Tudor have a long tradition of creating dive watches designed for professional use in and around the water. Just look back at some of their early Submariner models or the hugely popular Black Bay and military spec Pelagos. However, the newest addition to the Pelagos line has left the water behind in a collaboration with Aéronautique Navale (French Naval Aviation) to become a pilot’s watch for the first time with the addition of a GMT complication. It’s called the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time”.

Starting with the case it measures 42mm in diameter in grade 2 titanium, making it very light thanks to the metal’s innate strength to weight ratio. The dark grey colour also helps to create a cool military aesthetic. What solidifies this as a pilot’s watch rather than a diver is the bi-directional rotating bezel with 24-hour scale, with out a dive immersion timer it cannot pass ISO standards for dive watches.

The 24-hour scale though does mean that in conjunction with the central, orange GMT hand the watch is capable of displaying three time-zones simultaneously. You have local time, as displayed by the regular snowflake hands, Zulu Time (the military term for UTC Universal Time Coordinated) when the bezel is in the neutral position and a tertiary time zone when the bezel is rotated. Ideal for naval pilots who need to coordinate with their units across long distances and multiple time zones.

A nice touch for legibility is that the 24-hour scale and 24-hour GMT hand are both coated with green lume, showing they work in conjunction with each other. Meanwhile the regular hands and standard hour markers have blue lume, preventing any confusion in low light conditions. I know I said that this is not a dive watch but with indexes and hands this legible plus a 200m water resistance rating, it’s not exactly ill-suited to the water either.

Looking at the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time”’s caseback reveals an engraving commemorating the collaboration with the French Navy. There’s an inscription celebrating both the Marine Nationale and the aforementioned Aéronautique Navale. The same is true of the logo found on the single piece fabric strap in flight suit green.

Housed inside the titanium case is the calibre MT5652-U, a METAS certified master chronometer movement with automatic winding and a 65-hour power reserve. This means it has passed both COSC and METAS levels of accuracy ensuring an incredible level of precision and reliability. After Tudor first introduced their METAS movements it’s nice to see them adopt them more frequently and to expand them to include new complications like the GMT seen here.

In terms of price, the Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT “Zulu Time” is a clean £4,000. That seems like really solid value for a master chronometer movement in titanium. I also really love the novelty of a Pelagos pilot’s watch, it makes for a cool change to Tudor’s normal comfort zone. I have no doubt in my mind that this will prove incredibly popular. After all, we know from watches like the Longines Spirit Zulu Time that there is a huge appetite for neo-retro, military pilot’s watches.

More details at Tudor.

One of the distinguishing features of the collectable first model Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542, is the plastic bezel insert. Both the brass alloy bezel itself and the insert were easily cracked and so many of the surviving watches seem to have had the bezel and/or the insert replaced. In fact, during the production period of the watch, Rolex themselves fitted a metal bezel to the watch.

It was always previously assumed that the reason Rolex ceased using plastic bezel inserts on the GMT-Master ref. 6542 was due to their inherent fragility.

Instruction booklet included with the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542

However recently discovered documents finally tell the real story and also go a long way to explaining why the early ones had plastic inserts in the first place, before they were replaced by the metal inserts that were used for a many of the later models.

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to buy a GMT-Master ref. 6542 with every conceivable document – receipt, timing certificate and the original instruction booklet, which I show below. However the most interesting things with the watch were two letters, including one from Rolex Canada, addressed to the owner of the watch.

An internal Royal Canadian Air Force memo asking for the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 to be returned for testing/modification (1960)

As you can see the first one (an internal Royal Canadian Air Force memo) asked the owner to return the watch “urgently” as there were some doubts about radiological contamination to the watch. The second one was from Rolex Canada and dated less than two weeks after the first one; it said that the Canadian Atomic Energy Control Board had tested the watch and that there were no signs of radiation.

I did not know what to make of it, but as the owner was in the Canadian Air Force, I assumed that it may have had something to do with Atomic Bomb testing (remembering that this was in the early 1950s). I subsequently sold the watch and passed the document file to the new owner.

Letter confirming the Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 in question was tested and confirms no radiation

Then a few years later, I was lucky enough to buy another 6542 with all the boxes and papers once again. The original buyer of the watch was also a pilot, this time one who flew for Air France and he had bought the watch in Tokyo, where the low value of the Japanese Yen, at that time, made it a more logical buy than in France.

Like the previous watch, it had the timing certificate but not have the instruction book, however it did have the original Japanese store receipt, and when this was opened, the following small document fell out.

A certificate provided with a purchase of a Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542

The following is copied from the EPA website. “Strontium-90 is a by-product of the fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear reactors, and in nuclear weapons. Strontium-90 is found in waste from nuclear reactors. It can also contaminate reactor parts and fluids. Large amounts of Sr-90 were produced during atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted in the 1950s and 1960s and dispersed worldwide”.

It has always been assumed that the radium used on the bezel hour numbers was somehow contaminated with atmospheric Strontium-90 from nuclear weapons tests. Actually, this isn’t the case. In fact, for a short period Strontium-90 was used as a replacement for radium by Swiss dial, and bezel makers. It was provided to these dial makers between 1957 and the start of 1958 by a wholly owned entity of the UK Government – The Atomic Energy Authority.

An example of a Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 with plastic bezel, image credit: Sothebys

How can I be so certain of these dates? In a House of Lords debate reported by Hansard (the official verbatim report of debates and proceedings in the UK Parliament) on the 29th March, 1962, Lord Hailsham stated:

“My Lords, Her Majesty’s Government cannot accept responsibility for statements in the American Press. Radioactive materials are supplied by the Atomic Energy Authority only to firms or institutions on the Authority’s list of approved users, whose bona fides has been investigated. Anyone ordering radioisotopes is required first to have accepted conditions, which, among other things, reserve to the Authority the right to require the prospective purchaser to inform them of the uses to be made of the material. In the case of Switzerland, orders for Strontium 90 are now referred by the Authority to the Swiss Federal Office of Industry for approval. Since the beginning of 1958, Strontium 90 has been supplied to Switzerland for medical and research purposes only. Prior to 1958 a quantity of Strontium 90 supplied by the Authority to a firm in Switzerland was understood to have been used for luminising watches, and supplies to this firm were discontinued. At one time, it is fair to add, Strontium 90 may reasonably have been thought by a section of the watch industry to be safer than radium, because it does not give off gamma radiation or radon. It was also thought to be superior as a luminising agent.”

In short, the UK Atomic Energy Authority had sold supplies of Strontium-90 to a Swiss dial company for dial luminising, but these sales ceased at the start of 1958. The UK could not have sold any to Switzerland before early 1957, as Sr-90 is a by-product of either thermonuclear reactions or nuclear fission.

Britain’s first thermonuclear weapons test was at Malden Island in the South Pacific on the 15th May, 1957, so if we assume that the scientists at the AEA were able to extract Sr-90 in a couple of months or so, there would probably only have been a few months during which the material was available and for sale. The first fusion reactor was Calder Hall, which opened in October 1956, so if we make the same assumption as above, then there would have been just over a year when Sr-90 could have been sold to the Swiss.

Official Rolex statement regarding Rolex GMT Master 6542 / Rolex GMT Master ref. 6542 with plastic bezel, image credit: Bonhams

The dial firms wanted to use Sr-90 because it was, at the time, considered to be a safer alternative to Radium, as it emitted far fewer of the dangerous Gamma rays. But scientists soon realised that Sr-90 was attracted to calcium and so remained in the bones and bone marrow of people who were exposed to it. It was at the end of 1959 that the US Atomic Energy Commission issued a notice to 15 Swiss watch firms that they must recall any of their watches which used Sr-90. This was eight months after Rolex had ceased production of the GMT-Master ref. 6542 and its potentially dangerous bezel.

The 6542 was introduced at the 1954 Basel Spring Fair and its replacement the 1675 came along five years later at the 1959 Fair. So, if we conclude that the 6542 was in production for 60 months and Strontium-90 was used for around 12 of those months, it stands to reason that up to 20% of the production could have been fitted with the contaminated bezel inserts.

Obviously, not all of the early bezels suffered this contamination as both of the watches I have seen had passed the tests, meaning that they were probably produced during the first four years of production.

Earlier this year we talked about the March LA.B AM2 Millisime March 2024 edition, which evidently made an impression because you, the Oracle Time readers, nominated it as one of the best microbrand watches of the year in our Community Watch Awards (voting is open now until October 31^st 2024). Now though, we’ve got the opportunity to get hands on with their latest creation, the March LA.B AM2 GMT.

