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Wempe Expands Iron Walker With Larger Chronographs

Wempe Glashütte, the manufacturing arm of esteemed watch and jewelry retailer Wempe, this week amps up its sporty Iron Walker collection with Iron Walker Chronograph XL, a new line of slightly larger 44mm automatic chronographs.

The new Wempe Iron Walker Chronograph XL.

Not only are the new watches larger in size than the initial set of 42mm Iron Walker chronographs (which debuted in 2020), the new collection also offers customers the option of buying a model with a rubber strap. Wempe carries this enhanced sportiness to the watch’s crown, bezel and pushers, all of which are coated with matching rubber.

The new collection is also distinct from its forebear inside its newly rubber-accented case. Wempe fits a Sellita SW500 automatic caliber inside each of the four debut Iron Walker Chronograph XL models. This differs from the ETA 7753 Valjoux chronograph inside the Iron Walker Automatic Chronograph collection.

Like the earlier models, all the new watches are chronometer-certified by stringent German chronometric testing according to the ISO 3159 standard. This means each watch is certified to a maximum average rate variation of only two seconds per day when mounted in the case.

Wempe added Iron Walker in 2020, and at the time the company noted the collection was designed to create moderately priced watches with high-end specifications. (See the full list of Iron Walker Chronograph XL specifications below.)

Wempe also devised Iron Walker to complement Wempe’s other two wristwatch lines, which include Wempe Chronometerwerke (made with Wempe manufacture calibers) and Wempe Zeitmeister, which features basic mechanical models.

“We are making our own watches for daily use because many brands have withdrawn from the medium price range and only make luxury watches,” explains company director Kim-Eva Wempe. “Our strategy of making high-quality watches for smaller budgets as well has paid off.”

Price: $4,600.

Specifications: Wempe Iron Walker Chronograph XL

Movement: Automatic caliber SW500, frequency 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 48-hour power reserve, German chronometer officially tested according to ISO 3159.

Case: 44mm stainless steel, water-resistant to 100 meters, crown, button, and bezel with a rubber coating, sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating on both sides, screw-in crown.

Dial: Black or Nordic blue, steel hour markers with Super-LumiNova, bezel with a rubber coating in black or Nordic blue. Rhodium-plated hands with SuperLuminova.

Bracelet: Stainless steel with a folding clasp or a rubber strap with a folding clasp in black or Nordic blue.

Price: $4,600.

 

 

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Zenith Expands Defy With Bright Colors, Light Carbon and White Ceramic

Zenith’s first round of 2022 debuts expands its Defy family, a series encompassing Zenith’s most eclectic designs. While the collection debuted more than fifty years ago, most current Defy models are decidedly contemporary, with the exception of the recently debuted Revival homage to the first Defy, the limited edition Defy “Bank Vault.”

We showed you the new Defy Skyline last week just as Zenith introduced it during LVMH Watch Week. While the Skyline was the brand’s highlight Defy debut, with a fully new design and mechanical display, Zenith also added extensions to several models in the Defy series. These debuts include the Defy 21 Chroma and the Defy Extreme Carbon (each with dual high-frequency escapements), and two new 36mm Defy Midnight watches with colorful dials and diamond-set bezels.

The new Zenith Defy 21 Chroma.

Defy 21 Chroma

The Defy 21 Chroma’s 44mm matte white ceramic case provides the perfect frame for a colorful show on and underneath its dial. Even the watch’s strap and crown contribute to the watch’s rainbow theme.

The color show starts around the dial where, starting with red at 12 o’clock, Zenith represents the full spectrum along the markers and on the 1/100-of-a-second scale. Under the dial Zenith constructs its movement with the same colors (in the same order) in a metallic sheen, with each highlighting a different movement component. Even the chronograph counter hands are tipped in colors.

The movement here is the Zenith’s 1/100th of a second chronograph movement, the El Primero 9004 automatic (aka, the El Primero 21), which features two independent regulators and gear trains for the timekeeping and chronograph functions, operating at frequencies of 5Hz (36,000 VpH) and 50Hz (360,000 VpH), respectively.

Limited to 200 pieces, the Defy 21 Chroma is priced at $14,500.

Defy Extreme Carbon

The Zenith Defy Extreme Carbon.

