Even though the Monaco Grand Prix, originally scheduled for last weekend, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TAG Heuer is still presenting a special-edition timepiece in tribute to the event and to the Monaco collection.
The new TAG Heuer Monaco Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition features the race’s red-and-white color, but now includes a small silver classic car logo at the 1 o’clock position in honor of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique race.
Additional race-imagery can be found on the caseback where TAG Heuer has printed the race’s logo on the inside of the transparent sapphire glass.
Inside, and visible through that caseback, TAG Heuer fits its in-house Caliber Heuer 02 chronograph movement, featuring a column wheel and a vertical clutch. The movement also offers an unusually long 80-hour power reserve. The new watch is to be made in a limited edition of 1,000, each of which is engraved with its unique number and the words “One of 1000”.
As is often the case with its limited editions, TAG Heuer is placing the new watch in its a themed package, which in this case is a red watch box decorated with a checkered racing flag. The new watch is available for pre-orders via www.tagheuer.com and in select TAG Heuer boutiques before its launch on July 27, 2020.
A scene from an earlier running of the Monaco Grand Prix Historiques, which was canceled this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
TAG Heuer is the Official Sponsor and Timekeeper of the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique as well as the Official Watch of the Monaco Grand Prix and the Official Watch Partner of the Monaco Top Cars Collection museum.
Price: CHF 6,700 (or approximately $6,885)
Specifications: TAG Heuer Monaco Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Limited Edition
(Reference CBL2114.FC6486, limited to 1,000 watches)
MOVEMENT: TAG Heuer Automatic Caliber Heuer 02 Manufacture automatic chronograph, 33 jewels, balance oscillating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz), 80-hour power reserve
FUNCTIONS: Chronograph with minutes and hours, permanent second indicator; date, hours, minutes; central chronograph seconds hand.
CASE:39mm fine-brushed and polished steel, fixed bezel, sapphire crystal with Grand Prix de Monaco Historique logo printing on the back, polished stainless-steel crown at 3 o’clock and push buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock, water-resistant to 100 meters, stainless-steel case back with limited-edition number engraving.
DIAL: Rhodium-plated red sunray brushed dial, rhodium-plated indexes and hour and minute hands with white SuperLuminova, red lacquered central hand, Grand Prix de Monaco Historique logo at 1 o’clock on the dial.
STRAP: Black calfskin leather strap, folding clasp in polished stainless steel
Ever since its 1992 debut, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control collection has been the source of many of the watchmaker’s most classically styled complicated watches. At the recent (virtual) Watches & Wonders 2020, Jaeger-LeCoultre refreshed that well-rounded collection with new movements, more contemporary styling and more impressive technical specifications.
The newest Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Calendar.
To do this, the watchmaker has incorporated design cues from many of its most important collections over many decades, most notably the Futurematic, PowerMatic and Memovox designs of the 1950s.
A few of the overall updates and Master Control enhancements include:
— A new 40mm case design that includes models with a new pink gold alloy called Le Grand Rose gold.
–New movements with increased power reserves (up to 70 hours in many of the new calibers). Most prominently, Jaeger-LeCoultre has re-engineered Calibre 899, a pillar of the Master Control collection. The improvements (also incorporated into the entire range of Master Control calibers) include a silicon escapement, a redesigned barrel and various energy-saving enhancements.
The new Caliber 899 inside the latest Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date now features a silicon escapement and pallets made using a slightly modified shape.
–On the dials, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s designers place sunray brushing on a silvery-white background, a blue central seconds hand on some models and blued subdial hands.
— All case-sides will be satin-brushed and complemented by a polished bezel, crowns and lugs. On the back you’ll find bas-relief engravings and a sapphire crystal caseback.
— The collection will now include soft, tan matte-finish Novonappa calf leather straps, made in France through a vegetable-based tanning process. The new straps can be changed without the need for a tool.
Like all Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces, the Master Control watches carry an eight-year warranty in addition to the 1,000 Hours Control certification.
Master Control Chronograph Calendar
At the top of the new Master Control lineup is this model, set with a newly developed movement, Calibre 759, that combines a chronograph with a triple calendar display and a moonphase display. The new movement features a column-wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch, a moon-phase indicator and a 65-hour power reserve.
The new Jaeger-LeCoutre Master Control Chronograph Calendar, here in a new Le Grand Rose gold case.Up close on the dial of the Master Control Chronograph Calendar.
A central chronograph seconds hand anchors the watch’s triple calendar, bi-compax display, while a pulsometric scale is marked around the dial flange. Jaeger-LeCoultre also adds rectangular chronograph pushers to the case, which is offered in steel ($14,500) or the new Le Grand Rose gold alloy ($26,000).
