If you are familiar with this blog, you already know that I usually review replica watches and talk about their specs and styles. In this post though, I’ll let myself take a moment of respite from imitations and talk about genuine pieces. Being in the watch hobby, I follow tens of watch blogs and news to be up-to-date with the Industry’s progress. Events like Watches and Wonders are perhaps even more interesting for me than the New Year Holidays. Ok, might sound a bit too much, but either way, my crazy passion for watches has no limits.
We all assist the ongoing spread of the watch industry. It extends vertically and horizontally and there is an offer for every type of taste, expectation, and technical demand. Try to remember the industry a couple of decades ago: it seemed that the integration of an additional tiny subdial on the dial was the superior level of complication. And look at watches now. The impossible turned possible and modern watches are nothing else than complex pieces beyond imagination. Sometimes, I get myself thinking: what’s next? What would the watch of the future look like? What complications and features will it have integrated?
Can’t tell you much about this as I, just like you, will have to wait to see it. But, one thing I’m sure of: these will include functions and complications that we had never imagined about. Meanwhile, we have the chance to relish the modern and complex time beauties that offer us a true spectacle of functions and designs.
With that in mind, I want you to get familiar with some recent watch releases. Saying that they are spectacular is saying nothing. I compiled a list of the most intricate and handcrafted models that have just recently appeared in the horological realm. Enjoy!
LANGE & SÖHNE ZEITWERK 2022
For me, like for many of you, A. Lange & Sohne is a powerful leader in horology. It has a spectacular history during which the watchmaking house has gained impressive expertise and craftsmanship. Speaking about the ultra-modern line of the brand, the Zeitwerk collection represents the most spectacular combination between mechanical movement and the most unusual and captivating display. During the outgoing year, 2022, the line came up with several improvements, one of which is the double-length power reserve resisting for up to 72 hours.
The digital display houses three instantly jumping discs. As you can guess, two of them are for the minutes, while the third is for the hour. Therefore, a one-minute constant-force escapement is what provides energy to the watch. By the way, the escapement comes with an in-house balance spring, as expected from such an iconic brand as A.Lange & Sohne.
For this line, the brand offers two versions. The first is in pink gold, while the second is in platinum. Watch enthusiasts have expected the second version to be in white gold, but the brand decided to elevate the standard. Both versions are available with an alligator leather strap, as the formal etiquette demands.
The brand doesn’t reveal the exact price for this beauty unless interested customers make a price request. Still, experts are sure that this beauty is worth about 100,000 EUR.
I love this line for its exquisite look, clean dial, and intricate technical construction. Sadly, we don’t have the model in our stock YET, so I can’t tell you much about the replica version of this watch. I’ve been looking at other manufacturers’ and dealers’ models. To be honest, I didn’t like what I saw. They write that the imitation is made of platinum, but is priced at $20, approximately. Seriously?! Since when platinum is so cheap?!
So, I told our manufacturers to take their time to make high-quality imitations for this watch. Let it be a little pricier but in great and reliable quality. Probably, we will have it in 2023.
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB3 SPC
Some time ago, Berthoud introduced the Chronomètre FB1 with a pretty spicy price. However, the work deserves all the appreciation possible. The latest release of the brand is the Chronometre FB3 SPC which is newer than the FB1, but more affordable. Even if the price is smaller, I still find the FB3 version more successful to my taste. It’s more gorgeous and intricate.
The beauty of this timepiece consists of its new manual wound movement with a cylindrical hairspring, which is a new feature in Berthoud constructions. The lucky guys owing the genuine model can see the cylindrical hairspring on the left side of the movement, as well as from the back and front. In addition, another surprising design approach is that the same hairspring is seen from movement aside due to the porthole crystal in the case band.
The brand has gathered the movement puzzle out of 230 components. Some of them are gifted, while others are treated with rhodium. The full technical construction is set in a pink r white gold case. The face of the watch looks as intricate as the inside movement. It houses a small seconds subdial display along with the power reserve indicator. The estimated price for this intricate beauty is around 140,000 EUR.
As for the replica version, it is not and will probably never be available. I can’t imagine what techniques and tools should replace factories to reproduce such beauty. As I told you earlier, this post is not about imitations, it’s about modern horological masterpieces.
Jacob & Co Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary
How familiar does the name “Jacob & Co” sound familiar to you? Seasoned watch connoisseurs know a lot about it. Watch enthusiasts embracing predominantly the replica hobby might know little about it. Either way, the most important thing to know about this watchmaking house is that “complexity” and “high-end” are its descriptive nouns.
