Watch Party: The Best TAG in Years, a ’60s Sensation, and Omega Goes All White
The case of the 44mm Big Bang Tourbillon GOAT Edition is a special composite developed by Hublot, made from Lacoste polo shirts and Head tennis rackets (yes, really), reinforced with a Titaplast intermediate case (the strongest polymer in the world). Then there’s a three-dimensional main plate that resembles racket strings, as well as a power reserve barrel shaped like a tennis ball. We’re not done yet! The white leather strap is meant to imitate a racket handle, and finally the watch is available in three colors – blue, orange and green – to evoke grass, clay and hard surfaces. Ace. $121,000 at Hublot.
Tiffany & Co Tiffany Timer
Courtesy of Clément Rousset/Tiffany & Co
The original Tiffany timer, actually called the “Timing Watch,” was a chronograph pocket watch released 160 years ago, in 1866. This piece now informs the design of Tiffany’s new offering, limited to just 60 pieces. Now, the Timer is offered in a 40 mm platinum case, but the winning aesthetic is ensured by the Tiffany Blue lacquer on the dial, composed of 15 layers, the finishing of which alone takes more than two days. The indexes are baguette diamonds (naturally), while three subdials and a date window at 6 o’clock complete the understated but undeniably elegant look. Inside is Zenith’s El Primero 400 chronograph movement, visible through a sapphire caseback, which offers a 50-hour power reserve. $55,000 at Tiffany & Co.
Zenith Defy Revival A3643
Courtesy of Zenith
Now let’s move on to a real Zenith, full of retro charm. The original Defy A3643 was released in 1969 (the same year Zenith launched its El Primero caliber, no less), but now it returns in 37mm 14-sided “Revival” form. Unlike the original model which had a solid caseback, the Revival is equipped with a sapphire crystal caseback revealing the Elite 670 automatic movement with a power reserve of 50 hours. But to ensure the rest of the watch matches the late ’60s version as closely as possible, Zenith performed a high-precision analysis of a vintage example to reverse engineer the dial. The bold orange rectangle on the seconds hand is a win, while water resistance up to 300 meters makes this watch more than capable for ocean encounters. $7,800 at Zénith.
Louis Vuitton Escale Worldtime
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Over 10 years ago, the Escale first featured a world time feature (a watch displaying the time in multiple time zones on the dial using reference cities), but more recently the watch has become simpler, with time-only iterations. But during LVMH Watch Week, the brand clearly decided that it was high time for Escale to get complicated again. (“Escale,” aptly for this piece, means “stopover.”)
