Collectors matter, and nowhere is that more evident than in the rocketing profile of Grand Seiko. The Japanese watchmaker was once a little-known secret — treasured by watch collectors, and unknown to most outside its home market. Grand Seiko got its start in 1960, and was only launched on the international stage in 2010 – it only became a full brand in its own right in 2017. The Seiko Watch Corporation itself never seriously pursued a marketing strategy for Grand Seiko beyond Japan, which means that those who got themselves hyped-up for a Grand Seiko watch had to do a lot of heavy lifting. Never mind having to travel to Tokyo in search of Grand Seiko watches because first you would have to know such watches existed. Imagine, if you will, having to learn about the watches, for which no materials were widely available in English.

To hear collectors tell it, it was a little like the wake of the international success of the anime Akira, which brought Japanese animation to worldwide attention. For international audiences wanting to explore the bewilderingly wide world of anime, disappointment followed because very few series and features received international distribution. Anime fan communities did their own distribution, even if it was in legally dubious territory. They even did their own subtitles for select series and films.

ˆThe problem for Grand Seiko was not only external though, as Seiko Watch Corporation (SWC) President and Grand Seiko Asia-Pacific Chairman Akio Naito told the Financial Times earlier this year. “The perception among our employees was that Grand Seiko didn’t have a strong characteristic, like Richard Mille or Hublot,” said Naito. “It wasn’t eye-catching. Our own people almost gave up promoting the brand.” When we first spoke with Naito in 2021, he had just been appointed to his role at SWC, but had been responsible for Grand Seiko in both North America and Europe since 2018. He told us that he knew, first-hand, the difficulties for the collector’s favourite in these regions. After all, that Grand Seiko watches were so highly regarded outside Japan had everything to do with how collectors had been talking them up, and almost nothing to do with how SWC was marketing them.

The editors of this magazine had already noticed this by 2005, because if one wanted to feature Grand Seiko watches at that time, it was necessary to shoot them at BaselWorld (the now-defunct global watch fair that Seiko and all its imprints used to show at). We know this today because we have an archive of press kits, and there is nothing on Grand Seiko from that time; I also know this from experience, having spoken with the WOW photographers in 2008 at BaselWorld. This is not to suggest that Grand Seiko was an afterthought for SWC, by any means, as Naito reminded us in our most recent conversation with him. “When Grand Seiko was born in 1960, it was meant to be the (maker of the) best timepieces ever from Seiko at that time. A Grand Seiko watch had to be the most precise… the most legible… and the most durable for everyday use. In all these aspects, Grand Seiko had to be the ultimate.”

In this respect, it is possible that Grand Seiko is, DNA-wise, no different to than it was in 1960. What has changed though, is the rise of executives such as Naito, who recognise that the horological world might just be Grand Seiko’s oyster. We discussed this, the brand’s 2022 novelties, and the beginning of Grand Seiko’s direct engagement with the Asia-Pacific region in our conversation. We will launch directly into that from here, as it is quite long. For a bit of background on Naito, we recommend our own story on him from last year, as well as that FT article we referenced above.

• READ MORE: Seiko President Akio Naito on Making the Sports Watch Work for Grand Seiko

Congratulations on the SLGT003G Kodo, the first complication from Grand Seiko! Did the Kodo name come from the nature of the watch and did you have the sound of the watch in mind when you were developing it.

Well, I think you (and your readers) are already familiar with the technical designer who designed
(SLGT003G) Kodo, who used to be a professional guitarist. [Naito is referring to Takuma Kawauchiya,
who received the 2022 GPHG Chronometry Prize with him in Geneva for the Kodo – Ed]. He was a
musician before he joined Seiko, or Grand Seiko, and it took him more than seven years from (the
movement’s) inception to come up with the prototype movement T0. And he was, from the very
beginning, very particular, about the sound that the watch creates. He paid special attention to, you
know, the watch making a particular sound. Therefore, the name Kodo or heartbeat was from the
very beginning the nickname that he and the team had in mind. 

Right, so I suppose the connection with the taiko drum is also intentional. 

Yeah, it was of course intentional. So we were not just creating a complication watch (for the sake of
making a watch with a high complication), the very first Grand Seiko complication watch, but for the
image or the concept of a particular technical construction; the sound it made was very, very
important for the person who created the watch. 

So, of course we were asked by the media (and) the Grand Seiko fans when the brand would come up with a complication model… and for quite some time we were on that kind of quest. Of course, technologically we were capable of producing a Grand Seiko complication model, but we wanted to create a (true) Grand Seiko complication. It had to be in line with the brand’s DNA; it had to be accurate in terms of the precision of the movement, and (have excellent) legibility and durability. When all these necessary criteria for the brand were met, we thought we were ready to unveil the first Grand Seiko complication model, and that happened to be the (SLGT003G) Kodo.

• READ MORE: Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph: Two-tone Appeal

Does this signify a change for Grand Seiko?

Well, I don’t say it’s a change or transition; I would call it evolution. The complication model Kodo reflects the DNA of the brand, and we believe that even though the dial or the look of the watch seems complicated or crowded, but it can still tell the time (very clearly)… legibility is something our engineers try to achieve (despite the look of the complication). So the DNA or the prerequisites of the brand have not been lost in coming up with the complication model.

Will there now be fewer quartz models? What other things might we expect in future?

Well, just like (our progress with) mechanical movements, we have been making progress with quartz. You know, in terms of research and development the same thing can be said of Spring Drive too. Our engineers have been painstakingly working on the progress of how we can make the Spring Drive movement better in various aspects of its technology… So yes, we will be coming up with something new in future.

(One the matter of) quartz for Grand Seiko, which we call the 9F movement (for example), that is not a conventional quartz, obviously. And we have put particular emphasis on creating an ultimate quartz (movement) and this is the 9F movement, under the Grand Seiko brand. Just like mechanical movements or Spring Drive movements, we are still working on quartz technology. As the very first brand (Seiko) to come up with the quartz watch in 1969, we think we are responsible for improving quartz technology even further into the future.

What other complications might Grand Seiko pursue? 

Well, for the high-end, you know the higher price-range watches, I think we have a few ideas on complication models in future. I think our Grand Seiko fans demand some iconic or interesting sports models. That’s something we’ve been working on.

