Azimuth is a relatively new watch company, founded in 2003, but they already have created a variety of intriguing designs. Their designs span the watchmaking spectrum from their Militare - 1 collection which are inspired by the pilot watches from World War II, to their angular and quirky Gauge Mecha-1 BMF designs. My favorite has to be the SP-1 Mechanique concept watch. The so-called spaceship watch has a rendition of Earth as seen from space which rotates every sixty seconds. It has a jumping hour display powered by a Unitas 6497 movement. It has a rotating disc which is at the base of a minute hand. The dial is decorated with small dots to resemble stars and the 45mm stainless steel case is capped by a domed sapphire crystal.
In the market for a waterproof watch? You may have trouble finding one, considering few watches (if any) are truly and completely waterproof, and are in reality only water resistant. Water resistance is a term that can mean anything from "withstands minor splashing" to "submersible up to 100 meters," to any number of other definitions. So before you take your $5000 "water-resistant" watch into the swimming pool you may want to check on some details. Maybe it can go cannon balling with you or maybe it should stay sitting safely by your beach towel and flip flops -- either way it's something worth knowing.
Jaermann & Stübi watches have a unique feature that golfers will love, a golf counter. Their St. Andrews Link watch has a mechanical golf counter and an automatic movement. It can count a player's strokes per hole and add up the total score per round comparing it with the player's handicap. Their latest watches are the elegant St. Andrews Links and the sportier Eagle Heart. Each comes in several variations including one version of the St. Andrews which has 71 sapphires and one diamond circling the bezel.
Taking a note from the super-thin Appella watches, Chopard will be introducing the ultra-thin L.U.C XP at the Baselworld watch show. This watch uses the automatic Chopard in-house caliber L.U.C. 96HM with 29 jewels and a 70 hour power reserve. The caliber is just 3.3mm thick. The case measures 39.5mm X 6.8mm. This simply styled watch is available in rose or white gold with a slate gray dial. Very elegant.
The Magellan watches are named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who is famous for completing the first circumnavigation of the world proving that the earth is round. The watches pay homage to that feat with a distinctive dial that is shaped like a half globe and is under a scratch-resistant anti-reflective sapphire dome. Thhe watch uses an automatic movement (a de-centric weight winds the main spring) with the crown fully incorporated into the case and the hands curved with the circumference of the dial. It also has a 24-hour hand which indicates the longitudainal position of the sun at any given time.
Their latest model is the Magellan 1521golf series which uses an actual golf ball. A section is cut from the ball and mounted in a bronze support. The cool thing is that you can get a custom edition made using your own golf ball (providing it is a solid core ball). What a perfect way to memorialize a hole in one. The gallery below has pictures of the rest of the Magellan watches including their classic line with the dial as the top part of a globe and the diamond version which has the same map done in diamonds and gemstones. There is also a Lady Magellan necklace.
Bombardier, the company best known for its planes, has licensed a line of Swiss chronographs through B Watches. Their line of watches is rugged and classic. The Vintage BB1&BB2 watches are automatic chronographs. The Airjet collection is comprised of quartz chronographs and there are also Deep Diver and Subdiver models. Large pictures are in the gallery. So far the handsome watches aren't too well known in the U.S. but they recently entered into an agreement with Saro Gem to sell the watches in the States, so I suspect that will change.
Here's a modern and artistic way to tell about what time it is: the About Time clock from Sander Mulder. There are no numbers so it's not for somebody who needs to be precise (that's what your watch is for), but instead it tells the time in general terms ("more like around eight") via what amounts to a big run-on sentence that runs around the outside edge. The clock rolls around and whatever part is touching the table is readable and represents the current time. Very cool and I love it, although it obviously needs a little bit of room to maneuver (I'd worry it would roll itself right off my small desk). $179
The Marvin brand of watches, which was started in 1850 and then stopped manufacturing in the 1990s, is ready for a comeback. The brand was bought from Les Manufactures d'horlogerie Suisses Reunies (MSR) by the Neuchatel company Time Avenue owned by Jean-Daniel and Cecile Maye. The brand is now producing watches again with a large selection of both men's and women's watches with both quartz and mechanical movements. Prices range from 480 to 1,280 Swiss Francs for a quartz watch and from 980 to 3,600 Swiss Francs for a mechanical watch.
