The start of our itinerary was met with little fanfare. We arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in the early parts of the morning; waiting with the disembarked throng watching the luggage carousel go round and round.

Despite the lazy morning traffic and barricades nearer to the city centre, the journey to the Mandarin Oriental on Rue Saint-Honoré took about 45 minutes (a shy 12 minutes over from Google Maps’ estimated 33 minutes). At OMEGA’s behest, Esquire Singapore got to experience the Paris Olympics.

OMEGA Hospitality Programme is pulling out the stops to warrant that everything goes like clockwork. From our stay at the Mandarin Oriental hotel that OMEGA took over for the duration of the Paris Olympics to being able to attend the games, the entire operation was a well-oiled machine.

This sort of fastidiousness isn’t foreign to a company like OMEGA. Like its watchmaking, precision is paramount. Adherence to the schedule notwithstanding, there’s the pressure of ensuring that the timekeeping of the games is up to snuff. OMEGA has to oversee 329 Olympic events, across 32 sports, operate 435 scoreboards and manage 530 timekeepers and professionals to operate the equipment.

Timekeeping has always struck me as an insurmountable charge. A Sisyphean task. Time has existed before homo sapiens and will continue to exist after our sun dies out. Our mammalian brains dream up of how to stem it, control it even, but we can’t corral a wild and bestial presence. You can’t mount it and break its spirit. We are rocks that are worn down by time’s rushing waters.

So, no. Linguistically, we cannot “keep time” as much as we can master it. But we can catalogue its passing. We can categorise it into months and days, into easily digestible numbers. We can capture its ghost in photographs and videos; even record human achievements. Mea culpa if I sound profound, wanky even. Given that Paris has been the cornerstone of almost every influential philosophical movement, it’d appear that I’m caught up in its environment.

Throughout our tenure at the Games, there will be brief pockets for ponderance. For now, we revel in the now; as we wait in the lobby for our room keys; awed by the vertical garden with the OMEGA logo and the glass-cased line-up of special limited-edition Paris Olympics timepieces.

“TIME MOVES IN ONE DIRECTION, MEMORY ANOTHER.”

In human memory, we have always considered OMEGA as the official timekeeper of the Olympics. But it wasn’t the first.

That distinction goes to Longines at the inaugural Athens Olympics in 1896. After that, timekeeping for the next several Olympics was handled by a myriad of watch brands. During that period, timekeeping was dependent on stopwatches, with devices that were accurate to 1/5th of a second at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. For the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932, OMEGA was appointed as the sole entity to time the games. A lone OMEGA watchmaker accompanied 30 rattrapante (split-second) stopwatches that were flown from Biel/Bienne to LA.

With this split-second feature, it allowed for intermediate timings to be recorded. What, also elevated OMEGA’s (and the Swiss reputation) timekeeping status at the time was that said stopwatches were accurate to the nearest 1/10th of a second. This would be a race for watch brands; to develop more precise timekeeping devices.

The year 1948 saw the birth of electric timekeeping, where OMEGA first introduced the photoelectric cell or “Magic Eye” at the St Moritz Winter Olympics and then at the London Olympics. Used in tandem with the slit photo finish camera invented by the British Race Finish Recording Company, the devices proved useful during the 100m sprint of the 1948 London Olympics: Two American runners, Harrison Dillard and Barney Ewell, clocked the same time of 10.3 seconds. It was only after examination of the photo finish image that Dillard was given the gold medal.

OMEGA would continue its timekeeping position until the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where the duties were conferred over to Seiko. OMEGA would retake the timekeeping appointment for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics before it fell into Longines’ hands for the 1972 Munich Olympics. The title of official timekeeper would return to OMEGA leading to this year’s Paris Olympics.

With this split-second feature, it allowed for intermediate timings to be recorded. What, also elevated OMEGA’s (and the Swiss reputation) timekeeping status at the time was that said stopwatches were accurate to the nearest 1/10th of a second. This would be a race for watch brands; to develop more precise timekeeping devices.

“EVERYWHERE IS WALKING DISTANCE IF YOU HAVE THE TIME."

I’ve clocked in a great number of steps during my three days at the Paris Olympics. At the end of each day, my feet felt like they had traversed the globe.

Transportation to the games proved challenging with roads being blocked or rerouted. We had to alight from the bus at significant distances from the venues.

Aside from developing calves and setting dogs barking, the scenic route is quite something. You soak in the city's history as you traipse through boulevards, past classic Haussmannian buildings with their iconic wrought-iron balconies and homogenous façades. Sometimes, when the sun hangs high, its dappled rays light the structures just so; giving the city an added depth. Given that most Parisian dwellings were built in the 1800s and have been reinforced throughout the years, I’d wager that they will continue standing. We are ants trying to make homes in unmoving mountains.

OMEGA took over the Hôtel de Poulpry, Maison des Polytechniciens, turning the 18th-century mansion into a retrospective of OMEGA’s Olympic timekeeping history. The once-imposing architecture and the decoration of the Second Empire are now replete with the signature OMEGA red.

The OMEGA House started at the 2012 London Olympics, then followed by the Rio Olympics in 2016. “We’ve designed OMEGA House to really bring guests into the heart of the brand,” Raynald Aeschlimann, OMEGA’s president and CEO said. “There’s so much to explore and uncover, with surprises around every corner.”

Spread across multiple floors, the OMEGA House Paris holds interactive elements that members can be immersed in. After the trek, most of the guests lingered in the courtyard, strategically parked near the threshold where the wait staff emerged with seemingly endless light bites on silver platters.

Once sufficiently refreshed, we reconnoitre the inside of the hospitality house. The reception room carries the full timeline of OMEGA’s history with the Olympics and Paralympics. Venture within and you’d find different rooms dedicated to OMEGA’s watchmaking universe: there is a room about the brand’s timekeeping tech that is critical to the Olympic Games; there’s another where guests get to experience being an Olympic champion; there’s a space that delves into OMEGA’s association with space exploration (anchored by a large gold astronaut); an area committed to showcasing a collection of current OMEGA Seamaster watches.