So in future we will certainly come up with more complication models, and more sports models. We have a history of pursuing accuracy (goals) under Grand Seiko, so you know Kodo is of course, one example of accuracy. It is the achievement of accuracy through the tourbillon and constant force mechanism, but other than that we are, or have been, also pursuing accuracy from the technological perspective [meaning how much time a watch gains or loses, versus an atomic clock for example – Ed]. 

So when we succeed in achieving a new level of accuracy with a mechanical movement, that would be the time when we will unveil another interesting and innovative product.

If you could define it in a few words, what’s the vision of the sports watch as far as Grand Seiko is concerned?

Yes, actually that is a very important subject that has been debated internally within Grand Seiko. As you say [in our full conversation, which has been edited to remove our own comments – Ed], we have a long history or heritage in Seiko, with Seiko divers for example, of sports timekeeping. But for Grand Seiko we did not really have that kind of a historical icon.

So how can we create a new Grand Seiko that is appealing to our fans that is faithful to our brand’s DNA? This is the internal debate.

I would say luxury sports is one category of watches sought-after by many fans in the watch community. But I’m not quite sure how we can realize luxury sports under the Grand Seiko label. That is one challenge that we have.

We look forward to seeing how Grand Seiko addresses that challenge! Moving on, how was the Watches and Wonders Geneva experience for Grand Seiko?

Well as you know, we have attended BaselWorld for many, many years. And it was an important platform, both for Grand Seiko and Seiko, but with the changes in the business, the community, and then COVID… This made it very difficult for us to communicate with our fans all over the world (in a physical global event). We were fortunate enough to be able to join Watches and Wonders Geneva for the first time as, you know, a brand from Asia to showcase our new releases at that platform. And we were extremely happy with the feedback and reactions we received through that new trade fair. We are confident, especially with the trade and consumers in Europe, because we were able to draw the attention of European retailers and European watch fans as a result of the fair.

• READ MORE: Shirakaba Beauty: Grand Seiko SLGH005

Is Grand Seiko keeping pace with the increasing demand for fine timepieces? How do you handle the balance between being able to create the kinds of pieces that you want to be able to create, while also being able to supply people and keep them happy?

Well to the first part of the question, in the last five to six years, we have been experiencing tremendous growth of Grand Seiko as a brand, especially outside of Japan. Take the US for example; between 2016 and 2021, for a period of five years, the brand has grown more than 11 times in terms of what it was (in that market prior to 2016).

And with the brand becoming so well known, not just among the core watch aficionados, but among wider watch community, I think that influence reached other English-speaking countries or the markets where people look at watch content in English. And now is the time for us to develop the brand in English-speaking Asian markets like Singapore!

On the second question, yes, of course, as a brand from a commercial entity we have to chase both short-term gains and long-term gains. And sometimes these two may conflict with each other. If we are too hasty to satisfy the demand which is growing all over the world, then it may damage the long-term healthy development of the brand. That is always a very important management decision we have to face. So far I think we have been able to hit a good balance.

In the Asia-Pacific region, will you be applying lessons that you have learned from the US market?

Yes, well when I first arrived in the US in 2016, one of the issues that I faced was how I could develop or set up a team of experts who are experienced in the luxury watch business. I was fortunate enough to recruit those people who were capable of making use of their experience to develop Grand Seiko. That was 2018. In Europe, I took a similar strategy, recruiting people who are capable of growing Grand Seiko. That was 2020. [In both the US and Europe, Naito managed the split between the Seiko and Grand Seiko – Ed]. Now it is time for us to do the same thing in the Asian market.

We decided to create Grand Seiko Asia and recruited capable management to handle the brand. Because we are looking at a totally different distribution and totally different audience for Grand Seiko compared to Seiko, it is necessary for us to make use of separate sorts of expertise and a separate management team. This is so that Grand Seiko can be fully developed.

For more watch reads, click here.

Franck Muller design language, just like art, is open to one’s interpretation; a Franck Muller watch is a canvas on which the watchmaker expresses its joie de vivre and mastery of craft. Suffice to say, whenever the Swiss watchmaker announces a new design, the world of horology sits up and pays attention.

This design language is perfectly exemplified in the Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams, now available as a Southeast Asia exclusive. Described as “putting colours on your wrist”, the eight colours of the famous Franck Muller Color Dreams collection are featured, available in a trio of different variants for this iteration. It’s like psychedelia came to life in a timepiece.

At first glance, the watch sports complicated good looks. The pop colours, the criss-cross bridges and the visible movement underneath convey a sense of complexity. But there is a simplicity that these complex elements achieve. These are classic Franck Muller aesthetic touches rebuilt from the ground up for this year’s iteration of the Color Dreams series. The Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams, designed as a skeleton watch from the outset, puts the movement on show from both sides of the watch (via the exhibition caseback).

Dial-side, the satin-finished, anodised aluminium bridges of the movement are secured directly to the inner case, machined precisely to fit the curved case, revealing the manually wound mechanical movement inside.

These plates and bridges are coloured in signature hues through the process of electrolytic anodisation, which requires the special manufacture of components in aluminium, instead of the traditionally used brass or nickel silver. It should be noted that each component needs to be treated separately to achieve the different colours here, which is remarkable. Skeletonisation has the effect in the Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams of relegating the minute numerals to the flange, with the trademark oversized numerals entirely absent. Working double-time to ensure legibility here are the hour and minute hands, which are in different colours. Running seconds is likewise marked by a hand in a different colour, in a subdial with a yellow track at 6 o’clock.

This mechanical wonder is encased in the new, lightweight V 43 case made of CarboTech, a synthesised carbon fibre material. There is also the added benefit of no two Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams being exactly the same. The striations on each piece, created by the compression of the carbon fibre, results in differing patterns on each watch. Notably here, each case is hand-buffed, adding a bit of traditional watchmaking charm.

To conclude here, the Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams is the latest addition to a collection inextricably tied to Franck Muller. The first Color Dreams watches were born from the brand’s passions, rooted in the founder’s obsessions, colliding in a burst of creativity. The Color Dreams watch was a canvas for a rainbow display accentuated by iconic oversized hour markers, and gave rise to various creative executions. It was always about celebrating time, and the Vanguard Skeleton Color Dreams is perhaps the purest watchmaking expression of this spirit.

