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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Felipe Pantone, who cut his teeth spray-painting walls as a pre-teen graffiti artist has become a global sensation for his bold, kinetic creations. His signature style, characterised by vibrant colour gradients, geometric shapes, and optical illusions that seem to vibrate and move with the viewer’s perspective has now found its way onto a new canvas: the ZENITH DEFY Skyline Tourbillon.
Limited to a mere 100 pieces, the DEFY Skyline Tourbillon Felipe Pantone retains pretty much everything you loved from the original model, but with a few twists. It features a 41mm octagonal stainless steel case and showcases a tourbillon mechanism with a lightning bolt bridge—a recurring motif in Pantone's art—executed in a stunning gradient of metallic rainbow tones. The watch dial, crafted from sapphire, displays a micro-engraved pattern that creates a moiré visual effect, adding to its hallucinogenic nature. Then again, time itself is a dizzying concept, so this piece makes a fitting tribute.
In this interview with Pantone, we delve into the mind of one of contemporary art’s most daring innovators and discover how he transforms a timepiece into a kinetic masterpiece.
ESQUIRE SINGAPORE: What were the biggest challenges and rewards of this collaborative process?
FELIPE PANTONE: One of the biggest challenges was finding the perfect balance between honouring the technical mastery of Zenith and infusing it with my artistic vision. Watchmaking is a field steeped in tradition, and pushing boundaries within that framework required a lot of careful consideration. However, the reward was immense—seeing a concept that originated in my mind take shape in such a finely crafted, functional object. It’s not just art you can see, but art you can wear and experience in a very personal way.
ESQ: What do you hope the watch will evoke in people who wear it?
FP: I hope it serves as a reminder of the dynamic, ever-changing world we live in. The watch is more than just a timepiece; it's a symbol of energy, transformation, and the blending of past and future. I want people to feel a sense of movement, not just in the mechanics of the watch, but in their own lives as they navigate through time.
ESQ: How did you balance personal expression with the commercial expectations of the watch industry?
FP: Balancing personal expression with commercial expectations is always a tightrope walk. But I see it as a challenge that can lead to innovation. For this project, I focused on how my style could complement the craftsmanship of Zenith, rather than overshadow it. The key was to stay true to my aesthetic while also respecting the heritage and precision that Zenith is known for. It’s about creating a dialogue between art and industry, where both can thrive.
ESQ: Can you describe a eureka moment you had during the design process?
FP: The eureka moment for me was when I realised how to integrate the lightning bolt motif into the tourbillon bridge. It’s a recurring element in my work that symbolizes energy and speed, and it fit perfectly into the watch’s design language. This wasn’t just a visual enhancement—it was a conceptual bridge between my art and the intricate mechanics of watchmaking. That moment was like seeing two worlds come together seamlessly.
ESQ: Are there any other mediums you'd like to explore in the future?
FP: Absolutely, I’m always looking to push the boundaries of where my art can go. Architecture and interior design are already in my sights with Casa Axis, but I’m also fascinated by virtual and augmented reality. These are mediums that allow for an entirely new kind of interaction with art—one that can be immersive and multi-sensory. It’s the next frontier for blending the digital with the physical in a way that challenges perceptions.
ESQ: How do you overcome creative blocks?
FP: I find that stepping away from the work and immersing myself in other forms of creativity often helps. Whether it’s listening to music, traveling, or even just spending time in nature, these experiences tend to unlock something in my mind. Sometimes the solution isn’t to push through the block but to change your perspective until the path forward becomes clear again.
ESQ: What book, film, or piece of music has had a profound impact on you recently?
FP: Roxy Music’s "In Every Dream Home a Heartache" has been on my mind a lot lately. The song starts off as a reflection on materialism and the hollow pursuit of perfection, but then it takes an unexpected, almost eerie twist. That shift from something seemingly mundane to something profoundly unsettling is fascinating to me. It’s a reminder that what we see on the surface is often just a façade, and that the deeper layers are where the real story lies. That kind of unexpected transformation is something I strive to capture in my own work.
The DEFY Skyline Tourbillon Felipe Pantone is limited to 100 pieces that will be available from ZENITH online and physical boutiques, as well as with select retailers, worldwide from 12 September at 14:00 CEST
When, last year, customs officers at Los Angeles Airport spotted a number of small packages marked "bracelet’, "decoration" and "wall clock", their suspicions were aroused. And, rightly so. Opening them, they found USD1.3m worth of watches: Panerais, Patek Philippes, Omegas and lots of Rolexes. Or, at least, that’s what they would have cost had they been real. In fact, all 41 of the watches were fakes.