The choice to make a GMT was a no-brainer. The LA.B portion of the brand’s name is an acronym that stands for Los Angeles and Biarritz, two cities closely connected to their heritage. They also happen to be separated by 8 hours of time as Biarritz is in the GMT +1 time zone with the rest of Europe while LA is located at GMT -7. Hence a GMT makes sense because you can track both of those time zones at the same time.

There are actually two versions of the March LA.B AM2 GMT being produced. There’s a standard steel version and then the version we have here called the March LA.B AM2 ‘Shades’ GMT, a black, DLC coated limited edition. The black case measures 39mm in diameter with a steel base that’s protected by the scratch resistance diamond-like-carbon coating.

The thickness is 12.5mm but I always find that square watches (technically it’s an octagon due to the angled facets) sit higher on the wrist than their thickness suggests. Plus, the integrated bracelet is very lightweight so all the mass of the piece is concentrated in the watch body which I think subconsciously makes it feel larger and more weighty than it is. Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it has heaps of presence and genuinely suits wrists of any size.

Focussing in on dial, it’s an intricately layered affair. The central, raised portion has a honeycomb-esque textured pattern. That’s then surrounded by trench in matching black that houses the applied indices that sit at striking angles. On the other side of the lower portion is the titular 24-hour GMT scale, split into day/night sections in silver and black, that corresponds to the green-tipped GMT hand. Compared to the Millisime March edition, I find the pattern of the dial to be a touch simpler but that works well to balance out the added complexity of the GMT display.

Taking the March LA.B AM2 ‘Shades’ GMT off, which takes a second due to the slightly fussy clasp (it’s fine when you get used to it), reveals the exhibition caseback. It’s a very unique exhibition window with a vibrant green tint, which in combination with the black case makes me think of the Mysterons from Captain Scarlet although I appreciate that’s probably a very deep cut for most people.

The movement visible through the green window is the La Joux-Perret G110, an automatic movement with a 68-hour power reserve. It’s equipped with a March LA.B patterned rotor to keep it wound as it moves on your wrist. The standard AM2 uses the La Joux-Perret G100 and that proved so popular that it was only when LJP launched a GMT variant that March LA.B felt confident enough to tackle this complication.

In terms of price, it’s $2,200 (approx. £1,650) excluding taxes. As briefly mentioned the ‘Shades’ edition is also a limited edition with only 133 pieces available. If you’re wondering, the standard steel version with green dial is non-limited at a slightly lower price. Between the two I definitely prefer the ‘Shades’ for its bolder appearance and more durable, scratch resistant construction.

More details at March LA.B.

There’s an interesting cycle when it comes to high tech materials in watchmaking. When a material first appears on the scene it’s often the case that said material will be used in its most quintessential form with little additional embellishment. However, once the material starts to see wider use in the industry, brands are better equipped to experiment with aesthetics and design. For example, you have Hublot who push the boundaries with coloured sapphire cases and IWC’s mastery of ceramic. Now it’s Audemars Piguet’s turn to experiment with coloured forged carbon as part of the new Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date.

To be clear, coloured carbon is not exactly brand new, Richard Mille have been doing it for years. What is new here is how the carbon has been coloured. Traditionally the colour comes from the resin that binds the carbon fibres together and the carbon itself retains its natural colour and would remain black/dark grey if the resin were removed. However, AP have developed a method that means it is the actual carbon fibres that are coloured. It’s what AP are calling CFT Carbon, or Chroma Forged Technology Carbon.

It’s been eight years since AP utilised forged carbon but they have not been idle in that time as five of those years were spent developing CFT Carbon. To summarise the patented process, the carbon fibres are cut into small pieces and have pigment applied to them. They are then layered into the carbon block mould and completed with resin as normal. This why the 43mm case of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date has a pattern of black areas and portions of shiny, luminous blue.

An important distinction is that during the layering process AP have full control over where to place the coloured carbon pieces. This is much more important than it sounds because it means that they have a high level of control over the pattern that features in the final product. Normally we describe the pattern of forged carbon as being totally random but now that’s not strictly the case. It’s just mostly random.

The forging process will still result in some deviation and changes due to the forces involved but as an analogy it’s much closer to baking a cake – you can pick your ingredients and arrange everything in the oven the way you want it, but the bake is what matters. On the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date the blue elements of the CFT Carbon are still highly irregular so I don’t think AP have fully explored what this concept may allow them to achieve.

Structurally it’s just as lightweight and durable as regular forged carbon. In fact, it’s technically more scratch resistant as there’s a lower proportion of resin in its construction compared to standard. Although if you want to talk about real scratch resistance you want to look to the ceramic hardware that the watch also features – the bezel, crown, pushers and caseback.

The dial and movement almost feel like secondary details on this watch. The movement is the calibre 4407, an automatic movement with 70-hour power reserve and equipped with a split-seconds, flyback chronograph, a 24-hour GMT hand, hours, minutes, seconds and an oversized date window. You can see it through the skeletonised dial, which remains highly legible thanks to electric blue scales.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date in forged carbon is price on request, which is to be expected considering the advanced materials used and the split-seconds chronograph movement. I think this is actually a pretty cool chronograph from AP, it almost feels like an AP-RM hybrid and I don’t hate that idea. I still want to see AP push this technology further to see if they can produce something truly jaw dropping and outrageous in future.

More details at Audemars Piguet.

Following the launch of the Prospex GPS Solar Chronograph Seiko are continuing to explore adding new complications to existing collections. Admittedly this new launch is less extreme than smashing the Astron into the Prospex line with the force of a Large Hadron Collider. Instead, they’ve added a GMT hand to the Presage Craftsmanship series for the first time. The resulting watch is the Seiko Presage Craftsmanship Urushi GMT.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Craftsmanship series, it’s Seiko high end line of Presage watches that have dials produced using traditional Japanese crafts. Previous models feature dials made from materials like porcelain but this one is made Urushi lacquer. It’s a form of traditional lacquer made from sap from urushi trees and is often used on dials with dark colours. It gives an exceptional smoothness to the black dial.

It’s been paired with understated baton hour markers and spade shaped hands to add a classical edge. As a touch of luxury the seconds hand and GMT 24-hour hand are in a sparkly golden colour, which matches the 24-hour scale around the periphery of the dial. A GMT function allows you to keep track of two time zones at the same time, the main hour hand tracks one while the GMT tracks another. Typically, this is local time and home time, making it the ultimate travel companion.

Powering the watch is the calibre 6R54, which is one of Seiko’s top grade movements with a 72-hour power reserve and an accuracy of -15/+25 seconds per day. In addition to the hours, minutes, seconds and GMT complications it also has a date window at 3 o’clock. It’s housed inside the 42.2mm x 12.35mm stainless steel case with an exhibition caseback.

The Seiko Presage Craftsmanship Urushi GMT is priced at £1,590, which seems about right for the traditional crafts on display with the dial as well as the good specs of the movement. A few years ago that would’ve been on the higher end for Seiko but these days it’s more of a mid-range price. It’s also nice to see the craftsmanship range expand its horizons beyond time and date models turning it into more of a sub-collection in its own right rather than a novelty at the fringes of what Seiko does.

More details at Seiko Boutique.

As a seasoned trade fair participant, the Geneva Watch Days 2024 is an easy favourite. Sure, the barrage of news and vast scope of wristwear at Watches and Wonders have it beaten for variety, but nothing more. I will easily admit that this might be a result of my love of Independents, but with big brands also participating, Geneva Watch Days has morphed into something else. Scurrying between the glamour of the Beau Rivage hotel suites, brand showrooms and the formality of the Fairmont, this year’s heat was literal and very much on-wrist. Narrowing down my top five wrist impressions from across my packed days was no easy job, believe you me.

In Geneva, you have to keep your wits about you and plan carefully. Slow down the pace and you run the risk of being charmingly accosted by non-participating brands lurking in the cool shadow of the trees outside the hotels. Attempting to strap on their odd-shaped novelties on your naked right wrist, even stacked as it is with bracelets to match my own carefully selected fair-watch, I’m a vain man after all. Even choosing which watch to wear is a minefield. I’m forever trying to balance making an impact on journalist colleagues and not offending any participating brands. My two choices were a vintage 1997 Constellation and the quirk-monster Otsuka Lotec No.7.5, which I didn’t think Max Büsser would return after fondling it. But my five favourites were all very different from my own choices, proving the variety is indeed the spicy of wrist-life.