Seen first last year, the Defy Extreme is Zenith’s most indestructible model. With this latest example, Zenith finally adds the Defy Extreme to its growing list of Defy models constructed using some form of carbon in either its case, bracelet, or both.

Here, Zenith builds the watch’s 45mm case using carbon fiber and microblasted titanium. This combination means the watch is both lightweight, extremely shock resistant––and visually striking.

The watch catches your eye in part because, despite its generally dark profile, Zenith displays hints of color on the dial. The livery is inspired by Extreme E, the world’s first off-road electric rally racing championship, which Zenith officially times as a Founding Partner.

Echoing the Defy 21 Chroma, this model also exposes its El Primero 21 automatic high-frequency chronograph caliber through the watch’s front and back. And like all Zenith El Primro 21-powered models, the Defy Extreme Carbon offers 1/100th-of-a-second time measurements with two high-frequency escapements.

Zenith will deliver its Defy Extreme Carbon with three straps, each interchangeable without requiring any tools. These are: a black textured rubber strap with a micro blasted titanium folding buckle, a red textured rubber strap and a black Velcro strap with a carbon fiber buckle.

Price: $25,100

Defy Midnight

In addition to the above debuts, Zenith adds two new Defy Midnight watches to this collection’s roster of automatic 36mm steel watches with starry dials and diamond-bezels. The new watches continue to enhance Zenith’s apparent focus on adding touches of color to the year’s wristwear.

While not rainbow-flecked like the larger Defy debuts noted above, each Defy Midnight debut references a colorful natural nightime phenomenon. Both feature a guilloché engraved dial with a pleasing radiant wave pattern.

One, the Defy Midnight Sunset, offers a dial that nicely transitions from warm red to deep yellow, a gradiant scheme meant to recall the evening’’s final rays of light.

The Defy Midnight Borealis, as its name implies, evokes the aurora borealis or northern lights phenomenon. Its midnight blue dial gradually shifts to emerald green towards to bottom. Zenith applies diamonds on every hour marker except at 3 o’clock, where we see the date window.

As seen through a sapphire case back, each Defy Midnight is powered with Zenith’s automatic Elite 670 caliber, which provides a power reserve of fifty hours. And, as with all Defy Midnight steel bracelet models, Zenith includes three additional straps made of leather, textile and rubber, all of which can be easily changed without requiring any tools.

Prices: $11,400 for either model.

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The Watches

Split Dial Highlights Final Zenith Lupin III A384 Series

Zenith releases the third and final watch in a special series that debuted in the metal in 2019, but had its origins fifty years ago.

The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third – Final Edition dramatically combines two dials of Zenith watches designed to echo the famed Zenith A384 from 1969.

The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third – Final Edition

That original watch, depicted with a (then non-existent) black, grey and gilt dial, was seen on the wrist of a character in the Japanese anime series starring Arsene Lupin III. The same character, Daisuke Jigen, wears another Zenith A384 later in the series, again with a dial Zenith had not yet designed.

Zenith finally created a genuine Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third watch in 2019, followed by a second edition in 2020, with each model depicting the ‘panda’ style dials seen in the animated series.

This year the watchmaker finalizes the series with this appropriately named debut—and the design is both unexpected and exhilarating.

The new watch, a limited edition of 250, combines the two previous Zenith dials in this Lupin III series. On the left, the watch features a semi-glossy black dial, grey counters and golden markers and hands from the first edition. On the right side Zenith places a white dial with contrasting black counters in the “panda” layout inspired by the second Lupin the Third edition. 

The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third – Final Edition features a 37mm titanium case in the proportions of the original A384. Inside Zenith fits its superb El Primero 400 automatic integrated column-wheel chronograph (see specifications below). The rotor, according to Zenith displays an engraving of Daisuke Jigen through its sapphire caseback. We’ll show you the back of the watch as soon as we obtain images from Zenith.

This piece is limited to 250 pieces. Price: $10,000

 

Specifications: Zenith Chronomaster Revival Lupin The Third – Final Edition

(Reference: 95.L384.400/50.M384, Limited edition of 250)

Movement: El Primero 400 Automatic column-wheel chronograph with a frequency of 36,000 Vph (5 Hz) and a power reserve of 50 hours.

