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The Watches

Patek Philippe Expands Twenty-4

Patek Philippe this week enhances dial color options and adds metal choices within its feminine Twenty-4 collection. Three new Twenty-4 models, one a quartz-powered cuff model and two round-cased automatic editions, now offer new dial colors within the collection’s steel and rose gold offerings.

One of two new Patek Philippe Twenty-4 Automatic watches, here with a rose-gold sunburst dial.

The manchette, or cuff-style Twenty-4 with a Patek Philippe quartz movement, which last year was updated with Arabic numerals, now includes a new version in rose gold with a chocolate-brown sunburst dial. The watch, Ref. 4910/1201R-001, has two rows of diamonds, applied Arabic 12, 6 and trapeze-shaped markers, and a hand-polished rose gold bracelet. Price: $44,947.

The newest Patek Philippe Twenty-4, with chocolate brown dial and diamonds.

And within the Twenty-4 Automatic collection, Patek Philippe now offers two new 36mm round models, one in steel set with an olive-green sunburst dial (Ref. 7300/1200A-011) and the other in rose gold with a rose-gold sunburst dial (Ref. 7300/1200R-011).

Both dials are notably vibrant. The olive-green edition is particularly eye-catching, especially as framed by the two rows of diamonds. The olive-green dial Twenty-4 Automatic joins existing steel models set with gray sunburst and blue sunburst dials.

The Patek Philippe Twenty-4 Automatic, now with an exceptional sunburst olive green dial.

Patek Philippe fits both these Twenty-4 Automatic watches with its top-notch automatic caliber 324 SC, visible through a sapphire caseback and offering up to forty-five hours of power reserve.

If these dials look particularly luxurious, I commend your perception. Patek Philippe uses gold to build the Arabic numerals or markers on all the Twenty-4 models. The numerals and markers are then filled with a luminescent material. The date frames on the automatic models are also made from white gold.

The new watches join the other rose-gold Twenty-4 models (with two-rows of diamonds) with a chocolate-brown sunburst dial or a linen pattern dial.

Like the rectangular Twenty-4 watches, the round automatic models are fit with hand-polished bracelets in the same metal as the case. And both include Patek Philippe’s simple, secure (and patented) fold-over clasp, which is built with four independent catches.  Price: $27,796 (steel) and $48,495 (rose gold).

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Torgoen Dives Into First Nautical Collection

Torgoen extends its adventure-watch focus from the skies to the sea with the new nautically based T43 Diver watch collection.

Models within the new Torgoen T43 Diver watch collection.

U.S.-based Torgoen, known for its extensive line of high-value adventure and aviation-themed quartz and automatic watches, combines many of the features found in its existing lines into the new dive watch collection. These features include bold, luminous markers, wide ratcheting bezels, solid steel bracelets, 200-meters of water resistance and sapphire crystals.

Torgoen offers five 44mm watches within the collection. They are marked with a choice among three bezel colors (black, red or navy bezel) and two dial hues (black or blue). And unlike many sport-watch vendors, Torgeon doesn’t make the choice between a steel bracelet and a silicone strap difficult because the price difference is only $10 ($285 for steel bracelet models and $275 for silicone strap models). 

Silicone-strap Torgoen T43 Diver watches.

Even at this price, Torgoen is still able to provide small details on the watches you might not expect. These touches include an etched Torgoen logo on the inner case wall, a screw-down crown for extra water protection, and a custom two-layer dial.

Inside, Torgoen fits the well-known Ronda 515S quartz movement, which is built to handle the torque required to move the large hands of the T43 Collection. In addition, the Ronda caliber offers a power-saving mechanism whereby a pulled-out stem will reduce power consumption by approximately seventy percent, extending the watch’s battery life to a full two years.

Purchases of the T43 Diver Collection will be included in Torgoen’s partnership with Miracle Flights, the nation’s leading medical flight charity, which provides flights to families with children in need of life-changing medical care. A portion of proceeds from every watch sold on the brand’s site is donated to the non-profit organization.

 

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Bulova Celebrates Latin Grammys

To celebrate the 2020 Latin Grammy awards, Bulova unveils the Latin Grammy Gemini, a new tonneau-shaped quartz watch with an asymmetrical rose gold-tone stainless steel case, made in two sizes. Each watch showcases a curved black metallic crystal with a black dial and rose gold-tone accents.

The new Bulova Latin Grammy Gemini, available in two sizes.

The overall black hue of the new model continues from the dial into the black rubber strap. To emphasize the ongoing partnership between the Latin Grammys and Bulova, the watchmaker has emblazoned the Grammy gramophone logo on the front side of the strap, as well as on the caseback.  

Bulova’s Latin Grammy Gemini is a three-hand quartz watch offered in two sizes, 40.5mm and 30.5mm. Both models sport a deployant buckle with water resistance to thirty meters. Price: $495.

