This summer, we witness the release of a host of new watches that made their debut a few months back and are finally making their way to stores. New timepieces, though, are no easy feat to get right. Watch brands and designers spend a great deal of time and effort researching archives, talking with companies or ambassadors they collaborate with, and looking at their surroundings — all in an effort to find the inspiration that is just right for the brand to make for a winning look. Some brands are inspired by the worlds of motorsports, aviation, space, exploration, or other realms. Others are influenced by the nature that surrounds their workshops that they look out into every day. For others, the muse is as simple as vintage pieces. Here, we take a look at five watches that were created out of a love for something else.
1. Accutron Astronaut – $3,500
Just recently, Accutron took inspiration from its rich history with NASA and the U.S. Space Program and unveiled the Accutron Astronaut watch. During the 1950s and ’60s, Accutron, with its electronic precision technology, was important to the NASA space missions. The first Accutron Astronaut watch went into space in May 1963 on mission Mercury-Atlas 9. The watch could withstand high G-forces and varied temperatures while remaining accurate. Now, 60 years later, Accutron brings back the Astronaut “T” version that was introduced in 1968. The 41-millimeter stainless steel watch features a distinctive day/night bezel, a GMT time indication, and a double box sapphire crystal with anti- reflective coating. It is finished with the brand’s iconic bullet bracelet. Only 300 pieces will be made.
2. Grand Seiko Spring Drive – $79,000
Located in the mountains of Japan, Grand Seiko is regularly inspired by the nature that surrounds the different artistic and watchmaking studios. This all-new Spring Drive watch, part of the brand’s Masterpiece collection, is created in Grand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio at the foot of the North Yatsugatake Mountains where a forest of birch trees rises from the rock. The hand-engraved platinum case emulates the birch trees after snow has fallen. The silver-hued dial boasts the same motif. Each watch is made by hand and powered by the brand’s manual winding Spring Drive movement with 84 hours of power reserve. Just 50 will be made.
3. Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Patrouille De France 70th Anniversary – $4,100
Having partnered with the French Air and Space Force for three years, Bell & Ross celebrates this esteemed aerobatic display team’s 70th anniversary with a watch totally inspired by the team’s colors and technical excellence. Created at the request of the pilots, the high-tech ceramic watch with stealth black coating houses an automatic mechanical movement and boasts a luminous blue dial that recalls the flight suits of the team’s pilots. Their insignia and 70th-anniversary logo are also on the dial, and the case back is engraved with the five aircraft that have flown since the creation of Patrouille de France in 1953. A limited run of 999 pieces will be made.
4. Franck Muller Vanguard Damas – $11,700
Informed by the art of metallurgy and ancient swords, Franck Muller presents the Vanguard Damas, made using Damascus steel. Hailing from Damas, Syria, Damascus steel was first used for steel blades because the intense heating process made the steel stronger. For this collection, though, Franck Muller found inspiration in the history of Japan and the emblematic swords used by Samurai warriors that were crafted in the traditional Damas way. Thanks to the two kinds of stacked steel and powders used to create the end result, Franck Muller’s Vanguard Damas watches are ultra-strong, anti-magnetic and shock resistant. Also, during an acid bath, the Damascus steel cases and dials develop a unique pattern, making each one different.
5. Qannati Objet d’Art Monaco Race Quantum – $85,000
Relatively young, this luxury brand from Bahrain was founded in 2018 and is based in both Paris and the Gulf Kingdom. Its goal is to create wearable objects of art that represent some chapter in history. Each Quantum watch features a huge dome crystal and encapsulates miniature sculptures made by hand in France. The new Monaco Race Quantum F1 watch is inspired by the famed F1 Monaco Grand Prix that races across the streets of the French Riviera. Crafted in titanium, it boasts F1 car parts, an offset race- inspired dial at 6 o’clock atop which the nose of an F1 car is sculpted in red-coated gray gold, complete with tiny black racing tires. Racing car carbon fiber is used in the sculpture and in the alligator strap. Each watch is unique, but the brand is producing variants in extremely limited numbers using differently colored car sculptures.
Images Courtesy of Accutron, Grand Seiko, Bell & Ross, Franck Muller, Qannati
This Article Was Featured In Our July 2023 Issue
More Issues
