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Patek Philippe Adds Minute Repeater to Gem-Set Aquanaut

Patek Philippe places a minute repeater within its contemporary Aquanaut Luce collection, launching it within two rose-gold-cased, highly gem-set models. One version on a strap is resplendent in a rainbow of multicolored baguette-cut sapphires while a second model offers an invisible-set baguette-cut-diamond dial and a gem-rich rose gold bracelet.

The new multi-colored Aquanaut Luce Rainbow Minute Repeater Haute Joaillerie (Reference 5260/355R-001).
The new Aquanaut Luce Rainbow Minute Repeater Haute Joaillerie Reference 5260/1455R-001.

While we’ve seen several complications within the Aquanaut since its debut in 1997, including the very recent Annual Calendar (Reference 5261), these debuts, each measuring 38.8mm by 42.5mm, mark the first time the watchmaker has added a minute repeater to the collection.

Patek Philippe has a history of debuting new complicated watches within its collections aimed at feminine watch fans. In 2009 the watchmaker debuted its caliber CH 29-535 PS manually wound chronograph movement in a Ladies First Chronograph model.

And for six years starting in 2011 the Reference 7000 Ladies First Minute Repeater (with the superb caliber R 27 PS) graced the watchmaker’s catalog. Even as far back as 1916, Patek Philippe debuted its first-ever chiming watch as a ladies’ five-minute repeater in a platinum case with a chain bracelet.

 

The new multi-colored Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow” Minute Repeater Haute Joaillerie (Reference 5260/355R-001) shows off the watchmaker’s artisanal prowess set with fifty-two multicolored baguette-cut sapphires, 112 baguette-cut diamonds and 160 brilliant-cut diamonds.

 

Those baguette gemstones are invisibly set, which means each stone is cut with lateral grooves embedded in tiny gold rails that will be invisible once the stone is set.

 

The bracelet model, Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow” Minute Repeater Haute Joaillerie Reference 5260/1455R-001, is set with 130 baguette-cut diamonds on the dial and the outer row of the bezel and 779 multicolored baguette-cut sapphires forming a rainbow on the inner row of the bezel, the flanks of the case, the minute repeater slide-piece and the rose-gold bracelet.

 

Aware that such intense high-carat settings can distract some wearers who deign to check the time, Patek Philippe has been careful to ensure a highly legible dial on each watch. On the bracelet model specifically, twelve multicolored baguette-cut sapphires distinctly mark the hours while the hour hand is set with three baguette rubies and the minute hand is easy to see thanks to five blue sapphires.

Inside both watches, the automatic Caliber R 27 movement chimes on demand on two classic gongs (the hour, quarters and minutes elapsed since the last quarter) when the side-piece is activated. The movement’s off-center 22-karat gold guilloche mini-rotor is visible through a sapphire crystal case back.

For each model, price is on request. 

New Nautilus Models

In addition to debuting the minute repeater in two Aquanaut Luce models, Patek Philippe also debuts three new Nautilus Haute Joaillerie models.

One is cased in white gold set with 1,500 brilliant-cut diamonds with 876 brilliant-cut blue sapphires (6.58 ct, Reference 7118/1451G-001),one offers rubies (Reference 7118/1452G-001) and the third is set with emeralds (Reference 7118/1453G-001) using the “snow setting” technique.

 

With each, the bracelet is equally eye-catching. Diamonds on the outer links of each model contrasts with colored gems on the inner links to better highlight the original construction of the bracelet. Prices on request.

 

And finally, Patek Philippe completes its late-2023 gem-set extravaganza with two new Ladies’ Nautilus models in rose gold with a purple decor.

The new Ladies’ Nautilus Reference 7010R-013.

One, the Ladies’ Nautilus Reference 7010R-013 ($39,624), offers a purple lacquered dial and a matching strap in a composite material, while the second, the Ladies’ Nautilus Reference 7010/1R-013 ($56,183), offers the purple lacquered dial with a rose gold bracelet.

 

 

 

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Bang the Drum 

Louis Vuitton upgrades Tambour with a new in-house movement, a sleeker case and an integrated bracelet. 