Note the new rectangular pushers on the Master Control Chronograph Calendar.Caseback view of the Master Control Chronograph Calendar, showing Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 759 with a 65-hour power reserve.Note the pulsometric scale around the dial flange of the Master Control Chronograph Calendar.
Master Control Date
With a thin 8.78mm case and a clean design, this model is directed by the new caliber Calibre 899, which now features a silicon escapement and pallets made using a slightly modified shape. Jaeger-LeCoultre says it has also remade the central-seconds wheel to eliminate shaking while also utilizing titanium for the fixing screws of the oscillating wheel.
The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date.
In order to increase the watch’s power reserve to seventy hours, Jaeger-LeCoultre redesigned the barrel to accommodate a stronger and longer mainspring without increasing the 3.3mm height of the movement. Price: $6,700.
Master Control Calendar
Here Jaeger-LeCoultre retains the model’s classical layout with the dates marked around the edge and indicated by a red-tipped hand, the days and months displayed in the upper part of the dial, and the moon-phase set within the small seconds subdial. But now there’s an all-new jumping complication.
Moonphase display on the new Master Control Calendar.
Every month, the date hand makes a 90-degree leap from the 15th to the 16th, which means the hand never obscures the moon-phase display. Available in rose gold ($22,500) and steel ($11,000).
The Master Control Calendar
Master Control Geographic
Now powered by the new-generation Calibre 939 (with a full 70-hour power reserve) the Master Control Geographic retains its familiar layout, with timezone displays balanced by a date subdial and a power reserve indicator. But now Jaeger-LeCoultre has brushed the entire dial in a brushed sunray pattern and added elongated triangular indexes.
The Master Control Geographic retains its familiar layout.
The watch’s unusual world time indication displays the city name relating to the zone, which gives travellers the option of setting the second time by location, rather than needing to calculate the time difference. The new edition is available in a choice of steel ($12,200) or Le Grand Rose gold case ($23,700).
The Master Control Geographic, showing power reserve indicator.
Specifications:
MASTER CONTROL CHRONOGRAPH CALENDAR
Caliber: Automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 759 with a 65-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours/minutes, small seconds, calendar with date, day and month indications, moon phases, chronograph
Case: 40mm x 12.05mm stainless steel or Le Grand Rose gold, satin and polished finishes, sapphire crystal case-back, water-resistance to 50 meters
Zenith unveils the Chronomaster Revival Shadow, another winning retro model designed as a result of Zenith’s deep dive into its own El Primero history.
The newest watch updates the look and feel of a black-cased El Primero watch Zenith made as a prototype in the early 1970s. Dubbed the Shadow, the update utilizes an original A384 case shape and 37mm size, the same case Zenith revisited for last year’s Chronomaster Revival El Primero A384.
Zenith has re-created the stealthy look using micro-blasted titanium rather than the darkened steel Zenith discovered on the early “Shadow” model.
Not surprisingly, unlike the prototype from 1970 powered by a manual-winding chronograph movement, the Chronomaster Revival Shadow features Zenith’s date-free El Primero (4061), visible through the display back.
As Zenith explains “only a handful of this spectral prototype was made, but the model was never officially produced or commercialized. Many watchmakers and longtime employees of Zenith had heard of and even seen one of the rare prototypes, even though official records about this piece are extremely scarce.”
The Le Locle-based watchmaker spent much of 2019 documenting its El Primero history as it celebrated the pioneering, high-beat chronograph movement’s fiftieth anniversary by issuing a series of celebratory watches, many of which were made to echo the case and dial designs of early Zenith watches fitted with the El Primero movements.
The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow pairs grey subdials with a matching tachymeter scale, and both contrast nicely with matte black dial. Perhaps to emphasize its stealthy name, the watch’s hands and applied markers are filled with white SuperLuminova that emits a green glow. The watch’s strap is textured black rubber with white stitching. Price: $8,200
Movement: El Primero 4061 Automatic with column-wheel chronograph, 36,000 VpH frequency with 50-hour power reserve, visible from clear caseback.
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.
Case: 37-mm micro-blasted titanium using original A384 case shape, water resistant to 50 meters
Dial: Black dial with grey counters and tachymeter scale, hand and markers rhodium-plated, faceted and coated with SuperLumiNovaSLN C1
Bracelet & Buckle: Black “cordura effect” strap and white stitching. Microblasted titanium pin buckle.
