Louis Vuitton breathes life into their timekeepers with complex automatons

Horology is a serious business. Or at least, this is what many perceive it to be. All this talk of utmost precision in timekeeping, efficiency in mainspring energy use, or how the fall-off in torque as a mainspring unwinds affects accuracy may make it seem like the world of haute horlogerie is an utterly serious business. However, as much as manufactures take pride in keeping their movements accurate and reliable, there is a whole other side that appeals to emotion rather than specifications. And Louis Vuitton has three fantastic automatons that prove that serious watchmaking can sometimes be quite fun and even downright entertaining.

Automatons have long represented the fun and sometimes cheeky side of mechanical engineering. Long before the time-linked automatons we see in our industry today, these machines have been around as early as the 13th century, cleverly using complex systems of cams and geartrains to give life to artificial humanoids playing musical instruments or even mimicking the behaviour of animals. Eventually, automatons became more closely linked to horology, often appearing in tandem. The best example of this is, no doubt is the cuckoo clock which presents a chirping bird to correspond with the hours of the day. Thinking about this, it seems entirely natural that automatons and mechanical timekeeping go hand in hand, as the basic principles that govern them are entirely the same. Where mechanical timekeepers regulate the release of power from a wound spring to reliably keep time, an automaton uses this same energy to perform a set of actions through the clever use of cams in various shapes and configurations.

Traditionally, it is the brands that come from a strong pedigree of watchmaking tradition that are often associated with wristwatch automatons. However, in recent years, Louis Vuitton has proved itself a tour de force in this category. Starting with 2021 with the Tambour Carpe Diem, this relatively new contender, at least in the watchmaking industry, has been consistently showing its prowess in both mechanical and artistic crafts. So much so that organisations like the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève awarded the brand the “Audacity” prize in 2021 for the Tambour Carpe Diem. Now you might be asking, how a relatively new player in this industry, so predicated on tradition, has managed to consistently create unique complications such as automatons. Because, as far as complications go, automatons are in a category on their own. There is no blueprint for automatons, as is often the case with known complications like a perpetual calendar or minute repeater. Automatons need uniquely crafted parts to match their intended function on the dial of the watch.

The answer to this question is undoubtedly La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. Founded by the visionary watchmakers, Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, this facility that now sits in Meyrin, within the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, houses engineers, designers, and watchmakers under one roof and has been quite inconspicuously affording Louis Vuitton the capabilities to bring their unorthodox visions to life. In this facility, they not only make their own movements, but are also able to produce their own dials and cases, something which not even most brands with centuries of heritage under their belts dare claim. With the ability to truly create most components from scratch, Louis Vuitton is able to unleash their imagination, drawing inspiration from wherever suits their whims to create automatons that leave the wearer with a sense of awe, and perhaps a little chuckle every time it is activated. And because there are masters of various métiers d’art collected within the manufacture as well, each a guardian of ancestral savoir-faire, these automatons are finished and decorated in the most exquisite of ways.

TAMBOUR BUSHIDO AUTOMATA

This watch forms a bit of a series as it follows the very first Carpe Diem watch mentioned earlier that won the GPHG prize. After the success of that automaton, Louis Vuitton embarked on a journey to China, creating a watch with a similar mechanism based on the “changing masks” art of Sichuan Opera’s Bian Lian, launched in 2023. For this watch, however, the team at La Fabrique du Temps turned one of the most intrinsic Japanese cultural symbols, the Samurai, into an esteemed tribute that would fit on the dial of a wristwatch.

Combining high-level artisanal techniques like working with red enamel (one of the hardest colours to work with in the craft) and masterful engraving skills, the watch is transformed into a literal work of art that sits on the wrist. Take a loupe to the case of this watch, and it is immediately understandable why it took 140 hours for artisans to do the engraving alone. As for the automata, a push of a button will offer the wearer an on-demand indication of the time. The yokai sitting on the helmet jumps away to reveal the hour, while the miniature katana indicates a retrograde minute. Following this animation, next the eye of the Samurai transforms to showcase its steely resolve while the mouth and its teeth, made from carved mother of pearl, open to reveal the words Bushido in Japanese characters.

TAMBOUR TAIKO GALACTIQUE

The journey continues, this time transcending time and launching the Tambour into space where the astronaut, satellite, and our radiating sun sit on a background of the Earth as viewed from the moon. Here, again, the elements are brought to life through a combination of the maison’s metiers d’art, including grand feu enamel, paillonné enamel, miniature enamel, sculpture, and engraving. What takes this automaton a step further is that it combines the visual spectacle of the automatons with the aural pleasures of a minute repeater.

For anyone who knows watchmaking, the minute repeater is already one of the most complicated functions to achieve in a watch, even more so than the ever-popular tourbillon. Not only is the chiming mechanism complex, but there is an added element of having to design the watch along with the case so that the reverberations from the gongs are sufficiently loud and pleasant. Thus, the Tambour Taiko Galactique utilises 459 components to bring together the melodious cathedral chime with the animation of the automaton. When the minute repeater is activated, a total of 9 elements on the dial smoothly “dance” to the tune of the chime.

ESCALES AUTOUR DU MONDE ‘ESCALE EN AMAZONIE’ POCKET WATCH

We travel back to Earth for what is perhaps the most impressive automaton of the three. And the best part of it all is that it comes in an entirely unique form, a pocket watch. Until now, pocket watches have only been available from Louis Vuitton by special order. However, this automaton timepiece marks the Maison’s first-ever collection of pocket watches - Escales Autour du Monde. As the debut piece in this brand-new collection for the brand, you just know that the brand will pour in everything they have into this piece to make a stunning first impression.

The inspiration for the ‘Escale en Amazonie’, as the name suggests, comes from the Amazon rainforest, combining lush vegetation and wildlife set against a backdrop of waterfalls and rocky terrain. The piece is activated by a slide at the six o’clock position, and immediately long wooden pirogue, stacked with Louis Vuitton trunks, glides through luxuriant verdant foliage. Then the trunks open, revealing golden LV Monogram flowers, which catch the attention of the inquisitive animals. The pocket watch features seven animations with 15 moving elements, giving the viewer a cacophony of wonder with every activation.

As technically sound as the manual winding LFT AU14.03 calibre is, the artisanal craft applied to the dial side of this pocket watch steals the limelight. Hundreds of hours of work went into the production of the dial, combining delicate skills such as bas-relief gold engraving on very thin layers of gold. Like the snake, for example, it is not even a centimetre in length, but has hundreds of scales across its body. The treasure-topped canoe was the hardest element to realise, according to Louis Vuitton, as the artisan had to slowly chisel at the gold at various depths to create the wood bark effect. Then comes the enamelling mastery needed to combine a total of 31 colours on the dial with at least 30 firings in the oven. Just to give you an example of the complexity of enamelling, even the tiny leaves needed five layers of enamel to bring out tiny details like the veins. And after all of this, if you still want to see the time on a piece like this, Louis Vuitton has cleverly hidden this on the back side of the movement where the finely decorated movement is also visible.

You can discover more of Louis Vuitton's exquisite high watchmaking at www.louisvuitton.com or learn more about their automatas here.

