While the patented NAIAD LOCK case back and the ring of the unidirectional bezel are also crafted from this compound, the helium valve, the sandblasted anthracite dial with color-coordinated hands and indexes and the folding clasp are made of grade 5 titanium, a metal that is often used in the field of aerospace.  

The Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey is not just built to endure pressures of up to 60 bars, but it also stands out as a stylish GMT watch. Featuring a luminescent dial with a second-time zone scale on the flange and an orange-tipped arrow, it seamlessly combines functionality with a sleek design.

At the heart of the watch ticks a spring-off of Omega’s caliber 8900, a Certified Master Chronometer, approved by METAS, with a magnetic resistance up to 15,000 gauss. The state-of-the art caliber sports a free sprung-balance with silicon balance spring, two barrels mounted in series for a power reserve of 60 hours, and automatic winding in both directions.

It is also crafted from grade 5 titanium, contributing to the overall beautiful dark gray aesthetic of the Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey.

Pricing is marked at $22,000.

To learn more, visit Omega, here.

Back to the Forties: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43

IWC downsized the case of its Big Pilot’s Watch from 46 to 43 mm, thus making this watch more wearable. But the most important change took place on the dial, where the Schaffhausen-based manufacture omitted both the date display and the circular power-reserve indicator, making this watch more minimalist, more symmetrical and, above all, more similar to the original model from 1940. The changes also downsize the price from $12,900 to $8,400. These savings might well persuade potential buyers to accept the shorter power reserve, which has been reduced from the previous seven days to a still-above-average 60 hours. Manufacture Caliber 82100 with automatic winding provides the power and upholds IWC’s high standards. The movement can even be viewed through a sapphire crystal in the back of the case, while its big sister has a solid steel back. The new pilots’ watch is also available with a blue dial and with a stainless-steel bracelet or a rubber strap.

Power Gauge: Omega De Ville Trésor Power Reserve

Instead of eliminating an additional function in this watch, Omega simply omitted a window in its dial. A date window would have marred the perfect symmetry created by the vertical arrangement of the two subdials. The upper subdial displays the power reserve (with a maximum of 72 hours or more), while the lower subdial shows the passing seconds. These displays are powered by manufacture Caliber 8935, which also opts to make do without automatic winding. However, the essential characteristics of a Master Chronometer caliber remain. The movement keeps time with chronometer-worthy accuracy, and thanks to exclusively antimagnetic components in the movement such as a silicon hairspring, it can withstand magnetic fields of up to an intensity of at least 15,000 gauss. The 40-mm watch in yellow or Sedna gold costs $17,500; the stainless-steel version is priced at $7,600.

Mechanical Minimalist: Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph H

Hamilton dispenses with commonly seen additional features to create a coherent retro watch. This 40-mm steel model not only lacks a date display but also an automatic winding mechanism. ETA, which manufactures the movement, achieved this functional reduction by deriving hand-wound Caliber H-51 from automatic Valjoux Caliber 7753. In this way, Hamilton comes as close as possible to replicating its own Chronographs A and B from 1968. The “A” version had dark counters on a light background and the “B” variant used the opposite color scheme. The new Intra-Matic Chronograph H is available in both versions; the “H” means hand-wound. The wristbands also fit well with the overall concept. Buyers can chose between a model with a monochrome, subtly grained leather strap priced at $2,045 that has the sporty elegance of the late 1960s, or one with a steel-mesh Milanese bracelet at $2,095.

Material Miracle: Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic

In 2021, Rado not only spiced up its popular Captain Cook with a ceramic case, but also introduced a new caliber that follows the no-date trend, thus creating attractive symmetry. The R734 automatic caliber is a version of ETA’s Caliber C07 with skeletonized surfaces, decorative finishes, more elaborate adjustment and a new type of Nivachron hairspring made from a titanium alloy that resists magnetism. The movement is an essential part of the design because it is not only visible through the sapphire crystal in the caseback, but also through the tinted sapphire crystal dial. Here, the omission of a date display makes a positive contribution: a date window and a fully visible date ring would have obstructed the view of the partially skeletonized movement. Rado upholds tradition and puts a little anchor at the dial’s 12 o’clock position to show that an automatic movement powers this watch. The freely swinging balance, which is elegantly regulated by two weights, oscillates behind the anchor-shaped symbol. Rado’s 80-hour power reserve and water resistance to a depth of 300 meters add to the usefulness of this newcomer. The practicality is further enhanced by the use of scratch-resistant and hypoallergenic ceramic, a material that Rado pioneered when it first made ceramic usable for watchmaking in the 1980s. The bezel and crown are rose-gold PVD-coated stainless steel, which in combination with black ceramic creates a sporty and elegant two-tone look. This eye-catching version of the 43-mm retro divers’ watch costs $3,700.