They also represent just a tiny fraction of the global trade in counterfeit watches, sales of which boomed over the pandemic, as the bored or comfortably-off looked online to fulfil their horological cravings. Figures are hard to rely on but upwards of an estimated 40 million fakes are circulated every year, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, some 25 per cent more than the Swiss watch industry produces itself.
Those fakes make for a business worth USD3 billion dollars a year—with a record year of 2013 seeing 90,000 fakes confiscated in Dubai alone, the city the Federation identifies as one of the key strategic storage hubs through which fakes are then exported internationally in those many small packages. Watches now account for between 20 and 35 per cent of all sales of counterfeit consumer goods—that’s despite them being illegal in most countries.
Not that this seems to dissuade anyone buying a fake. Or those who manufacture them—mostly in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and, chasing cheaper labour, increasingly Vietnam and Thailand—often on sophisticated factory lines also making legitimate parts for the legitimate watch industry. They’ll take an order for so many “Rolex-style” cases, for example, as they would for any other watch component. Bit by bit these various components come together at various locations and, at some nebulous point involving the application of brand names, a look-a-like becomes a counterfeit and a criminal matter.
“The battle against the counterfeit watch market is very hard to win. It’s really about reducing their visibility as much as possible, about intervening on a diplomatic and political level,” says Yves Bugmann, president of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. “Counterfeiters want to benefit from the value that often world-famous watch brands have created, and people want to access a certain social prestige that counterfeits present. But while some of them we just can’t influence, we find quite a lot do respond to a good argument.”
The problem is, perhaps, that no one of these arguments is a killer. Those countering the counterfeiters speak, for example, of the risk of buyers exposing themselves to malware, or to having their credit card details stolen—this does happen but the sophistication of the online marketplace, and the guarantees that underpin it, make this increasingly unlikely.
They speak too of the poor quality of counterfeit watches: the cheap metals, the likelihood of them lasting not long at all, their inability to fool anyone that they’re the genuine article. But that was then. We’re now in the era of the so-called “super- fake”, even of the ultra-fake. The counterfeiters’ embracing of the latest manufacturing technologies, from CNC machines to 3D printers, means the top-notch counterfeit today is all but indistinguishable from the real thing, at least to the naked eye of a non-expert. Knowledge accumulated over time means the fakers have only got better, and faster, at what they do. That’s concerning when, it’s been argued, the less distinguishable a fake watch becomes from the original, the more consumers become unwilling to pay the premium for the real thing.
Pre-owned watch dealer Watchfinder & Co noted in a 2023 report that five years ago 80 per cent of counterfeit watches sent into its stores were easily identified as fake, with 20 per cent needing closer inspection. Now those figures have been reversed. Of course, this is an aesthetic judgment, a question perhaps of less-than-perfect finishing; the counterfeit may still be well-made and contain a dependable movement, but it will lack the technology—in terms of materials and movement—of the genuine article. Some fakes can only be spotted in being handled—the hand-setting is off, or in daylight the colour isn’t quite right—which is no good to the online buyer.
“The fact is though that the counterfeiters’ emphasis is on the look of the watch because that’s all the guy who buys a counterfeit really cares about,” explains Fabrice Gueroux, author of Real & Fake Watches and an independent authenticator for many high-rolling collectors. “Yes, you can sometimes close your eyes and hold a counterfeit in your hands and there’s something that doesn’t feel right about it, but you need deep knowledge of the genuine watch for that and, of course, that’s what most people don’t have. With enough time even the best fake shows itself, and the best ones have put in the extra time on the paintwork, the fonts, the bracelet. But even I’m surprised by just how good a counterfeit can now be”.
That, he explains, is down to two factors. On the one hand, Gueroux laments, “the quality of some Swiss watches is not as high as is always claimed—so the borderline difference in quality between counterfeit and genuine watch can make spotting those counterfeits the hardest. With some brands [typically those seeking an especially high margin] the quality of the counterfeits is actually better...”
On the other hand, counterfeiters—and he says there are five mega-factories in China that collectively dominate counterfeiting, and which are known to make many millions of fake watches every year—used to have little competition and few, closely protected distribution channels. Now they have lots of competition and the internet has blown the market wide open, necessarily pushing quality up.