Actually, the Opera Godfather 50th Anniversary timepiece is a tribute to Francis Ford Coppola’s movie. And this makes the watch even more impressive, as any timepiece associated with a movie has a stronger echo.
The look of the watch is all about extravagance and delicacy. It includes aesthetic and delicious details turning it into a piece of art. For example, there is a Don Corleone image and a piano, as well as a sculpted rose. On top of that, you will see a phenomenally-accurate laser engraving showing off scenes from the movie around the caseband. Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it?
And that’s not all. Apart from the aesthetic delicacy of the dial, the watch comes with a sonor embellishment. This means that the timepiece houses a twin-roller music box. Guess the music playing out from it: the Godfather theme, obviously.
Jacob & Co. Will only release 50 pieces of this work of art.
Technically, the way h comes in a gorgeous 49mm case with a domed sapphire crystal. For the movement architecture, the manufacturers used 658 components. The price is no more and no less than 500,000 USD.
I think it’s needless to talk more about this watch. It’s a watch to be contemplated…
De Bethune DB25 Perpetual Calendar
This timepiece is the perfect example to show how deceptive can simplicity be. At first sight, it is just a usual Perpetual Calendar watch. But, wait for it! The complexity of this model refers particularly to the inner mechanism, which is highly complex and detailed. We will cover it later.
Meanwhile, let’s see what the display offers to us. The display comes in a striking silver-and-blue font. It houses elements and functions like the date, hour, minutes, and months. Additionally, we see an alluring spherical moon phase complication displaying the day and night indicator in a specific Bethune style.
From a technical perspective, the watch resists for up to 5 days due to its impressive power reserve system. The 40mm case houses titanium and gold balance wheel movement, comprising 423 details. The whole case is perfectly polished and is made of grade 5 titanium.
De Bethune plans to release barely 15 pieces a year, 1 piece being available at about 130,000 USD. How about that beauty? Isn’t it marvelous?
Urwerk UR-120 A.K.A Spock
This is another watch that I’ve found in its replica version on different internet stores. After observing them closely, I understood that the imitations don’t reveal the full beauty of the original piece. Maybe, it’s because the replica manufacturers faced the challenging task to reproduce such an intricate model.
Either way, I don’t like recommending imitations that don’t convey the spirit of the genuine model at its full potential. So, I won’t talk much about the imitations as I don’t see them relevant.
What I do find relevant is to talk about the unconventional concept of the authentic UR-120 A.K.A Spock. To begin with, all Urwerk watch concepts are out of touch with reality. These seem to have been created in a parallel universe.
Introducing a slight redesign from the previous model, the UR-120 A.K.A. SPOCK comes with a modification of the whole satellite system. This time each satellite cube comprises two sub-elements. On the whole, the UR-120 version is much sleeker and thicker than the UR-110 version, if you are familiar with it.
The case of the watch comes in a gray font, circled by a sandblasted steel bezel. The lower part of the case is made of titanium and is also gray to pair with the sandblasted pattern of the bezel. The timepiece measures 44mm in diameter and confers a strong sense of “ergonomics”.
This watch is far from the “formal” style of the previously-mentioned devices but deserves all the attention due to its technical construction and different aspects.
Krayon Anywhere Metiers D’Art Azur
Truly speaking, I love the marketing approach of Krayon. This brand’s marketers have done a great job naming the last collections of the house Anywhere and Everywhere. These names suggest so many things about these watches. In fact, not only the marketing makes Krayon an outstanding brand, but the watches per se.
In such a context, the Anywhere Metiers D’Art Azur is synonymous with the highest level of artists expressed in watches. The first to catch the eye is the drop-dead stunning Metiers d’Art miniature enamel painting on the dial. The painting expresses various shades of blue.
The watch is pretty slender but acceptable for the formal style; it comes with a 39 mm platinum case. Both the back and front surfaces feature a polished sapphire crystal. In addition, the timepiece suggests through its dial the length of the day, otherwise called the sunrise and sunset.
Krayon will release this model in a limited number, only 15 pieces. For how much I wouldn’t try to describe the beauty of this timepiece in words, a picture tells much more and better…
Final thoughts
To be honest, it was a delight for me to discover these marvels. Some of them impressed me with their aesthetics, others with their technical architecture. All of them suggest to us that imagination has no limits, at least in the horological realm. Making such wonderful pieces required true talent besides creativity and technical support. Obviously, not all of us will be fortunate to own any of these time-telling marvels. But, this is the beauty of horology: not all watches are to be accessible for everyone, but rather to be contemplated by everyone.