ANCHORS AWEIGH

Journey through time with fine watches inspired by the nautical world.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Journey through time with fine watches inspired by the nautical world.

MARITIME LEGEND

A dressier version of the well-known Admiral’s Cup watch by Corum, the Admiral’s Cup Legend 42 Chronograph is similarly distinguished by 12 nautical pennants doubling as hour markers, set against a deepblue face. The watch’s signature 12-sided case is made from steel, and is powered by an automatic movement, with 42 hours of power reserve.

SHIP SHAPE

Back in the day, brand founder Abraham Breguet supplied the French Navy with chronometers, a must for accurate navigation. Today, watches in the Marine series pay homage to this legacy. Water-resistant to 100m, this rose gold Marine chronograph (Ref. 5827BR/12/5ZU) features a self-winding movement, as well as signature accents like a hand-engraved dial and Breguet-style hands with luminous tips.

GRAND VOYAGE

Montblanc’s 4810 collection takes its cues from the golden age of transatlantic journeys. In the 42mm red gold 4810 Exotourbillon Slim, the design of the function selector at three o’clock resembles that of the engine order telegraph, a communications device used in early vessels. Other features are decidedly modern: The new inhouse Calibre MB 29.21 features the brand’s patented Exotourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism.

OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the iconic Ulysse Nardin Freak welcomes a sporty addition to its family. The Freakwing celebrates the brand’s partnership with the Artemis Racing team: The shape of its upper bridge (indicating the minutes), for instance, is inspired by the internal structure of the team catamaran’s rigid sail. The manually wound movement is housed in a 45mm case of black titanium.

SENSE OF PLACE

Always know where you (approximately) are with the Richard Mille RM 60-01 Regatta Flyback Chronograph, a 50mm titanium timepiece. When the UTC (or second time zone) hand is pointed to wards the direction of the sun, and the bezel is turned so that this hand lines up with the local time engraved on the be zel, the watch’s compass markings will also be aligned with the geographic directions.

MAKING WAVES

It might be known for its links to aviation, but Bremont has also set its sights on the nautical world as the first British official timing partner for the America’s Cup race. A classic model from its America’s Cup collection, the AC I bears the clean lines of the J-Class yachts of the ’30s. While it looks simple with its 43mm steel case and white embossed dial, the automatic timepiece is a certified chronometer.

SMOOTH SAILING

In 2008, Parmigiani and Italian high-end yacht-maker Pershing first established their partnership, which led to the creation of a series of luxurious sports watches. One of the more recent additions to this collaborative collection is the Parmigiani Pershing 005, a chronograph watch powered by the in-house PF 334 movement, housed in a distinctively shaped 45mm rose-gold case.

01 ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Another race, another watch. When it comes to motoringinspired timepieces, Richard Mille easily comes to mind. It has an impressive roster of ambassadors, including Formula One (F1) drivers and teams, and its watches are built to be part of the speedy action. And it’s not just hightech races that Richard Mille is interested in: It has also been the official timekeeper and principal partner of the Le Mans Classic since its inception in 2002, and there’s a new watch to accompany this year’s edition of the vintage car race — the RM 11-02.

Limited to 150 pieces, this automatic watch is packed with an annual calendar, flyback chronograph, 24-hour counter, countdown function and UTC display, and has a power reserve of 55 hours. It’s quite the looker as well, thanks to a white ATZ ceramic bezel, an NTPT carbon case band, PVD-treated and sandblasted titanium bridges and baseplate, pedal-like pushers, and a ribbed crown.

Since Mille himself is a diehard petrolhead, we can expect more wheel-worthy timepieces in the near future — the watchmaker announced a new partnership with Aston Martin and the Haas F1 team earlier this year.

FAST TIMES

The RM 11-02, as seen on the wrist of a driver at the 2016 Le Mans Classic.

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM

Those who have been closely following the new releases at watch fairs this year will already be familiar with Vacheron Constantin’s (re)launch of its sporty Overseas line. The third generation of the collection — now with in-house movements, a new font and interchangeable bracelets — was released with blue and silver dials and now welcomes a third: brown. The new dial option will be offered on the World Time, Chronograph, Date and Small models.

GOING FOR GOLD

With so many remarkable watches in its stable, it’s hard to believe Parmigiani Fleurier is only just celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It’s also easy to forget that before its ornate clocks, repeaters and tourbillons, there was the tonneaushaped Kalpa, Michel Parmigiani’s first creation. To mark the occasion, the Kalpa Hebdomadaire Anniversary Watch was made. It may look modest on the dial side (not to mention the steel case) but the movement, viewable from the back, is crafted entirely from 18K gold and decorated with dragonwing motifs. Thanks to two series-coupled barrels, this beauty will also run for eight days when fully wound.

BLUE IN THE FACE

Given Panerai’s naval roots, it’s a little surprising that blue dials don’t feature more regularly in its collections. And that’s what the brand is now bringing its fans, via four new models on sale exclusively at Panerai boutiques. The models getting a face swop are the Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Acciaio, the Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic Acciaio, the Radiomir 1940 3 Days Acciaio, and the Radiomir 1940 10 Days GMT Automatic Oro Rosso. Each has its own leather strap variation, and an additional rubber strap is included in every blue cherrywood box.