“Sure, many people buy a counterfeit because they just want the same look at the best quality for the cheapest price,” says Gueroux, “and they know that the real thing would cost, say, USD20,000. But then that person sells that watch on as ‘genuine’ and prices it accordingly to be convincing. And so on, such that there are so many good counterfeits [passing as genuine] on the market now.”
As for those Swiss makers still at the top of their games, they’re left facing off their counterfeiters, locked in an unending arms race of serial numbers, hallmarks, engravings and holograms—and, eventually, their inevitable copies too. “[And while] there are a lot of technical anti-counterfeiting and traceability measures now being used and developed,” notes Bugmann, “ultimately they’re of no use if the consumer deliberately wants to buy a fake”.
It does make the Swiss industry rightly worried about buyers being duped with, say, a dodgy IWC or Hublot though. And the most well- heeled and well-connected buyer can fall foul: the Brazilian footballer Neymar, rapper Little Baby and musician John Mayer have all bought watches they only later found out were counterfeit, leading to legal action in some cases.
Even brands and expert valuers can be conned: the most expensive Omega ever sold at auction, a supposed 1957 Speedmaster sold for USD3.4 million by Philips to Omega in 2021, turned out to be a so-called “Frankenwatch”, put together using parts from various vintage watches. Embarrassment perhaps prevents other stories of being duped from circulating; or, perhaps, people are just not duped in this way all that often.
Watchfinder & Co suggests that one in five watch buyers have been victims of purchasing a fake watch, the kind of figures, no doubt, that incentivised Rolex to take ownership of the problem by launching its own certified pre-owned programme in 2022. Of course, many other buyers—the small majority, according to one study—know full well that they are buying a fake watch. After all, the vast majority of fakes—Rolexes with quartz movements and the like—are still obviously so.
The counter-counterfeiters even make the appeal to guilt. There’s the rather tired line about morally minor crimes—as they may be perceived—being used to fund major ones, the likes of human or drug trafficking, though this is more a bogeyman argument than one that’s well-evidenced. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry speaks of counterfeiting’s negative impact on employment and revenue—to the tune of EUR1.9 billion annually—across the legitimate industry.
But the vast majority of people buying a fake would not buy the real thing were the counterfeit not available—they couldn’t afford it, yet still crave the status power that in part makes the genuine brands so appealing. This is especially the case in rapidly developing economies where peer comparison pressures are more stark. Indeed, the first in-depth studies of why sales of counterfeits are growing—led by Dr Xuemei Bian, professor of marketing at Northumbria University, UK—suggest that the motivation for buying a fake is far more sophisticated, and twisted, than the simple fact that of its relative affordability.
“One clear driver in purchasing [counterfeit watches] is the thrill of the hunt,” she argues. “There’s a fun factor in finding the best counterfeit for the right price. There’s a sense now of people who buy counterfeits belonging to a kind of ‘secret society’, one that’s curious about the original items and the counterfeits alike, especially in relation to their quality. There’s a transfer of the interest they would have had in the original article to the counterfeit. It’s a gateway to enjoying Rolex and other brands”.
In other words, Dr Bian’s research reveals, there is a growing culture of counterfeit buyers who buy them out of admiration for the artistry inherent in the fakery, as one might take a pleasure in just how convincing a fake Renoir is relative to the original. What’s more surprising, Dr Bian adds, is the incorrect assumption that counterfeit watches are only bought by those who can’t afford genuine ones.
“We found that even affluent people who can buy the real article buy counterfeits,” she says. “In part that’s because other people are less likely to question whether their watch is real or fake. They look the part. In part because they just see mixing up their watches—real and fake—as fun, or a bit naughty.”
So what of the ethical question? Don’t people just think buying a counterfeit watch is wrong? The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie’s anti-counterfeiting campaign of a few years ago was based around the statement “Fake Watches are for Fake People”. But, Dr Bian argues, this highlights a disconnect between what a prestige watchmaker may think of as wrong, and what a consumer might.
