The Eberhard & Co Tazio Nuvolari Vanderbilt Cup “Naked” …  yes, this new watch does celebrate a very special state-side victory – but, given the weekend that it is, I’m claiming this one as a “Monaco Special” – here’s why …

Tazio Nuvolari – “Il Mantuani Volante”, is perhaps best described using the words of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche who declared him “The greatest driver of the past, present and the future”.

At the pinnacle of motorsport what sets the truly great drivers apart from the rest, they are all talented are they not?

From the beginning, Tazio Nuvolari was a tenacious and passionate racer.  His career started on two wheels – once having injured his legs in an accident he insisted on being carried on to the track and placed on his bike where he required a push start – both of his legs were fractured.  On graduating to four wheels he drove for the greats – Maserati, Ferrari, Bugatti and Alfa Romeo.  So determined was he to win that defeat, when it occured would bring forth a fearsome tirade of Italian curses which would send even the most hardy mechanic cowering to the corners.

His epic duels with archrival Achille Varzi became the stuff of legend.  Once in the Mille Miglia, Nuvolari ran in second place behind Varzi.  As darkness fell Nuvolari, a few kilometres behind was guided only by Varzi’s headlights refusing to turn his on until they were approaching the finish at Brescia.  So stunned (and blinded) was Varzi that Nuvolari took him and clinched victory.

This weekend Formula One comes to Monaco for what is surely the most famous  motor race of them all.  Flashback to Monaco 1933 – the first time a grid was decided by timed qualifying (rather than by the luck of the draw).  The race is the stuff of legend, a fiercely fought battle between Varzi in a Bugatti and Nuvolari driving an Alfa Romeo, and one which produced the first lap at the street circuit timed at under two minutes.

While in the lead on the last lap with victory in sight, Nuvolari’s engine packed in allowing Varzi to take the lead.  Some reports suggest that the engine was smoking, others that it was already ablaze – it matters not, refusing to give in Nuvolari jumped out and pushed his car the last 500 metres over the finish line, only to be disqualified because he did not cross under power.

Tazio Nuvolari raced at a time when there were practically no safety measures and drivers where quite literally expendable – but he was destined to die in his own warm bed in 1953.  He was, so the story goes, buried with a chequered flag on his chest and a steering wheel in his hands.

Eberhard & Co waited until Nuvolari’s 100th birthday before producing a collection in his honour.  No finance-based sponsorship or ambassador deal was ever in place, perhaps Tazio Nuvolari chose to strap an Eberhard & Co to his wrist back in the day when a celebrity could openly favour a watch brand without being paid to do so or perhaps the brand have simply chosen to celebrate this supremely talented historical racer lest his many feats be confined to the history books.

The Eberhard & Co Tazio Nuvolari Vanderbilt Cup models commemorate the racer’s debut at the event, which of course he won.  This new edition is the first to have a black dial with white numerals, and it really is a handsome timepiece.  There is a little dashboard instrument inspiration in the dial layout and reminiscent of the brand’s 1930′s chronographs, the timer button is coaxial with the crown.

The movement inside is based on an ETA 7750 and the Perlage and Côtes de Genève finishing is visible through the transparent caseback, no backplate hence the term “naked” means that his one is lighter than previous models.


The Eberhard & Co Tazio Nuvolari Vanderbilt Cup Naked has many notable features – that black dial, those curly swirly numerals which are nibbled up by the overlaid counters, the neat dial layout, to name but a few – but for me  that subtle little “TN” on the dial – that clinches it.

More details can be found at the Eberhard & Co website here.

More Eberhard & Co in our archives here.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Ateliers Louis Moinet CEO Jean-Marie Schaller is having a good year – understatement.

Earlier this year a timepiece bearing the name Louis Moinet was revealed to be the first chronograph ever – fact.

It has a movement which beats at an astounding 216,000 vibrations per hour and is capable of splitting seconds to the 1/60th and its creation dates back to 1816 which takes more than a little shine off Nicolas Rieussec who didn’t file his chonograph patent until 1844.  C’est la vie.

