Whilst September was certainly a busy month in watches, October saw the pace quicken, with myriad limited editions, collaborations, and fresh colorways from notable watch designers hitting the market. While high-end makers such as Chopard and Jaeger-LeCoultre dropped luxury sports watches and complicated calendars, microbrands such as Oak & Oscar as well as bigger marques like Zodiac delivered the goods in the form of relatively affordable GMT and dive watches. Even Leica joined the mix this month, expanding its offerings to include a new, time-and-date watch in numerous finishes. Whether your budget is $1,000 or $100,000, there was certainly something for everyone this October, as our Best Watches of the Month will attest!
Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag
Let’s say you’re sick of one-for-one remakes of vintage watches — how about something with a bit more vim and vigor? In the colorful watch department, we’d highly recommend the new Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag, a collaboration between the good folks at Worn & Wound and Zodiac. You’re probably familiar with the Sea Wolf which, alongside the Rolex Submariner and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, launched the dive watch craze in 1953. But this one, available in two different colorways, is a different beast, with photoreactive elements that recall the luminescent aspects of a game of lazer tag. Measuring 40mm and water resistant to 200m, it’s a serious dive watch — but in a seriously fun package.
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: STP 1-21 automatic
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Price: $1,595
Bremont S302 Blue Green
There’s no denying that the Rolex GMT-Master is the prototypical GMT-equipped watch, and that anything that came after it is invariably seen as derivative. However, that doesn’t make Bremont’s new S302 Blue Green any less fun. One of the first watches to emerge under the leadership of tool watch designer extraordinaire Davide Cerrato, the Blue Green updates the brand’s travel watch with a dual-color, blue-green rotating bezel; an orange-tipped GMT hand; and a blue rubber strap (or brown leather or steel bracelet, should your prefer). Housed in a 40mm steel case with 300m of water resistance, it’s a hardy tool watch that’s meant to be used and abused, though its good looks mean that it’ll look plenty appropriate with something more formal than a pair of swim trunks, too.
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Bremont Calibre 11 1/2’’’ BE-932AV
- Water Resistance: 300m
- Price: $3,750
Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Moonphase Aventurine
You may not be aware, but Ulysse Nardin lays claim to one of the most interesting pasts in horology, having supplied marine chronometers to over 50 of the world’s navies during the 19th and 20th centuries. Its new Marine Torpilleur Moonphase Aventurine builds upon this legacy, albeit in a slightly more luxurious fashion: Measuring 42mm in stainless steel, it boasts a gorgeous, blue aventurine dial with a power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock and a combination- moon phase and small seconds totalizer above 6 o’clock. With its white Roman numeral indices, fluted bezel, and officer’s case, it bears clear inspiration from the maison’s past, but its in-house UN-119 movement silicon balance spring and DIAMonSIL escape wheel and anchor qualify it as a thoroughly contemporary timekeeper.
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Ulysse Nardin Calibre UN-119 automatic
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Price: $13,600
Big Bang Tourbillon SR_A by Samuel Ross
If forward-thinking designs are your bag, you’d do well to check out the new collab between Hublot and award-winning product and fashion designer Samuel Ross. A fresh take on the Big Bang Tourbillon, it reimagines the watch with a micro-blasted titanium housing with a grey monochrome finish, a grey rubber molded crown, and a matching tourbillon cage. Equipped with no fewer than three different rubber straps in bright green, black, or white, it features a web of hexagonal patterns extending from the bezel to the lugs — not to mention the manufacture Calibre HUB6035 movement with its 72-hour power reserve, skeletonized tourbillon, and self-winding micro-rotor. Limited to 50 pieces, it’ll set you back a cool $127K — but this, to be sure, is art as much as it is horology.
- Diameter: 44mm
- Movement: Hublot HUB6035 automatic
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Price: $127,000
Alsta Nautoscaph Bronze Silver
If you know Alsta, it’s probably due to the brand’s connection to Jaws, wherein Richard Dreyfuss can be seen wearing a cushion-cased Nautoscaph diver. Recently, the relaunched company released colorful new editions of its signature dive watch, including a handsome variant with a CuSn8 bronze case and a striking silver dial. (It’s also available with a black dial, if you prefer.) Based upon a “skin diver” design popular in the 1960s, its case will develop patina over time, lending each watch a unique, nautically inspired character. While its Seiko NH35 automatic movement helps keep the price down, 300m of water resistance and plenty of Super-LumiNova lume means that this is a serious tool ready for serious aquatic adventures.