For more watch reads, click here.

The relationship between timekeeping and flying is hardly straightforward, in the way that the dive watch is inextricably linked with the activity for which it is named. At the very start though, precise timing was key, if only to prove a point: establishing evidence for the first sustained powered flight. As every child learns, this was Orville Wright’s flight of just 12 seconds in 1903, which was just about 12 seconds longer than anyone else had managed; his brother Wilbur made an attempt days before that lasted just three seconds. The press was unimpressed by the duration, at first, but people eventually came around, but we relate this only to note that timing was important, even if not functionally vital. 

This being a watch magazine, many of you, dear readers, will hasten to remind us (we can imagine the gears of your minds turning) that aviation requires a fair bit of navigating and that means the longitude factor will be as important to pilots as it is sailors. It has not escaped our attention, rest assured. This is the reason we crown our selection of timepieces with the Breitling AOPA Navitimer, and a note about the slide rule that the brand introduced, which served as a sort of wrist computer for pilots. 

On that note, let us also head off the notion that the wristwatch itself was (partly) attributable to the needs of pilots. No doubt you clever folks will have immediately thought of Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont and Cartier. Well, this story takes off quite a bit later, with commercial air travel, but the romance of flying remains part of the story, even if it remains in the background. Obviously, we are looking beyond traditional pilot’s watches here. 

Images are also a problem here, with many of the watches in our selection having simple “soldier” style shots, or are courtesy of the auction house Phillips, and as such are standardised “semi-soldier” shots. Certain pieces, such as the Concorde watch do not have print-quality images at all, while Tudor has not shared images of the Air France models. Where images are small, it is because that is the best we could find. 

Speaking of background information, we reserve space here in this introduction for the Rolex GMT-Master (below), which is probably the world’s most famous symbol of the relationship between watch brands and commercial airliners. This watch debuted in 1955 as civil aviation came into its own, and soon became the official watch of Pan American World Airways (better known as Pan-Am). In 1959, the pilot of the first Pan-Am New York to Moscow wore a GMT-Master watch, which reportedly performed a vital navigation function on said flight. 

Functionality was a major factor for timepieces from early on, and in the 1950s, found its apotheosis in the Breitling for AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) watches. As Eric Wind, owner of vintage watch shop Wind Vintage and watch expert said, “The AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) and Breitling collaborated on the production of a trailblazing chronograph watch so the early Navitimers had the AOPA logo; some only had the AOPA logo, with no mention of Breitling on the dial. Breitling designed the Navitimer for use by pilots in the 1950s with a slide rule for making intricate calculations and a 24-hour dial timepiece named the Cosmonaute ended up going to space on the wrist of astronaut Scott Carpenter in 1962. There are also some Vulcain watches introduced with the TWA logo in the 1960s and 1970s.” 

Neither Breitling nor Rolex made watches co-branded with airlines in the above examples, which contrasts strongly against Vulcain, but this is besides the point, which is glamour and adventure. A life of freedom, if you will, by flying the friendly skies. It was a simpler time for air travel, clearly, and the watches that played their parts in that era remain unblemished by all the chaos of the decades since then. Watch collectors have been turning their attention to these vintage pieces, which in turn inspired this story. The historical models chosen here all have very specific stories tied to them, and all are unavailable without some effort or special access. 

“Watches with an aviation and space history and connection have always had a fascination for collectors and I expect they will always be desired in one way or another. This is where watchmaking and aviation industries need to work together by finding innovative ways in order to stay relevant,” said Wind. Clearly there is an idea lurking about that there is a future for this sort of co-branded venture. We found just one current venture, discounting the limited edition AOPA Breitling pieces, which is one more than we were expecting, if we are honest… 

On that note, the writers acknowledge a debt to both the experts consulted for this story, including auction houses, and the original Hodinkee story published in 2021 that features many of the same models.

Concorde Air France Quartz Plastic Watch

Developed together by Air France and British Airways, the Concorde opened a whole new era of air travel through its supersonic capacity that made it possible to reach world’s major cities in the shortest time. It reigned in the sky from 1976 to 2003, and might be making a comeback. However that pans out, the most unforgettable moment of Concorde happened to be in 1996 when it safely completed the journey between New York and London in two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. So, this inherently disposable watch is an ironically famous bit of memorabilia that brings back the memory of those days straight away. Anything related to Concorde is invaluable and collectable because of what it stood for—a technological feat in the field of commercial aviation. If you can get a version that works, where the battery was removed for safety’s sake, it might be worth your time. 

• READ MORE: Supersonic Travel Is Within Reach With the New Overture Aircraft

Breitling AOPA Navitimer

Shared goals between partners lead to incredible milestones, or at least they can, as evidenced with Breitling and the AOPA nearly 70 years ago. In 1952, the Swiss watch manufacturer started working on the Navitimer for the AOPA, to the organisation’s requirements. Nevertheless, it took two more years for Breitling to launch the Navitimer with a slide rule and finally introduced it with the AOPA logo at 12 o’clock on a black dial in 1954. The same year, it was declared the official watch by the AOPA for its members with the word Breitling being conspicuously (to contemporary eyes) absent. The 1956 41mm Breitling Navitimer ref. 806 with slide rule had both logos present. It proved to be the ideal wrist companion for both military and civilian pilots in the 1950s and 1960s. To this day, the old Navitimer remains an iconic tool watch thanks to its Venus 178 movement, beaded bezel and Mark II white-painted. 

Hence, early Navitimer timepieces were solely tailored for the American aviation industry, including the famed 1959 version that was reissued in 2019, and the current crop of Navitimers that all pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the watch. As of this year, the number of Navitimer references produced since 1952 stands at more than 40, making this the most successful of all the watches featured in this story. 

The unsigned versions of the watch with the AOPA logo that were powered by the Valjoux 72 calibre were only in production from 1954 to 1955. Reportedly, these traded on the open market even then so non-AOPA members may have started wearing them already. Interestingly, these early models did not have reference numbers mentioned anywhere on them, making them extremely rare and prized by collectors. 