As newly crowned creators of the chronograph, no doubt tribute pieces will follow.  For now we will focus on a new piece for 2013, one which provides appeasement for our love of sporty timers and our perennial preoccupation with Formula One, this is the Louis Moinet Nelson Piquet Chronograph.

And it really is a stunner – deep blue dial, white counters, steel elements and a sminch of carbon fibre, all perfectly proportioned and finished to the high standards synonymous with Louis Moinet watches.

If like me you find the allure of a blue dial chrono hard to resist, then this one could be a contender for your collection given the added “Piquet” appeal.  The blue/white pays hommage to his successful years with the Brabham team, but I think you’ll agree that when paired with those diminutive metallised markers and numerals it makes for a very eye-pleasing combination.

In addition to the colourway, some styling touches recall the achievement of the Brazilian driver, but these are subtle inclusions.  The dial bears his signature at 5 o’clock, there is a layer of carbon fibre on the lower bezel and the pushers are chequered and champagne-cork shaped.

On the case back his trio of world championships are inscribed along with a laurel wreath replication.  Also of note is the superb Louis Moinet open-worked rotor and the decorated plates and bridges.

The six-screw steel case measures 45.6mm across and features a matt and polished surface.  In addition to the three counters, the bezel has a tachymeter scale.  The blueness of the dial is in fact split in two, a plain upper section and a Geneva Striped lower.  The chubby little hands on the subdials pick up the blue further still, and if you look closely they also have wonderful openworked overhangs.

The Louis Moinet Nelson Piquet Chronograph forms part of the new Legends collection and will be limited to 365 pieces presented on either leather or a “race-ready” rubber strap.

Incidently the Louis Moinet Compteur de Tierces was acquired by  Jean-Marie Schaller last May at Christies in Geneva for  67,000 Swiss Francs which brings me to recall a quote from “Del Boy” on hearing that their John Harrison “Lesser Watch”  had sold for six point two million – “Well we’ve had worse days, ain’t we?”

More information at the Louis Moinet website here.

Popularity: 1% [?]

This is the new Oris ProDiver Pointer Moon.  Looks different.  Is different.

Perhaps such on the dial busyness on a dive watch is not to your taste, but this is the first mechanical watch to feature both a lunar cycle and a tidal range indicatior and naturally Oris are rather chuffed with it.

Built in collaboration with Oris ambassador Roman Frischknecht, a man who spends his working life underwater, and whose many skills include “wet welding” expertise, this is a true professional tool watch.

- And it’s huge – 49mm across, providing dial space aplenty for the extra information so everything remains readable and usable.  Naturally all the requisite safety features are in place, the Oris lockable rotating bezel inlaid with black ceramic, a case capable of dives up to 1000 metres, automatic helium anti-bends escape valve and even a case back engraving of a metres/feet conversion table.

Divers in both hemispheres are catered for as two editions will be available.

The Oris ProDiver Pointer Moon comes presented on a chunky rubber strap but also in the rather nifty and very manly box will be a titanium bracelet and all the necessary tools – another Oris speciality.

More details at Oris here.

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30 years have passed since the founding of Chronoswiss.  25 years have passed since the first Chronoswiss Régulateur was unveiled and 16 months have passed since   Chronoswiss was sold, leaving its creator in the role of “Consultant”.  For 2013 a new celebratory piece, the Régulateur 30 was presented to the industry, but first allow me to acquaint you with Gerd-R Lang,  founding father of Chronoswiss and vanguard of the industry.

Gerd-R Lang founded his watchmaking workshop in 1981, concentrating firstly on his preferred genre at that time – the development of chronograph movements.  This was a familiar starting point for this particular watchmaker’s new independent enterprise because on serving his apprenticeship he had found employment with the Heuer watch company where he served from 1964 working on the famous Heuer sports chronographs and stopwatches.  This position had a few perks too, as in 1970 he found himself involved on behalf of Heuer with Steve McQueen in the classic ‘Le Mans’ movie – the iconic actor having a long-standing affair with the company’s Monaco chronograph watch, Gerd also shared McQueen’s passion for motor racing  and his passion for all things mechanical would was to become his company slogan: “Faszination der Mechanik”.

