In the run-up to Basel 2012 details have been released of the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diving Chronograph, a new and very dapper divers watch to add to the Pontos collection.

We know and love this brand – mainly for their superb dial designs, for they are experts in maintaining elegance and readability on models which are quite literally bursting with activity and indications. Most divers watches have a chunky, clicky rotating bezel on the outside, Maurice Lacroix have taken the little life-saving feature and slipped it under the sapphire, so that rounded Pontos case remains clutter-free and as understated as ever.

The dial is totally functional – against the sun-brushed finish the counters are neatly laid out. The small seconds at 9 o’clock features snailing, the 30-minute and 12-hour counters are satin finished, edged with a snailed trim – this may be a divers watch, but Maurice Lacroix cannot resist some subtle decoration. The applied markers and hands are chubby and legible.

Inside is the self-winding calibre ML112 based on a Valjoux 7750 movement with a power reserve of 46 hours. Water resistance is to 200m. The stainless steel case measures 43mm and the winding crown and pushpieces are styled for grippy ease of use. In addition to a monochrome model, the piece will be available with orange or blue tones, with subtle colour-coordination on the dial.

The new Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diving Chronograph comes presented on a steel bracelet with a matching NATO strap also provided.

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This is the IWC Portofino Chronograph Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the sixth piece released by the Schaffhausen-based brand in honour of the Laureus Foundation.  A few details distinguish these special editions – they have magnificent blue dials, a colour symbolic of hope and each edition also features some rather unique case back engravings.  This is eye-pleasing philanthropy at its finest.

IWC are global partners for the organisation which reaches out to underprivileged children and young people through 90 projects worldwide and the annual release of the Laureus watches raises not only funds, but also awareness for the charity and its on-going work in the most challenging parts of the globe.

The spirit of both the Laureus Foundation and those who it seeks to assist is evident not so much in the perfection achieved by IWC’s dial design, but by what is going on on the back of the piece.  Each year a drawing competition is held among the children who take part in the  projects, and the case back of the Laureus watch features an engraving of the winning entry, a recreation which works suprisingly well.  This year’s picture was drawn by 7 year old Kumara Wadu Parami Apsara, from Sri Lanka who was born just one month before the tsunami changed her homeland forever.

The IWC Portofino Chronograph Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation watch features a 42mm steel case and inside is the IWC automatic chronograph Calibre 79320 with 44 hours of power reserve.  The piece will be a limited edition of 2500.

Details of the Foundation here.

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In the market for a chronograph? One that can accurately split the seconds?  Despite the latest super-chronos unveiled at SIHH 2012, one calibre still stands apart – the El Primero, and the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Chronograph is such a worthy addition to the series, you’d be horologically unbalanced not to consider it.

Zenith introduced the automatic chronograph El Primero calibre in 1969, and although the brand’s design department may have gone aesthetically asunder in the past, most in the industry would agree, Zenith are back where they belong and have produced some of the best classically styled wristwatches unveiled during 2011.  Transgressions, aside the brand have always respected, nurtured and refined the El Primero movement and if your wristwatch is powered by one, wear it proud – that’s a little piece of horological history right there on your wrist.

The Chronomaster 1969 Chronograph continues the heritage, respecting the colours and styling of the 1969 models.  On the dial, midnight blue and anthracite counters rest on a silvered dial, the red sweep seconds chronograph hand has the cool little Zenith star counterweight and faceted hour and minute hands and applied baton hour markers catch the light.  The 42mm stainless steel case has vintage rounded pushers for the functions and no excess weight on the front and no unwanted podge on the sides, this is a neat and tidy case and this is a technical and very well behaved gents sports watch.

Of course the eye is immediately drawn to the cutaway section of the dial.  This is not merely a look-see feature requiring the skills of a dial-maker, but one which requires re-working of the entire calibre by the brand’s Master Watchmakers, otherwise you would be see only the mundane and very dormant base plate.

Inside is the newly developed El Primero Calibre 4061 which beats at a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 50 hours.  This is the first El Primero Chronograph to feature a dial opening, so as you’d expect particular attention has been given to the detailing and finishing of its components.

The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Chronograph comes presented on a rubber-lined black alligator strap with either pin buckle or optional triple folding clasp.

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New for SIHH 2012 is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph, inspired by JLC’s Memovox Deep Sea wristwatch – more “chronograph” than “deep sea”  … but don’t let than put you off, it’s very “vintage”.

In the 1950′s, deep sea diving was more a military than a recreational activity but a diver then had the same basic requirements as divers have today, in order to survive each dive – the ability to time his dive was vital  … so of course, a wristwatch made for divers had to be able to withstand the depths.  No benchmarks or legal standards had been defined but a few pioneers developed life-saving inventions which remain features of modern-day divers watches.  Doxa, one of our favourites produced unique unidirectional rotating bezels and along with Rolex developed a helium release valve to prevent horological implosion.  Blancpain worked along with elite French Navy divers, bringing to market the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, still a strong part of their portfolio.  The Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Deep Sea of 1959 also had a unique selling point – it had an alarm, a dependable little reminder of time elapsed underwater.

The Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph is essentially just a chronograph and not a deep sea divers watch, but it replicates the aesthetics of the 1959 Memovox superbly. You won’t mind that its chunky bezel is fixed, you won’t mind the fact that if you take it deeper than 100m it will desintegrate, you won’t mind that it’s not really a divers watch at all, you will forgive its inadequacies and choose it for its looks alone.

The steel case measures 40.5mm across with traditional plexiglass used in place of sapphire.  On the matt black textured dial, the lume has a “patina” – a hint of orange just like the 1959 piece and on the back is an authentic engraving of a frogman surrounded by bubbles.  All very retro, but skin deep is not the whole story, inside is the thoroughly modern automatic JLC Calibre 751G hand decorated movement with 65 hours of power reserve.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph comes presented on a tactile embossed black calfskin leather strap.

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Just released are details of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar.

Not everyone likes the fussiness of a decorated watch dial.  For some there’s nothing quite like the plain high-legibility of a classic Pilot’s watch.  IWC are more than accomplished in the creation of clean-cut aviation pieces – I know of no man who would not gain an extra swagger if he had one of their Pilot’s Chronos strapped to his wrist.

This one has the added bravado of IWC’s in-house Calibre 89365 with a flyback function and a mighty 168 hours of power reserve.  Maybe you’re more familiar with a pilot’s watch with a big black face and white numerals?  This one has a sharp combination of a matt anthracite dial with covert colours for the hands and chapter ring.  The case measures 48mm across (… great, the more the better when a watch looks this good …) and is made from anti-scratch grey ceramic.  A military-styled textile strap completes the utilitarian styling.

The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar will form part of the brands new releases to be presented a SIHH 2012.

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