The Elegance of the Thirties: Longines Heritage Classic

Longines is a pioneer of the retro trend in watches. As early as the 1980s, this Swiss brand brought back pilots’ watches from the 1920s and ’30s with great success. And today Longines continues to maintain its Heritage collection with tasteful expertise. But Longines’ designers didn’t always have the courage to eliminate a date display, which had long been regarded as a necessity for a watch to be saleable. But lately, Longines has been more consistent in its retro design, as shown by this newcomer and several other models inspired by Longines’ models from the 1930s, a decade when watches didn’t have date displays. And to be honest, a dial would never look as handsome as it does here if it had a window at 3 o’clock or in the subdial for the seconds at 6. The 38.5-mm steel case houses high-performance automatic Caliber A31.501 with silicon hairspring and three-day power reserve, which is supplied exclusively by Longines’ sister company ETA. In exchange for a purchase price of $2,150, the Heritage Classic stylishly carries its wearer back to the 1930s.

Expedition Participants: Rolex Explorer

The Explorer has always done without a date display and, therefore, also Rolex’s Cyclops magnifying lens. But the classic model looks different in 2021 because Rolex has downsized its case from 39 mm to 36 mm, which was common until a few years ago, and has equipped it with a latest-generation manufacture movement. Automatic Caliber 3230 delivers 70 hours of power instead of the previous 48. The Chronergy escapement teams up with an optimized blue Parachrom hairspring to provide increased protection against magnetic fields. The steel version of the new Explorer costs $6,450, while the two-tone version in stainless steel and yellow gold is available for $10,800. The Explorer lettering has been repositioned from the 6 to the 12 o’clock position on the black dial. The case size corresponds to the dimensions of the first Explorer from 1953, which was launched in the same year as the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Rolex supplied the watches worn by the climbers who participated in that historic expedition.

A version of this article appears in the WatchTime 2022 Special Design Issue, on sale now.

I still have very vivid memories of the first watches that caught my eye, all those years ago when I was about to set my first steps in the world of watches. I never bought them, as at the time I couldn’t afford them, but they have always stayed in the back of my mind. It is pretty similar to having those posters above your bed of Ferrari and Lamborghini. As a kid, you dreamed about them, but they also planted a seed. Years, perhaps even decades later, you might find yourself in a position that allows you to turn those childhood dreams into a reality.

I recently had such an experience with a late 1990s Omega Constellation Perpetual Calendar. I still remember eyeing this model in the brand’s catalogs and the shop windows of their dealers. My adventures in the world of watches took me a different route, but when such a Constellation crossed my path recently, I couldn’t resist. There is the risk that your childhood hero disappoints when you finally obtain it. In my experience, with both cars and watches, this is often not the case. Finally being able to experience and enjoy what you dreamed of all these years, even when it was subconsciously, gives a deep sense of satisfaction.

The added advantage is that these childhood heroes are also quite affordable in many cases. That is quite pleasant in a world where the prices of some watches have gone through the stratosphere with the speed of light. You might not be able to buy all your childhood heroes, but there is probably at least one within grasps. While my taste has most certainly evolved over the years, Constellation has a hard time leaving my wrist. The appeal that it had on me all those years ago hasn’t lingered one bit and was right back the moment I held it in my hands again. The fact that it was even affordable makes owning it all the better. So now might be the best time ever to revisit some memories and see what your childhood heroes do today.

Which timepieces did you dream about when you started exploring the world of watches? Let us know in the comments!

1. Rolex Oyster (1926)

Rolex Oyster, Ref. 679, (1926)

In 1926, watches constructed especially for use by divers appear. They have insulated crowns (the crown is the chief point of entry for water into a watch case). It was also the year that Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf introduces the Oyster case, which has a screwed crown, screwed caseback, and securely sealing crystal. It is the world’s first truly water-resistant case. One year later, Wilsdorf asks Mercedes Gleitze, a stenographer vying to become the first British woman to swim the English Channel, to wear an Oyster on one of her attempts. She doesn’t make it all the way, but the Rolex she wears around her neck keeps on ticking.

2. Panerai prototypes (1936)

Panerai watch, PAMPR004 (1936)°

The Italian Navy commissions Panerai to develop the first prototypes of a watch that will evolve into the model now known as the “Radiomir.” The watches, water resistant to 30 meters, go into production two years later. The early Radiomir watches have movements and proprietary cases – cushion shaped and 47 mm in diameter − made by Rolex. They are named for the radium that makes their dials legible even in murky water.

3. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (1953)

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, initial model (1953)

Blancpain presents its first dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters. (Fifty fathoms is equal to 300 feet, or about 91 meters. It is the maximum depth divers can go at the time with the equipment then available.) The watch is the result of a request by Captain Bob Maloubier, who was a secret agent for the British during WWII and then became leader of the French military’s combat diving corps. He asked Blancpain to make a watch with a black dial, large Arabic numerals, clear indications and a rotating bezel. “We wanted in effect that each of the markers be as clear as a guiding star for a shepherd,” Maloubier later recalled.