Following the death of its Patron, the Heuer brand had struggled for some years, and it was this period of instability (ultimately culminating in the takeover by Technologies d’Avant-Garde later in 1984) which triggered G-R Langs’ departure, taking with him in lieu of severance a stock of Heuer chronograph movements.

To embark on such a project at a time when the industry was engulfed by quartz technology required commitment and ingenuity.  Mr. Lang had both, and within a few years his unique hand assembled timepieces had caught the eye of enthusiasts and collectors alike.

His portfolio featured a broad selection of styles and functions ranging from Chronographs and Rattrapante, the Chronoscope, the Delphis (featuring retrograde minutes and digital hour display), through to remarkable pieces like the Digiteur (above), which combines the analogue movement with a non-analogue display, the stunning Régulateur Tourbillon and Répétition á quarts timepieces, and the fabulous Chronoswiss Sauterelle (Grasshopper!) models, complete with that famous quartz movement signature – jumping seconds – even though the movement is wholly mechanical.

Having moved into a new purpose-built facility in Karlsfeld, Munich in 2006 the long term future for Chronoswiss appeared to be extremely positive, but  it was with great sadness that we reported the news in January 2012 that the company had been sold.  New CEO Oliver Ebstein is described as a “passionate connoisseur” of watches, and as a man who is respectful of Mr. Lang’s achievements – but, perhaps most reassuring is the fact that this unique watchmaking company will continue trading as an independent family-owned business and not one which is part of a luxury goods conglomerate.

The unveiling of a new Régulateur in celebration of the company’s anniversary is entirely appropriate because when it was unveiled in 1987,  it  showcased the design direction which would become the company signature.   Here for the first time was the milled bezel, the oversize ‘onion’ crown, the exhibition caseback and soldered lugs which would become synonymous with the brand.  The piece had the distinction of being another ‘world’s first’ in that it was the first presentation of such a timepiece, with hours and minutes displayed separately, in wristwatch form – and it was quite simply stunning.

The highly decorative face of the  new Régulateur 30 features a duo of guilloché techniques, the symmetry of “chess board” finishing on the inner subdials and the more diminutive intricacy of a barleycorn pattern on the surrounding area.   These contrast with the plainness of the subdial rims and that superb digital jumping hours aperture at 12 o’clock.  The milled bezel and the outsize crown conform to the elaborateness and provide their own contrast to those proud outstretched lugs.

Two editions of the Chronoswiss Régulateur 30 will be available – rose gold case limited to 130 pieces, and stainless steel case limited to 200 pieces, each 40mm across and each powered by the Chronoswiss automatic C283 Calibre.

More details can be found at Chronoswiss here.

Popularity: 1% [?]

The merging of watch companies with motor sport teams and events often prove to be flighty dalliances – witness the comings and goings of F1 partnerships etc. etc. But there are exceptions.  Chopard have been sponsor of the Mille Miglia since 1988.

Theirs is a most authentic partnership, and part of its charm and perhaps the reason for its longevity is the fact that both of Chopard’s main men are unashamedly smitten by classic cars and the chance to fling them around between the ditches of some rather picturesque country lanes.  Such an intimacy could not be found with any other brand, and with it  Mille Miglia can be assured that their branding will be handled in a most respectful manner and Chopard’s Co-President and Honorary President can indulge themselves by blowing away the corporate cobwebs in quite simply the best way possible.

The Chopard Mille Miglia collection is also rather special.  Each year inspires a new edition thematic of the race and its symbolism.  Not simply empty tributes, these are well designed chronograph timers with clean and readable dials, quality cases and precision COSC certified calibres.

The Chopard Mille Miglia Chronograph 2013 packs in hours, minutes and seconds plus a  trio of slightly conjoined silver counters, a tachometric scale located on the bezel, a 24 hour scale on the dial edge and a Mille Miglia arrow framed date window.