Urwerk EMC SR-71

Lab coats on for my first choice, as the EMC is a tech tour de force that makes Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive seem easily engineered. Well, OK, not quite, but this tenth-anniversary tech-fest is your chance to wear some SR-71 Blackbird on your wrist. Winning no less than two GPHG awards in 2014, the EMC was a game changer, and this is the evolution. Consider it an instrument of time or an über-tool watch, this technical tour de force defies all categorization.

With a hulking black body of 47.55mm x 49.57, its 17.58mm thickness is a titanium and steel instrument with a crank handle made from a piece of SR-71 Blackbird legend. Crank it and it will power up a micro Maxon electrical generator. What does it do? Well it shows you the accuracy of the mechanical movement, letting you adjust it at your leisure. Unique, awe-inspiring and surprisingly comfortable with a literally massive presence, simply tool watch mastery on a different level.

More details at Urwerk.

Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition

I promised the editor to pick wisely, and perhaps not watches already featured, but with the Armin Strom I must argue against this noble principle. I even wrote last week’s launch story myself, surprised by the on-paper new and much-improved size of the Dual Time. Why then am I repeating myself you may ask? I had the shortest of meetings in the Armin Strom suite, in the midst of being chucked out by strongman Wei Koh and his all-black suited camera crew.

But it was worth every one of my shortened minutes, as the white gold Dual Time GMT was a small yet big surprise. I know and appreciate Armin Strom as a brand, but have always had a too-large view of their watches, the Dual Time converted me. With its beguilingly oscillating dance at 12, the 39mm watch felt even smaller. I would even use the word dainty. I could not fathom how all 231 parts of the calibre ARF22 were wrangled into the case. And even at 39mm, it had a Pandora’s Box vibe of great depth. Within the open-worked dial, each tiny index on the small twin dials boasted a crisp twinkle in the sunlight, leaving me rather enamoured.

More details at Armin Strom.

L’Epée x MB&F ‘Albatross’

You’ll have to excuse me, as this is not a wristwatch, but hear me out. Nothing beats MB&F for flamboyant tech-tastic horlogerie, and I was ready to feel raffle-obligated by the new M.A.D.1S. in its slimmer guise. But this time, a table clock and automaton had me hypnotized. I had the honour of being the brand’s first appointment on the first day and arrived bang on time, making myself comfortable in the plush suite ten seconds to nine o’clock. Admiring the L’Epée x MB&F ‘Albatross’ on the table next to me, I heard a visible click from within the airship’s belly, and a spectacle ensued.

Accompanied by crisp chimes, each of the airship’s 32 propellers started spinning, and all wristwear was forgotten. The intense craftsmanship that goes into a creation like the ‘Albatross’ is easily understood when it is static, a steam punk-futurist sculpture on its merit. However, the fact that a hand-wound movement adds to a whopping 1,520 parts to power this machine is extraordinary. Each linkage and oversized geartrain is machined and polished to exact tolerances, and yes, I did think it might even take off from its stand.

More details at MB&F.

Czapek Antarctique Polar Sky

In two packed days of meetings and cocktail parties (poor journalists, eh?), there will always be a wrist beauty or two that gets away. Passing the Czapek suite, I had a five-second stolen glance at their Antarctique Polar Sky as it was being shot. But that was all it took. First, you’ll see a clean-cut, Aventurine-glittering version of the Antarctique. But look closely at those indices, and you might understand why I’m in love. The main image above is the sleek standard model, with the Polar Sky below.

The Polar Sky is available in a 40.5mm version and the perfect S with its 38.5mm. With its in-house SXH5 calibre panache and lustrous Aventurine dial, it is a tempting proposal, but for me, it’s about the indices. They are baguette-cut diamonds, but not only that. They are, in fact, of a trademark arrow shape, officially registered as the Czapek Cut. Each is shaped like the original but with an invisible fitting, rocking 24 cut facets of glimmer. Czapek just dropped a Swiss, glittering mic.

More details at Czapek.

Ulysse Nardin Freak X OPS

I will bookend the story with another stand-out moment for me. Although I might get in trouble again because it’s technically not a brand new release, debuting at the tail end of last year. Incredulously, I have never tried on a Ulysse Nardin Freak in peace. The brand was not officially part of the event, but I interviewed the brand’s new managing director, Matthieu Haverlan. In a personal and open conversation on the brand and its direction, I had the pleasure of wearing Matthieu’s personal 43mm Freak X OPS.

I’m not big (sorry) on 40mm+ watches anymore, but the OPS’s curvy, camo-patterned composite case was a real eye-opener. The nylon loop-style strap was soft, maybe the best I’ve tried on. Combined with the lightweight case, the watch feels way more casual than its complexities imply. It comes across as a mighty sharp entry ticket to Freak-dom and much more. With the might of the oscillating balance and spacecraft dial, my respect for the brand and its future-facing ethos has only increased.

More at Ulysse Nardin.

Embargoed Watches at Geneva Watch Days 2024

Some of the most interesting facets of the event are the tantalizing glimpses of embargoed goods. And for me two brands stood out. Greubel Forsey is the single brand, except for Laurent Ferrier, that I will never miss visiting, and neither disappointed. Greubel Forsey’s Double Balancier above had the same knock-out impression on me as last year, no surprise there. But a new and minimalist star shone brightly in the Greubel Forsey suite, busy enough to resemble a Red Bar GTG.

That will have to wait until October, but the biggest embargoed surprise for me might just have been Biver. I am covering the brand’s new and different release here later this week, so stay tuned. It is a new and enthralling foursome. I am back in the office today, daydreaming of these top 5 wrist impressions. Haute Horlogerie cold turkey is not working, but maybe some Greubel Forsey chocolates can offer a brief respite from already missing the Geneva Watch Days.

Readers, it’s another long nomenclature indicative of open-worked splendour at the Geneva Watch Days. Armin Strom has spoiled us with ever-more complex takes on duality, where the watch case is mainly a slim-bezel amphitheatre for the dial. Armin Strom is more about the movement’s moving feast than mere markings and hands. And nothing explores that concept more than the new Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition.

True to form, the brand doesn’t disappoint, and for once, I’ll start with a focus on the case itself. With our love of more manageable diameters, we’ve seen the brand go from 43.4mm down to 41mm via the One Week, offering a strong new release with an integrated bracelet. This time, Armin Strom performs the magic trick of increasingly alluring complications within a smaller case again, with 39mm of 18K white gold. Bravo, chaps!

The lengthy name of Armin Strom’s new Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition indicates its many charms. And though white gold might give off an air of stealth wealth, this 25-piece limited edition is anything but demure. We know a travel-practical GMT function can be easily displayed using a colourful extra pointer and a 24-hour bezel. But the visual drama of twin movements with Armin Strom’s Resonance expertise is something else. If your life is split between living and working in two separate time zones, consider this a crisply legible celebration of the equal importance of work and leisure.

Armin Strom’s founder, Serge Michel, says, “Having two completely independent watch movements in a single timepiece creates the logical demand for an iteration that displays two time zones. The success of our first Dual Time inspired us to build a smaller and more elegant Dual Time Resonance watch. We further developed our concept and arranged the two movements vertically to do this. And we couldn’t be happier with the result.”

Twin sky blue, grenage-finished dials are centred but vertically offset slightly below the mid-case point. With corresponding twin crowns, they show the time with polished baton hands and a raised black outer chapter ring for crisp legibility. Each also has its own rhodium plate day/night disc. The details are intricate enough to make each dial the main focal point of a haute horology watch on its own, but not here. They are almost subservient to the drama at 12 o‘clock and under the caseback.

Don’t get me wrong, you will notice the finishing on even the smallest dial markers but the movement is something else. It makes for top-grade loupe-ogling with the kinetic spectacle of Resonance being intriguing on a different level. Twin balance wheels are opposed and affixed with curved bridges for a start. Meanwhile, the hypnotic pulsation of Armin Strom’s clutch spring offers the pièce de résistance. It almost appears to be a living object, ‘breathing’ as it transmits vibrations between them to synchronize the running of the twin movements.

The case, with its new ergonomic size, is designed to maximise the dial space, with an insignificantly slim bezel. The requisite Armin Strom tab at 6 is present, while the alligator strap has a light blue lining and stitch pattern to match the twin dial art within. In the box, you will also find an extra light grey strap with pearl-grey stitching to switch up too.