Audemars Piguet Reimagines The Chronograph With The New RD#5

Say the words Audemars Piguet, and the Royal Oak instantly comes to mind. Indeed, the Royal Oak collection has become so synonymous with the brand, that when Audemars Piguet introduced the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet back in 2019, it sparked a wave of surprise - even resistance - within the watch community. Perhaps it was the initial shock of not seeing a new Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, or the fact that the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet is so decidedly different from the Royal Oak that led to a sense of disconnect. However, through research for this article, I have found that while the aesthetics of the two collections is distinctly different, the approach to their creation is remarkably aligned. Underneath this veneer of Royal Oak or Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet lies a core philosophy that I think has allowed Audemars Piguet to survive and thrive for as long as it has. The heart and soul of the brand lies in its complications. Long before the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet was known for its pioneering spirit, a company built with tenacity and resilience, and an unwavering pursuit for excellence.

This year, Audemars Piguet celebrates its 150th anniversary, and to mark this momentous occasion, the brand has been releasing a series of exceptional timepieces throughout the year. From the most user-friendly perpetual calendar calibre to the introduction of smaller a 38 mm perpetual calendar, they even made flying tourbillons adorned with natural stone dials. Among these celebratory creations, one that, to me, symbolises the epitome of what the brand stands for. In their eternal quest for watchmaking innovation, they unveil the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Self-winding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5. This latest addition to the RD series takes one of the oldest watchmaking complications, the chronograph, and looks at it from a distinctly futuristic lens. The result is an unexpected update of a classic function. At first the innovation may not be immediately apparent, but the technical ingenuity behind it is brilliant.

THE STORY THUS FAR

Brand founders Jules Louis Audemars (left) and Edward Auguste Piguet (right)

To understand how Audemars Piguet arrived at the RD#5, one must first look back. Now, on the 150th anniversary of Audemars Piguet, we rewind the clock all the way back to the origins of the brand to understand how the founders incorporated the pioneering spirit into their eponymous brand, and how that founding philosophy has endured over a century and a half. In the 19th century, it was common for Swiss watchmakers to build a brand with a partner who was more well-versed in the commercial realm of things. In 1875, Jules Louis Audemars started his watchmaking workshop in Le Brassus, and by 1881, he had partnered with his childhood friend and neighbour Edward Auguste Piguet, and the brand Audemars Piguet was formalised and registered. The company was established in tumultuous times. There was strong competition from American watchmakers, and Swiss watchmakers were starting to industrialise their processes in response. Instead of following the trend, the two founders decided that they would instead focus on making one-off, complicated timepieces. Of the 52 watches they sold in 1882, 49 of them had complications. By 1899, most of the world’s complicated calibres were made in manufactures in the Vallée de Joux, and Audemars Piguet was at its heart. In fact, it was around this time that they made the Universelle pocket watch delivered to Union Glashütte, which remains one of the most complicated watches in the world with 1,168 components and presented 26 functions, including 19 complications.

The path to greatness is rarely smooth - and Audemars Piguet's journey in no exception. The First World War broke out in 1914, which saw Audemars Piguet lose half its workforce to military service. And even as the founders passed on the reins to their successors and the next generation of Audemars and Piguet took to running the brand, they were followed by hardships every step of the way. In 1929 the stock market crash, which saw the Manufacture running at a loss for the next 15 years, and from 1939 to 1945, the Second World War once again brought production to a near standstill. Each crisis saw a sharp decline in watch sales. To make the most of the watchmaker’s available time, the manufacture tasked their watchmakers to develop manual watchmaking skills in anticipation of better days, a decision that continues to be the driving force behind Audemars Piguet’s watchmaking innovation.

The original Audemars Piguet manufacture in Le Brassus

Audemars Piguet still keeps an extensive collection of movements and parts as reference in cases where they need to refabricate old parts for restoration

It was only after the Second World War that Audemars Piguet experienced a new era of growth. In the hands of the second and third generation family members, the company’s production grew tenfold in the span of 20 years, producing 5,500 watches per year, and by 1971, it had an annual revenue of 10 million Swiss Francs. It was probably this level of success that prompted them to make the now world-renowned “most expensive steel watch in the world” – the Royal Oak. The Royal Oak was a result of yet another turning point in Audemars Piguet history where in 1966 they appointed the legendary Georges Golay as the Managing Director of the brand, and the first who did not come from the founding families. It was Golay who recognised the value of talented designers like Gérald Genta, and his overnight creation of the Royal Oak 5402 has become lore for the brand.

Even with the success of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet has constantly pursued watchmaking innovation. When the quartz era came along, the Manufacture responded with its own high-tech creation - reference 6001, powered by the "megaqwartz" Calibre 2510, in 1974. In the 1990s, under the direction of Steve Urquhart and Georges-Henri Meylan, Audemars Piguet contributed to the revival of mechanical watches with complications such as tourbillons, chiming mechanisms, chronographs, and Grand Complications. In the last 25 years, they have integrated their manufacturing capabilities and expanded them to what the brand is today.

MICROCOSM OF CREATIVITY

The trajectory of how Audemars Piguet grew as a company is undoubtedly inspiring, but perhaps even more important is how the brand has managed to preserve the pioneering spirit instilled by its founders. In an interesting interview that the current CEO of Audemars Piguet, Ilaria Resta, gave to Revolution’s Wei Koh earlier in the year, she said the entry point into AP is not through iconic designs, but through complications, which is rare in the world of haute horlogerie. It sort of makes sense considering that complications were the focus when Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet started the brand in 1881, but to keep complications as the heart and soul of a brand over 150 years, now that is no easy feat.

“This company’s philosophy is to leave no stone unturned and pursue all possible improvements based on research and practice.”
Le Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, circa 1889

According to Resta, this pioneering spirit can’t be forced. And it is true; there is no formula to build a team that is instantly creative and can automatically and consistently push the boundaries of watchmaking. Especially when you consider that most of the principles of mechanical watchmaking used today haven’t been changed in the last century or so. This takes out of the box thinking, a daring to try and fail, and above all, the financial might to sustain these kinds of research and development projects. This exists within the infrastructure of Audemars Piguet. The Manufacture has departments dedicated to experimentation, on materials, calibres and finishing techniques which translate not only to novelties within the brand’s collections but also help perpetuate watchmaking as a whole. In that same interview, Resta described the brand's creative philosophy as a "playground" for innovation. Boundaries are defined by core brand values, but within, there is ample room for the thinkers and makers to manoeuvre. Also, leadership doesn’t place deadlines on their creations, which can sometimes be antithesis to the creative process.

Much of this freedom is made possible by the brand's independence. They are the only watchmaking company at this level that is still in the hands of its founding families. It is astonishing how, after 150 years and the tremendous growth the company has undergone, the representation of the founding families is still consulted on the future direction of the brand. And although since 1966 Audemars Piguet has been led by non-family members, Jasmine Audemars, great-granddaughter of Jules Louis Audemars and Olivier Audemars, great-grandson of Edward Auguste Piguet, still represents the interests of both the Audemars and Piguet families. The result of this ecosystem of innovation that Audemars Piguet has cultivated is a creative environment where designers and engineers are empowered to develop complications that challenge the conventions of watchmaking.