In the twenty-plus years since Louis Vuitton debuted its first Tambour watches, the global fashion house has achieved a goal that still eludes many much older watchmakers: to create a case shape and watch than can be easily recognized while on a wrist across the room. 

Louis Vuitton has carefully tailored Tambour’s drum-shaped case while also applying technical and aesthetic updates. The collection’s success has eased the French couture house’s entry into high-end watchmaking, steering Louis Vuitton into position as a peer among the world’s leading makers of high-end watches.

The new Louis Vuitton Tambour, here in its debut steel case and bracelet.

This year, Louis Vuitton updates Tambour with new finishes and a decidedly slimmer, sculpted case. The new collection is more luxurious overall and notably highlights an all-new in-house movement and a sleek integrated steel bracelet.

Two new models 

Two new steel watches launch the collection’s upgrade. One is a chic monochrome model with a silver grey dial and the second one sports a deep blue dial. Both are built to highlight the new unisex 40mm by 8.3mm case, its new caliber LFT023 and the new bracelet. A rose gold model and a two-tone gold and steel edition are also now available.

The 22 karat gold microrotor helps provide fifty hours of power reserve.

The movement here is Louis Vuitton’s first proprietary automatic three-hand movement. It has been designed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton in conjunction with movement specialists Le Cercle des Horlogers.

With its 22-karat gold micro-rotor, stylized Louis Vuitton decor, micro-sandblasted bridges, polished edges and chamfers, the new caliber announces a new era of three-hand movements for Tambour, which has previously utilized modified ETA-based and Zenith-El Primero-based calibers, as well as quartz movements for certain models.

Boasting a strong fifty-hour power reserve, the new movement is chronometer certified, with timekeeping accuracy of between -4s and +6s per day. The certification, from the Geneva Chronometric Observatory under the auspices of the TIMELAB Foundation, ensures that the movement complies with ISO 3159 a serious level of accuracy that befits this new higher-end Tambour series.

“With this launch, we seek to open a new chapter in the history of the Maison’s watchmaking by creating a watch with strong horological credentials while identifiably Louis Vuitton in style”, adds Arnault.

The watches

Louis Vuitton has retained Tambour’s curves for these new designs, but has softened them with fluid edges and a curved back that gently hugs the wrist. The sloped, sandblast-finish bezel here is thinner than on existing Tambour models, but still retains the twelve Louis Vuitton namesake letters at each hour mark.

Louis Vuitton has taken great care to bring comfort to its premiere integrated steel bracelet. The bracelet, particularly novel for Tambour, offers no hint of even the small lugs we’ve seen previously within Tambour. Its clean integration into the case echoes the almost sporty look you’ve likely already seen in other well-known, high-end integrated steel watches.

A closer look at the bracelet reveals links that are convex on both sides to create a rounded profile, which guarantees smooth contact with the wrist. The folks at Louis Vuitton, a company built on fine leather products, remind us that this new bracelet, while all steel, offers “slim, curved links providing a close and comfortable fit on the wrist to rival the softest leather strap.”

Louis Vuitton has brush-finished the new Tambour case and bracelet—with a few exceptions. These include the polished bracelet chamfers and central links and the polished, drum-shaped crown.

The dial

Tambour’s new, three-dimensional dial features micro-sandblasted surfaces, gold indexes and a clean layout despite the seconds sub-dial. The markers are nicely separated as are the minute ring and the hour ring, all of which enhances the sense of balance on the dial.

Louis Vuitton revels in the details here. The watchmaker has paired recessed five-minute markers with raised, applied hour markers. The company explains that this difference in the height level of the markers allows for quick reading, since the light interacts variably between them. All numerals and hands are filled with Super-LumiNova. 

Price: $18,500. The collection also includes a rose gold edition, price at $52,000, and a two-tone model price at $26,500.

 

Specifications: 

Louis Vuitton Tambour, silver dial (W1ST10)

Case: 40mm by 8.3mm stainless steel, sapphire crystal and back.Water-resistant to 50 meters.

Dial: Grey/silver with small seconds counter at 6 o’clock; white gold hands, numerals and indexes, with SuperLumiNova coating on the hands and numerals.

