Only very rarely does a watch make one do a double take, which is just what the Moritz Grossmann HAMATIC Astral Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition manages with its unusual goldstone dial. Look at how it captures the eye; we look forward to being dazzled in person. Before we get ahead of ourselves, the watch itself needs a bit of an introduction because it hides some impressive technical details behind that goldstone dial. While most brands have settled on the conventional automatic winding system that everyone is familiar with, Moritz Grossmann decided to imagine a new way of doing things. Both this and the captivating dial are perhaps apt references to the celebratory nature of this watch, which pays tribute to the 70th anniversary of retailer Sincere Fine Watches in Singapore. The watch is one of 12 special editions from a diverse range of brands, all celebrating the momentous occasion.

In the illustrious company of the likes of Greubel Forsey, Laurent Ferrier, H. Moser & Cie and Czapek & Cie, Moritz Grossmann has thrown down the gauntlet with the HAMATIC Astral Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition. Technical prowess is one thing but any watch that purports to celebrate an icon such as Sincere Fine Watches also has to have a certain je ne sais quois; the "x-factor", if you will. Any HAMATIC model would have been good enough, with its distinctive spade or poiré-shaped hands (here in handmade rose gold) and unique pendulum-based winding system, if the Glashutte brand just added one of its signature dials into the mix. Such a dial is indeed present but, in a fitting birthday present for its retail partner, it is something particularly special. 

In Moritz Grossmann’s view, the goldstone dial is a "symbolic portal, offering a simultaneous glimpse into the past, present, and future." For the savvy collector who thinks of various artisanal styles in watchmaking that combine metal and glass when looking at the goldstone dial, you are not far off the mark because this is a kind of glass that is created by adding copper into the molten mix.

We say molten there but the temperature has to be very carefully controlled to avoid overheating, which would ruin it. The results make this a watch that brings the night sky to one’s wrist, complemented by appliques (replacing the standard Roman numerals) and the vintage "M. Grossmann" logo.

Caseback-side, the virtues of the manufacture calibre 106.0 are readily apparent, as is the novel winding system. It has the benefit of leaving much of the finishing open for examination and keeping the winding of the movement efficient. One can watch the pendulum and its hammer do a hypnotic dance via the exhibition caseback, which bears the Sincere 70^thanniversary logo laser-engraved on it. 

The 10-piece Moritz Grossmann HAMATIC Astral Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition will be available at Sincere Fine Watches, #01-12 of Takashimaya S.C., and the SHH Boutique, #B2M-202 of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, with a retail price of S$102,000 (including tax).

For more on the latest in luxury watch reads, click here.

If ever a watchmaker could be said to be on the rise, it is Schaffhausen-based H. Moser & Cie; it raises lower levels of hell these days than it once did with the Moser Nature and Swiss Mad watches, although one of Google’s top searches for H. Moser & Cie is for the so-called H. Moser Apple Watch, which is actually the Swiss Alp model. This is all pretty remarkable for a brand that is completely classical in spirit, as we have often remarked in our frequent chats with H. Moser & Cie top dog Edouard Meylan. For example, if you hankered after the H. Moser Streamliner Central Seconds, you might be fresh out of luck because this model is perpetually sold out everywhere; it is not limited, at least the version in Matrix Green is not, but it is highly popular. Well, last year H. Moser & Cie proposed a solution to the availability crunch in the Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel watch, which boasts an extraordinary dial that looks half-baked.

To be sure, the dial is fully baked, being enamel and all that it just would not work in production for it to be anything other. The hammered texture, per the official description, smashes what is normally expected of enamel, which is of course a smoothness that puts fine Japanese whisky to shame. H. Moser & Cie calls this Aqua Blue fume Grand Feu and it has already generated a powerful degree of desirability. This is now another new entry level Streamliner in steel and is the most petite model to boot, at 39mm (though we must note that the price point has shifted dramatically upwards; the existing Central Seconds model costs SGD 34,000). There is a new movement in place here, the HMC 500, with a micro-rotor. The manufacture calls this a partially skeletonised movement and it seems to be at least partly machine-finished, which is entirely fair at this level.

Read More: H. Moser & Cie Celebrates 10 Years of Excellence

There is most likely more happening with calibre HMC 500 since this little engine manages to squeeze out roughly two more hours of power reserve on calibre HMC 200. As a result of the micro-rotor, HMC 500 is thinner than HMC 200 and we surmise that this, along with the complex dial accounts for the big price gap. As always, how one feels about this sort of thing is entirely dependent the brand’s proposition and this is where the brand’s current positioning matters as well as the status of the Streamliner itself. We are on the record that the price of the Central Seconds model is a good one, and we ourselves had to recently turn down a friendly offer on the watch from a collector friend.

Movement: Automatic calibre HMC 500 with micro-rotor; 74-hour power reserve
Case: 39mm in steel; water-resistant to 120m
Strap: Steel bracelet
Price: H. Moser & Cie CHF29,900

For more on the latest in watchmaking reads, click here.

