Twenty-eight and one. In grim times, influenced by the Coronavirus, we’ll try to cheer you up with some good news on this bissextile day. Amidst cancellations of Time To Move, the Grand Seiko Summit, Watches & Wonders, and the latest victim Baselworld, we delve deep to help the watch industry survive. Here’s what we picked up for you this week.

Urwerk UR-111C Two-Tone

One of the most conceptually adventurous watches on the market, the Urwerk UR-111C, now comes in a striking two-tone, black physical vapor deposition (PVD) and brushed steel. The UR-111C TT comes with three innovative constructions in watchmaking. 1) A retrograde linear minute display, with numerals set in a 30° diagonal slant for good readability. 2) A seconds display with openwork Arabic numerals set onto two wheels, both rotating just one-tenth of a millimeter under a cluster of optical fibers. 3) A most particular new and fresh take on a crown, which is a roller system for winding and setting. Rolling will charge the watch’s self-winding movement. And when a small lever to the right side of the case is released, the same roller can be used to set the time.

…CHF 3,250,000

The dimensions of the UR-111C-TT are 42mm in width, times 46mm length, and a thickness of 15 mm. Urwerk will produce 25 pieces of this model, which will be offered at CHF 130,000 each (tax not included). For more information on Urwerk and their exceptional timepieces, please head over to www.urwerk.com.

Longines Conquest V.H.P.

Longines added new versions to their Conquest V.H.P. sports collection this week. Further to the models with a stainless steel bracelet, the new versions are now available on a leather strap. Two sizes – 41 and 43 mm – and three dial colors – silver, black, and blue – make up for 6 new models in total. As before, the precise and reliable Longines caliber L288 quartz movement indicates hours, minutes, seconds and a — perpetual calendar – date.

…a leather strap with triple safety folding clasp

The water-resistance of the new models remains 50 meters, and the anti-reflective sapphire crystal didn’t change as well. Good to know that the leather straps come with a triple safety folding clasp, and a push-piece opening mechanism. The price for the 43 mm models will be €910 while the 41 mm will set you back €880. More information: www.longines.com

 

Casio G-Squad GBD-H1000

Casio’s new GBD-H1000 combines toughness with functions for workouts. The GBD-H1000 is packed with no less than five-sensor functions. An optical sensor to measure heart rate by detecting the blood flow under the skin, a triple sensor that measures altitude/barometric pressure, compass bearing, and temperature. And an acceleration sensor that measures step count and distance traveled. Finally, the new watch comes with GPS functionality that acquires location information.

…plug-in hybrid

The GBD-H1000 is dual powered. It has a solar-charging system for regular daily use, plus a charging system with charging cable for its training mode. The training mode uses continuous GPS measurements plus the heart rate monitor function. Fully charged, the watch can be used in this mode for a maximum of about 14 hours. In time mode, which includes step count measurement and notification functions, the watch lasts about 12 months from fully charged, and without the use of solar power. All this functionality doesn’t come subtly — the GBD-H1000 measures a whopping 63 × 55 × 20 mm. Priced at €399 it will be available in May 2020. More information at world.gshock.com

Nomos Tangente Sport wins iF Award 2020

For the ninth time, the Glashütte-based watchmaking company Nomos won an iF Award design prize. In total, Nomos Glashütte has received around 160 prizes to date. This time the iF Award was for the Tangente Sport model. The Tangente Sport is Nomos’ latest automatic model. It’s based on the classic Tangente model but is more robust and sportier. It sports a screw-down crown, slightly domed sapphire crystal, and a neomatik date movement. The white silver-plated dial features a large date window at three o’clock, luminescent coloring on the hands and indexes, and a “1000 ft” inscription.

…award-winning price

The price for this iF Design Award-winning model, including the new Nomos Sport steel bracelet, is €3,850. More information on this specific model at the Nomos’ website.

 

Swatch Q watch

Two weeks ago Swatch presented an exclusive collection of six 007-inspired models. Following this launch, Swatch continues its mission with the release of a limited-edition watch, exclusively for No Time To Die. The seventh timepiece in the 007-collection was specially designed for Q (Ben Whishaw), the brain behind Bond’s greatest gadgets.

…worldwide launch on March 5th, 2020

The limited-edition Q watch (limited to 7007 pieces) was designed with Suttirat Anne Larlarb, the Costume Designer for No Time To Die. The stainless steel SKIN Irony model reflects Q’s timeless mix of tradition and futuristic innovation. It features a tartan plaid brown leather strap, sharp red edges and a sun-brushed dial showing off the watch’ mechanism. The Swatch Q will see its worldwide launch on March 5th, 2020, when the 7007 watches will go on sale for €200 each. More information is available at 007.swatch.com.

That’s it for this week. Please leave your comments below — we love to hear from you!

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