The Nautic W x The Watch Observer

From Lip -

Courtesy of Lip

Per Lip -

Made in France – Besançon

The Nautic W: an exclusive limited edition

Limited to 300 numbered pieces and water-resistant to 200 m, this dive watch is the result of a collaboration between Lip and The Watch Observer, a website and YouTube channel dedicated to lovers of fine timepieces.

Directly derived from the Nautic 3 released in 2023, this new model comes in a more accessible yet highly appealing form. The Nautic W features a 39 mm stainless-steel case with a design inspired by the 1970s, paired with contemporary high-end finishing that alternates brushed surfaces with polished mirror chamfers.

It establishes itself as a brand-new reference within the Lip catalogue thanks to its original, ultra-legible and streamlined dial, with minutes read on the unidirectional rotating bezel.
Protected by an anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the matte black dial is fitted with large hour markers and hands coated with Super-LumiNova, ensuring optimal readability even at depth.
Its quartz movement, the Time Module VH31 calibre, delivers excellent accuracy (-/+ 0.5 seconds per day) and frees the wearer from the constraints of manual winding.
As befits a limited edition, the Nautic W is delivered with two easily interchangeable Tropic-style straps (one black and one orange) made of vulcanized rubber, to suit any mood.

Courtesy of Lip

Here are the pertinents from Besançon -

Case: round metal polish & brush

Size: 39 mm

Lug width: 20 mm

Functions:3 Hands - hours/minutes/seconds.
Central sweep seconds
Stop second.

Water Resistance : 20 atm

Weight: 82 grammes

Crystal: domed sapphire glass

Hands: white

Dial: Matte black

Indexes: index & arabic figures 3.6.9.12 white

Movement : quartz + battery

Reference movement : Time Module VH31

Accuracy: +/-15 seconds/month.

Back case : steel a vis

Strap : vulcanized rubber black

About Nautic 3

A French History

The Nautic W – A limited edition of 300 numbered pieces

Impressed by the modernized 2023 reissue of the Lip Nautic 3 with an automatic movement, Thomas and Pierre from The Watch Observer met with Pierre‑Alain Bérard, CEO of Lip. During a discussion about the fascinating history of the brand, Thomas suggested revisiting the Nautic 3 to create a more accessible version, which led to the idea of a limited series of 300 numbered pieces capturing the spirit of Lip’s dive watches from the 1960s and 70s. After several drafts and enthusiastic exchanges, the duo created the Nautic W—pronounced like “TWO” in English—a name that subtly references the initials of the website founded over 15 years ago by Pierre and Thomas Gisclard.

The BR-03 Diver Black Bronze

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is the latest member of the BR-03 family - the Diver Black Bronze.

The case is true to the BR-03 DNA. It is of bronze and measures 42 mm wide and is 12.3 mm thick.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The movement is noted as Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Self-winding, automatic.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

Water resistant to 300 meters, and a lume to light up the night.

Limited to 999 pieces, and priced at $5,500.

Here are the pertinents -

Technical Specifications

Movement : Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic mechanical movement. 54-hour power reserve.

Functions : Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

Case : 42 mm wide. 12.3 mm thick. Satin-finished and polished CuSn8 bronze. Unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minute scale in bronze, with white SuperLumiNova® X1 marking (green glow) and polished black ceramic ring. Screw-down crown with crown guard. Steel case-back.

Dial : Black, coated with glossy lacquer. “Baignoire-style” applique indexes filled with white Super-LumiNova® (green glow). Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova® (green glow).

Crystal : Anti-reflective sapphire.

Water resistance : 300 metres.

Strap : Black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.

Buckle : Pin. Satin-finished and polished bronze.

SB04-E YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE

From Sartory Billard -

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

Armand Billard never disappoints, and his tribute to the year of the Fire Horse has now set the bar just that wee bit higher.

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

Limited to only 26 pieces, this special release may well be sold out by the time you read this.

