Category: Perfect Wrist


BREMONT Bamford Aurora Limited Edition

In a collaboration between Bremont and Bamford, the limited edition Aurora watch has been unveiled. This unique timepiece, inspired by the quest to witness the Northern Lights, is designed to embody a spirit of adventure and discovery.

Limited to 500 pieces, the Aurora watch emerges from the Supermarine collection, known for its ruggedness and reliability. It features a 43mm stainless steel DLC-coated Trip-Tick case, enhanced by a bi-colored polished sapphire 24-hour bezel for clear day and night indication. The watch is distinguished by its luminous qualities, with green Super-LumiNova accents mirroring the ethereal glow of the Aurora Borealis. This effect is achieved through a sophisticated “layered” dial construction, which enhances visibility and adds a captivating depth to the watch’s appearance.

The Aurora is also equipped with GMT functionality and anti-shock protection, making it an excellent companion for any exploration. Its design includes a California sandwich dial, matte black and gloss green hands filled with Super-LumiNova and a durable black nubuck leather strap with green stitching.

Davide Cerrato, CEO of Bremont, expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration with George Bamford, stating “Joining forces with George following the sell-out success of the first collaboration between Bremont and Bamford Watch Dept has been an exciting adventure. I have always been fascinated by the challenge of creating a timepiece that is as compelling in the dark as it is in the light. Working with George I am thrilled that we have achieved a luminous show which mirrors the magic and spectacle of the Aurora Borealis.”

The Bremont x Bamford Aurora is set to become available for purchase this Thursday, February 22, via both brands’ official sites, for a retail price of $220 USD.

Elton John Shows Us That Vintage Chopard Is Worth A Revisit

Last Wednesday saw the opening sale of Elton John’s “Goodbye Peachtree Road” auction at Christie’s. Some very Elton John-looking things included a pair of silver platform boots emblazoned with large red E and J initials that went for $94,500 and a leopard Rolex Daytona that sold for $176,400. The 900+ lots (some of which are yet to be auctioned off this week) are a largely opulent mix of personal belongings that span from Versace porcelain dinnerware to sequin embellished stage costumes and into one of the most comprehensive modern collections of photography to ever be sold by a sole owner. All of this preamble to say that Elton John is not just a kooky lover of camp but an unduly curious collector. A bon vivant who embraces his eccentricity and with no calculated agenda for (fashionable) irony. He earnestly likes what he likes. It’s a liberated approach.
Having attended the preview a couple of weeks back and sifting through a sapphire-set Cartier Tank Normale, a diamond-set Lange Saxonia, a Vacheron shutter watch, and about 20-odd other very exuberant timepieces, I happened upon my favorite of Elton’s watches – a yellow gold sapphire and diamond-set Chopard Imperiale chronograph. It was so ornate, so frivolous, so Liberace, that it triggered my I-remember-why-I-do-what-I-do-professionally alarm. Suddenly, I wanted all watches to be mildly gaudy and gem-set and obscurely shaped (Pasha shaped in this instance). I wanted glamor, not restraint.

Speaking of frivolity, there was a large diamond skull adorned Chopard watch from Elton’s collection that could be perceived as a flagrant disregard for tasteful, dare-I-say-it quiet luxury. I prefer to think of it as a wondrous ability to lean into an aesthetic of which others might be naturally disdainful —sort of like how kids are happy to wear costumes in public on days other than Halloween.

These very eccentric Replica Chopard watches led me down a very long late-night Chopard-themed internet trawl. I needed to find out what other precious nuggets were hiding in the Chopard jewelry watch crossover archive. I had seen geometric stone dial watches from the ’70s and Happy Diamond heart-shaped watches from the ’90s, but I figured there must be more undiscovered and little-talked-about gems out there. Cartier, Bulgari, Piaget, and Boucheron have all, until fairly recently, been nose snubbed as “jewelry brands.” Is it time for a similar watch-enthusiast light to hit Chopard?
In 1984, in the wake of the original Saint Moritz model, Chopard launched a St. Moritz Rainbow watch set with diamonds and colored gemstones. This was incredibly early to the mark for rainbow setting. Of course, the rainbow Rolex Cellini likely came before at the very beginning of the decade.

