Deliberately massive and even a bit brutal, the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra Chronograph GMT Palermo Open was designed for those who think that an average Reverso model is just too refined for a modern man. While its size may scare away a number of customers, the watch has a good chance of become yet another iconic model for the Swiss brand.
50 m
Glashutte Original Strasser & Rohde Regulator
With its finely sculpted honey-colored gold body, this 2010 Glashuette Original Strasser & Rohde Regulator sports a beautifully executed hand-wound mechanism that features a level of decor that we rarely see even in this price range. I can predict that the hand-made caliber mechanism with its different types of guilloche, blued screws, and visible synthetic rubies will get almost as much “screen time” as the timekeeper’s silvered dial with its rare regulator-type display.
Ebel Classic Hexagon Retrograde Power Reserve
Previously sold only in an impressively oversized stainless steel case more than 45 millimeters in diameter and over 11 millimeters thick, the 2010 Ebel Classic Hexagon Retrograde Power Reserve is finally available in a lot more expensive 18-karat rose gold body of the same dimensions. From where I sit, the move seems risky given the relatively low market strength of Ebel as a brand (I wonder how many wealthy customers will be ready to part with more than €15,000 to get one of these,) but something tells me that the decision-makers at the Swiss watchmaking brand probably have a dissenting opinion on this matter.
TAG Heuer Silverstone Chronograph: revisited
Based on a classic model from the 1970s, the new TAG Heuer Silverstone Chronographs (refs. CAM2111.FC6259 & CAM2110.FC6258) not only look great. They also look different from myriads of standard sporty timepieces that -expensive or cheap, hand-crafted or mass-produced- have flooded the market during the recent decade or two. Although the movement that powers the 2010 collection is modern, it is the vintage aura that makes me want to own one of these.
Archimede Pilot S 36mm Automatic (UA4919-A1.5D)
Archimede, a privately-owned German brand that primarily specializes in making homages to historic “aviators” of the WWII era, has finally issued a version of their signature series in a unisex case. Till now, the collection had only three sizes starting from a “mere” 39 mm for the most compact Pilot M, 42 mm for the mid-size Pilot, and going all the way up to an almost gigantic 45 mm for the Pilot XL. Now, the gadget is available as a lot more compact Pilot S (ref. UA4919-A1.5D) version that comes in a tiny 36-millimeter body suitable both for women and men of smaller stature.
Marvin M109.54.43.64 with “Open-Heart” Dial
While doing my research on another great affordable timepiece from this manufacturer, the M108 automatic model, I came across this beautiful Marvin M109.54.43.64 with a trendy open-heart design. While I still plan to write a small review of the M108, I just can’t help to stop for a moment or two and make a piece regarding this affordable, yet expensive-looking model.