People We Meet On Vacation - Watch Town

It's now been a little over two weeks since I got back from my week in Geneva. For those of you reading, you might be thinking like I once did - "it would be soooooo cool to work for a watch brand!" 

Well, yes and no. It's important to understand that you will be working (literally) 12 hour days for a week straight. And in my case? You are using the vacation time from your day job to do so. So yes, I do enjoy it, but it is not lost on me that this is work.

This is all by way of telling you that one of the things that keeps drawing me back is the possibility of meeting what Billy Kwan (played by Linda Hunt) referred to as the "unmet friend" the film adaptation of Christopher Koch's novel, The Year of Living Dangerously. Now in Billy Kwan's case it was the hope of meeting an idealized version of some confidant you can share everything with. In my case? I like to think of it more like Ted Lasso:

"Congrats, you both just met a cool person".

This year was not different. Several old friends reengaged with, some of the usual suspects coming through, and some wonderful encounters, completely unexpected.

I will be sharing two of those with you, along with the time machines that set them in motion. Stay tuned!

Three New Offerings From Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross has come out with three new watches that were revealed recently at Watches & Wonders -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

A new bronze diver (above)
The BR 03-92 DIVER WHITE BRONZE
The movement is the BR-CAL 302. The case is of bronze and measures 42 mm in diameter. The water resistance is rated to 300 meters. Suggested retail is $4,700

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The BR 05 Green Gold (above). Priced at $34,000 this is the latest member of the BR 05 family. The case measures 40 mm in diameter and is of gold (as is the bracelet). The movement is the 321.

And then perhaps my personal favorite -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The BR 03-93 GMT BLUE! Cal 303 under the hood, the rotating bezel is divided into two segments and color coded to indicate day and night. The case is a reasonable 42 mm in diameter, and the GMT function is one that is cool but also useful. This particular model is a pre-order piece and will be delivering (I believe) in May of this year. It is priced at $4,200.

The Clifton Baumatic 10519

From Baume & Mercier -

Courtesy of Baume & Mercier

Another piece from Baume & Mercier that has caught my attention, this is another iteration of the Baumatic in steel with gold capped bezel and crown.


The Baumatic in many ways has helped solidify the vocabulary of Baume & Mercier, and it is nice to see such a thoughtful offering.  The movement is, in many ways, the big attraction - the Baumatic BM13-1975A as it is a manufacture (i.e. from within the talents of the Richemont group) and offers 5 days of power reserve.

Best in Show at Watches & Wonders -

Goes to Baume & Mercier's Hampton Automatic Big Date / Dual Time -

Courtesy of Baume & Mercier

Watches & Wonders often rapidly devolves into a popularity contest.  Sure Panerai, Vacheron and Jeager are cool and exciting, but for me the real star of this year's presentations was a new take on the Hampton from Baume & Mercier.

Baume & Mercier had been in the wilderness for awhile.  But with the previously released Baumatic, and now the new self-winding Hamptons, I think there is a real opportunity for Baume & Mercier to step out of the shadows of it's more popular, flashy brothers and sisters and to finally be appreciated for what it is.  

Courtesy of Baume & Mercie

I love the shape, I love the size, and as I am now in the beginning chapters of my second half century I love the realistic legibility of the dial and its various functions.  Yes, I do love little details like GMTs and dates, but they inevitably are writ small on most dials or require a certain amount of patience that I, frankly don't always posses.  And as my optometrist will tell you, my vision is not exactly 20/20.  The big date is extremely welcome, and the day/night indicator on the dual time register is a wonderful piece of whimsy that will also ensure you don't inadvertently jack-up the date changing mechanism should you need to re-set the watch after not wearing it for awhile.

And while I was once in my 30s, and I weighed less, and was not quite so grey on the sides, I hold no fantasies about getting behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, diving for sunken treasure, or punching out a Nazi on Omaha Beach.  I want a watch that speaks to me, not to some goofy vision of what the marketing department tells me I am.  

And ultimately, what we like and don't like should be, somehow, personal, right?  If I were invited to Geneva for the big show, and given a blank check?  This is the one I'd put my marker on.

Here are the pertinents -

HAMPTON REFERENCE
 M0A10523
MOVEMENT
  Automatic (Soprod TT651)
  Bridge with circular-grained decor
  Sandblasted plate with snailed decor
  Oscillating weight adorned with “Côtes de      
          Genève” and snailed decors
  Power reserve: 42 hours
  Jewels: 21
  Frequency: 4Hz (28’800 vph)
  Thickness: 5.25 mm
FUNCTIONS
  H/M/S, grande date, second fuseau,  
          indicateur jour-nuit
CASE
  Rectangular
  Size: 48 x 31 mm
  Thickness: 10.8 mm
  Polished stainless steel
  Scratch-resistant curved sapphire crystal 
  Open case back secured with 4 screws*
DIAL
  Opaline and grained silver-colored
  Riveted black ruthenium Arabic numerals   
          and indexes 
  Black ruthenium sword-shaped hands
  Black and grey minute-track
STRAP
  Interchangeable black all square scales  
          alligator with grey stitching
  System of bars with very reliable lug that   
          allows to change the strap without tools
CLASP
  Triple folding clasp with security push- 
          pieces 
WATER-RESISTANT
  5 ATM (approx. 50m)

Annual Calendar School Piece

From Laurent Ferrier -

Courtesy of Laurent Ferrier

Here are the pertinents -

LIMITED to 5 Pieces
Ecole Annual Calendar Vintage
LCF025.AC.J2B
TECHNICAL DETAILS

Movement:
• Manual winding calibre LF126.01.
• Swiss lever escapement and balance screw.
• Indications: Hours and Minutes in the centre. Small seconds at 6 o´clock. Power reserve area indicator on the back side. Annual calendar:
- Calendar central hand.
- Day-disc and Month-disc (Automatic correction for months with 30 or 31 days. One correction on March 1st)
• Semi-instantaneous calendar. Days and month semi-instantaneous apertures.
• Correctors: Crown for winding, time-setting, calendar central hand and months. Push button at 10 o´clock for days of the week.
• Correction forward / backward of the calendar on intermediate position.
• Movement diameter: 31.60 mm (14´´´).
• Thickness: 5.80 mm.
• Frequency: 3Hz (21´600 /H).
• Power reserve: 80 hours.
• Number of components: 235.
• Number of jewels: 23.

Case:
• stainless steel
• Size: 40 mm diameter
• Thickness: 10.10 mm or 12.80 mm including the sapphire crystal
• Domed sapphire crystals, front and back
• Water resistant to 30 meters
• “Ball-shaped” crown in stainless steel

Dial:
• Opaline yellow gold toned vintage inspired
• Vintage-inspired numerals painted in brown 1-30 and in red for 31
• Small second at 6 o´clock, with a circular satin brushed outer circle and snailed in the center
• Bevelled day and month apertures.

Hands:
• 18K/750 210Pd white gold.
• Hours and minutes: “Assegai-shaped”, ruthenium treated
• Seconds: baton-type with counterweight, ruthenium treated
• Date: painted in white

Strap:
• Honey alligator leather witch matching Alcantara lining.
• Pin buckle or a double blade folding clasp.