Movement: Automatic caliber LFT023, visible through the sapphire caseback, 22-karat rose gold micro-rotor, 50 hours of power reserve, 28,800 vph, certified chronometer by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory.

Bracelet: Stainless steel with invisible 3-blade folding buckle.

Price: $18,500. 

 

Louis Vuitton Tambour, blue dial (W1ST20)

Case: 40mm by 8.3mm stainless steel, sapphire crystal and back.Water-resistant to 50 meters.

Dial: Blue with small seconds counter at 6 o’clock; white gold hands, numerals and indexes, with SuperLumiNova coating on the hands and numerals.

Movement: Automatic caliber LFT023, visible through the sapphire caseback, 22-karat rose gold micro-rotor, 50 hours of power reserve, 28,800 vph, certified chronometer by the Geneva Chronometric Observatory.

Bracelet: Stainless steel with invisible 3-blade folding buckle.

Price: $18,500. 

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Sky-Blue-Dialed Grand Seiko GMTs Celebrate Caliber 9S  

Grand Seiko continues to commemorate the quarter-century anniversary of its excellent Caliber 9S mechanical movement series with a new release of two GMT watches —one sporty model and one dressy edition—each powered by a specific edition of the caliber.

The new Grand Seiko Sport Collection GMT Caliber 9S 25th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGJ275.

Both watches feature dials that echo the skies over Mt. Iwate, in the Iwate Prefecture in Japan, where Grand Seiko hand-assembles its watches.

One model, the Sport Collection GMT Caliber 9S 25th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGJ275, underscores its artistic source of inspiration with a dial specifically meant to mimic the dense clouds at daybreak over Mt. Iwate, when humid air creates a blue and white tapestry.

Grand Seiko of course also provides a terrific view on the back of the new watch. Through the clear sapphire crystal case back you’ll see the movement’s titanium rotor, which the watchmaker has tinted light blue by using an anodic oxidation process.

The back of the sporty SBGJ275 GMT.

Not only is the back design noteworthy aesthetically and technically, it marks the first time Grand Seiko has placed a clear caseback on a mechanical watch with water resistance of 200 meters.

Back on the front, you’ll see a sapphire blue and white rotating bezel marked to indicate three time zones. Grand Seiko fits its Hi-Beat GMT Caliber 9S86 to power the watch, providing a frequency of 36,000 vph and very stable  precision. The 2,000-piece limited edition is priced at $7,600. 

Dressy model

On the dressier side of the debuts is the new Grand Seiko Elegance Collection Caliber 9S 25th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGM253.

The new Grand Seiko Elegance Collection Caliber 9S 25th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGM253.

This model is certainly more classical than the sporty debut, and its dial presents a more serene sunray finished blue dial depicting the sky over Mt. Iwate on a clear day.

Without the sporty bezel, this debut instead boasts a dressy mirror-finished bezel and case with curved lugs with a Zaratsu mirror finish and box-shaped sapphire crystal.

Like the sporty model, the model SBGM253 also clears a view to its movement, here a Caliber 9S66 GMT set with a titanium rotor also colored blue using the same anodic oxidation treatment as used on SBGJ275.

Caseback view of the new Grand Seiko SBGM253.

Like the sports model, the dressy debut allows for multiple timezone display, here two zones rather than three.

The movement allows the wearer to adjust the local hour hand independently while the tempered blue GMT hand can be aligned to a second time zone as indicated on the blue 24-hour scale.

A limited edition of 1,700, the watch is priced at $5,600.

 

Specifications: Grand Seiko Sport Collection Caliber 9S 25th Anniversary Limited Edition: SBGJ275 

(Limited edition of 2,000) 

Movement: Automatic Caliber 9S86, frequency: 36,000 vibrations per hour (10 beats per second) Accuracy (mean daily rate): +5 to –3 seconds per day, power reserve: 55 hours, GMT hand. Water resistance is 200 meters and magnetic resistance to 4,800 A/m.

Dial: Blue and white cloud pattern.

Case: 44.2mm by 14.8mm stainless steel, dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating See-through screw case back.

Bracelet: Three-fold clasp with push-button release.
Price: $7,600.

