Oracle Time - Issue 88 - Dec/Jan 22/23

WELCOME

Editor’s letter

It’s been a funny old year. You know, you were there! Unless you’re a one-year-old savant in which case well done little chap. In the watchmaking world it’s been particularly out-there, with record-breaking auction sales, horological anniversaries everywhere and more impressive releases than even the most OCD collector can cope with.

That said, there have been some moments in particular that have stood out, from the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak to the insane, industry-breaking hype of the MoonSwatch. So, we enlisted a number of industry vets with whom we have worked over the past 12 months to highlight their own personal favourite moments of 2022 on page 91. A drive for equality at a major watch brand, a funky retro release and an independent on the rise, there’s a lot to love from every angle.

Of course, for us here at Oracle Time, one of our own defining moments has been the Oracle Time Community Watch Awards. Voted for by you lovely people across ten categories, we’ve had a phenomenal turnout, with votes cast for both our curated shortlist and plenty of watches we simply didn’t expect. And as promised, the results are in.

While the cover likely spoils the overall winner – it’s the Grand Seiko Kodo, in case you just dived in blindly – the rest of the winners (and the runners-up) prove that our readers have good taste. Well, was that ever in doubt? Check out the full results on page 49. And yes, the winner of the Baltic will be announced shortly. Fingers-crossed for an early Christmas present.

Speaking of, check out our shoot on page 82, where we show off a selection of rose gold watches just aching to be unwrapped under a Christmas tree. It’s more festive than drinking too much mulled wine and falling out with family over Monopoly.

Of course, if you caught our last shoot for the Party Issue – in my humble opinion one of our best – you’ll already know Mathias LeFevre from sight. The watch-loving model is a favourite of haute horology labels, so we took the chance to ask him a few questions for December’s Men of Influence on page 131.

What’s the one thing Mathias keeps in his fridge? Champagne. He’s a man after my own heart, as is our resident drinks writer Aidy Smith, who’s run up the best fizz to crack open this festive season on page 136. There’s no other way to ring in 2023. Still, if you’re after something a little more mature, Aidy’s also selected his favourite 30-year-old whiskies of 2022 on page 138.

While we’re never going to condone mixing booze and engines, it has to be said that if you were going to sample a fine, aged Scotch, there are worse places than in the back of a luxury car – and, as Adam Hay-Nicholls explores on page 109, some marques are making their interiors as close to a spa experience as possible. They’re not quite as expansive as the offerings of the Bulgari Hotel (page 106) but impressive, nonetheless.

Finally for our style section this issue, we look back on what’s become one of the biggest menswear trends of the year, the new, modern, streetwear slanted take on preppy staples. From Rowing Blazers to Noah X Barbour, Paddy Maddison investigates the changing face of Ivy League style on page 66.

Not to get too sappy, but 2022 has been a great year for us here at Oracle Time, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the dedicated team here at the magazine, our pool of religiously deadlinehitting writers and, more importantly, our readers. As our awards showed, you guys have not just great taste, but a dedication to watches and these very pages that we’re incredibly thankful for.

So, until we’re back in February, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and enjoy this issue.

Sam Kessler, Editor

COVER CREDITS Photography: Fraser Vincent Watch: The Grand Seiko Kodo

CONTRIBUTORS

Special thanks to:

Scarlett Baker

James Buttery

Rikki Daman

Alex Doak

Justin Hast

Ken Kessler

Tracey Llewellyn

Russell Sheldrake

Shane C. Kurup

Shane is a men’s style editor who has worked for a range of leading titles, including The MR PORTER Journal, Men’s Health UK, Esquire US, PORT, The Telegraph and Wallpaper*. He’s rather partial to a jazzy silk shirt, wide-leg trousers and a gin and Dubonnet (or three).

Paddy Maddison

Paddy Maddison is a freelance menswear journalist with a keen interest in outerwear. When he’s not plotting his next big-coat purchase for the coming winter, he can be found at his desk, typing up words for the likes of The Independent, Esquire, GQ, and Men’s Health. He’s also Style Editor at Ape to Gentleman and a former Contributing Editor at FashionBeans.

FashionBeans

Adam Hay-Nicholls

specialises in Formula 1, expensive cars and luxury travel, and contributes to GQ, the Sunday Telegraph , City A.M. and Metro Among his many international adventures, he’s raced McLarens in the Arctic Circle, been a chauffeur in Las Vegas and flown non-stop around the world by private jet.

Michael Sonsino

Aidy Smith

is a wine and spirits personality and presenter of the Amazon Prime TV Series, The Three Drinkers . He is often found scouring the globe for his next tipple. It’s a hard life, but someone’s got to do it. You can follow his adventures on Instagram at @sypped.

A relative newcomer to luxury watches, Michael is OT’s Junior Content Producer. He’s still trying to tell his balance spring from his tourbillon and as such is a fan of timepieces with a simple design, and who can blame him? But if his obsession with miniatures is anything to go by, he has an impressive eye.

WATCHES | STYLE | CULTURE

EDITOR Sam Kessler sam.kessler@opulentmedia.co.uk

ART DIRECTOR Hicham Kasbi design@opulentmedia.co.uk

SUB EDITOR Dan Mobbs danmobbs@hotmail.com

JUNIOR COPYWRITER Michael Sonsino michael.sonsino@opulentmedia.co.uk

DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Michael Pepper michael@opulentmedia.co.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE & VIDEOGRAPHER Fraser Vincent fraser@opulentmedia.co.uk

JUNIOR DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER Kelly Coombes kelly.coombes@opulentmedia.co.uk

PUBLISHER / CO-FOUNDER Mark Edwards mark@opulentmedia.co.uk

MANAGING EDITOR / CO-FOUNDER Tom Pettit tom@opulentmedia.co.uk

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18 — AFICIONADO Discover all the latest on our radar and what should be in your basket this month

26 — NEWS What’s going on in the world of luxury, haute horology and the latest current affairs

37 —

INTRODUCING

All the latest global watch releases from holy trinity brands and small independents

44 — THE ORACLE SPEAKS

We go back the start and explore the history of the first automatic movement ever built

CONTENTS1

49 — ORACLE TIME COMMUNITY WATCH AWARDS 2022

The votes have been counted, winners congratulated, and losers commiserated

Oracle Time Community Watch Awards 2022 — p49

It’s a cutting-edge level of haute horology that you can see in every openworked element

CONTENTS2

91 — THE BEST WATCH MOMENTS 2022

Horology’s finest highlight their favourite moments from a year to remember

101 — RESTAURANT AND BAR NEWS

The new London restaurants to make part of your new year’s resolution

109 — CARS AS SPAS

Indulge in the surprising spa-like quality of Adam HayNicholls’s choice of luxury cars

119 — WATCH REVIEWS

Oracle Time gets hands on with pieces from Christopher Ward, Ball, and Raymond Weil

131 — MEN OF INFLUENCE

The watch-loving model and haute horology favourite, Mathias LeFevre, opens up

136 — CHAMPAGNE TASTE

Choosing the right Champagne is easy with Aidy Smith’s selection of the finest fizz

140 – UNSUNG VINTAGE HERO

How the division of Germany defined the country’s watchmaking for decades

145 – IN FOCUS

A design-obsessed Brit goes mechanical, a titanium beater, and a sea-faring newcomer

66 — A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Introducing the labels at the heart of Ivy style’s streetwear reincarnation

82 — ALL THAT GLITTERS

Christmas and rose gold go together like Santa and Rudolph

152 – MICROBRAND CORNER

Introducing the latest and greatest watches from the best small scale independents

160 – MOVIE WATCH

Arguably the best war movie since 1917 with a vintage Alpina playing an integral role

edited by: SAM KESSLER

aficionado

The coolest things in the world right now

THE RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES

While the Aston Martin Valkyrie is one of the most insane track-only cars ever built, that hasn’t stopped Brough Superior attempting to replicate its specific breed of adrenaline on two wheels. The AMB Pro 001 puts down a breathtaking 225 horsepower, with a power-toweight ratio close to an F1 car and design cues taken directly from the Valkyrie AMR Pro in a stunning iridescent green paint job. Only 88 of these beasts will be produced but you can be sure of a riding experience like nothing else. You’d best hold tight. brough-superior-motorcycles.com

STRANGER THINGS

Psychic, other-dimensional beings aside, Stranger Things can be held largely responsible for the 1980s resurgence over the past few years, and to celebrate the show Netflix has teamed up with a few fashion labels for some seriously cool capsule collections – including French house Balmain. Their take on 80s neon is brightly coloured and dripping with jazzercize-slanted nostalgia and retro touches, right down to a mixtake-shaped iPhone case. It’s definitely not the strangest thing we’ve seen. balmain.com

ABLOH IN MINIATURE

Of all the collaborations to surface since the untimely death of legendary designer Virgil Abloh – and there have been a lot of them – the most surprising is this partnership with Mattel toys of all things, redefining the pure nostalgia of He-Man. The series of four action figures takes a monochrome approach and a more realistic aesthetic, representing He-Man, Skeletor, Battle Cat, and Skele-God. Complete with different accessories and weapons, it’s time for an epic design-forward throwdown in Eternia. £53 each, creations.mattel.com

NOTES OF LEATHER

When you’re releasing something as rare and exclusive as the phenomenal Richard Hennessy, one of the finest cognacs in existence, you can be forgiven for wanting to house it somewhere just as exceptional. Enter Berluti, which have created a bespoke attache case specifically for the Hennessey expression. An angular sheath holds the decanter in place while a cut-out lets you show it off as you haul it from tasting to tasting. You know, if for some reason you actually wanted to share the love.

€40,000 (approx. £35,800), limited to 150 pieces, hennessey.com

PEAK ZENITH

Zenith are on the collaborative train as much as any streetwear brand at the moment, though as their latest capsule collection shows, with a much more Alpine feel. Their new partnership with iconic skiwear brand Fusalp not only comprises two Defy watches, but a curated wardrobe of piste-ready clothing. It’s black, white, and utterly chic, with the kind of couture angles and mountaintailored performance that any watchmaker would be happy to aspire to.

zenith-watches.com

GEORGE DANIELS – MOST EXPENSIVE BRITISH WATCH EVER SOLD

While Roger Smith is still more than enough to headline any auction that one of his incredibly rarefied watches comes up in – as shown recently when A Collected Man sold the first ever, never-worn example last month – but it’s hard to touch the watchmaker’s own mentor, George Daniels. At last month’s Geneva Watch Auction XVI, overseen by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, collectors had the opportunity to bid on an exceedingly rare George Daniels Spring Case Tourbillon in yellow gold. It’s one of only two pieces Daniels built for himself and was completed in 1992. It’s also now the most expensive British wristwatch ever sold at auction, coming in at CHF4,083,500 (approx. £3,600,475) – over four times its estimate. If George Daniels wasn’t already one of the most important watchmakers of the past century, this would have put him on the map. As it is, it’s a fantastic celebration of British watchmaking at its finest.

BATTERSEA POWER STATION WATCH BOUTIQUES OPEN

After years of construction, reconstruction, and speculation about just what’s going into the old smokestacks, Battersea Power Station is now open as the area’s newest, dog friendliest luxury shopping centre. It also fills a very large, watch-shaped hole thanks to a scattering of new monobrand boutiques run by Watches of Switzerland.

That includes Omega, TAG Heuer, and Breitling, though the one we’re actually a bit excited for is the new Tudor boutique. Red and black all over, it’s one of the few places in its neck of the woods where you can grab yourself a Black Bay.

There’s also a shiny new Swatch Boutique, but we’ve yet to find out if they’ll have their own stock of MoonSwatches. We’ll be sure to let you know if and when the queues start.

FRENCH WATCH GIANT UNVEIL FIRST FLAGSHIP STORE

After a substantial rebrand, French watchmaking powerhouse Herbelin (previously Michel Herbelin) is launching their first flagship store in the world, in Paris. Designed to emulate a Parisian loft that combines comfort and elegance in equal measure, the new store has everything a flagship should; custom furniture, refined aesthetics, and an impressive cross-section of Herbelin timepieces.

The light-filled space is more than just a new watch boutique though. For Herbelin it makes a massive new step in line with their rebrand. It looks like the biggest French watch brand is getting ever bigger. Find out more at herbelin.com

LAUREUS

SPORT FOR GOOD 2022 BRAND RESULTS

A lot of brands make a big deal about their charity work and for good reason; charity is great! But it always begs the question of just how big an impact they actually have. Well, now we have empirical proof from the Laureus Sport for Good Index. You might have come across Laureus Sport for Good via their limited editions with IWC, but their wok is incredibly broad. In this 2022 study

they’ve identified the brands doing the most to use sport as a vehicle for change. The index highlights brands like Nike, LEGO, and Rapha, which alone have used 60% of the Rapha Foundation’s annual $1.5 million (approx. £1.25m) funding to support female focused and BAME programmes and initiatives. That makes kitting yourself out in their cycling gear even better.

Discover the full Laureus Sport for Good 2022 index at sportforgoodindex. sportspromedia.com

It looks like the biggest French watch brand is getting ever bigger

ONE GIANT STEP... FOR MAN AND CHARITY

Every proper space mission needs a watch and as SpaceX continue to get closer to space flight – see their self-designed EVA (extra-vehicular activity) suits – they’ve turned to IWC for the horological component. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Polaris Dawn in pure white ceramic (similar to their Inspiration4 mission models) however will not just accompany SpaceX’s next team into space, but will be auctioned off when they return.

Rather than funding Musk’s next mission, they will instead be raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help develop treatments for childhood cancer and other paediatric diseases. Given that these watches will be part of a pivotal mission for SpaceX – and modern space travel in general – let’s hope they raise some serious cash for the cause. Find out more at iwc.com

HARRY STYLES PLAYS UP TO HIS NAME FOR GUCCI

The most stylish man in music is making a play for designer, as Harry Styles (it’s in the name) launches his collection for Italian powerhouse Gucci. Dubbed HA HA HA and described as Styles’ and Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s dream wardrobe, it’s a killer collab that was designed over WhatsApp and glasses of wine. And of course, it’s modelled by Styles himself.

The collection ranges from a checked Prince of Wales coat to plum-coloured flared trousers to graphic tees with cartoon bears. It’s basically serious tailoring with big 1970s bombast and enough quirkiness to keep TikTok enamoured.

See the full campaign and collection at gucci.com

It’s basically serious tailoring with big 1970s bombast and enough quirkiness to keep TikTok enamoured

JENNIFER LAWRENCE JOINS LONGINES

While we don’t tend to focus too much on women’s watches here at Oracle Time (sorry ladies), it’s always good when a brand we love starts working with an actor we love: in this case Swiss watchmaker Longines and Jennifer Lawrence, star of too many films to bother listing right now. As Lawrence said of the partnership, “Longines has long been synonymous with timeless elegance, which to me, can be defined as a quiet powerfulness met with grace and confidence. And as a native Kentuckian, I’ve always associated Longines with the Derby and the embodiment of tradition.”

THE ROLEX DEEP SEA CHALLENGE

It was always going to happen. After Omega made the most of their deep sea dive to the Mariana Trench with this year’s superlative Ultra Deep, it was only a matter of time before Rolex did the same. Enter the Sea-Dweller Deep Sea Challenge, a production version of the watch strapped on director James Cameron’s wrist as he ventured into the trench a few years earlier.

It’s big, chunky, and ridiculously proportioned, boasting an 11,000m water

resistance rating. That’s deeper than anywhere on Earth. It also happens to be Rolex’s first full titanium watch which is useful, given hefting the 50mm case would be a daily workout otherwise. It’s definite a show piece more than it is a practical watch, but trust Rolex to make sure their biggest release of the year –both figuratively and literally – comes out just in time for the ‘best of 2022’ lists. £21,850. Find out more at rolex.com

30 auction watch

AUCTION

DATES AND CALENDARS

6

December

The Champion Collection is a range of 450 watches that have slowly been sold off across several significant auctions. Its next sale is in the form of Christie’s The Champion Collection Part V Panerai Encyclopaedia. christies.com 8 December Christie’s

8 December

Bonhams

FINE AND RARE WATCHES

Bonhams is once again bringing their Fine and Rare Watches auction to London at their New Bond Street venue. Watches available range from auction staples to more exotic timepieces that are sure to spark a storm of bidding. bonhams.com

9 December Sotheby’s

IMPORTANT WATCHES

For Sotheby’s Important Watches auction in December they’re heading to New York with highlights including a trio of vintage Daytonas worn by Stan Barrett. Stan was the stunt man questing to break the land speed record in 1979, an endeavour that earned the attention of fellow petrol head Paul Newman, who gifted two of the Daytonas on sale to Stan. sothebys.com

10 December Phillips

NEW YORK WATCH AUCTION

The Grand Seiko Kodo Constant Force Tourbillon is pretty significant for this edition of Oracle Time and if you’re wondering where you can get one, Phillips have got you covered. There will be one for sale at their New York auction on 10 December. phillips.com 29 November 13 December

CHRISTIES –WATCHES ONLINE

If you can’t get to New York, London, Geneva, or any of the popular auction locales, worry not, Christie’s is hosting an online watch auction throughout the early part of December. christies.com 29 November 14 December

SOTHEBY’S FINE WATCHES

With watches from the likes of Audemars Piguet, Rolex, and Patek Philippe on offer, Sotheby’s Fine Watches auction promises a wide ranging variety of high end luxury timepieces. sothebys.com

14 December Bonhams

FINE WATCHES

Rounding out 2022 is Bonhams with their Fine Watches sale. While this article technically covers auctions from December to February, at the time of writing, the majority of major auction houses are preparing for their winter breaks ready for things to kick off again in the spring. Even auctioneers need some time to celebrate the season’s festivities. bonhams.com

ORACLE TIME :OUT

@MancWatches

Whether it’s something rugged for everyday adventure or a much more elegant watch with a painstakingly handcrafted dial, Japanese watchmaking runs the full spectrum of timepieces. And for every Grand Seiko Snowscape – like the one that graced our October cover – there’s a Seiko Alpinist. This particular Alpinist belongs on the wrist of Manchester-based watch collector, photographer, and succinct namer of things, @MancWatches.

