The most interesting watch bracelets of 2018

Nick Kenyon

Thanks to their central function in the time-telling process, watch dials often get a significant amount of coverage in the horological media. But this often ignores the thing that keeps the dial on your wrist in the first place — the bracelet or strap. Considering the most customisable part of a watch is the bracelet — and what it looks like has significant impact on how the watch actually looks on the wrist — we wanted to look into the most interesting watch bracelets of 2018.

G-SHOCK GMWB5000TFG-9 35TH ANNIVERSARY GOLD ALL METAL MASTERPIECE

G-Shock full metal GMW-5000gd gold list — All G-Shock. All metal.

The one that started it all 35 years ago has been reborn, with everything from its case and caseback, to its bracelet, made of stainless steel for the first time. G-Shock are celebrating with this limited edition version that’s coated in an all gold-coloured ion plating. Bluetooth connectivity allows the user to automatically set the local time or adjust world times and alarms from their phone.

Ref No. GMWB5000TFG-9, Case size 49.3mm, Case material Steel, Movement Tough solar, Price $1049

MIDO COMMANDER SHADE SPECIAL EDITION

To celebrate their centenary, Mido have released a number of watches that pay tribute to their past. One of which is the Commander, a collection that has been in continuous production since 1959. The Commander Shade takes its inspiration from a model that debuted in 1979. It sure brings the disco with a faded silver-to-black dial, acrylic glass, and a bracelet that looks like it came straight out of Studio 54.

Ref No. M8429.4.27.11, Case size 37mm, Case material Steel, Movement ETA 2836-2, Price $1075

RADO TRADITION CAPTAIN COOK MKII

The attractive “Beads of Rice” bracelet on the Rado Captain Cook MKII.

In 2017, Rado had a hit on their hands when they released the small but very effective Captain Cook heritage reissue. And now the Lengnau-based manufacturer has done it again, introducing the Captain Cook MKII with a pitch-perfect design that nails everything, from its 37mm cushion-shaped (and lugless) case, to its inner rotating bezel and retro-styled dial. It features an automatic movement with an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

Ref No. R33522153, Case size 37mm, Case material Steel, Movement ETA C07.611, Price $2900

MONTBLANC 1858 GEOSPHERE

Montblanc Geosphere 1858 — The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere comes paired with a Bund strap, less commonly seen today.

Capturing a mountaineering sense of adventure, Montblanc’s 1858 Geosphere pays tribute to the holy grail of climbers’ challenges, the Seven Summits. It combines a simple dual time display with a pair of rotating globes that display all the world’s local times at once, with each hemisphere rotating in opposite directions over a 24-hour period. Red dots mark each of the summits on their corresponding sides of the globe, and an aged leather Bund strap completes the alpine look.

Ref No. 117838, Case size 42mm, Case material Steel, Movement Calibre MB 29.25, Price $7970

SEIKO 1968 AUTOMATIC DIVER’S RE-CREATION LIMITED EDITION SLA025

The waffle-style rubber strap of the Seiko SLA025J.

It was just three years after Seiko had introduced their first ever dive watch that they upped the ante and released the Seiko 6159. It’s a monobloc steel-cased 300m-rated diver, powered by a hi-beat movement that until then was reserved for only the Grandest of Seikos. Fifty years later and we have the SLA025, an up-to-date yet faithful re-creation that bears all the familiar hallmarks of the original, and hi-beats to life with the modern calibre 8L55 movement.

Ref No. SLA025J, Case size 44.8mm, Case material Steel, Movement 8L55, Price $8500

ROLEX GMT-MASTER II

Rolex GMT Pepsi BLRO - most interesting watch bracelets of 2018 — The most controversial bracelet of 2018?

Almost as fun as exploring the halls and highlights of Baselworld are the guessing games that precede it. That speculation runs wild every year around Rolex’s newest novelties. This latest release surprised everyone. This new GMT-Master II has a case in Oystersteel (Rolex’s proprietary steel alloy), a Cerachrom bezel in red and blue “Pepsi” colours, a revamped Jubilee bracelet and the new calibre 3285 movement inside.

Ref No. 126710BLRO, Case size 40mm, Case material Oystersteel, Movement 3285, Price $11,750

BULGARI OCTO FINISSIMO MINUTE REPEATER

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic — The totally ceramic bracelet of the Octo Finissimo Ceramic.

Since its debut in 2016, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater has held the record for the world’s thinnest minute repeater – measuring a wafer-thin 6.85mm. Originally crafted in titanium, its chimes now echo from a case made of a space-age material called Carbon Thin Ply (CTP), a thermosetting epoxy resin reinforced with carbon fibres that offers low-density stiffness and strength. And you can take our word that this record-breaker sounds as good as it looks.

Ref No. 102794, Case size 40mm, Case material Carbon Thin Ply, Movement BVL 362, Price $230,000