Winter 2009 – New Watch Season – Same Old Time

October 30th, 2009

The hands keep going round and round

The makers of analog watches have a tough time producing a design that no one else has already thought of. Unfortunately a watch has one basic movement; the hands go round and round as they count off the hours. So the watchmakers resort to other means of making their product unique. Other time measuring dials, a calendar, a count-down, a moon-phase, anything, in fact, as long as it is time related. They get into the fashion aspect of watches in a big way and they get into the wealth aspect of watches in an even bigger way. This year, in one big splurge, they’re into color, fashion and wealth at the same time. Here, to stun and surprise you are some examples of what’s happening. One of these days I have to buy myself a watch!

Breguet La Tradition 7027

Cost: $24,850. An 18-karat white-gold case and a black electroplated 18-karat gold dial with intricate hand engraving.

Black watches are back in fashion

Cartier Santos 100 Black. Cost: $7,000. Titanium, steel, and ADLC (amorphous diamond-like coating) case. Daniel Roth Endurer Chrono Sprint. Cost: $14,300. Roth’s signature double-ellipse case with a black titanium-carbide coating. Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde SW Noir. Cost: $16,000. A striking sporty and sophisticated matte-black case and rubber strap.

White watches are back in fashion

TX Watch Co. Cost: $495. Perpetual Weekly Calendar. TX scores with proprietary movements in this elegantly simple collectible. Longines Master Collection Moon Phase. Cost: $5,700. A clean-lined diamond-accented case with mother-of-pearl dial. Hermès Cape Cod Tonneau PM. Cost: $2,250. Hermès’s signature toupe double tour strap adds up to twice the style.

The newest hue is blue

From royal and cobalt to sapphire, the most modern and fresh statement to make is a flash of color. Rolex Submariner. Cost: $29,850. An icon transformed: The 2009 blue-dial, white-gold Submariner is a rare investment item and you can expect it to retain, if not gain, value over time. Breitling Chronomat B01. Cost: $7,690. The Riviera blue dial and subdials on a steel pilot’s bracelet make a powerful impression. Tag Heuer Aquaracer 500 M Limited Edition. Cost: $2,600. A professional-grade option, it’s water-resistant to 500 meters and features an automatic helium valve that releases any gases that infiltrate during a deep dive.

Brown is the new basic

For a polished, classic look, a model in brown is sure to put you at the top of this year’s horological best-dressed list. Swiss Army Alliance Chrono Classic. Cost: $550. With an expensive-looking faux croc-skin strap and handsome chrono dials, this watch is a keeper. David Yurman Moon Phase. Cost: $5,800. The water-resistant stainless-steel dial encases day, month, and moon-phase windows. Patek Philippe Ref. 5960. Cost: $59,500. Patek’s legendarily high resale values make this 18-karat rose-gold chrono a worthy investment. Bulgari Sotirio Date Retrograde. Cost: $17,400. The 18-karat pink-gold dial is accented by an alligator strap, a new twist on a perennial boardroom winner.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 10:16 am and is filed under Personal / Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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