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Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Star Chronograph White

Louis Vuitton expands its Tambour family with the new Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon line for men and women, and opens the door to customisation thanks to a new interchangeable strap system that is compatible with all Tambour watches, past and present.

A drum roll for 15 years of resounding Tambour success

Created in 2002, the Tambour marked Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking debut and has appeared in countless guises over the years. Mechanical complications like chronographs, regatta timers, tourbillons, minute repeaters, mysterious movements and the famous Spin Time have all been incorporated in the round case of the Tambour, along with high jewellery models. French for ‘drum’, the Tambour watch is distinguished by its rotundity and the generous edge of the case where the 12 Louis Vuitton letters are engraved.

Faithful to its drum-shaped case, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon features a new crescent-shaped silhouette. A subtle design tweak, the concave depression on the dial area adds volume and depth.

For a brand that built its reputation on trunks, travel is a recurring theme at Louis Vuitton, and the Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon model for men, above, comes with a practical GMT function allowing travellers to consult the time in two different places simultaneously.

The two-tone version in steel and the limited-edition pink gold model accentuate the sensation of depth with their sloping black flanges and applied rose gold numerals. The dial, decorated with a black rice grain pattern reminiscent of Louis Vuitton’s famous Damier Graphite canvas, highlights the GMT function, with a lacquered hand, shaped like a ‘V’ in honour of the iconic LV monogram, coloured the same yellow as the iconic Tambour watch, which echoes the waxed thread on Louis Vuitton’s bags. Chronographs are the very definition of a sports watch. The new Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Chronograph displays Louis Vuitton iconography throughout. Like the GMT model, this 44mm chronograph features the weave of Damier Graphite canvas on the indented dial and yellow accents to highlight the chronograph functions. Three women’s versions of the Tambour Moon Star Chronograph with a black, white or mother-of-pearl dial form part of the new collection. The Maison’s hallmark star-shaped flower – the ubiquitous design that appears on the LV Monogram – was dreamed up by Louis Vuitton’s son Georges Vuitton in 1896 to brand his luggage business. Placed at 6 o’clock, the pink gold flower adds a touch of femininity to this new Tambour watch. In addition to the women’s chronograph, the Tambour Moon Star watch, below, available in black and white models, uses the iconic pink gold flower motif at 6 o’clock, which doubles up as a small seconds, completing a full rotation every 60 seconds. The current trend for interchangeable watch straps is now a reality for all Tambour watch models – including the Tambour Slim – allowing owners to choose from a wide selection of straps made from leather, alligator, rubber and other iconic Louis Vuitton fabrics, including Monogram and Damier canvas. Developed by Louis Vuitton’s R&D department, the patented strap-changing system means that no tools are required except, of course, for a touch of imagination and style to endow your Tambour with as many different personalities as you like.  We need your help to keep The Jewellery Editor’s independence so that we can continue to offer quality writing that’s open to everyone around the world.

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Louis Vuitton Voyager Skeleton

Louis Vuitton Voyager Skeleton has made a plethora of headlines in this early half of spring as it dropped its second batch of products alongside artist Yayoi Kusama, unveiled a luxe golf trunk and announced its latest Archlight 2.0 sneaker. And now to keep its momentum pushing forward, the luxury label has just announced its latest Voyager Skeleton watch.