While this show thematically illustrates that Seiko can make a killer dial at any price range, we honestly just love

the green and silver pairing. Throw in a few fronds of (we’re assuming lockdown-cultivated) greenery and you have a great shot of the ultimate little and large (pricewise that is) two-watch collection.

Want to showcase your own eye for a perfectly composed watch shot? Well, get your hands on this issue, get snapping and don’t forget to use #oracletimeout for your chance to nab a page to yourself next month.

For now though, Oracle Time, Out.

SUBSCRIBE

THERE ARE MANY WAYS to get your Oracle Time fix. Our favourite is of course within these lovely glossy pages to which you can subscribe via our website. An annual subscription containing 10 issues of the magazine is only £89.50, more value than a serious microbrand watch. Alternatively, you can come and say hello on one of our many digital channels. Instagram is the perfect place to share your wristshots and thoughts with us – remember to use #OTWristshot. Or you can watch our latest video content on YouTube, listening to the dulcet tones of our editor via our website using the QR code in the top right.

IN DETAIL

• 43mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance

• Calibre RSV-Bi120 automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve

• £5,300, reservoir-watch.com

RADO

Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Limited Edition

The latest edition of the Captain Cook holds a shiny new movement – so what better way to show it off than skeletonise the dial? Paired with what would be a striking gilt colourway (if more of the dial were showing) and Rado’s signature high-tech ceramic, this limited edition take on their no-longer-retro diver is an intense showcase for their particular brand of watchmaking.

IN DETAIL

• 43mm high-tech ceramic case with 300m water resistance

• Rado calibre R808 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve

• £4,295, limited to 1,962 pieces, rado.com

INTRO DUCING

RESERVOIR Sonomaster Chronograph Black Thunder

Rather than their usual instrument inspiration, Reservoir have increased the volume for their latest rock ‘n’ roll timepiece. Based on the panel of a vintage analogue stereo amplifier, the bi-retrograde chronograph display is pure Reservoir, but cooler than we’ve ever seen before. Apparently, anything with a needle is fair game for the quirky watchmaker, and we’re here for it.

FARER Chrono-Classic

Funky dials are par for the course for British watch brand Farer, so the trio of diamondpatterned blue, burgundy, and salmon here aren’t likely to illicit much surprise. What’s inside however, just might. Farer have left their usual third party movements in the drawer and instead opted for a number from Dubois Dépraz in their latest effort, upping the horological game significantly. We don’t want to say it’s about time but…

THE DETAILS:

• 39mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Dubois Dépraz calibre DD2022 automatic movement with 45hour power reserve

• £2,195, farer.com

SKELETON CONCEPT X

Hennessey Venom F5 Concept Chronograph

How do you make a watch in honour of the fastest car on Earth? Like this, a collaboration between Hennessey and customisation specialists Skeleton Concept. While there’s no comparison to the intense, aerodynamic shape of the Venom F5, a skeletonised Daytona’s always a sight to behold, and with the combination of carbon and sapphire this stands out on the wrist almost as much as the car does on the road.

THE DETAILS:

• 40mm sapphire case with 100m water resistance

• Rolex calibre 4130 with 72-hour power reserve

• Price on Request, skeletonconcept.com

HERBELIN

Newport Route de Rhum

Big, uncompromising and built to survive the elements aboard one of the fastest sailing boats in the world, the latest from accessible French watchmaker Herbelin is a statement piece. The black carbon and yellow regatta timer was built to sit perfectly on the wrist of world champion Class40 yacht racer Aurélien Ducroz, and measures a massive 46.5mm across. It’s as rugged as it looks too, one of the most impressive sports pieces yet to come from the recently rebranded Herbelin.

THE DETAILS:

• 46.5mm carbon fibre and titanium case with 300m water resistance

• Sellita calibre SW501 BV automatic movement with 62hour power reserve

• €3,499 (approx. £3,050), limited to 500 pieces, herbelin.com

ORIS

Big Crown Pointer Date Waldenburgerbahn Limited Editon

Aside from the most German name in horological history, the latest hometown-slanted limited edition from Holstein-based watchmaker Oris give their signature pointing date pilots’ watch a railway-centric overhaul. Handsome, refined and capped with an steam locomotive engraved caseback, it’s not exactly outside of Oris’ wheelhouse, but it’s still an incredibly handsome piece.

THE DETAILS:

• 40mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance

• Oris calibre 754 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve

• £1,750, limited to 1,000 pieces, oris.ch

From the sheer gravity of the snake-tongued Lord Boreal in the latest adaption of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Material – with his rather fitting animal companion – to voicing ratty con artist in the Amazing Maurice, Ariyon Bakare seems to not only have a direct line to my own childhood reading material but is very much on the ascendency.

From starting out as a staple of British TV, his project list this year alone is downright exhausting. Alongside the aforementioned Terry Pratchett

adaptation, he’s also starring in intense crime drama Karen Pirie and the second season of the Paul Theroux-penned Mosquito Coast, with plenty more projects in the works. Somehow, through all of that, he’s found time to sit down and chat with me – mid-way through moving house, I have to add.

“I play an old friend from the past that’s going to change the family’s whole trajectory”, he explains of his Mosquito Coast role. “He’s an environmental activist, but his commitment to that

The Interview: ARIYON

BAKARE

THE HIS DARK MATERIALS AND MOSQUITO COAST ACTOR ON PERSONAL STYLE AND SURVIVING THE JUNGLE

activism leads him down a really dangerous, dark path.” It’s an intense role for sure, and one that Bakare sees reflected in the real world via soup throwing – “if he was around now, he’d be right in the middle of the Just Stop Oil protests”

Fortunately, it’s not an extreme that Bakare himself particularly agrees with: “I’m more of a pacifist. I think there are other ways than using violence, of doing anything that could cause harm to anybody else.”

Words: Sam Kessler

“I promised myself that when I reached a certain point in my life I’d get myself a Panerai. While I was in LA recently I decided that point was now and I went and got it. I bought my trophy – this is my Oscar!”

Bakare stars in the second season of Mosquito Coast (above), which presented the London-based actor with one of his biggest filming challenges; the recording of animation Amazing Maurice (right) was a considerably more enjoyable experience

The show lives up to its name, with the majority of the action happening in the jungle, mosquitoes and all. It was a drastic change of scene for Londonbased Bakare, and one that formed the biggest challenge of filming.

“All the time you’re sodden and trying not to look like you’re sweating, it’s a difficult environment. Plus, I got bitten by a very dangerous spider – everyone said it was a black widow – and my leg doubled in size so I couldn’t walk for three days!”

It’s probably a good thing then that his ratty role on the Amazing Maurice is all voiceovers. Though that brings its own challenges too – “you need to go as big as possible to get everything across in just your voice! It’s a great experience.”

Given the actor’s theatre training –one of his first breaks was on stage opposite Jude Law – getting emotion

across with his voice is second nature. As apparently is working alongside some phenomenal talent. Directly after working with Law, he starred opposite Paul Bettany in his first feature film After the Rain.

“Everyone I work with always seems to get nominated for Oscars!,” says Bakare.

“Jake Gyllanhal, Ryan Reynolds, Sally Hawkins, Chiwetel Ejiofor, I’ve had great opportunities to work with some legendary actors.” Despite six degrees of Ariyon Bakare being all too easy though, there are still some actors on his wishlist: “I’d love to work with Samuel L Jackson, Ewan McGregor – he’s just a great actor, everything he does is classy. You just watch him and think you’re good, you’re so good!”

Now, this being a watch magazine, it was impossible to ignore all through our conversation Bakare’s own bit of wrist candy. Though honestly a Panerai

Luminor isn’t easy to miss on any wrist, especially with the gorgeous blue dial of Bakare’s example.

“I just bought it!”, he says, brandishing it to the camera. I started on a high note with this and a Daytona. I’ve always liked the brand. I have big hands so I need a big, manly watch. For me, I was going through so many bad things in my life – I was homeless, had just ended a relationship, I was in a really bad place – I promised myself that when I reached a certain point in my life I’d get myself a Panerai. While I was in LA recently I decided that point was now and I went and got it. I bought my trophy – this is my Oscar!”

“It’s not my dream watch though. There’s another Panerai I’d love to get but my dream watch would be a Patek Philippe. A Nautilus would be so great…,” he says wistfully. “Though honestly there are too many to decide. When I was younger my dad had one, until he lost it.” So not exactly looking after it for the next generation, there.

It’s not just watches either. Bakare’s a man who appreciates aesthetics, in two very different ways. First is the collection of world class photography he’s yet to finish unpacking: “I’ve got about 30 different pieces. I used to like portraits a lot but now I’m more into social commentary shots, images with a story behind them, where you need to find out more.” The second of his great loves, and something that runs in the family, is fashion.

“When I was younger one of my uncles used to be a model, so I’ve always been really into fashion. I tend to go for really classic streetwear. I don’t like people to know the labels, I like it to be understated and when I go out I like the full suited and booted vibe with a nice shirt. The last thing I bought was a beautiful Armani velvet jacket, it’s really sumptuous. At the moment I’m into labels with a kind of retro vibe too.”

So, if modelling runs in the family, will we see Bakare in an Armani campaign any time soon?

“Have you seen me? My nephew’s a model, I’ll leave it to him.”

You can see Ariyon Bakare in Mosquito Coast Season 2, available on Apple TV+

After getting a his first break on stage opposite Jude Law, Bakare has starred alongside the Oscar-winning Jake Gyllanhal, Ryan Reynolds, Sally Hawkins, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, but still covets acting with Ewan McGregor and owning a Nautilus

THE ORACLE SPEAKS

There are a lot of firsts in the watch industry. Seriously, every year sees a slew of ever-more-niche ‘world firsts’ ranging from things as facile as never-before-seen material combinations to esoteric complications stacked on one another into a haute horology puzzle box. Both can be impressive; neither are likely to make their mark on the history of watchmaking any time soon.

In fact, while ‘firsts’ abound, genuinely impactful inventions don’t happen all that often. There just isn’t that much to improve on, at least as far as modern watchmakers understand. So, we thought we’d take a look at one of the most genuinely important firsts in horological history: the first automatic watch.

Most modern watches are automatic. If you’re reading this magazine you likely know what that means, so I’ll be brief: it’s a type of watch movement that doesn’t require winding. You can use the crown to wind them, but they’ll get most of their energy by a rotor (or similar) winding system that coils the mainspring as you wear the watch. It’s an incredibly elegant system and one that we’ve come to take for granted, to the point where a manual-wind is considered charmingly archaic. So where did it come from?

There are two answers (and a lot of dates) to that. The first ever self-winding mechanism is attributed to Abraham-Louis Perrelet back in 1777. It was genuinely the first of its kind, a movement that from one starting impulse, would continue to run indefinitely using a barrel remontoire. In theory. The problem was that it was built for pocket watches (those, incidentally by another famous watchmaking Abraham-Louis) which tended to remain static in a pocket most of the time. This meant that the movement didn’t always get enough energy to keep it going. Throw in the fact that it was expensive to make and it’s obvious why it never really took off.

By the 1800s in fact, Perrelet’s automatic movement just wasn’t being used by most pocket watch fancying dandies, and it wouldn’t be for over a century before a similar concept would emerge –here in our very isles. The Isle of Man, to be precise. Apparently that’s where all our legendary watchmaking talent ends up.

The self-winding movement as we know it was built by John Harwood in 1922. In the search for a way to power his watch, he noticed children playing on a seesaw and, in a moment of innovative genius, applied the concept to winding. This is the winding rotor that’s become an integral part of modern watchmaking. In Harwood’s own terms, it used “a pivoted oscillating weight that moved to

THE SELF-PROPELLING HISTORY OF THE FIRST AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT EVER BUILT

The wizardry of the watch world explained

Abraham-Louis Perrelet’s 1777 self-winding mechanism (above) is credited as the first of its kind, but the self-winding movement we know today didn’t arrive until 1922 when John Harwood (below) applied the concept of a seesaw to the winding mechanism

and from through an arc of 270° hitting buffer springs on both sides”. The British watchmaker experimented with a proof-of-concept pocket watch before heading to Switzerland and subsequently getting the patent for a self-winding wristwatch in 1924.

Two years later, the movement was massproduced by FORTIS in a watch dubbed, fittingly, the HARWOOD Automatic, and in 1928 Harwood set up his own company to produce the design. Funnily enough, he also designed the first watch winder, to prove that his watches worked. Then Rolex came onto the scene.

In 1931, Rolex released a superior, 360°-winding mechanism in the Oyster Perpetual. This was essentially the Automatic movement in its final form, with tweaks between now and then. It’s largely why Rolex sometimes get the credit for the first self-winding calibres – credit that at the time they took, sparking disagreements in the watch world. Theirs was better for sure, but in 1956 Rolex apologised for taking the credit, giving Harwood full credit.

Since then there have been a few variations on the self-winding watch, such as IWC’s Pellaton system, but on the whole it’s the same as Harwood’s initial designs, with Rolex’s rotor. Abraham-Louis Perrelet’s pocket watch version is still historically relevant and laid the groundwork for the concept, but when it comes to who created the first, proper automatic movement, it’s generally laid at Harwood’s feet.

See? We got there eventually.

There have been a few variations on the self-winding watch, but on the whole it’s the same as Harwood’s initial designs

By 1931, the Automatic movement reached its peak when Rolex released a 360°-winding mechanism in the Oyster Perpetual, which often gets the credit as the first self-winding calibre

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Yes, it’s been a while in the making, but this year we finally launched our inaugural – and very much overdue – watch awards. As with any endeavour like this, it was a short trial run and guess what? It turns out our readers (that’s you) like watches, enough to let us know their favourite pieces across ten different categories.

Rather than relying on our own shortlists, we wanted to make sure that the awards were as open as possible, giving you the chance to vote for whatever watch you cared to. And you did! Some readers definitely stuck to our suggested watches of course (we have impeccable taste), but many more voted for watches we here at HQ hadn’t even considered!

That means that, while some categories had clear winners from the first week of voting, most were too close to count until voting closed. That’s no more true than of our version of the grand prize, the Reader’s Choice Award 2022. This is the watch that you, our readers, believe to be the best watch released this year, beating out competition from every sector. Given how fantastic a year 2022 has been, that makes this particular timepiece a big deal.

So, without further ado, the overall winner of the Oracle Time Watch Awards 2022 is…

The votes have been counted, the winners congratulated, and the losers commiserated in this year’s Oracle Time Community Watch Awards

THE SPECS:

• 43.8mm platinum and titanium case with 100m water resistance

• Caliber 9ST1 manual-wind movement with 72-hour power reserve

• £310,000, limited to 20 pieces, seikoboutique.co.uk

ORACLE TIME READER’S CHOICE AWARD 2022: THE GRAND SEIKO KODO

Honestly, not sure why there was any suspense. The Kodo is the haute horology marvel gracing the cover of this very issue. If you couldn’t infer that little twist, we’d like to introduce you to M. Night Shyamalan at some point. But yes, Grand Seiko’s 2022 opus just about battled to the top of the podium, and it was a tough race. Before we get onto the deserved runner-up, let’s take a look at just what makes the Kodo so special.

Constant Force is something many a watchmaker has strived for since the early days of watchmaking; a way to ensure that the same force is applied to the movement regardless of how much energy is in the mainspring, keeping it accurate until its tank hits empty. Fusee and chain is one way of managing it, which evens out balance spring torque. Another is remontoire, a second power source directly linked to the escapement, which is what Grand Seiko have used in the Kodo.

The difference however is that it’s been combined with a tourbillon, integrating them together on a single axis. If that all sounds like a lot of dense jargon, the bottom line is that Grand Seiko have combined two things that are usually separate but have the same purpose – keeping the watch accurate over time – together.

It’s a cutting-edge level of haute horology that you can see in every openworked element. And there’s a lot going on, especially at six o’clock where the real action’s happening. Yet you don’t even need to look at the Kodo to know how special it is. All you need to do is listen.

The escapement tick-tocks just like any watch, albeit one at an incredibly high frequency. But the constant force mechanism adds its own once-per-second impulse, too. The result is a syncopated rhythm like a heartbeat, from where the watch takes its name in Japanese. It’s hard to describe in words and definitely something you need to hear for yourself.

Not only is the Kodo Grand Seiko’s first mechanical complication in their 62 year history, it’s the first time a constant force mechanism and tourbillon have been integrated on a single axis in watchmaking’s many-more-than 62 year history. It is, visually, mechanically, and acoustically a masterpiece.

Evidently, we’re not the only ones that fell in love with the Kodo when it was released back at Watches and Wonders earlier in the year. If any watch is worthy of winning our first ever Community Watch Awards, it’s this.

“

It’s a cuttingedge level of haute horology that you can see in every openworked element

Reader’s Choice Winner

The Runner-Up: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo

> There are always anniversaries left, right, and centre in the watch world and, honestly, not too many of them really get the blood pumping. The 50th birthday of the definitive sports luxe watch – and the companion revamp of its most popular model – is one of the rare few. At the time what would become Genta’s opus was a shot in the dark, but these days its one of the archetypal luxury watches; an iconic and iconoclastic model whose girthy-inthe-1970s case garnered it the nickname of ‘Jumbo’.

