SB04-E Nuances

This is the latest from Armand & Sartory Billard -

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

If I have read and understood the press release correctly, the SB04-E Nuances is reimagining the SB04 in Kodachrome color!

Available in blue, red, and green it is priced at EUR 3,600 excl. VAT on rubberEUR 3,800 excl. VAT on metal bracelet.

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source:

SB04-E Nuances
Reference:
SB04_ENUANBL
Case: Stainless steel, 39.5 mm, alternating polished and brushed finishes
Thickness: 10.2 mm
Lug-to-lug: 44 mm
Dial: Concave sunray dial with a fumé gradient, applied numerals and a polished chapter ring
Movement: Swiss-made La Joux-Perret G101A automatic movement, 68-hour power reserve
Water resistance: 100 metres
Bracelet Options:
Matching Sartory-Billard rubber strap. Logo pin buckle.
Sartory-Billard stainless-steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links, equipped with quick-release pins for easy strap changes. ½ link for fine adjustment. 3-fold clasp.
Price:
EUR 3,600 excl. VAT on rubber
EUR 3,800 excl. VAT on metal bracelet

First deliveries: October 2026

The SB10 Jumping Hour Black Sapphire

From Sartory Billard -


Courtesy of Sartory Billard

This is the latest from long time friend of the blog, Armand Billard. Above is the SB10 Jumping Hour. And yes, I want one! The case is of stainless steel measuring 39.5 mm in diameter. The movement is from La Joux-Perret.

The hour is displayed in the large aperture at 6 o'clock. 

The minutes are, another story ; )

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

In their own words:

Minutes in orbit

The minutes are indicated by a sapphire disc completing a full rotation every sixty minutes. Around the cabochon, a peripheral ring coated with Super-LumiNova BGW9 traces the passage of time.

A red marker moves along this luminous ring, indicating the minutes with precision and clarity.

But it is at night that the SB10 reveals another dimension. The ring glows in a vivid turquoise, forming a continuous halo around the cabochon. The light appears to float, suspended around the central material.

Time is no longer simply read, it becomes an atmosphere: a slow, silent, almost hypnotic rotation, a luminous circle in motion, a small celestial phenomenon on the wrist.

Here are the pertinents, straight from SB HQ:

Reference: SB101SBLSA

Case: Stainless steel, 39.5 mm, alternating polished and brushed surfaces
Thickness: 11,5 mm
Lug to lug: 44 mm

Cabochon: Smoked sapphire

Movement: Swiss-made La Joux-Perret automatic movement, 55-hour power reserve coupled with a patented jumping hour movement

Water Resistance: 80 Meters

Bracelet Options:
– Sartory-Billard black rubber strap
– Sartory-Billard stainless-steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links, equipped with quick-release pins for easy strap changes

The Hydrium Ice Fall

From Isotope -

Courtesy of Isotope

This is Isotope's first watch to use a stone dial. In this instance, Brazilian amethyst.

Courtesy of Isotope

The Hydrium Ice Fall's case is of (micro-blasted) 316L stainless-steel, and measures 40 mm in diameter.

Courtesy of Isotope

Under the hood is La Joux Perret's G101 Soigné.

Limited to 20 pieces, and priced at $1,703.00

Here are the pertinents -

Case:

Micro-blasted 316L stainless-steel case
Case diameter 40mm X 48mm (with lugs)
Height 12.9mm (14.9mm with double domed Sapphire Crystal)
Hydrium® screw-down exhibition case back
Unidirectional bezel with 120 clicks
Crystal, Dial and Hands:
Anti-reflective crystal sapphire
Screw-down crown at 3 o’clock
Brazilian amethyst dial, 0.4 mm thick, mounted on a support ring, with applied indexes filled with Super-LumiNova
Hour and minute hands filled with Super-LumiNova®, paired with a heat-blued seconds hand
Water-resistance 300m / 30 atm / 1000 ft

Strap:

22/20mm quick-release White FKM strap with Isotope’s branded bead-blasted buckle

Movement:
Swiss Made La Joux Perret G101 Soigné MovementAutomatic, self-winding
Power reserve 68 hours
24 Jewels, 28800A/h
Tested in 4 positions, averaging ±7 seconds/day
Soigné finished with a custom Isotope Lacrima rotor

The SB04-E Winter 2026

From Sartory Billard -

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

This is the latest from Armand Billard. Taking its design cues from the winter now embracing us, the dial is a wonderful display of snowflakes across a frosty background.

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

The dial's design is described as "Winter Frozen Lake". Having grown up in the Great Lakes region (or the "North Coast of America") I feel a certain affinity for both the design and its name!

The dial's unique design is achieved through embossing, 3D painting, lacquer, and pad printing.

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

Underneath the hood, the SB04-Winter 2026 is powered by a La Joux-Perret automatic movement.

Priced at a very, very reasonable €3100 on rubber / €3500 on metal bracelet. It is limited to just 26 pieces, so don't dawdle!

Here are the pertinents -

SB04-E Winter Edition 2026 Limited Edition

REF: SB04E1WIN26

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

Dial: Winter Frozen Lake - Embossing, 3D painting, laquer and padprinting

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

Water Resistance: 100 meters

Bracelet Options:

– Sartory-Billard white rubber strap

– Sartory-Billard stainless-steel bracelet with alternating brushed and polished links, equipped with quick-release pins for easy strap changes

The Mechanica Bi-Compax

From DONE  -

Courtesy of Done

This is the latest offering from DONE, a bi-compax slightly skeletonized chronograph.

