Following a couple of weeks not much going on last week the watch world decided to unveil a few colorful and cracking pieces. From the main brands to independents, tool watches to haute horology, and rugged to dress; there was something for everyone to enjoy. Here are our top 7 picks of the pieces released last week from Louis Moinet, IWC, ochs und junior, Bangalore Watch Company, Oris, and Seiko. Let’s get into it!
Fratello x Louis Moinet Memoris Spirit 40 Chronograph Limited Edition
Very few pieces have the amount of heritage that the new Fratello × Louis Moinet Memoris Spirit 40mm Chronograph Limited Edition can proudly claim to have preceded it. Being bit by the watch bug since his early years, Louis Moinet became a master of the arts and horology; combining the two and famously creating Haute horology pieces from clocks to pocket watches for emperors, kings, queens, princesses, and presidents that still exist 200 years after. But there’s no question he’s most passionately remembered as the inventor of the chronograph mechanism for a pocket watch developed from 1815 to 1816. 
It is with respect and passion for Louis Moinet’s achievements, like this and many others, that in 2013 Jean-Marie Schaller revived the brand with their atelier located in Saint-Blaise in Canton Neuchâtel to produce watches according to Louis Moinet’s horological approach of combining technology and art. It was with the same appreciation for the brand’s legacy that our friends at Fratello approached them for a collaboration. The immediately noticeable change from the regular production models is the color pallet that gets an infusion of orange, specifically RAL 2005, from the markers and numbers on the seconds scale of the chronograph, to the chrono hand, the hand on the 30-minute counter, and the minute markings on the hour dial. White has been added to the tip of the chrono, running seconds, 30-minute counter, and on the Louis Moinet branding at “12” o’clock. These color choices connect this watch to the publication’s Dutch identity. Furthermore, their combination with black backgrounds and the deep blue main plate gives this watch a definitive modern vibe, which I’m all here for. And finally, instead of a “60” at the top of the watch, we find a “00” for symmetry and as a nod to the beginning of the chronograph’s story. 
This watch has the great honor of being a direct decedent of the world’s first chronograph which is beyond amazing. We must applaud them for their magnificent collaboration with Louis Moinet!
Check out the full article here – Watch Alert: Fratello x Louis Moinet Memoris Spirit 40 Chronograph Limited Edition
Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 43 – Now with in-house movement! 
Recently it was the Mark XX that was quietly upgraded and now it’s time for another equally iconic IWC model, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 43. Previously powered by a modified Valjoux 7750, the new sunray blue, green, and matte back dial models have the IWC proprietary Calibre 69385 produced by ValFleurier under the hood. The movement brings in a column-wheel configuration, a click system close to the Pellaton winding system, changes the small seconds display to 6 o’clock, and increases the power reserve to 46 hours. 
The caliber is on display through a new screw-down display case back that ensures 100m WR, increasing from 60m. The proportions of them are the same apart from the height which decreases to 14.8mm. The leather straps are also upgraded with IWCs’ ver convenient EasX-change.
The only change to these that may be a step backward, depending on one’s preference, is the switch to all white date and day wheels. $5,800 makes way for the new price of $7,300.
IWC Aquatimer 5-Day Movement
“If you put the brand new Aquatimer from IWC next to the previous generation you will be very hard pressed to find the differences. However – most of the parts of this watch got changed. New strap, new case, new dial, new bezel, and new movement. And it still looks more or less the same. Is IWC taking a page out of Rolex’s playbook and refining a product with very small visual updates to create a brand icon? Wouldn’t be a bad idea. The biggest news hides under the hood: The new movement.