These are and always have been big, chunky wristwatches.  Case size of the 2013 model  is 42.8mm, but it is penned to taper to 44mm across face-on – marginal I know, but on the wrist it has a noticably broader bezel.

Two editions of the Chopard Mille Miglia Chronograph 2013 will be available, a steel case model or a rose gold model limited to 250 pieces.

More?  Have a look-see at our Chopard Archives (featuring all the racey stuff and more…)

For a mutually enjoyable experience, why not like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter .

Popularity: 1% [?]

It’s a diver’s watch, but it’s dressy.  It’s dressy, but it’s a diver’s watch.  It’s modern, but it’s vintage – and its styling is extremely clever.

Blancpain could so easily have celebrated 60 years of their Fifty Fathoms collection with something bolder and chunkier, instead the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 2013 is reminiscent of the original 1950′s Bathyscaphe models which were smaller in diameter to the Fifty Fathoms models at that time.

For a tool watch, this piece offers a quite beautiful face-on plainness which is, of course vintage inspired, but it is unusual all the same – diver’s watches, even the vintage models so often feature branding overload, with up to three lines of text, usually on the lower dial resulting in dial-shrinking clutter.

On the Bathyscaphe 2013 edition, the branding is diminutive, in keeping with the scaled down styling of all its features, except for the  hour and minute hands which are broad, stubby and highly readable and are therefore entirely fit for purpose.  In contrast, a slender seconds hand with an elongated red tip reaches right to the dial edge, it’s little lume-coated dot replicating that of the hour markers.  Set against a sunbrushed dial these are clever design details and their inclusion has produced something quite unique, marking a departure for the collection.

Not just a handsome vintage face, the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 2013 adds a thoroughly modern scratch resistant “Liquidmetal” insert to its unidirectional bezel and inside the automatic Calibre 1315 features a silicon balance-spring, which brings anti corrosion, non-magnetic properties to add to the piece’s dive credentials.

The steel case measures 43mm across, but also available is a 38mm white ceramic bezel with white dial edition, destined for the brand’s ladies collection.

Think it’s a bit too … quiet?  Check out the Blancpain X Fathoms Dive watch – 55.65mm of edge to edge chunkiness here.

Popularity: 1% [?]

New edition, new calibre and looking rather fabulous to boot – the new Eterna Royal KonTiki Two Time Zones watch.

Inside is the Eterna Calibre 3945A, part of the brand’s proprietary calibre 39 family, appearing in its first version for this piece.  I say first because this movement will be capable of 88 variations.  Simplification is the key to its versatility – modules which can be easily added or removed and remarkably, “three screws are enough to attach or remove any and all of the auxiliary modules”.  This is a development which has been achieved with the future in mind and is one which includes an improved Sphero-drive device – of pivotal importance to Eterna since its invention in 1948, so much so that the five dots in the brand’s logo replicate the five steel balls in the original low friction rotor system.

No doubt KonTiki fans will find much to enjoy in this new model for it is indeed a handsome watch.  There is a little added robustness thanks to 5 PVD-coated screws on the bezel and a PVD crown guard, but this is balanced by the elegance of some contrasting satin and polished finishing.  On the black dial the indications and markers are neatly arranged with a pointer-style 24 hour ring for the second time zone function.

The steel case which measures 42mm across is marginally 1970′s,  with just the right amount of squared-off overspill, and despite the PVD elements and its black rubber strap it manages to remain superbly stylish.

Details on the Eterna Royal KonTiki Two Time Zones watch at the brand’s website here.

Hooked on Seventies Styling? Here’s the Vulcain Nautical Seventies Limited Edition (..utterly gorgeous, I think you’ll agree..)

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In celebration of 240 years in the business Urban Jürgensen & Sønner have unveiled the magnificent Montre Observatoire Émail 2013.  The model represents a new flawless facade, one which belies the inner complexities of the in-house P8 Calibre which powers this piece.

I cannot stress how technically adept the P8 Calibre is.  It features a highly unusual Pivoted Detent Escapement, a construction which was originally devised to be safely anchored in its habitual environment of a marine chronometre and therefore is one which has no business being in a wristwatch at all.

