10 watches to end the year
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Christophe Roulet
Editor-in-chief, HH Journal
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Santa isn’t the only one with a sackful of goodies! The final crop of new watches for 2021 is a sure way to end the year on a festive note.
Brands have got into the habit of introducing new models at regular intervals throughout the year. Here are some of the standouts for the end of 2021.
Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Gold
This isn’t the first time Bell & Ross has made its BR 05 with integrated bracelet out of gold. This latest execution, still cased in gold, makes attractive use of skeletonwork to ring the changes. The movement is plated with pink gold, as are the hands, the baton markers and the openworked oscillating weight. A statement watch that doesn’t need to shout in order to seduce.
Chanel J12 Calibre 12.2 Edition 1
Two years after the J12 Calibre 12.1 whose automatic movement was designed and developed for Chanel by Kenissi, the brand introduces the J12 Calibre 12.2 Edition 1. This is the first time that the J12 33mm is fitted with an original Manufacture automatic movement, namely Calibre 12.2. Most watches with this diameter are powered by quartz: not any more at Chanel.
H. Moser & Cie. Bronze “Since 1828”
The Heritage collection from H. Moser & Cie. takes its cue from the pocket watches that were converted into wristwatches in the early 1920s by the addition of slim lugs. This new Bronze “Since 1828” model goes a step further in its historic references and writes the brand’s logo in Cyrillic – as Heinrich Moser, the brand’s founder, sometimes did – on its fumé dial.
Hublot Big Bang Berluti Aluminio
Marking five years since the launch of their collaboration, Hublot and Berluti present the Big Bang Unico Aluminio in a monochrome of greys. The emblematic Venezia leather is at the heart of the polished titanium bezel as well as on the dial, where the indices and the “Swiss Made” inscription are embossed directly onto the surface. The leather, which is held between two pieces of sapphire glass, is cut to reveal the gears of the Unico flyback chronograph movement.
Laurent Ferrier x Phillips Hommage II
It took two years to finalise the design of this collaboration between Laurent Ferrier and auction house Phillips. The Hommage II is an overt tribute to step-case sports watches from the 1940s. Apart from the movement, all the components were purpose-made: the 40mm case, the dial, the hands, the crown, even the logo were developed specifically for this edition in two dial colours.
Nomos Autobahn A3
Part of the Director’s Cut trilogy, released by Nomos to mark 175 years of watchmaking in Glashütte, the Autobahn A3, together with the A7 and A9 which complete the line-up, are named after major German motorways. They are mounted on a steel bracelet with folding clasp that is a take on rally-style perforated straps.
Panerai Submersible S Edition Brabus Black Ops
This watch seals the newly concluded partnership between Panerai and Brabus, a German high-performance tuner which also operates a Marine division. A dive watch with a Carbotech case and 300-metre water-resistance, it is powered by Panerai’s first automatic skeleton movement, the P.4001/s with a three-day power reserve. In addition to the time display, there is a GMT function with day/night indication and a patented polarized date window.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr. Woo Monotourbillon
This eight-piece limited edition of the Excalibur Monotourbillon is a collaboration between Roger Dubuis and tattoo artist, Dr. Woo. Taking the place of the signature star-shaped bridge, a sapphire dial illustrates a rocket ship’s journey through space as imagined in graphic form by Dr. Woo, while a cosmic map on the baseplate traces his vision of time. Also, the artist has positioned his spider symbol at a different place on each of the eight watches.
Romain Gauthier Continuum
Romain Gauthier debuts the Continuum with a 28-piece limited edition in grade 5 titanium. The architecture of this new movement, which powers hours, minutes and small seconds, takes a geometric view of time with its horizontal bridges. As for the dial, it slightly offsets the hour and minute hands. As always, Romain Gauthier delivers a watch with a level of finishing that borders on perfection.
Tudor Pelagos FXD
Designed with input from French Navy combat swimmers, this Pelagos FXD incorporates a number of functional features of importance to professional divers, starting with the fixed strap bars which are machined in the body of the 42mm titanium case for greater robustness. The retrograde graduation, from 60 to 0, on the 120-notch bidirectional bezel meets the specific requirements of combat swimmers who navigate underwater in successive timed sections.