I could easily write a separate long-read story only on the principles behind Resonance. It is a complex design of which Armin Strom is a worthy flag bearer. But I will leave you to go to the Armin Strom homepage to learn more. An open-worked flamboyance carries through to the rear underneath a sapphire case back, to no surprise. Here, the ARF22 movement boasts 231 components and a decent 42-hours of power reserve. That might seem on the low side today. But with two independent regulating systems connected by a resonance clutch spring, the power consumption is significant. All are shown symmetrically with twin tones of anthracite gray and clean Côtes de Gèneve striping.

Nicely bookending the story on the Armin Strom Dual Time GMT is the price of £114,000, a welcome surprise compared to what could easily be triple that price from another brand. What’s more, Armin Strom has pulled off the magic trick of offering this menagerie of magic within a mere 9.05mm thick case, which combined with the diameter makes this all the more astounding for its size. Is this one of the strongest releases of the Geneva Watch Days?

More details at Armin Strom.

I must admit that as a watch enthusiast, the closest I generally get to a musical instrument is a Casio wristwatch because they happen to also make keyboards. However, even I know that one of the most famous guitar brands in the world is Fender and their most iconic creation is the Stratocaster. It is THE archetypal guitar. It also happens to be the Stratocaster’s 70th anniversary as it was first created back in 1954. To celebrate this milestone Fender have teamed up with Bulgari to create the Bulgari Aluminium GMT x Fender Limited Edition.

Only 1,200 examples of the Bulgari Aluminium GMT x Fender will be produced, launched in an initial batch of 140. A number arrived at via the calculation of the anniversary year times the number of time zones on the watch’s GMT display. At the same time, the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, California (Fender’s most high end workshop) will produce up to 70 Fender x Bulgari Stratocasters, so you can match your watch to your guitar. I say ‘up to’ because the Fender Custom Shop works exclusively upon request, which is also why you’ll find no pictures of said guitar in this article because none have been made yet.

The watch itself is a very similar to the original rendition of the Aluminium GMT that was released in 2021. It has a 40mm case made from lightweight aluminium – hence the name – with a DLC coated titanium caseback and brown rubber bezel. The combination of a fairly unusual watch material and rubber made the Aluminium something of an iconoclast when it was released but today it has graduated to being a sports classic in its own right.

As for the colours, those are pulled from one of the most recognisable editions of the Stratocaster, which had a warm brown lacquer and cream accents. This is represented by the brown fume dial, brown GMT hand and cream day/night 24-hour scale. One of my favourite details is that the standard baton hour markers have been replaced with guitar frets, which is really the only visual indication that this is a guitar themed special edition rather than just a cool retro colourway.

Although flip the Bulgari Aluminium GMT x Fender Limited Edition over and the caseback will tell you about the collaboration in less uncertain terms thanks to the big Fender logo. Beneath the titanium back you’ll find the B192, which features hours, minutes, seconds, date and GMT. It has a 42-hour power reserve, which is low by Bulgari standards but that’s because the Aluminium is their most accessible collection. Especially in comparison to the masterpieces they’ve just announced as part of the Octo chiming collection.

Another interesting note is that the watch has been specially adapted to make it easier to wear while playing guitar via a redesigned Velcro strap. How exactly they’ve redesigned the strap in order to achieve this, they haven’t announced, but it’s cool that they’ve at least considered it. You wouldn’t want your strap to come undone in the middle of a sick riff.

More details at Bulgari.

Back in the spring of 2024 Panerai launched (technically relaunched) the Luminor Deici Giorni, a stylish GMT watch with a 10-day power reserve. A 10-day power reserve is a very impressive feat requiring not one, not two but three spring barrels. For context, most wristwatches only have one. A few months later at the end of summer Panerai have released a follow up watch featuring the same movement and complications in a new case with fresh colours, the Panerai Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT Ceramica.

Starting with the 44mm case, you may be able to guess from the name Ceramica that it’s made from ceramic, a high-tech, extremely hardwearing and virtually scratchproof material created through a complex firing process. It’s presented here in black, which is one of the most common colours of ceramic because it suits the matte finish of the material as well as being one of the easier to produce, since creating an even colour across a ceramic watch is unbelievably difficult.

The colour gives the watch a dark, stealthy appearance that wouldn’t look out of place on a military dive watch, which is of course where Panerai got their start in life, supplying the Italian navy. The same is true of the olive green sandwich dial, which is equally serious a militaristic save for the sunray brush finishing that catches the light nicely. The display features central hours, seconds and 12-hour GMT hand, with small seconds and day/night indicator on a subdial at 9 o’clock, a linear power reserve indicator at 6 and a date window at 3.

The movement providing the titular Dieci Giorni 10-day power reserve is the P.2003, which was the first calibre Panerai developed in their Neuchatel manufacture. It’s visible though the exhibition caseback. As mentioned, it has three spring barrels as well as a free-sprung balance. It’s a very impressive movement that in combination with the upgraded ceramic case and green dial leads to a price of £16,800, which feels like an appropriate increase from the £13,200 of the steel edition.

More details at Panerai.

While I tend to think of Japanese horology in terms of brands like Grand Seiko and Hajime Asaoka that bring high end mechanics and traditional techniques to watchmaking, it’s undeniable that the accessible brands from Japan are also killing it. Orient’s Bambino is fantastic for the price and Citizen is a true power house with their diverse and extensive range of watches. Citizen is extra relevant right now because it’s the 100^th anniversary of the first ever Citizen branded watch, an event they are celebrating with the launch of the Series 8 880 Limited Edition.

Off the bat, this is a really fun watch. It has an integrated bracelet design with the sporty look of a watch inspired by the 1970s. What gives it a unique character is the coloured plating on top of the 41mm steel case, which gives it a bi-colour appearance in anthracite grey and deep blue. The same colouration is used across the links of the steel bracelet, creating a cohesive look for the piece.

The dark tones of the case mirror the colours of the bi-directional rotating GMT bezel, which is split into blue and black day/night sections. Interestingly the 24-hour scale on the bezel has a 24 numeral, whereas it’s very common for a rotating scale to have a lumed dot or other marker in that position so that the bezel can be set even in low light conditions. I actually prefer the look of the complete numerical scale though as it has a hint of that Rolex Explorer II vibe while still having the additional practicality that comes from a rotation.

Where the 100^th Anniversary Series 8 880 Limited Edition really comes into its own is the dial. It has a cool undulating colour gradient that seems to shift and change across the span of the display rather than having a consistent linear change or fumé design as we normally see. This has been achieved by using mother-of-pearl tinted blue. Once you know that, it almost feels like you can see the iridescence of the material through the blue. It’s also just the right amount of intensity to pair well with the colours of the case.

As part of the 880 Mechanical series, it’s powered by an automatic movement. Specifically, the Cal. 9054 with 50-hour power reserve, an accuracy of +20/-10 seconds per day and a frequency of 4 Hz. It’s a solid enough movement of the calibre (pardon the pun) you’d expect to see from Citizen. You can view it through the exhibition caseback too. In terms of functions, it’s equipped with hours, minutes, seconds, date and a true GMT function. A true GMT allows you to adjust the hour hand by intervals of one hour without affecting the GMT hand.

I really like the use of colour on the the Citizen Series 8 880 Limited Edition because it feels special enough to warrant being a limited edition while also not being so extravagant that the watch loses its practical, almost tool watch-esque appeal. I get the same feeling from the £1,495 price tag, which is at the top end of what is generally considered daily beater/tool watch territory. It’s also limited to 2,200 pieces globally making it fairly exclusive compared to Citizen’s standard models.

More details at Citizen.

Oceaneva are an American watch brand making waves for their combination of accessibility and high specifications. Watches like the Deep Marine Explorer III are frankly astonishing with their combination of 3,000m water resistance rating and sub-£1,000 price point. However, if any criticism can be drawn to Oceaneva, it’s likely the lack of diversity in terms of style and design across their collections, which all follow a very traditional dive watch aesthetic. Pushing the envelope in terms of originality would go a long way. Fortunately, that’s exactly what they’ve done with the launch of the new Oceaneva OceanTrek GMT.

Gone are the big, chunky bezel and broad, lumed hour markers and in their place is a much more refined GMT wristwatch. It measures 42mm in diameter with a steel case that has a combination of brushed and polished finishing, adding a nice sense of contrast to the design. The bezel is smooth with a slightly stepped lip leading up to the sapphire crystal. It’s without question the dressiest design Oceaneva have ever produced.