Chopard played with a lot of the same design ideas as our favorite brands in the ’70s and ’80s. Massively under-appreciated and often denigrated to a league Toretto likes to call “Fantasy watches,” these watches were legitimate executions of gem-setting like Rolex and metal smithing on bracelets and cases like Piaget and Patek. I encourage you to go on a Chopard hunt and embrace your eccentric side, like Elton. Look for a little vintage freedom in the face of modern conformity.

MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Blue

Max Büsser might have a fervent imagination, capable of dreaming up spaceships to relay time in the most unusual way to his fellow earthlings, but he also has his feet firmly on the ground. Following the buzz surrounding the launch of the brand’s first perpetual calendar in 2015, a groundbreaking movement with a mechanical processor created by independent watchmaking wizard Stephen McDonnell, Max decided to take the complication out of the safe and adapt it to everyday life. Fitted with shock absorbers, water resistance and a redesigned case in lighter, more resilient materials, the newly christened 2020 LM Perpetual EVO was ready for action – perhaps not kickboxing, but certainly robust enough for an active lifestyle. The fifth LM Perpetual EVO in the all-terrain saga is this titanium version with an attractive icy blue dial plate, a new colour that replaces the titanium model with a green dial.
The MB&F LM Perpetual EVO (which stands for Evolution) has appeared in three limited-edition zirconium versions, followed by a titanium edition with a green CVD dial plate. Replacing the titanium case/green dial model, the fifth MB&F LM Perpetual EVO is also crafted in titanium and shares the 44mm case diameter and 17.5mm thickness of its predecessors. The no-bezel construction means that the domed sapphire crystal is directly bonded to the case, increasing the viewing pleasure. In a departure from the pushers on the classical LM Perpetual, the EVO has enlarged, easy-to-use oblong actuators, and its screw-down crown ensures the 80m water-resistance of the case. An annular steel dampener – called FlexRing – is placed between the case and movement. to protect the vertical and lateral axes from shocks and increase robustness.
The novelty here is the attractive light blue CVD colour of the dial plate, contrasting effectively with the calendar indications and the time. Smack in the centre of the dial is the mirror-polished V-shaped bridge arching above the spectacular 14mm balance wheel beating at 18,000vph – a signature element of the MB&F LM Perpetual EVO Series. The hours and minutes are at noon on a black galvanic disc with luminescent-tipped hands and light blue markers. Using black galvanic rings, luminescent hands and light blue markings, the days of the week are at 3 o’clock, the months at 6 o’clock and the date at 9 o’clock. At 5 and 7 o’clock, there are two small, rounded tracks: the one on the left indicates the retrograde leap year, and the one on the right is the power reserve indicator.
Visible on the dial is Stephen McDonnell’s revolutionary perpetual calendar. Turning the conventional perpetual calendar movement upside down and inside out, McDonnell’s QP relies on a mechanical processor consisting of a series of superimposed discs. This groundbreaking processor takes the default number of days in the month at 28 – because, logically, all months have at least 28 days – and then adds the extra days required by each individual month. This ensures that each month has precisely the right number of days and removes the possibility of the date jumping incorrectly. An inbuilt safety feature disconnects the quickset pushers during the date changeover so that even if the pushers are accidentally actuated while the date is changing, there is no risk of damage to the 581-component movement.
While most of the horological treats are revealed on the dial, the reverse side reveals the escapement, the double barrels – providing the movement with 72 hours of autonomy – and the superlative hand finishings. Embracing 19th-century decorative traditions, the reverse side is a trip down memory lane with gorgeous internal bevel angles, polished bevels, large gold chatons, Geneva waves on the darkened bridges and handmade inscriptions.

Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal

After three years of development, Richard Mille has taken the wraps off the new Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal, a trio of extra-sporty automatic watches that feature a special mechanism for the winding system that allows the wearer to adjust the winding activity based on their current level of activity. The whole feature is tied to an automotive-themed “sport mode” button that disengages the winding rotor on demand to prevent over-winding the movement.
We’ll get to the buttons and modes in a moment, but the Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal is offered in three versions, including Carbon TPT (black for case and case band, shown in many of the included images), blue and white Quartz TPT, and a version in Carbon TPT with white Quartz TPT. Sizing is the same for all three models and comes in at 43.15mm wide, 13.15mm thick, and 49.95mm lug-to-lug. Water resistance is 50 meters, and yes, the price is much heavier than the watch.

For this outing of what the brand calls the “Baby Nadal,” the party piece is the aforementioned sport-mode button that is located at seven o’clock on the case flank. While there is a more complicated explanation for this special “Butterfly Rotor” system, the conceit is that the winding rotor’s ability to harness gravity can be mitigated by pressing the sport button. The rotor has been designed to have two halves hinged at the center. When sport mode is engaged, the two parts fan out, removing the ability for the rotor to spin as the weighed elements are now evenly distributed across 180 degrees. Confused? Check out the mechanism animated below. See? Not that hard to understand (at least, at a functional level).
The idea here is that when you’re planning to do something sporty – such as playing professional tennis – you can enable sport mode to suspend any additional winding of the movement. Looking at the dial side, there is an indication as to whether or not automatic winding is active (on/off), and the system aligns with the function selector that we’ve seen on other RMs that allows the user to cycle between three modes – “H” for time setting, “N” for neutral, and “W” for winding.
This functionality is supported by the RMAL2, a fully skeletonized automatic movement that displays hours, minutes, and seconds (along with the functions mentioned above). The movement’s bridges and baseplate are made of grade 5 titanium, and it ticks at 4 Hz with a power reserve of 55 hours. That power reserve is supported by a double-barrel system that can meter the torque from either barrel for better timekeeping.
While Richard Mille watches are constantly being offered in more and more shapes and sizes, the Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal feels like a core offering from the brand. The intensity of the design, the wild case materials, and the adherence to a gimmick-like sport mode – all classic Richard Mille

As the fourth in the “Baby Nadal” series, the Richard Mille RM 35-03 Automatic Rafael Nadal adds a fun and superfluous function via its butterfly rotor system. While I suppose we could argue the need for such a system, I think that might be out of scope for such a watch. For engagement (both literal and emotional), I kinda dig the idea of having the ability to shut off the automatic winding on my watch. In modern, high-performance cars, programmable modes (like sport mode) have become a major feature set, so I also get the connection to the lifestyle and experiences of the people who are in the market for a quarter-of-a-million-dollar Richard Mille. Their cars are full of buttons that allow them to control various elements of the experience; why not their watch?
But a Richard Mille watch need not be treated like a literal thing. Like a supercar, these watches are not valued for their practicality or, I’d argue, outright functionality. Rather, these are objects of emotion, collectability, and raw fascination, and I can’t think of any watch in which a sport mode feels more appropriate. If you can, let me know in the comments.