Functions: Hours and minutes in the center, small seconds at nine o’clock. Chronograph: central chronograph hand, 12-hour counter at six o’clock, 30-minute counter at three o’clock. Tachymetric scale. Date indication.
Case: 37-mm titanium, tonneau-shaped and water resistant to fifty meters.

Dial: Black & white special split color design. Hands and hour-markers are rhodium-plated or gold-plated, faceted and coated with beige SuperLuminova.
Bracelet: Titanium “ladder” bracelet and double folding clasp.

Price: $10,000

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Omega Launches Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold

Omega starts its new year by introducing a new Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold.  The namesake white gold alloy, which Omega debuted in 2015, includes platinum, rhodium and palladium and is brighter and harder than traditional watch case white gold alloys.

The new Omega Speedmaster 321 in an 18-karat Canopus Gold case and bracelet.

The Omega Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold release, meant to mark the Speedmaster’s 65th anniversary, is a particularly high-end version of the famed watch and not only is cased in 38.6mm gold, but also features a black onyx dial, white gold hands and a bezel filled with black Grand Feu enamel.

Omega designed the watch to closely echo the first Speedmaster (known as the CK2915-1). Thus collectors will note details such as the NAIAD symbol on the watch’s crown, which was specifically used to reference water-resistance in some of the first CK2915 models, as well as an applied vintage Omega logo and typography featuring an oval O as was found on the first CK2915 models. Collectors will also see the ‘dot over ninety’ (DON) and a dot diagonal to seventy.

The bezel is filled with black Grand Feu enamel.

Inside Omega places the revamped Caliber 321, a handcrafted remake of the original movement used inside the 1957 Speedmaster.

Omega’s manual-winding Caliber 321, now finished in Sedna gold PVD.

You might recall that Omega brought the manual-winding Caliber 321 back into production in 2019 with all the required technical specifications. However, today’s edition of the famed chronograph movement with column wheel is finished with a brilliant 18-karat Sedna gold PVD coating.

On the caseback, you’ll find the Omega Seahorse design engraved inside the sapphire crystal.

On the back Omega adds another tribute to the Speedmaster anniversary with an engraving of the Omega Seahorse icon. Omega added a new sparkle to the Seahorse’s eye, crafting it from a blue sapphire, a jewel that traditionally marks a 65-year celebration.

Omega offers the new Speedmaster 321 Canopus Gold watch on an 18-karat Canopus Gold bracelet. The watch arrives inside a special wooden box inspired by the original 1957 Speedmaster boxes.

Price: $81,000

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Hublot Lights Up a New Fuente Limited Edition

Hublot continues its long-running affiliation with the Dominican Republic-based Arturo Fuente cigar empire with a new limited-edition watch that celebrates Carlos A. Fuente Sr., the son of the company’s namesake founder.

The new Big Bang Unico Arturo Fuente Ceramic is the first ceramic model in the series, which debuted in 2012. Echoing earlier Fuente models, Hublot has laser-engraved the new watch’s 44-mm black ceramic case with a tobacco leaf pattern. Within the case Hublot fits its excellent UNICO caliber HUB1242 movement, a flyback column-wheel chronograph offering a 72-hour power reserve.

The new Hublot Big Bang Unico Arturo Fuente Ceramic.

Hublot adds a host of details to the watch to underscore its rich partnership with the Fuente family. For example, the watchmaker places Roman numerals on the dial instead of the traditional Arabic numerals found on most other Big Bang Unico models.

This gesture, according to Hublot, adds “a remarkable note of authenticity to the timepiece” because the Roman numerals are also seen on a clock that has historically appeared on the family crest. The numerals reference the Fuente motto: “We will never rush the hands of time.”

The crowned lion that appears at 9 o’clock on the watch’s skeletonized dial references the fact that Fuente supplied cigars to the Spanish court.

Furthermore, Hublot places Fuente’s historic logo appears in the center of the caseback along with “CF” in reference to Carlos Fuente Sr. and the words “Edición de homenaje” (which is Spanish for “edition in homage”). A dedication by Carlito Fuente Jr. reads: “Our Father, Our Friend, Our Hero.”

Finally, the back of the watch is engraved with “Big Bang Limited Edition” along with the number of the piece in the limited edition run of 100 pieces.

Hublot places its new Big Bang Unico Arturo Fuente Ceramic in a lacquered wooden gift box that also serves as a cigar humidor.

Price: $28,300.

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