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Seiko NH35 automatic
- Water Resistance: 300m
- Price: $825
In Conversation With Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne
The Saxon brand’s chief executive discusses the car-watch correlation among collectors, Lange’s partnership with Audrain and more
ID Genève Circular C
New eco-conscious brand ID Genève makes its U.S. debut with the Circular C, a watch that aims to maximize the use of recycled materials. Produced in conjunction with CompPair — a company that specializes in renewable materials — its octagonal design features a dial, bezel, and sides produced from recycled carbon fibers sourced from turbine manufacturing, while its recycled steel components are remelted in a solar furnace, and its strap is crafted from compostable, vegetal sources. Beyond its ecological bona fides, the watch itself has a compelling look, with traces of “luxury sports watch” aesthetics and proportions (41mm x 9.65mm) mixed with an interesting dial that references molecules in motion. While certainly not entry-level fair at roughly $6,000, it represents a look into the future of sustainable watchmaking.
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: ETA 2824 automatic
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Price: ~$6,138 (CHF 5,540)
Grand Seiko SBGW299
Contemporary Grand Seiko is such an embarrassment of horological riches that it can be difficult to recognize standout models. However, the new SBGW299 certainly calls attention to itself, albeit in a subtle, GS fashion: Based upon the proportions of the 1967 44GS, it’s a midsize, manually-wound model with a striking blue dial in a radial, sunray grain. The proportions of the stainless steel case at 36.5mm by 11.6mm are perfect, while Zaratsu polishing, carefully re-proportioned indexes and bezel, and a box-shaped sapphire crystal all deliver the typical, midcentury-inspired luxury we’ve come to expect from the brand. Paired to a matching steel bracelet and powered by the manually-wound Calibre 9S64, the SBGW299’s timekeeping accuracy exceeds chronometer standards.
- Diameter: 36.5mm
- Movement: Grand Seiko 9S64 hand-wound
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $5,400
Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue
In 2019, Chopard introduced a new line of luxury sports watches modeled upon its 1980s-era St. Moritz collection. Since then, the line has expanded tremendously to include all manner of complications, configurations, metals, and more, including a brand new version of the XL Chrono with a handsome Maritime Blue dial. Inspired by the colors of the Mediterranean, it’s powered by the Chopard 03.05-C automatic movement, which boasts impressive flyback capability and a triple-register display. With its integrated, black rubber strap and 44mm Lucent steel case, the Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Maritime Blue is just the ticket for someone searching for a luxury sports watch that sticks out from the crowd.
- Diameter: 44mm
- Movement: Chopard 03.05-C automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: ~$22,037 (EUR 20,800)
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph
Back in the 1970s, if you drove fast enough — on the track, that is — you might have found yourself the lucky recipient of a solid-gold Heuer Carrera, courtesy of Jack Heuer himself. These days, even if you don’t feel the need for speed, you can still get in on a piece of the automotive-inspired action with the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, a modern take on the vintage ref. 1158CHN. Housed in the brand’s contemporary, 39mm Carrera case, it’s crafted from a solid hunk of 18K 3N yellow gold and features a matching, gold-plated dial with contrasting black azuré chronograph totalizers. Paired to a sumptuous, black leather strap and powered by the brand’s Calibre TH20-00 automatic movement with an 80-hour power reserve, it looks every bit the winner’s watch — which is sort of the point.
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Calibre TH20-00 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $21,500
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon
If you’re in search of a contemporary take on a poetic complication, JLC’s Master Ultra Thin Moon should be at the top of your list. A new version only confirms this model’s elegant bona fides, pairing a 39mm pink gold case with a blue gradient dial that should jive perfectly with more formal attire. While some calendar watches are brimming with all manner of windows, displays, and indicators, the Master Ultra Thin Moon is much more subtle: It features applied gold triangular and dot indices with a matching dauphine handset, plus the pièce de résistance, a combination moon phase-and-date display above 6 o’clock. Automatically wound with a 70-hour power reserve, it’s certainly larger than vintage models with similar features — but it’s also the type of robust heirloom piece that’s intended to be passed down through the generations.