However, I wouldn’t go so far as to call the Oceaneva OceanTrek GMT a purebred dress watch, as there are hybrid elements of sports and dive watch design present in its DNA. It has a 200m water resistance rating and the fluted crown is screw-down to create a watertight seal. On top of that, it certainly hasn’t kowtowed to the current popularity of vintage proportions, remaining appropriately sized for a sports or tool watch.

Looking to the dial, it leans much more completely in the direction of refinement. It has a layered appearance with a recessed 24-hour scale around the central portion of the display made through a hydraulic press method. The peripheral Roman numerals are presented in relief with a silver-tone finish that makes the shine. Speaking of finish, the majority of the dial is sunray brushed, catching the light in a lovely radial pattern that is very classy and classic. The same can be said of the central hour and minute hands, which are leaf-shaped and partially skeletonised.

The central hand stack also features a GMT hand that ends in a red-tipped crescent shape to point to the relevant time on the 24-hour scale. It allows the watch to display two time zones simultaneously, making it easy to keep track of local and home time if you are traveling or perhaps the time zone of an important client for your international business. It’s a complication less associated with adventure and diving because it serves no real function in those scenarios (unless you’re talking about the Rolex Explorer II), further emphasising the new direction that the OceanTrek GMT is leaning in.

We should also talk about colour. There are six versions of the OceanTrek GMT, not including the fact that five of them are offered on the choice of a brown or black crocodile strap. There’s a blue edition on blue leather strap, with the other five that come with the aforementioned choice of straps being silver, green, olive, grey and black. The black edition is unique in that its 24-hour scale isn’t monotone and instead features a red/black day/night indicator.

It’s a versatile everyday watch that’s suitable in the office or a party while at the same time being durable enough that it will be perfectly fine if you do find yourself in the water or a more extreme location. Powering the watch through whatever conditions you find yourself in is the Seiko NH34A GMT movement. An automatic calibre with a 41-hour power reserve that’s visible through the exhibition caseback.

While aesthetically the OceanTrek GMT is very different to Oceaneva’s other collections, it has the same great value. It has a pre-sale price of just £149, which is wild for an automatic watch and even wilder for a GMT – even if it uses a widely available work horse movement like the NH34A. The watches are only available in an initial limited production run with some colours only available in editions of 25 pieces, so secure yours quickly.

More details at Oceaneava.

In the modern day it’s easy to forget that watches were once more than an accessory. Different types of tool watches were designed to fulfil key functions for specific jobs. They were meant to make your job easier. Today technology and the digital evolution has reduced the reliance on tool watches as actual tools. You no longer buy an Omega Seamaster because you want to take up scuba diving and you certainly won’t see Max Verstappen wearing his Tag Heuer Monaco to keep track of his lap times.

Whilst that might be true, these watches that were built and designed for a purpose are still fully capable of fulfilling their job roles. Therefore, it is important to understand why tool watches function, look and feel the way they do. As watch lovers the design and history of tool watches is what we buy into. And who knows, if you work in one of these professions perhaps these watches will still be practical.

Diver: Dive Watch

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

The dive watch is one of the most common tool watches you’ll find on the market today. The rise of the steel sports watch over the last few decades has meant the dive watch has become a firm favourite in the product catalogues of Rolex, Omega and many others.

A dive watch has a couple of key functions and elements you might be aware of. Firstly, waterproof-ness. This goes without saying in a watch designed for aquatic environments. However, it’s the depth and how this waterproof-ness is achieved that gives the dive watch this function. Almost all dive watches will come with a screw down crown. The crown is fitted on the inside with a seal which when fully screwed down is completely watertight and will hold up under high pressures as you dive deeper.

The other element you will find on dive watches with a high depth rating, such as the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, is a helium escape valve. This can most readily be seen on the Omega with what looks like an additional crown at 10 o’clock on the case. The helium escape valve is released at extreme depths to alleviate helium gas build up in the watch.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m GMT with a helium escape valve

Next, dive watches are equipped with unidirectional bezels which only rotate anticlockwise. For those who have ever been diving you will know that timing your dive is incredibly important as it ensures you won’t run out of oxygen. Rotating the bezel allows you to mark when you start your dive. Most dive bezels are then equipped with a 15 minute marker scale as this is a common time frame for diving. The reason the bezel only rotates in a counter clockwise direction is so that it can’t accidentally be knocked forwards and you therefore end up submerged for longer than you should be.

The final element of a dive watch to be aware of is legibility. Reading the time whilst underwater needs to be easy so dive watches don’t have complicated dials. They also have high amounts of lume or super-luminova on the markers and hands so time can be read even in low light.

Pilot: Pilot’s Watch

Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium

Watches have been worn by pilots since the early 1900’s when Louis Cartier created a wrist watch for pilot Alberto Santos Dumont. Since then pilot’s watches have evolved and can include several complications. For example, a flyback or split seconds chronograph is used for measuring flight time in a given direction. This tool watch function was crucial in the early days of flight when navigation systems didn’t exist. A GMT function is extremely valuable when time zones differ between origin and destination and a day/night indicator helps pilots determine whether it’s AM or PM. Which can be confusing when crossing multiple time zones.

Perhaps the best example of a pilots’ watch that helps with the day/night dilemma is the Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute. Which instead of the hour hand completing two rotations in 24 hours only completes one. The dial has 24 hour markers on it, so instead of reading the watch as a 12 hour display you can easily see if it’s 06:00 or 18:00 by the markers.

Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute

Other key attributes to the pilot’s watch are the oversized crown, much like you find on the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch. The crown is larger than usual in order that it can be operated with gloves on. This is a key design element for pilots who are often in full flight gear including thick, insulated, fireproof gloves.

Much like dive watches, legibility is crucial for pilot’s. It’s why you will find many pilot’s watches with diameters of 44mm and above and very few with case sizes smaller than 40mm. This larger case size isn’t the only feature to improve visibility. Pilot’s watches are characterised by high contrast dials, often dark dials with bright white numeric hour markers. The numeral hour marker is important when trying to read the time at a glance. Baton or roman numeral markers would only slow things down.

IWC Big Pilot Top Gun Edition

The final element you will notice on the majority of pilot’s watches is very subtle. Near or around the 12 o’clock position you will notice a small triangle. Often printed on to the dial in red or a contrast colour or painted with lume so it stands out in low light. The triangle shows the pilot instantly which way up the watch should be. The last thing you want is your pilot reading his watch upside down.

Doctor / Medical Professional: Pulsometer

Longines Pulsometer Chronograph

It’s hard to think of how a tool watch function might aid a doctor or nurse in their everyday jobs. That’s until you understand the function of a pulsometer. A pulsometer is an adapted function of the chronograph and characterised by a unique scale on the dial or bezel. The purpose of the pulsometer is to measure a patient’s pulse without the need to count the pulses or beats for a full 60 seconds.

In a pulsometer watch you will find written somewhere on the dial or bezel the number of pulsations you need to count in order to read the scale. Usually it’s 15 or 30 pulsations. Simply start the chrono and count the patient’s pulse, once you’ve counted the desired number stop the chrono and read off the scale to see the patient’s beats per minute. The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph is a great example of a chronograph with a pulsometer display, you’ll notice the text ‘Gradue Pour 30 Pulsations’ written on the outer part of the dial. If you see the phrase pulsometer or pulsations written anywhere on a watch you now know that this isn’t your usual chronograph. It is in fact a tool watch function for medical professionals.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Tru-Beat

One other example of a medical tool watch is the Rolex Tru-Beat. The Tru-Beat, much like a pulsometer watch, was aimed at medical professionals for the sole purpose that it made timing a pulse or heart rate easier. The Tru-Beat uses a deadbeat seconds complication. In short, it’s a mechanical watch that ‘ticks’ like a quartz watch with the seconds hand ticking once per second. A mechanical movement usually gives you a constant sweeping seconds hand.

Soldier: Field Watch

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical

Field watches were originally designed for soldiers during the First World War. Military watches started life as pocket watches but as the wristwatch grew in popularity many factions of the military saw the benefits. Fumbling for your pocket watch whilst in the trenches was not ideal.

Very quickly field watches became a staple piece of equipment for soldiers. Their ease of use meant timing and coordination of manoeuvres vastly improved. As you can imagine a soldier’s watch would go through a pretty tough ordeal so delicate and complex movements were not the order of the day. Instead, field watches are known for their simplicity and durability. Take a look at the CWC Mellor-72 and you’ll see what I mean. The Mellor-72 is a recreation of the 1970s British Military W10 watch. The time only, enlarged numerals and thick steel case are iconic of a field watch.