>

That once revolutionary, now classic combination of stainless steel octagonal bezel with its visible screws and signature blue

petite tapisserie dial is as appealing as ever. With a few modern improvements such as a better movement in the calibre 7121 and an exhibition caseback to see that better movement through, the modern-day Jumbo is arguably in the best place it’s ever been.

With that in mind, it’s not an earth-shattering revelation that the Jumbo did extraordinarily well in our voting. Between this and the Kodo, it was actually incredibly close with barely tens of votes in it. Seriously, we had a betting pool on the result (that unlike the awards, we’re not about to reveal the results of). And while the technical mastery of the Grand Seiko won out in the end, the newest version of Audemars Piguet’s oldest Royal Oak proved it’s still one of the most important launches of 2022.

THE SPECS:

• 39mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance

• Calibre 7121 automatic movement with 55-hour power reserve

• £27,900, audemarspiguet.com

THE SPECS:

• 45.5mm titanium case with 6,000m water resistance

• Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8912 automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve

• £11,600, omegawatches.com

THE SPECS:

• 41mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance

• Calibre MB 24.17 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve

• From £2,610, montblanc.com

BEST DIVE WATCH OF 2022: THE OMEGA SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN ULTRA DEEP TITANIUM

Originally designed for the Five Deeps challenge, a dive to the bottom of each of the world’s oceans from billionaire adrenaline junkie Victor Vescovo, the first Ultra Deep was strapped to the outside of DSV Limiting Factor as the submersible sank to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench. It was both a fantastic accomplishment in its own right and a middle finger to Rolex’s attempt with Titanic director James Cameron.

Unfortunately, only a couple of watches were made. Fortunately, it was developed into this slightly less extreme, production version of the Planet Ocean, water resistant to ‘only’ 6,000m. The majority of the new collection was also made from Omega’s new, seriously impressive O-MEGASTEEL alloy.

There’s one massive downside to the material: having to say O-MEGASTEEL. The slightly smaller one is the weight a 45.5mm steel case means on your wrist. That’s why the titanium version is that much more attractive as a watch. Not only is it one of the deepest divers you can get, but it’s also genuinely comfortable on the wrist.

Otherwise, the Ultra Deep has everything you need from a professional standard diving watch: a unidirectional diving bezel for keeping track of your time under, plenty of lume for low-light readability, and an engraved Seamaster seahorse on the back. Because seahorses are cool and every watch should have one. The bottom line is that nobody who isn’t boarding a science vessel is ever going to take this watch to anywhere near 6,000m deep. Most of us wouldn’t even wear it in the shower. But knowing that you can, and that the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8912 inside will keep on ticking, is still reassuring.

Best Dive Watch Winner

The first ever chronograph from the Brothers Grönefeld, the horological siblings have funnelled their distinctive take on high watchmaking into an impeccably modern, layered sports watch. Except that it includes a centrifugal regulator. Because of course it does.

THE SPECS:

• 40.5mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance

• Calibre 9906 automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve

• From £7,800, omegawatches.com

BEST CHRONOGRAPH OF 2022: THE OMEGA

SPEEDMASTER ‘57

Omega didn’t just dive deep into the ocean this year, but deep into their archives, too. Kind of. The Speedmaster ‘57 was actually introduced in 2013 as a retro, bicompax take on the ubiquitous Moonwatch we know and (mostly) love. Despite early Speedmasters, that is, being Tricompax. Faux-historical oddities aside, the ’57 swaps the high-contrast, performance look of the professional line for something slightly cooler for the everyday, something especially true of the new releases from 2022.

Colour was very much on Omega’s slate this year and the trio of Speedmaster ’57 hues in red, green, and blue brought a whole new feel to the collection. The most wearable of the three is the blue PVD, with black subdial scales and minute track. Paired with a gorgeous blue fume strap, it’s not pushing the boat to new waters, but it’s undeniably handsome.

The colour though isn’t where the new watch stops. Along with straight lugs, the ’57’s heritage touches include one of the finest bracelets on any Speedmaster. Inspired by the Apollo 11 tribute release from 2019, it’s visually retro but with the modern benefit of microadjustment.

The 40.5mm stainless steel case has been slimmed down from to 12.99mm from the Moonwatch Professional’s 13.58mm, a small change on paper but one that makes it feel completely different on the wrist. If you want your Speedmaster bigger, chunkier, and spacefaring, go for the aforementioned Moonwatch; the ’57 is its style-savvy cousin.

THE SPECS:

• 40mm steel or tantalum case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre G-04 manual-wind movement with 53-hour power reserve

• From €155,000 (approx. £135,000), gronefeld.com

Best Chronograph of 2022 Winner

BEST DRESS WATCH OF 2022: THE A. LANGE & SÖHNE GRAND LANGE 1

There’s a lot of cool, cutting-edge stuff we’re honouring in these awards, but this winner is living proof that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to perfect a watch. This year’s Grand Lange 1 is a gorgeous, slightly tweaked version of the German watchmaker’s flagship timepiece, the definitive dress watch version of their understated style.

The changes appear small at first: a slimmer case to better fit under a

shirtsleeve, a new shade of grey for the dial, and a textured look with texturally contrasting subdials, instead of the usual silky-smooth finish. The movement too has been adapted to better fit in the wider, slimmer case and, as ever, is absolutely gorgeous.

Honestly, there’s not a lot that’s particularly new here. It’s still very much the Grand Lange 1 that collectors are obsessed by, but then (aside from the Odysseus) these kinds of step-by-step changes are par for the course for Lange, a watchmaker very aware of what their collectors want. And evidently, given the number of votes this sexy piece of Saxony received, it’s very much what collectors want.

THE SPECS:

• 41mm pink gold case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre L095.1 automatic movement with 72-hour power reserve

• £41,700, alange-soehne.com

The Runner-Up: The Grand Seiko Sea of Clouds

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A beautifully textured dial in an otherwise understated case can only mean Grand Seiko, and while it might no longer be the newest of their naturalistic creations, it’s one of their most beautiful, with blue clouds contrasting with the ultra-precise Zaratsu polishing.

THE SPECS:

• 40mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Calibre 9F85 quartz movement

• £3,200, limited to 2,000 pieces, seikoboutique.co.uk

Best Dress Watch of 2022 Winner

THE BEST TRAVEL WATCH OF 2022: THE LONGINES SPIRIT ZULU TIME

Building on the success of their retro-slanted (but not heritage) Spirit pilots’ watch, Longines hit a high this year with the Zulu Time. Not only did it make solid use of their new, incredibly successful collection, it let them jump into the archives to prove just how far they go.

Zulu Time is not, as it sounds, the time around Christmas that the family gathers round to watch a Michael Caine classic; it’s simply an anachronistic alternative to GMT. The name comes from the ‘zero hours’ of Greenwich Mean Time, with the Z being replaced with the NATO phonetic stand-in, Zulu.

While over the years the term’s slipped out of modern parlance, it still crops up in military circles. Though in the case of Longines, the specific reference is to a 1925 dual time-zone timepiece. To put that into context, that’s before Patek Philippe and a solid 30 years before Rolex.

The current Zulu Time isn’t really a throwback, more an excuse to get the message across that Longines have been here before. But all of that historical prestige is wrapped up in an incredibly handsome, modernvintage styled watch that’s arguably the most streamlined, wearable travel watch of the year.

Backed by a true GMT with chronometer certification and a typically accessible price tag offering serious bang for your buck, there’s a lot to love from Longines.

THE SPECS:

• 42mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Calibre L844.4 automatic movement with 72-hour power reserve

• £2,400, longines.com

The Runner-Up: The Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur

> >

Frustratingly chic, this unique take on world timing takes a similar approach to the Parisian brand’s dual moon phase in that the dial itself moves. Specifically, it’s used to set the time zone in one of the most satisfyingly tactile functions in modern watchmaking. Seriously.

THE SPECS:

• 41mm stainless steel case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre H1837 automatic movement with 40-hour power reserve

• £22,270, hermes.com

Best Travel Watch of 2022 Winner

BEST FIELD / PILOTS WATCH OF 2022:

THE BREITLING NAVITIMER B01 43

The Navitimer, with its slide rule bezel, is one of the most iconic aeronautical timepieces ever built; a mechanical flight computer dressed as sharply as any captain.

After plenty of re-issues of previous, historical models though, it became a certainty early in the year that Breitling would soon be re-issuing the collection. What we weren’t expecting was just how modernised it would be.

Gone is the pleasingly tactile, retro beaded bezel, replaced in favour of a less charming, but admittedly more practical notched version. That’s not the only element that’s been changed either. The scale itself has more of a performance look to it with black, white, and red and has been flattened for a more compact profile. The date window has been moved to the six o’clock subdial for a more symmetrical layout and the new range of colours is a candy shop of flavours.

Ice blues, vintage creams, and Georges Kern’s favourite pistachio hue, there’s a lot of choice on offer. This mid-size silver version with black subdials (right) is visually distinctive for its high contrast, panda look and has a more streamlined feel on the wrist, but the choice across the whole collection is equally impressive.

Yes, we still miss that beaded bezel – it was one of the major reasons we loved the classic Navitimer – but at least we’ll see that in more inevitable historical editions. As the new modern face of Breitling, the Navitimer B01 43 is one of the biggest launches of 2022.

THE SPECS:

• 43mm stainless steel case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre 01 automatic movement with 70-hour power reserve

• From £6,950, breitling.com

The Runner-Up: The Rolex Air King

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One of the saving graces of Rolex’s Watches & Wonders release slate, the revamp of the Air King makes their most accessible sports watch a seriously tempting prospect, with minor tweaks adding up to a more wearable, mechanically excellent timepiece.

THE SPECS:

• 40mm Oystersteel case with 100m water resistance

• Calibre 3230 automatic movement with 70-hour power reserve

• £5,900, rolex.com

Best Field/Pilots Watch of 2022 Winner

HIGH COMPLICATION WATCH OF 2022: THE JAEGER-LECOULTRE

MASTER HYBRIS ARTISTICA CALIBRE

945

Where to start with this? Jaeger-LeCoultre’s release slate this year has been stuffed to the brim with grandiose high complications dedicated to stellar timekeeping. Accessibility wasn’t even on the cards. Yet even among the rest of the mechanically rarefied offerings, the latest Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 is magnificent.

A multi-layered dial mapping out the night sky with labelled constellation – as it would look from the watchmaker’s Vallée de Joux manufacture – and an ‘Atomium’ border acts as a thematic background

to the distant star-oriented sidereal time as displayed on the Cosmotourbillon. The pair lend an incredible depth to the watch’s architectural construction.

Because all of that’s just not enough, this is paired with the almighty minute repeater with crystal gongs, tebuchet hammers, and a silent governor. Made from a grand total of 570 components and more hours of obsession to craftsmanship, it’s a lot to take in.

While this isn’t actually the most complicated watch launched this year by a good margin (it’s the coming together of previous JLC complications), the combination of mechanical exceptionalism and metiers d’art makes it a uniquely lavish timepiece, and the crown jewel in a 2022 Jaeger-LeCoultre collection that already glitters like the stars.

THE SPECS:

• 45mm white or rose gold case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre 945 manual-wind movement with 40-hour power reserve

• Price upon request, limited to five pieces, jeager-lecoultre.com

The Runner-Up: The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Minute Repeater

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Like an elegant swan with legs churning underwater, there’s a lot going on beneath the refined, pocket watchinspired surface of the Richard Lange Minute Repeater. A practical, userforward evolution of the complication, this is pure A. Lange & Söhne.

THE SPECS:

• 39mm platinum case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre L122.1 automatic movement with 72-hour power reserve

• €409,000 (approx. £355,000), limited to 50 pieces, alange-soehne.com

Best High WatchComplication of 2022 Winner

ACCESSIBLE WATCH OF 2022: THE OMEGA X SWATCH MOONSWATCH

If this one was a surprise, you’ve evidently not been paying much attention to what was without a doubt the biggest watch launch of the year. Or, you know, the excessive global queues outside of Swatch stores.

The MoonSwatch, as the name suggests, is the bastard lovechild of Swatch’s accessible brand of mass-produced watchmaking and the iconic Omega Speedmaster that became a NASA necessity. The overall design leans on the latter, with the tachymeter and general proportions coming across like the Speedy’s fun younger brother, with a price tag that’s very Swatch. The result was possibly the most hyped watch release ever.

Despite promises that the full collection would eventually be sold online (something that’s yet to happen, at time of writing), each of the 11 watches were being flipped for ridiculous sums; rumours of the Mission to the Moon going for 10K abounded. It’s calmed down a bit now, but restocks are still met with dedicated queues.

As for the watches themselves, they vary from less handsome riffs on the original Speedmaster (the Moon) to seriously fun, colourful variations like the Sun or Mars. Hype aside, they’re inspired, and while we here at OT refuse to queue when we can help it, we’re still very, very tempted.

THE SPECS:

• 42mm Bioceramic case with 30m water resistance

• Quartz chronograph movement

• £218, swatch.com

The Runner-Up: The Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium

The coveted microbrand’s latest diver isn’t just one of their best looking to date, but it brings the lightweight practicality of titanium to bear on the collection, while maintaining the appealingly accessible price tag that Baltic are known for.

THE SPECS:

• 41mm titanium case with 300m water resistance

• Miyota calibre 9039 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve

• €710 (approx. £615), limited to 300 pieces, baltic-watches.com

Best Accessible Watch of 2022 Winner

INNOVATION WATCH OF THE YEAR 2022: THE GRAND SEIKO KODO

High complication and innovation, despite certain overlapping similarities, are two different things. A minute repeater, as previously shown, is one of the most demanding complications ever built, but it’s been around for centuries and the concept has only really been refined, rather than outright changed.

Innovation on the other hand is about doing something new, something that’s never been done before. Grand Seiko’s Kodo, as we’ve already been over, is definitely new. While it didn’t grab headlines in the way as, say, the Bulgari Finissimo Ultra or Richard Mille RM UP-1 and their battle for slimline supremacy, Grand Seiko opted for a watchmaking angle that nobody else was vying for.

Obviously, it paid off, as this skeletonised beauty not only won innovation watch of the year, but our overall Reader’s Choice Award.

THE SPECS:

• 43.8mm platinum and titanium case with 100m water resistance

• Caliber 9ST1 manual-wind movement with 72-hour power reserve

• £310,000, limited to 20 pieces, seikoboutique.co.uk

The Runner-Up: The Cartier Masse Mystérieuse

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We love this piece. The idea of shrinking the movement so that it can fit into the space of an automatic watch rotor is already a bold move; making it actually work as a rotor defies all sense. You need to see it moving in the metal to grasp just how insane the Masse Mystérieuse is, even by Cartier’s standards of intense mystery watches.

THE SPECS:

• 43.5mm platinum case with 30m water resistance

• Calibre 9801 MC automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve

• €250,000 (approx. £215,000), limited to 30 pieces, cartier.com

Best Innovation Watch of the Year2022 Winner

SPORTS-LUXE WATCH OF 2022: THE AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK JUMBO

The biggest trend in the watch world over the past 12 months was the consolidation of Gerald Genta’s unique design style of industrial luxury into countless variations on the theme. Every watchmaker worth the name seemed to be trying to recapture the iconoclastic magic of the 1970s; a frantic few years that saw the introduction of some of the most successful references in the history of horology.

Is it something of a surprise then that it was the OG Genta breakthrough that won this particular category?

As a runner-up in the Reader’s Choice category, this was always going to be the winner here. Though honestly, we could have predicted that even without the inside track. The Nautilus might be the big fish in the ever-diminishing pond, but the Royal Oak – in particular the retro Jumbo version – is the blueprint from which all of the other fish take their cues.

We won’t go over old ground too much here. Needless to say that the definitive Sports-Luxe watch got slightly more definitive in 2022.

THE SPECS:

• 39mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance

• Calibre 7121 automatic movement with 55-hour power reserve

• £27,900, audemarspiguet.com

The Runner-Up: The Cartier Santos de Cartier

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It may have originally been designed as a pilots’ watch, but between the industrial good looks – rivets and all – and its new blued PVD elements, the Santos de Cartier is a world apart from the usual militaristic look of aviation watches. It’s sports-luxe and we love it. As do you, apparently.

THE SPECS:

• 47.5mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Calibre 1847 MC automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve

• £6,750, cartier.com

BestWatchSports-Luxe of 2022 Winner

\ 66 /

Introducing the labels at the heart of Ivy style’s streetwear reincarnation

\ 76 / All wrapped-up with the style-conscious names that reflect 2022’s mood

\ 82 /

Christmas and rose gold go together like Santa and Rudolph in our seasonal shoot

EDITED BY SHANE KURUP & SAM KESSLER

\ 93 / See out the old year and start 2023 in fine fashion with these modern classics

New style code

> > It infuses a preppy attitude with a rebellious spirit and is the biggest menswear trend of the year. After rising to prominence at the turn of the 20th century, Ivy League and varsity style became synonymous with mid-20th century American fashion, but a streetwear slant has breathed new life into classic look, with brands from Rowing Blazers to Noah X Barbour embracing this new style code. And while they might be fundamentally opposed style subcultures, streetwear and prep are leading the charge towards a smarter, informal way of dressing.

Words by Paddy Maddison

Meet the labels at the heart of Ivy style’s streetwear reincarnation

giae landunt mi, te eos quas maxim rem adis ex et quodisi tiore, corehenda quat omnihilit, te dusandes

STYLE — league of their own

It’s hard to imagine two style subcultures more fundamentally opposed than streetwear and prep. One has its roots in the anti-establishment skate and surf scene of the American West Coast, while the other can be traced back to the wood-panelled halls of the north east’s elite universities.

