Norqain adds a blue dial limited edition model to its 40mm Freedom 60 GMT collection, one of the independent Swiss watchmaker’s most popular designs.
The Norqain Freedom 60 GMT 40mm Limited Edition
With its 1960s-style domed dial and an easy-to-read GMT scale in the center of the dial, the watch has serious vintage appeal. Norqain seals the appeal when it applies Old Radium SuperLuminova to the bronze hands, and frames it all with a bronze case.
Norqain underscores all this retro eye-candy with appropriately modern technology, most critically the use of its chronometer-precise, in-house-designed Caliber NN20/2, an automatic movement (below) produced together with movement-maker Kenissi.
The movement boasts a jumping hour to easily set the time and date forward or backward. Its long power reserve of seventy hours is among the most impressive we’ve seen at this price point.
Also very up-to-date is Norqain’s decision to offer only non-leather straps or metal bracelets for all its watches. For this new model Norqain offers three different bracelet options, including a vegan-certified Perlon blue rubber strap with a pin clasp that matches the case. The watch is also available with Norqain’s own Nortide strap and an Alcantara strap, both of which include stitches that resemble mountaintops near the lugs.
The new Shinola Monster GMT, this Detroit-based watchmaker’s first automatic GMT model, makes tracking time in multiple time zones simple and pleasing thanks to a particularly handsome blue dial and blue bezel.
The new Shinola Monster GMT is the Detroit-based watchmaker’s first automatic GMT model.
Starting with its ‘diver down’ flag at 12 o’clock, and over to the large calendar aperture at 3 o’clock, this nicely proportioned navy blue dial is a pleasure to eye. Shinola then enhances that visual pleasure by offering the option to swap the steel quick-release bracelet with a patterned blue strap made from recycled ocean bound plastic.
The watch is especially attractive to those with smaller wrists or collectors who prefer sporty watches with moderate case diameters. This new model at 40mm is smaller than other models in Shinola’s impressive Monster series, which measure 43mm and 45mm.
You’ll find the requisite 24-hour markers needed to track time in another timezone plainly positioned along a navy-blue ceramic bezel insert.
The independently set blue and orange-tipped GMT hand, which rotates once a day, allows you to check that second timezone quickly.
Inside Shinola fits a Sellita automatic movement with a solid 56-hour power reserve. The movement, protected with 100 meters of water resistance, is visible through the watch’s fully open caseback.
The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph AM F1 Edition, the third model in partnership with Aston Martin and its Formula 1 team, once again is a winner right at the starting line. The watchmaker mixes racing carbon with titanium powder and rubber to premiere a watch with a very sharp-looking lightweight case and an ultra-strong high-tech Racing Green strap.
The new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph AM F1 Edition.
As noted, the new watch, a very sporty black and green chronograph with an unusual carbon case, is the third collaboration from Girard-Perregaux and Aston Martin. The companies have previously collaborated on two watches: the Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges Aston Martin Edition and the Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition.
Carbon case
In keeping with its partner’s racing lineage, Girard-Perregaux’s case makers mixed various carbon components used in two 2021 F1 race cars with titanium powder to forge the new watch’s case.
When combined with a green-tinted resin, the resulting 44mm octagonal Laureato case is as tough as steel, according to the watchmaker. In addition, this mixing of materials means each watch will display a slightly different green and black pattern on its case, bezel and crown protector.
The dial on the watch is presented in sunray ‘Aston Martin Racing Green’ and is adorned with a cross-hatching motif that can be traced back to the Aston Martin ‘AM’ badge of 1921.
Girard-Perregaux also extends its technical innovation to the watch’s strap to create another first for the watchmaker: The strap is made of rubber and carbon elements taken from two 2021-season Formula One racecars. The strap is then combined with Aston Martin Racing Green fabric covering and linked to the wrist with a micro adjustment system.
Inside Girard-Perregaux fits its excellent Caliber GP03300-1058, which is visible via a sapphire caseback. That visibility is a first for any Laureato Absolute Chronograph.
Girard-Perregaux is limiting its Laureato Absolute Chronograph AM F1 Edition to 306 pieces, which represents the total distance in miles drivers Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel will aim to cover on race day at the 2022 British Grand Prix.
Price: $27,800.
Specifications: Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph AM F1 Edition(Reference: 81060-41-3071-1CX , a limited edition of 306 pieces).
Case: 44mm by 15.15mm titanium and carbon case, with carbon extracted from two Formula One racecars. Sapphire crystal and back. Back with white Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team decal.