The case is of stainless steel measuring 39.5 mm in diameter. The movement is from La Joux-Perret -

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

The star of this show is the dial. It is 24-carat gold-plated brass, laser-engraved by Ron Elkins, hand-finished and inked by Armand Billard. More info on the dial here -

Here are the pertinents -

・Name: SB04-E Year of the Fire Horse — Chinese New Year Edition

・REF: SB04E1CNY26

・Case: Stainless steel, 39.5 mm, alternating polished and brushed surfaces

・Dial: 24-carat gold-plated brass, laser-engraved by Ron Elkins, hand-finished and inked by Armand Billard

・Movement: Swiss-made La Joux-Perret automatic movement, 68-hour power reserve

・Water Resistance: 100 meters

・Bracelet: Red leather strap (other colors available upon request)

・Edition: Limited to 26 individually numbered pieces

・Price: €3,500 excl. VAT

JLC Reversal?

Not the hottest or freshest of news, but still interesting. If the reports from Miss Tweed and Mr. Zuccali are to be believed, Jérôme Lambert has possibly taken a page from his former sparring partner (Georges Kern) and might be working to pull together a management buyout to make Jaeger-LeCoultre independent and remove a second watch brand from the Richemont stable.

There are many different theories floating around watch town as to whys and wherefores motivating the heroes and zeros. But it does (to me) represent a few possible misconceptions as to the true value and long-term stability of JLC - no offense to the players in this little drama ; )

I was reminded recently (while listening to a watch podcast) that a lot of the folks opining on the machinations of Watch Town these days are, to a large extent, New Jacks. That doesn't make their opinion any less valid, but these are folks who did not go through the downturn of 08/09, nor experience the riches to rags saga of Basel World snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. What these pundits aren't really taking into account is that not so very long ago, the Richemont watch division juggernaut was just a gleam in the milkman's eye. Now granted, that milkman was one Günter Blümlein, but the one key reason why JLC became what it did was hard nosed cost cutting and consolidation prior to Richemont's acquisition. And, ironically, a lot of that lesson was lost in the succeeding decades. And a lot of that hit home with me when I recently visited the new JLC boutique in what locals are calling "Switzerland in Boston" on Newbury Street. Shit-tons of SKUs. And if I am brutally honest? There are only so many hard-core collectors who either live or visit Massachusetts's largest city. But this is more than just a question about local retail strategies. It becomes a much bigger question as to brand identity. I am a JLC owner. A fringe one, to be fair - an Atmos clock currently in off-site storage that is correct twice a day. When we consider how much money it takes to create, manufacture, and most importantly - to innovate? Without Uncle Rupert making it rain, JLC will not be such an easy lift.

Arguments can (and will) be made that this is a swashbuckling move that will once and for all firmly cement JLC's position amongst the all-time greats. I mean, c'mon! Just look at what Kerns did with Breitling! 

Well, yes and no.

Part of the feel-good love story of Breitling's triumphant reemergence is the part that most don't acknowledge - the not insignificant "re-ups" provided by private equity.  

And what about AP? Look at what Mr. B did? Again, that's a case of two things being true at the same time. He did bring the brand to new amazing heights, but that roll had already started, and was chiefly fueled by his on-again, off-again understanding that despite AP's at times deep catalogs, the real demand of any significance was the Royal Oak. Is there that much appetite for the Reverso out there? And while I'm sure that Mr. Lambert is a perfectly nice fellow, he doesn't exactly have the charisma of Mr. B, or even Mr. Kerns. Now in terms of personal dynamism, the same could be said of Mr. Dufour, but then again? He's in charge of Rolex. And JLC can paint as many pretty picutures as they like, but they are not Rolex.

So as is so often the case in Watch Town, we will wait, and will will see.

The Green Fifteen

From Christopher Ward and Bark & Jack -

Apologies for not having more images ; )

When I heard about it I was very intrigued. And now that I've seen it, it is a pretty cool project, a really cool partnership, and a VERY cool watch. So for a deeper dive I encourage you to run (don't walk) to either Bark & Jack or Christopher Ward for more details and the order info. All ordering is through Christopher Ward, and per the website pre-orders run through February 12th - so move "sharpish"!

