INTRODUCING: Grand Seiko has just announced four new slim manual-wind models in the Elegance Collection and, yes, the dials are off the charts
Grand Seiko has, in the lead-up to Baselworld, just announced a brand new movement for the Elegance Collection, four new manually wound, slender watches (three of them limited editions) that look very promising indeed. First things first, this collection is powered by a new manually wound caliber, the 9S63, the brand’s first in eight years. The basics of this hand-wound movement are that it’s got a reserve of 72 hours, and accurate to within +5/-3 seconds a day. More importantly, this movement opens up new design possibilities for Grand Seiko, with its current layout of balanced small seconds at nine and power reserve at three. The manual factor also allows for slimmer watches, with these new offerings coming in at 11.6mm. The cases are classic Grand Seiko: 39mm across and fairly slender. With narrow and powerful lugs, it possesses design codes that should be instantly familiar to lovers of Grand Seiko. The crown is screw-down (an interesting move on a manual watch), though you do only have to wind it every three days. Water resistance is 3 bar. For now, the watch is offered in steel (SBGK005), yellow gold (SBGK006) and rose gold (SBGK002 and SBGK004). The dials are, frankly,…
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Adding variety in the world of ultra-thin watchmaking is tricky. Because in this space, additional complications typically equals extra thickness — and that defeats the aim of the exercise. So instead of working on altering the mechanics, you change the aesthetics, which is just what Piaget has done here with these new additions to the Altiplano family. Before we take a closer look at those spectacular dials, a quick recap on this particular Altiplano. At 40mm across, and with a very simple, traditional round case, this watch is dressy by design. The incredible thinness of 6.5mm makes it almost unimaginable that this watch would perform any other function. The movement is quite special, the 1203P is 3mm wide, handsome, and powered by a micro-rotor that gives it up to 44 hours of go. But back to those dials. They’re incredibly slender slices of meteorite, cut to reveal the distinctive and unique crystalline structure, formed over thousands of years of floating silently through space … which is wild, if you actually think about it. Out-of-this-world origin story aside, the physical look of these dials is strong (even taking that white date window into account). The patterns in the iron-nickel heavy material…
It’s not an easy, or necessarily wise, thing to admit, but the first ‘proper’ cologne I ever purchased (with money from my job working at the deli in Coles) was Bulgari. And the first expensive sunglasses I owned? Also Bulgari. It was natural, then, that when I entered the world of haute horology a decade or so ago, my first associations with the brand were not akin to some of the houses who have literally centuries of backstory – and a single product focus – to offer in comparison. I paint this picture, and I tell this personal story, because it shows two things: 1) How far the brand has come since the ’90s. 2) And how utterly transformed my appreciation for Bulgari is some 20-odd years since my first contact. But this newly developed appreciation (read: hot desire in the Finissimo’s case!) is because I’m pretty damn lucky. I get to hold the watches. To meet the people who designed them and feel the passion they have for their work. Attend the ceremonies where they are unveiled and then decorated with awards. So when given the chance to make a video about anything at all on a recent trip…
The talk of the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth at SIHH was the incredible (and incredibly well-sized) Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, but that rare bird was in hot demand, so we didn’t manage any quality one-on-one time with it. But that’s OK really, as there were numerous other exquisitely finished offerings on hand, from the Reverso and Master families. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel This watch and the two other Master Thins take several design cues from the grand daddy Gyrotourbillon, but in a package that’s in the realm of mortals. The dials are a rich and complex blue guilloché, and the movements in these three pieces have been revamped and improved. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel Building on the same formula as above, this watch offers a significantly more complex perpetual calendar. Bonus points for a design that manages to balance complexity and beauty. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon Enamel JLC’s expertise with tourbillon is legendary, something that’s apparent to anyone gazing at that well at six. Gorgeous. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Changing gears to the iconic Reverso, JLC offered a few snappy dial and case variations this year, including this rich and full-bodied Tribute Small Seconds…