Dial: Sunray ‘Aston Martin Racing Green’ with cross-hatching, indexes with luminescent green emission. Hands: skeletonized baton type with luminescent green emission. Chronograph hands in yellow. Water resistance to 100 meters.
Movement: GP03300-1058 automatic, frequency of 28,800 Vph, power reserve of 46 hours. Functions: Chronograph, hours, minutes, small seconds, date.
Strap: GP Rubber Alloy in Aston Martin Racing Green – a mix of rubber and carbon extracted from two Formula One race cars used during the 2021 season, fabric effect and green stitches. Buckle: Folding with micro adjustment system, titanium with black PVD treatment.
Multi-disciplinary artist Samuel Ross teams with Hublot to create the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross, a stylized, hexagonal 44mm watch with titanium honeycomb mesh featured on its sapphire dial, case, case back and strap.
The new Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross.
The debut is the Hublot ambassador’s first wristwatch built with the Swiss watchmaker, which has teamed with artists for more than a decade under its “Hublot Loves Art” initiative.
Hublot has worked with Ross previously, though not for a watch, when the watchmaker awarded Ross its Hublot Design Prize in 2019 as the artist unveiled a multi-material ‘fused’ sculpture designed to celebrate Hublot’s fortieth anniversary.
On the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross, the 30-year-old artist combines his signature use of color and geometry to make this lightweight, sporty tourbillon-regulated time-only watch. The watch’s multi-level sapphire and titanium dial is both eye-catching and technically impressive; its honeycomb caseback (below) delightfully mixes geometry and gearing.
Hublot explains that Ross opted for an orange color scheme to represent “energy and optimism” and has directed the color for the strap and accents on the crown and tourbillon bridge and lateral bumpers that protect the case. The bright color frames a grey, satin-finished case and bezel.
Inside Hublot sets its manufacture HUB6035 caliber (see specifications below) that offers an impressive seventy-two hours of power reserve. Hublot will make fifty Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross watches.
Hublot is celebrating the debut by enveloping its Fifth Avenue boutique in New York City in orange. The ‘takeover’ will then be repeated in Hublot stores globally as the watch reaches showcases.
Price: $116,000.
Hublot Ambassador Samuel Ross, wearing the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross.
Specifications: Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross
(Ref. 428.NX.0100.RX.SRA22)
Case: 44mm by 13.75mm satin-polished titanium with satin-finished case back and bezel. Water resistant to 30 meters.
Movement: Caliber HUB6035 with self-winding micro-rotor, skeleton tourbillon, frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vph) and 72-hour power reserve.
Dial: Skeletonized with honeycomb pattern titanium, three sapphire bridges.
Strap: Orange rubber with titanium deployant buckle.
Zurich-based Ineichen Auctioneers will help Audemars Piguet celebrate five decades of Royal Oak designs with Royal 50, a dedicated auction to mark the anniversary.
The auction, which is scheduled to place in Zurich and online on May 28, will also mark the first time a major watch auction house will drop the buyer’s premium and register its shares on the Blockchain.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was among the first high-end sports watches made with a steel case. And, presaging the upcoming auction, a Royal Oak was also the first collectible watch that Ineichen CEO Artemy Lechbinskiy added to his own collection.
The Ineichen auction joins other 50th anniversary celebrations underway in auction houses and exhibitions across the globe. For example, the Royal Oak design is the subject of an exhibition at Harrods in London while Audemars Piguet itself is debuting a 39mm steel Extra-Thin 50th anniversary Royal Oak with a flying tourbillon, with a 37mm version set for release in late 2022.
Here are the top lots listed for the Royal 50 auction, slated for May 28.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26530ST
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26530ST (Estimate: CHF 400,000 – 450,000)
This model boasts Audemars Piguet’s signature Tapisserie design transformed into a sunburst pattern (called Evolutive). More of the sunburst pattern can be revealed behind the sapphire caseback. From the back you’ll see a beautifully finished in-house Caliber 2950 with 65 hours of power reserve and Geneva stripes, emulating the pattern on the dial. This stainless steel version comes with a smoked blue gradient dial design.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26591TI
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie Premier Limited Edition Ref. 26591TI (Estimate: CHF 350,000 – 400,000)
This model, called Supersonnerie, produces loud and clear sound and is a result of eight years of research. Unlike most others repeaters, the Supersonnerie’s gongs are attached to a titanium membrane on the back of the movement. This membrane acts the same way as guitar’s soundboard, dramatically amplifying the sound and providing it with the most clear, pleasing tone. Apertures in the caseback allow the sound to escape freely.
