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Watches and Wonders Winds Down As Baume & Mercier Refreshes Their Rectangular Watch For The Masses, Piaget Updates Ultrathin Polo and Alpine Goes Integrated
We're squeezing out the last of the news from the biggest watch fair in the world
Vuk Radic
March 31, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
Hey friends, Watches and Wonders is coming to an end, but your favorite watch newsletter is still around and ticking. Let’s count it down!
In this issue:
An ultrathin Piaget
A JLC Reverso for the rest of us
Alpine goes integrated
And… invite your friends to win a Tiffany PRX
Today’s reading time: 5 minutes and 29 seconds
We’re starting off with a bang! We’re giving away TWO of this year’s hottest watches, The Tiffany Tissot PRX Powermatic 80
All you have to do is click the button below and have five of your friends subscribe. Both you and one of your friends will be eligible to win one of the watches
👂What’s new
1/
Piaget revived their 1979 Polo watch back in 2016 and have been tinkering with it ever since - using different precious metals, playing around with complications. Right before Watches and Wonders this year, Piaget teased that they will be making a 42mm steel model with a 4mm-thin 1255P caliber to power a triple calendar correct until the year 2100 and a moonphase indication called the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin.
Then, yesterday at the show they did a little switcheroo and came storming out with another two ultra thin perpetual calendar Polo models - one in rose gold and one in white gold.
The 18K rose gold model comes with a green dial with rose gold hands and matching accents. I’ll repeat: the watch is powered by the 1255P movement that has a moonphase display along with day, date, year, and leap year, accurate to the year 2100. And it’s only 4mm thick. It is not a cheap watch. CHF 72,500.
Then there’s the white gold model. Instead of the green dial, it gets a blue obsidian dial, meaning that no two dials are the same. The bezel is set with deep blue sapphires and the watch comes on a blue aligator strap. For this white gold Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin, the price is available upon request.
2/
Every collection needs a rectangular watch. The newly released Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph will likely go down as the hit of Watches and Wonders 2023, as it is universally loved. What’s less loved is the price - $21,400 in steel and $37,400 in pink gold.
If you want to pull off a rectangular watch at a lower price, you might want to look at the Baume & Mercier Hampton lineup which was just updated towards the end of WW23 with three new models:
First off is the midsize Reference 10732 with a blue dial and stainless case that measures 43mm x 27.5mm. Inside is a BM 72671 auto winding movement, which is based on the ETA 2671. Even though the watch comes on a blue alligator strap, it has a 50 meter water resistance rating. Priced at $2,700.
Then there’s the Reference 10740. It’s pretty much the same watch in terms of case and dimensions, but it comes with a silvery-white dial with fine grey minute track. Unlike the 10732, it comes as a two-hander and is powered by a Swiss quartz movement and it’s mounted on a stainless bracelet. You can get it for $1,900.
Lastly, there’s the 10709. It’s smaller, at 34.9 x 22.2mm and just under 7mm thin. The case is set with 28 VS-quality brilliant cut diamonds, which flank the sides, and twin diamonds at 12 an 6 on the blue dial. The movement is Swiss quartz and it also comes on a blue alligator strap. It’s expensive for a quartz watch, but not as crazy for so many diamonds - $3,250.
3/
Alpina has been making relatively inoffensive and affordable, with an occasional dud or hit, for 140 years. At Watches and Wonders they showed off two new versions of the Alpiner Extreme collection, now with an integrated steel bracelet (instead of rubber) in an automatic and regulator variant.
The Automatic comes in a 41mm × 42.5mm cushion-shaped case that’s 11.5mm thick. In addition to a new bracelet, Alpina also introduces two new dial colors - a vibrant blue and gray. Inside is the brand’s AL-525 caliber, which is based on the Sellita SW200-1 with 38 hours of power reserve. With the metal bracelet comes in at €1,995 which is middle-of-the-road pricing. Could be cheaper, but there are also more expensive watches with the same quality.
Then there are the two new Alpina Alpiner Extreme Regulator Automatic models. The first model adds the same stainless steel bracelet to the watch as the regular Automatic models, with roughly the same case size (0.5mm thicker). The watch has a blue dial with two gray sub-dials for the regulator layout with a separate display for hours, minutes, and seconds. The second Regulator model comes with a fully black dial.
Powering the watch is Alpina’s automatic AL-650 caliber, which is also based on a Sellita movement. As such, it has 31 jewels, ticks at 28,800vph, and has a 38-hour power reserve. Regarding the layout, the movement features a central minute hand, running seconds at 6 o’clock, and an hour display at 10 o’clock.
Alpina will produce 888 pieces of each of the two Regulator models. The blue/gray version with the bracelet will be available for €2,450, whereas the black-dial model on the rubber strap will be €2,150.
4/
I will admit I have never handled a Speake-Marin in the flesh. I have, however, seen a lot of photos of their watches. And, for the life of me, I don’t understand why they sell for tens of thousands of dollars. I get that they have their own movement, but the Ripples models have an intersting case shape, they also have a slightly cheap look to them. It is possible that they just don’t photograph well and are stunning live. But are they?
Now the brand introduces two new Ripples models. One is a new color - a bright blue that the brand calls Ripples Blue Jeans. This model is limited to 60 pieces, but it’s not much of a limitation since the brand only makes 100 Ripples models per year, but it will set you back CHF23,000. Then there’s the Ripples Date which, you guessed it, adds a date window. Yours for CHF23,900.
5/
Arnold & Son has always been known for their exquisite dials and fine finished movements. Now they’re coming out with a new Ultrathin Tourbillon edition in a red gold case with a silver-toned opaline dial.
While not much changes in general (still 41.5mm, with an dial at 12 o’clock and the tourbillon aperture below at 6), the new dial is a looker. The hour sub-dial is made of genuine white opal, while the main dial displays a silver-toned opaline finish. Inside is the A&S8300 calibre, with a power reserve of up to 100 hours.
The New Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Gold will be produced as a limited edition of 88 pieces, and the price is CHF 70,000, taxes included.
🫳On hand
Our selection of the best reviews we stumble upon
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⚙️Watch Worthy
A look at an off beat, less known watch you might actually like
From Wei Koh: “Bart and Tim Grönefeld grew up in a watchmaking family, and together they have propelled their eponymous brand to enormous success in independent watchmaking and haute horlogerie. Here’s a closer look at the 1941 Grönograaf, which is the brand’s first chronograph.”
The 1941 Grönograaf looks stunning, but not many of us are in the market for a EUR 150,000 watch
⏲️Wait a minute
A bunch of links that might or might not have something to do with watches. One thing’s for sure - they’re interesting
I mentioned that Jaeger-LeCoultre had the watch of Watches and Wonders. Have you ever wondered how they make their watches? Well, Revolution watches reminds us that they recently released a series called “In the making” documenting their process.
Conspiracy theories are taking over everyday life. Here’s a person who spreads them explaining how he gets you to believe them.
The New Yorker has a feature on how one woman is changing the entire diamond industry.
👀Watch this
One video you have to watch today
The weekend is upon us, so throw on this video and get lost in the beauty of the shots, even if you never had a second thought about California’s redwood trees.
💵Pre-loved precision
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