There were celebrities that OMEGA invited to the Games and OMEGA House. At our time at OMEGA House, Chinese actor and recent OMEGA brand representative, Liu Shishi appeared with Aeschlimann to address the Chinese members. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban sat behind us at a Women’s Beach Volleyball game; Kidman possessing some sort of ethereal glamour with nary a bead of perspiration in the afternoon heat. Daniel Craig—post Loewe campaign side bangs—swung by the OMEGA House, again sporting a never-before-seen OMEGA timepiece that would be revealed later in the year.

When it came to the closing night of the Paris Olympics, the party at OMEGA House was a star-studded affair. Personalities like actor Ariana DeBose, triple jumper Jordan Diaz and swimmer Katie Grimes graced the event. In his closing speech, Aeschlimann remarked about witnessing OMEGA’s timekeeping at the heart of the Games and how the Olympics brought the world together. “It’s been an honour to welcome guests and friends to OMEGA House from all corners of the globe.”

“WHILE IT MAY SEEM SMALL, THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF SMALL THINGS IS EXTRAORDINARY.”

In 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan would spill out into the rest of the world. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, with the weekly global death toll at 650; it would rocket to a reported global death of 49,959. Going into the following months, the number showed no signs of abating, which didn’t bode well for Tokyo, which was scheduled to hold the Olympics in July. Concerns were rife, and after careful consideration, the Tokyo Olympics would be rescheduled to 23 July 2021.

There is a glint of silver in that thundercloud.

While the mood of the Tokyo Olympics was sombre, it was a welcome distraction. Sans physical spectators, participants risked exposure to the coronavirus and pushed the limits of the human body. One of these athletes was Quan Hongchan.

Discovered by her coach, Quan joined the Guangdong diving team in 2018 and took part in the regional competitions, winning gold medals that year and the next. By the end of 2020, Quan earned her place on the national team. The following year, she placed first in a competition, qualifying her for the Chinese Olympic team. Her presence at the Tokyo Olympics garnered Quan, not only as the youngest participant but also three perfect 10 scores for the Women’s 10m Platform.

Had the Tokyo Olympics proceeded as scheduled, Quan, then 13, would not have been able to compete due to the age limit set by the International Diving Federation. One might argue that even if she missed out on the Tokyo Olympics, she would still excel at future events. But in the throes of a pandemic, seeing someone like Quan compete with such mastery and at such an age felt like the outline of hope, of a future.

“HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER.”

Like previous Olympics, throughout the Paris Olympics, OMEGA used its timekeeping equipment, along with pieces of updated tech.

One such advancement is the use of Computer Vision. It tracks the athletes in their respective fields and collects a range of performance data that are extrapolated by AI and machine learning. For diving, a system of cameras is trained on the divers, from their jump to their entry into the water. From the data, a 3D vision of the dive is created, along with the calculated metrics, like airtime and speed into the water. The cameras also track the safe gap between the diver and the board during their routine; if the minimum distance between the two isn’t maintained, it might factor into the final score.

Even without the equipment, it was clear that China was dominating the finals of the Women’s Synchronised 10m Platform event. We watched slackjawed at Chen Yuxi and Quan Hongchan perform with such synergy that when the camera was filming them from the side during their flight, the two divers looked like one body before the waters betrayed twin rip entries. Chen and Quan nabbed gold with 359.10 points, putting them at a stunning 43 points ahead of the runner-ups.

“We have always done extremely well with the timekeeping,” Aeschlimann says. “We have covered the Paralympics since it first started but some of the games are difficult to time because, because of the [differing] handicap of every athlete of the same category.”

The technology that OMEGA used in the Olympic Games had been years of development and refinement. Take the equipment used for the track. Given that sound is slower than light, athletes in the furthest lanes would hear the starter’s pistol later than those who are closer. OMEGA replaced the conventional starter pistol with an electronic one that’s connected to speakers placed behind the starting blocks in the interest of fairness.

When the trigger is activated, a start pulse is given to the timing system before it plays a recorded “gunshot” all at once (as a visual aid, a light would flash as well). The starting blocks also have sensors that detect any false start through the athlete’s foot against the footrest.

Other than the Scan‘O’Vision ULTIMATE camera, located at the finish line are photocell technology that shoots out four beams of light. Replacing plastic finish tape, the winning time is recorded the moment a runner disrupts the beams.

OMEGA’s Quantum Timer replaces the mechanical stopwatches. With an enhanced resolution of one-millionth of a second, the Quantum Timer is five times more accurate. Driven by a micro crystal component embedded in the timer, the resolution is 100 times more than previous timekeeping devices.

In the waters though, that’s another story. Waters refract light, and capturing visuals is made more difficult when there’s splashing. Swimming lanes are equipped with their own high-speed camera that takes and sends 100 images per second. A lap counter placed underwater informs the swimmer of how many laps are left, should a swimmer lose mental count. To record a swimmer’s timing, OMEGA introduced touchpads positioned at both ends of the pool back at the 1968 New Mexico Olympics. Swimmers “stop the clock” by exerting pressure between 1.5 and 2.5kg (a swimmer’s wave or pull away during a turn in the water generates about 1kg of force); this is the most accurate way to measure time. Speed climbing (introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics) is the second Olympic sport that has touchpads at the top of the wall.

There’s a lot that has gone into the Summer and soon also Winter Olympics, but the Paralympics proved to be harder to track. “We have always done extremely well with the timekeeping,” Aeschlimann says. “We have covered the Paralympics since it first started but some of the games are difficult to time because, because of the [differing] handicap of every athlete of the same category.”

Differently-abled Paralympians are in another classification to ensure a fair competition. A panel of medical and technical experts evaluate the athletes’ impairments in their performance in the sport. Each discipline has its own classification system, as are the individuals partaking in the sport.

