While most of us are enjoying summer holidays these days, probably somewhere warm by the beach or poolside, pulling off a ‘wristwatch game’, or getting ready to view the most talked about thing at the moment – yes the Olympics in Paris – we are not taking a break (well technically we are, but we work here and there – don’t call us workaholics, okay?) and serving you with some news from the watch world. It’s summer, so it calls for themed watch releases, and since the biggest sports event is happening now, some brands react to it too.
Omega Paris 2024 Bronze Gold Edition
Speaking of the Olympic games, the Swiss watchmaker Omega just released a special edition as a tribute to Olympic glory. Every competitor dreams of success and being awarded with a medal, and now the official timekeeper of Paris 2024 (and has been since 1932) unveiled a special watch in recognition of these prizes and incorporates all of these three materials. This vintage-looking watch, inspired by one from the late 30s, comes in a 39mm case with Omega’s Co-Axial Chronometer movement beating inside because it couldn’t be an Olympic Games timepiece without guaranteeing the highest performance standard. More at omega.com.
Zenith Defy Skyline White Ceramic Skeleton
Ceramics are here, there and everywhere. Even though they have been here for decades, it seems that lately lots of brands deliver ceramic options and variations to their favourite lines. Defy Skyline, released in 2022, was the brand’s successful answer to the big demand for sports watches and till now we’ve seen multiple editions to their line. But for many, the most interesting model still is the Defy Skyline Skeleton, with its star-shaped open-worked dial. And now, themed well for summer, it comes in a white case and a blue dial, measuring 41mm, with a 100m water resistance and stores up to 55 hours of power reserve. More details at Zenith’s website.
Frederique Constant Highlife Chronograph Automatic
For the 25th anniversary of this collection, the Swiss watchmaker released a duo of new chronographs to celebrate this milestone. The new steel-cased model is a limited edition of 1888 pieces and comes with an opaline dial adorned with contrasting chrono counters and rehaut in green, paired with a nubuck-finished leather strap. The rose gold plated version features a midnight blue dial, silver sub counters and matching leather straps. Both models sport a 41mm case, beat up to 60 hours and are water resistant up to 100m. While Frederique Constant might not be the first brand we would look at at this price point, we like the Highlife’s line a lot as a good alternative to all well-known sports watches. You can find more info here.
Longines Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition
We have to say that Longines is doing great lately. There have been several recent releases that we like, the Pilot Majetek Pioneer model included. And now this aviator/military watch comes in a lightweight option, which helps a lot with this fairly big watch, measuring 43mm (we just wished they kept the size of its original one of 40mm). It comes with a very decent 100m water resistance, with a power reserve of up to 72 hours, as well as antimagnetic properties with its silicon balance spring. No retro-styled brown or dark green leather strap here, it comes with black technical fabric, which compliments the watch itself. So if you’re into oversized pilot’s watches, you’ll be pleased with this one. Limited to 1935 pieces, more details can be found on the official website.
Panerai Luminor Quaranta Bitempo in Goldtech
Even though Panerai has a great history in watchmaking, we just can’t help ourselves but have it connected to one and only Sylvester Stallone. These rather big watches fit well on a big wrist. This time to broaden up their Luminor collection, Panerai released a Goldtech-gilded timepiece in Panerai’s well-known shaped 40mm case, that comes with the GMT function, water resistance up to 100m and a movement which helps the watch beat, when let aside, for 3 days. And its stark black sandwich dial with a sun-brushed finish makes a great contrast to the golden-hued case. Check the Penarai’s website for more info.
becoming a watch nerd?
- Pilot watch – is a type of watch specially designed to assist pilots while flying. Back then, regular pocket watches were not practical for pilots as they had to remove their hands from the controls to read the time.
- Chronograph – is a traditional timepiece fitted with an extra complication to act as a stopwatch, allowing it to record time. Most chronographs have subdials on the watch face that display seconds, minutes, and hours elapsed. To use the chronograph function, there are typically pushers on the side of the watch case that allow to return of stopwatch hands to zero.
- Chronometer – means that the watch must be able to stay within a 5-second range of variation each day throughout its power reserve
- Zenith Defy – the name refers to one of the oldest Zenith collections, used in 1902 for a line of robust and precise pocket watches, back then spelt ‘Defi’. The name ‘Defy’ was used again in 1969 with a heavy-duty model with an angular octagonal case and a tetradecagonal (14 sides) bezel.
- Ceramic watch – ‘Ceramic’ refers to any material that is solid, inorganic, and non-metallic. This relatively vague definition provides plenty of room for watchmakers to play with their ceramic formulas and improve their timepieces. Unlike coated metal watches, the colour of ceramic is a property of the material itself, making it more resistant to fading and wear.
- Rehaut – is the part of a watch that can be considered the inner rim between the dial and glass.
- Longines Pilot Majetek – is a modern interpretation of the Longines Czech Pilot watch developed in the 1920s and supplied to the Czechoslovakian Air Force in the 1930s. The watches were marked as ‘Majetek Vojenske Spravy’, meaning ‘property of military administration’, earning the Longines Majetek nickname among collectors.
- GMT – a watch that features an additional 24-hour hand showing two time zones at once
- Goldtech – a special type of material that’s formulated with platinum and copper that gives it its distinct golden hue with a red undertone
- Panerai – quick history – founded in 1860 in Florence, Italy. It initially specialized in producing military watches and optical instruments for the Italian Navy. The brand’s early watches were designed to withstand rigorous conditions while providing high legibility and precision. In the 1990s, Panerai finally set out to make watches for the public. They launched their first collection in 1993.
