Watchtime Middle East

A gold watch on a rubber strap scarcely raises an eyebrow among the watch-aficionado set these days, but in 1980 the idea was wildly unconventional — and, as it turned out, visionary and revolutionary as well. It was an upstart brand called Hublot, founded in 1980 by Italian entrepreneur Carlo Crocco, which first produced such a timepiece, and the concept of “fusion” that it represented would pave the way for that Swiss company’s amazing growth over the subsequent four decades.

For too long, Grand Seiko aficionados have pined for a sporty Spring Drive-powered GMT watch that was not the size of a dinner plate. In the year the Japanese brand turns 60, this wish was granted - and how! Grand Seiko introduced three sleek new references – the SBGE253, the SBGE257, and the SBGE255 – in the fast growing Sport collection that presents a strong alternative to the more conventional mechanical GMT sports watches out there.

It is a practice that is unheard of today. In 1959 Seiko split its watchmaking business into two divisions – Suwa Seikosha and Daini Seikosha (daini literally means second in Japanese). The aim was to promote competition and consequently enhance the offerings that the umbrella Seiko brand could offer. While Suwa Seikosha introduced the now-legendary Grand Seiko in 1960 and the Ref. 6139, the world’s first automatic chronograph in 1969, the folks at Daini Seikosha were no slouches.

Laurent Ferrier has launched a new Classic Origin Green, a new “Série Atelier” limited edition that will be available via the brand’s new ecommerce website. The watch is based on the titanium-cased opaline dial edition launched to commemorate the brand’s 10th anniversary in July this year. A former Patek Philippe employee, Laurent Ferrier set up the eponymous watch company in 2010 in Geneva and makes less than 200 watches a year.

The Louvre Museum Paris, Vacheron Constantin, and auction house Christie’s are coming together to offer a unique Les Cabinotiers wristwatch as part of an online “Bid for Louvre” sale to benefit the world-renowned museum. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy an experience poised at the intersection of art and craftsmanship, between Paris and Geneva. The online sale will be held between Dec 1 and 15th on the Christie’s website.

Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrates the Reverso’s 90th anniversary in 2021 and to kick off celebrations, the Le Sentier brand has unveiled a limited edition Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano in the brand’s proprietary Le Grand Rose gold case and a burgundy-red dial. Arguably, their most famous creation, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Reverso in 1931 at the height of Art-Deco period.

Fleurier-based Bovet and UAE retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons have announced the launch of their latest collaboration – an exclusive 19Thirty Dimier UAE Limited Edition that riffs on the Swiss brand’s entry-level model but includes many design flourishes suggested by their local partner. The watch is a celebration of the retailer’s 70th anniversary and is limited to 50 pieces only.

To mark 175 years since the establishment of the town as a center of fine watchmaking, Nomos has unveiled a trio of limited editions that pay homage to the Glashütte tradition. The most prolific (in terms of volume) of the companies based here, Nomos has based the limited editions on the Ludwig, the most traditional of all their models.

After debuting two Arita porcelain dial watches at Baselworld last year, Seiko now introduces a new iteration today. The new Presage Arita Porcelain Limited Edition (Ref. SPB171) has a pristine white dial meant to invoke the beauty of the moon as reflected in water. The moon has had a deep influence on Japanese art and culture. Since the traditional Japanese calendar was based on the lunar calendar, daily life was inextricably linked to the phases of the moon.

Patek Philippe did something it never does when it unveiled a batch of special editions for the Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019. For the first time in its history, it displayed the tourbillon on the dial of a watch. That watch was the skeleton dial Ref. 5303 Minute Repeater Tourbillon. Initially made has a limited edition of 12 watches, the 5303R with a reworked design is now a part of the regular Patek Philippe line-up.