TAG Heuer this week adds a teal-green-dialed beauty to its Carrera collection with the Carrera Green Special Edition, an eye-catching ode to the brand’s famed 1963 original.
The new TAG Heuer Carrera Green Special Edition.
While the shimmering, sunray-finished blue-green color is new for Carrera, the watch’s signature lugs, polished steel case and pushers recall the original with purist accuracy, though the case now measures 39mm in diameter rather than 36mm for the original.
The enviable dial retains the same Heuer tri-compax layout (minute chronograph at 3 o’clock, hour chronograph at 9 o’clock and permanent second indicator at 6 o’clock) found on the original.
The watch’s nicely faceted hands, domed glass box crystal and Heuer logo thoughtfully extend the commemoration. In fact, the vintage-hued SuperLuminova seems to amplify the apparent depth of the dial, a visual effect already strengthened by the crystal’s curves.
TAG Heuer extends the dial’s teal color to the movement, where thanks to the transparent caseback you’ll see the color on the movement’s column wheel and in the Calibre Heuer 02 and Swiss Made inscriptions on the rotor.
Inside the Carrera Green Special Edition TAG Heuer fits its superior Caliber Heuer 02 manufacture movement that utilizes a column wheel and vertical clutch and boasts an impressive 80-hour power reserve. Finally, TAG Heuer attaches the watch to your wrist with a black alligator leather strap with a folding clasp and two safety push buttons.
TAG Heuer now offers the 500-piece limited edition chronograph on its e-commerce websites and at TAG Heuer boutiques. Price: $6,650.
Specifications: TAG Heuer Carrera Green Special Edition
Reference: CBK221F.FC6479 (Limited Edition of 500)
Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic manufacture movement. Chronograph with minute and hour hands, permanent second, hour and minute indicators, center seconds hand.
Case: 39mm polished stainless-steel case and fixed bezel, domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, polished stainless-steel crown with push buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock. Water-resistant to 100 meters, SPECIAL EDITION engraved on the caseback
Dial: Teal sunray brushed dial and flange with three snailed subdials. Permanent seconds indicator, polished and rhodium-plated hour and minute hands coated with SuperlumiNova.
Strap: Black alligator leather strap featuring a polished stainless-steel folding clasp with two safety push buttons.
Junghans celebrates its 160th anniversary this year with an impressive array of new watches that primarily feature the German-based watchmaker and clockmaker’s historically based Max Bill and Meister collections.
The new Junghans Max Bill Regulator is one of three Max Bill watches offered as part of a limited edition set.
In addition, Junghans adds a limited-edition model to its newer, minimalist Form line while also reviving a long-time favorite kitchen clock/timer it originally debuted in the 1950s.
Junghans has revived a kitchen clock/timer originally sold in the 1950s.
Here, we’ll focus on the additions to the Meister line, with special attention to the Meister Signature Hand-winding Edition 160. Look to future postings for details about the clock and the Max Bill collection updates, or check them out here on the Junghans website.
Gold Meister
The new Meister Signature Hand-winding Edition 160 is a manual-wind model cased in 18-karat gold and fit with an interesting Junghans movement that oscillates at a leisurely 18,000 bph. Measuring a wrist-friendly 39mm in diameter, the limited edition (of 160) watch recalls dress watch styling from the 1960s and 1970s, which Junghans underscores with a decidedly retro rendition of its brand name, as seen on Junghans products of yore.
The new Junghans Meister Signature Hand-winding Edition 160.
Junghans produced the original J620 hand-winding movement between 1966 and 1975 and utilized it for a wide range of mechanical three-hand wristwatches. The J620 can also be found in the Junghans Olympic series of 14-karat gold watches made in 1971 and 1972.
The original Junghans J620 manual-wind movement (right) and the new gold-plated caliber.
For the new watch, Junghans has disassembled, decorated and reassembled existing, historical J620 movements, plating each with a coat of 18-karat rose gold for good measure. And Junghans has thoughtfully provided a clear sapphire caseback to view the work. Price: $9,800.
Meister Power Reserve
Displaying an unusual vertical power reserve indicator just above the 6 o’clock position, the new Meister Gangreserve (power reserve) Edition 160 echoes a similar design Junghans released in the 1950s.
On the steel Junghans Meister Gangreserve (power reserve) Edition 160, the power reserve indicator gradually changes from green to yellow to red as reserve is reduced.
