Less than a year ago, at Baselworld, Zenith unveiled the Defy El Primero, a chronograph whose innovative movement represented a new landmark in the rich chronometric history of the Le Locle watchmaker. Thanks to its frequency of 360,000 vph (50 Hz), which is ten times that of the first El Primero movement of 1969, the chronometer-certified El Primero 9004 automatic chronograph movement is able to measure time increments as small as one hundredth of a second. Other innovations include two balance springs made of carbon nanotubes and twin chain architecture, with one escapement dedicated to the time function and the other to the chronograph. In terms of design, the Defy El Primero 21 is firmly anchored in the 21st century, with its powerful 44 mm case and architectural lines, but it hasn’t completely abandoned the El Primero aesthetic: it has retained the running seconds hand with its star, and the faceted indices and baton hands coated with Super-LumiNova®.

Czapek’s first engine-turned dials, using the distinctive “ricochet” design, were launched last autumn in two colours: Aqua Blue and Sea Salt Grey. The Sea Salt Grey version shows off the detail of the engine turning and the distinctive angle of depth of the grooves that can only be achieved by hand turning on a rose engine. On the Aqua Blue version, however, the colour hue changes with the reflection of light, allowing aesthetics to get the upper hand over the technical finish of the engine-turned pattern. Just two different colours therefore create two highly different aesthetics. Czapek & Cie now takes this even further with the introduction of some colours rarely seen on engine-turned dials.

Summarising the new models presented by Audemars Piguet at this year’s SIHH is no easy task. Even with the terse prose used by the company’s copywriters, the full press kit runs to a whopping 85 pages! I will attempt here to summarise just the Royal Oak Offshore models in the customary 500 words of a standard WorldTempus article.

The heaviest: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2 
No, we didn’t weigh it. And, because this is a concept model, the brand didn’t want to reveal any figures. But there is no contest. Once it’s on the wrist, it’s impossible not to sense the huge amount of platinum that has gone into making the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar. The weight is particularly noticeable given the watch’s extreme slenderness, which is perfectly appreciable to the eye.

Longines’ history with quartz has been one full of technical innovations and feats. In 1954, the first quartz watch set a precision record at the Neuchâtel Observatory. It would be fitted into the legendary Chronocinégines, an instrument that became a pioneer in the history of timekeeping, as it provided judges with a film strip composed of a series of prints, allowing them to follow the athletes’ movement as they crossed the finish line. In 1969, technological mastery led Longines to reveal the Ultra-Quartz, the first quartz movement designed for wristwatches. A huge stride was made in 1984 with the quartz calibre fitted in the first Conquest V.H.P., setting a precision record for that time.

Just twenty years ago, Michel Parmigiani, who founded the eponymous brand in 1996, designed his first in-house movement in an innovative tonneau shape. The hand-wound calibre PF110 was powered by two series-mounted barrels, and provided a power reserve of 8 days, which was tracked by a unique semi-circular display on the dial. Shortly after that, the Kalpa (originally named the Ionica) was born, its barrel-shaped case reflecting the 1998 PF110 calibre inside.

There’s been a quiet (r)evolution: many brands are no longer differentiating between men’s and women’s watches. So, what do they call them? Just – watches. These days, it seems to be practically a given that, under certain conditions, a watch is a unisex object.

In 1988, the Grand Seiko team made a new quartz caliber that was worthy of the high standards that the brand’s fans demanded. At that time, rapid advances in quartz technology were being made but most were focused on the addition of new functions. The Grand Seiko team thought differently and decided to focus on the simple essentials of precision and durability, in line with the ideas that had always inspired Grand Seiko.