To place a Detent escapement inside the case of a wristwatch was considered to be impossible, futile even – but the conundrum was solved by using some of the best that the industry has to offer.  Jean-François Mojon, director of Chronode SA, GPHG Best Watchmaker 2010 and collaborator on the Opus X was given the responsibility for developing what would become the UJS Calibre P8, and its production and finishing were the responsibility of the remarkable Kari Voutilainen, AHCI member, meticulous craftsman and perfection-seeker.

I have written an extensive article regarding the Calibre P8 and its unusual construction, such is my irrational fixation with this device (link through at the bottom of this page… ) but for now I will concentrate on the extrinsics of this fine example of craftsmanship.

Perhaps you are already familiar with the face-on exquisiteness of Urban Jürgensen & Sønner timepieces with their fine hand-guilloché texturing?  This piece offers a new panorama, the purity of Grand Feu enamelling.

Enamel watch dials such as this demand the skills and undivided attention of an experienced and patient craftsman or woman.  It is created using a method of mixing fine glass powders  which are laid onto metal before being oven-fired.  The extreme heat melts the ultra-fine powders.  The result, when successful is loupe-worthy perfection of the utmost purity.  But this is only a compendious description, the process is much more detailed and involves layer upon layer of the frangible material in order to complete the fine, milky appearance.  Even the most miniscule flaw will render the brittle sliver which is being worked on completely useless.

To create the dial of each  Urban Jürgensen & Sønner Montre Observatoire Émail requires up to 15 layers of vitreous enamel, applied onto a base metal of either platinum or 22K gold – another indication of the quality of these models.  Even so, each finished dial will be no more than 1.2mm thick, an astounding statistic given the complexities of the process.  After polishing the hand-working continues as each elegant numeral is hand-painted.

Even more dexterous hand-crafting is called upon to paint the fine railtrack at the dial edge and for the indications.  Blued hands complete this truly stunning timepiece.

The limited edition Urban Jürgensen & Sønner Montre Observatoire Émail 2013 will be presented in a 42mm case with options of rose gold or platinum.

More details at the Urban Jürgensen & Sønner website and some superb wrist shots via Independent In Time here.

My previous article “How do you solve a problem like …. the detent?” here.

Peter Baumberger, the man who instigated the UJS P8 adventure and who inspired Messrs. Voutilainen and Mojon to achieve the nigh on impossible died in 2010 leaving his good friend Helmutt Crott to continue the undertaking.

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Two anniversaries and a superb trio of timepieces released in their honour – unable to cherry-pick, instead we feature all three….

Jaeger-LeCoultre are celebrating 180 years in the business, Aston Martin are almost 100 years old and their partnership has inspired some rather fine wristwatches.  With such a prestigious marque to associate with, the designers at Jaeger-LeCoultre may have been tempted to be heavy-handed with the Aston Martin branding.  Instead the collection is commendable for its understated conveyance of the partnership opting for trick features and subtle styling inspiration to great effect.

First up the new and quite frankly gorgeous Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Hometime Aston Martin featuring black dial with sunburst effect, knife-edge hour markers and hands including a skeletonised red-tipped example which serves to indicate the reference time.  An extremely useful and classy piece, the local time can be independently adjusted in either direction and the date automatically synchronises with the local time for fool proof operation.  The Master Hometime is powered by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 975H and features a perfectly proportioned 40mm steel case.

Next, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Extreme W-Alarm Aston Martin Edition which has a compendium of functions but still manages to look style-sharp and uncluttered.  With this piece you get the JLC mechanical alarm which we know and love along with the ability to check the time in 24 world locations instantly thanks to the inner bezel ring.  The use of red and white on the indications is there as a nod to Aston Martin, but this addition aids usability and brings animation to contrast with the black dial and its “grill motif” which is also reminiscent of longitudal lines.  Again ease of use is a key feature – a double hours and minutes display disc for the alarm ensures no clumsy mix-ups.  Only 100 examples of the Master Compressor Extreme W-Alarm will be available, each cased in titanium measuring 46.3mm across.  Also in the box will be a rubber strap providing an alternative to the alligator strap shown above.