• READ MORE: Breitling Aviation Scholarship Celebrates Navitimer’s 70th Anniversary

SAS Universal Genève Polarouter

The 36mm Polerouter ref. 20217-6 stainless steel timepiece bearing the SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) logo on the dial was designed by Gerald Genta for Universal Genève when he was just 23 years old. Regarded as one of his most important watch designs, it was launched by the watch manufacturer in order to commemorate SAS’ first direct polar flight from Copenhagen to Los Angeles in 1954. The route required anti-magnetic timepieces (for which Universal Genève was the go-to-watch brand back then) since SAS flights had to fly directly over the North Pole to reduce the distance between these two cities. Soon after this historic moment, Universal Genève became the sole supplier of chronometers and anti-magnetic watches to SAS. In fact, the initial pieces were distributed among pilots and crew members as soon as the flight landed at LAX on 15 November 1954. 

Powered by the calibre 138 bumper automatic movement, the watch is a collectable piece, for obvious reasons, including that movement. It is also notable for its lyre lugs, a solid case and a simple silvered dial. According to Adam Hambly, a seasoned expert on Polerouters, there are only 150 examples of verified SAS-signed examples today. In 1955, Universal Genève changed the model name from Polarouter to Polerouter. Sadly, Universal Genève is defunct now. 

Tudor Prince Oysterdate Reference 74000N Philippines Airlines

Collectors will not be surprised that Rolex and Tudor have a history of filling corporate orders, and thus creating models that are unavailable to the general public. While we do not have an example of Rolex working with an airline with a co-branded watch, we do know about the Domino’s Pizza logo on the dial of an Air-King watch made for the pizza chain in the 1970s that still resonates with collectors. No, we are talking here about the Tudor Prince Oysterdate reference 74000N, with the logo of the Philippines Airlines (PAL) on the dial at 6 o’clock. The geometric palette of the logo placed on the silvered dial gels well with the overall look of the 34mm watch, which is powered by calibre 2824-3.

It is believed that PAL offered this watch to its employees after they completed 25 years in service to the airlines from the 1980s. There is another Tudor reference, the Oysterdate ref. 9101/01, that was produced with the name and logo of Philippine Airlines circa 1979. 

Such watches are hardly accessible through normal retail channels, making them even more desirable. A quick check on secondary sales sites shows that prices are not out-of-reach by any means.

• READ MORE: Tudor Black Bay Pro: New Crown

Air France Tudor Black Bay 58 Blue and Black Bay Gmt

While Rolex is no longer making very many special editions, if any, Tudor continues to do so, as seen in a couple of stunners for Air France. There is not much information on this relationship, or on the Black Bay 58 and Black Bay GMT models specifically. While these certainly exist, the exact details are cobbled together from purely speculative sources, besides the Hodinkee story. Nevertheless, it is perhaps unsurprising that Tudor aligned with Air France to produce the Black Bay GMT Ref.79830RB-00AF with “Pepsi” bezel in aluminium and Black Bay 58 Blue Ref.79030B-00AF, both in 2020. Only 300 pieces of Black Bay GMT with calibre MT5652 were made (supposedly) while only 100 pieces of Black Bay 58 Blue with calibre MT5402 were produced (supposedly) and they were all sold to the flight members of Air France albeit at a discounted rate. Whether this is borne out in the exact details, these models are certainly unavailable to the general public, and are not currently listed for sale on any reputable pre-owned shops.

Seiko ANA 7S26-0620 

This one is a real treat because it was actually available to the public, and it was designed and developed in cooperation with ANA pilots in 2003. It was made available through the in-flight catalogue of ANA (All Nippon Airways) in 2004 so those who want to go hunting for the model can start there. As far as we can tell, it was only available that year. Notable here is the ANA logo at 9 o’clock, which balances out the day and date displays; yes that is a Kanji day wheel, which of course is highly desirable and very distinctive, as if we even have to say it. The ANA logo is also stamped on the left side of the case. 

Obviously, passengers flying on ANA flights were able to book their orders for this particular watch, and it does appear on some pre-owned specialist sites. Powered by the in-house 7S26 movement, this 40mm from Seiko is typical for the brand. Its popularity also quadrupled thanks to the Japanese Kanji date wheel. As a result, it was hard to find making it the cult favourite watch. I’m sure all this will be enough to stir up watch lovers’ curiosity for it. 

• READ MORE: Grand Seiko Spring Drive: Root of Excellence

Fossil Southwest 50th Anniversary Watch

Last year, Southwest Airlines teamed up with Fossil to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the airliner being founded in 1971. As part of this collaborative alliance, 1,971 units were produced with the logo of the airline on the dials and casebacks. Each Retro Pilot Chronograph watch comes in a tin box in the blue colour of Southwest Airlines. There are possibly two versions to get into. One is a 44mm watch with a blue dial with a blue leather strap and a 36mm one that boasts a silver dial with contrasting details and 

a blue leather strap. The crowns of both watches are decked up in the blue, red and yellow of Southwest Airlines. Amazingly, the leather straps of both watches have been constructed from recycled seats of the airlines, further underscoring what a pivotal role the watch industry can play in addressing the sustainability crisis. Well, however you feel about that message, it is a nice touch to have the watches secured by something viscerally tied to the heritage of the airline. 

For more watch reads, click here.

On the heels of the success of the Bell & Ross BR-05 range, the firm follows up by levelling up with the 41mm BR-X5. While the BR-05 marked Bell & Ross’ first move away from the world of professional tool watches, the BR-X5 reveals entirely new ambitions. Indeed you can tell everything important about the BR-X5 watch by examining it closely. This includes a new three-part case structure but it is important to start here with the engine. This is an automatic time-only watch with date and power reserve indicator; a full wind feeds calibre BR-CAL.323 with energy for more than 70 hours, approximately. What you cannot see is that this movement is COSC-certified and enables Bell & Ross to offer a five-year warranty, and now the combination of details (and perhaps phrasing) might be speaking to you.