Take para swimming for example. Athletes are allocated based on the impact their impairment has on swimming, rather than on the impairment itself. Depending on who is competing, if there are athletes with “extremely low visual acuity and/or no light perception”, the rest must wear blackened goggles during the race to ensure a level playing field.

Because of the personalised nature of the Paralympics, OMEGA had to tailor its tracking system for each Paralympian to safeguard the integrity of the competition and timekeeping.

It would be days later—4 August—at the Men’s 100 metres finals that OMEGA’s photo finish cameras were put to the test.

“TIME IS RELATIVE; ITS ONLY WORTH DEPENDS UPON WHAT WE DO AS IT IS PASSING.”

The 100m sprint is one of the highlights of the Olympics. Usually, over within 10 seconds, it is a race that is straightforward and boils down to the simple truth, “only the fastest win”. Usain Bolt remains the undisputed world record holder at 9.58 seconds. Since his retirement in 2017, people have been waiting to see if Olympic hopefuls could break the record.

For the Paris Olympics, the men’s 100m was the most tightly contested final in Olympic history as six out of eight sprinters, recorded top-25 all-time 100m records. The difference between the fastest in the field, Fred Kerley (USA) at 9.76 seconds and the slowest, Kenny Bednarek (USA) at 9.87 seconds was a mere 0.11 seconds.

Kishane Thompson (Jamaica) had been touted as the successor to Bolt and odds for him taking gold at the 100m race were favourable. Up against, Noah Lyles (USA), in raw timings, Thomson has him beat by four-hundredths of a second.

As sprinters pushed off from their starting blocks, they sped down the tracks, most of them neck to neck. It was anybody’s game in the first 80m before the camera swivels and we saw a blur cross the finish line. The word “Photo” appeared on the scoreboard—a photo finish. Thompson and Lyles were clocked in at 9.79 seconds, marking this as one of the closest finishes in Olympic history.

A deliberation took place as the sprinters stared at the scoreboard. According to RUNNER’S WORLD, Omega Timing CEO Alain Zobrist guessed that it took “official timekeepers and judges on site 10 seconds to determine the first two positions, so about 5 seconds each.” When those distressing seconds were over, Lyles was announced as the gold medallist. Lyles beat Thompson by five milliseconds.

The equipment used at the finish line was OMEGA’s Scan‘O’Vision ULTIMATE camera; a line-scan photo-finish device that captures 40,000 digital frames per second. You’ve seen the photo finish. This contentious picture is the result of one pixel-wide sequential image of the runners crossing the finish line. Although Thompson’s foot crossed the line, Olympic regulations state that only the athlete’s torso—not the head, limbs and feet—that reaches the edge of the finish line is the winner. And that’s where the red line and Lyles’ torso meet; at 9.784 seconds.

And the cherry on the top? Lyles, who is OMEGA’s brand ambassador, ran the 100m track while wearing a Speedmaster Apollo 8 Dark Side of the Moon.

“IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT.”

On 15 May 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced OMEGA would be the Games’ official timekeeper through to 2032; a hundred years since the Swiss company first took up the role for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. It was a momentous milestone that cemented OMEGA’s timekeeping capabilities and advancements.

But what happens when the 2032 Olympics is done and dusted? Another century for OMEGA? I’d reckon so. It’s the difference between a photo-finish and being leagues ahead of your peers; OMEGA falls squarely in the latter. As long as OMEGA continues to innovate; to better its current timekeeping tech. In a sense, their competition is itself. It’ll be a matter of endurance, to maintain the distance from the rest; OMEGA gets to be the final word in timekeeping.

“We contain multitudes” as the saying go. It is with that notion that the make-up of these remarkable watches are sights to behold. Derived from materials that soar above mere metal and plastic, these timepieces are worth their weight in…well, the element they are made out of. It's time we explored the intersection between nature’s elements and the craftsmanship in timepieces.

Franck Muller Vanguard Damas Racing

Sparks fly when magic happens. Sparks fly even further when Damascus steel is being forged. With its roots tracing back to the samurais and ancient middle east, whispers spoke of their ability to slice a falling strand of hair, or chop through other blades without losing its edge. The recipe for true Damascus steel has long been lost to time, but The Franck Muller Vanguard Damas Racing manages to capture its essence. By pattern welding two steel alloys and dipping them in an acid bath, that signature visual is reborn onto the watch’s case. The timepiece’s skeletonised design evokes the scorched aftermath of the forging process, revealing the intricate mechanical heart beating within. The ash grey finish completes the illusion, resembling a blade freshly forged from ingot, stripped bare long after the last spark has faded.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC

Steam perfectly captures the paradox of subtlety and might. It’s delicate and wispy. Yet, it possesses the raw strength that fuelled the Industrial Revolution, becoming a zeitgeist of its time. This very power plays a hidden role in the creation of the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, the world’s thinnest watch. It’s responsible for a vital process that transforms solid titanium tetrachloride into a purified vapour before condensing it into pure titanium, the same material used to craft the timepiece. The watch’s razor-thin profile shares an ephemeral affinity with steam—barely there, yet undeniably present. Just as steam can slip through the smallest cracks, this timepiece can glide effortlessly under any cuff. Did I forget to mention that it’s also a COSC-certified chronometer? Like I said, mighty

Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire

Ice embodies purity with such elegance. Its translucent being beckons our eyes to peer into its essence—tranquil, pristine, and if you look close enough, whispers of a quiet sizzle. Similarly, the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire captures this allure with a blue-hued sapphire case. Like a watch frozen in time, its sculptural 7-barrel movement protrudes from the dial, mimicking a teardrop on the verge of falling. But this design isn’t just for the eyes, it grants the watch the ability to house a power reserve of 14 days, echoing the enduring freezing quality of ice. The sapphire case serves as a window to the MP-11’s soul, allowing full transparency to the fine inner workings of the machine. Yet, this transparency belies its strength—Hublot guarantees 100% resistance to knocks and scratches, blending delicate beauty with robust durability

IWC Aquatimer IW379503

Dirt is often regarded rather derogatorily, yet it is the very foundation of life. It is in the dirt that seeds germinate, and it is through the quiet alchemy of decay that ecosystems thrive. The IWC Aquatimer IW379503, with its bronze case tells a similar tale. As time leaves its mark, the metal weathers and tarnishes, mimicking the natural process of ageing and the accumulation of history—much like the earth itself. This timepiece invites us to find beauty in the imperfect, the aged, the seemingly mundane.