The current Audemars Piguet Manufacture in Le Brassus

Inside the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet

Nowhere is this more apparent than their RD (Research and Development) saga of watches. Their RD series is the brand’s platform to showcase their groundbreaking advancements in watchmaking. Each creation introduces a breakthrough in engineering or performance - solving longstanding horological challenges through innovation. It is a testament to the brand's commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible, not only for the brand itself, but for the advancement of the craft as a whole. The RD#1 (2015) ‘Supersonnerie’ dramatically improved the sound quality of minute repeaters, setting new acoustic standards for chiming watches. The RD#2 (2018) broke watchmaking records with the world's thinnest selfwinding perpetual calendar at just 2.89 mm thick. The RD#3 (2022) was the first "Jumbo" to be equipped with a selfwinding flying tourbillon, powered by the ultra-thin Calibre 2968 (first released in 39 mm, then in 37 mm) and equipped with an innovative high-amplitude escapement. Next, came the RD#4 (2023) Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle. The reference is the Universelle pocket watch, which we mentioned earlier in this story, and the AP Calibre 1000 for the RD#4 incorporated 40 functions, including 23 complications and yet was still designed to be easy to use and comfortable to wear.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

Which brings us to the current chapter in the RD saga, RD#5. For the collectors, this new launch from Audemars Piguet features a brand-new movement, Calibre 8100. It is the first time in the Royal Oak “Jumbo”’s 50-year history that it is equipped with both a flyback chronograph (with an instant minute jump) and a flying tourbillon, and the watch is limited to only 150 pieces worldwide. For the true watch connoisseurs however, the real gem in the RD#5 lies in the chronograph complication which has been totally redesigned by Director of Watch Conception at Audemars Piguet, Giulio Papi and his team.

The new calibre 8100 movement defers from all other chronograph movements ever made

Let’s start then with the push-pieces. A typical pusher on a chronograph usually requires a significant amount of pressure to engage, and its subsequent click may not be the smoothest or most enjoyable experience when compared to the finesse of everything else in a well-finished haute-horlogerie timepiece. As Papi explains, “Their travel – that is, the distance they must be pressed – is often 1 mm or more and requires a force of around 1.5 kilograms. Our aim was to reduce these values to enhance the client experience, drawing inspiration from smartphone buttons which typically have a travel of 0.3 mm and require 300 grams of force.” This is exactly why, when you look at the images of the watch, you see sleek buttons instead of the traditional pushers found on the brand’s chronographs.

The ingenious solution to enable this short-travel, low-force push-pieces comes via a new patented mechanism which replaces the conventional heart piece and hammer with a rack and pinion system. This clever system in the Calibre 8100 stores the energy in the rack, which keeps the gear train under tension, preventing the chronograph hands from shuddering. And this then eliminates the need for a friction spring. The friction spring in conventional chronographs acts as a constant brake during operation and resetting of the chronograph, and with the rack, the energy is stored rather than dispersed, so with a light touch of the pushers, this energy can be re-used to perform the necessary chronograph functions.

“Think of the traditional chronograph as a car driving with the handbrake on. With Calibre 8100, the handbrake is gone, and the car is now tied to an elastic band when it leaves the garage. This elastic band will then be used to bring it back to the garage. The energy that used to be lost due to the friction of the handbrake is now stored within the elastic,” says Giulio Papi. “When resetting the chronograph, the stored energy is released, and the hand returns to its position in less than 0.15 seconds. A great deal of work has been carried out to understand the behaviour of the hands so that the reset is almost imperceptible to the eye, while delivering an instantaneous minute jump – a highly coveted feature by collectors.”

One of the reasons that the Jumbo has never had a chronograph and a flying tourbillon combination was the challenge of keeping the movement within the constraints of the smaller case size. However, as we have established earlier with the RD#3, the lessons learned through that project can now be implemented in the RD#5 and improved upon. To further preserve the Jumbo proportions, the designers used glass box sapphire crystals both on the dial side and caseback, which are totally flat on the outside but hollowed out on the inside to give the movement just that extra bit of space. Additionally, the Calibre 8100 also utilised a peripheral oscillating weight in platinum, both to reduce the thickness of the watch and allow for an unhindered view of the movement. It is fascinating to note that both the RD#3 and RD#5 have the same 8.1 mm thickness, even with the added chronograph on the RD#5, demonstrating how Audemars Piguet continues to develop its watchmaking savoir-faire over time.

The case combines the tried and tested titanium material with the rare use of Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG). BMG was first discovered in the 1960s and has been used in the military and space sectors. These are metallic alloys that, when rapidly cooled, will take on properties similar to glass, turning it into a high-strength material with an amorphous structure Composed of over 50% palladium, what this means in layman’s terms is that the material can offer exceptional resistance to wear and corrosion, along with a distinctive reflective sheen. Audemars Piguet first introduced this material on their watches in 2021, with the unique Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin (ref. 15202XT) created for Only Watch, and made its way into their production models in 2023. For the RD#5, BMG is used for the pushers and the connecting links on the bracelet, which allows for a fantastic interplay of light as it bounces off the polished and brushed finish of the various materials.

With the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5, the next chapter of Audemars Piguet history has been written, and it comes at the perfect time when the brand is celebrating 150 years of existence. As the brand often iterates how it constantly strives for perfection, and because the concept of perfection is near impossible to achieve, we can surmise that for Audemars Piguet, they will never truly be able to achieve their final goal and can only perpetually strive towards this unattainable achievement, getting as close as possible to the elusive perfect timepiece. And this will set their course, allowing them to move headstrong into the unknown for the years, decades and perhaps even centuries to come.

Panerai Unveils An Upgraded Luminor Marina

It should go without saying that Panerai today is built on a foundation called the Luminor Marina – that is how the late Angelo Bonati did it (see Vision for more). Everything fans love, or recognise, about Panerai can be found in the Luminor collection, including the signature crown protection device, the sandwich-style dial, and the clean dial display with only ‘Panerai’ and ‘Luminor Marina’ as indicators of its lineage. Rethinks are unnecessary but upgrades are always welcome. This year, with the new reference PAM03323, what has changed is the new 50 bar water-resistance, a step up from its predecessor; and the new Super-LumiNova X2 material used as a luminescent, promising greater brightness for better legibility in the dark.

Surely if the Luminor Marina is being upgraded, then the core model to look at will be the one in stainless steel. But in true Panerai fashion, the steel they used for this model is not the standard one used within the industry. Instead, they opted for their own premium AISI 316LVM – 1.4441 stainless steel, known for its strength and corrosion resistance, further enhanced by the low-carbon variant of this alloy. The alloy which consists of iron, spliced with chromium (16-18%), nickel (11-14%), and molybdenum (2-3%) is also vacuum arc remelted to increase its corrosion resistance.

Although the classic Luminor Marina has always been imagined with a strap rather than a bracelet, this year Panerai introduces its V-shaped bracelet to this storied collection. This bracelet, as the name suggests, uses unique V-shaped links that taper from the case to the buckle to increase comfort on the wrist. Additionally, it is also the first model to come with the new Quick Length Adjustment feature, which allows an extension of 2mm on both sides to get the most accurate fit while maintaining perfect balance. And for those who still cannot imagine a Luminor Marina with anything other than a leather strap, the bracelet also offers the Panerai PAM Click Release System, which makes it incredibly easy to swap.