When it launched in 2016, Chopard’s L.U.C Perpetual Twin garnered applause for its easy-to-read steel-cased perpetual calendar. Its high-end finish, eclectic large-date dial and superlative C.O.S.C.-chronometer-rated L.U.C caliber attracted those in search of an ‘everyday’ steel-cased haute horology perpetual calendar.
The new Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin, here in a steel case.
For 2020, Chopard expands this previously limited offering with a somewhat dressier L.U.C Perpetual Twin design presented without the large Roman numerals of the earlier model. Chopard replaces those numerals with faceted gold markers and more fully harmonizes the colors within all three sub-dials and under the minutes track.
For 2020 Chopard debuts the first rose gold-cased L.U.C Perpetual Twin. Markers replace the Roman numerals of the earlier models.
Chopard presents all this refinement within either a 43mm rose gold case (a first for this model) or a more familiar 43mm stainless steel case.
Chopard’s excellent automatic caliber L.U.C 96.22-L is visible from the clear sapphire caseback of the L.U.C Perpetual Twin.
The new design reprises the excellent automatic caliber L.U.C 96.22-L, with its impressive 65-hour power reserve, two-barrel Chopard Twin Technology wound by a handsome 22-karat gold micro-rotor.
The steel model fronts a blue dial while the rose gold edition features a subtle grey dial. On both, it’s the large date display that first attracts the eye, likely followed by the now unicolor sub-dials, including those that indicate the perpetual calendar’s day, month and leap year indications, and small seconds (at 6 o’clock). Price: $24,700 (steel) and $49,800 (rose gold).
More 2020 Debuts
This all-new L.U.C. Perpetual Twin is just one of several 2020 debuts Chopard has just released. Others include the latest Mille Miglia watches (the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control and the Mille Miglia Azzurro Chrono) plus two new jewelled Happy Sport watches.
Chopard’s new Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control.
Chopard’s new Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control ($9,690) is an automatic time and date steel watch, limited to 500 pieces in a 43mm stainless steel case with rose gold crown and bezel. In keeping with its historic role accompanying the 1,000-mile Mille Miglia classic car race, the watch features a power reserve indicator designed to mimic an automotive fuel gauge.
The clear caseback of the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Power Control exposes the in-house manufactured and decorated Chopard 01.08-C mechanical self-winding movement.Chopard’s new Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono.
The second addition to the Mille Miglia collection is the Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro Chrono ($7,400), a 44mm stainless steel (750-piece limited edition) watch with a sub-dial layout inspired by a classic car instrument cluster.
Both these new watches are named for their steel blue ‘Azzurro’ dials, which Chopard contrasts with the traditional Mille Miglia red hue found on the hands and ‘1000 Miglia’ direction arrow that frames the date window on each watch.
And finally, Chopard has added a new Happy Sport watch to this ‘dancing diamond’ collection with two 36mm jewelled versions, each showcasing diamonds using a prong setting that maximizes the amount of light reaching the diamonds. Made in either white gold or rose gold, they feature the automatic Chopard 96.17-C caliber. Each is priced at $88,300.
The latest Chopard Happy Sport, in white gold.The latest Chopard Happy Sport, in rose gold.
Specifications: Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin (stainless steel and in rose gold)
Ref. 168561-3003 – in stainless steel
Ref. 161976-5003 – in 18-karat rose gold
Case: 43mm by 11.47mm stainless steel or rose gold with polished bezel and clear sapphire case back. Water resistance to 30 meters.
Movement: Automatic L.U.C 96.22-L, with 65-hours of power reserve. Frequency is 28,800 vph (4 Hz) using two barrels (Chopard TwinTechnology) and a 22-karat gold rotor. COSC-chronometer certified.
Dial: Blue or ruthenium grey-colored dial with sunburst satin-brushed motif focused on the big date. Perpetual calendar dials (large-aperture date, day of the week, month and leap years), rhodium-plated or gilded Dauphine-type hour and minute hands, rhodium-plated or gilded baton-type hands small seconds, day and month indications, black-tipped or gilded triangular leap-year hand, facetted rhodium-plated or gilded hour-markers, minute track
Functions and displays: Central display of the hours and minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, date at 12 o’clock, day of the week and month displays at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively, offset leap-year display between 2 and 3 o’clock.
Strap and buckle: Blue or brown alligator leather with cognac alligator leather lining, polished and satin-brushed stainless steel or 18-karat rose gold pin buckle.
For 2020, IWC Schaffhausen is updating and expanding its Portugieser collection, focusing on equipping the entire collection with in-house calibers while also re-emphasizing the design’s nautical history.