There are more and more female pilots these days, but not many pilot watches are designed for women. Chelsea "Juice" Welch, a Santa Monica-based pilot has changed that with her new company Abingdon watches. Abingdon sells two designs, the Amelia, named for Amelia Earhart; and the Jackie, named for Jackie Cochran. The Jackie, shown above, is the girlier watch. It has a mother-of-pearl face and 64 cubic zirconia stones on the bezel. The dial has a E6-B flight computer on the dial and a chronograph that allows Zulu time to be dialed in along with local time. The Jackie sells for $400 and the more basic Amelia is $250.
In their blurb about Vitra Nelson Desk Clocks on their site Design Public makes a crack about whether kids even know how to tell time on a non-digital clock anymore, and honestly I bet some don't! Digital clocks are everywhere, and anymore any non-digital timepiece around has a pretty good chance of being mostly for show. But regardless if that's the case or not in your home or office these Vitra Nelson Desk Clocks will look stylish on your desk or mantle, and there are so many options you're sure to find something that fits in with your decor.
Part of the reason it's hard to choose what kind of accessories and decorations to have in your home is that once you've decided you're somewhat stuck with it, at least for awhile. And although this Font Clock by Sebastian Wrong definitely has a certain appearance at all times, it also does a good job of switching up the details and looking a little different every day. It's "a 21st century take on the British 24 hour clock design icon," and it has 12 different fonts stored inside for a mixed up and random view of the date and time. It comes in 3 sizes ranging in price from £195 to £810.
Diamond company De Beers has put its new watch collection online. The watches continue the De Beers Talisman collection which mixes faceted and rough diamonds in a variety of whites, yellows and browns. Perhaps the flashiest watch in the line is the Talisman Suntime watch. It has an 18K gold 40mm dial set with 58 brown and white polished brilliants and one rough diamond in the center (a total of 2.35 carats). The watch uses a quartz movement and sells for $15,000. Other watches in the line are in white gold and feature various sizes of rough diamonds interspersed with faceted stones.
Home decor items like clocks aren't easy to give as gifts, but if you know just the person (or maybe are looking to upgrade your own home's look before the hordes of family arrive) you might find yourself in the market. This Nava Wall Clock Time Bodoni Green will fit either a contemporary home or one with a bend towards the whimsical. It has some of the numbers, but not all, and even though they all appear to have slipped off to one side in a clump they're amazingly still in the appropriate places. Aluminum and plexiglass, gift boxed, 17.5" diam., $148.
I usually don't travel all that much, but recently I have been and it's made me realize just how terrible I am at packing and taking care of my jewelry and accessories when I'm on the go. So if you know any travelers, or if you're one yourself, something like this Watch Roll by Bill Amberg might be something to consider this gift-giving season. Made of fine leather with a removable inner suede roll, it will keep your timepieces beautifully safe. Black, brown, or tan with a bright purple lining. $280
The latest watch brand comes from Russia. The Volna timepieces take their inspiration from the mysterious world of the Soviet submarine fleet. Each collection is named after a submarine class of the Soviet era. The Typhoon, Volna's lead collection,is inspired by the largest submarine ever built of the same name. The watch's case is 46 ½ mm diameter. It is water resistant to 300 meters and has a prominent case protecting the winding crown. The Typhoon's double security crown uses a crown actuator to engage the crown from its place within the caseband and unscrewed for time setting. A security indicator within the dial lets you know if the crown has been properly closed by displaying either the "OPEN" position or the "300 M" position. VOLNA will produce 500 watches worldwide, with only 150 pieces available in the US. Retail prices begin at $4,900.
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