Take, for instance, arguably the watch industry’s strongest case against counterfeits: the plain and simple one that it’s an infringement of their intellectual property, the investment the real makers have put into building the brand value that makes counterfeiting their wares worth it in the first place. This is not necessarily regarding design per se—this typically needs to be protected under patent, and when patents expire watch brands are free to copy one another’s designs, and maybe it doesn’t help their cause that they have done so most liberally—so much as of names, logos and other trademarked elements. A replica or ‘homage’ that’s a precise copy all except the branding isn’t a counterfeit— ethically maybe it is, but not usually in law.
“Of course a lot of people know what they’re buying even if the ad calls the counterfeit a ‘replica’ or some such kind of code. But what we’re dealing with here is theft of intellectual property, of the ‘Swiss-made’ label, of the maker’s reputation,” says Bugmann. “This can be frustrating for the industry especially given that, for the EUR300 you might spend on a fake, you could actually buy a good Swiss watch—maybe not one from a top luxury brand but from what’s still a prestige manufacturer.”
An affront to these intellectual property rights really can be detrimental to the top brands’ reputations too. If counterfeiters reduce the branded products’ exclusivity, people who could afford the real things are less inclined to buy them: if there are fake Rolexes everywhere, the appeal of the genuine article is limited, in part lest it too be considered a fake. Research by Moty Amar, professor of marketing at Ono Academic School, suggests that the moral disgust—to overstate it somewhat—felt towards a counterfeit not only negatively affects it use, but also attitudes towards the genuine item that, as it were, looks like the counterfeit.
“A copy of one of our watches—all copied except putting ‘Bell & Ross’ on it—is a counterfeit,” states Bruno Belamich, the brand’s co-founder, in no uncertain terms, “and that is an infringement of intellectual property rights. Counterfeit watches are not authentic products but imitations designed to copy the look and feel of the brand-name watch. It’s the desirability of the brand [that we have created] that’s ‘the cause’ of the desire to buy counterfeits.”
Unfortunately, further psychological studies have suggested that while the perceived risk can influence the rationalisation of why people buy counterfeits, ethical concerns—the likes of "what impact might I have on Cartier’s bottom line?"—don’t typically register at all. Yes, many strategies are used to dodge ethical consideration. Some see buying counterfeits as just making perfect consumer sense— they’re entertaining, cheap, almost disposable; others deny responsibility—"I’m merely the smallest cog in a long chain of events over which I have no influence"; while others argue that the market for counterfeits is beneficial to the brands copied. It’s a way of paying them a back-handed compliment.
Others, remarkably, even see their decision to buy a counterfeit as a form of retaliatory behaviour—a way of hitting back at brands they see as acting in a socially irresponsible way through their ‘unreasonably high’ pricing. But, whichever way you cut it, the idea that buying a counterfeit watch is in some sense wrong barely even figures, especially when it comes to dry legalistic matters of IP.
Besides, that’s only relevant to modern watches anyway. The whole world of fake watches is leaning towards ever greater complexity given the growing interest in vintage watches in recent years. Frankenwatches are said to now account for a fifth of all vintage watches sold in the US. Over the course of a watch’s lifetime it’s possible that the case will have been over-polished or the dial reconditioned; indeed, send a watch back to its maker for servicing and, until this vintage market won recognition, it was standard practice to make the watch look as new again as possible. But is a vintage watch with undisclosed reconditioned parts—perhaps reconditioned long before the current owner took possession—a counterfeit? Is, similarly, a customised watch, or a “modification”, in some sense counterfeit? These questions are still being worked through.
“Put modern hands on a vintage Monaco and it’s not exactly a counterfeit, and yet it will have a very real impact on its value,” stresses Jonathan Scatchard, founder of specialist dealers Vintage Heuer. “But the problem is that the quartz crisis [of the 1970s and 80s] caused all sorts of anomalies when so many Swiss watch companies went bust and parts were distributed and used across the industry. Authentification services have advanced considerably in recent years. But the vintage watch market has also made the question of what is a counterfeit and what isn’t even more of a grey area.”
And, adds Fabrice Gueroux, assuming that we will continue to live in a consumer culture that keeps telling us to define our self-worth through our possessions, it’s only going to get greyer still.
“The manufacturer can’t win this battle,” he states. “You have reality and you have PR. You see the manufacturers spending a lot of money on anti-counterfeiting tech but it’s all BS. They can’t keep up. You know the only way to tackle watch counterfeiters? It’s for manufacturers to push up the quality of their products, and to keep pushing. We’re getting to the point where that’s the only way that the fake watch is going to look fake.”
