Words: Jemima Wilson
At Gentleman’s Journal, we’re always one step ahead when it comes to what’s new in horology, and in our Summer 2023 print edition, we round up the latest watch releases and timely news topics you should have on your radar this season.
The Perpetual 1908 pays homage to Rolex’s roots
1908 was the year Hans Wilsdorf devised the name ‘Rolex’ to sign his creations before he registered the brand in Switzerland. As an homage to that momentous year, Rolex has launched the Perpetual 1908, an elegant timepiece inspired by one of the first Rolex watches to be fitted with the Perpetual rotor. It is the first member of the new Perpetual collection, which is reinterpreting traditional watchmaking and the aesthetic heritage of Rolex for 2023. The 1908 is equipped with the calibre 7140 movement, unveiled this year, which includes the Chronergy escapement, Syloxi hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers. At the forefront of watchmaking technology, the movement enables the 1908 to display the small seconds, as well as the hours and minutes. Like all Rolex watches, the Perpetual 1908 carries Superlative Chronometer certification, which ensures excellent performance on the wrist.
IWC engineers new 21st-century sports watch
In the 1970s, IWC Schaffhausen commissioned renowned Geneva watch designer Gérald Genta to redesign the Ingenieur (meaning ‘engineer’ in German and French), a timepiece introduced in 1955. Launched in 1976, Genta’s remodelled Ingenieur featured a screw-on bezel with five recesses, a dial with a unique pattern and an integrated H-link bracelet. Earlier this year, IWC released a newly engineered automatic version of the Ingenieur Automatic 40, reflecting the bold aesthetic codes of Gérald Genta’s Ingenieur SL Reference 1832, while meeting the highest standards of modern ergonomics, finishing and technology. Powered by the IWC manufactured 32111 calibre with an automatic pawl-winding system and a power reserve of 120 hours, the collection includes three models in stainless steel and one in titanium, with ref IW328903 in steel featuring a particularly striking aqua-coloured dial.
Sync your watch to your supercar with Senturion
Established in 2013, Senturion is the only watch in the world that can be synchronised to the world’s top luxury car brands, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, Porsche, Bugatti and AMG. The limited-edition 41mm SW-C3 model is a skeletal masterpiece, requiring a total of 280 hours of craftsmanship to produce one timepiece. It features a black carbon fibre watch case milled from thin-ply carbon fibre, cut on the bias to expose the iridescent grain texture; an all-bespoke black sunbrush dial with highly polished lettering; a precision automatic Swiss movement; and a laser-etched PVD billet-machined Titanium caseback with a Senturion S logo and radial-brush finish. The single-click strap displays the signature key design, and features a hand-finished PVD titanium buckle.
The Vacheron Constantin Overseas line enters a new phase
Founded in 1755 and in continuous production ever since, Vacheron Constantin is the world’s oldest watch manufacturer. In 2016, the house made its Overseas watch the symbol of sporty-chic watch-making. New for 2023, the Overseas line now incorporates a retrograde display and a high-precision moon phase for the first time. At the heart of the Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date beats the in-house calibre 2460 R31L/2, while the blue-lacquered dial features a play on light, thanks to the velvet finish flange and sunburst satin-brushed centre.
New self-winding Travel Time model from Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe has recently added a new self-winding Calatrava Travel Time model featuring a distinctive 24-hour display to its range of travel watches and complications for everyday use. The polished rose gold case features curved two-tier lugs, with the traditional local-time correction pushers on the left side of the caseband replaced by a patented crown-operated correction system. The navy blue dial features hand-laid rose gold appliqued numerals and hour markers, and the timepiece is powered by the calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H movement.
Small but mighty: Longines Spirit Zulu Time 39mm
The latest version of Longines’ Spirit Zulu Time has been launched with a downsized stainless-steel 39mm case, following the first, larger model introduced in the Longines Spirit collection in 2022, featuring multiple time zones. The new 39mm models are available with a matt black, sand- blasted anthracite or sunray blue dial with a date window centred at the six o’clock position, and feature a bezel with a coloured ceramic insert. The highlight of the collection has an eye-catching 18K yellow gold bi-directional rotating bezel and crown, and an exclusive Longines calibre with a silicon balance-spring drives the time zone display.