CWC Mellor-72 Mechanical

Case materials on these watches need to be hard robust metals, such as steel. Whereas the straps are usually canvas or leather for two primary reasons. Most importantly these soft materials are lighter and therefore more comfortable for the wearer who will likely be wearing the watch 24/7. Secondly, steel bracelets with links can break if hit hard enough whereas a single piece of leather or NATO style strap can’t be snapped or broken.

Given the types of environments field watches will encounter, a good field watch will be at home near water. They won’t have the depth ratings of a dive watch but a decent level of water resistance and tolerance to dust is essential. As a result, field watch cases will usually be made from a single piece of stainless steel with a single crown. When fully sealed this protects the movement from any foreign materials entering the case.

Finally, simplicity. A soldier’s tool watch has to be accurate, after all, the military are rather fastidious about being on time. Therefore, the traditional field watch is time only so that no power is used to operate any other function and compromise on accuracy. This simplicity is carried over to the dial design. There is no need to clutter the dial with unnecessary paraphernalia. Instead numeric hour markers for ease of reading coupled with high amounts of lume for time telling at night are the only tool watch functions you should find on a true field watch.

Scientist: Magnetic Resistance

Rolex Milgauss

Mechanical watches go well together with many things. Motor racing, deep sea diving, a matching tuxedo. However, they do not pair well with magnetic fields. One sure fire way to ruin the accuracy of your mechanical watch is to place it next to a high powered electromagnetic source. The force from scientific or technological equipment that generates electromagnetic activity has an effect on the components inside the movement, (usually the balance spring and escapement) and can play havoc with the timekeeping.

In most professions this isn’t something to worry about, however for scientists or engineers spending many hours a day inside laboratories with high powered machinery this causes a problem. In 1956 Rolex led the way in producing a watch which could withstand high levels of electromagnetic activity and could be worn by scientists and engineers. The Milgauss was born. The term milgauss refers to the fact that the watch can withstand magnetic fields to the measure of 1,000 gauss. A standard watch is normally about 60 gauss.

The original Rolex Milgauss from the 1950’s

Alongside Rolex other brands have followed suit in creating these scientific watches. The key feature of all these types of watches is that the movement is housed inside a faraday cage. The faraday cage can’t be seen as it sits inside the case. However, this separate housing made from iron or similar materials is what protects the movement from electromagnetic activity. As material science has continued to evolve, modern watches have adopted silicon balance springs and other additional materials to use inside the movement. Further increasing the magnetic resistance of watches.

Yacht Racer: Regatta Timer

Rolex Yacht-Master II

Yacht racing watches, also known as regatta timers, share many similarities to dive watches. A yacht racing watch is worn in or near water so high levels of water resistance are essential, they usually contain a rotatable bezel and offer a timing function that differs from a chronograph. Where the main difference to your traditional dive watch comes in is with this timing function.

Unlike a dive watch where timing of your dive is measured using the bezel the regatta timer does use a separate timing complication. To understand the purpose of the regatta timer you need to understand how the start of a yacht race actually works. Unlike a motor or athletics race lining up all participants on the start line in a stationary position is impossible. Instead, the start of a yacht race is a rolling start whereby your yacht mustn’t cross the start line before a specific time. It is therefore your aim to cross this start line as close to this time as possible whilst travelling as fast as possible.

Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown

To signal the start time the yacht crews are given a 5 or 10 minute countdown warning. It’s then up to the crews to ensure they cross the start line at the right time. The regatta timer is a tool watch function that you will only find on a yacht racing watch such as Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown. On the Frederique Constant the countdown is signified by a set of circles, one for each minute. As the orange coloured circle moves across the register it signals the countdown to the start of the race. Whilst several regatta timers use this circular representation for the countdown due to how easy it is to see whilst on a boat others revert to the more traditional hand and minute track or sub dial.

Explorer: Explorer Watch

Breitling Emergency from the 1990s, image credit: Watchcollecting

This tool watch function is very niche. In fact, probably the most niche tool watch on this list. In 1995 Breitling released the world’s first watch with a built-in distress beacon. The Breitling Emergency is a chunky dual analogue and digital display wrist watch which contains a radio transmitter only to be used in case of emergency.

In order to activate the distress signal, an antenna needs to be pulled out from the lugs at the bottom end of the case. Once the antenna has been activated a dual frequency distress beacon is emitted and the signal will guide emergence rescue services to your location. At present the Breitling is the only watch on the market with this function, although digital watches like the Apple watch now offer an emergence feature via satellite connection even if you don’t have phone reception.

Racer: Chronograph

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona Platinum

The final professional watch on our list which helps you to do your job is a racing watch. Initially designed for racing drivers and their teams the racing watch primarily has two functions. The first to measure lap times and the second to calculate speed.

The most distinguishing feature of a racing watch is the presence of a chronograph. Without a chrono the watch isn’t a racing watch. The chronograph can be a three sub dial layout like the Zenith Chronomaster Sport or a two sub dial layout like the Tag Heuer Monaco. One of the key characteristics to watch out for on the subdials of a racing watch is the contrasting colours. At a minimum you could expect to see the subdials with coloured chapter rings, like on the Rolex Daytona. Or more commonly, the subdials themselves are in an entirely separate colour. These colours are designed to provide high contrast and make the chronograph function easier to read when travelling at high speed.

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Boutique Edition

The second key feature of a racing watch is a tachymeter scale. The tachymeter scale is used to calculate speed by timing how long it takes the car to travel a set distance. The tachymeter scale can be found either on the bezel or around the out edge of the dial. Unlike bezels on dive watches the bezel on a racing watch is fixed and can’t be rotated. This is because the chronograph function can always be reset to zero so the bezel doesn’t need to move.

In general most racing watches will contain a tachymeter alongside a chronograph. However, it’s worth noting that perhaps the most famous racing watch of them all, the Tag Heuer Monaco, doesn’t contain a tachymeter.

Tag Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Blue

The final element to look out for on a racing watch is the strap. True racing straps offer breath-ability to the wrist in the form of holes or perforated leather. Racing cars are often ill equipped with luxuries such as air conditioning so the drivers get very hot. A lightweight breathable strap is very much called for. Modern day racing watches have embraced steel straps mainly because the metal will last longer and very few are actually wearing these watches for racing. If you want to spot a true racing watch however a leather or rubber strap is one to look out for.

In the modern day the tool watch functions aren’t fulfilling the roles they once did quite as regularly. However, from time to time these watches still offer practical capabilities that might help you to do your job. For that reason It’s probably best to have one, just in case.

Christopher Ward have been on a roll this summer with bright and colourful watches that embrace the sunny season. There’s the multi-coloured Super Compressor and recently the Ice Cream limited edition series with its flavourful dials. Now it’s the turn of the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT to receive some colourful designs while also reintroducing the GMT complication to one of CW’s signature collections.

There are three colourways available, all of which are presented in the same case. It’s based on Christopher Ward’s light-catcher design with dimensions of 40mm x 47.4mm x 11.8mm in stainless steel. The combination of brushed and polished surfaces gives it a sleek, sporty appearance, as do the angled lugs that make sure the watch sits snugly against your wrist.

Sitting atop the case is a bi-directional coin-edge bezel with a 24-hour scale, which in combination with the central 24-hour GMT hand allows the watch to display the time in three time zones simultaneously. Local time, travel time when the bezel is in its standard orientation and travel time when the bezel has been rotated. The bezel’s scale has two design options depending on the colourway, either a ceramic insert with lumed markers or a steel insert with the markings in relief.

Focussing in on the different colour options, the first is the most standard. It has a dark blue dial with a light blue GMT hand and the ceramic insert bezel is split in a day-night pattern in matching shades of blue. There’s then a white edition with a light blue GMT hand and the ceramic bezel is white and dark blue. Lastly there’s cream-blue gradient edition with a yellow GMT hand and a steel relief bezel – reminiscent of the C60 Atoll 300 edition.

I find it an interesting mix of colour choices within a three piece series. The blue and white feel very traditional, very safe choices that are sure to prove popular because those colours always are. But then to pair it with a dramatically more exotic design like the gradient is fascinating, especially when it’s presented on a bright yellow rubber strap. The other strap options being the classic Bader 3-link steel bracelet or the more recent 5-link Consort bracelet.

Powering the trio of Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT watches is the Sellita SW330-2 automatic GMT movement. There’s really not a lot more you could ask for from a movement at this price point with its 4 Hz frequency and 56-hour power reserve. You can also view it through the exhibition caseback revealing the custom Christopher Ward rotor.