So, while it looks very much like a line extension for the BR-05, it is actually designed quite literally to appeal to collectors who have always wanted a manufacture movement in Bell & Ross’ core collection. Brand founders Carlos Rosillo and Bruno Bellamich confirmed to us twice — first obliquely at a press conference in KL, Malaysia, and then directly when we spoke with them the next day. In fact, Rosillo talked specifically about offering a Bell & Ross watch for enthusiasts who did not want anything powered by an ETA or Selita standard calibre. Instead, what we have here with the BR-X5 is a made-to-order calibre from none other than Kenissi.

• READ MORE: Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline: Streamlined Appeal

On one level, this is unsurprising given the relationship Chanel has with both Kenissi (it owns a stake in the specialist firm) and Bell & Ross, where the luxury bastion had an important role in the founding of the watchmaking brand. To address a popular theory, the founders of Bell & Ross noted clearly that they wanted a specially made calibre so Kenissi did not just use some old stock they had, say from the discounted Tudor North Flag.

About the case and variants, there are three different options, with up to five versions (depending on how one defines this, according to Rosillo), with the ice blue dial variant in steel being particularly fetching. On the other hand, the orange and black version in forged carbon, titanium and steel showcases the new multipart case structure to best effect. As you might expect, this is the most expensive version of the BR-X5, as compared with the BR-05. It is a somewhat conservative jump, things considered. All versions are water-resistant to 100m. The versions with rubber straps are S$9,700, while the bracelet options are S$10,500. The final orange piece is S$16,700.

For more watch reads, click here.

A new chapter begins for CODE41 as it unveils its latest timepiece: Mecascape. This new watch class takes an atypical form where it is neither a watch nor a clock. But what it represents is the brand’s constant push for innovation and an amalgamation of beauty and precision as it has been designed according to the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence. The result is a new architectural vision of time, space, volume and light — a handy, portable travel desk clock to remind one of home constantly.

Starting from its name, Mecascape is a contraction for “mechanical” and “landscape”. Despite a break away from traditional watchmaking endeavours, CODE41 still manages to achieve a delicate balance and harmony for its latest creation. Cut from grade 5 titanium, the timepiece’s movement is flat and measures up to only 7mm. The mechanical complications are on full display like the balance, escapement and all the gears for the wears to admire. This open-worked aesthetic has since become synonymous with the brand’s six watch collections: ANOMALY01 & ANOMALY02, DAY41, X41, ANOMALY Evolution, NB24 and ANOMALY-T4.

• READ MORE: CODE41’s NB24, the Chronograph Watch That Everyone Is Fighting Over

Reading time is easy with the Mecascape. The sundials showing the hour, minute, seconds, a second time zone and its power reserve have been positioned intuitively to show the interconnectedness of the different components. Two small knurled crowns are placed on either side of the Mecascape to allow the wearer to set time and the timepiece to be wound mechanically. To round off, a small push button on the side sets the date, and the timepiece has an eight-day power reserve.

Mecascape is encased by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, and the caseback is in solid grade 5 titanium. A small opening on the back allows the wearer to peek into the moving parts of the timepiece. Created in collaboration with the independent watchmaking workshop Cercle des Horlogers, the workshop expertly handled the technical difficulties of making the watch. From the unprecedented dimensions to the complex calibration process and structural integrity. Accompanying the Mecascape are two accessories: a metal stand that allow it to be positioned vertically and a travel case made of high-quality Italian leather lined with microfibre. 

Speaking more about the Mecaspace, Claudio D’Amore, founder and CEO of CODE41 said, “My idea for the Mecascape goes back to 2009, more than 12 years ago. Today, after having founded CODE41, given birth to six collections, and dedicated five years of focused development to the project, the time has come, the maturity and the means too, to give birth to the first Mecascape. I knew, with the team, from the outset that we were working on something really special. An ambitious and daring project in every sense of the word. Translating my vision into a unique and original watch object was a real collective challenge, and we are all very proud of the result. Working with time from all angles (and that’s the right word here) has rarely been so rewarding.”

• READ MORE: DAY41, the latest CODE41 watch for both men and women

The birth of the Mecascape is a testament to CODE41’s vision of creating ingenious timepieces that breaks the mould of traditional watchmaking. “To acquire a Mecascape is to enter a different, unique and intimate universe. It means adhering to an original vision of ultra-contemporary and independent watchmaking. It is to let yourself be guided by a state of mind that explores new territories of technical and aesthetic expression, evoking new emotions,” as mentioned in the press release.

Head over to CODE41’s website here to learn more about the Mecascape.

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You may not believe me when I tell you that I have never interviewed a CEO in his office. That means outside of watchmaking too. Even during the various pandemic lockdowns, the interviews were done over the Internet but the CEOs themselves were working from home. Why should this be? Well, most watch brand bosses do the rounds with the press at watch fairs, when they visit markets, or on junkets. This all means that you are more likely to interview a watch brand representative at a hotel, in a hidden antechamber next to some mad party, or on a yacht in the South Pacific than you are to do the same at the manufacture.

The office space of a firm’s CEO is the inner sanctum — space that outsiders and those who do not have business with the top brass are excluded. Journalists are certainly not meant to be there, even watch specialists for whom someone like Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terreni is a star. Well, this interview is a first for this journalist, having taken place at Terreni’s office at the manufacture in Fleurier.

Our previous interview with Terreni — also our first meeting — was last year, after he took over as CEO. While changes in models and collections are quite normal in this type of situation, Terreni moved with great speed to launch the Tonda PF, a collection that has generated more buzz for the brand than any other I can recall. As for retail partners, a number of specialist titles have reported that the brand’s order books are full till at least next year, and possibly beyond for some models.

Given that the watch market is currently experiencing unparalleled growth (even as inflationary pressures grow, and Chinese demand remains contained within China), extraordinary demand for Parmigiani Fleurier watches might seem like a bit of non-news. On the contrary though, this brand, with what Terreni calls a quiet soul, does not grab much attention. Perhaps more than a few of you were surprised to learn the King Charles III has favoured a Parmigiani Fleurier since his days as the Prince of Wales. Of course, His Majesty is no IG superstar and cannot be expected to drive interest in a watch like social media messiahs can.

