Ralph Lauren adds a new size to its adventure-themed Safari Chronometer collection, adding a 42.6mm model with a choice of three different dial colors: khaki, camouflage and black. The watches previously were offered only in 45mm and 39mm options.
One of three new Ralph Lauren Safari Chronometer models, each sized at 42.6mm in diameter.
Each dial color retains the Safari’s large 12 and 6 numerals and orange seconds hand and easy-to-read luminous hour and minute hands.
The Safari collection’s signature “aged” stainless steel case and varnished matte anthracite bezel frame each dial.
As you might expect from fashion-forward Ralph Lauren, the strap choice here is retro-cool.
A weathered black/brown “aged” calfskin leather strap is offered on the camouflage dial and black-dial model while a black stainless steel three-link bracelet comes attached to the khaki-dial model.
Inside each watch Ralph Lauren fits an automatic RL300-1 Caliber, a Sellita-based automatic movement that boasts a 50-hour power reserve and is water-resistant to 100 meters. Each watch is protected by a screw-down crown marked with the RL logo.
While a glance at the newest Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date might reveal a classical moon-phase subdial with a hand-date, a closer inspection reveals something much more unusual. The hour markers on the two hand dress watch seem oddly askew, scattered around the dial as if forgotten during assembly.
The new Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture Seconde/Second/Limited Edition
What’s more, the brand’s logo and the date display appear to be written by hand. Even the moon and stars within the moon-phase disk look uneven, as if written by an amateur.
Rest assured that the dial typography and finish are not made in error, but are a result of an unusual collaboration by Frederique Constant with artist Romaric André, known as ‘Seconde/Seconde/,’ that is meant to highlight the hand-assembled nature of the watchmaker’s products.
Each of the askew elements themselves are actually perfectly executed and embellished by hand, but their placement and tentative nature are aimed at emphasizing how Frederique Constant hand-finishes its dials, movements and cases.
The caseback gives the game away. The watch’s sapphire display back features a telltale explanation of the collaboration, with “How do we tell the world that manual‐assembly is at the core of our Manufacture? We asked artist seconde/seconde/. He took it too far” printed on the back.
Just beneath the message the owner can eye the Frederique Constant FC‐705 in‐house automatic caliber that artisans have finished with perlage graining on the base plate, côtes de Genève striping on the bridge and blued screws throughout.
André notes that “As watch lovers, we’re looking for perfection… but when it becomes too perfect, we start to regret the lack of soul, the lack of connection with the ‘artisanal roots’ of watchmaking.”
Frederique Constant and André have created two limited editions of the watch. One is an online boutique limited edition of ten pieces that features rose gold accents on the case and dial. The second model is limited to 100 pieces encased in steel and available at Frederique Constant retailers worldwide. Price: $3,495.
Specifications: Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture Seconde/Second/Limited Edition
(Ref.FC-705SOC4S6, limited edition of 100 and FC-705SOC4S2 with gold-colored indexes, limited edition of 10)
Movement:FC-705 in-house caliber, automatic 38-hour power reserve, 28,800 alt/h.
Case: 42mm by 11.3mm polished stainless steel 3-part. Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 30 meters, see-through case back.
Dial: Silver with matte finishing, Frederique Constant Geneve logo hand-written by artist Seconde/Seconde, hand-applied off-center silver color indexes, hand-polished silver color hour and minute hands, moonphase at 6 o’clock, date by hand at 6 o’clock written by Seconde/Seconde.
Strap:Black alligator leather with matte finishing and tone-on-tone stitching, stainless steel folding buckle.
Hublot teams once again with the British band Depeche Mode, launching the new Spirit of Big Bang Depeche Mode watch in support of a new album, a world tour and to raise funds for several charities.
The new the new Spirit of Big Bang Depeche Mode watch.
The new watch, a limited-edition Spirit of Big Bang 42mm tonneau-shaped black ceramic watch, depicts a skull-and-hourglass motif on its dial.
The Swiss watchmaker first partnered with the band fourteen years ago to raise awareness and funds for environmental and humanitarian causes. Since that time, the ongoing partnership has raised more than $2.3 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Charity:Water.
With the new watches, Hublot is assisting the band as it raises funds and awareness for Conservation Collective, a global charity that unites a network of regional philanthropic foundations working to protect, conserve and restore natural environments.
Taking a cue from the title of the new Depeche Model release called Memento Mori, Latin for ‘remember you must die’ and intended to prompt reflection on the transience of life, Hublot filled portions of the dial’s skull design with small black ceramic spheres that symbolically flow back and forth as the wrist moves.
Depeche Mode initials DM appear at the bottom of the dial while the indexes are pyramid-shaped studs made to mimic the pattern Hublot has etched the watch’s black ceramic bezel. The caseback, pictured above, offers logos of the band and of the Conservation Collective.
Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang case measures 42 mm across and is constructed of sand-blasted and polished black ceramic. Inside Hublot fits its superb automatic HUB1710SD movement with a 50-hour power reserve.
For this model Hublot offers two straps, each interchangeable. One strap is made of Velcro and recycled materials to echo the Conservation Collective’s plastic pollution initiatives.
The second, a ‘rock and roll’ strap (pictured below), is made of black rubber with a black titanium folding clasp and the same pyramid-shaped studs seen on the bezel and dial.
Each watch in this 100-piece limited edition is shipped with a 10” vinyl single of Depeche Mode’s 2023 song Wagging Tongue. The single, produced using green energy and recycled PVC, is only available as part of this package.