Originally published in Esquire ME
How do you respectfully honour another culture’s design legacy? Well, you call in the experts to make sure you get it right.
Which is exactly what the Swiss marque Vacheron Constantin have done for their latest Métiers d’Art Tribute to Traditional Symbols collection.
The set of four limited edition watches feature two interpretations of the “Seawater Cliff”, a famed Chinese motif that dates back to the Ming dynasty and was officially named under Emperor Wanli. VC artisans worked with the Former Associate Research Librarian of the Palace Museum, Mr Song, whose speciality field of study is the cultural tradition of Imperial China, to create dials that emulate a motif found on court buildings, furniture, porcelain, and most famously, Imperial dragon robes.
The Eternal Flow design is made via an originally Chinese technique called Jintai Blue, a form of cloisonné enamelling, which depicts mountain peaks caressed by tidal waves and set against a starry sky.
220 gold wires were used to delineate each part of the motif, taking over 50 hours to complete. Layers of enamel are then placed—how many is dependent on its colour and intensity—and it's fired in a kiln in between each coating. A polish and then an enamel coating is placed to enhance the final product.
The second design option, Moonlight Slivers, has a depth effect on a monochrome base. With hollowed waves, blue enamelled parts and raised diamonds set against a 18K white or pink gold (depending on which you choose) model, this style is a slightly more subtle option compared to the former.
It also uses enamel techniques, while the waves in the background are engraved into the dial to create volutes. Each sea tide is delicately hand-set with diamonds to evoke the moon slivers that inspired the name of this piece.
Behind the dial, the watches are powered by an in-house calibre 2460 with a 40-hour power reserve. The 22K gold rotor echoes the symbolism of the dial, since the oscillating weight is delicately engraved with a motif recalling the movement of waves and tides.
Originally published on Esquire UK
In 2022, TUDOR decided to embark on a venture to join the Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team as its main partner. With a common creed of pushing the boundaries of traditions and technology; TUDOR dove headfirst into the exciting world of yacht racing.
As the 37th America's Cup approaches (22 Aug–20 Oct), the spirit of partnership between TUDOR and Alinghi Red Bull Racing will test the waters of Barcelona. This will be TUDOR's foray into the world's most important sailing event.
TUDOR announced the release of two remarkable timepieces to celebrate the brand's entry into this competitive sphere: a time-only Pelagos FXD 42mm (25707KN) and the Pelagos FXD Chrono 43mm (25807KN). Both watches are part of the exclusive "Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition." Crafted from high-performance materials like carbon composite, titanium and stainless steel, within these robust bodies are the Calibre MT5602 (COSC) and MT5813 (COSC) movements, respectively; both self-winding and come with a 70-hour power reserve.
Mirroring the cutting-edge engineering of the Alinghi Red Bull Racing AC75 yacht, the "Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition" utilise a high-tech composite of titanium and carbon—a first for TUDOR. Inspired by the titanium hydrofoil, the titanium bi-directional rotatable bezel has a black matte-finished carbon composite insert and grade X1 Swiss Super-LumiNova luminous material for visibility. The racing blue of the AC75 yacht's carbon-fibre hull is reflected in the blue-matted dial, where the luminescent ceramic composite monobloc hour markers add that strikingness to the overall design.
The "Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition" timepieces have a black matte-finished carbon composite cases with fixed strap bars. On the stainless steel caseback is an engraved Alinghi Red Bull Racing logo. "Snowflake” hands—one of the many signatures of TUDOR divers' watches—are grade X1 Swiss Super-LumiNova luminous material filling. With all these factors, the "Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition" watches make formidable companions on the high seas.
On cresting waves and the sea-tanged winds, the elements may assail those who dare but the spirit of adventure and innovation often supercede boundaries. With TUDOR's partnership with Alinghi Red Bull Racing, that push against limits can propel them to greatness.
Discover the Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” watches at the TUDOR boutique by Cortina Watch at Raffles City, #01-37C or online.
Hublot teams up with renowned tattooist Maxime Plescia-Büchi fora collaboration series. With Plescia-Büchi’s assertive relief placed ontoHublot’s flagship Big Bang model, it becomes a welcomed alchemy. A magic circle trapped onto the dial if you will; attention is drawn towards these three-dimensional leylines etched onto the geometry of the watch.