4. Panerai crown protection (1956)

Panerai crown protection (1956)

Panerai receives a patent for a curved, crown-protecting bridge. Now a hallmark of the company’s Luminor collection, the bridge contains a locking cam lever that pushes the crown against the case so that it fits tightly against the crown’s seals.

5. Breitling’s first dive watch (1957)

Breitling Superocean (1957)

Breitling launches its first dive watch, the Superocean. The watch is water resistant to 200 meters, thanks in part to its monocoque (i.e., one-piece) case and its especially sturdy crystal. The watch’s bezel can be locked in place so that it won’t be knocked off position during a dive. A chronograph version of the watch comes out in 1959.

6. First Rolex Sea-Dweller (1967)

First Rolex Sea-Dweller (1967)

Rolex introduces the Sea-Dweller, a deeper-diving version of the Submariner. Its distinguishing feature is its helium valve, through which helium that has entered the watch case during time spent in a diving chamber can be released. The watch is produced at the request of the French company COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise), which specializes in deep-diving equipment and services, chiefly for offshore oil and gas extraction. The watch is water-resistant to 610 meters.

7. First dive computer (1983)

The first dive computer is introduced. In the 1990s, the use of dive computers becomes widespread, and dive watches are relegated chiefly to the role of back-up equipment.

8. ISO invents dive watch standard (1996)

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issues standard 6425, defining the features that a watch must have in order for it to be designated a “dive” watch. They include requirements for water resistance (the watch must be 25 percent more water-resistant than claimed on the dial), legibility under water, resistance to thermal shocks and ability to measure elapsed time. Standard 6425 supplants the standard issued in 1984 and is still in effect today.

9. CX Swiss Military 20,000 Feet (2009)

CX Swiss Military 20,000 Feet (2009)

CX Swiss Military unveils the 20,000 Feet, which breaks the Rolex Deepsea’s record for water resistance (20,000 feet is equal to about 6,100 meters) and enters the Guinness Book of Records. (CX Swiss Military had held the deepness record from 2005 until the Deepsea appeared in 2008.) The watch is a chronograph with a 28.5-mm-thick case and a domed back. According to CX Swiss Military, it is actually water-resistant to 7,500 meters, thus providing the 25-percent margin of safety required to meet ISO 6425.

10. IWC Aquatimer collection (2014)

IWC Aquatimer Deep Two (2014)

IWC updates its Aquatimer collection, fitting it with an outer, bidirectional bezel and an inner, unidirectional one. The most impermeable of the new Aquatimer models, the Aquatimer Automatic 2000, is water resistant to 2,000 meters.

Discover the complete history of the dive watch in our download — available in the WatchTime Shop — which includes even more highlights and firsts, like the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000 and the first Omega Seamaster!

Merken

Merken

Merken

Ever since the first clocks were created, there has been a desire to add complications. Moon phases and calendar functions were among the first, and as pocket watches and later on, wristwatches appeared on the scene, these complications were there too implemented relatively quickly. While the impact of the moon in modern-day life dwindled for most people, knowing the day, date, and month became more and more important, in part explaining their continued popularity.

There are several ways in which a calendar function can be executed in wristwatches. The most basic, and popular, one, is simply showing just the date through either a window in the dial or with a hand. This latter is often referred to as a so-called pointer date. A complete, or full, calendar offers you additional information. There are quite a few varieties these days, but the most classic combines a day and date indicator, either as a subdial or a window, with a moon phase. These watches often have a classic appeal, with the downside that they need to be manually corrected at the end of every month that doesn’t have 31 days.

While it seems to be a small effort to do so, the technical ingenuity demanded to create a perpetual calendar, which would automatically correct itself for months with less than 31 days, as well as leap years. It was British watchmaker Thomas Mudge who first created this complication for a pocket watch in 1762. It wouldn’t appear in a wristwatch until Patek Philippe re-cased one of their perpetual pocket watch movements in a 34.4mm case with a leather strap and sold it in 1927 to the American watch collector Thomas Emery. Other brands soon followed, and these days most high-end watch brands have one or more perpetual calendars in their collection.

The mechanical complexity of the perpetual calendar made it one of the most coveted complications but also an expensive one. In 1996, it was again Patek Philippe that launched another breakthrough, the annual calendar. Part of the mechanism that makes the perpetual calendar so complex is dedicated to correcting for the leap year. With an annual calendar, you only have to manually adjust the date of the watch once a year, in February. This gives it quite an advantage over a full or complete calendar while at the same time being far less expensive than a perpetual calendar watch. While Patek Philippe patented this new complication, many brands found different solutions to the same problem, and as a result, there are now quite a few annual calendar watches to choose from.

That all three different versions are very much alive and relevant becomes clear when we look at the recent introductions. As Omega expanded its collection of annual calendars in the Constellation Globemaster, Frederique Constant was doing the same for their Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture, while Vacheron Constantin launched an open-worked version of its Traditionnelle Complete Calendar. Which one would you pick?

This article is from the WatchTime Archives and was originally published in February 2022.