Accompanying this new bracelet is also a new colourway for the Luminor Marina: light blue with a sunburst effect. Beneath this mesmerising dial is the new calibre P.980 movement with plenty of reliability improvements. These include a traversing (or double) balance bridge; a hacking seconds function, and further testing in six positions to ensure chronometric accuracy over prolonged use.

Rolex Starts Their Next Chapter with the Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller

Rolex Testimonee Roger Federer wears an Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 40 in a white Rolesor version

Rolex is a brand that has long taken pride in playing the long game. Unmoved by short-term trends, their novelties often come in the form of incremental changes, subtly upgrading the watches that have long stood as icons for the brand. Thus, when they release something entirely new, the watchmaking world sits up and takes notice. Launched this year, the Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller represents the next chapter in the brand’s long and storied history. And although its aesthetics have been the point of many discussions among enthusiasts, arguably it is the leaps in technology that have made the Land-Dweller possible that deserves the attention. The 32 patent applications and patents that pertain to the watch represent the foundation for Rolex’s future. It is the culmination of the brand’s expertise today, the fruit of more than a century of experience in watchmaking.

Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 40, white Rolesor

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

“‘A model to be inspired by our aesthetic heritage but looking to the future.’ This was the brief for the design of the Land-Dweller. Finding a harmonious balance between these two worlds was certainly our biggest challenge. We came up with creative new codes without ever losing sight of the brand’s DNA or its style. At the same time, we integrated technical innovations from the Research and Development Division in the most refined and elegant way possible,” says Davide Airoldi, head of design at Rolex.

The Land‑Dweller’s aesthetic reinterprets the style of watches with integrated bracelets. Explored in 1969 with the Rolex Quartz, then in 1974 on a Oyster Perpetual Datejust with a self-winding mechanical movement, this design presents a fluid, continuous line between case and bracelet. Although similar in spirit, every component from the Land-Dweller was redesigned to meet the rigorous expectations of Rolex today. The Oyster case had to be specifically developed for the model, with special consideration given to the waterproofness system around the crystal due to constraints from performing the technical satin finish on the upper part of the middle case. Additionally, the curved, polished sides of the new case are chamfered, and this bevel along the top edges is also polished. Even the fluted bezel, an emblematic signature of Rolex, has been redesigned, giving it a decidedly contemporary look with wider fluting compared to other Classic models.

Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 40, 950 platinum

The second most visible aesthetic element of the Land-Dweller is the honeycomb motif that adorns the dial. Its creation calls on traditional craftsmanship and high-technology methods, all mastered in-house. Time-honoured techniques are employed for the dial surface finishings: a fine satin finish for the intense white dial and a sunray finish on the ice blue version. These patterns are an intrinsic part of the Land-Dweller with a counterweight shaped like the cells of the honeycomb motif finding its way onto the seconds hand. The honeycomb pattern is precisely cut via a femtosecond laser and if you look closely in between the cells, there are delicate lines in the grooves between each cell, etched with the same laser.

Yet another first for Rolex is a reinterpretation of the classic Jubilee bracelet unveiled on the Datejust in 1945. The new Flat Jubilee bracelet was specifically designed to match the design codes of the Land-Dweller. It keeps the five-piece link structure with three narrower links in the centre flanked by two broader ones at the edges, the new bracelet differs in that all the links are flat. To add dimension to these flat links, a beautiful interplay of polished and technical satin finish is cleverly used. The centre links are polished and slightly raised, while the outer links are satin-finished for contrast. Additionally, the chamfered top edges of the outer links are also polished for visual harmony as they extend to the Oyster case as an uninterrupted stream of light.

INNOVATIVE SPIRIT

While the visual design of the Land-Dweller is what most will notice first, taking a loupe to the transparent case back, reveals hints as to why, out of the 32 patent applications, half of those pertain to the calibre 7135 movement. Looking right where the Syloxi hairspring ‘breathes’ as the balance wheel oscillates, there is a small hint of blue peeking out from beneath. This belongs to the revolutionary Dynapulse escapement. This new system replaces the Swiss lever escapement that has been regulating mechanical timekeepers for centuries, with a new concept that is significantly more efficient than its predecessor. The Dynapulse is a sequential distribution escapement which works by the components rolling against each other rather than sliding which was the case with the Swiss lever escapement. By replacing the sliding motion that lost some energy due to friction with a rolling motion, the Dynapulse escapement becomes more efficient. To make this work, Rolex designed the entire escapement to be made from silicon and created a whole new assembly and lubrication process.

Accompanying this new escapement is an oscillator that allows the watch to beat with a higher frequency of 5 Hz. This translates to 36,000 beats per hour meaning that the Land-Dweller is capable of measuring time with a precision of up to one-tenth of a second. To achieve this higher frequency, the Syloxi hairspring has been reshaped with thicker coils for greater rigidity. With this higher beat rate, the balance staff has also been made with a high-technology ceramic, patented and exclusive to Rolex.

The Flat Jubilee bracelet is not simply an aesthetic addition to the new Land-Dweller. To perfectly integrate the bracelet with the Oyster case, a robust and durable attachment had to be conceived. This novel and complex assembly is also the subject of a patent application. For the first time, small ceramic tubes were developed by Rolex to protect the spring bar against premature wear, as they secure the bracelet to the middle case.

With its debut, the Land-Dweller is available in two sizes: 36 mm and 40 mm. In terms of case and bracelet material, the Land-Dweller 40 comes in a white Rolesor version (combining Oystersteel and white gold). The Land-Dweller 36 is fasioned in 18 ct Everose gold, and set with ten baguette-cut diamond hour markers and surrounded by a bezel glittering with 44 trapeze-cut diamonds. Lastly, drafted from 950 platinum, the third version is a Land-Dweller 40 with a fluted bezel and a dial in ice blue, a colour reserved exclusively for watches in this prestigious material.

Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 36, 18 ct Everose gold

With the launch of the new Land-Dweller from Rolex, they are laying down the foundations for the future. It represents a new chapter in Rolex’s history, combining more than a century of experience, and a culmination of the brand’s expertise today. As they put it, “The Land-Dweller is designed for those well-grounded men and women who build their own destinies, seeing opportunity in every moment.”

Rolex Testimonee Yuja Wang wears an Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller 36 in 18 ct Everose gold with a diamond-set bezel

Nomen Est Omen: The Rado Anatom Returns

From left: The Anatom Plasma High-Tech Ceramic and Anatom High-Tech Ceramic

PHOTOGRAPHY SOON LAU / AWESOME IMAGE STUDIO
ART DIRECTION SARAH SAW

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. So powerful, in fact, that there has been an overwhelming demand for reboots and revivals all over popular culture. Childhood cartoons are getting modern overhauls, computer games are seeing remakes, motorcycles and home appliances are taking their design cues from the past and more relevant to this magazine, watches are looking into their archives for inspiration. This fondness for the past, or rather, our memories of the past, is an undeniable generator of strong emotional responses. And in an industry like luxury watchmaking, where everything hinges on the emotional rather than the practical, it doesn’t come as quite a surprise when brands lean into their past to inspire their future.

