TAG Heuer: New Variations on the Carrera, Monza, and the Aquaracer

Carrera Chronograph 60th Anniversary

TAG Heuer kicks of the 60th birthday of one of its most famous watches, the Carrera, with this anniversary edition. It is modelled on the most iconic of all vintage Carreras, the reference 2447 SN of the late 1960s, famous for its silvered dial and black subdials, known as the `panda’ and the reverse colour combination called the ‘reverse panda’. This colour theme is repeated in the new version which comes in a 39 mm steel case with a raised profile ‘glass box’ in sapphire crystal, vintage pushers, beige lume and slimline tension ring around the dial’s outer edge. The retro look extends to the black stripes down the central hands and hour markers, the double stops at 12, the black counters with high-contrast white markings, and finally, the vintage Heuer logo with the name Carrera on the silver sunray-brushed dial. The 60-minute and 12-hour counters though are reversed. Limited to 600 pieces, with the individual number of each watch engraved on the sapphire crystal caseback, which also reveals the Heuer 02, TAG Heuer’s 80-hour in-house automatic chronograph calibre.

Monza Flyback Chronometer

The Monza, first launched in 1976 and then reinterpreted several times, is as big an icon in the TAG Heuer stable as the Carrera. It was one of the first black-coated watches of the era, a tradition that continues with this new iteration in a 42-mm case made from ultra-lightweight and resistant carbon. The striking black dial features a two-register layout with a translucent fumé blue sapphire crystal chronograph counter at 3, and the permanent seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The skeletonised dial reveals the in-house Calibre Heuer 02 Flyback chronograph movement. At 9 o’clock, the date window is in blue luminescent, a first for TAG Heuer, along with blue lacquered indexes and black and white lacquered hours and minutes hands. The advantage of a flyback function is the ability to reset the chronograph (using the black DLC steel pushbuttons) without stopping it.

Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph

Like the Monza, the origins of this watch go back to 1978 when Jack Heuer launched the Heuer Reference 844. The Aquaracer in the name came with the 2004 version, and the solar powered model was launched amidst much fanfare last year with the TH50-OO movement. It was developed in collaboration with Manufacture La Joux-Perret owned by Citizen, a world leader in solar-powered watches. The 2023 version comes in a 40 mm titanium case. The partly translucent dial allows the movement to recharge itself with exposure to the sun. A two-minute exposure to direct sunlight powers the watch for an entire day, and a 20-hour charge can run it for up to six months with no light exposure. If the timepiece stops ticking, exposure to any light source for ten seconds gets it started again, thanks to its ultra-efficient recharge time. The black indexes, hour and minute hand, and the polar blue lacquered central hands on the black sunray brushed dial are all covered with Super-Luminova for night visibility.

Zenith Enhances Its Defy Collection

DEFY Skyline Skeleton

The skeletonised variation on the DEFY Skyline launched last year, this watch comes in an angular 41 mm steel case with a faceted bezel that is reminiscent of the early DEFY models, reimagined with twelve sides that are positioned as extensions to the hour markers. The open blue or black dial reveals the 3620 SK, Zenith’s famous automatic El Primero calibre, whose main plate, bridges and open star-shaped oscillating weights are finished in the same colour as the dials. The baton hour markers, the central hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova. The constantly running 1/10th of a second counter at 6 o’clock makes steady jumps in fixed increments, completing one revolution every 10 seconds. Power reserve of 60 hours.

DEFY Skyline 36mm

This new unisex version of the DEFY Skyline is in a smaller 36 mm case which retains the faceted steel case and the twelve-sided bezel of its larger counterpart. The dials come in a choice of three colours, metallic deep blue, and in pastel tones of pink and green on a metallic base, polished and satin-brushed with rays emanating from the Zenith five-pointed star at the top. The Elite 670 automatic movement has a power reserve of 50 hours. Available with or without brilliant-cut white diamonds on the bezel.

DEFY Skyline Boutique Edition

Yet another variation of the Skyline, this watch, like the original, is in a 41mm angular steel case with a dodecagonal bezel. It stands out for the radiant anthracite dial engraved with a rose gold motif, rose gold hands and hour markers. The golden constellation twinkles against the night sky thanks to the four-pointed stars of the Zenith emblem that is engraved and plated with rose gold. Powered by the El Primero 3620 automatic high-frequency calibre, with its unique 1/10th of a second indicator. Power reserve of 60 hours.