Otherwise known as the Mechanica B-Compax, it is currently a pre-order item (on the plus side? pre-order priced). 

Courtesy of DONE

Here are the pertinents -

Case:
Machined in 316L stainless steel (1.4435), the case measures 40 mm in diameter with a total thickness of 14.20 mm (only 9.25 mm without the sapphire crystals). Its two “box” sapphire crystals, extra-hard and anti-reflective, ensure optimal readability and exceptional scratch resistance. Designed to last, the watch is water-resistant to 10 ATM / 100 meters.

Movement:
The La Joux-Perret L111 bi-compax calibre, personalized in the “DONE Skeleton” version, displays hours, minutes, and seconds, with date at 6 o’clock and a 30-minute chronograph. Beating at 4 Hz (28,800 A/h), it offers a 60-hour power reserve and features a column-wheel chronograph system. Its anthracite/ruthenium finishes, decorated with Geneva stripes, skeletonized date disc, and a signed “DONE” oscillating weight, demonstrate a meticulous attention to detail.


Strap:
The strap is made from FKM rubber, both durable and comfortable. It features a quick-release system with spring bars and measures 20/18 mm in width and 115/70 mm in length, perfectly balanced on the wrist. It is paired with a 316L steel deployant clasp, elegantly signed DONE.


Dial and Hands:
The sapphire dial has a double-sided anti-reflective coating. Its black opaline flange is enhanced with Super-Luminova BGW9 Grade A at each hour marker, ensuring excellent visibility in the dark. A silicone gasket beneath the dial acts as a shock-absorbing system, reinforcing the watch’s overall durability. The faceted, diamond-cut hands, also filled with Super-Luminova BGW9 Grade A, complete the ensemble beautifully.

The '36'

From Elka -

Courtesy of Elka

Elka has announced a new series - the '36'. And yes, there is truth in advertising, the case measures 36 mm in diameter.

Courtesy of Elka

The new 36 is available in 4 different dial variations with options for straps & bracelets. See the whole collection here -

The 36

The pertinents for this particular example are here -

CALIBER
La Joux Perret G101 automatic 4 Hz / 28'800 A/h, stop second 68-hour power reserve
ISOCHRONISM
4-position regulation +/- 7 seconds/day
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, centre seconds No Date

CASE 

MATERIALS
1.4404 steel
DIMENSIONS
36 mm diameter, 10.50 mm thickness, 41.10 mm lug-to-lug
SCREWED CASE BACK
Steel 1.4404
OPEN CASE BACK
SS and Sapphire Crystal

WATERPROOF:
50 meters / 5 bar

DIAL
Black; Numerals printed in Superluminova™ "Old Tritium" colour

HANDS
Glaive Shaped Brushed Nickel Colored- hours and minutes filled with beige Superluminova , Nickel Brushed second

GLASS
Chevé type sapphire - box - anti-scratch anti-reflective treatment on one side

BUCKLE
Steel 1.4404

BRACELET
Beige Nylon Nato

WARRANTY:
2 years

Something intriguing from Baume & Mercier

Okay, while my "rescue mission" Baume et Mercier Classima is in the "critical care" unit of watch repair, I thought I'd have a peek at what the new wave from Baume et Mercier has to offer.

Courtesy of Baume et Mercier

This is part of the current Capeland collection.

If you have not seen the Ken Burns documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright - I highly recommend it.  In it, Philip Johnson (of the Glass House) spoke about the beauty of the Johnson Wax building in Racine, Wisconsin.  And what I was struck by was the refusal to make something "average" just because it was an office building.  In a time where row after row of identical skyscrapers shot up like weeds, Wright went the other way.  And that same sort of refusal to abide mediocrity is what I feel when I look at this watch from Baume et Mercier.

I can imagine what a lot of marketing and sales meetings sound like in the watch industry - having sat in on numerous ones myself -

"We need a chronograph."
"We have a chronograph!"
"No, something sporty..."
"I know, we'll take model X, and give it a black dial, and a carbon fiber style strap!"
"Perfect!  How soon can it be ready?"
"No time at all, we just need to change the dials on model X!"

YAWN....

This is something completely different - and special.  A beautifully imagined bi-compax chronograph with a La Joux-Perret 8147-2 flyback self-winding movement.  A tachy-tele of the first order!  And in this case, although beauty is more than skin-deep, this is a watch in which the outer beauty matches the inner beauty.  Rather than just going down the line and slapping together components, this is clearly designed with the whole picture in mind.  The result is a beautifully balanced, timeless design.  This is a watch that will be handed down from generation to generation.

When I think of a watch like this, I am reminded that Baume et Mercier is not just the quiet, middle sister in a family of over-achievers (Panerai, JLC, IWC).  

Baume et Mercier has quite a bit to offer, and does so in a wonderfully refined way.

And for the details obsessed of you out there, here they are:

CASE

• Size: 

  44 mm
• Shape: 

   round
• Material: 

  steel
• Finishes: 

   polished/satin

  finished
• Crystal: 

  "chevée" shaped sapphire, antiglare treatment
• Case back: 

  sapphire crystal
• Thickness: 

  16.5 mm

MOVEMENT

• Movement: 

  manufacture, automatic, La Joux-Perret 8147-2
• Functions: 

  flyback chronograph, tachymeter, telemeter, date

  
  

  DIAL

  • Features: 

    off-white, Arabic numerals
  • Hands: 

    blued steel

  BRACELET

  • Material: 

    alligator
  • Color: 

     black
  • Clasp: 

     pin buckle

  OTHERS

  • Water-resistance: 

    5ATM (approx. 50m)

www.baume-et-mercier.com