Richard Mille RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne

For its latest new release of 2023, Richard Mille has just announced a new version of the RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne that embraces a crisp black and white colorway with a case that is crafted from white Quartz TPT, Carbon TPT, and titanium. From a design and movement standpoint, the Richard Mille RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne is hardly a new watch, as this core concept and the RM21-02 movement were both originally unveiled back in 2009 with a set of models that featured cases crafted from 18k gold. However, the new 2023 RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne takes that original concept in an entirely more modern direction with high-tech case materials and a distinctly contemporary overall appearance.
Over the years, Richard Mille has produced several different variations of the RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne, although the latest 2023 version is most closely related to last year’s limited-edition model that featured green Quartz TPT case components and orange accents. What this means is that you get Richard Mille’s signature tonneau-shaped case in a format that measures 42.68mm in diameter by 14.3mm thick with a lug-to-lug profile of 50.12mm. However, on the new 2023 Richard Mille RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne, the center caseband is made from grade 5 titanium, while the pillars that run down either side of the case and cover the titanium connecting screws are crafted from black Carbon TPT.
The white and black colorway extends throughout the rest of the watch, with the caseback appearing in white Quartz TPT with a clear sapphire display window, while the bezel features a multi-component structure with a black Carbon TPT center section paired with white Quartz TPT segments running down either side for the areas that hold the grade 5 titanium connecting screws. An anti-glare sapphire crystal sits above the dial, water resistance comes in at 50 meters to protect against daily contact, and to complete the entirely white and black color profile, the ventilated strap is made from white rubber with black contrasting inlays. At the 3 o’clock location on the new 2023 RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne is a winding crown that appears in white and black to match the rest of the watch, and at the tip of the crown is a titanium button, which serves as the watch’s function selector switch. Just like a number of other Richard Mille watches, including previous models based upon this platform, the crown on the RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne does not pull outwards at all, and instead pressing the button on the tip of the crown lets you swap between the different modes (winding, setting, and neutral), in somewhat of a similar fashion to how a transmission works on a car. The dial layout on the new 2023 Richard Mille RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne is virtually the same as what can be found among previous executions of the model, and it features a skeletonized pair of centrally-mounted hands for the hours and minutes, along with a clear sapphire dial and applied Arabic numeral hour markers. The tourbillon symmetrically resides at 6 o’clock, while the indicator for the function selector switch appears with its own dedicated hand directly next to the 4 o’clock hour marker. Meanwhile, placed near the very top of the dial are two additional multi-colored, arc-shaped displays, with the one on the left serving as a power reserve indicator, while the other is a torque indicator that provides information about the chronometry quality of the tension in the mainspring. Basically, what this offers is a visual representation of how accurately the watch will run depending on the amount of tension in the mainspring. Above or below a certain point, accurately will suffer, and the torque display is intended to help users achieve optimum timekeeping performance. Lastly, sitting visible though the transparent dial along either side of the display on the new 2023 Richard Mille RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne is a mainplate crafted from HAYNES 214, which is an alloy consisting of nickel, chromium, aluminum, and iron that is capable of withstanding temperatures in excess of 955 degrees Celsius (1,751 degrees Fahrenheit). The geometric honeycomb pattern of the HAYNES 214 mainplate provides extreme stiffness with a low thermal expansion coefficient, and the alloy has been given a jet-black PVD finish to match the rest of the colorway of this particular model. Powering the new 2023 Richard Mille RM 21-02 Tourbillon Aerodyne is the same Caliber RM21-02 manual-wind movement, which runs at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 70 hours. The bridges of the movement are all crafted from grade 5 titanium, and in addition to featuring a function selector switch, tourbillon, and three additional indicators dedicated to the crown function, torq display, and power reserve, the Cal. RM21-02 also incorporates a modular time-setting assembly that can be removed through the caseback whenever adjustments or maintenance are needed, and this means that routine work can be performed without having to dismantle the movement from the mainplate or even remove the dial and hands from the watch.

Breitling Avenger Automatic 42

Breitling has introduced an updated Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 collection of pilot-inspired watches. Dating to the early 2000s, the Avenger collection has been scaled down and simplifed to make for a sleek update. The collection includes the Automatic 42, GMT 44, and the B01 Chronograph 44 – the chronograph uses Breitling’s manufacture caliber 01.
While the new collection maintains the aviation inspiration and rugged profile of the Avenger, the updates align the Avenger with other updates we’ve seen across Breitling’s catalog.