DEFY Extreme Glacier

This watch is a variation on the DEFY Extreme Desert launched in 2021 which stood out for its use natural stones. The stone here is chalcedony, a crystalline semi-translucent stone with a pale blue hue that evokes the frozen glaciers. It has been used to craft the component that protects the pushers as well as the dodecagonal bezel of the 45 mm titanium case. Cut and polished by hand, each stone is different, and exhibits slightly different colours and fibrous structures, making each of the 50 pieces look unique in this limited-edition series. The open dial reveals the workings of the El Primero 1/100th of a second automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre. 60-hour power reserve.

Hublot: A Fusion of the Past and the Future

Classic Fusion Original

This watch harks back to the 1980s when the company was founded by the Italian watchmaker Carlo Crocco, and is a tribute to the philosophy that he set in motion for the brand, of fusing traditional luxury watchmaking with the use of modern materials like rubber. The watch is presented in three sizes, 33, 38 and 42 mm, and each size comes in a choice of three materials — titanium, black magic ceramic and yellow gold. All the dials are in black, and each watch, like the original Fusion from 1980, comes with a rubber strap. The 42 mm and 38 mm variations are powered by the HUB1110 automatic movement, while the 33 mm carries the HUB2913 quartz movement.

Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Neon Yellow SAXEM

In keeping with its historic tradition of making watches with innovative new materials, this Big Bang has been created in SAXEM (Sapphire Aluminium oxide and rare earth mineral), an ultra-resistant alloy that was used in 2019 for the Big Bang MP-11. This time the company’s research team worked for three years to develop the translucent 44 mm watch case in a bright fluorescent shade of neon yellow while meeting the strict requirements for its sapphire watches: complete transparency and incredible resistance. The fully polished neon yellow SAXEM offers a bold contrast with the bezel’s six H-shaped screws and the crown, all in polished and microblasted titanium. It is powered by the HUB6035, a self-winding and entirely visible skeletonised movement. The tourbillon, which appears to be suspended in mid-air, is positioned at 6 o’clock. Power reserve of 72 hours.

Big Bang Integrated Time Only King Gold Rainbow & Big Bang Integrated King Gold Rainbow

Drawing inspiration from the bejewelled bestsellers of its signature lines from last year, these two watches, with rainbow-coloured gems, are even more striking. They are not just simply stone set, but fully paved, from the case to the bezel to the bracelet, with gems. Precious stones are set alongside stunning minerals: ruby, amethyst, blue topaz, tsavorite, as well as a whole spectrum of sapphires – pink, orange, blue and yellow. While both watches feature cases made in Hublot’s patented 18K King Gold, the difference in the case diameter leads to variation in the gem setting. There are 174 gemstones in total on the Big Bang Integrated, and 176 gemstones for the Time Only. Their bracelets feature 768 and 748 set gemstones respectively. The two pieces share the same black dial with two large skeleton hands. The gold crown over-moulded with black rubber form two ‘ears’ at either side at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock. Big Bang Integrated is a chronograph, equipped with the Unico Manufacture skeletonised self-winding movement with a power reserve of 72 hours. The smaller Time Only is powered by the MHUB1710 self-winding movement with a power reserve of 50 hours.

Bulgari: Making a Modern Icon Even More Relevant

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra 10th Anniversary

This striking version of the Octo honours the last decade that Bulgari has spent revolutionising the world of modern horology with its ultra-thin watches, starting with the Octo (2012), the Octo Finissimo (2014), and finally the Octo Finissimo Ultra last year, which with the 1.8 mm thickness of its 40 mm titanium case set a new benchmark for the industry. This new version, which is limited to just 10 pieces, comes with a dial that features the numeral 10, as against the numeral 12 in the original version. It comes in a specially made presentation box which doubles up as a watch winder that also sets time. It requires the watch to be placed in the box, and the digital screen next to it programmed to the desired time. A button is then pressed to start the cycle and the box closed. On opening, 20 seconds later, the watch will be perfectly set to the desired time and fully wound.

In a nod to the digital times that we live in, this mechanical watch also features a QR code engraved on the ratchet of its barrel. By scanning this code, the owner will be able to access a personal mini website that features videos and photographs that display the manufacturing process of each numbered timepiece. Each watch is also accompanied by an NFT artwork created under the artistic direction of Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Product Creation Executive Director of Bulgari Watches. It tells the story of his decades-long experience in the world of the Octo and the path that led to the birth of the Octo Finissimo Ultra. The timepiece itself thus becomes the vault of the corresponding NFT work, a timeless relationship guaranteed by Bvlgari Singularity technology. Thanks to the blockchain, it certifies the indivisible link between a Bulgari creation and its associated NFT work of art.