Gone is the ETA 2892-A2 based 30120 movement and we welcome the new 32111 movements with incredible specs. It features 120 hours (5 days) of power reserve, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, consists of 164 parts, uses 21 jewels, and is decorated with Côtes de Genève and perlage – though only your watchmaker will ever see this. Technically the new movement is utilizing the architecture of the ETA 2892-A2 movement but the modification made by IWC would warrant calling this a true in-house (or rather in-group) movement in my eyes. We now have silicon hairspring and pallet fork, a bidirectional winding system using a pawl winding system, and newly developed lubricants to ensure longer service life. While IWC claims the movement is “IWC manufactured”, it’s probably finishing it to IWC specs while the base movement is made by ValFleurier, the Richemont group movement maker.” – Ralf aka – @koolpep
Read the full article here – Watch Alert: 2022 IWC Aquatimer 5-Day Movement
ochs und junior line mese 2.22
ochs und junior line mese 2.22 was founded by Ludwig Oechslin, a legend in the industry, in 2006 and is recognized instantly for its minimalistic designs and complication display. This independent offers a distinct offering at “accessible” prices with their latest model, line mese 2.22, retailing for CHF 3,230.
This watch is nicknamed the ocean. One look at it and you can see how the white Super-LumiNova on hands, markers, and date “dot” can seem like islands to this watch’s intense Yves Klein Blue color obtained through a PVD coating. Much like the 39mm x 10.40mm grade 5 titanium (screw down crown – 100m WR) case that’s left unfinished, we can see the machining marks on the brass base.
To display the date, the brass dial is punctured 31 times with 31 and 1 overlapping. Beneath is a rotating disk with a curved Super-LumiNova line that appears as a dot, making it possible to display 31 without 1 and vice versa. All is made possible by a 2-part module that has been designed by Oechslin and added on top of an ETA 2824-2. The holes serve a double function as they are evenly spaced and thus can be used as a minute track with the spaces in between being the odd number minutes.
Bangalore Watch Company Mach 1 Synchro 
Started in 2018 by a husband-and-wife team, @bangalorewatchco has been making watches inspired by Indian culture including space exploration, cricket, and, in their latest piece, the Indian air force. The Mach 1 Synchro is a 125-piece limited edition honoring the Air Force Formation Aerobatics team, known as Suryakiran, who are India’s best pilots, flying in 9 plane formations at incredible speeds.
This is depicted at 9 o’clock. Further nods to the team are found at 25 minutes, marking their 25 years of service, and on the minute hand being striped like the pattern on the Kiran MKII planes. The watch displays a 12-hour scale on the chapter ring, large 3D-SuperLuminova C3 printed minutes and a 24-hour scale on the dial, plus a very discreet date window with a color-matched date wheel at 6.
This Airspeed indicator styled dial is housed inside a 40mm x 11mm black PVD case with 100m WR which also contains the Sellita SW200 as the engine. Retailing for $1,950 the 125 pieces will come inside the collector’s edition box set with 2 straps and a 25-anniversary patch.
Seiko Prospex SRPJ53K “Eucalyptus” & SPB347J “Noosa” LE for Australia
After getting a new Seiko boutique the watchfam from down under is getting two limited editions of 1000 pieces from the Prospex collection. 
The one to get for me is the SRPJ53K “Eucalyptus”. This goes a bit beyond being a green dial as it starts out having a gold shimmer then transitions into light green and finally into a saturated green. The sunray pattern, yellow seconds hand, and marking of the black chapter ring get the point across that this is spired by the sunlight hiring that all too famous Aussie tree. Everything is brought together by a dull green bezel insert. 
The second and more on-trend piece is the SPB347J “Noosa”, inspired by Noosa in Queensland. It has a subtitle vertical wave-like pattern that’s black on top and transitioning to blue. The same scheme is used on the bezel insert. The yellow minute hand and the tip of the second hand make the watch more interesting and bright. Evoking sunlight. 
The watches come in the Turtle (AUD 895) and Sumo (AUD 1500) style respectively with 45mm cases, 200m WR, lumed as we’ve come to expect, 4R36 and 6R35 calibers respectively, and matching additional rubber strap.
Oris Divers 65 With Perlon Straps 
If you acquired or are thinking of getting the Oris Divers 65 Cotton Candy models, you are someone who enjoys having a colorful watch. So why not add even more color to your life with the new Oris Perlon straps? In keeping with the brand’s environmental goals, these straps are recycled Perlon straps in the color pallet of the three dials: sky blue, wild green, and lipstick pink. Forget a pop of color. Let’s have all the color!
A cheery note to end on for last weeks recap. See you next week.