The new and limited-edition timepiece is designed with a mechanical and minimalistic build that can resist up to 50mm of water. Its crafted with a 41mm platinum case and sapphire glass, the former of which houses the LV60 — a skeleton-ized movement that references the architecture of some of Louis Vuitton’s flagship stores and the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The calibre is equipped with a tungsten micro-rotor ornamented with a white gold rhodium plated plate. It’s been intentionally positioned off center to maximize the visibility of the LV-shaped bridges and the mechanics inside. The rear end of the watch features an engraved case-back that spells out “Limited edition,” and the piece comes packaged with a navy blue alligator leather trap as well as a taurillon leather strap that are locked in place by a platinum ardillon buckle.
Tambour may be the name that is rightfully associated with Louis Vuitton watches, as the drum-shaped case dominates in the luxury giant’s watches catalogue. Still, Tambour, with its variations like Tambour Curve and Tambour Moon, is not the only shape that constitutes the offer. A few years back, the Voyager case, house to the Louis Vuitton Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève, was chosen to represent the GMT models and now seems reserved for special occasions only. Like the launch of the new Voyager Skeleton, which is here to highlight Louis Vuitton’s expertise in openworked movements. The Voyager case is a beautiful creation, with an attractive round shape that seems oval and sometimes even square. It has a monobloc construction, so the middle part and the bezel are one piece. The curves and different finishes on its surfaces, mirror-polished and brushed, provide a perfect and luxurious (Pt 950) frame to enjoy the functional beauty of the open-worked calibre. The new skeletonised movement LV60 fits perfectly into the distinctive 41mm Voyager case as it was created for this particular model. The Calibre LV60’s architecture is designed within the stylistic codes of the Maison to remind nothing less than the exceptional forms of the Fondation Louis Vuitton building by Frank Gehry. And the movement spells Louis Vuitton, like the brand’s most leather goods, with LV-shaped bridges, LV-decorated tungsten micro-rotor and a “Louis Vuitton” cut-out ratchet wheel. But it somehow remains quite discreet. This movement is the brand’s first automatic time-only skeleton calibre; it beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and has 48 hours of power reserve. Designed and developed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, an in-house, Geneva-based specialist atelier, this calibre was manufactured in partnership with Le Cercle des Horlogers out of Neuchâtel – LV must be praised for communicating this and not usurping all the laurels. The Voyager Skeleton movement’s decoration aligns with expectations as we remember the exquisite finish done on the openworked Louis Vuitton Poinçon de Genève watches, Louis Vuitton Voyager Skeleton Tambour Curve Flying Tourbillon and Voyager Flying Tourbillon. The LV-shaped bridges show fine linear graining on the top and sandblasted finish on the caseback side, with chamfered edges. The rhodium-plated parts make the watch look very monochromatic. This feeling is enhanced by the contrasting deep blue-coloured minute ring on the dial’s periphery and the pair of semi-skeletonised hands for hours and minutes, with their blue contour. The Louis Vuitton Voyager Skeleton caseback is transparent, and the sight is no less spectacular than the dial, especially if you enjoy viewing the mechanism at work. Still, with the Voyager Skeleton, you can enjoy the dial side equally, if not much more. Louis Vuitton invites you to guess the power left for the watch to properly function by looking at the mainspring coils or paying attention to the arrangement of the coils so as not to miss the moment to wind your Voyager Skeleton.

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Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon black

Louis Vuitton is one of the most well known and beloved luxury fashion houses in the world. It’s only been making fancy timepieces since 2002, but now it’s jumping into the world of smartwatches with the Tambour Horizon.

This is a luxury smartwatch built for the jet setters. Louis Vuitton is not concerned with fitness or metrics – there’s no heart rate sensor or GPS here. Instead, it wants to be the perfect wrist-based companion for travelling, and when you’re back on terra firma, just looking like a damn fancy smartwatch. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon isn’t cheap. It starts at a eye widening, wallet melting, clutch-your-heart-and-gasp . But does that luxury appeal make the price point worth it as one of the best Android Wear watches you can buy? And how does it compare to something like the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 or Montblanc Summit? That’s what we’re here to find out.
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon sports a design inspired by Louis Vuitton’s analogue watch, the Tambour Moon. It’s a large 42mm-wide case that’s also pretty thick, lounging at a hefty 12.5mm. It doesn’t look its size though, not until you put it on your wrist – but we’ll get to that in a bit.

The face itself looks like it lacks any sort of bezel, and that’s because the bezel is actually used for something: it’s where the numbers go. It surrounds a 1.2-inch 390 x 390 AMOLED display that – wonderfully – doesn’t have a flat tyre at the bottom. This is a perfect circle, and that helps it blend in with the bezel. Plus, that bezel nicely fits in with LV’s watch faces when they’re in passive mode, since they don’t display numbers. It’s a unique design choice that makes the watch look smaller than it is. The big design inspiration it takes from the Tambour Moon, however, comes from the concave design on the side of the watch. This, too, makes the Tambour Horizon look smaller than it is. Like wearing a well-tapered shirt, it’s slimming in all the right ways. Also, it makes it very comfortable to grab the watch face when you’re swiping across that screen or pressing the digital crown. Speaking of the digital crown, it’s the only physical button on the Tambour Horizon. It’s got a hefty feel to it. The button itself is slightly soft, and it pushes into the crown rather than the entire crown pushing down. It’s a little weird at first, but it also becomes pretty satisfying.