As the power reserve recedes, the indicator’s color on the steel-bracelet model gradually changes from green to yellow and finally to red, which indicates that it’s time to wind the automatic watch again. Two leather-strap models are more subtle: When fully charged, the indicator shows the dial color (see example below). At fifty percent power, the indicator turn gray, and when power drops to zero, the indicator shows red. The Meister Gangreserve Edition 160 is limited to only 160 watches in each of three versions. Prices start at $1,700.
Meister Fein Automatic
This very modern design features a new convex case to frame its minimalist dial. Though not technically thin, it appears so on the wrist with a 39.5mm diameter, almost absent bezel and long hands and markers.
The Junghans Meister Fein Automatic.
Only a date window interrupts the finely detailed dial. Inside, Junghans places a self-winding (ETA-based) J800.1 movement with a power reserve of up to 38 hours. Prices begin at $1,450.
A side view of the Junghans Meister Fein Automatic shows the new convex case.
Meister S Chronoscope, Platinum Edition 160
Junghans cases its most limited anniversary model in polished platinum. The Chronoscope is one of the brand’s top sellers, and here Junghans creates a twelve-piece numbered edition, with the limited edition number cleverly noted within the twelve-hour counter.
The new Junghans Meister S Chronoscope, Platinum Edition 160.
The 45mm by 15.9mm watch features a screwed solid platinum case back with edition logo engraving and a platinum screwed crown (and tube). Its dial reflects the precious case with a gold-hued markers and a nice lacquer finish that fades from matte silver-plate in the center to grey at the edge, set with luminous markers.
The new Junghans Meister S Chronoscope Platinum Edition 160 dial
The synthetic rubber strap features an alligator leather inlay and a platinum buckle. Price: $19,200.
Movement: Historical hand-winding Junghans movement J620 with a power reserve of up to 45 hours, 18,000 bph, rose-gold plated, sunburst ratchet wheel, polished barrel bridge, gear bridge and balance cock with fine longitudinal grinding, stones in polished, bowl-shaped countersinks, outside with fine diamond cut, polished steel screws, Junghans star and caliber number engraving.
The Junghans J620 manual-wind movement.
Case: 39mm by 10.3mm rose gold, five-times screwed gold caseback with sapphire crystal with anti-reflection coating on both sides, domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflection coating on both sides. Water resistant to 100 meters.
Dial: Matte silver-plated, minute track with applied dots, dauphin hands with diamond cut.
Reflecting on my visits to what was once Baselworld, I fondly recall the booth created by Cuervo y Sobrinos, which replicated a Cuban bar especially for the event.
The booth played on the unique selling point for Cuervo y Sobrinos: its true Latin Legacy. The company dates to 1882 when Spanish immigrant Ramon Fernandos Cuervo established his first jewelry store on Calle de la Amistad in Havana.
The brand developed a solid reputation within the industry, and in 2018 Massimo Rossi and a team of investors acquired the name. Fortunately, Cuervo y Sobrinos, now making watches in Switzerland, has continued the successful legacy of the name and unveiled many new timepieces. A great example can be found in the exquisite limited edition (100-pieces) Historiador Landeron.
The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Landeron 3146.1N
Historic caliber
The significance of the Historiador Landeron is the mechanical movement that powers it. Cuervo y Sobrinos rediscovered a vintage caliber called the Landeron 248, which dates back to 1946. It was used in one of the Swiss brand’s premium historical chronographs and was used by many brands in the 1950s and 1960s.
Original Cuervo y Sobrinos watch fit with a Landeron movement.
Cuervo y Sobrinos recently debuted a modern incarnation of its historic Landeron chronographs with a fully restored version of the Landeron 248 movement, which Cuervo y Sobrinos showcases via the sapphire crystal exhibition caseback. Viewers are treated to an eye-catching view of the wheels and levers in motion.
Up-close on a Vintage Cuervo y Sobrinos Landeron Movement.
Cuervo y Sobrinos makes two interesting versions of the Historiador Landeron, each with with different dial options. The 3146.1W model features a white dial with tachymeter in blue and hours printed in black. The 3146.1N offers a black dial with gold color indexes and a tachymeter in white.
The newly rebuilt Landeron 248 Movement, now inside the Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Landeron.
Both these vintage-inspired watches have an enormous amount of style, but my preference is the black dial model. But if you like vintage style dress watches, both of these models are exceptionally enticing.
The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Landeron 3146.1N.