That might be as Parmigiani Fleurier prefers it, but its Tonda PF has proven to be such a hit that the force of its appeal is organically elevating the brand. Terreni attributes this, partly, to the enormous wellspring of goodwill that collectors and the industry have towards Parmigiani Fleurier. He even recalls that his former colleagues at Bulgari — where he headed up the watchmaking division for a decade — not only wished him well when he announced his departure, but also the brand. “I don’t know if it’s because Michel Parmigiani is so humble, and is a kind person, or maybe because we are not arrogant in pushing the product and distribution. Parmigiani Fleurier is a gentle brand.”

Parmigiani Fleurier is indeed an understated brand, and even its showcase at Watches and Wonders Geneva reflected this. Terreni is aghast at some of the excesses seen at the show, with “palaces” in place to create a spectacle, despite the fact that some of the brands in question cannot even take orders because they are struggling to meet demand. “I do not think I should put a lot of money into the stand at Watches and Wonders; I prefer to put it into the watches.” That said, the Tonda PF collection in particular is experiencing a surge in demand that puts the brand in a tight spot, which is where our conversation properly takes off.

• READ MORE: Parmigiani’s New CEO: Why Restoration Is A Black Belt Skill

The Tonda PF Is Doing Extremely Well, and We Hear You Are Sold Out for Everything You Presented Last Year. What’s the Situation Now?

Well, it depends on the reference; some new orders (for 2023) we can deliver by November, others by January (next year). As for the 2022 watches, we will probably deliver half (of all received orders) this year — we want to deliver more but the demand is overwhelming and we cannot keep up. Already before Watches and Wonders, we had great orders (for the Tonda PF from last year, which remains in the collection so continues to receive orders) and it has resulted in amazing growth… but it’s not a strategic way of doing scarcity on purpose. This is not who we are. We would love that everyone who wants a Tonda PF can get one, because we are the first who would like to see more of our watches on the wrists of our audience. 

[This massive demand situation] is not a problem because it allows us to be more precise in our distribution. It allows us to do more and deliver watches to people [and partners] who are building the brand. So we will be reducing distribution but not in Singapore because we just started [again], now with Cortina and Sincere; I had a great meeting with Jeremy Lim (CEO of Cortina Watch) and he was extremely happy [with the partnership]… it was a very, very promising meeting [and we are] looking forward to doing business together in a very qualitative way. I was very happy to have met him with such an offer that he could understand. So in the future, [Parmigiani Fleurier] will be very coherent, very clean and not overdoing things [in the sense of the design and the substance of the watches]. So, not too many references, and that will keep the value of the watches very, very high. 

• READ MORE: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF: A New Chapter For The Manufacture

Does Parmigiani Fleurier Factor After-market Prices Into This?

(Terreni pulls up a certain famous after-market dealer’s website to demonstrate where the Tonda PF is now, simultaneously demonstrating his point on the need to reduce some distribution!) So you see it is between 50-100 per cent above retail, and this is new for us. Parmigiani Fleurier always had a problem in keeping the value (over time), but that’s due to the fact that probably the brand got a bit lost in the last decade and didn’t have a true value proposition in terms of what was the vision. So my first job was really let’s put the values of the brand at the heart of the brand, [which is the watchmaking]. It is a lot about [watchmaking] competence, cultural colour, and knowledge, because of the restoration expertise of Michel Parmigiani himself. And that means there is a lot of understatement because Michel is extremely humble and not loud, not showy. So, these two values, knowledge and competence, have been interpreted (to match what) a gentleman today would like to wear. 

And this is where the sports watch aesthetic comes in? 

Of course, we are moving towards more informal dressing… From how we dress, how we behave when we are with people; there’s less etiquette now than there was before so it’s clear that a sporty watch has become the most coveted because it’s more or less adapted to being impeccably informal. In my opinion, the evolution of tastes in timepieces in the next decade will go towards watches that are more refined. I don’t see that big chunky watches have a big future so (brands) who have that as a core value proposition should be worried, okay. To have refined informality that is elegant and not loud, rich in watchmaking value like we’re doing is not easy because it’s not about extravagance. You have to be subtle and minimal in your ideas and execution, a bit like our GMT Rattrapante. It is so pure and so simple that you ask yourself, why did nobody do it before? This is in line with subtlety and elegance. It is understated because it is there, but not there, like the Grain d’orge (used for the quietest finishing touch with guilloche in the Tonda PF) you know. These are the values that are now behind the brand. To answer your question on value, this all adds up into an experience which preserves the value of the watches. The rest depends on how much we push…and how we bring the watches to the market.

• READ MORE: Parmigiani Fleurier Embraces Stealth With Their Latest Release

Speaking of Subtlety, How Do You Manage That in Something Like the Tonda PF Skeleton?

When you look at skeleton watches in the market, they are not always designed as a whole watch. Too many designers of watches are looking at the watch in a fragmented way, not as a whole object. Often you have people who are designing the movement, who are only designing the movement. They are creating contrasts in the movement… so maybe the barrel is in gold and the bridges are nacre treated. And then you add the hands and now you cannot read the time — unless there is even more contrast. What we wanted was to have a very, very homogeneous background so you can read the time, because the beauty of the mechanics is there, but it is not that only the mechanics has to do all the work of making the watch beautiful. We have gone with something all-black; even the rubies are black, not to have a red disturbing you, when you read the time. In a blink of an eye. Our job is to make the experience of the customer seamless and comfortable in reading the time. And even in a complication or in a skeleton, you must never lose track of the fact that you have two hands that have to stand out more than all the rest of the information. 

So Telling the Time Is Still Important, at This Level?

If you don’t read the time on your watch, why do you have it on your wrist? Okay, it is not the only reason… like you don’t buy a Ferrari to get you from A to B. Yes it can do that, but in a different way…something luxurious and refined. To have a watch that is your companion, you have to have pleasure in reading the time. 

Finally Then, What Is Your Perspective on Design? Are Watchmakers Themselves Not the Best Designers of Watches?