Satisfying is a good word for the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon. It feels good to wear, almost an antithesis to the Montblanc, though I also must note it doesn’t look or feel too massive on my larger wrist. If you’ve got a smaller wrist, it might feel like it’s swallowing you. The rubber watch band that was provided to me isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but it also isn’t bad. It certainly looks nice, especially if you like seeing the words “Louis” and “Vuitton” on things. There are 30 other bands you can choose from, however. There isn’t the level of modularity and customisation that the Tag Heuer has though; this feels more like a designed, curated experience. I would be remiss to not mention the extracurriculars of the Tambour Horizon experience. The charger, too, has nods of luxury. There’s a leather buckle on it that you can use to wrap up the cable, which is covered is a knitted material so that it doesn’t get tangled. The massive box that you get with the watch is like a miniature cabinet, with drawers for your charger and these strange leather, LV-adorned key covers to protect/decorate your chargers. Yeah, the Tambour Horizon is so luxury you need protection for your charging cable. A charging cable that is, by the way, slightly strange. It’s a magnetic charging puck, but it’s also very specific about how it is to be used. The only way it’ll charge is if you line it up so the power cord on the puck is in the opposite direction of the digital crown. Even while charging on your nightstand in the middle of the night – unseen by anyone’s judging eyes – your Tambour Horizon must maintain perfect posture, I suppose.

Overall, the Tambour Horizon is a very attractive watch. It’s cleverly designed, with lots of subtle details that other smartwatches could take notes from. More than that, however, it feels good to wear. If great design is all about making a product feel good, then the Tambour Horizon is singing its heart out.There’s no GPS here, or heart rate sensor, or NFC payment support. The Tambour Horizon isn’t interested in anything fitness, and that’s because it only cares about being a luxury accessory as you travel the globe. Thus, the biggest features LV has introduced here are all related to travel.
The two signature features are LV Guide and My Flight. Before you get to use these two, you’ll have to download the LV Link app to connect your Tambour Horizon. This process is supposed to be easy. Your watch displays a QR code, the app has a QR code reader. Except that in practice it’s not that simple – it’s actually a little glitchy. It took me three attempts to connect properly.Once you do get all that set up, and a Louis Vuitton account registered, you can use LV Guide and My Flight. LV Guide is basically a fancy version of Yelp. If you’re in one of seven cities – London, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo – you’ll get a guide that points you to interesting places to check out. You just open the app in one of those cities and it’ll start guiding you.

My Flight is there to help you get to your flights on time. You email your flight information to a provided email address, which isn’t very convenient, and then on your My Flight watch face it’ll have a running timer for your next action. So around the watch face will be a line that’ll get smaller and smaller as you head toward your boarding time. If you’re on your flight, it’ll get smaller as you head to your destination. It’s a pretty neat, convenient way to get flight information. If you’re a frequent traveller, it’s definitely something that’ll help you tremendously.The more interesting faces are in the My series. They range in design, from a thick stripe down the centre to pasting the LV logo all over the place to adding widgets to get you to your favourite apps quickly. Each of them also comes with a second watch face that activates when your display goes into passive mode. That’s par for the course with Android Wear, but some of them look so good that I wish they were available the whole time. By the way, as noted before, the numbers on these watch faces go away in passive mode, relying on the bezel to tell you the time.

The two standouts of the My line are the My 24 Hours and My Classic. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Classic has two little shapes near the bottom that colour up when you have notifications to check out. It’s a nice, simple way to let you know what’s up. Also, most of the watches have a second hour hand (more like an hour dot or arrow) that lets you keep track of the time in another time zone. So with a quick glance you can not only see what time it is where you are, but at your destination as well.

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Louis Vuitton Tambour All Black

One of the malaises sweeping the Swiss Louis Vuitton Tambour All Black watch industry is, in my oh-so-humble opinion, that of homogeneity. From a distance, the world from the wrist down looks remarkably similar: round, black-dialled steel sports cases in a style that sits somewhere on a spectrum between vaguely retro to full-blown reissue. I’m well aware that this isn’t a new phenomenon, but today a properly original watch design is an exception, rather than the rule. Louis Vuitton Tambour All Black case is original. I mean, sure, it’s round and sporty, but it is also possessed of a really interesting case, with an inwardly curving profile that looks like it was actually designed by a person, rather than a committee. And it’s not just the case — the whole kit and caboodle is dramatically different from what you’d expect from a Swiss watch, which is unsurprising because the visual identity and IP of Louis Vuitton is so strong, and so pervasive. There are versions of the Tambour in the house’s famous motifs, but this option is a little more — for lack of a better word — stealthy. For all that the palette is monotone, this is not a shy watch. There’s that aforementioned sweeping profile, complete with L O U I S V U I T T O N spelled out at hour intervals (convenient), and a sporty assemblage of pushers, lugs and rubber-clad crown. There’s also the 46mm case size (which wears smaller than you’d think). The dial is particularly LV too, with bold, blocky shapes for the hour markers and hands, and a repeated Gaston V signature in grey on the dial and at 12 o’clock. The Louis Vuitton Tambour All Black movement is an undisclosed Swiss automatic, which, from the fact that it’s hidden away behind an oblique sapphire glass caseback, is likely nothing too noteworthy (but definitely robust and reliable), which is absolutely fine for the sort of fashion-forward wearer this watch is intended for. The strap is excellent, and comes with a quick-change attachment, allowing you to re-up from LV’s plentiful options. The name on the dial is, depending on your perspective, either the biggest selling point or stumbling block for this watch. But take that away and you’ve got an interesting, distinctive watch design that stands on its own merits.