The contemporary watchmaking industry has always been inspired by its history, taking mechanical watchmaking principles that have existed for centuries, to create miniature machines for the modern consumer, and along the way refining and updating these timekeeping devices with modern sensibilities. Rado is one of those brands that evoke a sense of nostalgia for many, especially in Malaysia. In the early 2000s, the scratchproof properties of the watch were the driver of its popularity, but it was not the dive-watch silhouette of the Captain Cook that many remember from the past, because the Captain Cook, one of the more popular Rado collections today, was only revived in 2017. In the early 2000s, it was actually the rectangular shapes of Rado watches that drove this sense of nostalgia. And in 2023, Rado revived one of these geometrical shapes born in the very retro year of 1983, and it was the Anatom.

Just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Anatom, Rado relaunched the collection in December of 2023. At the time, however, the watch came with Rado’s signature high-tech ceramic case, but it was paired with a rubber strap. I thought the pairing was slightly odd for a debut, as the original Diastar Anantom (more on the naming conventions later) did come with a hardmetal (tungsten carbide) case and a stainless-steel bracelet. Last year, I had the chance to chat with Rado’s CEO, Adrian Bosshard, and when I brought this ceramic-rubber pairing, he assured me that it wouldn’t be the case for long. Lo and behold, recently Rado finally unveiled the Anatom with a ceramic bracelet to match, and it absolutely deserves its spot on the cover

BACK IN THE DAY

So, where does the Anatom come from? To answer that question, we have to go back in time, back to 1983, when the mechanical watch industry was on the brink of collapse. The creation and proliferation of quartz movements threatened the very existence of their mechanical counterparts, rendering them almost obsolete. However, even before the advent of quartz, Rado was already working hard to solve another problem in watchmaking, scratch resistance.

In the annals of watchmaking history, Rado has built a name for itself in its quest for robust, reliable and scratch-proof materials. The Diastar, for example, made its debut in 1962 and with it, a new hardmetal case, which we know to be tungsten carbide. At launch, the spiel for the Diastar was that it was near unscratchable, meaning that the new shiny, gleaming watch that you have just spent money on will stay perfectly shiny even with years of use. Building upon this quest for ultimate scratch-resistance is the reason that most of Rado’s best-selling watches today are clad in high-tech ceramic.

The Anatom, however, was born several years after the debut of the Diastar. In 1983, the first Anatom watch was launched under the Diastar collection, as it too had an ethos of being scratchproof. The difference, however, was that the Anatom was designed to prioritise human comfort. A watch that was meant to harmoniously meld with the user’s wrists as it was worn. To achieve this, the Anatom, which got its name from the word ‘anatomical’, was designed with a curved case and a fluid metal bracelet that would hug the circumference of the human wrist.

Even these days, with the watch industry being where it is, seeing a curved case on a watch is rare. Back in the 1980s however, the curved profile on the Anatom, was considered damn near futuristic. In fact, that was this futuristic approach that gave birth to the Anatom. Taking its original inspiration from anatomical, one finds the word atomic cleverly nestled in between. The zeitgeist at the time was one of optimism, of flying cars and space travel, and so the glossy exterior and the sleek build of the watch fit right in. Even the predecessor of the Anatom was given a sci-fi-ish name, V2200. But in the end, they settled with the name Anatom.

It was not easy to achieve this curved profile back in 1983, considering that Rado was working with a hardmetal like tungsten carbide for the case. Back then, it was hard enough to mill the hardmetal into the specific wrist-hugging shape, and the technology wasn’t near ready to create the bracelet in the same hardmetal material, so Rado decided to stick with stainless steel for the bracelet. Around this time, Rado also began using synthetic sapphire crystals, which were fast becoming harder than the metals used on watch cases. Therefore, there was no more need to protect the normally fragile crystals on the watch, and if you look at the early Anatom designs, these sapphire crystals were cleverly employed as part of the case, giving it an edge-to-edge crystal design. The tricky bit here is that these sapphire crystals were practically indestructible and as hard as the case, so Rado had to develop special diamond tools (which are harder than sapphire) to mill and shape their crystals.

The measure of success for the Anatom design philosophy is well presented in the telling of its story. It began as an offshoot of the Diastar collection, and over time, the clarity and character of the name Anatom could stand on its own.

Circling back to the contemporary obsession with all things retro, the fact that you can still find vintage Anatom watches in relatively great condition is one thing, but of course, reliability and serviceability, as with all vintage watches, remain a concern. Thankfully, just recently, Rado had decided to dust off the blueprints and revive this collection. “For its recent line of scratchproof DiaStar watches, the company succeeded in creating a shape conforming to the human anatomy. The collection is known as Rado DiaStar Anatom. Nomen est Omen,” reads the early promotional material for the Anatom. The Latin term Nomen est Omen roughly translates to, the name predicts the future. And fulfilling this prophecy, if you walk into a Rado store today, more than 40 years after the birth of the Anatom, a new reference of this watch still sits gleaming behind the display glass.

FUTURE, NOW

In December of 2023, the Rado Anatom was revived. And of course, the revival brought with it all the modern updates expected from a luxury watch brand of today. At a quick glance, the most obvious update to the Anatom comes in the form of a slightly larger case size, moving from a width of 28 mm to 32.5 mm. This slightly bigger case also hides the most important update to the Anatom, which exchanges Rado’s old hardmetal construction with their modern signature, high-tech ceramic. Although the hardness of the hardmetal and high-tech ceramic can be considered quite similar, there are many other benefits to ceramic, like its lighter weight and even its hypoallergenic properties, which allow it to become even more a part of the human anatomy than ever before.

Interestingly enough, the process of making high-tech ceramics doesn’t differ greatly from how they used to make the hardmetal case. The raw form of both cases starts from a powdered material, which is pressure moulded into its desired shape before being sintered at high temperatures, transforming it into the final product. While hardmetals were limited in colours, high-tech ceramics, on the other hand, could incorporate a variety of pigments. For example, Rado’s True Round Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier collection is a great representation of the kinds of vivid hues that can be achieved with ceramic. As of now, the Anatom is available in a stately black ceramic case and for the fans who simply love the shine of hardmetals, the Anatom is also available with the brand’s proprietary plasma high-tech ceramic material.

Although the Anatom was relaunched late in 2023, it is only this year that we have decided to put the collection on the cover of World of Watches Malaysia. And this is because, when the new Anatom debuted in 2023, it came paired with a rubber strap. The original Anatom from 1983 was paired with a bracelet, and so it was only apt that we waited for an Anatom with a matching bracelet before truly celebrating its revival. Rado’s CEO, Adrian Bosshard, made it clear that there was always meant to be a bracelet for the Anatom, but due to the complexity of making a bracelet out of ceramic, they couldn’t make it in time for the collection’s 40th anniversary. Earlier this year, however, the bracelet option finally came to Malaysia, and it changed the look of the watch completely.

What is perhaps telling about the complexity of this Anatom bracelet is the fact that even as the watch was launched in 1983, Rado couldn’t make the bracelet with the same hardmetal material as the case. Instead, they chose to combine the hardmetal case with a bracelet crafted from the trusty stainless steel. For the modern revival, however, and in the current playing field, this simply wouldn’t cut it for a luxury wristwatch. And so, Rado spent countless hours in research and development to ensure that they would be able to create a bracelet in the same high-tech ceramic material as the case.

