This Week in Watches: April 4, 2020 Homebound Edition
Hello homebound friends, we welcome you to another episode of This Week in Watches for April 4, 2020. We have a decent amount of news today, so let’s get to it!
Ollech & Wajs COVID-19 Aid
It’s nice to know that while you’re homebound, there are companies at work trying to do the right thing. Zurich-based Ollech & Wajs sent a couple emails over the last week. Firstly, they’ve announced that every watch sold will result in a donation of 100 CHF to the Italian Protezione Civile. If you head to their site, you’ll learn that equates to roughly 10% of the sales price of most watches. Second, O&W is in the process of making and donating 10,000 surgical masks to front line professionals. Will this save the world? No, but this is a great effort from a really small brand — and it’s more than we’ve seen from most. Here’s more detail on their efforts.
Jaquet Droz Loving Butterfly Mineral Dials
It’s common to search for entertainment these days while being homebound. Why not entertain yourself by staring at the latest Jaquet Droz Automata in the form of the Loving Butterfly? These pieces feature a moving butterfly that happens to be driving the cherub, “Love” in a chariot. The watches are available in either a white or red gold case and contain some ridiculously crafted opal and onyx or mother-of-pearl dials. Whichever you choose, these 43mm watches are unique pieces and fitted with an automatic price. Find out more here on the brand’s official site. If you have to ask about the price, well…
Czapek is Collecting Rare People
Smaller brand Czapek sent us news that they’ve had it with us homebound characters doing nothing but reading and chatting about the current pandemic. Therefore, they’ve decided to debut a new ad campaign simply stating “We Collect Rare People”. Czapek calls it a tribute to the communities, their people, rarity, sharing passion, and identity. We’re not marketing gurus here, but we like it. More importantly, they’ve revealed the Aurora Borealis, a 42.5mm hand winding stainless watch with pure silver dial. The watch has a small seconds at 7:30 and power reserve/day indicator at 4:30. A run of 10 is available for a price of 16,000 CHF and more can be found here. I’d say that’s a beautiful watch.
H.Moser Watches in Vantablack
Moser is at it again with new releases and this time, they’re in Vantablack. We’ve discussed this paint before, but it absorbs something like 99.965% of all light. I’ve seen a BMW painted in the stuff and it’s a real treat for the eyes. It’s just so dark. A 39mm hand wound white gold Venturer model is available for $27,600 while a 42mm stainless Venturer will cost $26,600. That’s odd and I’ll take the gold!
A limited run of 50 PVD-coated steel Endeavour tourbillon models will cost $69,000. More information can be found here.
Corum Admiral 42 in Full Black
Continuing on the black watches theme, we have a new series of Corum Admirals in the dark hue. The Admiral is a sailing watch — speaking of which, I have a homebound sailing friend who is dying to hit the ocean blue right now — and uses nautical flags in place of traditional numerals. These flags, as it turns out, conform to the International Code of Signal standards for numbers 1-12. The 12-sided case remains, but PVD on steel makes an appearance along with black dials. Blue, red, yellow, green and orange are your choices for this 42mm CO 395 automatic-powered watch. 100 of each will be produced. The Corum site hasn’t been updated, but you’re welcome to keep checking.
HSNY Awards $55K in Financial Aid
In a good news story — not the kind most of us watch while being homebound — the Horological Society of New York (HSNY) has awarded $55,000 across 6 different students and two watchmaking schools. The HSNY is America’s oldest watchmaking guild and offers some all-around great educational programs and sessions. Learn more about the HSNY here and consider a membership.
Folks, that’s it for This Week in Watches. Stay safe, stay home and keep those hands clean!