If you hear me say, “Life is an interesting journey, full of surprises,” Federico Restrepo embodies one of those surprises. Not only is his great-grandfather Henri-Paul Nénot, the appointed architect of the Nouvelle Sorbonne in Paris, but he is also related to Paul Landowski, the sculptor of the “Corcovado Christ” in Rio de Janeiro.
Growing up Franco-Colombian in Spain, surrounded by luminaries like Fernando Botero and Gabriel Garcia Marques, he cultivated a rich tapestry of art, design, and creativity.
Originally on the path to becoming a philosopher studying at La Sorbonne, Federico Restrepo quickly realized philosophy wasn’t his life’s calling. While deciding what to do with this life, he was commissioned by his mother’s friend to design a lamp, which subsequently won the top prize at the international light trade show in Paris.
Federico Restrepo
He then started his first agency, Reason Pur, with a friend, and in 1993, he founded L’Ateliers, a company with a focus on design. His design company became very successful in the world of cosmetics, perfume, and luxury.
Notably, he designed the iconic bust-shaped perfume line of Jean-Paul Gautier, as well as designs for perfumer Roger & Gallet.
Pocket Watches
Restrepo’s passion for watches dates back to his childhood, where he scoured the “Los Encantes” flea market in Barcelona for pocket watches and sometimes dabbled in fixing them. His fascination grew, considering these timepieces as living hearts made of metal.
Some of his earliest pieces were watches from Yema, Kelton, and other popular French watch brands. While he loved collecting watches from the 1970s, his dream was to design his own watches and launch an eponymous watch brand.
Due to health issues, Federico Restrepo had to close his company in 2000. During recovery, aboard the Concorde from Paris to New York, he began sketching a watch. From an altitude of 60,000 feet, he discovered that Earth took on an elliptical form (not a sphere), and it became his source of inspiration.
After designing a few models, he presented his work to Michel Guten, CEO of Cartier, who decided to help Federico start his watch company called Streamline. (He thought Federico’s background, family history, reputation, and designs were ideal for a new watch company). Unfortunately, September 11 happened, and his dream disappeared as fast as it came.
Re-Launch
When Covid erupted in 2020, Federico Restrepo decided to give his watch company a second chance, launching Restrepo watches.From sketching and designing to manufacturing and packaging, Federico is always 100% behind the entire project.
He always keeps his initial elliptical design in mind, that silhouette that appeared to him aboard the Concorde, whether it’s for the Hasta La Victoria model made in honor of the legend of Simón Bolívar or the Caballero sin Armas series or the Mach 1 chronographs.
Restrepo watches have interchangeable strap systems, which means you can easily switch between rubber straps and stainless steel bracelets. The watches’ pushers at 12 o’clock are reminiscent of the Seiko Bullheads from the 1970s.
Powering the watches are automaticETA 7750 movements. There are several limited edition pieces with complications like GMTs, power reserve indications, or chronographs.
Most Restrepo watches are made of stainless steel, but there are a few pieces made in gold too. The packaging is well-designed and attention to detail is a top priority; I could clearly see Federico’s background as one of the world’s top perfume packaging designers shine through.
I really believe that creativity is lacking in today’s watch landscape; too many brands rely on bringing back old designs rather than trying to create new ones. For this reason, I’d like to give Federico credit for having designed something from an idea; something from scratch that’s unique and special.
Of course, people may or may not like the design but it’s important that it exists; and this is what I like about it. So, I encourage you to take the time to discover these watches. What’s more, the $2,000 price point makes it affordable for a luxury watch. Restrepo watches are a thoughtful homage to beauty, originality, and space, right on your wrist.
Laurent Martinez is the proprietor of Laurent Fine Watches, Greenwich, Connecticut. Read more by him at blog.laurentfinewatches.com, or visit his site at www.laurentfinewatches.com.
Piaget revisits the golden age of Polo with the new Piaget Polo 79, a karat gold ode to the jet-setting original.
The new Piaget Polo 79
At 38mm in diameter, the new Polo is slightly larger than the 34mm original but retains the Polo’s very chic 1970s vibe. While many of that era’s high-profile luxury sport watches were cased in steel, the Piaget Polo remained an all-precious-metal model.
Like the reigning steel-cased watches of the 1970s, Piaget’s Polo also featured a bracelet that seamlessly linked to the case, with Polo’s brushed and polished gold bracelet links apparently extending across the dial, offering a pleasing uniform pattern around the wrist.
Piaget designed the Polo to mimic a ‘second skin’ that made its bracelet appear to have been sculpted from a single piece of gold.
Piaget eventually offered its gold Polo in a variety of shapes, all with precious metal cases and bracelets.
Initially fit with Piaget’s record-breaking ultra-thin 7P quartz movement, the watchmaker in the early 1980s began to offer Polo with its ultra-thin mechanical caliber 9P, which was fit into a wide range of Polo models for years to come.
The new iteration sees Piaget returning to its most classic Polo design, now updated with Piaget’s latest ultra-thin mechanical caliber, the excellent 1200P1 automatic movement.
And in addition to the slightly larger 38mm case diameter, the new Polo 79 exposes its nicely finished caliber through a modern sapphire caseback.
Restrepo watches have interchangeable strap systems, which means you can easily switch between rubber straps and stainless steel bracelets. The watches’ pushers at 12 o’clock are reminiscent of the Seiko Bullheads from the 1970s.
I really believe that creativity is lacking in today’s watch landscape; too many brands rely on bringing back old designs rather than trying to create new ones. For this reason, I’d like to give Federico credit for having 
And in addition to the slightly larger 38mm case diameter, the new Polo 79 exposes its nicely finished caliber through a modern sapphire caseback.