Lastly, the Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX5 World Chronograph Cermet.  We’ve already seen a very fine Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet using this high tech ceramic/aluminium combination earlier this year.  Having secured exclusive use of this material it was a surety that JLC would be featuring it again and this collection in particular provides a befitting showcase.  It is light, durable and superbly matt in appearance and its use in this model required a new approach to its case design.  This piece combines  chronograph and world time function but the twin-counter layout results in a tidy dial, which also features a movement operating indicator.  Inside is Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 752/1 and the Cermet/Titanium case meausres 44mm.  Set to become the darling of many men’s style magazines, the AMVOX5 World Chronograph Cermet will be limited to 500 pieces.

Did you know that Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin have historical ties dating back to the 1920′s?  Read about it here.

Or perhaps peruse our all-original Jaeger-LeCoultre archives here.

Popularity: 1% [?]

BaselWorld was abound with big anniversaries.  Rolex and TAG Heuer celebrated 50 years of their respective Daytona and Carrera models, it’s been 30 years since the inception of Swatch changed everything and Seiko have been making watches for 100 years.  All presented suitably high profile new watches in celebration.  Among this rash of celebratory pieces another jubilee watch was unveiled without the hoopla but very much eagerly awaited all the same, the Peter Roberts Concentrique Grand Complicaton 5.

The Concentrique and its creator are so remarkable that global interest has been building since last year’s Salon QP.  Whether you are a true watch fan with nerd-istic tendencies or even if you just dip in and out of the world of horology on a more relaxed basis, the story of this watch is deserving of attention and is one which I think you will find needs no additional narrative license in order to produce a “good read”.

Much has been made of the fact that Mr. Roberts was the first Englishman to attend the Swiss Watchmaking School WOSTEP, and rightly so – it is a prestigious and highly intensive course, culminating in the “opportunity to create a WOSTEP School Watch” from a blank movement, otherwise known as the Graduation Watch.  Following months of tutorials and theory and hours upon hours of disassembly, cleaning and reaassembly of minute components this would be a character-proving task for any young apprentice.

Perhaps then upon hearing about the young Mr.Roberts’ plan for his finished piece, his Master may have at best considered his student to be overly ambitious, at worst slightly deluded.  His intention was to create a chronograph featuring five hands from the centre – an example found only in academic text and a seemingly impossible task.

With unswerving perseverence Peter Roberts did create his five-handed chronograph, based on the same Valjoux 726 calibre supplied to each member of his class and presented it in a case which he also made, even though that was surplus to requirements as the school would have happily provided him with one fit for purpose.

He wears the piece to this day, slightly patinaed and still bearing the WOSTEP inscription on its dial.  Only those close to him will have glimpsed it peeping from beneath his cuff and its complexity has never been equalled – until now.

The years that followed Peter’s WOSTEP qualification are rich with achievement and quite frankly deserving of a separate written article.  However, never far from his mind was a yearning to recreate and put into production his graduation watch.  To do so would require a similar vintage calibre to that used in the original with its “classically beautiful pillar wheel layout” but such a movement was no longer in production.  Having searched for years he chanced-upon a batch of Valjoux 88′s from the 1960′s, and I use the term “chanced” loosely, because to find such a booty of still-packaged vintage movements was fortuitous indeed.  Finally the re-creation could begin.

A youthful watchmaking student may find it easy to stick his neck out and try something new without fear of failure and judgement.  To do so as a Master Watchmaker of considerable repute is not so easy.  This industry is highly judgemental and picky, but stick his neck out he did, and with high expectation we all waited to see what difference 40 years would make to his “class of 1971″ creation.

The Concentrique Grand Complication 5 is perhaps best described as a synopsis of Peter’s skills gained thus far. Not simply an emulation of the original, the new piece adds a moonphase complication to a dial which even with such a compendium of indications is still highly readable and usable.  Functions are hours, minutes, seconds for timekeeping, chronograph with seconds, minutes and hours, a 24 hour GMT with second time zone on the bezel and full calendar with day and month displayed in individual windows and pointer date via a ring positioned just inside the markers.  The name Peter Roberts appears on his own watch for the first time, along with the highly symbolic cross hairs/Union Jack Logo.

