This is the third and (thankfully) final part of our irreverent coverage of this year's Watches & Wonders show, if you missed the first two parts you can find them by clicking the links below:
Part One:
Part Two:
WATCHES & WONDERS 2022 PART 3: Everything Else...
ROB: So the big news from the latter part of the show seemed to be Grand Seiko's Constant Force Tourbillon, with many people declaring it the absolute hit of the whole show. It's not something I expected to see from Grand Seiko, since it doesn't have a highly finished dial... and honestly I couldn't get all that excited about it, cos... well I know it is very clever and all that but I'm not really that keen on watches you can see through ever since I tried on that Roger Dubuis Exotourbillon and realised that I could see my hairy wrist through it... what say you Jimbo?
JIM: I will kick this off with something very clear and simple. Grand Seiko mega tourbillion thing... no thank you.
ROB: I am surprised, I thought you would love this?
JIM: Naah, I think it is one of the ugliest releases from W&W. Too much empty dial space and looking at it just makes me want to kick someone in the face. The movement is probably an impressive achievement but I care too little about the mechanical aspect of watches. I like them pretty and shiny and to feel good in my hand.
What really caught my attention from GS was this light blue hand-wound little thing. Just can't get over how perfect this one is..
JIM: One thing I am not a big fan of with this blue beauty is the case back. I mean, what is the point to have a display case back when you pretty much cover the whole movement with a big bridge?
ROB: Yes, I never understand that, I think I saw a Lange (maybe) the other day that was 85% bridge and I just thought.... what is the point? The thing with Grand Seiko is.... that watch could be £5,000 or £20,000. I have no idea...
So what about the Grand Seiko SBDG209 White Lion, that looks like something I could see you rocking on your puny girl-wrists?
JIM: Wow! I had not even seen that one before. That looks really nice, I need to read more about it. White Lion, even the name is spot on. How big is it?
ROB: 44.5mm.... a ladies watch, clearly. I would love to see it on my wife's 3" wrist - haha.
JIM: It kinda bothers me that they have to label something like this as a ladies watch, just because of the diamonds and the white colour. I guess I need to have a sex change operation in 2022 cause I really like the look of this one. Maybe we are back to my tacky taste. Seems to be a common theme lately, haha!
Another fairly big story was the new Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept...
JIM: Yes please!
ROB: Interesting... but it's a 'losers' watch. Hilariously Piaget came to the show already aware that Bvlgari dropped a new 'thinnest watch in the world' last week, rendering this at least partly pointless.
JIM: Maybe but honestly, who cares? I could not care less about the competition of thinnest watch. I just think that the Piaget looks very beautiful. Have you seen the lumed star like dots on the dial? And the perfect level of skeletonisation of the movement. That thing from Bulgari on the other hand, what a shit looking piece. Especially if you opt for the QR code on the dial, just ridiculous.
JIM: Google tells me this is 'Japan HR Tracey'. You can really see on her smug face how much she enjoyed the outcome of that power reserve indicator. You really think the Cosmos Blue is OK? I think the design, or rather lack of design, for the dial is terrible. What a big mess!
Do you prefer the Bulgari?
ROB: No, not at all, and the QR code is an abomination, surely no one will want that... (or the stupid NFTs it accesses), the Piaget is head and shoulders above the Bvlgari, but surely half the reason for buying these watches is so that you can impress your equally wealthy friends by telling them that you own the thinnest watch in the world, not the thinnest watch Piaget have ever made.
It's like when the Patek pocket watch was the 'most complicated watch in the world' and it sold for $11m or something, and then Vacheron made a more complicated watch and the next time it sold it was like $4m.... second best is just the first of the losers. It's still incredible, but half the appeal is the bragging rights it brings (unfortunately).
JIM: Yes probably true. I guess if I would own something that is the worlds whatever, it would probably be something I would be quick to tell people about whenever anyone asks about or comments on my watch. I mean, with my current watches I am always quick to tell people about the sexual pleasure of hand winding my BB58, so I guess this sort of confirms that I also like to brag about my watches.
ROB: I do wonder how resilient these thinnest ever watches are though, I mean... can you imagine wearing one, it would be horrendous. Knowing me I would smack it straight into a door and the thing would bend in half..
