This Week (in Watches) Today, 10 May 2022: 7 Things You Should Know

Glashutte Original SeaQ 39.5mm Red Gold Black Dial

It has been an odd recently i.e. past two weeks since Grand Seiko had not released anything new recently but the brand has set things right again this week with a great value proposition. We also have wonderful value propositions (albeit at different price points) from IWC, Isotope and Glashütte Original. This week we also have eBay’s impressive growth in the luxury watch market and Cartier’s latest auction record. But first, lets take a look at the watch of the week, the Dr Strange watch. These are the top 7 things in the world of watches; let’s get into it.

Dr Strange’s Jaeger LeCoultre Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar

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This week marked the release of Dr Strange Multiverse of Madness, and it was bonkers. It was a over the top horror-esque film with a ton of fan service (not always earned) that could have done with a tighter story. But since this is a watch site, lets talk watches. Since the first Dr Strange movie back in 2016, the character has been associated with one watch, and one watch alone; the Jaeger LeCoultre Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar (steel with a silver dial). That watch makes an appearance in this movie too, with an even played a part at one point in getting Dr Strange and gang to where they needed to go. What stood out the most though, was how the movie used the watch. It brought across the meaning that  watches in an ideal world could hold as a memento, one that came along with a host of memories and sentiment. It was apt that the watch was used to play into some of the deeper character moments for Dr Strange himself, showing us how he first came to own this beautiful piece. It tied back with the first movie, allowed you to watch the journey that Dr Strange took, from the point the watch was wrecked in his life-changing car crash, through his clinging on to what things were even if they were as cracked as the crystal on the watch till he finally came to terms with his lot in life, fixed this symbolic watch now ready for what life had to throw his way. Now I’m romanticising it somewhat, and the movie took some leaps to get to this place, but the watch never disappointed, and I left the movie with an itch not just for a Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar, but the meaning that it could hold.

eBay records double digit sales growth

Scottish Watches and TOCKR Watches

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Photo Credit: WatchPro

eBay may have recorded less revenue at the end of the recent financial quarter, but its sales growth in the watch space remains strong with double double digit growth as compared to the first quarter of 2021. Much of this growth is driven by high customer satisfaction which is undoubtedly the fruition of the company’s authenticity program. It launched this program first in USA for watches worth US$2,000 and above, but has since expanded program to several citiesMost recently, it has also included an opt-in feature for watches US$1,000 to US$2,000 for an US$80 fee which is an extremely small price to pay for peace of mind. The company’s increased expansion of this program for other luxury items such as bags seems to suggest that this might be the way forward for this company that was once seen as a place for very low cost bargain deals with questionable provenance. That is no longer the case today, and assuming the recent softening of the used watch market prices is a small blip, it would be interesting to see how far eBay can take its luxury watch business.

Cartier Crash earns US$1.5 million at auction

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Photo Credit: HODINKEE

Cartier just can’t stop winning. This week, it continued its annual trend of breaking the record for Cartier Crash auction prices, with a 1967 piece selling for approximately US$1.5 million on the online auction site, Loupe This. This price not only sets a new record, but puts some serious distance between the last record and this, having almost almost doubled the approximate US$806,500 that the a 1970 piece sold for at Sotheby’s. While most Cartier watches are still relatively affordable, this result would no doubt increase the general public’s interest in the brand’s watches. It would be interesting to see if this continued strength of auction performances, along with the regular hits that the brand churns out, sets Cartier on its way to becoming the next Rolex. I certainly hope not, though I am thrilled to see the interest in Cartier watches grow because of how amazing their watches have been so far.  

IWC Pilot Watch Chronograph 41 “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team” Edition

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IWC has a new watch, and this might just be a contender for longest watch name ever (seriously someone at watch brands should read out the names 10 times in a row before they are approved). Jokes aside, the watch is an outstanding looking watch in that it would certainly stand out in a crowd. Based in the brand’s Pilot Chronograph collection, it is housed in the same 41.0mm x 14.5mm though this model is the only to be forged in titanium. The material set the base for a mix of polished, satin brushed and blasted surfaces. What stands out though, is the splash of colour on the dial against the dark black dial. All the indices, markers, hands, and text come in a bright neon Petronas green (read turquoise). It is especially interesting because the colour makes the dial look like it kind of always has its lume on. The watch is paired with a similarly coloured rubber strap, to complete its overall fun and relaxed look. The watch is powered by the brand’s in-house calibre 69385, that has a column wheel, runs at 4Hz, and a 46-hour power reserve. The watch is not limited and will be available to the public to buy (albeit without the various logos on the strap), and costs US$7,850 which sounds worth it, for a watch that is as cool looking as this.