As for the pricing of the Christopher Ward C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT, it depends on which strap or bracelet option you go for. They’re £950 FKM Aquaflex rubber, £1,150 on Bader and £1,185 on Consort. This is a lot of watch for the money and continues CW’s trend of making Swiss movement watches more accessible to a wider audience. Also, considering how versatile the design of the C60 Trident Pro 300 GMT, it’s the only watch you’ll need for any occasion.

More details at Christopher Ward.

There are a few traits that, over the past decade or so, have come to define British watchmaking. Visually, there’s often a penchant for colour, underpinned by a distinctly vintage flair. There’s an emphasis on accessibility, allowing even new collectors to get a cool, automatic watch on their wrists and, finally, a playful design counterpoint to the staider Swiss watchmakers. And if there’s one watchmaker that embodies that reputational trifecta, it’s Farer.

Farer wasn’t started because their founder wanted to recreate their grandfather’s long-lost Rolex or had a driving urge to build a watch that nobody has ever built before. Founder Paul Sweetenham was far more  pragmatic than that. He wanted to create a direct-to- consumer brand, challenging himself to do so as quickly as possible and, having previously worked selling colourful Swatch and TAG Heuer F1 timepieces, saw watches as the place he could do that.

Paul Sweetenham, founder of Farer

That might sound a little unromantic as origin stories go, but I’d argue that it’s simply honest. Very few entrepreneurs start a watch brand unless they think it’ll make money, no matter what they might say in their advertising spiel. I’d also argue that coming to watches from the outside – rather than as a collector – has its benefits. “Our approach is different”, explains Paul. “Everyone says that, obviously, but we’re not watch people coming to design; we’re design people coming to watches.”

In an industry where function is often more important than form, that’s a refreshing twist on the paradigm. Rather than take, say, a dive watch, look at its pure functionality and build out from there, you limit yourself. Instead, Farer takes a design concept they want to achieve and ask, what suits that concept?

Farer launched their brand with two quartz watches; Bernato and Carter GMT (2015)

Initially it was an idea funnelled, like many a fledgling watch brand, into quartz pieces. It makes sense. Quartz is cheaper than mechanical so, if you’re looking for a proof of concept, that’s the best way to go – and Farer’s in good, British company in that regard, too. So, while they were uninspired mechanically, those initial pieces, launched in 2015, needed to be eye-catching. And they were, utilising flashes of bold colours against white and black dials. There was a lot going on and it all worked flawlessly.

The quirky, colourful take on halcyon watch design preceded the wave of vintage flavours that followed them. In context, Baltic, who are often credited with pushing that archival wave in the independent space, was founded a year later. Thanks to their quartz movements, that level of colourful fun was also incredibly accessible, showcasing an emphasis on value for money that would become part of Farer’s core ethos.

Farer Hopewell, part of Farer’s first collection of automatic watches (2016)

Like we always say however, one watch does not a brand make, a message that was explained to Paul in no uncertain terms. “When we were thinking about starting Farer, my friend at Roventa Henex took me down into their basement – nerve-racking from a Swiss ex-military man. He took me to cabinets full of files and when I asked what they were, he told me, ‘all the brands that built one watch with us and disappeared’. I was determined we wouldn’t be one of them.”

It was a year later, in 2016, that Farer moved to automatic with the elegant Hopewell, Beagle, and Endurance automatic, three-hand watches. In blues and whites with hints of bright red and green, they were full of what would become Farer character, particularly as all three had very different dials, rather than a simple palette swap.

Farer Lander Kano GMT 36mm (2023), based on the brand’s earliest automatic watches, the Lander (2017)

Today, that’s one thing you can always bank on Farer for. When they release a new timepiece, it’s always more than a simple change of colour here and there. Each dial variation has a completely different character, something that comes directly from their unique mix of design sensibilities and practicalities.

“We take colourways and design elements from everywhere but the watch industry”, explains Paul. “We’ll look at old car catalogues and colour charts to get inspiration, mixing them with halcyon design elements we love – an index or numeral here, a handset there – to create three different watches, not just three versions of one watch. Those differences also mean that we often have guys that buy two or three from each collection.”

Farer Moonphase Burbidge (2023)

For some brands, one person buying two or three of your new release might seem fantastical, but Farer have found it par for the course these days. Their capsule drops regularly sell out in weeks at most, and the appeal is obvious. Not only are the designs different enough that each feels like a completely different watch, but each is more competitively priced.

Farer’s initial vision of a direct-to-consumer brand wasn’t because they disliked retailers, but because it meant they could offer more value to the people buying their watches. That was first done with quartz, then with ETA automatics and now it’s done with Sellita movements and a never-say-no approach to design that is, I’m sure, a frustration to many of their Swiss suppliers.

Farer Banzare GMT (2024)

“When we wanted to do purple lacquer, we were told just to give up and use clear lacquer over a purple dial,” says Paul of the regal Banzare limited edition. “We spoke to supplier after supplier who told us just to go with what everyone else did. But we didn’t want to do what everyone else did and we didn’t take no for an answer.”

Indeed, in many ways Farer are running counterculture to the wider watch industry – and I don’t just mean in terms of design. Transparency is a bit of a buzzword among independent brands, but few are as outspoken about the concept as Farer. They will happily tell you not just who makes their movements, but their cases, dials, straps, hands and lume. In an industry legendary for its obfuscation (to the point where in-house has lost a lot of meaning), that’s a refreshing take, and ties in nicely to Farer’s fairer pricing.

Farer Monopusher GMT Seagrave

Just take a look at their latest release, the Monopusher GMT. On paper, some collectors might balk at paying nearly £2,000 for a Sellita movement. That alone is a little bit painful when you examine just how solid Sellita movements are compared to even ETA, but in this case it’s a travesty. A chronograph GMT is a rare but immensely useful combination, and Sellita’s version is truly exceptional.

You might also notice that the dial has two variations that go beyond even Farer’s usual range of designs. One has bi-compax subdials at 12 and nine; one has those dials at 12 and six. That might seem like a small difference, but it means altering the architecture of the movement. One of the layouts involves more components and more jewels to make it work – but I’m not going to tell you which one. Like sizes, it should be a matter of taste rather than price as to which you prefer, hence both versions being priced exactly the same.

Farer Monopusher GMT Cobb

This way of playing with the movement’s very architecture illustrates Farer’s dedication to offering something different and something of genuine value. Sure, they bring people into the fold with funky designs you won’t find elsewhere, but while they may start from a design-led drawing board, there’s plenty of substance under the surface. In short, come for the colours, stay for the chronometry.

More details at Farer.

Panerai is a brand with two distinct personalities. On one side of the coin you have watches like the Brabus Verde Militaire, which is robust and tactical with its skeletonised display and carbon case. On the flip side are hyper luxurious timepieces such as the Radiomir Annual Calendar. Their latest launch, the Panerai Luminor Quaranta BiTempo Goldtech, falls on the latter side of that divide by introducing gold to the Luminor BiTempo.

Goldtech is Panerai’s proprietary alloy of rose gold featuring platinum and copper that ensures a high lustre that doesn’t tarnish easily. It makes for a particularly intense colour especially on the polished bezel. The rest of the case is brushed to provide a nice degree of contrast. The case measures 40mm in diameter with 100m water resistance, which is much smaller and less resilient than Panerai’s thoroughbred dive watches, further highlighting its luxe dress watch design.

Completing the aesthetic of the Panerai Luminor Quaranta BiTempo Goldtech is a sunray brushed sandwich dial in black. The almost gloss-like finish reminds me of obsidian, which contrasts with gold and gives the watch a sharp impact to look at. There’s a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and the central hand stack consists of hours, minutes and a second 12-hour hand for displaying a second time zone. It essentially functions in the same manner as a GMT complication without the additional 24-hour scale and is what gives the watch the BiTempo moniker, meaning dual time.

Beneath the dial is housed the P.900/GMT automatic calibre. It has a 3-day power reserve, which is equivalent to 72-hours, nice and weekend proof. Between the high quality movement and precious metal case, the Panerai Luminor Quaranta BiTempo Goldtech is priced at £21,900.

More details at Panerai.

Frederique Constant and Alpina have always made an appealing little duo of accessible Swiss watchmaking. On the one hand you have pure classical watchmaking that takes in everything from time-only dress watches to tourbillons in that kind of traditional Swiss way that normally commands a much higher price tag.