The disparity between skaters and preppy kids is something anyone who attended high school or college in the past 40 years will be familiar with. It was tribal. A prevailing us-vs-them mentality in both corners inspired its fair share of teen-movie subplots over the years and (for better or worse) perhaps an even

greater number of Avril Lavigne songs.

The idea of incorporating elements of the other’s wardrobe couldn’t have been further from either side’s mind. Penny loafers and pleated pants with hoodies and beanies? Perish the thought! But that’s exactly what’s been happening in menswear of late.

During the mid 2010s, it became the focus of high-fashion’s attention. Suddenly, historic haute-couture houses were hiring streetwear creative directors, pro skaters were walking Paris Fashion Week runways, and hoodies, graphic tees, and sneakers all became the new luxury items.

In recent seasons, luxury brands have moved away from puffers and big logos. But streetwear isn’t dead, it’s simply evolving. As the hypebeast generation grows up and starts to look beyond sneakers and hoodies for its sartorial fix, a relatively new crop of brands have tapped into the current mood by fusing streetwear with elements of workwear, sportswear and, perhaps most notably of all, preppy and Ivy League style.

This casually sophisticated menswear subgenre originated on the campuses of the USA’s prestigious Ivy League schools in the 1950s. It incorporated garments associated with traditionally upper-class sports such as golf, rugby, polo, sailing, hunting, and tennis. There was also casual tailoring and elements of British and American country attire. The original style shares its name with the group of universities that gave birth to it, but ‘preppy’ is the umbrella term more commonly used to describe the overall aesthetic today.

Jack Carlson is better positioned than most to speak on the subject. An Oxfordeducated, US national-team rowing coxswain, born and raised in New England, he fits the preppy profile perfectly. But Carlson’s personal style has always been eclectic. Rather than sticking religiously to navy blazers and polo shirts, he incorporates elements of vintage, Ivy, and streetwear, with plenty of colour and character to boot. It’s a visual language that he’s carried over to his own brand, Rowing Blazers.

GROWING UP

Streetwear used to be an easy concept to pin down. It was a Supreme box logo, a Stüssy graphic tee, or a queue of teenagers snaking its way around your local sneaker shop’s block.

“I think ‘preppy’ can be a little bit of a dirty word,” Carlson says. “It’s got a lot of baggage. For some people, they hear it and they think of Vineyard Vines or, you know, a picture of a bunch of white people on a boat dressed like they’re going golfing. What we’re doing with Rowing Blazers is redefining the word ‘preppy’. We want to change what people think about when they hear it.”

The visual language of streetwear has evolved considerably over the past few decades. Where once streetwear and a preppy style were poles apart, today the style is a medley of elements that take in workwear, sportswear and, of course, preppy and Ivy League style.

STYLE — league of their own

STYLE — league of their own

Teddy Santis’s first collection as creative director for New Balance’s iconic ‘Made in USA’ line sold out straight away, while this season’s lookbooks (right) pair hoodies with loafers, beanies with double-breasted leather blazers, and sweatpants with Clarks Wallabees

SETTING TRENDS

Founded in 2017, Rowing Blazers serves up collegiate classics with a playful streetwear twist. Colourful pop-culture imagery dances across a range of preppy silhouettes, like rugby shirts, blazers, and polos. And limited collabs (such as the recent collection of co-branded Seiko 5 Sports watches) routinely sell out in minutes.

“When I was first starting the brand back in 2017, I had friends of mine in the industry telling me not to do it. This was like the height of streetwear infiltrating mainstream fashion. So for them, doing something preppy was all the way at the opposite end of the spectrum.”

Aimé Leon Dore is another crossover brand enjoying unprecedented levels of success. The New York label has enjoyed

a meteoric rise since its launch in 2014, blending streetwear, workwear, tailoring, and prep in its own unique way. Flicking through lookbook photographs you’ll see hoodies styled alongside loafers, beanies paired with double-breasted leather blazers, and sweatpants worn with Clarks Wallabees. There’s an unmistakable streetwear flavour, but it’s delivered in a way that feels elevated and mature.

The tastemaking label’s influence on men’s fashion hasn’t gone unnoticed by the industry’s heavy hitters. Earlier this year, French luxury giant LVMH took a minority stake in Aimé Leon Dore for an undisclosed sum. Around the same time, the brand’s founder, Teddy Santis, was recruited by New Balance as the creative director for the Bostonian footwear brand’s iconic ‘Made in USA’ line. His first collection sold out straight away.

Then there’s Noah NYC. Founded by former Supreme creative director Brendon Babenzien, it’s a brand with pedigree streetwear and skate-culture DNA that mixes in influences from punk, classic menswear, surf culture and a heavy dose of Ivy League style. Noah’s knack for reimagining preppy pieces in a culturally relevant way is so good, in fact, that struggling purveyor of high-street

STYLE — league of their own

prep J.Crew this year hired Babenzien in an attempt to revamp the brand.

Some might argue that this latest wave of preppiness is nothing particularly different to what Ralph Lauren and its various sub-brands have been doing for decades. Polo Ralph Lauren was selling hoodies alongside blazers long before Teddy Santis was old enough to even spell the word ‘fashion’. So what’s different this time around?

“I think it comes down to trend and branding rather than product,” says Esquire UK style director, Charlie Teasdale. “For whatever reason, Aimé Leon Dore, for example, managed to hit upon a combination of sportswear, classic menswear, Americana and ninetiesnostalgia that hit the zeitgeist perfectly. And even though the brand operates in much the same space as Polo Ralph Lauren, it has created a distinct tone of voice that appeals in a completely different way.”

SMARTER TIMES?

It certainly feels like we’re watching streetwear grow up and, by extension, smarten up. Renewed interest in tailoring and dwindling sneaker sales point to a fundamental change in direction. But is this indicative of menswear going back to a smarter way of dressing across the board?

“If anything it might be an inversion,” explains Teasdale. “Things that were once deemed smart – loafers, cardigans, chinos, even ties – are now considered much more casual. It’s good and bad news for purveyors of ‘formal’ menswear because it means their wares are popular, but not being worn in the traditional way, or with the requisite reverence. Suits are still cool, but I don’t think an expensive suit is necessarily a marker of taste anymore.”

Preppy style and tailoring are both notoriously elitist. In many ways, streetwear’s adaptation of these smarter elements could be seen as a sartorial democratisation of sorts. Well, provided you don’t look at the price tags, that is. Because let’s face it, charging £95 for a t-shirt is hardly tearing down the barriers of social class, is it?

Polo Ralph Lauren was selling hoodies alongside blazers long before Teddy Santis was old enough to even spell the word ‘fashion’. So what’s different this time around?

Borrowing from the Polo Ralph Lauren template, streetwear has grown up and Aimé Leon Dore encapsulate that aesthetic (below and left) with their blend of streetwear, workwear, tailoring, and prep in a typically individual style that hit the zeitgeist perfectly

All wrapped up

Edited by SHANE C. KURUP

It’s been a seismic year. Along with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the swings and roundabouts in Whitehall, and the war in Ukraine, we’ve also seen the spirit of collaboration, the return of travel, and a desire to dress up and face the world again. And if fashion is indeed a mirror of our times, these are the style-conscious names that reflect 2022’s mood.

Collab Crew

By Royal Appointment

>

> Even the staunchest republican would admit that our late, great Queen was a model ambassador for British brands – who could forget her iconic Launer handbag, which as we learned during the Jubilee, was actually for stashing marmalade sandwiches. Of all her regalia, Her Majesty was probably best known for her distinctive headgear and Lock & Co – the world’s oldest milliner – had a relationship with the Queen from the start of her reign, adapting the Imperial State Crown for her 1953 coronation. While this season’s collection stays true to tradition, it adds a 21st-century flavour with innovative finishes and peppy hues that keep this blue blood brand feeling far from old hat.

Lock & Co. Haydock wool trilby, £225 lockhatters.com

>

> The fact we were told to stay away from our fellow human beings for a good proportion of the past few years might well explain the surplus of noteworthy collaborations that have emerged lately. Rowing Blazers' latest project with Seiko – a cross-pollination between style and horology – is one such example. Designed with the Japanese timekeeping giant by Rowing Blazers' founder Jack Carlton and watch aficionado Eric Wind, the quartet of Seiko 5 Sports offers four dial colours and preppy styling touches synonymous with the US fashion label’s collegiate codes. The limited edition pieces are a Stateside exclusive, but they’ll be available via the Rowing Blazers UK website, so you won’t need to scull across the pond to strap one on. Rowing Blazers x Seiko 5 Sports, from £430 rowingblazers.com

Going All Out

> > In our post lockdown world, communing with the great outdoors has continued apace as we aim to hike-off those extra lockdown pounds, or make a Sunday stroll on the common part of the routine. And the fashion world has gone wilderness-mad, too. It’s moved on from standard Gorpcore with young, dynamic brands joining forces with tried and trusted outdoor behemoths. Take Feng Chen Wang, Xu Zhen, and Canada Goose’s new alliance for example – the AW22 collection combines the high-fashion clout of the rising Chinese designer, the multidimensional patterns of the Shanghai-born artist, and the Canadian outerwear giant’s all-weather spec for puffers, parkas, and hiking boots that wouldn’t look out of place on the wintery boulevards of Milan or Manhattan. It’s too nice to risk trashing on a muddy mountain trail anyway. fengchenwang.com | canadagoose.com

Suits You, Sir

Noble Threads

>

>

> In March, the Office of National Statistics removed the suit from the basket of goods used to calculate the annual rate of inflation since 1947, which seemed to herald the death of the two-piece. But despite dress codes being on a downward trajectory for years, life in lockdown muftis actually fuelled a desire to smarten up once we were let out.

It seems that Edward Sexton – the veteran tailor whose threads graced the Beatles for their Abbey Road album cover – would agree, as he’s recently re-opened a shop at the site of his original atelier on tailoring mecca, Savile Row. The AW22 line, designed by Sexton and his creative director, Dominic Sebag-Montefiore, offers plush velvet suits and fine Italian-wool blazers with the sort of retro-modern swagger to coax you out of your sweats with minimal effort.

Edward Sexton brown velvet Heritage jacket and trousers, £1,300 and £840

Edward Sexton, 35 Savile Row, London W1S 3QD edwardsexton.co.uk

> As we shed our facemasks and the world slowly came to rights, it suddenly came to wrong again with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The outpouring of support for the besieged nation has been overwhelming – and the fashion community hasn’t turned a blind eye either. Palianytsia.co –named after Ukraine’s national bread – was set up by countrywomen Lisa Pavelenko and Masha Dotsenko to provide a collective platform for their homeland’s brightest designers, enabling them to keep their studio lights on in their darkest hour. The e-commerce site showcases more than 50 brands, offering everything in the design sphere from modern minimalism to streetready casualwear. It’s never felt more justified to treat yourself to some new clobber. palianytsia.co

High Flyer

>

> After several years of grounded fleets, temperamental traffic lights, and endless nose swabbing, travel is firmly back on the agenda. And it’s obvious from its AW22 collection that worldly Parisian label Casablanca – which recently collaborated with Audemars Piguet for its sell-out candy coloured Royal Oaks – has had itchy feet, too. A sexed-up homage to the glamour of air travel, its luxe long-haul track suits, 1970s-inspired kick-flare trousers, tricolour ‘aerogram’ print silk shirts, and exclusive GlobeTrotter cases are redolent of a time when life on the wing was about cocktails and caviar and 'Corona' was still just old Latin for 'Crown'. Dressing up to fly is officially a thing again. casablancaparis.com

New mode

See out the old year and start 2023 in fine fashion with these modern classics

Edited by SHANE C. KURUP

1/ AMI Paris wide-leg wool trousers, £410, mrporter.com 2/ Edward Sexton geometric heritage black and yellow wool blazer, £1,250, edwardsexton.co.uk 3/ Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222, 18K yellow gold, 37mm, £65,500, vacheron-constantin.com 4/ Stenströms patterned wool and silk scarf, £169, stenstroms.com 5/ Gucci square acetate glasses, £270, matchesfashion.com 6/ Brioni Éclat eau de parfum, 100ml, £95, brioni.com 7/ Turnbull & Asser Wilfred silk shirt, £605, turnbullandasser.co.uk 8/ Ben Cobb x Tiger of Sweden Tadzio wool-blend bouclé overcoat, £1,250, matchesfashion.com 9/ Dunhill leather lock pouch, £1,695, dunhill.com 10/ Manolo Blahnik Eton velvet buckled loafers, £895, manoloblahnik.com 11/ Luis Morais 14K yellow gold onyx signet ring, £1,100, farfetch.com

Edited by SAM KESSLER

WALKER SLATER COLTS JACKET

Tweed takes a back seat as the Colts Jacket embraces Americana with the help of supple lambskin leather

> > Over the past 30 years, Walker Slater has cut an enviable figure in classic heritage designs paired with, of course, plenty of tweed. Imagine a country gent striding through the Scottish Highlands and you have an inkling of the aesthetic direction the tailor has struck out in. Yet while

that kind of outdoorsy elegance is still firmly part of their DNA, every now and then Walker Slater come out with a bit of a surprise – like with the Colts Jacket.

The Colts Jacket feels more like an injection of unfiltered Americana than their usual Scottish fare. There’s no tweed – or

indeed Walker Slater’s usual cold-weather tailoring fabrics – in sight, replaced instead by supple lambskin leather. Paired with a shearling collar, the most obvious similarity would be with classic aviator jackets – but that’s only one reference.

With long sleeves and a slimmer cut, the Colts jacket also pays homage to vintage biker jackets.

Think Easy Rider over Tom Cruise. Fitted with a pair of chest pockets with slanted zips, sleeve and shoulder panelling and the subtler nods are there. It’s two iconic leather jackets combined into one.

The jacket comes in two distinct variations, each leaning into one of those original designs. In all black, it feels more like the biker jacket; in vintage brown leather and beige shealing, it’s every bit the classic aviator. The construction and silhouette are the same in each, but the colour makes a world of difference.

Either way, they’re as easy to style as they are to wear. Wear it open over lighter layers of tailoring or done up tight to stop the wind getting into your warm knits – ideally with a suave scarf to finish the look – it’ll hold you in good stead, whether that’s tearing down Route 66 on a Harley or striding across the Great Moor of Rannoch. Every guy needs a good leather jacket. So why not make it two great jackets in one?

£445, walkerslater.com

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The Colts Jacket feels more like an injection of Americana than their usual Scottish fare

ALL THAT GLITTERS

There’s a log on the fire, ever increasing amounts of food to be consumed, family bickerings to diffuse, and most importantly, presents to be shared. And in the season of giving, taking, and sparkles, what better gift than a rose gold watch that looks even better under the lights of a Christmas tree

Photography by FRASER VINCENT

Vacheron Overseas Chronograph

42.5mm pink gold case with 150m water resistance Calibre 5200 automatic movement with 52-hour power reserve £70,500, vacheron-constantin.com

Glashutte Original PanoMaticLunar

40mm red gold case with 50m water resistance

Calibre 90-02 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve £18,300, glashuette-original.com

Bulgari Octo Finissimo

40mm rose gold case with 100m water resistance BVL138 calibre automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve £37,000, bulgari.com

29.9mm pink gold case with 30m water resistance Calibre 853 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve £25,600, jaeger-lecoultre.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duoface Calendar

TAG Heuer Carrera x Porsche RS 2.7 42mm rose gold case with 100m water resistance Calibre Heuer 02 automatic movement with 80-hour power reserve £19,550, tagheuer.com

Piaget

42mm rose gold case with 100m water resistance Calibre 1110P automatic movement with 50-hour power reserve £25,300, piaget.com

Polo Date

THE BEST OF 2022

From the diver revival, to booming independents, IWC’s quest for equality, and the jawdropping reveal of MoonSwatch, this year has provided many moments of wonder that will be hard to match in 2023

> >

It’s been one hell of a year. Yes, in general, but the watch world specifically. Demand for watches old and new has been voracious, with record-breaking auctions on one hand from things like the recent Phillips sale in Geneva and everything A Collected Man touch, and record-breaking queues for a certain collaborative watch you’re already expecting (correctly) to read about shortly.

The fact is that there’s just far too much for us here at Oracle Time to touch on ourselves. So, we passed the job off to the industry insiders, journalists, and watch lovers that we’ve worked with over the past 12 months to create an industry-wide round-up.

So without further ado, here are the most important watch moments of 2022, as told by some of the most knowledgeable names in the British watch industry.

IWC EQUALITY TRACEY LLEWELLYN

This year has seen a lot of memorable moments: the return of physical international shows with Watches and Wonders; the birth of the ‘watch riot’ that accompanied the launch of the super-hyped MoonSwatch; and a British-made watch breaking the CHF4 million (approx. £3.52m) barrier when the late-George Daniels’ spring case tourbillon sold at Phillips Geneva Auction: XVI.

But beyond these impressive headline grabbers, one of the most satisfying moments of the year for me happened during an interview with IWC CEO Christoph GraingerHerr with The Telegraph.

Within the brand’s 2022 sustainability report, was a chapter relating to diversity within the watch industry, with particular reference to gender equality. Throughout my two decades writing about watches, I have all but given up talking about this with industry leaders because the answer is always the same and to the effect of, ‘there may be a problem, but not in our company’.

Grainger-Herr, however, addressed the issue head on saying, “It’s very easy for me and others to say, ‘well, we don’t discriminate against anybody. There’s no problem here’. But then you look at the reality of the workplace.