Isotope

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This week, Isotope also released is a very cool looking watch. The watch, named the GMT 0° Terra Maris, is a fun collaboration with Miguel Seabra, a very established journalist in the watch & tennis scene.  It isn’t your run-of-the-mill GMT watch either since it does not feature the usual GMT 24-hour hand. Instead, it has a GMT disc in the centre of the dial that is shaped like a water drop and has a water drop pointer that rotates in 24 hour revolutions. That is surrounded further by a date ring that looks like a beaded ring. The colours work very well, pairing a water blue on a smoked tan brown dial that harks to the land and sea that is a hallmark of Miguel Seabra’s hometown Cascais in Portugal, which is a Western most point of Europe and forms the border of the ocean. The watch comes in a 41.5mm x 44.7mm x 14.2mm 316L steel case which sounds thick, but is offset somewhat because it has a 3mm sapphire crystal which allows for a 200m water resistance. The watch also features a hybrid display case case back, with a water droplet shape displaying some of the movement. What is interesting is that this droplet is surrounded by the various time zones (by cities) around the world and GMT 0 points to Miguel Seabra’s native Lisbon instead of London. The watch is is powered by a 4Hz Landeron movement which has a power reserve of 40 hours is regulated to +/- 12s and has a customised date wheel, rotor & finishing. The watch comes with both a unique three link bracelet as well as a tan brown strap. Overall, this watch is a rather unique looking watch that stands out from the crowd. At £1,030 this offers really good value especially for a 49 piece limited run.  

Glashütte Original SeaQ in glorious Red Gold

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Glashütte Original has always occupied a niche spot in my opinion, above Rolex and Omega, below A Lange & Sohne, Breguet and Blancpain, a spot that gives you a lot  of the beauty and quality of watchmaking that you would get in the higher brands but at a more approachable price point. One of their best collections in my opinion though, is the SeaQ line-up that comes in a 39.5mm x 12.15 case which is right up my alley in dive watch sizing. Though a relatively new collection (first launched in 2019), the SeaQ carries a lot of vintage skindiver aesthetics (again, a favourite of mine) with its thinner bezel against larger numerals, slim lugs and guard-less crown. The latest addition to this collection is a glorious red gold, that ups the luxury of this watch by several notches. It also features a display case back, a first for this collection, that shows off the quality of the brand’s finish on its Calibre 39-11 (40-hour power reserve) with classic Glashütte stripes on skeletonised rotor and bridges. Personally, I love this release. The introduction of gold to what would otherwise a very toolish watch elevates the watch to an impressive level of contrarian luxury.

The black ceramic unidirectional bezel and black dial balances against the mostly brushed finish with beautiful polished bevels to ensure the watch exudes class without ever veering in audacious territory. The watch comes on either a black rubber or grey synthetic fabric strap both with a match red gold deployant clasp.  Though the watch costs EUR 23,000 that actually is very in line with the brand’s pricing strategy. In fact, I’d go so far to say that you would be hard pressed to find as affordable a gold dive watch. There’s Tudor’s Blac Bay 58 yellow gold version that costs EUR 15,620, but doesn’t come near to the level of finishing that is on display here, especially on the movement front and bezels. You also have a Panerai Submersible but that comes in at EUR 27,900 and again, does not come close to the watchmaking quality we have on offer. This hands down provides an amazingly luxurious tool watch at tremendous value, and if this had been in yellow gold, my bank account might have been in serious trouble.

Grand Seiko SBGW289 “Oruri”

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Finally, we have Grand Seiko’s latest, the SGBW269. To make up for a couple of weeks with no releases, the brand dropped a new USA only release (please stop this regional exclusivity or have some for the rest of the world) which is an addition to the recent ever growing SBGW series. It has the same 37.3mm x 11.6mm x 44.6mm case, the reliable workhorse 9S64 caliber (a 4Hz hand wound movement with 72 hours power reserve & -3/+5s a day accuracy) as the original SBGW231. What is different is the dial, which is “Inspired by the beautiful Oruri songbird that arrives in Japan’s mountains during he earliest days of summer”. While I perosnally love Grand Seiko’s inspiration from nature as it brings across a sense of zen, I am not often a fan when that inspiration doesn’t translate into a textured dial, and more so when it is another deep blue dial since the brand has a ton of those.

It is impossible to tell for certain from press photos (some makes the dial look different others make it look similar) whether this blue looks different from the Grand Seiko blue that was being churned out throughout the 60th Anniversary celebration. I certainly hope it is different because that would make its Oruri inspiration far less tenuous. In fact, if the it turns out to be a similar blue, that the brand would be taking one step further towards risking all its hard work by making its “nature based inspiration” just seem like a giant ball of marketing fluff. Before the pitchforks come out at me, I have to emphasise that I do not think this is really the case, but its hard to see how 20 different things could inspire the almost exact same shade of blue. There is no shame in using “Grand Seiko Blue” as it did for the SLGH003. All that aside though, if we focus solely on this release, the watch looks good, comes in classic proportions, is one of the thinnest mechanical Grand Seikos you can get. It also a relatively affordable at US$4,600 which makes it as solid a value proposition as you’ll get today. If I were in USA, I would be hitting stores right now to check it out in person.  

 

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So that is it for this week. As always, get in on all the action on the Scottish Watches website, and of course, the podcast on your podcaster of choice. Till next time, take care everyone.

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