SS16 MEN'S LUXURY WATCH EDIT

1st July 2016

The definitive directory of what you should be wearing on your wrist right now. Words by Alex Doak.

Like a bold pairing of Robin Day armchair with Rennie Mackintosh sideboard, this remarkable piece frames a beautifully ornate, hand-crafted skeleton dial with that Seventies icon, the octagonal Royal Oak. But it’s all the better to showcase a remarkable bit of micro-engineering, which doubles-up the escapement’s oscillating balance wheel. Each suspended on oppositely oriented balance springs, the mechanism’s sensitivities to shock, gravity and temperature are lowered significantly.

65375 | £56,000

Parisian shoemaker Berluti may date back to 1895, but it’s the current, fourth-generation custodian Olga Berluti who pioneered the brand’s distinctive look – Venezia leather, tanned laboriously by hand to bestow a unique patina to every shoe. It’s a skill with materials that resonated particularly with Hublot, giving us this 250-piece special edition. What’s especially clever is the Berluti-leather dial – you can’t have organic material in a sealed case, so a “neutralisation” method was developed specially to prevent rot.

65376 | £22,100

Beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder – they say it’s also down to symmetry. And just as a symmetrical face earns modelling gigs, the perfectly mirrored bridges of this new Arnold & Son make it the model to have right now. What’s more, in a nice nod to the celestial origins of timekeeping, the Nebula is so-named for its resemblance to an exploding star. At 10 and 2 o’clock, two winding barrels are suspended, offering a healthy total of 90 hours’ power, while at 5 and 7 there are the ticking balance wheel and small seconds.

65377 | £10,800

Think no-nonsense military watches need to conform to the usual round-cased, three-handed black dial plus white 3-6-9-12 hour indices and little else? Well, trust Bell & Ross to prove otherwise, as masters of the über-functional combined with über-cool – “instrument” professional-spec watches equally at home on the wrist of an architect as an infantryman in Iraq. As this year’s ceramic-cased, sand-coloured Desert Type proves.

65379 | £4,000

Chronographs, despite their ubiquity, are actually one of the hardest “complications” to make, especially when the mechanics are integrated with the normal timekeeping components rather than piggybacking a separate module. If that wasn’t enough, Parmigiani has also decided to make life even more difficult by crafting the intricately engineered movement in a soft and sticky metal – rose gold. A surprise hit of this year’s SIHH trade fair and a fitting tribute to the brand’s 20th birthday.

65378 | £103,000

What could have been a one-hit wonder in 2015 has now proved to be a winning formula for Baume & Mercier and the late, great Carroll Shelby’s V8-powered racing legacy. The handsome, vintage-styled Capeland chronograph already looked like a direct descendant of an old AC Cobra dashboard, and that’s before the iconic snake logo was added to the seconds hand, with a dash of striking team yellow mixed into dial accents and the perforated leather strap.

64886 | £3,200

When Bremont announced its involvement as timekeeper for the America’s Cup yachting series as well as sponsor for the defenders, Team Oracle USA, it was only a matter of time before the British brand needed to include a regatta countdowner function in their yachting collection, as timing the 5-minute “jostle” for the starting line is critical to every race’s outcome. The outcome of Bremont’s collaboration with La Joux-Perret is nothing short of sporty but elegant. It’s even been translated to a polished-steel dress watch.

65310 | £4,995

CONTINUE READING

Building a watch collection is a lifelong journey with big brand milestones along the way. However, there comes a time when your watch just isn’t cutting it and it’s time to invest in something new.

Miniature versions of men’s watches, moonphases and the return of yellow gold are looking to be the key trends for 2016, as Laura McCreddie explains.

The definitive directory of what you should be wearing on your wrist right now. Words by Alex Doak.