Forty Peter Roberts Concentrique Grand Complication 5 pieces will be made with stainless steel case with an additional four pieces reference numbers 10,20,30 and 40 to be cased in rose gold – one for each decade thus far in his career.

More details, and a whole wealth of other information at the meritoriously well designed Peter Roberts website here.

A hands-on image of the original piece via The #Watchnerd here.

Popularity: 1% [?]

The distinctive Regulator pendulum clock dial, once used for precise time measurement in industry and science is one which transfers its functionality to great effect for that of a wristwatch.  A fine example of such a metamorphosis is the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Regulator new for 2013.

On a varnished silver-grainé background, each function is apportioned its own island-like area ensuring legibility with none of the overlapping associated with this brand.

The blued minute hand with its “central eye” dominates with the hours at the top, seconds beneath and power reserve at the 9.  At 3 o’clock is the compelling panorama date display which presents the date without the need for a double window.

Notable, is the miscellany of blued hands, an outstretched horological candy cane for the minutes, an hour hand which is  playfully seductive,  a wisp-like seconds hand with generous overhang and a no-nonsense example for the power reserve – all add to the charm of this distinctive dial.

The little “dot” just above the 6 o’clock is a day/night indicator which serves to assist time-setting with regard to the date change which occurs instantaneously at midnight.  From 6am to 6pm the indicator is white, tuning to black after 6pm – a quirky but useful little addition.

With a further nod to accuracy, the minute hand stops on the full minute when the crown is pulled out and the second hand jumps back to zero where it remains until time-setting is achieved thus precise setting is enabled.

Inside the manual winding Calibre 58-04 has been chronometer certified by the German Calibration Service (DKD) who test the whole watch and not the uncased calibre as with COSC certification.

The exemplary Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Regulator will be available with either red gold or white gold case editions.  More information at the Glashütte Original website.

Also new for 2013 Glashütte Original Senator Panorama Date Moonphase here.

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The re-creation of historical timepieces is something which Alpina accomplish with aplomb.  In celebration of the company’s 130th anniversary, this is the Alpina 130 Heritage Pilot Chronograph.

Gottlieb Hauser, the man who formed the first watchmaking co-op to help craftsmen buy components at reduced prices and find the best route to market for their products is also credited with founding Alpina.  Peter Stas has worked his own form of enterprising magic to revive the brand and now he hands over the mantle to a new CEO, no doubt relieving the day to day pressures incurred from running both Frédérique Constant and its more sporty sister company.

Designed to replicate pilot’s watches of the 1930′s this one nails it with a superb bi-compax layout, applied numerals which catch the light on a silver or black backdrop, telemeter scale at the edge and a tachymeter seductively curled in the centre.

A telemeter on a watch  measures distance based on the speed of sound, a scale which is perhaps familiar to enthusiasts of military pieces where it was once used as a crude type of range finder.  Maybe you are more familiar with the Tachymeter scale, which is used to measure speed.  Each was created to be a useful addition to a watch dial, one is often accompanied by the other.

To feature both scales on a watch dial along with chronograph counters, presents the designer with a certain conundrum – how to maintain readability of the indications with such a level of on the dial busyness – the solution is a little gentle overlapping as with this piece which always adds a certain charm.

Domed crystal, a trim bezel and 41.5mm rounded case with poke-out pushers complete the traditional styling.  Two editions, steel or gold plated promise the now expected priced-to-sell appeal synonymous with Alpina.

More Alpina features in our archives here.

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Some have termed the new Nomos Ahoi a “Dive Watch”… but that’s a loose description for this smooth-bezeled model.  I’ll go instead for the Nomos description of “Sporty, robust, upbeat, modern” because this is a brand who know a thing or two about how to market their unique watches – a refreshing change from some press releases which are so far off the mark that one would need a pinch of realism and a dictionary in order to interpret them.  No repartee is necessary to endear potential customers to the Nomos portfolio – this company make some of the most uncluttered and beautifully designed watches available.  Quality is of the utmost standard and each watch is made to meticulous Manufactory conditions.