“We have a huge percentage of women in their late-20s to mid-30s, but when I look beyond 40 there’s hardly anybody. There are so many young women on a good career path

until they have children and then we lose them. And again, it’s not because we don’t want them back but somehow making it possible to combine a family and a career is just not coming together.

“It’s not an IWC thing, it’s an industry issue. We need to see what we are losing and what we could gain through that experience and maturity. And we do need to have this discussion because it just doesn’t happen organically to the level that we’d like it to. We may think there is no issue, but when you speak to the people affected, you realise there is still a problem and it does need to be a topic of conversation.”

Gender equality may be a subject that many will never care about, but for me it felt like a breakthrough and a step – albeit a baby step – in the right direction. Bravo IWC!

THE MOONSWATCH, OBVIOUSLY JAMES BUTTERY, WATCH EDITOR AT HYPEBEAST

> >

As intriguing emails go, the one that dropped into my inbox at the start of the year was hard to beat, as it was from Swatch Group supremo Nicolas Hayek himself and mentioning a Top Secret project.

Days later a group of six of us (myself and five fellow watch journos) were ushered into Omega HQ and warmly welcomed by Mr Hayek who excitedly presided over the genuinely jaw-dropping reveal of MoonSwatch.

The product was incredible enough, but nothing prepared any of us for the ruckus that followed; people camping outside of stores, fights breaking out, bricks and mortar-only supply that has never managed to keep up with demand. Those queues are still there. MoonSwatch wasn’t just the year’s biggest watch story, it became a big international news story in a priceless PR coup.

@Horological_Dicktionary recently described MoonSwatch as a “disposable plastic training watch for kids who don’t have a full watch licence yet” and honestly, I’m fine with that, that’s part of its genius.

MoonSwatch is a gateway Speedmaster for everyone –provided you can get to a store – in an industry where prices are so often exclusionary.

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@Horological_Dicktionary described MoonSwatch as a “disposable plastic training watch for kids who don’t have a full watch licence yet” and honestly, I’m fine with that

A RETURN TO NORMALITY RIKKI, HOST AT SCOTTISH WATCHES

> >

With SIHH, Baselworld and even the Geneva Motor Show being distant memories, getting back to PALExpo for a watch event felt like coming home. Add on meeting up IRL with people who I’ve not seen in years or some I’ve only ever met through a Zoom screen just tied it all together. That along with reaching the milestone of 400 episodes of The Scottish Watches Podcast and having the one and only Roger Smith on for a deep dive on his history after he helped (albeit in a very tongue in cheek way) with the creation of our limited edition watch during the summer.

INDEPENDENT ON THE RISE RUSSELL SHELDRAKE, EDITOR AT A COLLECTED MAN

The launch of the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronométre Contemporain II may have passed by some in the watch world. It didn’t come in a hyped shade of turquoise, nor did it have an integrated bracelet, but it still managed to have a demand that far outstripped its supply, with waiting lists stretching back years prior to its announcement.

It could be seen as one of, if not the, most significant release of this year, proving the strength of the independent market and the immense desirability of this young Kosovan’s work. With intricate handwork throughout and a case developed by Jean-Pierre Hagmann, this watch seems to be the perfect sequel to his first eponymous timepiece. The fact that it won this year’s Men’s Watch Prize at the GPHG only helps to solidify its place as watch worth remembering, even if you may never see one in the wild.

THE POETRY OF TIME SCARLETT BAKER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AT THE NEXT HOUR

> >

With conventionality at the forefront of our human experience, as much as we may try to shirk it, this year proved to be refreshing as we witnessed a luxury atelier truly decimate the notion that the wheel is impossible to reinvent. As fluent partisans in all things horological, we forget that sometimes a complication really is just that; a complexity that without dexterous skill and knowledge is, at times, unfathomable to the mind. In 2022, Van Cleef and Arpels Lady Arpels Florales willingly suspended our disbelief with regards to a timepiece’s capabilities, expanding our cognition in how we recall the time. A silent flutter of petals in bloom marks the hour in a way that seems nonsensical, and yet effortlessly poetic. The figurative animation of nature in movement, whereby the cycle of flowers unfastening marks the time of day in a way that repels the linearity of orthodox time-telling, reminds us that – and as the GPHG awards recently acknowledged the maison’s forthcoming approach – the governance of time really is a precious passage that defies any uniform illustration. This year, Van Cleef proved confidently their ability to regenerate the ordinary.

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Van Cleef and Arpels Lady Arpels Florales willingly suspended our disbelief with regards to a timepiece’s capabilities, expanding our cognition in how we recall the time

PARMIGIANI ON POINT ALEX DOAK, LUXURY LIFESTYLE JOURNALIST

> >

These days, watch launches are peppered throughout the year, making for constant

editorial newness (great!) yet rendering my Watches & Wonders notes a mere fraction of 2022’s prodigious output, and thus an unreliable cheatsheet (great). Praise be, then, for Parmigiani Fleurier’s Delorean in case form, with flux capacitor in GMT hand form – still the best since March, hands-down. Pun intended; for the

sheer elegance of tucking the home hours away, behind the local hours, subtly and also wittily, given the golden glow of said hand, relating to where your heart will always reside. Michel Parmigiani’s long-rudderless enterprise has finally found its true path – and where he’s going you don’t need roads.

NICHE IN THE 70S JUSTIN HAST

> >

The original Casquette from GP was made from 1976 to 1978. It’s a proper insider pick, not a design that speaks to everyone, plus its quartz (which I happen to love). The original which I managed to snag before this 2022 reissue in Makrolon (a polycarbonate) saw 2,000 made (2,200 were made in gold and 4,000 in steel). This 2.0 blew the internet up when it dropped; combining the original design philosophy with modern materials as well as a newly produced and more complex quartz movement with more functionality. I hope GP can continue to surprise and delight now it has full independent status.

DIVER REVIVAL

KEN KESSLER, WATCH JOURNALIST

It’s not so much a single event which made my year, as it was the delight in the revivals of two marques which I adore. One of the companies which relieved 2022’s malaise actually started its return a couple of years ago, but both are favourites now on the ascent in the UK.

For both, diving watches are their specialties, and they have rich histories which too many collectors have been too lazy to appreciate. Doxa and Zodiac finally have representation in this country, allowing both brands’ legacies to shine.

And what are their legacies? Both are known for iconic models: Doxa’s SUB 300T with its trend-setting orange dial and Zodiac’s Super Sea Wolf, which was good enough for the US Navy SEALs. The Doxa gave us that vivid hue in 1968, while the Zodiac’s birth coincided with a couple of other more celebrated diving legends launched at the Basel fair in 1953, making it 70 next year.

Best of all about these two? Neither will break the bank.

“One of the companies which relieved 2022’s malaise actually started its return a couple of years ago, but both are favourites now on the ascent in the UK

Home House is one of the London members’ clubs, a haven of old school decadence where the capital’s wellheeled social elite can let loose behind closed doors. It’s legendary. It’s also not quite what everyone looks for in a members’ club. It’s fantastic for socialising, but with its traditional luxury and emphasis on having a good time, it’s not the best place for making a business deal. Home Grown however, is.

Set in a stunning six-storey Georgian building, Marylebone-based Home Grown is the entrepreneurial offshoot of Home House proper. Stylistically, it has all the striking, charmingly flamboyant aesthetics we’ve come to expect from a London club, but there’s more to it than simply letting loose.

The idea is to offer a secluded getaway for entrepreneurs, business owners a genuinely useful space in which to work and network. Partly, that’s done by ensuring members have a great place to eat and drink, with the club restaurant offering fantastic, locally-sourced (you could even say home grown) food, but also by offering a place to stay.

If you’re in town for a business meeting and don’t want the hassle of getting a late train or flight back, then the 35 Russell Sage-designed bedrooms offer unparalleled access to the city. Plushly bijou, they’re comfortable in a way that’s a world apart from a sterile hotel, no matter how exclusive.

So far though, these are things that would be useful for any members, not just businesses. Even the meeting rooms would be useful for private parties. What really sets Home Grown apart however is their members events.

Home Grown events aim to help businesses grow by offering talks about everything from hiring the right talent and skills to nurturing community and wellbeing. They cover pretty much every technical and social impact of running a

HOME GROWN

business, leveraging expertise to provide an authoritative understanding of potential problems and solutions – in short, the kind of entrepreneurial insights that you just won’t get anywhere else.

Sure, if you’re just after a members’ club solely for the social aspect, then there are plenty to choose from, whether that’s Home House or one of London’s many, many other options. But if you want to get more out of your membership than access to a snazzy bar with an intimidating top shelf, then Home Grown may just be one of the best options in the capital.

Find out more at homegrownclub.co.uk

Stylistically, it has all the charmingly flamboyant aesthetics we’ve come to expect from a London club

The secluded getaway for entrepreneurs and business owners is set in a stunning six-storey Georgian building in Marylebone that offers ultimate style and 35 Russell Sage-designed bedrooms (below), for those who simply can’t face the long commute home

Words by Sam Kessler

The business-oriented members’ club with some serious pedigree

EDITED BY MICHAEL SONSINO

RESTAURANT &BAR NEWS

With 2023 around the corner, it’s the perfect time to celebrate new beginnings. With that in mind, here are the latest London restaurant and bar openings to make a central part of your new year’s resolution.

NOTTO

198 Piccadilly, W1J 9EZ

Pasta is usually a secondary option on menus, which is why the growth of London’s pasta bar scene is so exciting, as it allows the dish sit at the centre of the menu where it can truly shine. And shine it does at Notto, a venture from Phil Howard, a chef who created a mailorder pasta service during lockdown. Now his pasta creations have a permanent home in Piccadilly at great value prices considering the wealth of Michelin star experience between the founder, head chef, and general manager.

Learn more at nottopastabar.com

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IKOYI

180 The Strand, WC2R 1EA

While Ikoyi has been around for five years in St James’ Market, they’re preparing for a new beginning of their own, moving location to 180 The Strand. Ikoyi serves a menu of seasonal British produce with a beautifully spiced sub-Saharan West African twist. They’re one of the fastest restaurants to achieve one and then two Michelin stars, making their move to the more central area of The Strand a celebration of their success.

Opening in December, book now at ikoyilondon.com

→ RAILS

King’s Cross St Pancras, Pancras Road, N1C 4TB

Cornish cod with buttered leek, apple, and thyme dressing; roasted guinea fowl with sweet corn purée and chicken jus; and Moules Frites in a white wine, shallot and parsley sauce. Those dishes alone are enough to get excited about RAILS, the new restaurant that has replaced Plum + Spilt Milk at the Great Northern Hotel in King’s Cross. It’s being overseen by chef Stéphane Cerisier, who has over 25 years of experience of French cuisine. Book now at gnhlondon.com

© Maureen M. Evans

Ikoyi serves a menu of seasonal British produce with a beautifully spiced sub-Saharan West African twist

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BOUCHON RACINE

66 Cowcross Street, Farringdon, EC1M 6BP

Bouchon Racine is a new dining space above the Three Compasses bar in Farringdon, a location that has been a pub for 300 years. It’s the project of Dave Strauss and Henry Harris, combining their experience of British pubs and French dining to provide an intriguing fusion. The menu is led by French classics in a casual style and it’s a similar story with the wine list.

Learn more at bouchonracine.com

↑ AKUB

27 Uxbridge Street, Notting Hill, W8 7TQ

Fadi Kattan has already established himself as an exceptional chef in his home state of Palestine and now he has come to London to launch his first restaurant in the British capital. Akub promises a menu of modern Palestinian cuisine with dishes like arak cured sea bream and freekeh risotto. The name Akub is derived from a flowering thistle that’s a popular symbol of Palestine. Learn more at akub-restaurant.com

It’s the project of Dave Strauss and Henry Harris, combining their experience of British pubs and French dining to provide an intriguing fusion

↑ BACCHANALIA

1 Mount Street, Mayfair, W1K 3NA

The concept of Bacchanalia references the historic Roman god Bacchus, the lord of wine who was known for throwing the hottest parties in town. Bacchanalia offers you the chance to dine like the Romans of old with a Mediterranean menu served in the style of a shared banqueting experience. Plus, artwork abounds with antique statuary standing side by side with the works of modern greats like Damien Hirst. Book now at bacchanalia.co.uk

Bacchanalia offers the chance to dine like the Romans with a Mediterranean menu in the style of a shared banqueting experience

↑ THE LIBERTINE

1a Launceston Place, Kensington, W8 5RL

Set at the site where London’s first Royal alcohol licence was granted, The Libertine is a venue steeped in the city’s history of indulgence. Expect a seasonal menu and extensive drinks list, all of which are to be enjoyed in the setting of the Royal Vaults, providing an intense atmosphere of revelry and fun. A place to enjoy the liberty of liberal libations. Find out more at libertinelondon.co.uk

London is about as synonymous with grand old five-star hotels as it is Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and messy politics, with the likes of the Dorchester, the Ritz et al lending that kind of Crown-esque air of traditional luxury a certain type of person aspires to; think Royal Enclosure at Ascot. The Bulgari is starkly different in a distinctly Italian way.

Despite being a modern temple to luxury, the Bulgari is a lot more restrained than you might expect from a red carpet jewellery marque. Black floors and columns, dark leather, and a more stylish approach to architecture give Antonio Citterio’s interiors a visual impact that’s more Milan than London. There are flashes of silver, tying into Bulgari’s heritage, but as accents not focal points.

The suites however are far less pared-back. I stayed in Bulgari Suite 3, an immense conglomeration of walnut panelling, sumptuous textiles, and somewhere in the region of 200 square metres of space. It felt more like a fully-fledged apartment rather than a hotel suite. Honestly, with a more than spacious bedroom, vast living room, and a nicely equipped kitchen with a separate wine fridge, I could see myself living here a little too easily. That’s without mentioning the views of Hyde Park from across the hotel.

That said, I didn’t allow myself to get too comfortable with the suite’s butler. Oh, I could; he arranged a shoeshine before the black-tie dinner I was in town for and a pair of swim shorts when I realised I’d drastically under-packed. It’s just that my partner won’t let me.

It’s not just the suites that are oversized for London. The spa covers 2,000 square metres of floor space, split between treatment rooms, the pool, and various other wellness-centric facilities. The treatment menu’s almost daunting in its cutting-edge treatments – so much so that I opted for a personalised full-body massage as a default. Maybe it was the late night previously, but afterwards all I could do was blissfully bob about in the pool.

As I was heading out for dinner, I opted to sample the hotel’s culinary offerings through afternoon tea in the Bulgari Lounge. It’s one of the coolest

spaces in the building, designed by Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel architects, an incredibly glamourous Italian-style living room. It’s also home to a residency from Gianluca Fusto, pastry chef, and chocolatier extraordinaire. Needless to say, the sweets were the highlight.

I didn’t get nearly long enough at the hotel – nor was I in enough to make the most of the absolutely fantastic Bulgari Suite 3 – but that’s not the worst thing in the world. All it means is that I owe it to myself to go back and try out everything else, particularly the fine dining options. Just in time for their spring menu perhaps? With that kind of lead time, they should be able to reserve my new regular suite.

Bulgari Suite £11,478 per night, bulgarihotels.com

It’s not just the suites that are oversized for London. The spa covers 2,000 square metres, split between treatment rooms, pool, and other wellness-centric facilities

Antonio Citterio’s interiors carry a visual impact that’s more Milan than London, but it’s pure luxury throughout, especially in the suites, where you can take in walnut panelling, sumptuous textiles, and 200 square metres of space, before arranging a shoeshine from the butler and sampling afternoon tea

Words by Mark Edwards

Words by ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS

CARS AS SPAS

Cancel that trip to the osteopath, skip that wellness weekend, and instead indulge in the surprising spa-like quality of a luxury car

© Kelly Serfoss

Luxury car makers want their customers to be comfortable. That’s a given. But some are going the extra mile. We’re talking relaxation pods on wheels. Cars as spas. The new extended-wheelbase Bentley Bentayga, for example, could save you a trip to an osteopath, while the Mercedes EQS SUV uses lights, animations and smells to improve your mood.

To the casual observer, the longest Bentayga yet mightn’t look any different to the ‘regular’ car. Its surface styling does a good job of concealing what is, in fact, an extra 180mm of length. This directly translates as 180mm of additional legroom, and that’s very good news if passengers want to put their feet up and recline the rear seats to 40 degrees. The cabin of a Bentayga EWB can be office, living room, salon, bedroom and spa all in one. Bentley don’t make the limo-like Mulsanne anymore; instead they believe what VIPs want is a really big and cosseting SUV.

The chief USP when it comes to the Bentayga’s 22-way adjustable airlinestyle rear seats (an £8,395 option on top of the car’s £211,300 base price) are that they’re designed to enhance wellbeing. These smart seats offer two invisible innovations of note. The first is a fatigue prevention system, which makes micro postural adjustments to the occupants seating positions – like a Pilates bed, if you like, but in seat form. The system has been developed in consultation with respected American chiropractor Dr Paul Phipps, who specialises in performance biomechanics. State-ofthe-art air cells allow complex twisting movements through the front cushions, lower back, lumbar, and upper backrests to defeat dead spots and reinvigorate muscles. There are six independent pressure zones and three intensity settings that can provide 177 adjustments in a three-hour rotation.