Drive time: the Breitling Top Time B01 Ford Thunderbird
Breitling’s Top Time watch became a fast favourite among motor enthusiasts in the 1960s. The updated 1960s-inspired Top Time Classic Cars collection now includes the Top Time B01 Ford Thunderbird model, sporting a red strap, clean white dial, teal Thunderbird logo and red chronograph hands. The four watches feature the colours and emblems of their 1950s and 1960s sportscar counterparts, and are now all powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01, one of the most highly regarded chronograph movements in the industry, designed for maximum precision, reliability and functionality.
The Black Bay 54 recalls Tudor’s frst-ever dive watch
Tudor’s first dive watch, the Black Bay reference 7922, was released in 1954 and is the inspiration for the brand’s latest addition to the Black Bay line, the Black Bay 54. While all the watches in the Black Bay collection reference Tudor’s early dive watches, the new Black Bay 54 is the most true-to-form example of the reference 7922, with the 37mm case retaining the classic proportions of yesteryear, yet now containing the technical prowess of Tudor’s time-only manufacture calibre MT5400 and a 200m depth rating. The unidirectional bezel is devoid of any graduated hash marks, echoing the early 1950s, when Tudor produced watches for the burgeoning sport of scuba diving. The seconds hand also recalls the look of the original Black Bay reference 7922 with a lollipop design, and the redesigned crown and bezel both feature historical proportions, but with improved ergonomics.
A smaller case size for the new Panerai Radiomir Quaranta
Initially commissioned by the Royal Italian Navy, Guido Panerai’s Radiomir – a radium-based substance that illuminates in the dark – was patented in 1916, and the first Panerai Radiomir watch became a legendary divers watch in the 1940s, worn exclusively by the military until the 1990s. Launched earlier this year, the Radiomir Quaranta is the contemporary interpretation of Panerai’s first-ever watch. Meaning ‘40’ in Italian – to denote the 40mm case size, a reduction of the 47mm original Radiomir case – it is set in a polished GoldtechTM case, a new gold material combining platinum and copper that gives an intense red appearance. This is matched with a white sun-brushed dial and a matt-brown alligator strap.
Chopard introduces its 36th Mille Miglia model
Chopard has added to its Mille Miglia watch collection annually, ever since it became sponsor and official timekeeper of Italy’s celebrated 1000 Miglia classic-car race in 1988. The partnership – the longest in history between a watchmaker and a motorsports event – has so far seen the creation of 35 watches in the Mille Miglia collection. Set for release in June 2023 as the 36th variation of the collection, the latest Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph model has a 40.5mm case – smaller than previous editions – and is powered by a self-winding chronograph movement. The decreased case size makes the new timepiece more aligned with the aesthetic of the historical cars competing in the 1000 Miglia, as well as less intrusive when driving, yet it also looks equally at home worn with eveningwear as it does with a race suit. It is made from Chopard’s exclusive Lucent Steel, which took four years to develop and gives an almost incandescent shimmer, as well as being 50 per cent harder than conventional steel.
Classic yachts set sail at the inaugural Richard Mille Cup
The first edition of the Richard Mille Cup was held from 10–25 June, and saw aficionados and collectors of historical yachts compete between Falmouth and Le Havre. The regatta included stopovers in renowned sailing landmarks Dartmouth and Cowes as part of a series of inshore and offshore races. “Classic yachts bear a living, breathing testimony to the highest values of workmanship, heritage and tradition passed on to us through centuries,” says Richard Mille. “By creating this challenge, we aim to set sail through history and to bring this high-end craft very much back to life.” The ethos behind the Richard Mille Cup is to promote the beauty and pageantry of handcrafted vessels, and the metre-high Richard Mille Cup trophy was designed and crafted by 1735-founded Garrard. The trophy’s dramatic windswept forms pay tribute to the elegance of sails in the wind.
MB Viper honours Bremont’s partnership with Martin-Baker
A celebration of true British engineering and innovation, the special-edition MB Viper is the result of more than 20 months of research and development. Limited to just 300 pieces, the model is based on a test instrument that was created to house and test the ENG 300 movement series through the rigorous Martin-Baker ejection-seat testing programme. The unique design of the watch honours Bremont’s desire to ‘Test Beyond Endurance’, while honouring the British watchmaker’s long-standing partnership with Martin-Baker, the world’s leading ejection-seat specialists.
Want more watches? Read about the best watches of 2023 (so far)…
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