Illustration: Joan Tai

Let’s settle this here and now: Who made the first wristwatch? According to Guinness World Records, the earliest one was a custom piece created in 1868 for a Hungarian Countess named Koscowicz—though this glittering accessory functioned more as jewellery than as a timekeeper. But whispers in horological circles tell of an earlier creation—one made by watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1810, predating Countess Koscowicz’s by several decades. So, who gets the rightful claim to the first wristwatch? We may never know for certain. What we do know, however, is who made wristwatches available to everyday people, breaking societal norms and shifting perceptions that the then-feminine wristwatch could be worn by men too. In an era when women were treated as second-class citizens, Cartier not only convinced men to commit the "cardinal sin" of strapping bracelets onto their wrists but managed to make them willingly pay for it.

Walk with me

It’s 1901, and aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont is wrestling with his aircraft controls while trying—and failing—to pull out his pocket watch to check the time. In a moment of frustration, he confides in his friend, Louis Cartier. Little did they know, that conversation would change the course of history. Three years later, the original Santos De Cartier watch was born. But it wasn’t until 1911 that Cartier began producing it for commercial sale. This, of course, had a ripple effect, leading to a world today where people still struggle to fathom that wristwatches were originally created for women. Had Cartier not popularised wristwatches commercially, who knows how long it would’ve taken for wristwatches to catch on, if at all. But thanks to the Santos De Cartier, I guess we’ll never know.

Louis Cartier quite clearly wanted to break the wheel—to reinvent it. So, in a world full of circles, he did so, quite literally. Naturally, the Santos De Cartier is also the first square wristwatch. While the watch has evolved over time, the core of Cartier’s vision remains. The corners are rounded, softening the contact against the wrist. Distinctive Roman numerals stretch to the bezel’s edge, ingeniously accompanied by black markers to ensure accurate legibility. And, of course, the iconic eight rivets that punctuate the bezel to the case still remain. These rivets eventually extended into metal bracelets, replacing the original leather.

Modern iterations

Now, Cartier attempts to reinvent the wheel—sorry, square— once again with the Cartier Santos De Cartier Dual Time. This latest evolution sees the inclusion of a complication that makes perfect sense considering the watch’s aviation history. Powered by a customised automatic movement featuring dual time zone capabilities, you can now track time both where you are and where you’re from simultaneously. Alternatively, you can set it to where your best friend is (shoutout Cartier and Santos-Dumont). The second time display features a 12-hour format with an AM/PM indicator, enveloped by a grey sundial finished in satin, lending it a brilliant metallic lustre. Just outside, polished steel meets brushed bezel, framing the silver tones of the dial in perfect harmony. The Santos De Cartier’s evolution doesn’t stop here, though.

Other latest iterations, like the Santos-Dumont Rewind, also showcase Cartier's 177-year jewellery expertise with innovations like the SmartLink system, which allows the bracelet length to be adjusted with the push of a button to either remove or add metal links. Prefer a vintage look? The QuickSwitch system lets you swap between metal, calf, or alligator straps in seconds, also with the push of a button.

In a world obsessed with the next big thing, and in an industry constantly chasing trends, some houses stand apart. For a select few, like Cartier, their legacy endures through iconic timepieces. The Santos De Cartier doesn’t need to chase trends—it is history, reimagined and refined for generations to come.

Breitling has announced a sleek black version of its Superocean Heritage watch, one of the most attractive and versatile designs in its catalogue.

The Superocean Heritage collection was launched in 2007, itself a revamp of the brand’s original dive watch, from the 1950s.

The 2000s line was updated with modern materials and a contemporary movement, making it a popular option for anyone in the market for a retro-style dive watch—as well as a point of difference with the brand’s aviation-heavy catalogue.

There have been many Superoceans since, perhaps most memorably a limited edition in aid of the NHS during Covid, released at a time when the majority of the Swiss watch industry was shut down.

In contrast to that colourful model, the latest Superocean Heritage B20 Automatic 42 comes with a black anthracite dial and a black ceramic bezel, giving it a modern, stealthy aesthetic.

As the name suggests, it uses the brand's B20 movement, an automatic calibre with a power reserve of approximately 70 hours.

The watch is available as a UK and Ireland exclusive, and is numbered “one of 500” on the case back.

Gavin Murphy, MD of Breitling UK, says, “The new monochromatic combination of an anthracite dial against a black ceramic bezel give the Superocean Heritage a contemporary and sophisticated look whilst maintaining its design cues from the 1950s”.

Originally published on Esquire UK

No need for a double take—what you’re seeing isn’t the case back of the L'Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse but rather its face (or lack thereof). Parmigiani Fleurier's decision to omit the key components of what typically defines a watch—hands, markers, and the like—is a bold one, but it’s not without reason. This is the house’s dedication to preserving the purity of minute repeaters.

Amidst a symphony of hammers and gongs within the watch, a manual winding movement by Renaud Papi, offering a 72-hour power reserve, allows the L'Armoriale to tell time intimately through the resonant chime of cathedral gongs. Once you’ve understood that it’s a timepiece that prioritises auditory elegance, the absence of a traditional face begins to make perfect sense. It forces the user to treat the repeater as a core feature instead of a gimmick. Even then, the dial is far from an afterthought.