Developed in consultation with respected American chiropractor Dr Paul Phipps, state-of-the-art air cells allow complex twisting movements through the front cushions, lower back, lumbar, and upper backrests to defeat dead spots and reinvigorate muscles

The cabin of the Bentley Bentayga EWB (above and right) can act as office, living room, salon, bedroom, and spa all in one with the option of 22-way adjustable airline-style rear seats that are designed to enhance wellbeing, if you have an additional £8,395 going spare

© Andre Tillmann

The £129,170 Mercedes EQS SUV offers three ‘energising nature’ programmes designed for power-napping, via its Burmester stereo with Dolby Atmos 360 surround sound that offer a calming, immersive, and impressively realistic atmosphere, which is matched with the massage programme and seat ventilation

This wake-up mode goes much further than a normal seat massage mode, pin-pointing specific areas of fatigue and utilising 16 cells rather than the ten of Bentley’s regular massage seats.

The Bentley’s second seating innovation is a thermal comfort system, whereby the seats measure occupants body temperature and humidity and provide optimal thermal comfort through heating and ventilation. To do this, the system uses a complex predictive algorithm to move air around the seats and dehumidify the passengers. The Bentayga EWB uses dual air ionisers in the rear of the car for the first time. Personal preferences can also be input, but the sensory system is designed to be more energy efficient than having the occupants dictate their own settings.

The remit of this car is that its occupants emerge after each journey feeling better, more relaxed, and more dynamic than they felt before they stepped through its extra-long doors.

Mercedes, meanwhile, has steered away from the medical and focused on atmosphere and serenity when it comes to their new all-electric EQS SUV. Tyre and wind noise are the enemies of electric cars, but this is almost completely deadened thanks to aero tricks, acoustic foam and clever seals. It’s anaesthetising, and that goes for the whole driving experience.

The cabin is avant-garde as well as airy, with some of the open-pore wooden trim inlayed with aluminium

the starry sky across the central dash appear, and the massage functions will lull you into a soporific stupor.

The all-electric EQS SUV is also all-interactive as its ‘energizing coach’ responds to passenger statements about their mood with its regenerative Joy programme that aims to soothe and reassure the mood of passengers, while the car’s built-in fragrance adds to the spa experience

three-pointed stars, and there are dozens of options at one’s fingertips when it comes to the ambient lighting. The £129,170 Mercedes offers three ‘energising nature’ programmes designed for power-napping, via its Burmester stereo with Dolby Atmos 360 surround sound: Forest Glade (birdsong and rustling leaves), Sound of the Sea (soothing surf and seagull squawks) and Summer Rain (raindrops on leafy canopies and distant thunder). These ten-minute looped tracks are calming, immersive and impressively realistic and have been created with the help of an acoustic ecologist, Gordon Hempton from rugged Washington State, who has spent 40 years recording nature’s soundtrack all around the world. The acoustic oasis these sound files create is heightened by changing ambient lighting and visuals of stars and whatnot, which pass across the dashboard screens. This is particularly impressive with the benefit of the MBUX Hyperscreen (a £7,995 extra), whereby the whole dashboard from pillar to pillar can be a high-tech instrument panel comprised of three seamless screens. Never has a car been so digitised. It features eight CPU cores, 24-gigabyte RAM and 46.4GB per second RAM memory.

The driver’s seat reclines electrically, the roller blinds of the sunroof and windows are activated, the air is ionised (the EQS’ patented air filter is the most effective in the business) and ambient lighting adjusted. Soothing sounds and

At the end of the power nap programme, the soundscape changes along with the massage programme and seat ventilation. The seat moves back to the upright position automatically and the blinds roll back down. Time to carry on driving.

Say ‘Hey Mercedes’ for voice activation to kick in, and request ‘energizing coach’. Tell the car how you feel, and it’ll respond. For example, ‘I’m stressed’ will trigger its regenerative Joy programme to soothe, reassure, and improve the driver’s (or passengers) mood. A Mercedes-Benz smartwatch or compatible Garmin wearable can improve the precision of its algorithms so, for example, the car knows how well (or badly) you slept last night.

Adding to the spa effect is the car’s built-in fragrance with top notes of violet, orange, blackcurrant, and raspberry; heart notes of geranium, jasmine and mimosa; and base notes of dark chocolate, honey and tobacco. They’ve named the scent ‘No.6 MOOD mimosa’ in a nod to the year 1906 – the first year that Mercedes added electric cars to its model range.

You see, Mercedes are not new to this game. Energy legislation, wars, technology, trends; times change and Mercedes adapts.

In both cases, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan – the blingiest 4x4 by far – was benchmarked. Its ride and craftsmanship is impossible to fault, but in the Roller the technology is very much behind the scenes. With the Bentayga EWB and EQS SUV it’s front and centre. One may prefer the simpler, retro-nodding interior of the Cullinan to the high-tech Denis Villeneuve-directed vision of the future that is the Mercedes’ hyperscreen, with its open-poor veneer (the Bentley, meanwhile, is a welljudged mix of the traditional and the contemporary), but in terms of the seats and wellness programmes offered by the two machines you see here, they’re streets ahead of the competition. The only things missing are a big Buddha, some yoga mats, and a candle-decorated plunge pool. Your move, Rolls-Royce.

Ever since Rolex decided to embrace colour with their rainbow of entry-level Oyster Perpetual pieces and proved that even the most basic Watch with a Crown needs a waiting list, other brands have embraced the concept. The most obvious was Omega with their pastel-hued Aqua Terras, which let’s be honest, was a bit on the nose. That nose being a slightly less appealing colour than the cartoony bright Rolexes. What I didn’t expect to see though was something of a similar vein from Ball.

The Engineer III Marvelight is, despite a name that sounds like what happens when the MCU runs out of ideas (next year perhaps?), one of Ball’s most low-key timepieces. I don’t mean that it’s any less rugged than the usual elementdefying references in the watchmaker’s collection, just that it’s one of the more aesthetically restrained of the lot. In fact, it’s one of the few you’d actually call elegant.

It’s that comparative minimalism that makes it a solid canvas for a splash of colour. Those colours are the usual black, silver, and navy options, along with newer versions in green (of course), a regal burgundy, and this fantastic ice blue. In some lights it comes off as silver, in others very, very blue. In all lights it’s a serious looker.

To be fair, this isn’t Ball’s first colourful foray with the Marvelight. Back in 2020 they launched a special edition to raise money in the fight against Covid-19 that had a fantastic multi-coloured dial and gas tubes. So really the only thing new here is the dial colour. But let’s be fair, that’s worked for Rolex and Omega, why not here? And work it does.

Measuring in at 40mm across, on paper it’s a relatively svelte piece. In typical Ball fashion though, it feels heftier than you’d expect, with a large crown and proportions, especially in the bracelet, that are charmingly chunky. Its dimensions mean it can work as a dress watch with that dial, but the kind that you genuinely don’t mind risking a knock or two. It can deal with them. This thing doesn’t just have 300m water resistance but is magnetic resistant up to 1,000 gauss. Not too many everyday watches can say that.

Aside from the colour, the dial has all of Ball’s hallmarks. For the uninitiated, that means the brand’s signature H3 gas tubes, luminescent blocks that put SuperLuminova to shame in terms of brightness and colour. I always love these things, and while I get that most brands don’t want to mess with radioactive material, they’re one of the most effective solutions to low-light visibility around. Their blocky look also means invariably charming proportions to the indexes. All-in-all, I’m a fan.

This particular version of the Marvelight opts for the usual ghostly green rather than the rainbow of gas tubes Ball’s been implementing more and more, which is a shame. Even a single, contrasting colour would have set the dial off perfectly. I’m also not too keen on the second-hand counterweight which take the form of Ball’s ‘RR’ signature. The florid script just feels out of place on a watch that’s otherwise distinctly modern.

Inside is Ball’s own RR1103 calibre automatic movement. On the plus side, it’s chronometer certified which is always nice. On the negative it has a 38-hour power reserve which is getting more and more outdated in a standard three-handand-date watch like this. It’s still a fine workhorse of a movement, but I have my fingers crossed to see much more of Ball’s more recent, seriously impressive calibre RRM7309CS. Whether it’s to keep the price down or because 40mm is just 1mm too small, it’s a shame.

On the flipside, just being able to compare this piece with Ball’s in-house movement shows how far the watchmaker’s come recently, and it doesn’t detract from the Engineer III Marvelight’s innate charms. While I doubt it’ll replace that Oyster Perpetual you’ve got your heart set on, it’s a solid alternative that, at under 2K, won’t break the bank. £1,924, shop.ballwatch.ch

Its dimensions mean it can work as a dress watch with that dial, but the kind that you genuinely don’t mind risking a knock or two. It can deal with them

It was always going to happen eventually. After running through pretty much every type of haute horological complication, Christopher Ward have finally created their own accessible spin on the rarefied acoustic horology of a chiming watch. And it actually is accessible, though before we get onto just how accessible, it’s worth looking at precisely what the new Bel Canto chimes.

The Bel Canto – named after a lyrical slice of opera –doesn’t chime out the time on demand like a classical minute repeater. Nor does it let you set the time that it will sound like an alarm watch either. Instead, it simply chimes every hour, on the hour.

Now, granted that’s not the most useful complication in the world but I’d argue that neither is a minute repeater. Even if you can work out the time from a repeater’s various chimes, it’s probably quicker and easier to just read the watch regardless. Still, it does beg the question as to why Christopher Ward settled on this unusual type of chiming complication, and the answer is, basically, upcycling.

Back in 2011, Christopher Ward built the calibre JJ01 jumping hours movement for their British watchmaking inspired C9 Harrison. So, to build a chiming watch with any semblance of affordability, they switched the jumping hours function for a hammer. It’s a very Christopher Ward approach and I love it. Once the hammer mechanism was in place, they added a huge, curved titanium gong to the dial side of the watch and there you go.

As you probably don’t want your watch chiming on the hour all day, every day, Christopher Ward have also added an on-off function, using the button at four o’clock. It’s indicated ‘on’ by the red dot on the dial, but also by the hammer position. I found it a little finnicky – it takes a solid push to work – but hearing the chime when it engages is lovely. As, indeed, is the sound itself.

Most of the dial is taken over by that chiming mechanism, leaving a small dial at 12 o’clock for the actual time. The tone-on-tone colouring of that subdial makes it a little awkward to read at a glance, but otherwise it’s a beautifully architectural layout. It’s not quite Greubel Forsey but it’s not bad for 1/100th of the price. A good part of that is the blueplated rhodium dial, which is downright gorgeous. It’s a little hard to get the colour out properly in photos, but in the metal it’s a stunner.

I do have one slight issue with the case though. Generally, I don’t mind titanium in a watch. The hue’s a nice change of visual pace with all that gunmetal-coloured jazz and the lightness makes it wearable. In something like this though it just feels a bit too light, a bit too like a toy. I get the reasoning; aside from comfort on the wrist, titanium’s great for acoustics, hence it’s use as the gong. But at 41mm, the C1 Bel Canto’s not so large that steel would make it count towards your gym reps and the dial’s open anyway, so the acoustic impact would be minimal. Sure, it might not technically work as well in steel, but I’d much prefer that reassuring weight.

While I love the fact that Christopher Ward repurposed an old movement to cut development costs, it does however mean we’re left with a 38-hour power reserve. The chime

uses a lot of energy, but the brand’s movements have come a long way in the last decade or so and for a showpiece like this, even a few hours longer would’ve been appreciated.

However, take all these gripes with a small pile of salt. Yes, they’re issues in the grand scheme of things, but not when it comes down to the bottom line. It’s possible to want something and understand why it can’t be at the same time. Which is to say there’s no denying that the C1 Bel Canto is an incredibly impressive watch. The gong makes a lovely sound, it’s satisfying to use and looks amazing. It’s also – and this is probably what you’ve been waiting for – just £2,995. Compare that to other chiming watches of any type and it’s a stark difference.

Is the Bel Canto a groundbreaking middle finger to high watchmaking? Not really, it’s unlikely anyone that can splash out on a minute repeater will go for this instead. But that’s not the point. It means that collectors for whom the average chiming watch is a pipedream can actually get one on their wrist without re-mortgaging. It’s the first time I’ve been able to call a chiming watch affordable without sliding a ‘comparatively’ in there. That alone is worth a bit of hype. The fact that it’s one of the prettiest damn things Christopher Ward has ever built is the trill on top. £2,995, limited to 300 pieces, christopherward.com

To build a chiming watch with any semblance of affordability, they switched the jumping hours function for a hammer. It’s a very Christopher Ward approach and I love it

Good things always seem to come in pairs. Last issue it was funkydialled cushion-cased watches, this time, while slightly less particular, it’s handsome, icy-blue dials. Not only do we have the latest pale take on Ball’s OP-adjacent Marvelight, but one of the most handsome takes on what’s becoming Raymond Weil’s flagship: the Freelancer.

As we’ve discussed in the past, Raymond Weil may have plenty of different collections, but in recent years the Freelancer has come out on top as the signature watch from the accessible brand. It’s modern, versatile, and a solid platform on which to build what’s becoming an incredibly extensive collection.

What we have here isn’t exactly striking out into uncharted waters either. In fact, the Freelancer Diver Geneva Limited Edition swims in the famous waters of Lake Geneva in a slight twist on a very familiar diving formula.

There are a couple of things new about the Geneva Limited Edition compared to previous Freelancer Diver models. The first is the dial, which is the focal point of the entire watch. There are plenty of gradient dials out there, whether that’s from top to bottom like the Sea-Dweller or the more classical radial gradient.

The Freelancer lands somewhere in the middle, with a gradient that’s darkest in a circle around six o’clock and lightens up around towards 12, three and nine o’clock. It gives the impression of depth, kind of like the old posters for Jaws. It’s centred around a round date window, which unlike the rest of the dial that uses chunky, lumed indexes, is written in a funky script, adding a needed dash of personality to the dial.

The subtly gradiated blue isn’t the only nod to Lake Geneva either. Where other diving watches make do with 300m – the usual standard for professional-level underwater timepieces – Raymond Weil have added on an extra 10. That’s because the deepest part of Lac Léman is indeed 310m down. It’s a very deep lake. It’s a cool touch, a sly nod rather than anything that’ll actually affect how or when you use the watch.

Because this is a limited edition, it also has an engraved caseback, which, being a tribute to Geneva, is of the Jet d’Eau. Nothing particularly groundbreaking there, though it’s nicely done. I’d have preferred an exhibition back personally, even if it is only a Sellita SW200 (dressed up as the RW4200), complete with a not-too-respectable 38-hour power reserve. It’s still a reliable workhorse, but as you edge up this close to the 2K water mark it starts losing out in comparison to other movements at his level.

That’s not to say the Geneva Limited Edition is overpriced. Movement aside, it’s solidly constructed, a (these-days) relatively large 42.5mm weight of stainless steel. It sits on the wrist nicely, the kind of casual all-day watch we’ve come to expect from the Freelancer collection. That’s doubly true of the five-link bracelet which is comfortable and serviceable, if not particularly exciting. The clasp though is one of the better made I’ve come across recently (that’s not Patek’s insanely lovely patented version).

Overall, the Freelancer Diver Geneva Limited Edition isn’t

going to set the world on fire, but it is a great distillation of Raymond Weil’s current approach to watchmaking. It takes the core elements of a standard diver, and, without messing them about, builds an interesting yet aesthetically comfortable watch with an appreciable twist.

As is always the case with Raymond Weil, it’s also respectably accessible at £1,795. Given there are only 310 of them (see what they did there?) you might struggle to get hold of one. Otherwise, you can be sure something equally appealing with a different theme is just around the corner. Raymond Weil are on it these days. £1,795, limited to 310 pieces, raymond-weil.co.uk

The Freelancer Diver Geneva Limited Edition swims in the famous waters of Lake Geneva in a slight twist on a very familiar diving formula

Words: Sam Kessler Men of Influence:

Even if you’ve not come across the name Mathias LeFevre dominating the suit and watch game on Instagram, or in campaigns for the likes of Remy Martin and Home House, you’ll have at least come across him on these very pages.

The frustratingly handsome model has been our muse for a couple of shoots, including last issue’s Party shoot, in which he donned the coolest all-pink ensemble this side of Elton John. So, we figured it was high time to get to know the man behind the model.

What was the last watch you bought?

When It comes to style, the 1970s have always been a big inspiration to me. And so, my latest watch purchase is a vintage cushion shaped Audemars Piguet in 18K gold with a manual wind from circa 1970. A perfect addition to my flared trousers and deep collared shirts.

Do you collect anything outside of watches? Guilty as charged: suits and ties

What, other than a watch, is at the top of your wish list?

A yacht. More seriously, a small sailing boat. My grandfather spent many years during his youth on the ocean as a sailor and passed on his love of the Big Blue to my siblings and I.

A recent find/discovery?

The Royal Scotsman, a five-star hotel on wheels. I spent three days this summer on the train discovering the beautiful landscapes of Scotland, wild swimming and clay pigeon shooting.

My latest watch purchase is a vintage cushion shaped Audemars Piguet in 18K gold with a manual wind. A perfect addition to my flared trousers and deep collared shirts

Anyone got the time? Mathias LeFevre shows off his watch collection (left) which has a distinctly retro feel, as do the colour coordinated items (above) that adorn his bookshelves

What inspires you?

Movies, travelling and exploring, and activities like diving and trekking. A book, podcast, or album that changed the way you think?

Invest in Watches by Marc Montagne. With his experience and knowledge, and, picking the right references at the right time, Marc’s book made me look at watches through a new refined lens. Who is a celebrity/person of note/intellectual you admire?

Thomas Crown, he has great taste. What’s your ideal long weekend?

Take the plane on Friday and find an adventure for two or three days to discover a new city, a new culture, a new environment.

What would we always find in your fridge?

A bottle of Champagne. You should always be ready to celebrate an accomplishment.

