Christmas wish list a are a time honoured tradition for the folks at Deployant. If you have not kept up recently, you might want to check out the Dear Santa letters from Frank, Jonathan, Simon, and Chester articles as well and ponder on the rationales of a curated collection by a diverse range of collectors.
Given the wealth of highly competitiveness watch choices, what do you think I chosen for my own Christmas wishlist? Let’s find out!
Tudor Black Bay Bronze
Tudor Black Bay Bronze. The watch comes with an antiqued calf strap as well as a nylon NATO strap inspired by straps used by the French Navy for their rescue parachutes.
The first watch in my wishlist happens to be one of the hottest timepieces from Baselworld 2016: the rustic and stunning Tudor Black Bay Bronze.
The Black Bay Bronze is the latest watch to join the Black Bay collection; keeping Panerai and Oris company in the bronze bandwagon.
Fittingly, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze is paired beautifully with a brown bezel, as well as a classic “Explorer-style” dial and “snowflake” hands. The overall effect is stunning, especially when it is fitted with a matching NATO or vintage calf strap; it gives off a rather rustic and vintage effect, which appeals to many collectors.
Powered by the in-house chronometer-certified MT5601 movement, the Black Bay Bronze boasts a variable inertia oscillator with silicon balance spring, and a power reserve of around 70 hours. The watch retails at S$5350.
Omega Speedmaster CK2998
The Speedmaster “CK2998”.
Over the years, Omega has produced quite a number of Speedmaster variants. Many of them achieveed cult status, such as the Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award, the uber-cool Alaska Project, as well as the Apollo 11 45th Anniversary Limited Edition.
The CK2998 is different, paying homage to a namesake vintage Speedmaster which wasn’t first worn in space by NASA astronaut Wally Schirra.
Everyone loves a “Panda” chronograph and the CK2998 contains many subtle traits that make the timepiece desirable with many Speedmaster fans, such as the lollipop seconds’ hand, the “alpha” hour and minute hands, and the lack of crown guards at the right side of the case. On top of that, the CK2998 contrasts nicely with the combination of both white and blue – in which the latter is featured on the bezel, three sub-dials, and the minute track. The inclusion of a blue leather strap (with white stitching) adds a nice touch to the watch as well.
The manual-winding timepiece, powered by the Calibre 1861, is priced at S$8,400. This is definitely a timepiece to do a double take on, especially if one is a big fan of the Speedmaster collection!
Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar
The JLC MUT Perpetual Calendar. One of the most affordable, and well-finished, timepieces that feature the perpetual calendar complication.
Over the last few weeks, the popularity of the JLC MUT Perpetual Calendar, has soared tremendously, all thanks to Dr Strange, in which the eponymous character had worn the gorgeous timepiece in the latest Marvel blockbuster.
The timepiece, in our opinion, is considered one of the best perpetual calendar watches. Before the likes of Montblanc and Frederique Constant, the JLC MUT Perpetual Calendar was considered one of the more affordable mechanical watch featuring this wondrous complication.
Fitted with JLC’s Calibre 868, an automatic movement that boasts a power reserve of around 38 hours, it features both moonphase and power reserve indicator, on top of the perpetual calendar function. The finishing is done pretty nicely as well.
What we particularly like is its clean and handsome design, as well as its price proposition. Retailing at S$28,000, the JLC MUT Perpetual Calendar certainly gives its competitors a run for their money. Santa, are you listening?
Grand Seiko SBGD001 Spring Drive 8 Day Power Reserve
Grand Seiko SGBD001 Spring Drive 8 Day Power Reserve. A conservative and understated beauty.
We have a soft spot for Grand Seiko watches. It is no surprise – the Japanese watchmaker is known to produce aesthetically stunning timepieces, with great attention to minute details. The Grand Seiko SBGD001 Spring Drive 8 Day Power Reserve is an excellent example. In fact, we feel that this novelty is one of the main highlights in Baselworld 2016.
The watch, similar to most of its siblings, features a clean and conservative design. Despite its simple aesthetics, the watch is rather stunning indeed. This can be attributed to its textured “diamond dust” dial, as well as its beautifully polished components (such as the hands, indices, and the platinum case). Needless to say, the movement – Spring Drive Calibre 9R01 – is executed magnificently as well. In addition, it features Grand Seiko’s patented Spring Drive technology, as well as three barrels to ensure a staggering power reserve of approximately 8 days.
Overall, this Grand Seiko is what we want a dress watch to be: simple, beautiful, and well-finished. It is very understated, despite having a hefty platinum case. It is slightly on the pricier side though, at S$75,000. But hey, you have to admit that this is a darn good watch, and one that is as close to our definition of “perfection”.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5230 World Time
Patek Philippe Ref 5230 World Time. Available in both rose gold and white gold.
The final piece on my wishlist is a Patek Philippe: the Ref 5230 World Time.
I always have a fondnesss for World Timers, thanks to its simple design yet hiding a wonderful complication beneath it. The Ref. 5230 encapsulates my dream watch nicely. The dial features three distinct parts: a 24 time zone ring, the day and night indicator ring, as well as the centre dial which features a guilloche medallion. The medallion is done up rather intricately, and as mentioned in our review article, it actually reminds us of the pattern which is derived from the resulting scars of the skin cutting rituals of the Kaningara Tribe in Papua New Guinea. Although we think that it was not the intent of the Patek guilloché experts, but we feel that the overall design elevates the watch onto the next level.
The 38.5mm watch is without a doubt a timepiece in my grail list. It looks good in either rose or white gold, and we can’t help but to think that this is probably a timepiece that is designed for busy executives who have constant dealings with clients around the world. The sublime timepiece retails at US$47,600 before taxes (approx S$65,300).