History of Firsts

In addition to launching the Latin Grammy Gemini, Bulova is sponsoring an online series, via The Latin Recording Academy social media platforms, spotlighting the Latin Grammy ‘Best New Artist’ nominees. In addition to bios and a history of the artists, the series will feature special Bulova cameos such as the unboxing of a Bulova Latin Grammy watch.

Bulova will also gift this female 2020 Latin Grammy nominees one of its Rubaiyat watches during an even just prior to the awards ceremony, which is scheduled for November 19.

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Citizen Adds Satellite GPS to Light-Powered Promaster Diver

Citizen takes its light-powered, GPS-connected wristwatch technology underwater this week as the Japanese watchmaker debuts two Promaster dive watches set for the first time with the Citizen Cal. F158 Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS movement. 

Citizen Promaster Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS Diver 200m, with Duratect-hardened Super Titanium case.

The new watches are being billed by Citizen as the first light-powered dive watch with GPS satellite capabilities. The newest Promasters are also fully compliant the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for dive watches and feature water resistance to 200 meters.

Citizen Promaster / Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS Diver 200m, with black DLC Super Titanium case.

To use the new models beneath the waves, a diver first presses the push buttons at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock simultaneously, which sends the watch into Dive mode. All functions, except time display, will then stop in order to prevent erroneous user operations. It will not enter into Dive mode if the charged battery amount is insufficient.

Both watches are cased with Citizen’s proprietary Super Titanium, which Citizen then enhances with a surface-treatment hardening technology called Duratect MRK. While both models measure 47mm in diameter, the blue dialed option (model CC5006-06L) is finished in a glossy black hue using a DLC layering technique, which enhances scratch resistance.

Sea of features

These are professional-level dive watches, echoing much of the Promaster collection, which features a range of high-spec dive, aviation and racing watches. Citizen has ensured that each model boasts a unidirectional bezel with knurled notches, a screw lock crown, sapphire crystal, charge capacity display function and light-level indicator.

And, as is required for ISO compliance, the Eco-Drive Satellite Wave GPS Diver 200m dials are easy to read with large, luminous indexes and hands.

Citizen’s proprietary light-powered Eco-Drive Cal.F158 will operate for about seven years on a full charge – even without a light source. This insures that the various high-tech functions will operate uninterrupted.

Thus, the watches will continue to receive location and time information anywhere in the world using GPS satellite signals. This data will automatically correct the time and world calendar. Even without GPS satellite function, the watch is rated to an accuracy of ± five seconds per month. The wearer can also manually adjust the crown to change city and calendar, if desired.

For experienced or aspiring divers, Citizen has emblazoned the dial ring on both watches with the abbreviated names of eight famous diving locations, including Sharm El Sheikh, Maldives, Phuket, Great Barrier Reef, Fiji, Hawaii, Galapagos and Fernando de Noronha.

Each watch comes with a urethane strap with extension band.

Citizen supplies each watch with a urethane band and an extension band for wet suit use.

Prices: $1,395 (Super Titanium case with black DLC coating and blue dial) and $1,350 (Super Titanium case and green dial).

 

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The Watches

Bulova Celebrates Precisionist With Special Editions

Bulova is marking the tenth anniversary of its Precisionist collection of high-tech, 1/1,000-of-a-second quartz watches with the new Precisionist X Collection. 

The new collection offers more luxurious examples of the large-cased, multi-level Precisionist. The collection features, for example, one model with karat gold accents and another utilizing the interesting patterns created by Damascus steel.

Karat gold

One model, the Precisionist X Limited Edition, is cased in stainless steel with an 18-karat yellow gold top ring insert. And befitting an anniversary celebration, the watch is limited to 100 pieces and is being offered by Bulova in a special gift box with a numbered serial card and a plaque ($3,950)

Wavy pattern

Alongside the limited edition, Bulova unveils two new Precisionist X Special Edition models that boast top ring inserts made of Damascus steel, which you can easily identify thanks to its wave pattern.

One of two new Bulova Precisionist X Special Edition timepieces featuring top ring inserts made of Damascus steel.

Those who also collect knives or swords are familiar with the process, which will actually harden the steel. Examples of the process date to the 4th century A.D. when the city of Damascus was then well known for its weapon-makers and metallurgical prowess.

Bulova will make the Precisionist X Special Edition ($1,295) with either a black IP case paired with a handsome new green leather strap or a rose gold IP case paired with a brown leather strap. Like the limited edition model, this unlimited anniversary watch will be sold with a special gift box.

Both watches retain the Precisionist’s distinctive octagonal 45mm x 47mm case shape with partially open dial design, primarily exposing the watch’s date ring and central quartz movement plate.

With its 1/1,000-of-a-second chronograph timing ability, you’ll find dial displays on the Precisionist that show tenths, hundredths and thousandths-of-a-second readings. Bulova caps the displays with a curved sapphire crystal.

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