What’s a rule or mantra that you live by? Be the best version of yourself, everyday.

LeFevre’s highly-prized watch collection includes a vintage cushion shaped Audemars Piguet and he credits his fine taste in part to the book, Invest in Watches by Marc Montagne, which helped redefine how he purchases watches

BOLLINGER PN TX17

Bollinger’s latest 100% Pinot Noir release is the perfect Blanc de Noir to embrace in 2023. The 2017 vintage is cellar aged for more than twice the required time, giving it a delightful golden hue. Expect dried flowers, mocha, and liquorice on the nose with a baked nectarine, honey, and creme de cassis palate. Oo la la! £83.95 from Lea & Sandeman

Words: Aidy Smith

TOP CHAMPAGNE PICKS FROM 2022

The festive year is once again upon us, meaning one sipper in particular will undoubtedly find its way into our glasses. Yes, Champagne. In this issue, I’ve listed my favourite discoveries of 2022 to take the hardship out of choosing which bubbles to explore. Cheers!

KRUG GRANDE CUVÉE 170ÉME

Each year this dazzling cuvée is re-created; a blend of over 120 individual wines spanning more than 10 different vintages from 1998 to 2014. The precision and attention to detail continues to make it one of the best Champagnes in the world, without question. The 170éme edition showcases an aromatic noze, full of blooming flowers, dried fig, citrus candy, and gingerbread cookies. Harmonised by a palate of toasted almonds, apricot brioche, and croissants with a hint of lemon tart and honey. Another spectacular release.

£215 from champagnedirect.co.uk

CUVÉE KARMA 2016

Feeling luxe? Only 1,000 bottles are released each year of what can only be described as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful bottles on the planet. Each engraved with a single diamond, it’s not just the external aesthetic that pleases the senses. The Champagne is produced from Cru vineyards throughout Épernay, then aged for no fewer than six years. The result is a stunning nose of cocoa, almonds, and jasmine with a citrus-spice, danish pastry, and soothing smoke on the finish.

£460 from victorandcharles.com

LANSON NOBLE CUVÉE BLANC DE BLANC 2004

Lanson only release their Noble Cuvée vintages for truly spectacular wines and I genuinely believe this is one of the most underrated Champagnes on the market. The 100% Chardonnay showcases a dreamy gold within the bottle as hints of acacia flowers, honey blossom, and candied citrus emerge. As time progresses, hazelnuts, honeycomb, and almond cookies begin to develop. The palate is generous, offering sugarcoated lemon rind, salted malt biscuits, and nectarines with an extremely long and zesty finish.

£150 from champagneking.co.uk

CHAMPAGNE FREREJEAN FRÈRES CUVÉE DES HUSSARDS 2012

This is the top Cuvée from Frerejean Frères and believe me when I say it is worth the excitement. The 2012 vintage saw 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir grapes taken from a variety of Premier and Grand Cru vines within the Côte des Blancs. With only 20,000 bottles in existence, it’s also extremely limited. The nose gives you a burst of white flowers, summer fruits, and guava fruits. Silky and generous on the palate, you can expect to taste nectarine, apple, pear, peaches and a slight mineral kiss on the finish.

£113 from Hedonism

TELMONT BLANC DE BLANC 2013

This is another new discovery which I’ve fallen head over heels in love with in 2022. The 2013 has been aged for eight years, adding emphasis to the tasting notes. The 100% Chardonnay showcases its vibrant nose of lemongrass, honey spit roast pineapple, and jasmine. Take a sip and more of that sumptuous pineapple reveals itself alongside melon, baked nectarines, and a sugar glazed creme caramel. £70 from Harvey Nichols

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With only 20,000 bottles in existence, it’s also extremely limited

THE DALMORE 30 YEAR

A creation of Richard Paterson OBE, the man who put ‘cask finishing’ on the map, the 2021 edition 30-year-old starts life in American white oak ex-bourbon casks before finding its way into incredibly rare 30-year-old tawny port pipes from Graham’s Port. Marmalade, treacle tart, and tarte tatin jump out of the glass with stewed plums, baked almonds, and frangipane on the palate. A lingering Madagascan vanilla strikes the final chord. £4,999 from Master of Malt

Words: Aidy Smith

BEST 30 YEAR VINTAGE SCOTCH

In the mood for sipping some Scotch with a wee dash more age in the new year? As with my fine self, a touch more maturation leads to superbly tasteful results. Still, 30-yearold whisky isn’t as common as you might think, but I’ve been on a mission to find the best drams of the stuff out there.

GLENFIDDICH 30 YEAR REIMAGINATION OF TIME

This rich bronze wonder has spent its life in Spanish Oloroso and American oak casks, producing a deeply rich and concentrated flavour profile to develop over three patient decades. Vocal, layered, and textured with a rich oak, honey, orchard fruits, jasmine, and chocolate caramel finish. You won’t be forgetting this one anytime soon, especially as its twisted sculpture of a box will stand proud in your drinks cabinet.

£999.90 from The Whisky World

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Its twisted sculpture of a box will stand proud in your drinks cabinet

THE GLENTURRET 30 YEAR

Revamped just a few years ago, The Glenturret has undergone a truly stunning packaging revival. Thankfully, that is matched with some equally as iconic liquid. A myriad of distinctive casks have become a part of this Scotch journey, including oak casks from Portugal’s famous Niepoort alongside moscatel and sherry casks from Europe. The result is a rich baked pineapple, mango, and tropical delight with molasses, espresso, spicy gingerbread, and a deep orange marmalade on the finish.

£1,500 from Whisky International Online

TOMATIN 30 YEAR

From a value-quality standpoint, this is the most affordable on the list. Its maturation takes place in a combination of ex-bourbon and traditional oak casks. This fifth batch release is super smooth with soft fruits, white chocolate, buttered cupcakes, and a burst of spice.

£422 from Whisky Online

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Maturation takes place in a combination of ex-bourbon and traditional oak casks

UNSUNG VINTAGE HERO: EAST GERMAN NATIONALISED WATCHMAKING

How the division of Germany defined the country’s watchmaking for the following decades

The reputation of the GUB Stossgesichert (left) blossomed in the 1960s alongside other East German brands thanks in part to the large proportions of the watch required by pilots and its celebrated accuracy, which has a daily average within six seconds of deviation, while the characterful GUB Spezimatic (above) proved popular with the near four million people who fell for the watch’s uncompromising design

Today Germany has a watchmaking culture more significant than all but that of Switzerland. It’s not just the watchmakers themselves, though names like A. Lange & Sohne, Glashutte Original, and Nomos Glashutte aren’t exactly unimportant. It’s more in the identity of German watchmaking, particularly Saxon, that mix of minimalist Bauhaus and refined understatement, that’s come to define it. But it wasn’t always like this. Far from it, in fact.

Back in the 1950s the majority of watchmakers in the German Democratic Republic of East Germany worked together in a single company, the Volkseigener Betreib (VEB) Glashütter Uhrenbetreib (GUB) – which loosely translates to The People’s Company of Glashütte Watchmakers.

It was a time when East Germany was more or less a puppet state for the Soviet Union in the post war period and the USSR being the USSR, they relocated a huge number of German industries to Russia. As such, the few industries that remained were shells of their former selves – no one talks about Wartburg cars any more because by and large they couldn’t compete with Western alternatives. The poor quality of East German goods is legendary in its own way. With one exception, East German watches flooded into the West and the West loved them.

To understand why GUB watches were a surprising success, it’s important to understand how GUB was formed. The story starts in the late 1800s when Germany was a place of important horological growth with watchmakers like Ferdinand Adolf Lange and Robert Mühle creating their workshops and legacies. They grew into household names alongside brands like Lacher & Co. (which we now know as Laco), Wempe, and Stowa.

Then came World War II and unsurprisingly these top names in German watchmaking were commissioned to produce pilots’ watches and deck watches for the Nazi regime. The expertise of these brands was rerouted into the war effort and they were made to produce high precision instruments wherever they were required, not just wristwatches. Fuse devices for explosives, instrument panels for vehicles, these humble watch brands became vital to the war effort. This meant it wasn’t long before the Allies started to bomb the hell out of them. Dresden was famously the site of huge air raids and Glashütte is less than 18 miles to its south.

A. Lange and Söhne was virtually wiped off the map, as were many other prominent names. However, despite the horrific destruction, the watch industry emerged as a phoenix from the

flames, as rather than being appropriated by the USSR, A. Lange & Söhne, Mühle and all remaining watchmakers in East Germany were conglomerated into GUB, meaning the top minds from all these fantastic manufacturers were working together on a single project.

Watches like the GUB Stossgesichert quickly earned a reputation throughout the 1960s. It’s built on the framework of military pilots’ watches produced during the war reimagined for civilian use. The large 43mm diameter case in stainless steel maintains the large proportions required by pilots while the gold colouration makes it more luxurious than mil-spec models.

It’s a similar story on the dial. Wide, uncluttered and instantly legible but with more shapely hour markers than conventional Fliegers. It’s a potent recipe made all the stronger by the movement inside, the GUB Calibre 60.1. It’s a manual wind piece running at a frequency of 18,000vph with sweep seconds and a 42-hour power reserve. What makes it particularly celebrated is its accuracy, featuring a daily average within six seconds of deviation, something that is absolutely necessary for coordinating military air strikes.

It wasn’t all pilots’ watches though as GUB built a reputation for their aquatic watches in the form of marine chronometers and diving watches. The GUB Spezimatic from the 1970s is a 44mm dreadnaught of a watch with a chunky bezel and chunkier lugs. It’s more in line with the type of bold, uncompromising design expected from the nationalised companies, think Vostok and the like. Crazy and insane but utterly characterful, which is why over 3.7 million were built. Plus, at its heart is another GUB movement, the Calibre 75 – GUB were also known to use some Swiss movements.

GUB’s time was limited though as in 1990 Germany underwent reunification and all the Soviet era institutions were slowly dismantled. For a time, it became Glashütter Uhrenbetreib GmbH before it was fully privatized in 1994. In the following years, the various conglomerated brands re-emerged as independent names once more with the rebirth of A. Lange & Söhne, Mühle-Glashütte, and more.

As for the remnants of GUB itself, including their back catalogue of watches, they became the basis for a new German watch brand – one you’ll be familiar with – Glashütte Original. To this day the Glashütte Original logo pays homage to that of GUB and while a megaproject on the scale of GUB may never be on the horological cards again, it’s cool that the legacy of such a company is still influencing horology.

IN FOCUS

A DESIGN-OBSESSED BRITISH BRAND GOES MECHANICAL, A MICROBRAND BRINGS TITANIUM PERFORMANCE TO THE BEATER, AND A WATCH WITH EXPLORATION AT ITS HEART

Known for their style, but not necessarily their movements, the inclusion of Dubois-Dépraz’s latest DD2022 calibre in all three of Farer’s Chrono-Classic models has added mechanical weight to their considerable aesthetic appeal

FARER

A new movement from chronograph legends Dubois-Dépraz ups

If you’ve never heard the name Dubois-Dépraz, don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Until relatively recently, the specialist movement maker was one of Switzerland’s best kept secrets, a name that you’d come across opening some of the most important modern watches in the world but who, unless you knew what you were looking at, you’d likely pass by.

The history of Dubois-Dépraz starts in 1901 in La Vallée de Joux, a painfully pretty part of the Swiss mountains that also happens to be ShangriLa for watchmakers. Founder Marcel Dépraz had already cut his teeth building complicated watches and in just a few short years his solo venture was supplying chronographs to Breitling, Excelsior, and Minerva. You know, names known for excellent chronographs.

In 1937, they built the calibre 48, a movement that would go on to be incredibly successful, and in the 1960s they were one of the watchmakers instrumental (along with Büren, Breitling, and Heuer-Leonidas) in developing the Calibre 11, one of the first automatic chronograph movements in the world. That’s all to say, Dubois-Dépraz has some serious pedigree.

A few decades and a quartz crisis later and the company changed slightly with the release of the module 2000. This was one of the best chronograph modules on the market and, at a time when very few integrated versions were being produced (this was still when the modern industry was floundering) the Module 2000 allowed watchmakers to produce chronographs affordably.

Since then, they’ve been synonymous with modules rather than full movements. You can find their chronographs in more watches than you could imagine, if you know what you’re looking for. Given most watch brands like to take credit for the entire movement though, you won’t often hear their name except from actual watchmakers. That however looks like it’s changing.

In the past few years Dubois-Dépraz have been making a concerted effort to build their own movements again. In 2021 they launched their first

fully integrated chronograph movement, the DD540. Just as importantly, they’ve been getting their name out there a little more, opening up their offerings to smaller brands, even those outside of Switzerland. Brands like Farer.

To say Farer have an emphasis on style over substance is unfair – but there’s a grain of truth in there. Like many a British watch brand, they know what makes a phenomenally designed watch and are one of the best players when it comes to colour in the industry. But their movements have tended to leave something to be desired. Not bad of course, just the kind of standard workhorse calibres that make the microbrand world go round.

Their latest though pulls all the stops out mechanically. That’s because the Chrono-Classic houses Dubois-Dépraz’s latest DD2022 calibre. The bi-compax chronograph with a date has a 43-hour power reserve and a custom rotor, which on paper is great but not standout. The real talking point, mechanically speaking, is the offset crown – or, should I say, lack of offset. Most chronographs will have a crown that’s ever-so-slightly misaligned with the pushers. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it, trust me. It’s just considered a quirk of the system most of the time, yet here Dubois-Dépraz have managed to perfectly place it directly between the pushers. It’s better looking, easier to use and just better.

It’s a small thing in the grand scheme of watchmaking, but it also speaks to the greater point of Dubois-Dépraz, that their attention to detail and drive for solutions to established issues makes for a great movement. Add in that they’re built in small batches, as any good movement should be, and you have the recipe for one of the finest third-party chronograph movements out there. In fact, scratch the third-party there. I’ll let you decide whether Farer being able to use it in a watch just over 2K is a win for them or a condemnation of the wider industry pricing. Either way, it makes for a great watch.

Of course, this being Farer, all three Chrono-Classic models are stunning, too. Just because they’ve let Dubois-Dépraz do the work on the inside doesn’t mean they’ve been sitting on their laurels. The Jackson is a handsome study in blue with a cool piqué pattern; the Meredith evokes vintage racing watches with a salmon dial and contrasting blue indexes and the Swann is a confident splash of magenta that’s hard to ignore.

The long and short of it is this: Dubois-Dépraz is a name that, if you didn’t know before this article, you will do soon. Other watchmakers will be scrabbling to get this movement in their watches and will definitely want to talk about it. At the same time, it’s great to see Farer stepping up their horological game with a movement to match their obsessive design. It can only lead to good things.

Find out more at farer.com

the horological ante for Farer’s new Chrono-Classic

Just because they’ve let DuboisDépraz do the work on the inside doesn’t mean they’ve been sitting on their laurels

RZE

Bringing titanium performance to the humble beater

You probably already know the intrinsic benefits of titanium by now. If not, where have you been? It’s the material of the moment. While dress watches come in more colours of gold than a midas-touched rainbow, when it comes to sheer practicality, few metals can beat number 22 on the periodic table.

Titanium has the highest strength-to-density ratio of all metals. In layman’s terms, that means it’s less dense, but stronger than anything out there that’s not some cutting-edge polycarbonate. It’s as strong as some steels, but far, far lighter. It also happens to be corrosion resistant, meaning it’s less likely to suffer in the kinds of conditions that, let’s say, some adventure watches find themselves in.

That’s all to say that it currently has a very special and very fitting place in watchmaking, particularly when it comes to tool watches and, I do not use the term lightly, beaters. You know. The kind of watches that will take anything the world throws at them. Whether that includes dragging them to the North Pole or working in a garage, it’s all the same as they’re designed to be abused.

It’s surprising then that, despite the many properties that make titanium arguably the best metal for any tool watch, most watchmakers stick to steel. It’s just easier. It’s also cheaper. Which in turn makes it even more of a surprise that titanium is all that RZE use.

Based in sunny Signapore and nearby Malaysia, RZE is all about exploration and adventure. Not necessarily in the extreme, polar way that means specialist constructions and years of testing, but everyday adventure. Hence their propensity for titanium – and not just that.

Alongside the natural charms of titanium, each RZE watch is given an UltraHex Titanium Coating. Taking inspiration from honeycombs, the layer is essentially a safety blanket eight times harder than steel that makes their watches all but impervious to wear and tear. It’s still as lightweight as ever, but the added level of protection turns them from watches that wear their adventures on their sleeve with the natural scratches and oxidation that are an adventure watch’s passport into something that defies the elements.

To put all that in context, it’s worth looking at the 38mm Valour. It’s a small watch for sure, especially when we’re talking about serious tool pieces. And thanks to the titanium it’s incredibly light, even for a watch its size. But add in the UltraHex Titanium Coating and what feels like a featherweight can stand up to a truck.

The Valour also ties into RZE’s love of colour, which is something we here at Oracle Time can appreciate. Our Microbrand Corner is forever suffused in funky colours, often from RZE themselves. Such is the case with the sextet here of blue, khaki, grey, white, black, and the yellow that’s become one of our favourite sub-£500 watches of the year.

Which brings us to the final point here. The downside of titanium is that it’s often seen as more expensive. After all, it’s more advanced and has better properties than even surgical steel. But apparently nobody told RZE. The Valour, in that super cool yellow will set you back $299. Granted the exchange rate these days is abysmal, but even then that equates to just over £250.