The Ahoi manages to place itself in the sports watch genre whilst maintaining the minimalism of the Tangomat dial on which it is based.   The inclusion of a serrated-edge rotating bezel would be a ruinous addition for such a crisp design and so the trim edge of this case does not move.  For water-based activities, the caseback and crown are screwed-down, safely sealing the calibre to a depth of up to 200 metres.

A departure into the sports watch category creates a few unfamilar features.  Crown guards mean a case-side destraction is necessary and the dial has some added colour, blue lume on the hour and minute hands and a red sub-seconds hand – hardly vivacious, but this is Nomos after all.

The steel case measures 40mm and two editions will be available, an Epsilon Calibre-powered piece without date window and a Zeta Calibre version with date.

More on the Nomos Ahoi and an insight into the Nomos principles of design at their meritorious website here.

More Nomos from us here.

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In the market for a quintessential dress watch?  One capable of displaying the current phase of the moon to stunning effect?  This is the Frédérique Constant Slimline Manufacture Moonphase and it is simply gorgeous.

In an industry where some of their associates have a history numbered in hundreds of years,  Aletta and Peter Stas continue to grow the company they founded in 1988 building their brand’s reputation on the fundamentals of quality control and attention to detail.  Their portfolio is composed of classically styled timepieces which are  hand-assembled, presented in hand-polished cases and which represent some of the best value for money to be had in the business.

The new Slimline Moonphase Manufacture will be available in dial and case options to suit all but the most contrary of customers – stainless steel case with the choice of rose gold plating, and blue, chocolate or silver dial editions.

Inside is the decorated Frédérique Constant automatic Calibre FC-705 with power reserve of 42 hours featuring personalised rotor viewable through rear sapphire.

This model is aesthetically perfect – domed dial, curved crystal, eyelash-slim hands and applied markers and a particularly resplendent moonphase which combines with a pointer date display. Notable is the elegantly knurled crown which also enables moonphase setting, so that pristinely polished and trim case remains as clutter-free as is possible.

More details at the Frédérique Constant website.

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I suspect that 2013 will be a fortuitous year for Tutima.  Images and details of four new collections to be unveiled at BaselWorld are emerging and first impressions are more than positive.  This is the industry’s busiest week, so cherry-picking through these new models is a must, therefore for now I can feature only one, the superb Tutima M2 NATO Chronograph, with its cool tagline “Nothing Can Shock It”.

The NATO Chronograph is the official watch of the German army, so as you’d expect such a piece will be penned to be strong, readable and usable, yet what Tutima’s design department have come up with has all the requisite features required to give it military-kit credentials but is also ultimately rather stylish too.

With regard to their new M2 collection, Tutima say “The details make the difference” – they’re not wrong, on this piece a deeply recessed black dial falls away from a pearl-blasted bezel.  Broad markers and hands add to the robustness and are liberally lume-coated, even the red tips will glow long after dark.

There is balance it its dial layout and subtleties to be appreciated, the barely-there crosshair small seconds, the dominant and slightly quirky 12-hour totalizer and the diminutive 24 hour display,  all are perfectly proportioned and all are perfectly placed.

Inside, the Tutima Calibre 321 has the security of an anti-magnetic shell and it replaces the previously used Lémania Caliber 5100 – a futher evolution for the M2 portfolio.

The titanium case measures 46.5mm across and features neatly tucked-in ribbed rubber pushers on the side.

2011 marked a return to the Glashütte region for Tutima with a new state of the art Manufactory.  Today, in addition to the unveiling of four new collections they also launched a marvellous new website.  These are important milestones for Tutima, which I believe will bring them back to the forefront of their genre.

The Tutima M2 NATO Chronograph will be available with either titanium link bracelet or leather strap.

More details and history of this meritorious family-owned watchmaking company at the new Tutima website here.

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