As mentioned earlier, the process of making these high-tech ceramic components isn’t as straightforward as working with something like stainless steel or precious metals. The sintering process, in particular, complicates things as not only does it undergo incredibly high temperatures, which sometimes alter the colours of pigments, but the entire material also shrinks during sintering, so engineers have to be incredibly precise in the control of this process. The bracelet is made of numerous links that are held together by metal components. Each of these links has to be made individually, and then considering that the bracelet tapers, the links will also have to vary in size. On top of all that, there is also a plasma high-tech ceramic version of this watch and bracelet, meaning everything will have to be treated with the same plasma level of temperatures, which is around 20,000°C.

The result, however, is well worth the effort, as if you put the version with the rubber and ceramic bracelets side by side, it looks worlds apart. The glossy links with the steel or gold-coloured parts in between really add to the design aesthetics that is familiar to the Anatom. And above all, the properties of ceramic that often feel warm and comfortable on the skin are now draped luxuriously around the wrist, making it even more a part of the human anatomy than ever before.

When the Anatom debuted in 1983, quartz was the latest in cutting-edge watchmaking innovation. Today, however, we expect our luxury watches to bring something more emotional to the table. Fittingly, the revived Anatom watch comes with a mechanical movement, its oscillating balance adding a “heartbeat” to the anatomy of the Anatom. And with it, a soul. The Rado calibre R766 movement trades oscillating frequency for power reserve, beating slightly slower at 3.5 Hz but extending its power reserve to a massive 72 hours. This 3-day power reserve is the sweet spot for many enthusiasts, as if you leave your watch fully wound on a Friday night, presumably to put on your sportier option over the weekend, the watch would still be keeping time come Monday.

With the Anatom now fully revived and offering a plethora of choices, including the ceramic bracelet or rubber strap divide, and even the option of a Jubilé version which adds precious stones to a precious watch, the question we often ask is what is next? More recently, there have been summer colours added to the Anantom line with vibrant red, lime green and yellow dials that come with the rubber strap in matching colours. What would be interesting is if Rado starts taking all the beautiful hues they can achieve with the True Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier and applies them to the retro-style design of the Anatom. For now, however, we still have a beautiful assortment of watches to choose from, the gleaming black high-tech ceramic and a personal favourite, the Anatom in plasma high-tech ceramic, as we wait for the next chapter of this retro revival story.

This article first appeard in the Summer 2025 issue of World of Watches Malaysia.

Panerai Brings a Perpetual Calendar and GMT to Their Luminor Collection

Panerai has made it abundantly clear that this year they are celebrating the Luminor. Born in the 1960s, the Luminor name came from their switch from radium lume to the non-radioactive alternative. However, in contemporary times, the Luminor is more recognised due to its other signature element, and that is, the crown guard. This unique protective device over the crown was originally designed to prevent water from seeping into the case by adding a lever-style lock over it. Let’s be honest, though, modern Panerai watches no longer require this feature, as the engineering of the case and crown has long been able to keep water out. However, it is still a fantastic piece of Panerai history to have on the watch.

The Luminor watch we are looking at today is the Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech PAM01575 which, as you can probably guess from the name, takes the signature Luminor case and fills it with, in my opinion, one of the most complex complications in watchmaking – the perpetual calendar. And on top of that, it does so with a design finesse that is unlike anything else that is in Panerai’s stable at the moment. This watch moves away from the brand’s more utilitarian codes to offer a perpetual calendar watch that is more modern than historic.

The movement itself, the calibre P.4100, is not new but what is new is the transparent dial that Panerai has decided to use. This dial doesn’t quite reveal the movement from the front side as many other transparent dials seem to do, because the movement is still obscured by the day and date discs. However, this lends a more intriguing look to the watch. For example, if you look closely at the day disc, you will find that there are two sets of days. I wonder if this was an aesthetic choice or a solution to a mechanical conundrum regarding the day disc. Either way like I said, it adds a level of intrigue to the watch.

Also on the dial, looking at it closely, you will notice a few extra hands. One belongs to the GMT function and like other Panerai GMTs, this one also works on a 12-hour scale instead of the 24-hour GMT hands that we have all become accustomed to. I must say I quite like the 12 hour GMT feature as it leaves the design looking much cleaner and less cluttered. And it also helps that on the traditional small seconds subdial there is a smaller hand there to indicate whether the hour is in the AM or PM. If you’re asking, where are all the other things that a perpetual calendar usually has, like the year or the leap year indicator? Well, it is on the back.

To justify the time spent in making this mechanical beauty, Panerai has decided to clad the PAM01575 in Platinumtech material, a proprietary platinum alloy that is significantly harder and therefore more scratch-resistant than the traditional 950-Platinum that other brands use.

The Conversation: Engineering Success

Watches often evolve in unpredictable ways, especially if they were made to fulfil some kind of need or requirement. If said needs and requirements change, so too does the watch, or watches, in question. Take for example the IWC Ingenieur, which is experiencing a major revival at the moment that is very far removed from its debut 70 years ago.

That original Ingenieur watch was designed to meet the emerging challenge of navigating magnetic fields, alongside a host of other such watches. Watchmakers perceived a threat to the running of their creations from these fields, which would in fact go on to dominate our work and home environments. Hence, IWC introduced the Ingenieur with an automatic movement and an inner soft iron shell that would function as a Faraday cage. In 1955.

Even as the model went through a variety of changes, these elements remained consistent…until now that is. The editors of WOW Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand saw all the new models at Watches and Wonders Geneva this year; the Ingenieur in particular drew their attention. The collection, inspired not by the 1955 original but the 1976 Ingenieur SL imagined by the famed Gerald Genta, sparked their first discussion centred not on broad topics but on just one subject.

RC: Guys, we are at the beginning of something new: a brand-specific discussion among the editors!

AS: It is indeed a brand new day…in a manner of speaking. And, we’re also going collection specific. So, are we ready for the IWC Ingenieur of 2025?

RC: Presently, of all five collections listed on the IWC web site, “Ingenieur” is one of the two families named after a profession, with the other being “Pilot’s Watches”. And that reflects the focused nature or objective with which the watch was developed in the first place.

DG: I have a feeling that with such focused attention on one collection, things are about to get extremely nerdy…

AS: Nerdy? Funnily enough, we have an odd question to ponder: where to begin… The Ingenieur has had quite a number of lives and, as Ruckdee noted, it remains only the second such model (named for and aimed at a specific profession) in the brand’s history. Why is it a watch for engineers? Well, from what the brand says, it all comes down to the antimagnetic properties of the watch. The Ingenieur was literally engineered to face the challenges of an electronic world.

DG: It has such a fascinating back story. But let’s not forget, IWC is in Schaffhausen which is nearer to the German side of the Swiss border and you know the reputation that the Germans have for their engineering. It makes sense that way back when, IWC probably thought that hey, there are a lot of engineers around here; they need to tell time; magnetic inference is a problem; and we have a brilliant solution!

RC: Good point made there, Daniel. I first discovered IWC as a resolutely sober, white and black brand, with a heightened sense of engineering, and no obvious partnership or celebrity endorsement. Having said that, I have a confession to make. When I was much younger, I didn’t know that the very first Ingenieur was round! At the time, I thought the Ingenieur SL designed by Gerald Genta in 1976 was already the beginning of the collection. Then I discovered that I was not sufficiently educated, because the very first Ingenieur was in fact a round watch known as Ref. 666 in 1955 or exactly 70 years ago.

