Vulcain continues to tap its deep collection of winning historical designs with the Grand Prix, another terrific re-issue that revisits a 1960s design.
The Vulcain Grand Prix, also available with a Champagne and a light-grey dial option.
At 39mm in diameter and 12.7mm thick, the steel-cased Grand Prix delivers classic mid-20th century style with its time-only display, domed crystal, sunray dial finish and long, thin hour markers.
Slender hands enhance the dial’s retro-appeal.
Vulcain offers the Grand Prix with a refined dial of Champagne, light grey or black hues, all nicely matched with either a brown or black leather strap.
A case water resistant to fifty meters will easily protect the Swiss-made Landeron L24 automatic movement in most leisure settings. Expect a power reserve of forty hours.
Vulcain has released a series of retro-inspired designs during the past two years following Guillaume Laidet’s entry into the Le Locle-based company as its CRO (Chief Revival Officer). You might recall the sharp-looking Monopusher Heritage and Vulcain Nautical, both launched as revival collections this past fall.
If you hear me say, “Life is an interesting journey, full of surprises,” Federico Restrepo embodies one of those surprises. Not only is his great-grandfather Henri-Paul Nénot, the appointed architect of the Nouvelle Sorbonne in Paris, but he is also related to Paul Landowski, the sculptor of the “Corcovado Christ” in Rio de Janeiro.
Growing up Franco-Colombian in Spain, surrounded by luminaries like Fernando Botero and Gabriel Garcia Marques, he cultivated a rich tapestry of art, design, and creativity.
Originally on the path to becoming a philosopher studying at La Sorbonne, Federico Restrepo quickly realized philosophy wasn’t his life’s calling. While deciding what to do with this life, he was commissioned by his mother’s friend to design a lamp, which subsequently won the top prize at the international light trade show in Paris.
Federico Restrepo
He then started his first agency, Reason Pur, with a friend, and in 1993, he founded L’Ateliers, a company with a focus on design. His design company became very successful in the world of cosmetics, perfume, and luxury.
Notably, he designed the iconic bust-shaped perfume line of Jean-Paul Gautier, as well as designs for perfumer Roger & Gallet.
Pocket Watches
Restrepo’s passion for watches dates back to his childhood, where he scoured the “Los Encantes” flea market in Barcelona for pocket watches and sometimes dabbled in fixing them. His fascination grew, considering these timepieces as living hearts made of metal.
Some of his earliest pieces were watches from Yema, Kelton, and other popular French watch brands. While he loved collecting watches from the 1970s, his dream was to design his own watches and launch an eponymous watch brand.
Due to health issues, Federico Restrepo had to close his company in 2000. During recovery, aboard the Concorde from Paris to New York, he began sketching a watch. From an altitude of 60,000 feet, he discovered that Earth took on an elliptical form (not a sphere), and it became his source of inspiration.
After designing a few models, he presented his work to Michel Guten, CEO of Cartier, who decided to help Federico start his watch company called Streamline. (He thought Federico’s background, family history, reputation, and designs were ideal for a new watch company). Unfortunately, September 11 happened, and his dream disappeared as fast as it came.
Re-Launch
When Covid erupted in 2020, Federico Restrepo decided to give his watch company a second chance, launching Restrepo watches.From sketching and designing to manufacturing and packaging, Federico is always 100% behind the entire project.
He always keeps his initial elliptical design in mind, that silhouette that appeared to him aboard the Concorde, whether it’s for the Hasta La Victoria model made in honor of the legend of Simón Bolívar or the Caballero sin Armas series or the Mach 1 chronographs.
Restrepo watches have interchangeable strap systems, which means you can easily switch between rubber straps and stainless steel bracelets. The watches’ pushers at 12 o’clock are reminiscent of the Seiko Bullheads from the 1970s.
Powering the watches are automaticETA 7750 movements. There are several limited edition pieces with complications like GMTs, power reserve indications, or chronographs.
Most Restrepo watches are made of stainless steel, but there are a few pieces made in gold too. The packaging is well-designed and attention to detail is a top priority; I could clearly see Federico’s background as one of the world’s top perfume packaging designers shine through.
I really believe that creativity is lacking in today’s watch landscape; too many brands rely on bringing back old designs rather than trying to create new ones. For this reason, I’d like to give Federico credit for having designed something from an idea; something from scratch that’s unique and special.
Of course, people may or may not like the design but it’s important that it exists; and this is what I like about it. So, I encourage you to take the time to discover these watches. What’s more, the $2,000 price point makes it affordable for a luxury watch. Restrepo watches are a thoughtful homage to beauty, originality, and space, right on your wrist.
Laurent Martinez is the proprietor of Laurent Fine Watches, Greenwich, Connecticut. Read more by him at blog.laurentfinewatches.com, or visit his site at www.laurentfinewatches.com.
Nomos addresses the question of which dress watch to wear with three new options, all of them thin, attached to black leather and sporting a rich black dial.
Impressive at any formal event, any watch from the new trio in the Nomos Orion Neomatik collection brings with it an automatic movement, a very clean black galvanized dial with small-seconds subdial and gold and/or silver accents.
The Nomos Orion Neomatik 39 New Black
The new watches arrives in a choice of three diameter sizes: 36.4mm (the Orion Neomatik New Black) , 38.5 mm (the Orion Neomatik 39 New Black) and 40.5mm (the Orion Neomatik 41 New Black).
The Nomos Orion Neomatik 41 Date New Black
The smaller model (pictured below) is a thin 8.5mm in height while the mid-size model measures mere 8.7mm in height.