Faceless dial

“In nature, every form, every pattern bears the imprint of perfection”
– Michel Parmigiani, founder and master watchmaker

From the elegant spirals of a pinecone to the precise proportions of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and even in the harmonious ratios of the human body—there are Fibonacci sequences everywhere for all with eyes to see. The L'Armoriale pays homage to this mathematical beauty on its faceless dial, which features a pastel green translucent enamel grand feu as its canvas for a meticulous guilloché pattern. Delicate engravings transpose the golden ratio of a pinecone onto the dial, creating a tangible manifestation of the Fibonacci sequence. A 42mm white gold case completes this ode to perfection, designed exclusively for this one-off model.

Turning the watch over reveals an unexpected surprise—instead of a traditional caseback, you'll find a secret dial. Rose gold hour and minute markers, denoted by "H" and "M", frame a disk of Guatemalan white jade. Its circular indices evoke the timeless elegance of an ancient Roman coin, an impression heightened by a taupe hand-stitched alligator leather strap. It might seem like a waste relegating such beauty to the back of the watch, but we feel this design choice imbues the piece with a sense of quiet introspection.

It’s not often that a watch packaging warrants discussion, but in this case, the box demands it. Offering more than mere protection, the box is engineered to enhance the minute repeater's acoustic properties, allowing owners to modulate the watch's resonance. By placing the timepiece at different points within the box, one can create a uniquely immersive sensory journey that goes beyond mere timekeeping.

Patek Philippe, the watchmaker’s watchmaker, did the unimaginable. It launched a new watch, the Cubitus. You might think, Well, that’s what watch brands are supposed to do, right? But Patek Philippe tends to plough its own furrow, content to release complications and elaborations of tried and tested families of watches. The last major design from the maker arrived in 1999, a full 25 years ago. That was the rectangular Twenty-4, the first ever Patek Philippe aimed squarely at women. The Aquanaut, a men’s design, debuted two years prior, in 1997. At the time, it was just as polarising as the Cubitus is now—as was the Nautilus when it hit the scene in the ‘70s.

But in the modern connected world, the Cubitus created—in what felt like a nanosecond—more than its fair share of collective consternation. It was as if Led Zeppelin had released a late hip-hop album. Pearl clutching ensued.

A lot was made of the passing resemblance to the Nautilus, the house’s groundbreaking and unexpected modernist left turn that emerged in 1976. Certainly, many features of the Cubitus are reminiscent of the Nautilus, from the horizontal grooved dial treatment to the case and the virtuoso combination of polished and brushed surfaces that (eventually) made the Nautilus such a hit.

Had the Cubitus borne no visual relation whatever to its famous predecessor, would that have been less jarring to watch fans? If you had a child and that child grew up to look uncannily like the next-door neighbour instead of you, you might well have a searching question or two. It’s reassuring, therefore, that there’s a strong family resemblance. It makes the Cubitus, you might say, a Prince William rather than a Harry, and the heir to a long line of sporty dress watches stretching back nearly half a century.

All the same, the Cubitus is in many ways a very different watch from its forebears. First is the scale, something that’s not really apparent until you slide it on your wrist. It measures a sizeable (for Patek Philippe) 45mm, the dimension measured diagonally across the face of the watch. But at only 8.3mm thick (in the steel versions), this is also a pretty flat watch, and its lightness on the wrist more than makes up for its width.

There are just three models in the line. The first two—a steel three-hander with a date window and deep green dial, a similarly uncomplicated version in steel and gold with a blue dial—come on integrated steel bracelets. The third, in a platinum case with a composite strap, offers instantaneous jumps of the date, day, and moon phases, with the latter two sharing a sub-dial next to a smaller seconds sub-dial.

Although all three watches have plenty to talk about, the green dial steel version, in particular, is our favourite. It’s a rich hue—almost black at some angles. Even in direct light, it’s deep, cold, and slatey. It’s a refreshing departure from trendier take on the colour.

As a paragon of watchmaking taste, Patek Philippe is, of course, damned if it does, damned if it doesn’t. But that was never a solid reason to do nothing. The Cubitus’s polarizing form represents—at least in the steel versions—a bold play for new, “entry-level” customers. Introducing new designs that may unsettle some (for a time) is the only surefire way to propagate a new generation of watch collectors just as doolally for Patek Philippe as their fathers before them.

To us, that’s the point. This is a watch for the future customers of Patek Philippe. For the rest of us, well, there’s never any harm in having one’s certainties rearranged from time to time.

Originally published on Esquire US

There’s a trend in the watch world that’s currently gaining momentum.

Mid-market (and a bit above) ready-to-wear brands seem to have noticed the appeal of an Eighties-style digital watch.

Two weeks ago, Maison Margiela’s diffusion line MM6 launched a wristwatch with Timex, adding its famed numeral branding onto a T80. Much to the delight of the maison’s fans, it only costs SGD256.

Now the next episode of ‘French fashion house X affordable watch brand collab’ has arrived, via a partnership between A.P.C and Casio.

As of today, an updated version of the A1000 model is available to purchase from A.P.C’s digital and physical stores, but many of its original qualities have remained intact.

It comes in silver and gold (naturally) and still features an alarm, stopwatch and an LED backlight. In keeping with its famed vintage aesthetic, this model has a slim profile, an octagonal case and an LCD screen in the centre of the dial to display the time.

Much like the fashion brand itself, the design is minimalist, with barely visible branding on the screen. So much so that the mode indicators for each button have been engraved on the caseback, surrounding the A.P.C’s guitar dagger logo.

But why is the fashion world taking such an interest in digital right now? Well, it's a good entry level watch for someone who isn't particularly plugged into horology, primed for those who prefer reading about what happening at the catwalks over Watches and Wonders. Have your (Casio) stopwatches at the ready, as these types of collabs are coming in fast.

The A.P.C x Casio A1000 watch is available A.P.C. stores and their website.