Among the highlights: a smaller (40mm) Portugieser Automatic model, a smaller diameter (42mm) perpetual calendar, additional examples of the Portugieser Chronograph newly set with an in-house caliber, a new Yacht Club watch with a moonphase display, plus an all-new edition of the watch with a tide indicator. In addition, IWC added several complicated Portugieser watches that combine a tourbillon with a perpetual calendar and a chronograph.
The new IWC Portugieser Automatic Chronograph, also available with green dial or with blue dial (on gold Boutique model).
New Chronographs
The Portugieser Chronograph (Ref. 3716), long a best seller for IWC, is newly equipped in the standard version with the IWC in-house 69355 caliber and a clear sapphire-glass back. The two stainless-steel models ($7,950), one with deep green dial and one glowing in deep ‘claret’ red, are equipped with the newly developed folding butterfly clasp. A third model, elegant in 5N gold, (Ref IW371614, $17,800) features a blue dial, gold markers and gold hands.
The new Portugieser Automatic 40 (Ref. 3583) is fit with IWC-manufactured Caliber 82200.
Automatic, now at 40mm
The Portugieser Automatic 40 (Ref. 3583) marks the return to the collection of the three-hand design with the small seconds at 6 o’clock. You’ll find it now in a compact case with a 40-millimetre diameter–and bearing the collection’s entry price of $7,250.The new automatic model gets its power from the IWC-manufactured 82200 caliber with Pellaton winding. Four versions are available in 18-karat 5N gold or stainless steel cases.
IWC Portugieser Automatic, 40mm
A fifth Portugieser Automatic, in a larger (42mm) case, sports its power reserve display and small seconds on the dial and will be offered as either a gold-cased boutique edition (blue dial, $23,900) or with a the same rich red dial ($12,700) found on the new Portugieser Chronographs. These offer a longer power reserve than the 40mm models (up to seven days) thanks to their larger case diameter, which allows space for two winding barrels.
IWC Portugieser Automatic 42 (boutique Edition), with seven-day power reserve.
The new IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 (Ref. 3442).
Smaller Perpetual
IWC adds its own in-house caliber 82650 with 60-hour power reserve to the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 (Ref. 3442). Thanks to the new movement, IWC was able to case it in a smaller 42mm diameter size (above). This could be the sleeper hit given its moderate starting price ($22,900) and full, easy-to-read perpetual functionality. All the displays are perfectly synchronized with each other and can be adjusted with a quick turn of the crown. In this version of the calendar, the displays for the date, month and day of the week are seen in three subdials.
This new IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar (Boutique Edition) features a 44mm diameter & displays the calendar information on four subdials and it has a four-digit year display, a small seconds hand and a power reserve display.
Also look for a boutique 5N gold edition of the classic 44mm Portugieser Perpetual Calendar ($37,900, above). This model, with a nautical design, features a blue dial and shows the year in four digits–a feature IWC pioneered with its earlier Kurt Klaus-designed perpetual calendars starting in 1985. Thanks to its slightly larger dimensions of the boutique edition, the movement has room for two barrels that offer a power reserve of seven days.
Yacht Club
Three new Portugieser Yacht Club watches combine a 44mm diameter with a recognizable Yacht Club bezel shape, flat casing ring and very useful flyback function.
The new IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph.
The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide (Ref. 344001) is the first watch from IWC to feature the newly developed tide display.
One, the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide (Ref. 344001, $33,100) is the first watch from IWC to feature a newly developed tide display, which shows the expected times of the next high and low water. The Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph (Ref. 3907, starting at $13,100) comes with either a stainless-steel bracelet or a two-tone bracelet in stainless steel and 18-karat 5N gold.
By the mid-1970s, the Yacht Club had established itself as one of the most successful models ever manufactured by IWC.
IWC will ship more of the Yacht Club models to its boutiques, including those with expanded maritime-inspired colors (blue and gold). These are identifiable with their blue dials, braided blue calfskin straps and cases in 18-karat 5N gold or 18-karat Armor Gold. The latter is a new alloy that demonstrates a higher hardness value than traditional 5N gold alloys.
IWC History: In 2003 IWC launched the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar (Reference 5021).
Complications
Two watches in the new collection underscore IWC’s expertise at the high end. These are the new Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph (Ref. 3940, starting at CHF 105,000), which combines a tourbillon with a retrograde date display and chronograph, and the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon (Ref. 5045, starting at CHF 115,000) that combines a tourbillon and perpetual calendar.
The Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph (Ref. 3940) combines a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with a retrograde date display at 9 o’clock and a chronograph.The Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon IW504504 boutique edition with 18-karat Armor Gold case, blue dial, gold-plated hands, gold appliqués, blue calfskin strap.