You will be well within your rights to expect that this here ticker made its debut at the LVMH Watch Week in Miami and yet somehow, it was not. After the watchmakers got done celebrating the Lunar New Year, they seemingly gave the communications team the nod to push out the presser on the Defy Skyline Tourbillon. The watch has not yet been presented in the metal, although the WOW teams heading to Geneva are looking forward to resolving this during the big show. Given that this is the first tourbillon movement in the Skyline range, it is certainly newsworthy, even if it might be upstaged in Geneva...

To begin where enthusiasts will want to start, the automatic El Primero calibre 3630 is indeed new. Zenith typically includes tourbillons alongside the chronograph complication, just by virtue of the standard El Primero being an integrated chronograph. The Defy Skyline has been defined by its distinctive lack of a chronograph, yet with the high-beat 5Hz balance that is standard for the El Primero. Following this, the calibre 3630 is now one of the fastest-beat 60-second tourbillons available in series production. In a poetic touch, the manufacture lists the power reserve as 60 hours, approximately. The Defy Skyline Tourbillon is not a limited edition, although it is likely destined to be in short supply.

The watch itself is relatively hefty thanks to its 41mm case that is 12.2mm thick; it is likely to be relatively heavy as well, especially with a steel bracelet. The ceramic version is unlikely to be much lighter if experience with other models is any indication. The case itself retains the same technical and faceted structure, as does the bracelet (still fully interchangeable, with a second rubber strap included for both variants of this watch). For dial options, this latest Skyline introduces a new style, with a mosaic of laser-engraved four-pointer stars radiating outwards and thus expanding from the tourbillon aperture at 6 o’clock. This has the effect of a kind of guilloche, except of course that it is not. That star motif is also reflected in the tourbillon cage, which is in a matching shade of blue or black, as appropriate.

While the Defy Skyline Tourbillon is far from the most accessible watch from a major Swiss brand, Zenith probably realises it has a competitive piece here. To return to that high-beat point, this might be highly desirable for tourbillon enthusiasts (who might also be keener on a clean watch, sans other complications). A drawback here is that the aesthetics of this style of watch have been adopted by brands at every price point so Zenith will have to find a way to win the tough visibility battle.

MOVEMENT: Automatic El Primero 3630 with tourbillon; 60-hour power reserve (approximately)
CASE: 41mm in steel; water-resistant to 100m
STRAP: Stainless steel bracelet with additional rubber strap
PRICE: From SGD 82,100

This article first appeared on WOW’s Spring 2024 issue.

For more on the latest in watch reads, click here.

This is a watch that completely skipped our attention last year, and one that the editor made a special note to have me explain. Like us (this writer included), you might have looked at this and thought nothing of it – just a rehash or relook at an existing watch. But the Neo Constant Escapement actually does live up to its name on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Girard-Perregaux debuting its groundbreaking Constant Escapement. To put it out there, if you think the Constant Escapement model has been a staple at Girard-Perregaux since 2013, you are just wrong.

Going all the way back to the beginning for a bit, the original model was the culmination of a horological dream from back in the days when the late Luigi Macaluso was still in charge. Indeed, it is widely known (though never in the official literature) that the story started sometime in the aughts – the part about a young watchmaker being inspired by how a train ticket reacts to pressure is part of the official story now. As a bit of a refresher, here is how a traditional Swiss lever-style watch works: kinetic energy stored up in the spring is released to turn the wheels of the going train; the release of said energy is controlled by the oscillations of another spring, allowing the aforementioned wheels to drive the hands of the watch. Everything stays steady as, well, clockwork, except clockwork is not all that steady, which is what leads watchmakers to try to improve matters. The Constant Escapement, called the Echappement Constant on its 2008/2009 debut is one such attempt.

The editor himself wrote the following description of the Constant Escapement in 2019: "Basically, what happens here is that two torsion blades within a large butterfly-shaped component in silicon provide resistance to the force delivered through the going train. When the force reaches a peak, both blades bend for a fraction of a second – less than the blink of an eye – to allow the escape wheel to advance. In this way, energy and the rate are both kept constant at each impulse." In recognition of the success of the Neo Constant Escapement, the watch is certified by COSC as a chronometer, which is a significant achievement for a novel technical development.

Moving on to the basics of the rest of the watch, this is a 45mm titanium proposition with a rubber strap that sits relatively tall, at 14.8mm thick. The centrally mounted hands add a measure of symmetrical harmony, what with the two mainspring barrels up top balanced by the constant escapement and the regulating organs. The going train, visible caseback side, is arranged along the vertical axis of the watch, anchored by the balance wheel. Without a doubt, this is a watch for watchmaking enthusiasts who revel in watching how a mechanical calibre goes about its business.

Movement: Manual-winding GP09200-1153 with power reserve indicator; 7-day power reserve (minimum)
Case: 45mm in titanium; water-resistant to 30m
Strap: Rubber
Price: SGD 147,200

This article first appeared on WOW’s Spring 2024 issue.

For more on the latest in watch reads, click here.