Luminox celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the Navy SEALs, a long-time Luminox partner, by issuing a specialized version of its all-black Series 3580 Navy SEAL series watch, one of the watchmaker’s best-selling chronographs.
To help celebrate the famed military unit’s anniversary, Luminox has emblazoned the SEAL mantra “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast” in all capital letters – and in red – on an otherwise dark dial. The tip of the seconds hand and the hour markers are the only other red accents on this nicely textured black dial.
The Navy SEAL mantra is meant to remind Luminox wearers that often the best and quickest way to accomplish any task is to take time and to slow down and focus on the task at hand.
The 45mm quartz-powered chronograph model is encased in Luminox’s carbon alloy called Carbonox, which also comprises the material for the unidirectional bezel.
As you’d expect from this brand, the new model incorporates Luminox Light Technology, which ensures that the markers and hands remain visible in any light condition for up to twenty-five years.
Luminox protects the Ronda quartz chronograph movement inside with 200-meters of water resistance, an especially hardened crown, a double security gasket and a steel caseback.
The watch’s black rubber strap is held to the wrist with a stainless steel brushed IP black signature Luminox buckle. Price: $595.
As the King of the Court’s official timekeeper, Maurice Lacroix launches the 42mm titanium chronograph with eye-catching black, white and golden yellow color accents to match the volleyball organization’s official colors. In addition, you’ll find that the case back is engraved with the King of the Court logo.
For those evening matches, Maurice Lacroix ensures easy dial visibility with extra strong luminescent material on the watch’s hour and minute hands.
Maurice Lacroix supplies a three-color premium-quality rubber strap with the watch. The watchmaker says the new strap is “more flexible, aiding wearer comfort and provides superior wear resistance.”
And as is the case with the full Aikon collection, the new watch is also endowed with the Easy Strap Exchange system that allows for tool-free strap changes. Price: $1,500.
TAG Heuer heats up its Carrera collection with the new TAG Heuer Carrera Red Dial Limited Edition, a crimson-red-dialed Carrera that echoes the watchmaker’s long-standing role as a watch of choice among professional race car drivers.
Seen infrequently within the full TAG Heuer collection today (with the exception of a few Formula 1 models and this stunning bronze-cased Autavia watch), red has long been a favorite accent color for the watchmaker.
A red tachymeter scale dominated many Carrera models in the 1960s. Similarly, we’ve also seen bright red hands for decades on the Heuer Monaco. More recently, a few of you might recall the 2010 remake of the stunning 1974 Heuer Silverstone.
This newest red-dialed beauty features a brushed sunray dial with nicely snailed chronograph counters that allow light to reflect and refract.
TAG Heuer has been careful to attend to the Carrera’s signature lugs, pushers, glass-box sapphire crystal and tri-compax layout. Modern touches appear with SuperLuminova coatings on the faceted hands and indexes, a clear sapphire back and the slightly larger 39mm case size.
Inside, TAG Heuer places its excellent Calibre Heuer 02, which boasts eighty hours of power reserve and a (red-tinted) column-wheel. Framing the movement is a special engraving that extols the limited nature of this new watch, which TAG Heuer is offering as a limited edition of 600 pieces. Price: $6,750.
A. Lange & Söhne releases its 1815 Rattrapante with a platinum case, adding a new look to the highly complex chronograph with split-seconds mechanism. The German watchmaker had previously offered the watch, its first pure split-seconds model, only cased in its own Honey Gold alloy.
The new look also provides a bright silver dial and dark blued hands that add a regal air to the watch. The watch’s classical railway-track minute scale and the large Arabic numerals retain watchmaker’s own historic style, especially apt for a collection named for the birth year of its founder Ferdinand A. Lange.
While the dial appears traditional, its layout is somewhat unusual for an A. Lange & Söhne chronograph. Watchmakers opted to place the 30-minute counter and the subsidiary seconds dial at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, respectively, on the vertical center axis, veering from the more traditional positions at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.
The watchmaker’s beautifully decorated caliber L101.2, fully visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, treats the wearer to a micro-engineered show as gears and levers slide and click through elapsed and lap-time measurements, a display centered on the movement’s two column wheels. (See specifications below for details).
A. Lange & Söhne equips the movement with bridges and cocks made of untreated German silver, a screw balance, screwed gold chatons that secure the jewels and a hand-engraved balance cock. And of course all the levers, springs and jumpers are decorated with straight graining while all peripheral chamfers are polished.
A. Lange & Söhne will make the 1815 Rattrapante with a platinum case as a limited edition of 200 pieces. Price: Initially listed at $154,200, the price is now upon request.
Specifications: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante
(Ref. 425.025, 200-piece limited edition)
Movement: Lange manufacture caliber L101.2, manually wound, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates made of untreated German silver; balance cock and chronograph bridge engraved by hand. Shock-resistant screw balance; balance spring crafted in-house, frequency 21,600 vph, precision-beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring. Power reserve is 58 hours when fully wound.
Case: 41.2 mm by 12.6mm platinum. Crown for winding the watch and setting the time, two chronograph pushers, one pusher to operate the rattrapante (split-second) mechanism.
Dial: Solid silver.
Strap: Hand-stitched black alligator leather with platinum buckle.
Price: Initially listed at $154,200, the price is now upon request.
Detroit Watch Company looks to the skies as it expands its primarily ground-based collection of affordably priced automatic models, most of which are inspired by its local industry and – unusually – its area code. Look for a new set of pilot-styled watches called Aviator in the collection, which are debuting with two options: a power reserve model and a chronograph.
You might be familiar with the company’s very cool City Collection 313, which mimics an analog telephone dial, or its impressive M1-Woodward series, named for a legendary Detroit avenue. Each delivers distinctive style borne of its hometown as filtered through the eyes of Detroit Watch Company founders Patrick and Amy Ayoub, who started the company together nine years ago.
The pair’s latest designs, each limited to 100 pieces, echo popular pilot watch designs, but with a Detroit twist. Both are built with 42mm steel cases, with a black DLC option also available in an additional twenty-five editions both models. And each features a dial and crown imprinted with a Detroit Fleur-de-Lys.
On the Aviator Power Reserve you’ll find a prominently placed power reserve indicator at the 6 o’clock position, alongside a large sub-seconds indicator.
The Aviator Chronograph offers pure pilot styling with a day-date display, a red-tipped chronograph seconds that also boasts a stylized Detroit ‘D’.
These are super-solid steel-cased watches with distinctive styling, Swiss automatic movements – all sold at an impressively affordable prices. Prices: $1,495-$1,595 (Aviator Power Reserve) and $2,200 – $2,350 (Aviator Chronograph)
Specifications: Detroit Watch Company Aviator Power Reserve
(Limited to 100 numbered pieces. 001/100. 25 pieces in DLC)
Movement: Automatic Swiss Sellita SW279-1, deluxe finishing, Glucydur balance, Incabloc shock absorber, date, 28,800 vph, 38-hour power reserve. Decorated movement with blued screws, perlage, Cotes de Genève.
Dial: Black or green, date display in window, power reserve subdial counter.
Case: 42mm x 9.7mm polished/brushed stainless steel, screw down crown. Exhibition caseback. Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Also available in DLC (with black dial). Water resistant to fifty meters.
Strap: Calf leather with buckle and quick release spring bars. Ballistic (Kevlar) strap with deployant clasp on DLC edition.
Price: $1495-$1595 (DLC Edition)
Specifications: Detroit Watch Company Aviator Chronograph
(Limited to 100 numbered pieces. 001/100. 25 pieces in DLC)