Last Week (In Watches) Today

The week has passed rather quickly, with an interesting mix of watch news. We have The Hour Glass’ online exhibition for the top artisanal watchmakers in the last 50 years, Breitling launching a subscription service for pre-owned watches, IWC releasing non-leather leather straps, Minase launching a attractive series of watches, Timex’s second Giorgio Galli S1, Hamilton’s Intra-Matic dial colour swap and G-Shock’s all-you-can-eat buffet GMW-B5000TR-9

The Hour Glass’ “The Persistence of Memory”

In the past year, the enforced direct to consumer marketing put a greater spotlight on independent watchmaking than ever before. Now The Hour Glass, arguably one of the most established authorised dealers in Asia-Pacific (I am biased since this is a Singapore company), has launched an intriguing online exhibition dedicated to the best independent watchmakers in the last 50 years. Taking off from 1970 with Dr George Daniels and Derek Pratt, this exhibition features a mix of the more senior artisanal watchmakers like Francois-Paul Journe, Philippe Dufour and Kar Voutilainen, along with newer blood (if only relatively) such as Roger Smith, Felix Baumgarner and Rexhep Rexhepi (who The Hour Glass also did a feature video on). The exhibition also features works that range from the widely demanded Royal Oak and Nautilus by Gerald Genta to the more fantastical Legacy Machines by Maximilian Busser from MB&F. If you are a fan of watchmaking, be sure to check out the aptly named “The Persistence of Memory” that is available worldwide because of the unique situation that we all find ourselves in.

Breitling launches #BreitlingSelect, a pre-owned subscription service

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Subscription services for watches has never been well-received with the usual review of getting low value poor quality watches. That reputation is now set to change, with Breitling’s new pre-owned subscription service. The terms are as follow; a one-time subscription fee of US$450 plus a monthly fee of US$129 over 12 months (US$1,998 total for the first year), with a choice of up to three pre-owned watches from the brand’s (only one at a time) Navitimer, Superocean and Avenger collections over the year.  The name of the service “#BreitlingSelect” may not be the most intuitive but is perhaps indicative of the brand’s intentions for subscribers to ultimately select one of the three watches they try on for purchase. Given that the brand already offers trade-ins for pre-owned watches, this seems like a strategy with minimal downside for the brand though it would be interesting to see what the take up rate on this service is like. For now though, this subscription service will be offered in only in the USA for now, though Austria, Germany, France, UK and Switzerland are all slated to be next in line for this service.

IWC’s releases TimberTex Straps

 

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While IWC is no Hublot in terms of materials innovation, it can certainly hold its own and has dabbled in early adoptions and development of new materials to take its watches to the next level. Most recent of which was the brand’s proprietary Ceratanium that combines the scratch-resistance of ceramic with the flexibility and therefore durability of titanium. This week, IWC has expanded its innovative talents towards its straps, and going green in the process. It has achieved this by using a material named “TimberTex” that is according to the brand “composed of 80% natural plant fibres” sourced from “sustainably and responsibly managed European forests”. In addition, the straps are padded with recycled microfibre and use recycled thread to bring everything together. While the straps are plant-based, they have a sort of grained leather look which allows it to maintain the dressier appearance that is required for pairings with many of the brand’s offerings. As an additional bonus, the straps are purportedly water-resistant. All in all, this step is a wonderful initiative by the brand to make its processes greener without compromising on quality, luxury and durability.

Minase 7 Windows

 

 

In a world littered with reissues and reinterpretations, it is not often that I come across watches that appear visually distinct and unique, at least not at an affordable price range anyway. So when I do come across one, I get excited. That is exactly how I feel about Minase’ latest 7 Windows series and its intriguing take on skeletonised cases. Shaped in a sort of convex rectangle, the 7 Windows (tell me I’m not the only one that misreads this as Windows 7) case is skeletonised in a way that allows you to view the inner workings of the watch from all four sides, in addition to the usual top and bottom. The hollowed spaces that allows this viewing, are filled with sapphire crystals, hence the name 7 Windows. Of course, with such a viewing experience, the case, dial and interior has to be perfect and that is achieved with Zaratsu polishing, which is no surprise when you consider that this brand is based in the province of Akita in Japan. The dial is also not a traditional dial, in that it is actually a cover that wraps around the movement, and the “dial” is the top of the case, which gives depth through a case-in-case effect. Even the 4 o’clock date, something I traditionally detest, works really well in this watch primarily because it was designed to be a feature, as opposed to being a lazy slotting of a date where a date shouldn’t be slotted. It is also a very wearable watch, coming in at 38mm x 47mm x 13mm, which is a remarkable size given the amount of sapphire crystals included. Overall, a fantastic series of watches for anyone wanting something that is a little different from the norm.

Timex second Giorgio Galli S1

While we are on the topic of skeletonised cases, Timex just released its second Giorgio Galli S1, this version coming with a blue dial. The original, launched in 2019 with a silver dial, was launched in commemoration of 10 years of collaboration with its designer, Giorgio Galli. Where the original was dressier, this navy blue dial brings a greater level of casualness to the watch. Everything else about this watch remains the same, with the size still being 41mm (which is a tad too big for a watch with this dressy nature in my opinion), the crystal of choice still being acrylic, the indices still applied, and the hands and case finished to higher standards than a regular Timex. The skeletonised nature of the case also adds a touch of sophistication to this watch, as it did the original, and lifts the watch beyond its US$450 price tag. It is of course a higher price tag that we normally associate with the brand, but is still extremely affordable when compared to the alternatives out there.

Hamilton’s Latest Intra-Matic Chronograph, now in green

At a slightly higher price point but still relaive affordable, we have a new Hamilton Intra-Matic, now featuring a green dial. This is first real addition of colour to the series and helps diversify the line-up that previously was primarily filled with monochromatic colours. Sure, it had a blue dial variant but that too was a deep dark blue that could in certain lighting conditions be easily mistaken for black. There is no mistaking this for black, and the green helps elevate the watch by giving it a more playful character, something that people who don’t already have an Intra-Matic chronograph may want to pick up for the weekend, which in this current pandemic could very well be every day. Powered by a modified Valjoux 7753, this watch comes in at 40mm x 14.45 which makes it relatively wearable to many and should sell pretty well.

G-Shock’s All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, GMW-B5000TR-9

In the past couple of years, G-Shock GMW-B5000 Full Metal watches have been a big hit among the brand’s fans. The biggest issue most might have faced? Which of the models to get, gold, silver, black,  aged black and more recently, maroon/purple, besides the various titanium models to get. Well, G-Shock must have caught on to this issue because it has now released the ultimate answer to this conundrum, a watch that gives you all the colours you could want, in a single watch. Then again, perhaps I’ve gotten it wrong and this is really, as G-Shock has explained, a launch model to showcase its latest proprietary TranTiXXII titanium that was specially designed to be able take on a variety of colours. Why G-Shock felt it had to include 5 different colours into the links and watch head (each link comes in one colour) as opposed to just releasing 5 watches is anyone’s guess, though if there is any brand that could pull this off, it was probably G-Shock. I would be very interested to understand the thought process of anyone buying this watch.

So that is it for this week. In other news, check out Furlan Marri’s latest Meca-Quartz watch launch on Kickstarter, which looks like a very interesting homage to more haute horology chronographs. Also, do sign up for the newsletter from the Scottish Watches so the latest podcasts, videos and articles come straight to you for quicker entertainment or get in on all the action on the Scottish Watches website, YouTube Channels (Scottish Watches, Scottish Watches Live & Scottish Watches Unboxed) as well as of course, the podcasts on your podcaster of choice. Till next time, take care everyone.

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