True icons in watchmaking design are rarely created by those who are completely outside watchmaking. I don’t think that you can dissociate the design from the technical side, because you have to understand what is the potential of [any given watchmaking] technique. Okay, I think you have to blend [aesthetics and technical qualities] and each of them, these two souls, they have to understand each other. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have to challenge each other, but they have to understand each other. There has to be communication between them. The technical side should not impose a constraint — they have to work on the constraints that the designer sets. If a designer has an intuition, and the technical side says it’s not feasible, I don’t accept this. At the same time, the designer has to understand what the technical side can and cannot do. Both sides need to circumnavigate issues and find ways out [of creative roadblocks]. Maybe you make a concession here or there, but without taking away the soul of the designer’s intuition.

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For decades, Rolex watches have appeared on the wrists of many protagonists in iconic films. In one of its first few appearances on the silver screen, Sean Connery donned a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner in the first Bond film, Dr. No, in 1962. This same watch would accompany Bond on his adventures through three more instalments, namely From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball.

From then on, Rolex became a staple timepiece in the world of cinema. Paul Newman sported an Oyster Perpetual Datejust in The Color of Money; Robert Redford checked the time on an Oyster Perpetual Submariner in All the President’s Men; Marlon Brando menaced us out of the shadows while wearing an Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master in Apocalypse Now; Bill Paxton sported a gold Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date in Titanic; and Eddie Murphy wore an Oyster Perpetual Datejust in The Distinguished Gentlemen, famously quipping in one scene, “Oh, another Rolex! I collect these, mine is a slightly older model!”

These are just four examples out of a veritable roster of Rolex appearances in films, many of them considered as classics in the world of cinema. Show, don’t tell, the film axiom goes. And Rolex watches portrayed fortitude in these characters, conveying a sense of toughness and control, along with a sophisticated sense of style.

The relationship between Rolex and cinema is a long-standing one, extending far beyond the brand’s appearances on the big screen. The brand has been equally busy behind the camera in supporting and uplifting the film industry. This is the area where Rolex’s relationship with the film industry has its deepest roots.

Rolex encourages the preservation and transmission of the cinematic arts, promotes excellence and celebrates progress by accompanying living legends as well as budding talents through its Testimonees (Martin Scorsese and James Cameron), its partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the institution, the awards and the Academy Museum in Los Angeles) and the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

• READ MORE: Rolex and its Timeless Connection to the Cinema

Rolex: Perpetuating the Art of Filmmaking

Recognising the importance of preserving these records of bygone, albeit recent, eras, Rolex has dedicated itself to the preservation of film history for future generations. This commitment is realised in two ways.

First, Rolex is a Founding Supporter of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies and home to the Rolex Gallery. The Academy Museum offers exhibits and programmes delving into the art, technology, history and social impact of cinema, telling the stories of moviemaking. Exhibitions from this year alone include the ongoing Stories of Cinema and The Oscars Experience, and tributes to filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Melvin van Peebles. These stories are celebratory and aim to tell the different aspects of cinematic history.

The Rolex Gallery, situated on the third floor, is a permanent exhibit dedicated to the many aspects of moviemaking — technology, artists, history and social impact and showcasing Paul Newman’s Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona.

The second is Rolex’s support for The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation established in 1990 by legendary director and Rolex Testimonee Martin Scorsese, dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. The legendary director of classics films Goodfellas, Raging Bull and Casino initiated the Film Foundation when he became aware of the poor state of film conservation, upon viewing a print of the 1955 Marilyn Monroe comedy The Seven Year Itch in the late 1970s. He noted that the print, from the studio’s official archival copy, was only a couple of decades old at the time. Yet, it had faded considerably to a print with muted colours and foggy images.

As a filmmaker, the lack of detail and poor state of the film disturbed him greatly. He felt that much of the film’s visual narrative quality was lost (no mention is made of what he thought about the audio). From there, he became aware that of the many movies made before 1950, more than half were irretrievably lost, even some Oscar winners. These films had been erased from cinema history and those surviving were quickly deteriorating in quality.

So, he drove the Film Foundation initiative together with his director friends, including George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, and to date, the Film Foundation has worked in partnership with archives institutions and studios to restore over 925 films. These are then made accessible to the public through festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. Expanding to the world at large, the Foundation’s World Cinema Project has restored 50 films from 28 different countries, and its free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people about film language and history.

Mentoring the Next Generation

Celebrating achievement and preserving the past are important, but equally important is ensuring the future of cinema. Rolex makes its contribution by promoting the transmission of knowledge across generations through the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

This Initiative, founded in 2002, was developed by Rolex and is one of their first collaborations with Hollywood. The Initiative sees younger artists of exceptional promise — the protégés — selected by established masters to work with them on a one-on-one basis for two years (called a ‘cycle’). Working so closely together creates a mentor-student relationship, enabling creative exchange and catalysing the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another.

The Initiative spans various disciplines that rely on creative ability, including visual arts, architecture, dance, literature, music, and of course film, with the aim to ensure that the knowledge and skills of those disciplines are passed on to future generations.

Out of the 58 Mentor and Protégé duos, eight have been in film. The roster of film mentors reads like a list of renowned film directors: Mira Nair, Stephen Frears, Walter Murch, Zhang Yimou, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Spike Lee and of course Martin Scorsese. The 2020-2022 cycle, currently still underway, paired Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X and Da 5 Bloods) with native American filmmaker Kyle Bell. For the initiative’s 2023 – 2024 cycle, the mentor will be Chinese film director Jia Zhang-Ke (The World, A Touch of Sin and Mountains May Depart) who will be mentoring Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel.

As for Martin Scorsese, he mentored independent filmmaker Celina Murga in the 2008 – 2009 cycle. Along with fellow film director and Rolex Testimonee James Cameron, these two towering figures have a longstanding relationship with the brand. In 2012, James Cameron famously took a Rolex Deepsea Challenge watch on his record-breaking Mariana Trench dive.

Rolex has always maintained close ties with the world of cinema, not only through the presence of Rolex watches in films, but also underpinned by Rolex and Hollywood’s shared beliefs in excellence, fostering talent and encouraging progress, and recognizing the importance of transmitting knowledge to future generations. Through its many initiatives and support for the film industry, Rolex has become an acting participant in Hollywood, of its own right.