Originally published on Esquire UK

From the bustling streets of Tokyo to the far corners of the globe, Seiko has been putting timepieces on our wrists for over 110 years. While watch brands are at a sprint towards horological hyper-accuracy, Seiko cruises in its own lane; preferring to dominate the realm of value. Yeah, a Seiko might not split hairs with its timekeeping precision but what it lacks in decimal places, it makes up for in sheer robustness and bang for your buck. Seiko is unleashing two reincarnations from its illustrious vault of vintage watches.

SPORTY ACE

The limited-edition Seiko Sports 5 Heritage Design Recreation will fool even the old guard into thinking you’ve been winding crowns for a while. Taking its cues from a late ’60s crowd-pleaser, the watch is an in-house Calibre 4R36 automatic with legibility, teetering on the edge of perfection. Even in low-light conditions, the minute markers between each index and LumiBrite-treated hands, bezel and dial can be seen. ere’s also a day-date complication, with the day of the week spelt out for added convenience.

Perhaps the most underrated element, however, is the tri-fold clasp bracelet where the vintage spirit of the original model really shines through. If you’re feeling more classic, there’s the black leather rally-style strap tucked away in the box you can swap out with.

The Seiko 5 Sports Heritage is available in silver and black dial options.

THE KING THAT NEVER WAS

Launched in the early ‘60s, King Seiko returns to claim its place in the spotlight of horological excellence. The new series takes the contours of its predecessor and integrates a multi-row bracelet that’s been mirror-polished and brushed to catch light. Its shorter links paired with the low centre of gravity of the 39mm case means amore comfortable fit.

At the heart of these royal timepieces beats Seiko’s automatic slimline Calibre6L35. Available in a trio of colours—silver, purple and green—this is a watch measuring a mere 9.9mm thick while still powering a date function.

A special limited-edition commemorative watch will be released to mark 100years since the word “Seiko” first appeared on a wristwatch dial. Featuring a light blue-green dial with a textured pattern reminiscent of dragon scales, only 700 Seiko pieces of it are available worldwide

Sinn’s story begins in 1961, not in a boardroom, but a cockpit of a World War II airplane. Its founder, Helmut Sinn, was a man from the skies—a former pilot and flight instructor whose experience beckoned him to create aviation watches that his contemporaries could rely on in the clouds.  Luxury was never the end goal, rather, it was a means to an end. Functionality was always the priority, and he wanted a watch that could be easily serviced anywhere in the world. In addition to being durable, technical, innovative, this would eventually become a hallmark of the brand.  

After more than 30 years at the helm, Sinn would sell the company. Enter Lothar Schmidt, a former engineer under IWC who pushed the brand into a new stratosphere of innovations. Tegiment technology, for instance, hardened the surface of Sinn watches, making them incredibly scratch-resistant. Hydro technology filled watches with oil, eliminating any distortion underwater and allowing for perfect legibility at any depth. Ar-dehumidifying technology used copper sulfate capsules to absorb moisture and prevent fogging in extreme situations. Sinn was no longer just an aviation watch brand, but a brand focused on creating mission-specific watches. Fire brigades have the Einsatzzeitmesser, astronauts have the Series 140, and even white collars have the Frankfurt Financial District watches. But now, there’s something special brewing for the Singaporean market.

In celebration of Watches of Switzerland’s 60th anniversary—Sinn’s exclusive retailer in Singapore—Sinn is unveiling a commemorative watch, the Sinn Pilot 104 St Sa I WOS Commemorative Edition. We sat down with Sarah Michel, head of sales at Sinn, to discuss the new release, Sinn’s approach to the Asian market, and how the brand continues to stay true to its philosophy and unique positioning.

ESQUIRE SINGAPORE: Can you tell us about the special commemorative watch Sinn has created for Watches of Switzerland's 60th anniversary? What makes this watch unique?

SARAH MICHEL: You’ll notice a few unique features compared to the standard 104 series. We have a special dial with a color gradient starting light blue in the center and transitioning to a darker blue outward. This gradient is something we've incorporated in some of our special editions, and it's been really popular.

What's unique here is how the darker blue continues on the bezel inlay, in a colour we've never used before for the 104. The date indicator is also in blue, a nice touch to keep the design cohesive.

Functionally, it’s similar to the standard 104 model, with a double date display in both German and English, thanks to the Sellita 220 movement. For example, you can set it to display "Saturday" in English, or "Samstag" in German, depending on your preference. Each of the 200 pieces is individually engraved on the back, and it comes with a unique cow leather strap in light blue, complementing the dial.

ESQ: What were the key design elements or inspirations behind the commemorative watch?

SM: Well, the inspiration actually came more from the Watches of Switzerland team. They might be able to explain their specific inspiration for the blue color better.

WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND REPRESENTATIVE: The inspiration for this watch’s colour combination came from wanting to create a cohesive theme for our limited editions. The theme we focused on was Singapore—specifically, tropical elements. So, we incorporated greenery, brown for the tree trunks, and blue for the water. For Sinn, we chose blue to represent water, which gives it that fresh, cooling vibe.

ESQ: If this watch could have a personality, how would you describe it?

SM: I think it's young and breezy. It has a carefree vibe, someone who likes to look good without trying too hard. That's the kind of person I could imagine wearing this watch.

ESQ: Sinn has a loyal following in Europe—how do you envision expanding that success in the Asian markets?

SM: We’re on a good trajectory. We already have sales partners across Southeast Asia and East Asia, and we look forward to expanding further. That said, we also want to deepen the partnerships we already have. Sinn watches are very technical, and not the easiest to understand immediately, so having knowledgeable partners who can explain the details is important. We want to grow in a sustainable way, ensuring high-quality sales experiences.

ESQ: Which specific Asian markets do you see as having the most potential for growth in the coming years? Why?

SM: I think time will tell where we’ll see the most growth in Asia. It’s too early to pinpoint one specific market right now.

