It’s Christmas time, and we all wish we had an amazing Santa to put some wrapped boxes of watches under the tree. But alas, more often than not we are our own Santa. Congruent with the previous articles, I share my 3 picks from 3 categories, under $8000, under $50000 and infinity.
Below $8,000: Grand Seiko 62 GS
Grand Seiko 9S65, a faithful replica of the original. Available in steel, white gold, rose gold and yellow gold. This version in steel.
Gorgeous homage of vintage Grand Seikos, which bears the trademark DNA, manifest in the raised dome crystal, dauphine hands, machine cut and hand finished case.
Not much a surprise, my first choice for the under $8000 category is the Grand Seiko 62GS. 2015 marks the year of the 62GS and this time, Seiko delivers yet another blockbuster homage, after the wild success of the 44 GS. Completely in house, from movement to case, the GS collection is the benchmark of Japanese watchmaking. It comes in a limited edition of 600 pieces for steel and 100 pieces for each gold variant. The steel is priced at 4300 USD, and the yellow and rose at 16300 USD, and white at 17200 USD. Of the three, the steel model fits the bill. Read here for a detailed analysis of the GS line.
Between $8K to $50K: 1815 200th Anniversary F. A. Lange Honey Gold
Lange 1815 200th Anniversary F. A. Lange in honey colored gold.
The L.051.1 movement which powers the Lange 1815.
My taste has gradually tapered to a more classic range, which explains my 3 choices. Apart from pricing, I wanted watches that will stay relevant and can stand the test of time. Simply said, classic pieces. That is why the second piece on my list is the 1815 200th Anniversary F. A. Lange Honey Gold, priced at S$48,300. Limited to 200 pieces, the 1815 Honey Gold is the epitome of a time only watch. In particular, the railway markers and seconds subdial at 6 are my favourite features of the 1815. However, unique to this limited edition is the honey gold case and hands, a precious metal alloy that is a tad lighter than rose gold.
If Money Is No Object: Breguet Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon 7087
The Crème de la crème of the Tradition collection, the 7087 is an artistic marriage of Breguet’s classic style and an engineering industrialness.
Caseback of the Minute repeater. Featuring the Cal. 565DR. In the foreground, the chain and teeth used to activate the repeater mechanism. The movement has 16 lignes and 60 jewels.
My final choice is the Breguet Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon 7087. Priced at $460,700 USD, it is arguably the most impressive innovation in Minute Repeater history to make it to Baselworld 2015. What’s so impressive? They’ve put the hammers on the dial side and it strikes vertically towards the crystal. To enhance the resonance and sound quality, Breguet has also integrated sound pillars connecting the strikes to the inner bezel and case for optimum sound quality. I have specially chosen this piece as a bastion of watch innovation in classic cases. With such a hefty price tag, it must serve an even higher purpose, and that is to remind the wearer that there is so much to horology that remains unexplored, and more excitement lays ahead.
With that, I complete my choices and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. May all your grails come true.
1 Comment
Love that picture of the L.051.1 movement. It’s an absolute delight. I wish the front dial looked as great. For me it just doesn’t do it sadly.