7 Well-Crafted Watches That’ll Make ’Em All Jealous
What elevates a watch from an emotionless consumer good to something we treasure and pass on to our kids? Fancy provenance helps. So do materials. But most of all, it’s the history behind a given watch that turns it into something deeply covetable. The watch market in 2018 relies on tradition, stories, and history to sell customers watches. Many companies will spin a yarn even before showing you the price: This watch was beloved by the one and only James Bond, this was the first timepiece designed for the wrist, this one implements the technology of the original digital pocket watch. Stories are nothing without the bedrock of a well-made watch, though. The watches selected here pass batteries of tests, are engraved by hand, or require a year to make to a customer’s exact specifications.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Titanium Tantalum Edition
When Pierce Brosnan needed to escape from a booby-trapped train in Goldfinger some 20 years ago, he turned to his Omega Seamaster 300m to cut a hole in the floor. Add-ons like hull-piercing lasers are still only available to 007, but this limited-edition Seamaster comes with a handful of brag-worthy features nonetheless. Besides the Seamaster's usual specs—300 meters of water resistance, a near-unbreakable movement, a helium valve at 10 o'clock for real-deal divers—the Titanium Tantalum edition has some impressive metalwork. There's the titanium case, light but strong. There's a gold-topped bezel that's made of tantalum, a rare blue-gray metal that's hyper rust-resistant and, frankly, fun as hell to say out loud. And there's this: Only 2,500 folks get to brag about owning the watch. omega.com
Grand Seiko SBGA385
Everyone knows Seiko. GQ has long hyped the stupendous watches you can buy from the company for a couple hundred bucks or less—watches that reliably make people say, And it only cost what? But hidden away in Japan is Grand Seiko, the company’s handmade high-end line. Up to this point, the watches have flown under the radar in the U.S., despite being every bit as exquisitely built and technologically awesome as anything coming out of Switzerland. That'll change soon: This year Grand Seiko started a U.S. subsidiary and celebrated with an exclusive U.S. release of the SBGA385, limited to only 20 pieces—a U.S.-only timepiece inspired by its homeland. The face, inspired by a Japanese painting technique called kira-zuri (translation: “sparkling painting”), resembles the cracked surface of a frozen pond. Kira-zuri is typically used to add shine and texture in the background of paintings of kabuki actors. Here, Grand Seiko brings that same luster to the wrist. grand-seiko.com
Cartier Santos
Before 1904, most men who wanted to know the time fished their watches from a pocket in their waistcoats. Men seeking a slightly more convenient arrangement would buckle pocket watches onto their forearms. Ingenious as that may have been, that clunky solution didn’t cut it for Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian pilot who needed his hands firmly on his plane’s controls—and not in his pocket looking for a watch. He turned to Louis Cartier for a solution. And for his friend, Cartier made the first men’s pilot watch designed to be worn on the wrist. They called it the Santos. Cartier relaunched the historic square-face Santos earlier this year; it has friendlier curved edges and a show-stopping silver bracelet. Customers today have infinitely more wristwatch options than Santos did in 1904, but we've still got eyes for the original. cartier.com
Panerai L'Astronomo
So much time goes into making Panerai’s new L’Astronomo that customers who place an order for the watch wait up to a year for the piece to arrive at their doorsteps. The reason? Everything about the watch is tailored to the wishes of whoever ordered it. The case material, color of the hands, and strap material can all be customized. Buy one and you’ll be invited to Panerai's factory in Neuchâtel (Switzerland, duh) to hobnob with the single watchmaker responsible for bringing your timepiece to life. And while each piece is distinct, what all Panerai L’Astronomos have in common—besides, you know, telling wearers the time—is the ability to track the phase of the moon with a hidden dial on the back that looks like the night sky. panerainovelties.com
Ralph Lauren “American Western” Rose Gold Cushion
The magic of Ralph Lauren the brand is that Ralph Lauren the man is so damn adept at pulling us into his world. He loves the West, so he'll design a denim shirt so perfect that we start looking at cattle-ranch listings on Colorado real estate sites. Now, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ralph Lauren, the brand has released a series of watches that pay homage to that stirrups-and-saddles side of the iconic designer. Before being engraved (by hand) with a design that'd make any gold miner clutch his belt buckle in jealousy, the rose gold used for the case is specially aged to give the metal a been-there, corralled-that vibe. ralphlauren.com
IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years”
In Switzerland in 1885, talk of a strange new sort of watch flooded the streets. Instead of the traditional pocket watch that used hands to point to the hour and minute, a new timepiece from IWC told time digitally: Instead of hands, it featured two small windows revealing the current hour and minute using numerals. It wasn’t just a rumor: Austrian engineer Josef Pallweber had invented a technology that allowed discs printed with the hour and minute to rotate into view and show the time. IWC implemented the tech and created a bestseller—for a couple of years, at least. The new technology was an immediate hit when it was unveiled in 1885, but IWC stopped producing the watches two years later, when the novelty wore off. Now, to commemorate IWC’s 150-year anniversary, Pallweber’s "digital" technology is returning. iwc.com
Glashütte PanoMaticInverse
Most super-luxe watches have amazingly complex and ornate movements—the gears and springs powering everything—hidden inside. The Glashütte PanoMaticInverse lays its craftsmanship out on the table, though. This watch brings the movement up front by carving out part of the dial so you can see the workings with every glance at your wrist—like a Ferrari with a clear hood, but less likely to out you as an EVP at Goldman Sachs. Glashütte has reason to show off: There's hand-engraving (on the balance bridge) and the brand's signature stripe finish—usually hidden inside—on the metal dial.
glashutte-original.com