Younger than many of Breitling’s other collections, the Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 is a bit of a modern mash-up of everything that makes Breitling Breitling. The adjectives practically write themselves: big, bold, rugged, aviation-inspired, tool.
The tweaks to the case, dial, and profile of the Avenger make it a bit more streamlined and contemporary. Gone are the big winged Breitling logo, and Arabic numerals, replaced with the simple stencil “B” and baton markers. The stainless steel case of the GMT and chronograph models measure 44mm, while the three-hander automatic measures 42mm. All are a downsize compared to the previous collection. Additionally, the case offers more detail and finishing, with bevels on the lugs and polished details on the tabs of the rotating bezel.
The Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 collection has aviation inspiration all over it, and with that the chronograph remains the most important model of the collection. The updated Breilting Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 measures 44mm by 15.2mm (53mm lug-to-lug), using the manufacturer’s caliber B01, a COSC-certified, column wheel, vertical clutch movement with 70-hour power reserve. The manufacture movement represents a technical leap forward for the Avenger chronograph. It’s still a big watch that won’t be for everyone, but that’s what we expect – even ask – of Breitling. And with downsized offerings in other corners of the catalog, this keeps the Avenger true to its original purpose. The Avenger Chronograph 44 is offered with a steel bracelet or military leather strap and four dial colors: blue, green, black, or sand. On a strap, MSRP starts at $8,000. The Avenger GMT 44 measures 44mm by 12mm (53 lug-to-lug) and has an independently adjustable 24-hour hand thanks to the ETA base Breitling caliber 32, COSC-certified and with 42 hours of power reserve (a “caller GMT” in Stacey speak, as it’s the 24-hour hand, not the hour hand, that’s adjustable). The Avenger GMT has a bi-directional rotating bezel with the quickly indentifiable “Rider tabs” at the cardinal directions that are something of a Breitling signature. It’s offered with a black or blue dial, on a strap or bracelet, with prices starting at $5,250 on strap.
Breitling’s history in timekeepers optimized for aviation dates back to the 1930s, when Willy Breitling Avenger Automatic 42 formed the HUIT Aviation Department, dedicated to creating precision aircraft instruments and pilots’ chronographs. Fast forward a few decades and the brand launched its Avenger collection in 2001 alongside its iconic Navitimer and Chronomat. The Avenger collection is distinguished by its military look and feel. Now, we get three fresh new takes on the collection—one is even equipped with Breitling’s own B01 movement.