Last year, Plescia-Büchi moved to the Spirit of Big Bang—where the Big Bang 42mm model is infused with a “barrel”-shaped case. In a reveal, the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu is a skeletonised automatic chronograph(HUB4700) with the date at 4:30, a 50-hour power reserve and are designed oscillating weight. Limited and fashioned in three materials—titanium, ceramic, gold—the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu took centrestage at the Salone del Mobile inMilan.
Once more into the breach, another Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu was released, this time in sapphire. The material’s transparency enhances the sharpness of Plescia-Büchi’s designs; with the only non-transparent elements being the crown, the pushbuttons, the screws on the case, the6 H-shaped screws on the bezel and the folding clasp. While it is as tough as a diamond (9 on the Mohs scale),the Spirit of Big Bang Sang Bleu in Sapphire is, unfortunately, impervious to being sold widely as it’s limited to only 100 pieces worldwide
If I had to compare Parmigiani Fleurier's Tonda PF Automatic 36mm to a film, it would be Legally Blonde. In case you're unfamiliar with it (ask to watch it with your partner, you're welcome), in the film, Elle Woods—played by Reese Witherspoon—is dumped by her boyfriend because he needs a serious, elegant and book-smart woman to be his wife. In an effort to prove that blondes have brains too, she applies to Harvard’s law school. Her admittance essay-video is sparkly and bubbly, her resume is pink and perfumed, and her outfits to court are unapologetically flamboyant and effervescent. By the movie's end, she’s delivering the commencement speech at graduation as a top student in her class, her identity still intact.
Besides the obvious connection between Elle's blonde hair and the watch's gold colour, I spy much of the film’s themes reflected in the new collection of timepieces from Parmigiani Fleurier. A major gripe I often hear about “women’s” watches is that they’re too wrapped up in how they look, as opposed to how they really function—I hope you see where this is going. Parmigiani believes, however, that a woman’s watch can be many things at once—sparkly, pragmatic, and powerful. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève affirmed this belief by awarding the Women’s Watch Prize to the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm in 2022. Given its impressive pedigree and the values it represents, this timepiece could make a meaningful gift for your partner.
The Tonda PF Automatic 36mm challenges the notion that women's watches prioritise aesthetics over functionality. The PF770 calibre powers the watch, boasting a 60-hour power reserve with its automatic winding movement. A skeletonised oscillating weight ticks at a smooth 4Hz above the calibre, with its beautiful Côtes de Genève visible through the sapphire caseback. More impressively, they’ve managed to squeeze all this into a slender 36mm case, greatly reduced from the typical 40mm that the house has stuck to for many of their Tonda PF models. This blonde's packing some serious precision.
Now that the technical stuff's out of the way, we can get to the part that will really get your partner going.
The collection will feature three different iterations: Sand Gold, Warm Grey, and White Citrine. The Sand Gold Dial materialises from 18-carat pink gold and 232 precious diamonds, embellishing everything from the indexes and bezel to the bracelet's edge. A grainy textured dial creates an intriguing juxtaposition against the delicate and silky exterior of the watch.
The Warm Grey Dial cater to the purists; crafted entirely from 18-carat pink gold, this model rocks a dark dial that spotlights the baguette-cut diamond hour markers, which also trace the bezel. For something with slightly more finesse, the White Citrine Dial artfully marries stainless steel with rose gold, creating a contrast that magnifies the warmth of the precious metal. Usually I'd apply the adage "less is more" here, but the addition of baguette-cut diamond hour markers suggests otherwise. After all, in a collection like the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm, less is never really quite an option—but it never is when it comes to your partner, wouldn't you agree?
You'd probably find it odd holding a Bvlgari Aluminium for the first time. You heft it in your hands, unsure of its weight. It’s undeniably metal, but the light, cool, matte aluminium feels unlike any watch you’ve encountered. Then there is the rubber bracelet, each supple piece of rubber linking to the next, softly swivelling on partially exposed joints. You can’t quite put a finger on its design either—is it a sporty watch? Contemporary? You'd wager it’d look equally at home paired with a suit though. The Bvlgari Aluminium is complex, avant-garde even, but it’s a haute horlogerie affair, and this one is unmistakably Bvlgari.
It’s 1998, Bvlgari, a titan of luxury, just revealed its latest collection—a luxury watch line made from two heretical materials: aluminium, a material typically relegated to soda cans, and, well, rubber. It was a defiant move that sent shockwaves rippling through the realm of haute horlogerie. Little did Bvlgari know, this one step would propel the brand into the future, and it was dragging the entire watchmaking industry along with it, whether they liked it or not. Just ask what Apple thinks of aluminium watches.