JIM: Yes I have no idea how much these super thin watches can take. But I mean, as long as they aren't too wide, they should just basically lie flat on the wrist on not really be able to bend. Unless you smack it into a door of course, that would probably be very expensive to fix!
So was there any GS presented at W&W that got your balls tickling in that special way?
ROB: Not really, the Cosmos Blue is sort of okay, but the dial is a bit messy with the dials floating about on their own random axis and the power reserve, why is there always a dreadfully placed power reserve on every Grand Seiko? It's become a 'thing' hasn't it? Mmm, yes, I see what you did with that fabulous snowflake dial, but it's too nice, let's fuck it up with a power reserve that points in completely the wrong direction. In fact, let's get Tracey from HR, blindfold her and get her to pin the power reserve on the dial... that will work perfectly.
ROB: Okay, I admit I was clutching at straws... it looks semi-okay from a (significant) distance. At least it doesn't look like every other Grand Seiko, but I concede that might not necessarily be a good thing. I don't know... I visited a Grand Seiko boutique once and I've never felt less 'wowed' by anything in my life. And like I said earlier, I couldn't honestly tell the difference between the watches that cost a few thousand and tens of thousands. I guess I should have taken a loupe with me...
And yes, now that I look at that watch again, it's a complete trainwreck isn't it. It looks like the sort of watch you see in the Argos catalogue for £500... what's that brand, I can never remember... starts with an 'A', something to do with mountains.... is it Casio's high end brand? Edifice, is that it?
JIM: Yes! Spot on, looks just like those
ROB: Okay, so let's turn to a brand I know you like.... IWC. They brought a bunch of similar looking watches in radically different colours, including the sandy looking 'Mojave Desert' and the white ceramic 'Lake Tahoe'. What do ya think of those two?
JIM: Oh yeah, IWC. That is a brand that speaks directly to my heart. I think these releases are very cool, but I must admit I would not have minded some more playful colours with some Hublot vibes. My favourite of the new bunch would be the white Lake Tahoe. This one would look very good in the garden at summer, drink in hand next to the pool!
ROB: Absolutely, that white ceramic really caught my eye, not least because IWC aren't really a company I associate with 'fun' watches. I know they make some nice blue dial chronographs (which you've sent me pictures of before), but mostly they seem to make very austere looking watches and big stupid Pilot watches with even bigger stupider crowns.
JIM: I also really like the new little big pilot 43 Top Gun edition. Very cool! As always with the IWC world though. First I get excited and then I see the prices...
ROB: Yes that one is quite cool, but for £10,000 I could buy a Carrera Drive Timer and have £6,500 of change to spend on something else.
One thing I notice on their website though is that these pieces are limited to a certain number per year (1000 for the Lake Tahoe, 250 for the Mojave Desert). That's a very odd way of doing things don't you think? It's not like the hand built 321 Speedmaster, these will surely be built in a one-off run, so why the limit per year? Is it just to create a Rolex type of wait list hype or what?
JIM: Good question! I think this phenomenon has been shown by several brands last years, clearly stating it aint a limited edition but it will be limited in production. On one hand I like it, it creates transparency in production capacity and I guess if you want one you will eventually be able to get it but since its kind of a niche type of watch they dont put it in full production as a standard model. Does this create hype? Not sure, maybe. Good question indeed.
Have to agree that a Drive Timer and £6500 left to spend on something else, like Aquaracers, sound like an excellent idea!
ROB: So you just mentioned Hublot and I know deep down that you desperately want to talk about your Hublot obsession... this year they brought a brand new square watch to the table, but what caught my eye was the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Purple Sapphire. It's limited to just 50 pieces (total, not per calendar year), features a 44mm purple sapphire case (the clue is in the name), 72 hours of power reserve and costs a meagre £166,000. Noice!
JIM: Am I obsessed with Hublot? I might be, I might just be! Cant deny that Hublot makes some incredible pieces, that includes the micro rotor tourbillion models in sapphire yes. Totally baller to wear a purple sapphire case skeletonised tourbillion with a micro rotor on the dial.
I have never been able to experience a sapphire cased watch in person, I wonder how I would feel about it. Have you ever tried one on?