 

Specifications: Grand Seiko Elegance Collection
Caliber 9S 25th Anniversary Limited Edition: SBGM253 

(Limited edition of 1,700)

Movement: Automatic Caliber 9S66, frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, accuracy (mean daily rate): +5 to –3 seconds per day, power reserve: 72 hours, GMT hand.

Case: 39.5mm by 13.7mm stainless steel, box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, see-through screw case back, water resistance to 30 meters, magnetic resistance to 4,800 A/m.

Dial: Sunray blue.
Bracelet: Three-fold clasp with push-button release.
Price: $5,600 

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The Watches

Bell & Ross Adds Smaller BR 03 Models

Bell & Ross introduces a new size to its BR 03 ‘circle-within-a square’ series, adding six models with a 41mm square case size.

Among the debuts is this model with an attractive copper dial, achieved through a galvanization process and enhanced by engraved black numerals and indexes.

Smaller by 1mm, watches in the new series also include a slimmer strap, narrower lug distance (from 4.5mm to 4.0mm) and a new automatic movement, BR-CAL.302, a Sellita-based caliber with an extended power reserve of fifty-four hours. All remain water resistant to 100 meters.

For the first time Bell & Ross combines a matte black ceramic case with a khaki dial on this new BR 03 Military Ceramic.

“With the new BR03, we modified the proportions of the collection by respecting its canons,” explains Bruno Belamich, Bell & Ross’ co-founder and Creative Director. “Our goal was to preserve the identity that has made the BR03 so successful, while adapting it to the new times and maintaining its allure.”

Look for three new models in a black case: Black Matte, Phantom and Heritage, as well as three new versions in polished steel – Black Steel, Blue Steel and Golden Heritage.

The latter feature truly retro black, blue and brown dials. Among the debuts is a models sporting a distinctive new copper dial model and another in a sharp-looking khaki-colored ceramic case.

Prices: $3,600 to $4,300.

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TAG Heuer Launches Carrera Chronosprint with Porsche

TAG Heuer teams with Porsche to launch the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche, the latest Carrera model that merges design elements from both brands.

The seventh joint launch since TAG Heuer and Porsche officially partnered in 2021, the new 42mm watch is a vision in silver and red, with red details highlighting references to the 1970s Porsche 911 dashboard design.

The new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche. A rose-gold-cased version is also available.

Beyond the dial accents, TAG Heuer has also built into the new watch a special version of its new TH20 automatic movement, which debuted this past March during Watches and Wonders.

The new reference here, the TH20-08 movement, features a chronograph seconds hand meant to echo Porsche 911’s ability to reach the 100 km/h in just 9.1 seconds.

Here, the central hand accelerates faster than usual at the start of the chronograph activation thanks to a clever use of a two snail-shaped wheels, which also create a decelerating motion for the central hand after sixty seconds. TAG Heuer makes the wheels using the so-called LiGA lithographic etching process.

On the dial, TAG Heuer continues to reference the Porsche 911.

At 6 o’clock for example you’ll find a subdial that directly recalls the area around 50 km/h that was often highlighted to indicate the recommended speed in urban areas.

The red portion of the 9 o’clock subdial is meant to be a reminder of the ‘critical engine limit.’ TAG Heuer opts to place the red line at 6.8 hours, a nice reference to that 6,800 RPM limit. Red lines on the flange recall the Porsche 911’s ability to reach the 100 km/h in just 9.1 seconds, a clear reference to the very first Porsche 911.

Look for a steel and a gold version of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche, each featuring the same retro-inspired double glassbox sapphire crystal seen on Carrera debuts earlier this year.

These domed and curved crystals echo similarly domed hesalite crystal designs from the 1970s, but here have been revamped to add a curve that flows over the tachymeter scale and blends into the case.

From the clear caseback TAG Heuer designs a rotor to replicate the famed Porsche three-spoke steering wheel.

TAG Heuer will launch the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint x Porsche watches with a calfskin leather strap, in brown for the gold edition and in black for the steel edition, each with an embossed number “911” on the strap.

Prices: $9,200 (steel) and $23,550 (rose gold).

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