ESQ: What are the key benefits of Sinn's partnership with The Hour Glass?

SM: The Hour Glass has a knowledgeable team with great market access and beautiful stores. They have well-trained staff who are passionate about watches. We’re very happy with our relationship with them and look forward to continuing it in the future.

ESQ: If Sinn were to sponsor a sport or competition, what would it be?

SM: We don’t usually sponsor celebrities or athletes to wear our watches. All the celebrities you see wearing Sinn watches have bought them on their own. We’ve had a presence at some sports events in Germany, mostly rally-related. For example, we’ll be at a rally event this week, as there’s a race car driver with a long history with the brand. However, any collaboration we do has to align with the Sinn DNA—like when a high-altitude jumper broke a world record wearing a Sinn watch.

ESQ: Why doesn’t Sinn sponsor competitions or celebrities?

SM: We’re still a small brand compared to others, and sponsoring can be expensive. Also, it doesn’t really fit our brand ethos. We prefer that people wear Sinn watches because they love them, not because we paid them to. We want our wearers to be passionate about the technology and design, not just celebrities doing it for money.

ESQ: In a hypothetical "Watchmaking Olympics," what events do you think Sinn would win gold in?

SM: (Laughs) Definitely in the extreme diving category! We’d have a great chance there with our UX model, which can go as deep as you can imagine—the watch will always go deeper than you. I’d also say we’d perform well in any piloting event, especially anything involving legibility during flights. If there were an event for timing loops while flying, Sinn watches would certainly be a top contender!

ESQ: What do you see are the biggest challenges facing the watch industry in the next decade?

SM: Well, we’re already seeing a bit of a challenge now. After the COVID period, which was actually a good time for watches because people were home and getting into collecting, we've had to adjust. Brands received a lot of attention during that time, and coming down from that high has been a bit of a reality check. Now, we need to work harder to keep people’s interest. We have to stay innovative, creating watches that continue to excite people and validate their passion for horology.

ESQ: And what about opportunities?

SM: There are plenty of opportunities! Online marketing, new forms of exhibitions, and different ways of sharing content—whether through social media, online retail, or even bespoke experiences in person—are all exciting areas. The key is finding your niche and creating unique experiences. It’s not about right or wrong; it’s about how focused and innovative you are in your approach.

ESQ: What do you think sets Sinn apart from other brands?

SM: I think it’s our commitment to practicality and precision. We don’t just make watches to look good, though of course, they do! We make them to serve a purpose, whether it’s for aviation, diving, or even niche fields like rescue operations. Our goal is to create a tool that can be relied on in extreme conditions, and that’s something that resonates with a lot of our customers. When you wear a Sinn, you’re wearing a piece of precision engineering.

We all know about bees, and how they're a keystone species because of the vital role they play in pollination. We also know about the disastrous consequences if they were to stop pollinating plants (shoutout Barry, I loved Bee Movie).

But let's talk about rhinos for a moment because they just don't get the attention they deserve. As a fellow keystone species, they play a crucial role in the structure and foundation of our ecosystem. Their presence alone supports biodiversity, promotes ecosystem health, and maintains balance. For example, every time a rhino rolls around in mud, it creates a natural waterhole that other animals rely on for drinking. Every time they feed on large amounts of grass, it helps prevent overgrowth, allowing smaller animals to feed. It also simultaneously reduces the risk of wildfires as dry grass can become fuel if left unchecked. You see the point—letting this species go extinct would be catastrophic.

This is where SORAI steps in. Otherwise known as Save Our Rhinos Africa and India, SORAI is a rhino conservation organisation founded by former international cricketer and Hublot ambassador Kevin Pietersen. As a "socially conscious enterprise", their aim is to bring people and businesses together to build a more sustainable approach to conservation. Since 2018, they've supported grassroots organisations that rescue abandoned, injured, and orphaned endangered species and rehabilitate them where possible.

Hublot recognises the importance of rhino conservation, so they're getting in on the action. They're partnering with SORAI once again to release the Spirit of Big Bang SORAI, a 30-piece limited-edition of the iconic tonneau-shaped hand-wound tourbillon. As the fourth collaborative watch between both entities, part of the proceeds from the watch's sales will be donated to the organisation as it continues fighting to protect the rhinos.

We catch up with Pietersen to learn more about SORAI's efforts, the story behind the new watch, and how the rest of us can pitch in to help these mystical beasts stick around for a few more millennia.

ESQUIRE SINGAPORE: SORAI has been making strides in rhino conservation since its inception, can you share a significant moment that ignited your commitment to found this organisation?

KEVIN PIETERSEN: There wasn’t a singular moment but it was just a generic continuation of all the conservation and awareness that I have been doing since 2013, because it was 2018 when SORAI started and when I launched the brand and thought of the brand, so it was just a stepping stone in a direction where we thought that we need to up our game in making sure that we continue to raise awareness and significant sums of money and get more people involved.

ESQ: Can you tell us about the most significant achievements of SORAI since its inception?

KP: Significant achievements so far, I don’t want to talk about SORAI, I don’t want to talk about Hublot. What I want to talk about is the fact that rhino poaching seems to be on the decline at the moment which is exactly why we started doing what we are doing and exactly why we are sitting here now, because of the incredible sums of money that has been raised, because of the targeted direction of where those funds go.

We’ve been very specific on what we spend our money on because we know that if you are specific and you work with trusted organisations and you funnel all the money in the right way, you will make a difference. If you just shoot a lot of money into the air and think, “Hey guys, go and enjoy yourselves” then that’s where you become stuck, especially in a country like South Africa. We have been very targeted on technology, on running the sanctuary, on education and kids. We’ve seen lots of success and when you talk about the rhino numbers coming down it makes you smile.

ESQ: What do you want the buyers of this watch to feel or understand about their purchase?