Having received acclaim as an iconic watch at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2020, Bvlgari finally took its celebrated timepiece out of its award case and unveiled the second generation in the same year. The Bvlgari Aluminium returns in 2024 with three new models—a black GMT model, an emerald green chronograph, and a white automatic version—and they’re arriving with upgrades.
While each differs in capabilities, all three variations share a hallmark: the unabashed “BVLGARI • BVLGARI” signature carved around the 40mm watch face—its stirring arrogance inspired by the names of past Roman emperors stamped on coins, subdued by the black velvety surface of the rubber bezel. Born out of FKM rubber—a notoriously durable material in watchmaking—its bracelet features rectangular rubber blocks held together by pivoting aluminium links. This ensures a perfect drape on your wrist, providing an airy feel absent in most rubber straps while eliminating that clingy grip on sportier days. Though powered by different calibres, all three watches have a power reserve of 42 hours and water resistance of 100m.
As the only watch widely available in the collection, the Bvlgari Aluminium Black GMT builds upon its predecessors by introducing a Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) function, flaunting its capacity for dual-time zone capabilities. This serves as a homage to the inception of the Bvlgari Aluminium when it was brazenly printed onto the fuselage of an Alitalia Boeing 747, which, of course, shared a material common between them: aluminium. Speaking of which, Bvlgari has developed an alloy of aluminium designed to be more durable than the original 1998 collection. Set against an off-white dial, the black hands with luminous sword ends stretch towards the indices surrounded by a colour-coded GMT function with red representing day and black for night. Nestled deeper lies the Calibre B192, a self-winding mechanical movement that allows adjustments for seconds, minutes, hours, GMT hands, and the date to be made through the watch’s single crown.
In a nod to its Italian heritage, the limited-edition Chronograph Smeraldo draws inspiration from the alluring island of Capri. The name of the game is la dolce vita: picture yourself at the heart of Capri, wading in the turquoise water of the Marina Grande. The sand, so fine it feels like powdered sugar squishing between your toes. As you venture deeper, the water deepens just enough to lap at your calves. The water shimmering like shattered gemstones, an impossible emerald so vivid it seems to hold the entire sky itself captive. Here, you feel only the sun on your skin, the cool embrace of the water, and you let the breeze carry your soul into the ocean.
This scene is brought to life in the Chronograph Smeraldo that’s limited to just 1,000 pieces. Now, let’s talk design. Dark green dominates here, unifying the bezel and rubber bracelet to form a cohesive theme. Dark green hands sweep across a gradient dial, transitioning from white to turquoise—a reflection of the Capri coastline. The chronograph counters echo the same palette, hammering home the elegance and essence of an Italian summer. Just as the sun's energy fuels life on Earth, the automatic B130 mechanical movement powers the chronograph and date function of the watch. An engraving of the compass rose adorns the aluminium caseback, ready to rest flush against skin.
The White Automatic completes the 2024 Bvlgari Aluminium trilogy, embodying a blend of minimalist elegance and unflinching boldness, while capturing whispers of the Colosseum’s grandeur all at once. Perhaps the most striking piece in the collection, this limited edition watch evokes the spirit of '90s Bvlgari being draped in all white, mirroring the brand’s audacity back in 1998 during its initial release. The inspiration from ancient Roman coins is magnified by a sleek, one-toned aluminium white dial, creating an honest canvas that complements the splash of red added by the seconds hand. Rhodium-plated indexes and hands treated with Super-LumiNova® only add to the grandeur. Legibility is close to perfection with this timepiece, featuring the classic Bvlgari touch of a 12 and 6, and a clean date display at 3 o’clock. The White Automatic owes its soul to the Calibre B77, the reliable automatic mechanical movement that energised its predecessors.
From the functionality of the Black GMT to the Italian charm of the Chronograph Smeraldo and the minimalist Roman grandeur of the White Automatic, each Bvlgari Aluminium is a conversation starter. On its own, it's a watch that serves as a statement, a bold declaration that luxury can be redefined, that elegance can be found in the unexpected. But on your wrist, it’s a watch that not only speaks for itself as a symbol of supreme confidence in one's own artistry, but also one that undoubtedly screams Bvlgari, Bvlgari.