The 42mm case crafted from grade 5 titanium is complemented with a titanium bracelet. Inside lies in-house Caliber 2953, a hand-wound movement made of 362 parts and beating at 3Hz. Made as a five-piece limited edition with a smoked blue Grande Tapisserie dial, the watch is among the most collectible minute repeaters.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Automatic Ref. 25902PT.OO.1110PT.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Automatic Ref. 25902PT.OO.1110PT.01 (above) Estimate: (CHF 350,000 – 400,000)
Launched in 1999, only ten pieces were produced. Inside is the automatic tourbillon caliber 2875SQ, which was seldom used in the Audemars Piguet collection. Now discontinued, this artistic skeleton execution appears only in this reference. The 41mm case is made of platinum 950.
A transparent dial showcases the chiseled and engraved skeletonized caliber 2875SQ. The power reserve is up to 54 hours and visible via the sub-dial at 9 o’clock. Hours and minutes are indicated with an off-center main dial. The flying tourbillon is at 6 o’clock, and the date sub-dial at 3 o’clock.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Open-worked ‘Rose Gold Jumbo’ Ref. 15204OR.OO.1240OR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Open-worked ‘Rose Gold Jumbo’ Ref. 15204OR.OO.1240OR.01, above. (Estimate: CHF 150,000 – 200,000)
This open-worked mechanical watch features outstanding technical and decorative characteristics of the skeletonized caliber 5122, one of the best traditionally skeletonized self-winding movements with art-deco aesthetics.
Launched in 2014, this rose gold 39mm watch features a skeleton dial with a peripheral chapter ring, rose gold hour and minute hands, and a luminous, sapphire caseback. The ultra-thin, self-winding, open-worked 22k gold oscillating weight displays the logo and Tapisserie motif on the rim.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘All-Rose Gold’ Ref. 25829OR.OO.0944OR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘All-Rose Gold’ Ref. 25829OR.OO.0944OR.01 (above) (Estimate: CHF 200,000 – 250,000)
A refined open-worked perpetual calendar wristwatch in rose gold; this Royal Oak perpetual calendar watch communicates a certain era in the development of the Royal Oak collection – from 1997 to 2014. At this point, the dial incorporated the classic leap year indicator, but was still without the central hand to indicate the week of the year.
The latter is a customary feature of modern models cloned from caliber 2120/2800. The transparent dial with blackened-gold, leaf-shaped hour and minute hands on Royal Oak models is also rare, as is the all-rose-gold execution of the watch. The piece is no longer in production. It was succeeded in 2015 by the latest generation of 41mm perpetual calendars, featuring the number of the week indication via a special pointed hand.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘The First Generation’ Ref. 25636BA.OO.0344BA.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘The First Generation’ Ref. 25636BA.OO.0344BA.01 (Estimate: CHF 200,000 – 250,000)
The first open-worked perpetual calendar in the Royal Oak collection, produced from 1983 to 1993. At this stage in the development of the Royal Oak perpetual calendar the classic leap year indicator was absent from the dial. Ref. 25636BA is seldom seen on auction. The number of pieces produced was limited, with production discontinued in 1993. The case of this wristwatch is 18k yellow gold. It has a diameter of 39mm, and thickness of 8.3mm. The early Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “stick” hands are noteworthy on the transparent sapphire (or skeleton) dial.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘Platinum Edition’ Ref. 25829PT.OO.0944PT.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Open-worked ‘Platinum Edition’ Ref. 25829PT.OO.0944PT.01, above. (Estimate: CHF 200,000 – 250,000)
This platinum Ref. 25829PT is another rarity. It features a rare full-platinum case, bezel and bracelet. A collector’s item from the 1997 to 2014 era, its dial features the classic leap year indicator sans central hand for the week of the year. The transparent dial with leaf- shaped hands, which is unique to the Royal Oak collection, as well as the ultra-rare platinum execution makes it a priority for collectors.
The case in platinum 950, with a 39mm diameter, 9.3mm thickness, and transparent sapphire (skeleton) dial encloses the caliber 2120/2800SQ, and a self-winding, open-worked rotor with ultra-thin inertial segment in 21k yellow gold. The power reserve is up to 40 hours. This piece is mounted on a platinum Royal Oak bracelet with Audemars Piguet platinum double folding clasp.
Inside Shinola fits a Sellita automatic movement with a solid 56-hour power reserve. The movement, protected with 100 meters of water resistance, is visible through the watch’s fully open caseback.