ROB: I haven't actually, but I have seen them in the fancy Hublot boutique in Harrods. The only Hublot I've tried on was a black Big Bang with some red touches and a carbon dial. It was stunning but it was about £10,000 IIRC. Never really understood the hate for Hublot, yes they are overpriced, but it's not like Hublot are unique in that.... wow a Swiss watch company that charges more than their products are worth, so unusual. I think it's mostly because they don't have a hundred year plus history and thus no 'heritage' to appeal to people who like all that kind of thing. In fact Hublot is like TAG Heuer on steroids... and we know how some people feel about TAG.
So you seem very keen on these new square watches, right?
JIM: TAG Heuer on steroids, I love that description! Guess that explains why I like them so much. Yes yes, the new Square Bang is one of my favourite releases from Watches & Wonders. Being a Hublot I find it... don't want to use the word understated but I think this one could be a perfect daily wear. Obviously still big but it has a touch of dressy appeal to it. Must admit that at first I naively thought the price would be below half of what it turned out to be and I played with the thought of owning one in a couple of years. But no, it will just remain a joyful dream.
Is it weird that one of my favourite aspects of the Square mega Bang is the case back? Perfectly executed, yes, perfectly.
ROB: Yes, it is weird.... but then we've come to accept your foibles. I think my problem with the Spirit of Big Bang was always that it looked looked a watch for people who wanted a Richard Mille but couldn't afford one. This looks like a watch for people who want and can afford the Cartier Santos but want it bigger and less classy. Hahaha...
JIM: Maybe. But I mean, seriously, what kind of stjärtlymmel wears Cartier anyway?
ROB: Christian from Theo and Harris.. :)
But I have to say, I tried on the Cartier Santos black once, it was damned nice... with a sexy red second hand, not all their stuff is old fashioned and 'Parisian'.
Wow, £36,000 for a Hublot Square Band Unico King Gold... do you think 'King' Gold is like a play on words. There used to be a store here called 'Sofa King' and their slogan was 'Our prices are Sofa King low' or something like that...
Is this gold, yes it's 'King Gold'. Could be, you know how disruptive and irreverent Hublot are.
So, before this dissolves into complete drivel is there anything else you wanted to mention? For instance have you had any more thoughts on the TAG Heuer releases we talked about last week?
JIM: Yes I have had thoughts. A lot of thoughts. About the superbly amazing Aquaracer 300. The issue still though, is that I have not yet been able to make up my mind about the new fine orange dial version presented on W&W. There are too few photos online, few videos and the official TAG Heuer renders look nothing like the real thing as always. At the moment I am leaning towards really liking it. I really hope I like it in person cause I think it could be a perfect summer watch. Would it be better with diamonds on the dial you are probably thinking? Maybe, just maybe.
Have your thoughts changed now when we have had time to process the new releases a bit more?
ROB: Well, as you say, we really need to wait and see this watches in the flesh. I dunno about that orange one man, you send me a pic that makes it look sweet and then you send me one that looks awful, then a good one, then a shitter, but maybe it looks okay in real life? Plus I know how difficult it is to photograph my orange F1 and to get the colour to look the same as it really looks, so I think we just have to wait and see...
I am still interested in the Solargraph, but again I feel like it could be amazing or it could be kinda meh in real life. But for me the winner is potentially the yellow accented Porsche Carrera Heuer 02, I really like that... at least I like it in the pictures and videos and actually I thought the original version looked much better on the wrist than I thought so that definitely has potential.
Kinda reminds me of that cool yellow and black Formula 1 from about ten years ago, the one with black hands that you couldn't actually see.... hahaha.
JIM: Funny how my least favourite has become your number one. You sure lack the fine taste in watches that I have.
ROB: What's wrong with the yellow Porsche anyway?
JIM: Nothing wrong with the Porsche really, just messing with you. But for me it feels a bit like an old recipe of a dish you've eaten your whole life. You can eat it to get full but it doesn't really wow you or anything..
ROB: I see....
JIM: Uh-huh...
Okay well it looks like that's the end of our Watches & Wonders coverage for this year, tune in next time when we debate the pros and cons of aftermarket straps and also which You Tube watch channels suck and which don't!
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