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In 1797, pioneering master watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet sought to restart his watchmaking activities after the Revolutionary interregnum using a new business model. The idea was that he would create more affordable watches, ones that would help bring in a steady flow of capital and forward the grander vision of his horological pursuits. The model also required patrons to commission their timepieces and agree to pay for a portion of the costs upfront — a souscription, or subscription, model if you will. While the pocket watches he produced through this approach were simple, they were made with zero chronometric compromises. 

Simplicity in approach and construction ensured easy availability of parts and components from suppliers, thus keeping costs down. There was also an unexpected plus point to this approach. The faces of these timepieces were relatively unassuming; elegantly reserved, one might say. Their movements, though, presented an avant-garde brutalist aesthetic that was hard not to appreciate. Think steampunk, long before the term was even coined — even the brutalism would not take shape until the mid-20th century. All of this is important to recount, to make this one important point: Abraham-Louis Breguet was an enlightened man, far ahead of his time. 

• READ MORE: The Breguet Marine Hora Mundi 5557 Thrills With Its Ingenious Complication

Fast-forward to 2005, when the contemporary brand that is Breguet, took inspiration from Abraham-Louis’ souscription watch to launch the Tradition collection. The collection presents classical watchmaking, executed with the aesthetics of the souscription watch movement. And just to advance the concept, these watches are designed to feature their movements from the dial side. The grained anthracite bridges and plates form an arresting contrast for a functionally classical timepiece that looks anything but classical. 

Late in 2020, the Tradition Quantième Rétrograde 7597 was added to the collection. This was the first instance of a date complication within the collection and contemporary Breguet made sure that it would be worthy to stand next to other complications within the collection, by adding a sophisticated retrograde date indication to the lower half of the watch face. Setting the stage, and of course taking another page from the souscription watch, the 7597 starts off with a central mainspring barrel. An off-centred engine-turned dial is thereafter used for the main time indication at the 12 o’clock position. The centre of the watch is flanked by two large, stepped bridges for the first train wheel (9 o’clock) and balance wheel (3 o’clock). Lastly, of course, there is the large centrally mounted date hand, which sweeps across a date scale set along the lower edge of the dial. The blued-steel date hand has been intriguingly shaped such that is able to dramatically sweep over the movement that sits beneath. 

• READ MORE: A Closer Look at the Breguet Marine 5527 Dial

At launch, the wristwatch was available in a 40mm case in pink or white gold with a completely monochromatic watch face. In 2022, the brand has added a third option, yet again in a 40mm white gold case, this time with a blue primary dial and arched date scale. This particular shade of blue does seem to amplify the three dimensionality of the symmetrical metropolis sprawling below. 

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One of the great horological mysteries of recent years has been answered: Patek Philippe introduced the Nautilus Ref. 5811/1G-001, effectively replacing Ref. 5711. Looking at the watch as it appears here, you could be forgiven for doing a double-take and wondering if we used the old picture. Well, we did not, and Ref. 5811 is quite a different beast to the Ref. 5711, although pretty much everyone expected the successor to look quite similar. One does not simply reinvent the wheel, after all, and there is plenty to discuss here. After some reflection — we saw this watch in person last week, along with most of the specialised watch press — Ref. 5811 is worthy of significant coverage. You, dear reader, deserve the chance to understand what is happening here and make up your own mind about it. To that end, we will focus on the facts and leave our opinions out of it — for the most part.

Patek Philippe, to its credit, wants to take the story of the Nautilus back to first principles. This means that the 2022 reincarnation of Ref. 3700 (1976) takes its cues from the original. Most significantly, that means Ref. 5811 features a two-part case, rather than the three-part case of Ref. 5711. Given that there is still an exhibition caseback, some purists may wag their fingers and shake their heads, but we like seeing the automatic calibre 26-330 S C back in action here (for the record it was also the engine of Ref. 5711). Patek Philippe reminds us that this case-construction means the movement must be removed from the case dial-side, for servicing, and this means that the crown must also be removed likewise. In terms of user-interaction, you will not notice anything.

• READ MORE: Patek Philippe Museum Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Perhaps just as significant, and something you will definitely feel, the choice of metal here is a bit of a rebellion against tradition — so white gold is in, just as it was with Ref. 3711 (2004), and steel is out. The watch is quite hefty, as you can imagine, and it is 1mm wider than Ref. 5711, at 41mm. The height remains 8.2mm and water-resistance is 120m. There are some minor changes in terms of the design but these are very subtle indeed, and will require you to view the old reference side-by-side with the new one. 

The bracelet here requires a bit of an explainer, especially with regards to the fold-over clasp, which is new and offers fine adjustment. This is definitely an improvement, which all watches with integrated bracelets should have; this means Ref. 5811 can be extended by 2-4mm, which is something no previous Nautilus model could do. There is more to say about the technical details on this clasp, but for now, we must note for the record that the bracelet is relatively unchanged from previous versions, which means you still get pins rather than screws.

• READ MORE: The Conversation: Integrated Bracelets

On the dial, the date window is enhanced by the same frame (white gold) that was introduced with Ref. 5711/1A-014 (the green dial model that was only in production for a year), although we think the font is different. The gradient sunburst blue dial of Ref. 5811 is a little different to the previous blue, with this one being a little deeper and darker.

We will end with a further note about the precious metal narrative. Bear in mind here that white gold has never been part of the Ref. 5711 story since it began in 2006 (at least not with a bracelet). Here, we will insert a bit of our own rhetoric — as far as the Nautilus goes, this is now all about precious metals.

By Patek Philippe’s own metrics, just 30 per cent of the Genevan manufacture’s output is in steel, and it does not intend on changing that. So if Patek Philippe wants to produce more Nautilus watches, it could do so only in precious metals. If, like us, you were wondering about a titanium Nautilus, it may yet happen, and steel may yet return — such models will be rare though, and probably will not be priced as they once were (the steel Nautilus, at least — titanium Patek Philippe watches are such rarities that the manufacture can price these however it sees fit).

On that note, the new Ref. 5811 is S$92,000, making this model quite a bit more pricey than the more complicated Ref. 5712/1A, which remains in the collection. We will certainly have more to say about the Nautilus as there are many references that we have not gotten to yet. For our next Patek Philippe reference though, we will be looking at that eye-catching left-hander…

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