AS: IWC is very Teutonic, that is true, and it was a champion of tool watches. Still is, in important ways that are today most evident in both this collection and the Aquatimer. Where water-resistance is the name of the game in dive watches, IWC foresaw that mechanical watches needed protection from the magnetic fields of the electronic devices that were becoming ubiquitous in the second half of the 20th century. That is where the story from the original from the 1950s still plays a part, although I join Ruckdee in only recalling the 1976 Ingenieur SL.

DG: I wonder what it was that made the watch unsuccessful when it was launched in the late 1970s? Officially they say the design was too visionary, but I suppose there should be more factors in play here as well right? Could it have been the quartz watches that were probably gaining momentum around the same time? Or maybe even the asking price was too high? Does anybody know what the Ref. 1832 cost at the time it was made?

RC: No, I don’t know the original retail price of the Ingenieur SL. But I think I know why it is so collectible right now: not so many pieces were made! IWC’s latest information notes, and I quote, “With the modesty and sobriety of a tool watch manufacturer, IWC chose a different approach and marketed the Ingenieur SL exclusively to engineers in the years to come. However, for this target group, Genta’s design was simply too bold and too visionary. And so, between 1976 and 1983, only 598 pieces were produced and sold.”

AS: There are boons to making only a very limited number of pieces, especially to collectors. Now, aside from being a famous maker of tool watches, IWC is a brand that wants to sell a lot of pieces so it is perhaps unsurprising that the Ingenieur’s first run ended in the 1980s. However, there was clearly a tonne of unrealised potential in the collection as the brand returned it to the lineup as the mechanical watch revival got underway at the start of the 21st century. To be clear, the collection was quite respected when it came back but IWC has fiddled with the design a number of times before hitting its stride in 2023, when the first four models appeared in the current style.

RC: I was not a fan of contemporary, round Ingenieur watches when they made brief resurgences during that fiddling phase. So, I was very pleased in 2023 when IWC did what they did: formally re-establishing the collection on the aesthetic basis of the Genta-designed Ingenieur SL. The size is also good and safe at 40mm.

“When I was younger, I didn’t know that the first Ingenieur was a round watch known as Ref. 666 in 1955” said by Ruckdee Chotjinda, Editor-in-Chief, WOW Thailand.

AS: There are some characteristics that define the Ingenieur, particularly the Genta-era Ingenieur SL that Ruckdee referenced there. The integrated bracelet form is, of course, a key part of the winning formula, but so is the industrial vibe of the bezel and the dial. For the longest time, and until this year, it was also the presence of the soft-iron inner case that marked the Ingenieur; that was the Faraday cage, of a sort, that gave the watch its impressive antimagnetic credentials.

RC: I don’t know the average magnetic levels in our daily life or around specific devices, but the standard Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel with the said soft-iron inner case offers magnetic resistance to the level of 40,000 A/M, whereas the ISO standard requires a dive watch to be magnetic resistant to only 4,800 A/M. More superficially, I was thrilled to see how they brought back the “grid” dial of the Ingenieur SL. I think it gives yet another important signature to this highly technical collection of timepieces.

AS: Moving right along, after those four watches from 2023, the brand found its footing and decided to go all-in here. There are now 12 models in the Ingenieur collection, including its first-ever perpetual calendar model and an incredible ceramic model. Sizes now range from 42mm to 35mm, with that perpetual calendar model coming in at a unique 41mm.

DG: I am not at all surprised that IWC decided to add a ceramic model to its collection; the material is gaining traction in the industry and has been doing so in the last couple of years. What did surprise me, however, was IWC’s heritage with this material. The brand made the first zirconium oxide black ceramic case in 1986. And apparently there was also another Pilot’s watch in black ceramic in 1994. All of these were before my time covering watches but these days, I think IWC is investing heavily in developing ceramic materials. The firm has Ceralume, which successfully integrates Super-LumiNova® pigments into ceramic, and the collaboration it did with the German Aerospace centre introduced fibre-reinforced ceramic as a viable material. So, I think it was only natural that IWC brought its expertise with ceramic to the Ingenieur collection. And I suppose with ceramic being a non-magnetic material, this fits into the whole antimagnetic ethos of the Ingenieur.

Stylised view of the principal components of the Ingenieur Automatic 42 in black ceramic

AS: You know, people do say it is all about details in fine watchmaking, which is what IWC does these days, and the new ceramic Ingenieur gets it right. I was surprised to learn that the crown and crown guards are also in ceramic, and so is the caseback. As you know, although we did not say it properly for the record, the five screws visible on the bezel are functional, connecting the three parts of the case to each other. The Ingenieur has only featured this as a key element now, with the 1976 debut going with a different case structure, and it is important to the feel of the reimagined watch. This sort of thing is part of the reason that ceramic watches often do not have ceramic casebacks. I presume this is something IWC wanted to figure out before getting into ceramic here because Daniel is right to note the general proficiency the brand has demonstrated with ceramic (since 1986 with reference 3755 in fact but we will get to that shortly).

RC: One thing caught me by surprise, though, and that is the size of the new ceramic Ingenieur. Unlike the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41 with extra indications to display, the Ingenieur Automatic 42 in ceramic is a three-hander so, at first, I didn’t know why it had to be 42mm when it could have been in the same 40mm size as the models in stainless steel and titanium. My initial guess was that it was due to complications with the case construction and ceramic parts and all. But then I looked closer and discovered that a totally different movement was used! The Ingenieur Automatic 42 in black ceramic is powered by the larger Calibre 82110, which is also visible through the tinted sapphire crystal caseback. The Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel or titanium is equipped with Calibre 32111, which belongs to a totally different IWC movement lineage, not hidden behind the closed case back.

DG: You know you still could be right. It could be due to the complications with the case construction that they have to use a different movement. Additionally, it could also be that because the ceramic is in black, they needed to use a larger case to give the watch the intended appearance on the wrist. Maybe a fully black 40mm watch would look closer to a 38mm on the wrist?

“I think it was only natural that IWC brought its expertise with ceramic to the Ingenieur collection. After all, it is a non-magnetic material”— Daniel Goh, Editor-in-Chief, World of Watches, Malaysia

RC: This is why I like chatting with you guys. You expand my perspectives! While we won’t know for sure until we ask IWC what its intentions or constraints were with regard to the ceramic Ingenieur being larger than the rest, it is cool to ponder at the possible reasons and the effects they bring. I, for example, didn’t think about the effect where a black ceramic 40mm watch has the potential to look smaller than its measured size. But I agree that, as things stand now, the current Ingenieur watches in different materials look appropriate for their respective persona. Ashok, what do you think?

