FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Recapping the releases of the week – Grand Seiko, Zenith, Hublot, TAG Heuer and Bulgari
Zach BlassWhile it may only be the second week of the new year, we already, in this past week alone, have a ton of new novelties to explore. Much of this can be attributed to LVMH Watch Week, that just wrapped up in Singapore, but Grand Seiko also threw their hat in the ring as well. The Friday Wind Down is not the place for in-depth reviews, so below you’ll find just the headlining points you need to know, plus links to our more thorough coverage where you can learn even more.
Grand Seiko Calibre 9S Limited Editions
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- Grand Seiko celebrates yet another anniversary – the 25th birthday of Calibre 9S
- The two steel limited editions reintroduce a 37mm case size to the heritage collection in honour of the SBGR201 from 25 years ago
- Both watches are 37mm in diameter, 13.3mm thick, 44.6mm lug-to-lug, 100m water-resistant, and have special oxidized winding rotors.
- The 9S85-powered SBGH311 has an entirely new electroformed mottled dial pattern inspired by clouds that cover Mt. Iwate at daybreak (1,200 total pieces, US$6,600, available January 2023).
- The 9S65-powered SBGR235 dial captures the daytime sky as seen from the top of Mt. Iwate (1,200 total pieces, US$5,300, available April 2023).
Zenith
- The new Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton replaces the recently discontinued Defy Classic Skeleton.
- The star-motif of the skeleton dial is now four-pointed instead of five-pointed.
- The new Skyline Skeleton has no date and moves the 1/10th of a second counter from 9′ to the more symmetrical 6′ position.
- The new Skyline 36mm does not have a 1/10th of a second counter, instead it has a standard central seconds.
- A glacial take on the Defy Extreme made its debut
To learn more about the new Skyline collection you can head here, or to learn more about the new Defy Extreme Glacier you can click here.
Hublot
- Hublot is kicking off 2023 with a big bang, debuting a brightly hued tourbillon in an exotic new material.
- An OG classic, the Classic Fusion Original, makes its return, now in new case materials and a wide range of size choices.
- A bold new chronograph looks good and does good, with a proportion of sales donated to help save endangered rhinos.
Head here for the full rundown on Hublot’s 2023 LVMH Watch Week novelties.
TAG Heuer
- TAG Heuer gives us another helping of the Monza, now in a carbon case and bold colours.
- New Sport, Golf and Titanium Connected watches mark the brand’s continued evolution of their smart watch collection.
- The Aquaracer Solargraph line continues, now with a Grade 2 Titanium bead-blasted case.
- The Carrera celebrates its 60th with a 600-piece, limited-edition, panda-dialled beauty.
You can dig into the full range of TAG Heuer’s 2023 LVMH Watch Week debuts right here.
Bulgari “Time is a Jewel” collection
- The Divas’ Dream and Allegra have been given new colour schemes.
- The Serpenti Seduttori is now available with a black lacquer dial.
- The Serpenti Tubogas Infinity now has flowing diamonds between the case and the bracelet
Explore the new “Time is a Jewel” collection here.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Zach
Watch meme of the week: Any purchases LATEly?
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Unless it is a limited edition, it is probably best to hold off on dropping the cash on a new watch until the morning. You may really want it at 2am, but you should feel more certain in your purchase the next day – rather than while you’re fighting off the champagne spins after a night out.
Wrist shot of the week: Recycled camo
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Horological heartthrob and friend of T+T Kristian Haagen yet again stuns with another masterful pocket shot. The tie-dye nature of the recycled material of the Oris Aquis’ dial, against his camo jacket, begins to appear like rainbow camouflage. The jacket may make you hard to spot in the woodlands, but the watch can be instantly spotted.
Time+Tide Shop select of the week: Hamilton Jazzmaster Open Heart Lady
The Jazzmaster Open Heart 36mm perfectly balances contemporary sophistication with refined craftsmanship. A precise cut-out design reveals the Swiss-made automatic movement in action, while a variety of dial and strap combinations made from high quality materials offer a range of options for the modern woman.
Price: A$1,150. You can purchase the watch right here in the Time+Tide Shop.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:
Omega dominate 2023 Golden Globes’ red carpet. Rolex, Cartier, TAG, Vacheron, Bulgari also make appearances
Omega’s dominance of the 2023 Golden Globes red carpet reveals just how diverse the scope of their offerings are – both in style and colour. It seemed like every celeb in attendance had one on their wrist, with a few notable exceptions as well. Click here to see the watches we spotted from the awards evening.
5 of the best stealth black watches of 2022
All-black timepieces don’t get the love that more conventional-looking watches do, but there’s a lot of versatility among the dark anti-heroes of the watch world. Check out five of the best stealth black watches for 2022 right here.
INTRODUCING: Oris debut new in-house manually wound movement with the Big Crown Calibre 473
This week Oris debuted the new in-house manually wound calibre 473, as well as Oris’ first-ever butterfly clasp with fine adjustment mechanism, in the new Oris Big Crown Calibre 473. Head here for a full introduction.