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This New Glashütte is Detail-Rich and Movement-Heavy!

A watch can be many things, least of all a device you use to tell the time (hello, iPhone). Glashütte’s new PanoMaticInverse is both a tribute to the city of Dresden and a homage to mechanical exploration. Engraved on the timepiece’s platinum face are nods to the baroque city’s historical landmarks, intricacies that are surprisingly the least eye-catching aspect of the dial. The movement’s exposed regulatory organ (totally non-sexual, so relax) defines the asymmetrical dial, sharing the canvas with off-set hours and minutes, and sub-seconds discs. Sure, a lot is going on here but it’s all so well executed that it’s hard to be anything other than amazed.

Obviously, wearing this is unlikely to be an everyday affair, given that it feels more like a piece of art than a watch but it’s certainly not as ‘loud’ as other tickers in its class. While the inverted, in-house movement and bespoke detailing make this an intimidating timepiece (as does its $52,000 price tag), it’s actually a refreshingly wearable iteration of the modern ‘art’ watch. No discounts for German nationals, I’m afraid.

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Christopher Ward’s New The Twelve X is Better Than Ever

Word on the street is that Christopher Ward is about to break into the being time and while this may come as a surprise to some of you (Patek fanatics, I assume), it’s somewhat predictable given just how consistently on-point Ward’s releases have been over the past few years. The Twelve X (Ti) is no exception - skeletonized from both sides, forged in high-grade titanium, and fitted with the firm’s own COSC-certified, automatic Calibre SH21, there’s no part of this latest version of The Twelve X that feels like a cheap watch. Honestly, the fact that it only costs $4,335 is baffling, particularly when you can spend 3 times that on a manual-winding stainless steel watch that doesn’t have a five-day power reserve.

Where Christopher Ward continues to stand out is in the grey area that lies between luxury and affordability. The grey area where materials and know-how meet discerning market navigation and a genuine desire to play the game differently. Sure, this isn’t a fresh take on watch design or an industry shaker in terms of technicality. What it is, though, is a super-well-made timepiece that shits on its competition in terms of quality and pricing. When will that ever not be interesting?

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Watch Fact

At $55 million, the most pricey timepiece on the planet is less of a watch and more of a piece of jewelry. Graff’s ‘Hallucination’ combines 110 karats of precious stones with…a quartz movement. Not one for movement geeks, that’s for sure.

3-Watch Collection

3 Watch Collection: British Edition

Despite what you might have been told, His Royal Highness, builder’s tea, Big Ben, and Boris Johnson’s hair aren’t the only British things worth knowing about. Here’s a three-watch collection of British-made timepieces that keep a stiff upper lip.

Bremont Supermarine Ocean (Sport watch) -  With subtle Seiko design cues and multi-colored lume, this limited Bremont diver has GMT functionality, 30-bar water resistance, and a seriously cool grey metal dial. Perfectly-executed and bold as a 40mm can be, one of these 400 could be yours for about $4,900.

Garrick S6 (Dress watch) - Built in Norwich and famous far outside of it, Garrick is known for intricate dial finishes and bespoke British stylings. The pared-back-yet-suave S6 is no exception, imbued with a sense of old gentlemanly swagger than can be found in very few timepieces, especially for $8,655.

AnOrdain Model 1 (Everyday watch) - At 38mm across and 11mm thick, the Model 1 hits the mark squarely for daily wear. It’s a simple watch but don’t let that fool you. Running on your choice of either Sellita ($2,255) or La Joux Perret ($2,650), this Scottish ticker is very well-built and at home on virtually any wrist.

Total Collection Cost (USD): $16,205

Watch News Bites

Quick Bites

• An ultra-rare Rolex Split-Seconds stole the show at the Monaco Legends Spring Auction last week, selling for an easy $3.28 million. Imagine doing the dishes with that thing on.
  
  

• Credor just turned 50 and to celebrate, they’ve announced arguably the most elegant watch of the year so far - the Blue/Gold Eichi II GBLT996. The people at Grand Seiko must be feeling the heat right about now.
  
  

• What’s more casual than casual? Patek Philippe, apparently. They recently released Nautilus and World Time models with hefty double-denim straps. What is this, the 2001 MTV Music Video Awards?
  
  

• For those of you seeking a bit of tranquillity (or people who only own yellow gold Daytonas), MeisterSinger’s new Neo is a single-handed serving of absolute minimalist calm that will balance out any collection perfectly.

Vintage Watches

Vintage Corner: Jaeger LeCoultre Square (1970s)

With square watches making a bit of a comeback this year, we’d be foolish not to talk about Jaeger’s coolest quadrilateral offering. Powered by JLC’s K48/CW manual-winding movement, there’s plenty of mechanical character here to match the unapologetic sunburst dial. It’s a lesson in design - how is this watch so gold, so eye-catching, yet still somehow modest in its execution? They don’t make ‘em like they used to…

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