AS: I like the story of the ceramic model, and how IWC had to come up with neat engineering solutions to make the case construction work. Also, the little things such as the aforementioned crown and guards – having these made in matching black ceramic is going the extra mile. You only need to imagine how specific this process is – only this model uses such components, in the entire IWC range. This kind of production fastidiousness (and ultimately, exclusivity) is what fine watchmaking is all about. If you really consider it, the case (and components) of this 42mm watch is worth an entire article, and we did toy with that idea right here before going in this direction. As for the size, I think it was the decision to use the Calibre 82110 movement that defined it, and probably some sort of consideration on minimum sizes for water-resistance and perhaps even those little components! Truth be told, integrated watches wear a bit bigger than you might expect so I would love it if there was a 40mm version but, on the other hand, some differentiation is very desirable. To finish here, I wish that the dial was also in ceramic, with this same design (i.e. the grid pattern) of course! Something to look forward to perhaps, and more realistic (maybe) than a smaller size…

DG: I second that idea for a dial in ceramic. IWC, if you are reading this…

RC: It’s not a must for me. But if they can make a ceramic dial without losing the grid pattern then I am in, otherwise I would prefer for the dial to stay as is. So what is your favourite, current model Ingenieur then? Daniel? I do like the new Ingenieur Automatic 42 in black ceramic and my wrist can take the size, but I am still partial towards the Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel with Aqua dial which I find to be quite refreshing – it is not too green and already not blue.

DG: Anyone who knows me will know that although I love the technical complexities of making a material like ceramic (pressure and fire, what’s not to like?) I think the size will be a tad bit big for my personal tastes. So, for that reason, I think the new 35mm Ingenieur is a pretty compelling release from the brand this year. And if we are talking full fantasy, how about that 35mm Ingenieur in full 18K 5N gold. How baller is that?!

AS: I do like the smaller releases here, again mainly because of that whole integrated bracelet thing. Also, great that IWC went with yet another movement for the smaller models, Calibre 47110; this does wonders for that model differentiation that I keep harping on. All too often, brands will just go with one movement in cases of multiple sizes and that irks me, as it does Ruckdee too! I think the decision to have every size and specification (the ceramic model and the perpetual calendar) in the new Ingenieur range have its own movement is a deft touch, even if it probably was not decided in this way.

“I applaud the decision to equip every size and specification in the Ingenieur range with distinct movements” — Ashok Soman, Editor-in-Chief, WOW Singapore

RC: Oh, don’t get me started on an open case back with a much smaller movement than case. We don’t have the pages for my rant. But where the Ingenieur is concerned, so far everything is proportionate and well-thought-out to me. They have regular, smaller and larger case sizes. They have steel, performance materials and noble metal. And, with the perpetual calendar being added this year, even before there is a chronograph, we can anticipate the latter next year, perhaps.

AS: I am pretty sure that we can expect more in ceramic from the Ingenieur, given the history of material innovation at IWC. Not at all a stretch to see a perpetual calendar in the mix, especially since IWC introduced ceramic to watchmaking with a perpetual calendar in 1986, although in the Da Vinci line. And the brand does have some expertise in making complicated watches in materials such as ceramic, and of course hybrids, including Ceratanium. Honestly, the Ingenieur collection is just brimming with potential on the material front. And yes, the thought of IWC introducing a chronograph with ceramic pushers did occur to me too, mostly because the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month already has such a thing, but in Ceratanium!

DG: It is exciting, isn’t it, when a brand introduces a new collection, especially one with such a cool origin story and more importantly, with a design that can speak to contemporary tastes. The expansion of the line has already begun and I am sure if you look at IWC’s playbook, the gears are already churning for the next few releases. Predictably we will probably see line extensions for the newly launched references in the coming years but I am pretty sure that there will still be a few surprises up IWC’s sleeve. I wish IWC would do a limited-edition reissue of the original SL reference 1832 but it seems highly unlikely. Even the watch they put on Brad Pitt’s wrist for the shooting of the film – F1 – was apparently a modified version of an original watch. But, one can dream right? In any case, it is great to see the positive reception of the Ingenieur and I am definitely looking forward to covering its future.

This story was first seen as part of the World of Watches Malaysia Summer 2025 issue

The Zeitwerk Date Goes for Pink Gold

A. Lange & Söhne *Zeitwerk Date Ref. 148.033*

When A. Lange & Söhne first announced that the Zeitwerk was getting a date complication in 2019, everyone expected them to add another [date] aperture that would jump, just like the hour and minute counters. It’s the most common way for watches to convey the date, and it made sense, considering how the Zeitwerk is the ultimate ticker watch. This is, after all, the first mechanical wristwatch to display hours and minutes numerals that jump instantaneously.

Then came the questions: where would they squeeze in this new complication? Would they have to sacrifice another feature, like the power reserve indicator? Would a date display disrupt the symmetrical equilibrium of the watch?

But the engineers at A. Lange & Söhne are an ambitious lot, and they refused to compromise. To solve this, they reimagined what a date function could look like. They began by imprinting the 31 days of the month onto a glass ring that encircles the dial. A small red marker glides beneath each numeral, highlighting it in red to signify the date. This subtle act of ingenuity not only helped the Zeitwerk Date remain cohesive in its design language within the Zeitwerk family, but also preserved its visual balance and symmetry.

For those who enjoy a bit of whimsy in their watches, I implore you to imagine the red ring progressing around the dial like a loading bar for the month.

A new member

Six years later, Lange is finally giving the Zeitwerk Date a sibling—a blonde one. Previously available only in white gold, the Zeitwerk Date is making a grand re-entrance with a pink gold case. The new look is paired with a hand-stitched, dark brown alligator leather strap, which helps hammer home a warmer tone for the watch. Visually, it’s far dressier than its older sibling, aligning more closely with Lange’s classically rooted DNA, which might appeal even more to brand loyalists.

The grey dial from the first iteration remains, providing a neutral, muted backdrop that allows the radiant pink gold to stand out even more. The visual contrast between monotony and extravagance creates a serene yet elegant effect, fitting, considering the rather hefty price tag that accompanies the watch. The beauty of juxtaposition, baby.

Beyond that, the design elements remain largely unchanged. The two large apertures for the hour and minute numerals are still present, as is the date function that circles them. The horizontal time bridge continues to frame both the small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock and the power reserve indicator at noon, all within the same 44.2mm case dimensions.

Two pushers flank each side of the watch, one at 8 o’clock and the other at 4. The 8 o’clock pusher controls the red ring that is beneath the 31-day ring, allowing you to position it precisely. Meanwhile, the pusher at 4 o’clock adjusts the hour display independently of the movement’s switching cycles. This means you don’t have to press the pusher sixty times just to advance an hour ahead—something that would not only be very tedious, but also save the watch’s mechanisms a tremendous amount of wear. There’s also a crown at 2 o’clock, which will, of course, advance the minutes.

If it ain’t broke…

Inside the new Zeitwerk date beats the same calibre that powered its predecessor: the ol’ reliable L043.8. It’s a manual calibre that beats at a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, and it requires a winding roughly once every 72 hours. Having a power reserve of three days is no small feat, considering the power required for the hour and minute numerals to jump as often as they do (exactly 1,440 times a day), and as precisely as possible.

If you’re curious to learn more, we explored the mechanics of the calibre in greater detail here. But essentially, Lange’s engineers discovered that by flipping a large mainspring upside down inside the barrel, it allows the piece to be wound from the inside, generating more power and torque than a typical mainspring. Thus, it achieves a 72-hour power reserve, doubling the 36-hour capabilities of its predecessor.

All this is available for your viewing pleasure through the sapphire crystal caseback, where you’ll get to witness the 516-part calibre at work. Solarisation and engravings of the brand name can be found on various wheels and bridges, all reinforcing the idea that what you’re observing isn’t just a mechanism—it’s poetry in motion.

This article was first seen on Esquire SG.