For that price, it wouldn’t even matter if you took the Valour out, beat the living hell out of it and retired it at the end of the year to rest in pieces for spares. The fact that if you accidentally smacked it against the rock, it’s the rock that should worry, making it quite possibly one of the best beater propositions around. At any price range. Find out more at rzewatches.com

RZE don’t make ordinary beaters, as not only is their ultralightweight 38mm Valour (below) made from titanium instead of the usual steel, but is also given an UltraHex Titanium Coating, which acts as a safety blanket that’s eight times harder than steel

ESCUDO

Watches designed for the golden age of sea-faring with exploration at their heart

These days there are so many watch brands floating around with zany ideas that standing out from the crowd can feel like an impossible challenge. However, a sure-fire route to creating watches that stick in people’s minds is to find a concept and aesthetic that is entirely individual, backed up by experience and watchmaking expertise. That’s the route charted by Escudo with their young collection of dive watches.

In fact, charting a route is an even more apt metaphor than it may seem because the inspiration behind Escudo’s watchmaking style is the golden age of exploration. As a BritishPortuguese brand, they’ve turned to their countries’ shared heritage as key players in global exploration, the establishment of trade routes, and international lines of communication.

We’re talking 15th century icons like Christopher Columbus, who, while Italian, is strongly associated with the expeditions of Spain and Portugal in the Atlantic. In the centuries that followed, Portugal became a powerhouse across the continents with strong ties to Africa and South America, a story mirrored by the British Empire. What kept these countries’ vast influences afloat was their superb maritime knowledge and navigational expertise.

It’s these principles that form the basis of Escudo’s first collection. Available in three versions, the Azul, Chocolate Bronze, and Preto, the watches inhabit notions of durability, an adventurous personality, and refinement. Take for example their robust steel cases, which have a water resistance rating of 200m, suitable for any environment. Admittedly the shape of the case skews a little towards Tudor but that’s no bad thing necessarily.

Then there’s their style, compass arrow point hour markers at 12, three, six and nine o’clock are joined by traditional circular markers to create a hyper legible display that has the appearance of a vintage navigation instrument. Plus, the absence of a date window means the overall design remains cohesive. I can easily imagine it on the deck of a ship, aiding explorers in their grand adventures. The Chocolate Bronze in particular, because of its bronze rimmed bezel, has a vintage quality to it like a treasure galleon making its way across the ocean.

Under the surface is the Escudo 1488 movement, which is a base Sellita SW200-1. Swiss mechanics in a British-Portuguese design is a winning combination, fusing style with reliable functionality. Although, the power reserve of 38-hours is a little sub-par by modern standards, just missing out on that useful weekend proof quality. However, that’s

offset somewhat by its trusted reliability and ease of repair since it’s a common calibre. However, this is but the start for Escudo. Founders Simon Correia and Richard Johnson aim to produce a complete range of watches that encompass multiple watch archetypes and styles. So far, they’ve teased that on the cards for the future are a sports watch, a travel piece, lifestyle, maritime, and perhaps most intriguingly of all, an interstellar watch. What a British-Portuguese interstellar watch might look like, I have no idea, but it certainly makes me excited to follow Escudo’s journey. escudo-watches.com

Escudo’s first collection is a European affair for the BritishPortuguese brand, which has opted for the Swiss mechanics of a base Sellita SW200-1 under the surface

Founders Simon Correia and Richard Johnson aim to produce a complete range of watches that encompass multiple watch archetypes and styles

MICROBRAND CORNER

From accessible horology to avant-garde designs, here’s the latest and greatest from the ever-creative world of microbrands.

edited by: SAM KESSLER

Milus

Snow Star Dark Matter

We’ve seen plenty of dial variations of Milus’s barter box inspired, vintageslanted Snow Star (including a gorgeous Boreal green), but now they’re taking their aesthetic tweaks one step further with a full DLC case.

The Snow Star Dark Matter has a completely different personality to the standard steel versions, and paired with a black dial, feels like a more modern special forces watch than the original US Navy pieces. For that, we love it. milus.com

THE SPECS:

• 39mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• ETA 2892A2 automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve

• CHF 1,890 (approx. £1,675), milus.com

Brellum

Pandial LE.3 DD DLC Chronometer

Panda-dialled racing chronographs are innately cool. The first two limited edition versions from microbrand Brellum have proven to be incredibly cool. The third and final however is ice cold. Adding to the high contrast black-and-white look, the entire thing – and there’s a lot of it – has been given a DLC makeover, including the bracelet. That’s been emphasised by the white-on-black date window and black markets at the cardinal points of the dial, making this not only one of the most striking Brellums, but among the most eye-catching panda dialled chronographs around. brellum.swiss

Von Doren

Il Tempo Gigante Automatisk Kronograf

THE SPECS:

• 43mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• BR-750-2 Automatic movement with 46-hour power reserve

• £3,060, brellum.swiss

THE SPECS:

• 41mm stainless steel case with 50m water resistance

• La Joux-Perret calibre L112 automatic movement with 60-hour power reserve

• €2,995 (approx. £2,600), limited to 577 pieces, vondoren.no

Following up the superb Uraed was always going to be a difficult task, but Von Doren have risen to it magnificently with the petrol-blooded Il Tempo. Dedicated to the car from Norwegian stop motion film The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, the new watch is a 1970s-flavoured racing chronograph with an impressively proportioned case that, if it came on an integrated bracelet could be described as Genta-esque. Instead, it’s a colourful, quirky take on a retro racing stopwatch pared back for daily wear. Equipped with an engine from La Joux-Perret, you’ll need to keep your engines warm to snag one of the under-600 pieces. vondoren.no

THE SPECS:

• 42mm stainless steel case with 300m water resistance

• Sellita Sw200 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve

• £499, millarwatches.com

Millar

Scuba Black

Not just the performance of a Submariner without the price tag, Millar’s superbly built Scuba dive watch combines a 1950s-slanted lozenge case with a pared-back dial and bezel combo, and a utilitarian vibe (particularly the grippy crown). Available in a quartet of colours, the black is, for us, the one most faithful to its diving inspirations. It also helps that, with 300m water resistance, a ceramic bezel and a Swiss movement, it’s got more bang for your buck than fishing with dynamite. Which, incidentally, it would make the perfect partner for. millarwatches.com

Yema

Wristmaster Limited Edition

What better way to celebrate an incredible new movement than putting it in a sexy limited edition watch? And the Yema Morteau 20 deserves celebrating, given 80% of the microrotor equipped calibre’s components are sourced from France rather than Switzerland. Available in a trio of colours – green, blue, and black – the bridges of the movement are matched to the dial, a seriously cool touch we want to see a lot more of. It’s an impressive next step for the French heritage brand.

en.yema.com

THE SPECS:

• 39mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Yema Morteau 20 automatic movement with 70-hour power reserve

• €1,499 (approx. £1,300), limited to 1,948 pieces, available on kickstarter.com

Varon Chiri

Blazer

The business watch is a hard balance to build, somewhere between a casual, everyday wearer and something you can rock at the bar while dressing to impress. The guys at Varon Chiri evidently do yoga because their balance is impeccable. The Blazer is a svelte 38.5mm across with a Miyota movement underneath. All that adds up to a seriously good looking watch for a seriously good looking price – especially if you go for the Kickstarter discount.

varonchiri.com

THE SPECS:

• 38.5mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Miyota 9039 calibre automatic movement with 42-hour power reserve

• Kickstarter $420 (approx. £355) / RRP $590 (approx. £500), varonchiri.com

Brew Method

Chronograph

If finding the perfect watch to time your morning wake up of choice just wasn’t esoteric enough, this time caffeinated microbrand Brew have gone above and beyond for the cause of coffee. A spiral scale around the dial lets you time various brewing methods, from espresso to cold brew, neatly set on this fabulous yellow dial. If you thought there were limits to where Brew Watches can take their gloriously niche concept, think again.

brew-watches.com

THE SPECS:

• 40mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Sellita SW220-1 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve

• $375 (approx. £315), brew-watches.com

So Labs

Layer 2 Automatic

Sometimes a brand just wants to let loose and have fun – and that’s what Astor & Banks have done with So Labs. The layered design is as vibrant and colourful as an acid-laced sweet shop, with a mix of candy pink and bubble gum blue on a pebble-smooth black case. It’s as gloriously 80s as a vintage Ikepod and as the sub-brand’s first automatic watch, a new draw to some of the most fun microbrand watches around. so-labs.co

THE SPECS:

• 40mm stainless steel case with 100m water resistance

• Sellita SW220-1 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve

• $1,295 (approx. £1,095), so-labs.co

Oracle

RECOMMENDS

WHAT’S ON OUR SHOPPING LIST AND WHY

GLEN OGAL – ASTRONOMER

Glen Ogal is a Scottish lifestyle brand that produce a wide range of products from clothing to jewellery and watches. Their latest men’s watch is the Astronomer, currently available in either blue or black with four more variations set for release in 2023. It has a 44mm diameter stainless steel case with a dial depicting the night sky illuminated by luminescent stars. It also features a crescent moon-shaped pointer date powered by an automatic movement. £495, find out more at glenogal.com

JURMO – SISU EARTH

Skeleton watches aren’t for everyone – many of us wear a watch to hide our wrists – but it’s hard not to love a brand that turns the actual skeleton bridges into the main feature of the watch. Enter Jurmo’s Sisu, which uses eye-catching, dark khaki green bridges to utterly transform the look of a classic skeleton dial. Just be warned – while the Sisu is well priced for a watch with its level of finishing, that means there’s a lot of demand and wait times are up to four months. Don’t worry, it’ll be worth the wait.

€2,480 (approx. £2,160), available from jurmowatches.com

HESILI – CLASSIC BLACK

Versatile, elegant and a true style booster, HESILI NEW YORK is a neo-vintage timepiece born out of a love for watches and a passion for style. Equipped with a Swiss-made movement, housed in a 316L Stainless Steel case which is entirely CNCmachined in Switzerland. Underneath the double-domed sapphire crystal, there is a lacquered dial adorned with either Rhodium-plated or rose-gold plated appliques. True value for money at under £500.

$595 (approx. £490), available from hesiliny.com

Möels & Co. – 528

The Möels & Co. 528 is an award winning watch for good reason. Designed by 21-year-old Betina Menescal, it features an unusual TV-shaped case design in stainless steel with an asymmetrical display inspired by the golden ratio. It rides the line between dress and sports watch thanks to its refined aesthetic, mid-century design, robust 100m water resistance and large 45mm by 33mm proportions. Ultimately, that makes it ideal for virtually all occasions. It’s powered by the Sellita SW200-1 movement. £946, available from moelsandco.com

CHARLIE PARIS –CONCORDIA

Charlie Paris’ Concordia is a stylish and accessible diver that oozes 1960s retro diving watch charm. Specifically, the highly legible display with oversize round hour markers is inspired by the types of watches developed around the French Riviera in the 60s and associated with figures like the French explorer, Jacques Cousteau. Which makes sense for a modern French watchmaker like Charlie Paris. Inside, it houses the Soprod calibre P024. €745 (approx. £640), available from charlie-paris.com

Forstner Bands –Komfit

Everyone knows that the Omega Speedmaster is the iconic space watch, but are you familiar with the most iconic space watch strap? The Forstner Komfit is one of the only steel watch bracelets in history to have been approved by NASA for manned space flights and has even been to the moon. It has a two-layered construction and front facing clasp that make it easy and comfortable to use. Plus, it was one of the first bracelets to feature micro-incremental adjustments, allowing it to be sized properly without the need for additional tools.

$125 (approx. £100), available from forstnerbands.com

Cased In Time – Disruptive Camouflage Watch Case

Cased In Time’s Disruptive Camouflage Watch Case offers great watch protection for impressive value. It’s made from a woven Nylon outer shell integrated with an EVA inner lining, providing excellent shock resistance and padding. It’s designed for watches up to 50mm in diameter and is available in a wide variety of colours, such as the pictured Disruptive Camouflage as well as bold reds, yellows, greens, blues, and alternative camouflage patterns.

£18, available from casedintime.com

SWISS KUBIK – MASTERBOX COUTURE

Swiss Kubik have been producing high end watch winders for over a decade and have mastered the art of combining style with function. Their designs are unapologetically bold, designed to stand out in a room and showcase the watches contained within. The Masterbox Couture combines the signature cube shape winder with a leather exterior, providing a sumptuous finish. It can be operated via either a direct power supply or batteries, giving you transport options.

£955, available from swisskubik.com

WATCH & STRAP – THE BERLIN

Watch & Strap was founded in 2019 to fill a gap in the luxury watch accessories market. Specifically, a range of luxury straps that are suitable for every kind of watch from an entry level Seiko to the finest Patek Philippe. This is The Berlin: Cracked Burgundy Padded Leather Watch Strap, it has a rich red tone hat becomes more apparent as the leather is stretched, giving it a strong vintage, worn in aesthetic. Every strap is designed by a passionate expert and the result shows, as each have a wealth of five-star reviews.

£22.99, available from watchandstrap.co.uk

JEAN ROUSSEAU – ASTERIA

Jean Rousseau are known for the exceptional variety of watch straps they produce. There are practically no limits on the materials or colours they can work with. And now that selection is even broader thanks to a new collection of straps called Asteria that introduces a new finish. Inspired by the random patterns of the universe, Asteria creates a unique design for each strap with a weathered appearance that makes it look like your wrist is banded with stars.

£320, available from jean-rousseau.com

VIVVANT – ALEXIS TAN SUEDE JODHPUR BOOTS

Vivvant specialise in bringing luxurious Italian craftsmanship to British designs, which can be seen clearly in the execution of the Alexis Tan Suede Jodhpur boots. They have thick rubber soles with a hard finish making them both practical and masculine in character. The dark colour of the soles complements the lighter, brown of the suede body, which sweeps from toe to heel where you can find the triple V Vivvant signature. £335, available at vivvant.co.uk

Ruark – R2 Music System

The Ruark R2 Music System is a self-contained concert, offering full radio and music streaming capabilities, including DAB+, FM, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer. Its compact proportions and slim profile make it ideal for numerous locations around the home from garden to kitchen. Plus, the retro-modern design is sleek and classy, available with a light cream or dark espresso lacquer. The R2 also features the latest-gen Bluetooth 5 receiver, a USB-C charge port, switchable AUX output, and headphone output £479, available from ruarkaudio.com

Vyn – Classic Sneakers

Any sneaker head will be familiar with the desire to buy new shoes and the fear of actually wearing them. It’s inevitable that after being worn for an extended period, signs of wear and tear will appear, especially in vulnerable areas such as the heel. Enter the Vyn Classics, a pair of luxury sneakers with replaceable heels that enable you to repair the shoes yourself. Plus, it also allows you to swap designs to rep your own personal style.

£375, available from vyn.one

ETO – WINE PRESERVATION DECANTER

Ever open up a bottle of wine, have a glass and put the bottle aside for another time only to find later that it’s spoiled? Eto are a brand determined to reduce the amount of waste generated by the wine industry by designing an innovative wine preservation decanter. Eto decanters feature an air displacement system that prevents wine from oxidising, keeping it in bottled condition long after you initially opened it. Plus, with their mirror and satin finishes in a range of colours, they’re objects of intrigue and beauty.

£139, available from etowine.com

MONTEGRAPPA – F1® SPEED PODIUM BLACK

Italy is famous for a multitude of high end luxury products from sports cars to pens and those two worlds are colliding in the form of the new Montegrappa F1® Speed Podium Black. The pen, available in either fountain or rollerball format, features the same high performance engineering as an F1 car, most notably in its carbon fibre grip. There’s also plenty of thematic racing inspired details such as the ‘Monza’ step design, between the grip and sleek black body, and the wheel-shaped cap.

Fountain Pen £2,070, Rollerball £1,495, both limited to 372 pieces, available from montegrappa.co.uk

by SAM KESSLER

All Quiet on the Western Front

If you’re looking for a cheery, uplifting film to warm the cockles of your soul this festive season… keep looking. The latest version of All Quiet on the Western Front – following in the footsteps of the legendary 1930 and lesser-known 1979 films of the same name – is about as bleak as it gets.

Following the story of German soldier Paul as he heads to the frontline of World War I in the build-up to Armistice Day, the film is a dizzying mix of epic filmmaking and a portrait of personal trauma, highlighting the intense chaos of war and the tragic nationalism that got the world there. All very light, surface level stuff.

But as any watch lover knows, watches played a huge part in World War I. They were used for everything from timing artillery strikes to synchronising efforts

into No-Man’s Land. For most officers these would have been trench watches, some of the earliest, mass-adopted wristwatches, built to survive one of the most horrendous environments ever realised. They were intensely practical, unlike pocket watches. However, the latter were still plenty present, especially as keepsakes – which is precisely what we see in the film.

The watch in question is a stunning, early 1900s piece from Alpina, which at the time were one of the most renowned watchmakers in the world. Pre-war they won the gold medal at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, which was well-earned for the precision and quality of their watches. The pairing of a champagne dial with blued steel Breguet hands (left) is both classically beautiful and perfectly era-appropriate. The hunter case front also has room for a photo – in this case it appears to be the soldier’s parents that, let’s be honest, he’s probably not going to see again.

The scene’s actually completely new for the film; it’s neither in the book source material or the 1930 version. But it’s a powerful addition. Soldiers were sent into battle, even once the armistice was agreed and scheduled, resulting in a tragic and pointless loss of life, while those fighting counted down the seconds until they could stop. Like we said, not exactly festive.

It is however a powerful film and arguably the best war movie since 1917. It’s more than worth a watch – and it’s great to see a watch have such an integral, thematic role. Even more so that it’s a vintage Alpina.

The pairing of a champagne dial with blued steel Breguet hands is both classically beautiful and perfectly era-appropriate

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