This Week in Watches: September 19, 2020 Enjoyable Edition

It’s This Week in Watches for September 19, 2020 and I’ve dubbed this one the “Enjoyable Edition”. Why is that? Well, I think we have some nice news indeed.

Mido Belluna Royal

Sometimes, there’s something extremely enjoyable about a basic, nice looking watch. In fact, I’d say that’s what we have here with the new Mido Belluna Royal series. These watches feature a cushion case and guilloché style sunray dial. Interestingly, the shape is meant to evoke Royal Albert Hall in London. Putting the story aside, the gents watches come in at 41mm x 10.14mm thick and use the Powermatic 80. The ladies version uses the same movement, but measures 33mm. All have water resistance of 50 meters. Honestly, I really like the looks of these and aside from the smooth bezel, these actually remind me of the Omega Constellation Globemaster. What’s even better is that prices start in the €635 range. Further, you can view all the different options on the official Mido site.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 7234G

In 2015, Patek shocked everyone by introducing their Calatrava Pilot Travel Time ref. 5524G-001. While some felt it was not so enjoyable, it was actually inspired by the two aviation watches that Patek produced in 1936. In the years that followed, Patek Philippe added more variation to this aviation-inspired collection. Yesterday, Patek Philippe introduced another variation, the 7234G-001, a smaller variation of the 5524G that was introduced five years ago. First, this new Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time now has a diameter of 37.5mm, making it suitable for men and women, and features an elegant blue dial. Second, the white gold case has a very modest height of just 10.78mm, and is water-resistant to 60 meters.

Two timezones

The two pushers on the left side are used to correct the local time. First, press the upper pusher and the local time increases with one hour. Next, push the lower button and it decreases by an hour. The date is connected to local time. You will find two small apertures on the dial, with a day/night indicator. One is for the home time and the other is for local time. To prevent the local time from being advanced or reversed by accident, you can lock the pushers by rotating it 1/4th clockwise and unlock them by turning it counterclockwise. Between the lugs at 3 o’clock, there’s a corrector for the date.

Inside this 7234G is Patek’s caliber 324 S C FUS. It consists of 294 parts and has a rotor made of 21K gold. The power reserve of this movement is between 35 hours and 45 hours maximum. It ticks at a frequency of 28,800 vph. Finally, the retail price of this watch is $48,985 USD. However, it comes with two enjoyable straps! One in blue and one in brown. More information via Patek online.

Rado True Square

These days, people seem to find integrated bracelets enjoyable. Let’s see if they feel the same about pairing them with a square watch. Rado brings us the new True Square in a men’s version (38 by 44.2 by 9.6mm) with the ETA C07 80 hour automatic. Furthermore, there’s also a quartz ladies variant with a 29mm width. These watches use high-tech ceramic cases and bracelets and come in a variety of colors. Rado offers these with open dials and even diamond indices. All the watches are water resistant to 50 meters. Pricing ranges from €1,618 to €2,115 on the ladies and from €1,861 to €2,456 on the mens. More information along with online ordering is available directly at Rado.

Tropic Straps in 22mm

Now, here’s an enjoyable bit of news. We’re big fans of the new Tropic straps and now there’s more to love. The straps were released in 20mm and now we get 22mm versions. However, the Synchron Watch team has done some work to update the buckle to make it more flush with the strap and they’ve rounded things out by the spring bar area. Initially, blue, anthracite, black and green can be ordered for delivery beginning this October. Website pricing shows as $94.80, but I believe you can sign up for their mailing list and receive some discount options. More information can be found on the Synchron Store site.

Chronoswiss SkelTec and Opus Chronograph

Next, Chronoswiss sent us some noteworthy and enjoyable news. First, we have word of the new SkelTec watches. These contain the new in-house handwound C.304 caliber that keeps a focus on the brand’s minimalist skeletonized aesthetic. This new movement runs at 28,800 vph, has 48 hours of power reserve, and 21 jewels. Furthermore, the 45mm watch itself is available in a limited (50 pieces) stainless and DLC version for €17,700 and steel and gold model for €20,900.

Second, we have the updated Opus Chronograph keeps the automatic C.301 movement, but brings the case down to 41mm and a manageable height of just 12.7mm. Finally, a limited (50 pieces) blue and orange model comes in at €11,900 and joins a serial production stainless model at €11,500. Much more info is available on the Chronoswiss site.

Thanks for tuning in this week – have an enjoyable weekend!