All I Want For Christmas…
Dear Santa, Of course I want peace and prosperity for everyone, but within the greater scope of universal considerations there are many watches I have seen this year that I would really like to see again. Preferably coming out of a gift box with my name on it. Here are five that can be found at Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Patek Philippe, Piaget and Rolex.
Unless you have actually seen the Royal Oak Frosted Gold timepiece, it is difficult to imagine the incredible shimmer of its gold case and bracelet. It looks like a coating of crushed diamonds, but is the result of an ancient jewellery technique that consists of hammering gold with a diamond-tipped tool, creating microscopic indentations on the surface to reflect light with sparkling brilliance.
Inside the stunning 37 mm case in pink or white gold, the self-winding Calibre 3120 provides functions of hours, minutes, centre seconds and date, indicated by Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating and gold applied hour-markers on the “Grande Tapisserie” dial.
These models, priced at CHF 46,500 or CHF 51,500 in pink or white gold respectively, are available only in the Geneva boutique until worldwide distribution in March 2017.
With the Breguet Tradition Dame 7038, we admire the ultra-modern and graphic components visible on either side of the mainplate: a central barrel, a subdial at 12 o’clock with hands directly driven by the barrel, a balance-wheel and intermediate wheels stretching from 4 to 8 o’clock, and the bridge bearing the escapement reinforced by a hand-chamfered Bregeut invention: the pare-chute, to protect the balance-staff from shocks. Gracefully encircled by a 37 mm white gold case, jewelled crown, and bezel set with 68 diamonds, hours and minutes are read with Breguet open-tipped hands in blued steel on a superb Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, individually numbered and signed Breguet, complemented by retrograde seconds engraved on the movement face at 10 o’clock. Also numbered and signed Breguet is the self-winding movement Cal. 505SR with silicon pallets and balance-spring. You can choose the colour of your strap; this red one is gorgeous. EUR38,000.
Pure and elegant, the Calatrava “Timeless White” for ladies, reference 7122 from Patek Philippe lives up to its name with immaculate perfection. Round and feminine with integrated, polished lugs, the 33 mm white or rose gold case and bezel set with 44 diamonds surround a white lacquered dial with gold applied hobnail-patterned hour markers. Equipped with a manually wound mechanical movement for central hours and minutes, with small seconds at 6 o’clock, the Caliber 215 PS features a Spiromax® spiral and Gyromax® balance wheel. A sapphire-crystal caseback and matte pearly white hand-stitched alligator strap with gold buckle complete the clean beauty of this timepiece. EUR24,690.
Ask for the moon, and Piaget brings it to us! with the Limelight Stella, the brand’s first complication watch made especially for ladies. The ultimate symbol of femininity, the moon fascinates with its waxing and waning, and with this timepiece, you can follow the evolution of the moon phases as they actually appear in the sky, in a large aperture at 12 o’clock where a backdrop of stars depicts the Northern Hemisphere.
The self-winding Manufacture Calibre 584P that powers the Limelight Stella ensures that we won’t have to worry about making a correction to this complication for the next 122 years…
In addition to the large moon phase indicator underlined by 14 diamonds, we read the hours, minutes, and central seconds on a white dial, with a star perched on the large seconds hand. The 36 mm round pink gold case is made oval-shaped inside the circle with 126 brilliant-cut diamonds. This model (G0A4123) is delivered with a taupe alligator leather strap. EUR30,600. Three different models and many strap colours exist.
This fifth watch on my (non-exhaustive) list – the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 in Everose Rolesor from Rolex – is actually designed for men.
But its beautiful colours, smooth sleek bezel, sundust / sunray finish dial with 18 ct pink gold hands, hour markers made of 10 diamonds in 18 ct pink gold settings, instantaneous date at 3 o’clock and Rolex crown at 12 result in a look that is modern and polished with just enough shine to make it irresistible for any wrist, including mine.
Equipped with calibre 3235, boasting 14 patents and incorporating the Chronergy escapement and Parachrom hairspring, the new Datejust 41 Everose (ref. 126301-72611) is priced at € 13,100.
