, there’s a steel bracelet option, which sees the entire package weigh a hefty 260 grams. If that sounds a little too intense, there are options on a NATO strap — Omega is offering two different bright 5-stripe straps, which are lovely. The other notable new feature is the orange ceramic. The colour is less bold than previous iterations, as adding certain colours to ceramic is notoriously difficult. To my eye, it’s more of a burnt orange — perhaps even pumpkin. It’s an attractive look. The design of the bezel has been updated to bring it in line with the third-generation PO bezel designs, with all the salient numerals and hash marks filled with white liquid ceramic and Super-LumiNova. Finally, there’s the dial. The soft, matt grey dial is a nice foil for the shiny, bright…

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Like it or not, the origin story of Blancpain’s famous diver is inseparable from that of naval warfare. The development of the original watch was driven by two men, Captain Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud, who were in charge of a newly formed French unit, the Combat Swimmers — or Nageurs de Combat. They came up with a list of ideal characteristics for the perfect underwater wristwatch, one suited to their very specific needs. And, in 1953, Blancpain managed to meet these requirements, which came to define the needs of modern dive watches. To celebrate this legacy, Blancpain has released a limited edition Fifty Fathoms (of 300 pieces). And even though the shape is familiar, the overall effect is far more tactical than we’re used to. The 45mm case is steel, with a black dial and bezel. The caseback is solid with a very nice engraving of the Combat Diver Qualification Badge, an anchor flanked by winged seahorses. This detailed caseback means you don’t get a look at the 135 automatic movement, which is pacing a silicon balance and 5 days of power thanks to the three barrels. As you’d expect, this watch is good to 300m. The final subtle…

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