Urwerk UR-100V Time and Culture II

Although Urwerk is recognized as a pioneer in modern high horology, the company is not immune to looking at history for its avant-garde creations. But not necessarily from the early to mid-19th century as so many other watchmakers do but rather from antiquity — ancient civilizations such as Aztec, Greek, and Egyptian have all been referenced in Urwerk watches. In fact, the name “Urwerk” is derived from Ur, the major Sumerian city-state located in Mesopotamia, where the concept of time is said to have originated around 3,000 BC. For its newest release, the company travels back to Mesopotamia to give us the Urwerk UR-100V Time and Culture II “Sumer” watch, inspired by the city of Ur.
As its name suggests, the Urwerk UR-100V Time And Culture II is the second installment in the series; the first celebrated Amerindian civilizations, which Sean Lorentzen covered in his Urwerk Announces Limited-Edition UR-100V Time And Culture I Watch article. The “Sumer” Urwerk watch, on the other hand, is rooted in Mesopotamian history. The watch retains the same angular steel case (with a titanium caseback) that measures 41mm wide, 49.7mm in length, and 14mm thick, but this time, rendered in a rich blue hue. The blue was chosen to mimic lapis lazuli, which was apparently a favorite stone of Inanna, the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility.
As Martin Frei, co-founder and artistic director of Urwerk UR-100V Time And Culture II , explains, “Through my reading and my travels, I’ve been fortunate enough to discover all the richness and diversity of the Sumerians. Their mythology is rich and fertile, their constructions truly timeless. This astonishingly little-known civilization is fascinating. For this new creation, I loved staging some of its hallmark features: mythology, astronomy, astrology, and time measurement.”
Under the dramatic sapphire dome of the watch are laser-engraved motifs that tell a story. At the center is the four-pointed star that symbolizes Utu, the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. Framing that symbol are sky charts and planispheres to represent the Sumerians’s early attempts to map out our skies. There are also two depictions of the moon god Nanna floating near the edges of the sloped cut-out minutes display. Right above the minutes indicator is the satellite wandering hours display, which follows a similar curved opening and includes beryllium-bronze Geneva crosses to support the rotating satellite hours disks. To read the time, simply look at where the large hour numeral is pointing on the minutes track.
Once a minute pointer is done with its initial task, the hour satellite it’s attached to disappears under the laser-etched cover and the pointer reemerges as a kilometer counter that serves to course Earth’s rotation. There are two kilometer counters in fact: one aperture at 10 o’clock to display the 477.29km covered every 20 minutes by Ur inhabitants and one at 2 o’clock to illustrate the 35,742km that Earth travels around the sun every 20 minutes. Driving the Urwerk UR-100V Time And Culture II “Sumer” is the Caliber UR 12.02 movement, which operates at 28,800vph and supplies 48 hours of power reserve. Finally, the watch is water-resistant to 30 meters and is paired with a Baltimore technical fabric strap, furnished with a pin buckle.
Esoteric timepieces are what Urwerk does best. Here we have a futuristic-looking Swiss timepiece that expresses traveling through time and space, all wrapped up in a package that honors one of humanity’s earliest cities. Call it creative, eccentric, or even crazy, but it would be a shame to discard it as unnecessary. Even if this unconventional piece doesn’t speak to you stylistically Urwerk UR-100V Time And Culture II (or make sense to you at any level), the watch space needs wild imagination and creativity to not only stay alive but thrive. Besides

Richard Mille Keeps Making Right With The Women’s RM 07-01

Richard Mille has just released three new Memphis-inspired variants of the RM 07-01 in colored ceramic to officially close out summer. Or, if you’re an actual RM client, to get you in the mood for your tropical winter vacation later this year in Mustique or St. Barts or wherever the beautiful people go.

Memphis was a school of ’80s Italian design founded by Ettore Sottsass, and it’s had a hardcore resurgence in the past few years thanks to Instagram and the Ultrafragola selfie mirror at Opening Ceremony on Howard St. (RIP). It’s graphic and colorful and sort of haphazard.

This capsule collection of RM 07-01 watches comes in very Memphis-inspired colors: powder blue, blush pink, and lavender pink. The high-performance ceramic cases are made from TZP (or Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal – like you’d ever need to remember that), which is a biocompatible ceramic. Its properties include corrosion resistance, increased hardness providing scratch resistance (1,400 Vickers), and toughness superior to sapphire. Just a note to say that I love nothing more than nerdy tech specs when it comes to women’s watches. Rejoice. The case shape is a traditional RM tonneau – slightly narrowed down, of course, for the 07-01 (31.40 x 45.23 mm, to be precise). The ceramic bezel and caseback are fixed together with a micro-blasted white gold caseband – again, all very RM. Nothing new shape and form-wise for the foundation here. The focus is firmly on the pop aesthetic of the Memphis design and the very intricate hand finishing.

Fixed atop the baseplate and bridges made of grade 5 titanium is a gray PVD-treated red gold skeleton dial that showcases the engraved Memphis motif, surrounded by other decorative detailing in colored ceramic, laser-cut rubber appliques, and diamond-set elements. Guilloche is the prominent decorative technique employed on the contrasting shapes of the dial – adding to the geometry and imparting a depth of texture and light play. Makes you want to run your fingers across the grooves of the dial, but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Luckily, there’s a sapphire crystal to protect people like myself from wreaking absolute havoc when coming into contact with one of these $205,000 watches.