Alpina on the other hand takes that same mission statement – a balance of quality and value – but comes at it from the perspective of a sports watch. Granted, there’s a lot more competition in that particular realm; accessibility and ruggedness often go hand-in-hand these days, with plenty of military slanted brands and dive watches aplenty. Even among that ever more crowded field though, Alpina stands out, their secret weapon being the superb Seastrong Diver.

Yes, it might have a name as obvious as Firehot, but Alpina’s Seastrong collection fits the brand’s self-imposed mandate impeccably, and it nails both parts of the name. On the one hand it is indeed a diving watch for use at sea. That means 300m of water resistance, unidirectional rotating bezels (or compressor-style interior bezel in the case of the Heritage models) and plenty of lume for low-light reading.

As for the ‘Strong’, that’s the purview of Alpina’s Extreme case. Yes, it’s new to the Seastrong collection, but it’s the perfect fit for a watch designed to survive the harshest environments on Earth. While most cushion cases lean on a vintage, 1930s aesthetic – your Fears, Duckworth Prestexes, and the like – Alpina’s version is anything but retro. It’s big, bold and faceted, design to take a punch to the crystal.

The Extreme case actually comes from Alpina’s frustratingly named Alpiner collection, but I’d argue it suits the Seastrong even better. The screwed bezel was just a bit too Genta-esque and replacing it with a unidirectional diving number changes the dynamic for the better. It reminds me of the old Jean Richard cushion-cased divers from a decade or so ago, which I was always a huge fan of, just you know, successful.

The case isn’t the only element that’s been cross-pollinated from the Alpiner; it brings with it a deeply textured dial that elevates the Seastrong Diver from a sensible, practical piece of diving equipment to something genuinely cool. It’s still just as practical, but the new tessellated triangles of the Extreme dials set them apart from the reams of other watches that, on paper, have similar specs. That’s particularly true of the awesome black and orange version, which throws in an orange inner bezel to a match its rubber strap and orange-ripped seconds hand, making for the highlight of the collection, in more ways than one.

Alongside adopting the Extreme case shape is Seastrong’s trend towards smaller timepieces, downsizing from the 41mm case used in the collection previously to 39mm. If that sounds small for a diver, don’t worry, the broader shoulders of a cushion case mean it still has plenty of wrist presence, especially with the eye-catching faceted lugs of the integrated rubber straps and brushed bracelet. It will fit smaller wrists but won’t look out of place on larger wrists either – whereas I can’t really get away with the larger size myself.

Speaking of wearability, Alpina has also taken the opportunity to add arguably the most useful common complication in watchmaking, the GMT. It’s a relatively subtle difference as there’s no additional 24-hour scale, which would make the dial a bit too busy, opting instead for just the central 24-hour hand with a red arrow for easy differentiation. It’s not too big a price increase from the automatic versions either – though I would like to see it available in the orange and black. Alas, you can’t have everything. Yet.

Inside each automatic is the workhorse AL-525 workhorse automatic or the AL-560 for the GMT. Oddly enough, the former only has a 38-hour power reserve which isn’t ideal in this day and age. The GMT version however has a solid 50 hours, despite the additional function, which is actually great.

Honestly, other than the Gyre edition with its striking black and bright blue colourway, I’ve always felt that the Seastrong as a collection got lost in the mix. Alpina were doing interesting things in the Alpiner and some downright awesome stuff in the Startimer collection, but their divers just didn’t stand out from the submarine armada of bang-for-your-buck underwater watches out there. These new pieces, with their smaller sizes, vibrant new looks and solid specs are the shot in the arm the Seastrong needed.

Even when there’s so much competition, a watch like this is an incredibly tempting prospect for £1,795 for the automatic (£1,895 for that superb orange), going up to £2,192 for the GMT. Given the additional power you get from the movement, that GMT looks very, very appealing. Now if only they’d do it in that orange…

More details at Alpina.

What are British brand Farer best known for? There are actually several answers I would accept. Their striking use of colour, awesome GMT watches or their popular monopusher chronographs are all valid – all of which they’ve combined together to create what could be described as the ‘most Farer’ watches they’ve ever produced. We’re talking about the new Farer Monopusher GMT, available in both Cobb and Segrave editions.

If you have a good memory, you might recognise the names Cobb and Segrave from Farer’s 2021 collection. The Segrave was a dark monopusher chronograph with a big eye display and the Cobb was a blue and yellow monopusher with a pulsometer scale. Their new incarnations follow the same colour schemes but feature completely reimagined dials.

Starting with the Cobb Monopusher GMT, it has a sky blue dial with sunray brushing accented by white subdials at 9 and 12 o’clock with a yellow sector on the 30-minute timer at 12. Previously, on the pulsometer version, the Cobb had a symmetrical bi-compax display with the date at 6 o’clock which is a more traditional arrangement. However, the new display feels off-kilter and quirky in a very British fashion.

The Segrave by comparison is more traditional and serious. It has a black, grained dial with a vertical bicompax display featuring the small seconds at 6 and the 30-minute timer at 12. The more symmetric layout feels a lot more reserved than the Cobb, although there’s still at least a sense of fun through the bright colours of the chronograph seconds, small seconds and 24-hour GMT hands.

While we’re dwelling on the differing style of the two watches, the peripheral 24-hour scales are also different. The Cobb has a white background with numerals in dark blue for the day, red for the night and light blue for the twilight hours. Then the Segrave has black or white numerals with an inverse background in, once again, a more traditional day/night display. A GMT scale works in conjunction with the GMT hand to tell the time in a second time zone, making the watches ideal for those who frequently travel across time zones, hence the GMT’s associate with pilots.

Despite all these differences, the two watches share the same case design. It measures 41mm in diameter with a 14.5mm thickness including the sapphire crystal. In terms of shape, the sweeping arc of the case from lug to lug means that this is technically a tonneau wristwatch, despite the strong circular design of the dial and bezel. The flanks of the case are further embellished by the hobnail pattern across both sides that draws attention to the barrel-like curve.

The casebacks of both watches reveal exhibition windows that showcase the movements housed inside. They each house a different movement due to the different placement of the subdials and resulting adjustments to the mechanisms and number of jewels.

On a practical level, the Cobb and Segrave are more or less identical with the same 62-hour power reserve with manual winding and the same suite of functions. Getting into specifics, the Cobb uses the unusual Sellita SW530 M MP with 25 jewels and the Segrave uses the Sellita SW536 M MP with 29 jewels.

Normally at this point in an article I’d summarise the watches and pick a personal favourite but there are so many subtle differences and small details that describing them succinctly feels impossible. Initially I preferred the Segrave because the bicompax display feels safe and trusted, but I do also like the colours of the Cobb more. It’s a tough decision. Particularly because at a price of £1,995 you’re unlikely to buy both.

More details at Farer.

Panerai has been associated with long power reserves since the 1960s when they first adopted the Angelus SF240 with an 8-day power reserve. 8-day power reserves have since been a staple of Panerai’s collections, becoming known as the Otto Giorni.

However, 8-days is not the maximum power reserve Panerai have achieved and the Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT has a 10-day power reserve. All the previous versions of the Dieci Giorni have been discontinued so the new Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482 marks a revamp and return for this long-reserve model.

As you might expect from a watch with a 10-day power reserve (that’s 240-hours) the highlight of the watch is the movement. It’s the P.2003, which has a special place in Panerai’s oeuvre of manufacture movements as it was the first to be developed entirely in their Neuchatel manufacture in Switzerland.

The Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT is equipped with a free-sprung balance wheel with inertia regulation, three spring barrels, a power reserve indicator, a GMT function with 24-hour indication, date and a seconds reset device. You can view the movement through the exhibition caseback.

Zooming out from the movement, the Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482 has a stainless steel case measuring 44mm in diameter. It follows the classic design of the Luminor with its cushion case and distinctive wide crown with crown guard.

Equally distinctive is the sandwich dial in sunray brushed blue with red accents. It’s a signature colourway of modern Panerai and feels in tune with their many Luna Rossa collaborations. The small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock doubles up as the GMT 24-hour display, although the most interesting visual feature is the linear power reserve indicator below the central hand stack.

With this launch, or should that be re-launch, the Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT has been brought in line with modern Panerai’s design codes and high quality. A vibrant, striking colourway, an impressive movement and a style that borders between dress and sporty. It’s priced at £13,200, which feels appropriate given the exceptional power reserve and the additional GMT complication. Nice to see the P.2003 make a return and remind us what Panerai are capable of.

More details at Panerai.