Even though the 40mm stainless steel case is much smaller than I choose to wear, it will certainly appeal to a broad demographic. I would also imagine it would be exceedingly comfortable to wear.
The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Landeron 3146.1W.
As a perfect finishing touch, Cuervo y Sobrinos equips the Historiador Landeron with a dark blue, high-gloss Louisiana alligator strap on the 3146.1W version and a black matte Louisiana alligator on the 3146.1N model. Price: $5,100.
Back view of the The Cuervo y Sobrinos Historiador Landeron 3146.1W.
Steve Huyton is an industrial designer, illustrator and author who publishes Total Design Reviews.
Bulova adds a new chronograph to its Joseph Bulova Collection, a set of automatic watches with designs inspired by Bulova watches made in the decades between 1920 and 1950.
This latest addition to the retro-themed collection is a three-subdial, 42mm steel-cased chronograph offered with either a black dial with rose-gold tone accents or a silver white dial with blue-tone accents.
The new 42mm Joseph Bulova Chronograph, powered by a Sellita automatic chonograph caliber.
While the new watch is larger than the original, and it now shows chronograph timing using three sub-dials instead of two, the new model retains several features that contributed to the character of the original watch.
The original features retained by Bulova include the telemeter scale around the perimeter of the dial, a domed crystal, railroad-track scales around the subdials and distinctive, squared chronograph pushers. In addition, Bulova has transferred the dial font and hand style from the original onto the new Joseph Bulova chronograph.
The new Joseph Bulova chronograph echoes the style of this vintage 1941 Bulova automatic chronograph, with a few key differences.
Of course, updates for both aesthetic and technical reasons are inevitable. For this piece, these include using anti-reflective sapphire to create the domed crystal, a day/date window and an exhibition caseback, exposing the rotor. Inside you’ll find a Swiss-made Sellita SW-500 chronograph caliber with a 48-hour power reserve.
Bulova is offering either style on a black leather strap engraved with Joseph Bulova’s signature on the inside. Finally, Bulova offers each watch in the Joseph Bulova collection as a limited edition of 350. Price: $2,495.
Bell & Ross just gave one of its most popular Vintage models a full-dial luminescent treatment. The brand’s new Vintage BR V2-94 Full LUM glows with a full base dial of pale green SuperLuminova, assuring full visibility in low light or total darkness.
But Bell & Ross didn’t stop with the green base-dial lume. In addition, the watchmaker has placed a second SuperLuminova color, a metallized pale yellow, on the dial’s skeletonized numerals, indices and primary hands. At the same time, and with clear definition, the 30-minute counter and chronograph seconds hand turn fluorescent blue.
The new Bell & Ross Vintage BR V2-94 Full LUM.
This three-hue lume effectively creates an unusually high level of clarity in low light environments for the retro-styled aviation automatic chronograph. The watch’s luminous trifecta very effectively enhances visibility, in large part due to the strong contrast between the luminescent colors and the black contours of the numerals, indices, hands, and counters.
The watch is the latest in an expanding collection of Bell & Ross LUM models, all of which feature fully luminous dials.
Domed glass
Befitting the retro tag, the Vintage BR V2-94 Full LUM’s 41mm steel case is topped with a domed glass-box sapphire crystal. And the bezel, composed of black anodized aluminum, offers a fixed 60-minute scale. Finally, the watch’s nicely proportioned chronograph pushers are screwed down.
Bell & Ross will make 250 examples of the Vintage BR V2-94 Full LUM, which will be supplied with a strap made from woven black rubber that provides the final vintage touch to the watch. Price: $5,100 (rubber strap model). A steel bracelet to fit the watch (see below) can be ordered separately for $520.
Specifications: Bell & Ross Vintage BR V2-94 Full LUM
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, central chronograph seconds.
Case: 41 mm in diameter. Satin-finished and polished steel. Fixed bezel with anodized black aluminum ring and 60-minute scale. Screw-down crown and pushers. Steel and sapphire case-back. Crystal is domed sapphire with anti-reflective coating. Water-resistance to 100 meters.
Dial: Bi-compax-style chronograph layout with luminescent green painted in SuperLuminova. Numerals and indices coated in SuperLuminova. Metal skeletonized yellow SuperLuminova-filled hour, minute and seconds hands.
Strap: Black rubber with pin buckle in satin-finished and polished steel. Also supplied with a steel bracelet.
Price: $5,100. A steel bracelet to fit the watch can be ordered separately for $520.