The Richard Mille RM 07-01 automatic colored ceramic watches come equipped with Caliber CRMA2 – a skeletonized automatic movement with hours, minutes, and adjustable rotor geometry with a power reserve of 50 hours.

Each watch comes on a very juicy contrasting color strap, which reminds me of sticky pink lip gloss and patent Louis Vuitton Speedy bags and the smell of whatever saccharine perfume I was wearing in 2004. A little bit of 1980s nostalgia via the 2000s; that’s the aesthetic Venn diagram of this watch. Cécile Guenat, the Creative and Development Director at Richard Mille, is a pioneer when it comes to watch design. She has captured my complete attention with her approach to aesthetics. Guenat can go crazy, but all in good taste – and remember, folks, taste is subjective (kind of), so I don’t wanna hear it. Guenat’s audacious palette of tongue-in-cheek design, from Bon Bon to Smiley and now Memphis, is executed all while keeping the integrity of material performance and technical watchmaking intact. Her ethos is totally modern – talking to women about watches without talking down to them. Yes, I am still harping on about this, but reality bites!

Okay, so RM just released a capsule collection of summer colors just in time for fall. But it’s RM, they make the rules and I abide by them because I am a true proponent of year-round color and taking life less seriously. I don’t rave about Richard Mille because anybody tells me to, I rave about it because, in my dream world, I would wear an RM 07-01. I would also erase all memory of Jeremy Strong wearing one to the Met gala. Each to their own fantasy.

Bell & Ross BR 03 Gyrocompass

This aviation-inspired watch is a tribute to the world of aeronautics i.e. the DNA of Bell & Ross’ beginnings, and features a fighter plane silhouette at its center, drawing upon the graphic codes used in pilot’s dials. This limited-edition timepiece is part of the BR 03 family, which has been a cornerstone of Bell & Ross collections since 2006. It features the iconic rounded square shape, now reinterpreted in a 41mm case size made from black ceramic, measuring just 10.6mm in thickness, and water-resistant up to 100 meters. By definition, a gyrocompass is a gyroscopic rotor within a navigation compass, which, when configured for the vessel or aircraft’s latitude and speed, provides the orientation toward true north on the Earth’s surface. In this case, the plane will not show you true north, but instead merely adopts the technical design elements found in a pilot’s cockpit. But there’s no real loss here. (Are we really using a gyrocompass on a night in the town anyway?) The watch tells us the main hours, powered by the BR-CAL.302 self-winding movement with a 54-hour power reserve that’s perfect for the weekend. The first BR 03 Gyrocompass was introduced 10 years ago at Baselworld 2013, in the BR 01-92 model. The dial comprised three independent concentric discs, graduated for the hours and minutes. The plane’s silhouette retains its central real estate, but its placement is merely for design. In the new BR 03 Gyrocompass, the plane is ready for takeoff … sort of. No longer just parked in the hangar, the plane’s silhouette serves as the hour hand, while the minutes are indicated by a large white arrow-tipped hand. To enhance visibility in the dark, the BR 03 Gyrocompass features luminescent treatment with green emission for cardinal points and blue emission for time indications. The aircraft silhouette stands out with a unique yellow tint.