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 925 automatic
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Price: $23,000
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey
Want a serious, deep-diving tool watch with features and dimensions so robust that only the end of the universe as we know it could possibly result in its destruction? Try the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey. Omega reimagined its hardcore diver in silicon nitride ceramic (Si3N4 for all you chemistry nerds), lending it a stealthy aesthetic and light weight despite its substantial, 45.5mm diameter. Beyond its sandblasted dial, anthracite hands and indices, and Grade 5 titanium bezel body, it boasts myriad features that lend themselves to the professional (or merely “hardcore”) SCUBA diver: a patented NAIAD LOCK caseback and bezel ring, helium escape valve, 600m of water resistance, and the Omega Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8906 automatic movement. TL;DR, if you find yourself in the water frequently, this could very well be the perfect watch for you. (Oh, and did we mention it features a GMT complication?!)
- Diameter: 45.5mm
- Movement: Omega Co- Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8906 automatic
- Water Resistance: 600m
- Price: $22,000
Oak & Oscar Humboldt GMT Titanium
Of all the microbrands, few deliver the value that Chicago-based Oak & Oscar does in its unique tool watches. To wit, check out the newest iteration of the brand’s Humboldt GMT: Housed in a Grade 5 titanium case and weighing just 74 grams on its Horween leather strap, it features a handsome, dark green “sandwich” dial with plenty of Super-LumiNova; a 120-click, bidirectional bezel; 200m of water resistance; and the ultra-tough, Swiss-made Sellita SW330 automatic GMT movement with independently adjustable 24-hour hand. What’s more, the thoughtful design includes a 24-hour scale on the dial, meaning you can easily keep track of three time zones at once. (And, as an added bonus, the watch ships with Oak & Oscar’s first rubber strap, making for a versatile package that can do double duty as an adventure watch or as a more sedate, city slicking wrist accessory.)
- Diameter: 39.5mm
- Movement: Sellita SW330 automatic
- Water Resistance: 200m
- Price: $2,250
Bulova x Complecto Jet Star
The good folks at Complecto founded a watch collecting community built upon the principles of inclusion and diversity rather than exclusivity and stuffiness. Partnering with Bulova, they’ve released an excellent, vintage-inspired take on the former’s Jet Star watch that comes in well under $1,000 — and this despite a high-tech movement and an impressive feature set. For $750, you get a cool, turtle-shaped, 40mm stainless steel case with a grey dégredé dial; a stainless steel bracelet; and, most impressively, the Bulova Manufacture Precisionist High Precision Quartz movement with an accuracy of +/- 5 seconds per month. Limited to 100 pieces, it ships with two extra straps, including a Bulova black leather strap and a bespoke Delugs charcoal Alcantara strap with contrast stitching. With its funky ‘70s looks, impressive movement, and compelling price, this is easily one of the best horological values of the year.
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Bulova Manufacture Precisionist High Precision Quartz
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Price: $750
Leica ZM11
When top-shelf camera maker Leica burst onto the horological scene back in 2018, it did so with two complicated pieces, the L1 and L2. Now, the German marque is simplifying down with the brand new ZM11, a streamlined, time-and-date luxury sports watch in the mold of similar pieces from IWC, Chopard, etc. Available at launch in three iterations with three different strap choices (vulcanized rubber; Cordura fabric; or integrated stainless steel or Grade 5 titanium bracelet), it’s a relatively straightforward, crown guard-less sport piece with a 41mm diameter, 100m of water resistance, and a cool gradient dial with a raised, horizontal motif. Highly legible, it’s somewhat of a chameleon, taking on a more luxurious aspect in its Midnight Blue iteration and a decidedly toolish/military vibe in its Coffee Black edition. While its pricing may scare some potential customers away, diehard Leica devotees are sure to be pleased.
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Chronode/Leica LA-300
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Price: $6,775-$8,150
More Like This
This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.