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The Watches

Bell & Ross Honors French Aerobatic Team

Bell & Ross honors Patrouille de France pilots with a new analog-digital watch that delivers optimal readability and a range of cockpit-friendly functions.

The new Bell & Ross BR 03 Type A Patrouille de France.

In addition to the time, the new BR 03 Type A Patrouille de France displays a 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph with intermediate and additional time, a countdown timer, an alarm, the date and a second time zone. 

The new watch is the third BR-03 model Bell & Ross has designed for the elite French aerobatic pilots, who fly in close formation at speeds of between 300 and 800 km/h, thrilling crowds across France.

Bell & Ross started its partnership with the team in 2008 when the Air Force requested that Bell & Ross design a BR 03 Type A instrument for fighter pilots. Last year, Bell & Ross formalized the partnership and debuted the BR-03 94 Patrouille de France. 

The latest model also utilizes the Bell & Ross 42mm square BR 03 case in steel and sports a matte blue dial and the Patrouille de France logo.

The watch’s quartz-powered caliber allows for a full thirty months of battery life. Hours and minutes are displayed with conventional hands, while the seconds and chronograph times are displayed on a digital screen. The window at the top of the dial shows the chosen function and the window at the bottom of the dial digitally displays the measurement. The pilot chooses the function by pressing the crown.

Bell & Ross will make 100 BR 03 Type A Patrouille de France watches and will give one watch to each pilot in the unit.

Price: $4,400. 

Specifications: Bell & Ross BR 03 Type A Patrouille de France

Movement: BR-CAL.103, a multi-function quartz instrument watch with analogue-digital display.

Functions: Permanent analog display: Hours Minutes. Digital display activation/deactivation: 1/100 chronograph and lap times, countdown, second time zone, alarm, perpetual calendar. Choice of languages FR, EN, ES, DE. 

Case: 42mm by 11.25mm satin-polished steel. Bi-directional rotating steel bezel with 60 graduations. Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, 100-meters of water resistance.

Dial: Matte blue paint, Patrouille de France logo at 9 o’clock. White transfer numerals and indexes with white SuperLuminova coating. 

Strap: Blue rubber with Patrouille de France engraved logo at 12 o’clock and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric. Satin-polished steel pin buckle. 

Price: $4,400. 

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Szanto

Szanto Expands Heritage Aviator Collection

Szanto has extended its Heritage Aviator retro pilot watch series to include midnight blue and green dials. 

From its inception California-based Szanto has focused on modern interpretations of retro types and these core fundamentals show through in the Heritage Aviator series.

A new model in Szanto’s Heritage Aviator series.

With easy-to-read dials and an emphasis on the minutes, the new watches embrace current color trends while maintaining their technical chops.

Both new Heritage Aviator versions feature brushed stainless-steel cases water resistant to 100 meters, even without a screw-down crown. Rather, Szanto made a great choice by using a push/pull onion style safety crown that will not allow the watch to start running unless the crown is fully pushed in to the case.

 

A healthy dose of SuperLuminova on the hands and indices make this series easy-to-read day or night and accuracy is ensured with a Japanese Miyota quartz movement under the new dials, which themselves are protected under a hardened mineral crystal. The 41mm case is held in place with a genuine leather strap. Price: $225. 

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The Watches

Grand Seiko Adds 39mm Sporty GMT Models

Grand Seiko adds two new GMT models to its Sport Collection, and both are powered by the hyper-precise Grand Seiko quartz Caliber 9F86.

The duo, Grand Seiko models SBGN027 and SBGN029,  both feature a design built with a 39mm steel case, slightly smaller than most models in the collection.

New Grand Seiko model SBGN027, one of two new GMT watches in the Sport Collection.

One model, SBGN029, features a blue sunray dial with red accents—-most notably a red GMT hand to indicate a second time zone. The other debut, SBGN027, features a black sunray dial with monochromatic highlights.

New Grand Seiko SBGN029, with red GMT hand and blue dial.

Using the clearly differentiated GMT hand, the wearer of either model can quickly note the second time of choice using the 24-hour dial ring, which is divided into two 12-hour sections for AM and PM.

Both watches offer hands and dial indexes with generous Lumibrite coating for superior visibility in darker conditions. In addition, each watch is rated to 100 meters of water resistance and features a screw-down crown and a dual-curve sapphire crystal.

Grand Seiko supplies both models with its well-known three-row steel bracelet with high-end Zaratsu-polished surfaces .

Grand Seiko collectors are familiar with Caliber 9F series, which the watchmaker created as the “ultimate quartz watch.” This Caliber 9F86 provides extremely high accuracy, with a rating of +/-10 seconds a year. And critically for a travel watch, the movement allows the wearer to adjust the hour hand without interrupting the timekeeping.

Price: $3,300 (available in September). 

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The Watches

Bulova Teams With Apollo Theater

Bulova has teamed with the Apollo Theater in New York to offer the new Special Edition Apollo Theater watch. The debut is part of the watchmaker’s Bold at Heart initiative in which Bulova partners with civic, arts and veterans’ organizations.

The new Bulova Special Edition Apollo Theater watch.

The new steel-bracelet, steel-cased, quartz-powered Apollo Theater watch is available in two sizes, 43mm and 32mm. The time-only watch boasts a contemporary edge-to-edge crystal with a red outline replacing a traditional bezel.

The red that frames the dial represents the bright red lights on the Apollo Theater marquee as it overlooks Harlem’s famed 125th Street. On the dial you’ll find a repeated “Apollo’ pattern appliqué that highlights the sign itself.

Bulova places a capital letter A on the solid steel case back, alongside the Apollo Theater’s name and its neighborhood. Price: $495 for either size.

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The Watches

Luminox Celebrates SEALs with Special ‘Smooth’ Dial

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.

The Luminox “Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast” Series 3580 chronograph.

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. 

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