richard mille rm 30-01 automatic with declutchable rotor

When it comes to creating the most technologically involved execution of a fairly simple concept, arguably no brand goes harder than Richard Mille. Regardless of how you may feel about the brand’s ultra-modern aesthetic and sky-high price point, there is a lot of interesting technology behind the timepieces that it produces, and Richard Mille simply does not make boring watches. As its latest new release of 2023, Richard Mille has announced the next chapter in the evolution of the RM 030 that originally made an appearance back in 2011, and the new Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor represents a revamped and more advanced rendition of one of the brand’s signature models.
The new Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor is essentially just a self-winding watch with a date display and power reserve indicator, although this description doesn’t even tell half the story. The two numerals for the date are each displayed by a separate DLC-treated titanium disc, while the self-winding movement features an integrated clutch mechanism that automatically disconnects the rotor from the barrel once the mainspring is fully wound. Additionally, rather than simply having a crown with multiple different positions like watches from virtually all other brands, the RM 03-01 has a function selector switch operated by a pusher that is located on the side of the case at 2 o’clock, which allows users to switch between winding (W), hand-setting (H), and date-adjustment (D) positions for the crown.
Richard Mille’s declutchable rotor concept originally debuted way back in 2011 on the RM 030, although the new Richard Mille RM 03-01 turns things up a notch with the addition of a function selector switch, along with a number of other refinements and updates to both its overall construction and internal movement technologies. On top of that, the new RM 03-01 also offers a completely overhauled display, which features a noticeably more open-worked aesthetic that is based upon angular lines, instead of the curved forms that characterized the dial of the original Richard Mille RM 030. Rather than featuring a full set of Arabic numeral markers with a date display at 7 o’clock and the rest of its indicators placed around the center of the dial, the new Richard Mille RM 03-01 has a diamond-shaped power reserve indicator sitting to the left of the hands in the center, while its date window has been relocated to 4 o’clock. Sitting just above the date display is an indicator for the function selector switch, while an on/off display for the status of the declutchable rotor appears in the far upper left corner at the 11 o’clock position. As for the actual dial of the RM 03-01, it features a two-layer construction, with the first made from transparent sapphire, while the other is crafted from titanium and has a diamond-shaped design that mirrors the appearance of the plates and bridges of the movement.
The new Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor is offered in two different configurations, with one featuring a case that is crafted entirely from grade 5 titanium, while the other has a middle case made from titanium that is paired with upper and lower sections in 5N red gold. Despite their different materials, both versions of the new Richard Mille RM 03-01 feature tonneau-shaped cases that measure 42mm in diameter by 17.59mm thick, with an overall lug-to-lug profile of 49.94mm. Additionally, sapphire crystals with anti-reflective treatment are fitted to both the dial sides of the watches and their display casebacks, while water resistance for the RM03-01 comes in at a fairly standard 50 meters. Rather than using an intermediary casing ring to hold the movement inside of the watch like a number of previous Richard Mille models, the internal caliber is developed to be integrated into the design of the new RM 03-01, and it sits on rubber chassis mounting components that are attached by four spline screws in grade 5 titanium. Additionally, just like virtually all of the other tonneau-shaped models in Richard Mille’s lineup, the various case components of the RM 03-01 are held together with a set of titanium spline screws that are paired with abrasion-resistant washers made from 316L stainless steel. Powering the new Richard Mille RM 30-01 Automatic with Declutchable Rotor is the brand’s Caliber RMAR2 skeletonized self-winding movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) while offering users a power reserve of approximately 55 hours. Although the biggest mechanical difference between the new RM 30-01 and the original RM 030 from 2011 is the addition of the function selector switch, both models are characterized by their signature declutchable self-winding mechanisms and variable geometry rotors.
In order to ensure that their movements do not over-wind themselves, nearly all automatic watches feature a sliding flange within their barrels that allows the mainspring spring to slip when the watch is fully wound. As a way to prevent the additional wear that can occur while the mainspring slips within its barrel, the Richard Mille Cal. RMAR2 features a clutch that automatically disconnects the rotor from the winding mechanism once the watch is fully wound. The clutch will then autonomously re-engage the rotor once the power reserve drops below 40 hours so that the movement can maintain an optimum level of tension in the mainspring. As for the variable geometry rotor, the multi-component structure features a five-position adjustable weight system (the pair of wing-shaped things that sit within it), which allows its winding ability to be fine-tuned and optimized for its individual owner’s lifestyle and wearing habits.

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