KP: The togetherness, the unity and the people. This is about the people, this is really about the men and women, the boys and girls that live in the area and are part of a huge responsibility in looking after a keystone species.

ESQ: How the proceeds of this watch allocated within SORAI’s initiatives?

KP: It’s for the people, education and technology. The first edition was for “Care for Wild”, that’s why this is so important because of the ability it gives us with the US dollar to convert it into Rands and US dollars goes a long way when it comes to Rands.

ESQ: How can everyday people contribute to the rhino conservation?

KP: We recently set up a SORAI Rangers Program which comes from the need to build a human fence. Everybody around the world can in some way shape a form and feel they can make a difference. So we set up a subscription program where people can subscribe for as little as one pound a month and they can feel like they are a part of the human fence no matter where they live and that goes at an incredibly long way in helping us protect these keystone species.

If someone handed me a pen and asked me to sketch the most majestic, elegant, and imperial-looking watch I could imagine, I wouldn’t—frankly, because I can’t draw. But if I were to describe it, it would probably look something like this Datograph Handwerkskunst from A. Lange & Söhne.

Hand-stitched dark brown alligator leather strap, a deployant buckle, a case made from 18-karat yellow gold contrasted by a black-rhodiumed dial, Roman numeral-inspired indices, an intricate movement composed of 426 parts, and a flyback chronograph. This is A. Lange & Söhne’s Datograph Handwerkskunst, a timepiece so dreamy it had me daydreaming of hypothetical situations. The features highlighted would typically be touted as the key selling points of any watch, but I haven’t even touched on the most interesting aspects of this one yet.

The Movement

Comprising of 426 parts and 43 jewels, the Lange manufacture calibre L951.8 is a manually wound movement that aptly represents the pinnacle of A. Lange & Söhne’s meticulousness and artistry. Assembled and decorated entirely by hand, the calibre’s architecture features black-polished chronograph levers. This rare, time-consuming technique causes the surface to reflect light only from specific angles, appearing jet black at times, and glossy at others. The hand-engraved balance cock, adorned with a delicate vine motif, rises subtly from the surface, setting the mood for the rest of the movement. The untreated German silver plates and bridges contribute to a sense of organic growth within the movement. Would it be remiss to suggest that the overall architecture of the movement is reminiscent of intertwining vines? You can be the judge of that by examining the caseback, where every polish, grain, and engravement is showcased, revealing the hard work of the artisans’.

This movement powers a 60-hour power reserve and a flyback chronograph with a precise jumping minute counter, allowing for seamless resets and efficient timing adjustments. The outsize date display, a signature of the house creates an elegant symmetry so pleasing it could bring tears to Leonardo da Vinci’s eye. All this can be adjusted through a crown for winding and setting, two chronograph buttons, and a button for rapid correction of the outsize date.

The Dial

Immediately, the surface of the black-rhodiumed dial is what draws eyes. Brought to life by an intricate tremblage engraving—a historical technique practised by very few artisans due to the years of training required—it creates a fine-grained, 3D texture that captures and reflects light in subtle ways, lending the 41mm timepiece a certain air of mystery rarely seen in modern watchmaking.

As the eighth model in A. Lange & Söhne's special HANDWERKSKUNST series, the Datograph Handwerkskunst is limited to just 25 pieces worldwide, but it makes sense. I’ll let Anthony de Haas, Director Product Development explain, “Manually executed with the highest degree of precision, the decorations and finishing exhibit aesthetics that no machine in the whole world could possibly achieve.”

Do you smell the scent of burning rubber on asphalt? Do you hear the sounds of powerful jets roaring through the sky? If you think about it, these sensations aren’t just noise, they’re the essence of the mechanical marvel of human achievements. Bell & Ross, inspired by this, are releasing a duet of watches—BR-X5 Racing and BR-03 Horizon—that mimic the powerful machines that dominate both land and sky, bringing the spirit of high-speed racing and aviation directly to your wrist.

On the ground, the BR-X5 Racing takes center stage—an automatic timepiece that draws inspiration from the dashboards of racing cars. Just as horological precision is king in the world of high-performance racing, the central seconds hand of the model features a “checkerboard” type graduation, capable of slicing time down to a quarter of a second. Echoing the DNA of supercars, the watch uses a featherlight woven carbon plate integrated into a robust titanium body. All this is packed into a 41mm case that protects the COSC certified in-house BR-CAL.323 caliber. And because Bell & Ross are so confident of this movement, they’ve guaranteed 5 years of precision and reliability. There’s no sense in hiding it either, so it's on display through a large, tinted window in the middle of the dial, as well as through an open caseback.

The power reserve indicator located at 9 o’clock is particularly interesting. Once 70 hours is up and the needle moves from the indicator marked with “F” for full, to “E” for empty, you’ll know it's time to wind the watch again. With only 500 limited pieces floating around the market, the watch probably won’t make you drive any faster, but it could certainly make you feel like you could.

Instrumental to aviation

Look up, the BR-03 Horizon might just be soaring overhead. Similar to its racing counterpart, the watch lifts the design elements of a dashboard in the cockpit of an aircraft. There’s a slight twist though, the dial mimics an earth-and-sky concept: the upper blue area represents the sky, while the darker lower half represents the earth. A large white hand indicates the minutes, while a black and white striped one marks the seconds. What makes this watch stand out from others, however, is how the dial rotates, doubling as an hour hand through a large central indicator arrow. The BR-03 Horizon not only improves on what was thought possible for legibility in a watch, but completely reinvents it.

Encased in micro-blasted black ceramic, the watch houses the BR.CAL-327 automatic movement, offering a power reserve of 54 hours. With only 999 pieces available, the chances of one actually flying overhead is likely slim to none. But don’t rule out the possibility of another Bell & Ross timepiece ticking away on the wrist of the pilot on your next flight. After all, this is just one of their many “instrument watches” that continue to push the boundaries of aviation timekeeping—but you probably already knew that.