Here are the pertinents -

Technical

• SKUC60-41C3H31T0KK1-B0W
• Watch ModelC60
• Size41mm
• Dial ColourBlack
• Case MaterialTitanium
• Case ColourTitanium
• Bezel ColourBlack
• Height10.75mm
• Lug-to-Lug47.90mm
• Case Weight53g
• Weight inc. Strap105g / 77g
• Water Resistance30 ATM (300m)
• MovementSellita SW300-1 COSC
• Power Reserve50 - 56 hours
• No of Jewels25
• Complication Type3 hands
• Vibrations28,800 p/hr (4Hz)
• Timing Tolerance-4/+6 sec p/day
• LumeSLN X1 BL C1 / X2 GL C1
• Strap SKU22-TIT-24-TXT-MA2 / 22-WEB-03-TXG-DC-ST
• Strap Size22mm
• Strap MaterialBader bracelet / Rubber webbing
• Strap ColourTitanium 

Features

• Swiss made
• Up to 56 hours power reserve
• SW300-1 Chronometer movement
• Brushed and polished Light-catcher™ Titanium Grade 2 case
• Embossed screw-down crown with crown guards
• Helium release valve
• Screw down, closed caseback with B&J logo
• Uni-directional diving bezel with ceramic insert
• Light sandblasted dial with Globolight XP© ceramic applied indexes
• Hands and Dial with Globolight XP© ceramic applied hands X1 BL C1 + X2 GL C1 on minute hand and 0-15 bezel minutery
• B&J rubber strap with Titanium buckle and quick-release pins for easy changing
• Eco-friendly luxury presentation case with B&J logo and owner's handbook
• Pocket-sized, rechargeable ultraviolet torch to reveal hidden Bark & Jack logo on the dial activated only by exposure to UV light

 

The Skies

From Split -

Courtesy of Split Watches

This is the newest addition to the Split chronograph family. This one's even a bit more special, as it is fully lumed!

Courtesy of Split Watches

This one is limited to 250 pieces, and like the rest of the Split collection, each watch sold generates one hour of therapy is donated to the Anna Freud Centre.

Here are the pertinents, in their own words -

At its core is a revolutionary bi-compax automatic chronograph movement from the Seiko family. The watch is made from Split’s signature Ceramod+ case and paired with a FKM strap, delivering exceptional comfort and durability. Its glow is achieved by infusing Japanese luminous powder directly into the materials during manufacturing—using our secret ratio. Case diameter: 42mm. Case thickness: 15mm. Strap width: 20mm. Limited Edition of 250 pieces.

Priced at $2,094 US.

Courtesy of Split Watches

The Montecristo Monopulsante

From Pilo -

Courtesy of Pilo

To mark 25 years, Pilo has releasted the 

Montecristo Monopulsante. A quartz mono-pusher chronograph.

Courtesy of Pilo

Here are the pertinents -

• Case: 316L Stainless steel case, 41 mm wide x 10.4 mm thick

• Case finish: polished / satin-brushed on the sides, branding engraved on the back

• Dial: world map, sun guilloché

• Glass: Domed scratch-resistant K1 crystal

• Movement: 255.241-ETA Quartz chronograph

• Bracelet: 316L Stainless steel 7-link bracelet, 18 mm wide

• Clasp: butterfly

• Water resistance up to 50 meters

• Functions: central chronograph seconds, 30 minute Chronograph (6 o’clock), Hour / minute hand

PRICE: CHF 699

The 417 ES Moby Dick 39 mm

From Hanhart -

Courtesy of Hanhart

This is the latest offering from Hanhart - a white, bi-compax chronograph steeped in Hanhart history, but made for today.

The case is of stainless steel - with a solid case back. The movement is Sellita's manual winding Sellita SW 510 M.

Courtes of Hanhart

Priced at $3.248

Here are the pertinents for the case and the movement -

Case:

DIMENSIONS

• Diameter 39 mm
• Height: 13.60 mm (11.55 mm without crystal)
• Lug-to-Lug: 46 mm

MATERIAL

• Stainless steel, satin/polished
• Antimagnetic Case Core up to 16.000 A/m

BEZEL

• Fluted stainless steel bezel, bi-directional, continuously rotating
• Ivory-colored marking with Super-LumiNova® Light Old Radium GL

GLASS

• Convex, internally anti-reflective sapphire crystal
• High-domed spherical glass (like the historical model)

CASE BACK

• Screwed case back
• Consecutive serial number
• Historic Logo on Case back

WATER RESISTANCE

• Water-resistant up to 10 bar/10 ATM in accordance with DIN 8310

Movement:

CALIBER

• Manual winding
• Sellita SW 510 M
• Symmetrical pusher spacing
• 28,800 A/h, 4 Hz, 23 stones

POWER RESERVE

• 58 hours after full winding

FUNCTIONS

• Small second
• 30-minute counter
• Bi-compax chronograph with central stop second