Nomos employs its superb DUW 3001 automatic caliber to power both these models.
The larger edition is the only model of the three to include a date window, which is part of the automatic caliber DUW 6101 that includes a date ring along the outside of the movement.
The date itself appears in gold on a black background to match the dial. Even with the added function, the watch measure a still-thin 9.4mm in height.
On all these debut models Nomos ensures that the slightly curved shape of the dial matches the curve of the domed sapphire crystal.
And finally, Nomos fits a leather strap made from black Horween Genuine leather on each model.
The back view of the mid-sized model, showing automatic Caliber DUW 3001.
Prices: $3,850 (Orion Neomatik New Black), $3,920 (Orion Neomatik 39 New Black) and $4,200 (Orion Neomatik 41 Date New Black).
The new Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake.
The new 42mm steel-cased perpetual calendar retains the skeletonized design of the original model. The openwork design nicely displays Frederique Constant’s own automaticFC-775caliber, here showing the hour and minutes without a seconds hand.
The idea is to allow the eye to more clearly focus on the perpetual calendar displays, which include the day and date, the month (at 12 o’clock), moonphase (at 6 o’clock) and, finally, the leap year.
Frederique Constant explains that “since this detail is not needed for everyday use, it has been moved over to the month display at 12 o’clock. A discreet red dot appears for the month in question when the year has 366 days; at all other times, the window remains white.”
Frederique Constant finishes its in-house movement with a circular satin finish and blued screws. The watch’s transparent caseback displays an openwork, blue-colored oscillating weight. Also visible are the words ‘Limited Edition 135 pieces’ which are engraved on each watch. Each watch arrives on a grey nylon strap with matching overstitching.
Price: $11,995.
Specifications: Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake
Movement:FC-775 in-house caliber, automatic, perpetual calendar, Perlage decoration on movement,anthracite bridge, blue rotor, satin finishing on all springs, circular finishing on perpetual calendar wheels, 38-hour power reserve, 28,800 alt/h.
Case:Polished stainless steel 3-part case, diameter of 42mm, height of 12,05 mm
Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal,see-through case back, water-resistant to 3 ATM/30m/100ft.
Dial:Grey color dial with matte finishing, skeleton, luminescent printed indexes,
White and polished hands with luminous treatment,moonphase with luminous treatment.
Strap:Grey nylon strap with tone-on-tone stitching, folding buckle.
AvailabilityMarch 2024 at the Citizen Flagship Store New York and at select Frederique Constant retailers.
H. Moser fits a stunning dial made from Wyoming-sourced jade into its Streamliner tourbillon to create the new Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade, a limited edition (of 100) red gold watch.
The new H. Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade.
The logo-free jade dial allows the Streamliner’s one-minute flying tourbillon to stand out nicely (at 6 o’clock), highlighting this independent Swiss watchmaker’s considerable technical and artisanal talent.
Collectors may be familiar with the Streamliner’s retro-styled cushion case and the unusual double-hairspring HMC 804 automatic caliber that powers the watch, but until now no one has seen how a rare olive-toned slice of jade can enhance the Streamliner’s pleasing aesthetic.
H. Moser explains that its dial-makers sourced the dial’s raw material from Wyoming. Chosen for its naturally occurring marks and unique shades, the jade used on the dial is untreated out of “respect for its original structure.”
With the selected material, H. Moser explains that lapidary artisans cut the stone using CNC technology in a liquid environment to create a slice 1.0 to 1.2 mm thick. “These slices are then laid on jigs, wetted and inspected under a light to determine the optimal positioning of the plates for cutting the dials.” After hand polishing, dial makers varnish and then glue the dials onto a brass base.
H. Moser frames the dial of the new watch with a 40mm by 12.1mm red gold case, held with an equally luxurious red gold integrated bracelet. (See below for full technical specifications).
Price: $119,000.
Specifications: H. Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Concept Wyoming Jade
Reference 6804-0406, red gold model, natural Wyoming jade dial, integrated bracelet in red gold, limited edition of 100 pieces
Case:
5N red gold topped by a slightly domed sapphire crystal
Diameter: 40.0 mm
Height without sapphire crystal: 10.3 mm
Height with sapphire crystal: 12.1 mm
Screw-in crown adorned with an engraved “M”
See-through sapphire crystal case-back
Water-resistant to 12 ATM
Dial:
Wyoming jade, 100% natural
Hour and minute hands with Globolight® inserts
5N red gold faceted indices
Movement:
HMC 804 automatic Manufacture calibre
Diameter: 32.0 mm or 14 1/4 lignes
Height: 5.5 mm
Frequency: 21,600 vibrations/hour
Automatic bi-directional pawl winding system
Oscillating weight in 18-carat red gold with engraved H. Moser & Cie. logo
Power reserve: minimum of 3 days
One-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock with skeletonized bridges
Original double hairspring
Strap/bracelet:
Integrated bracelet in 5N red gold
Folding clasp with three blades in 5N red gold, engraved with the Moser logo
A case water resistant to fifty meters will easily protect the Swiss-made Landeron L24 automatic movement in most leisure settings. Expect a power reserve of forty hours.
Restrepo watches have interchangeable strap systems, which means you can easily switch between rubber straps and stainless steel bracelets. The watches’ pushers at 12 o’clock are reminiscent of the Seiko Bullheads from the 1970s.
I really believe that creativity is lacking in today’s watch landscape; too many brands rely on bringing back old designs rather than trying to create new ones. For this reason, I’d like to give Federico credit for having 