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Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Metallic Flower

Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Slim collection includes several incredible timepieces, but there’s now a new superb ladies watch worth talking about. The Tambour Slim Metallic Flower represents the French luxury brand’s latest offering, showing off a remarkable floral pattern based on the company’s emblematic Monogram Flower.

Inspired by fluid forms, plays of light and reflections, the chic dial of this watch actually displays 60 Monogram Flowers teasing our retinas with an intense metallic radiance, while eight polished cabochons add to the beautiful contemporary design of this watch. Do you like what you see?

You might have noticed the gold finished hands, Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Metallic Flower complemented by four iconic motifs from Louis Vuitton’s stylistic repertoire at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. The luminous contrast set against the polished steel of the case adds even more charm to the visual appeal of this timepiece, that will be available with 28, 33 and 39 mm cases.

The watch also benefits from an interchangeable strap equipped with Louis Vuitton’s patented system, which Louis Vuitton Tambour Slim Metallic Flower allows owners to personalize their watches and make them truly their own. Other than that, it’s all a matter of style, preferences and exclusivity; we’re guessing the Louis Vuitton name will make any lady feel special. Did you forget that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner?

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Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Monogram

Colorful, brash, high-end, and easy to navigate — that’s how I’d summarize the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Light Up after spending some time with the latest smartwatch from the iconic luxury brand. Frankly, I appreciate how up-front the entire presentation of the piece is. If you a) don’t like smartwatches; b) don’t like the design of the Tambour Horizon; c) prefer subtlety to flash; or d) all of the above, then this probably isn’t for you. And all that’s before mentioning price. Now, if you haven’t eliminated yourself, then keep an open mind, and take a look at the most unapologetically fun luxury smartwatch out there.

Note that I’m not going to get into all the specs and technical rigamarole here, but you can easily glean all that information from our release article here.The Tambour Horizon Light Up lets you know what it’s all about from the name alone, which underscores how vital the “always-on” screen is. Rather than trying to impress with specs, it dazzles with spectacle. Seriously, I couldn’t stop tapping the screen to activate the vivid theatrical display that is wonderfully punctuated by the curved edges of the sapphire crystal. Of course, there are times when you don’t want a fireworks display on the wrist, as well as times when you want to extend battery life. Fortunately, it’s very simple to switch among four different modes either from the app or by swiping up on the watch. “Blossom” is the most fun, with just about every engagement with the watch kicking off that stunning light display. “Explorer” mode is meant for the typical day where you just want the connected features without the pomp, the weekday to Blossom mode’s weekend. “Submarine” is basically a “do not disturb” mode that silences notifications, and finally, “Saver” mode turns off most functions to extend battery life.Swiping right on the screen lets you manage the “My Day” function, which handles the personal basics like calendar, appointments, weather, and the health tracker. Swiping left deals handles the “My Travel” functions like flight info and city guides. And swiping down lets you check messages and notifications. It’s all very clean, simple, and easy to operate, so it’s perfect if you’re like me and don’t want to deal with yet another overly complicated device in your life.I initially wasn’t sure what the pushers on the side of the case could be for and worried they could add unnecessary complication to such an easy-to-useLouis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Monogram. Fortunately, that’s not the case, as the upper pusher just shuffles watch faces, and the bottom pusher can be set to quickly activate an app of the wearer’s choosing.Much has been made about the new operating system, a specially customized take on the Wear OS that is the “first outside Apple’s own ecosystem to be accredited as ‘MFI’ or ‘Made For iPhone.’” In real-world terms, what this means for iPhone users is an LV Connect app that runs butter-smooth with full functionality, unlike many previous Android apps that both glitch out and/or offer limited functionality for Apple users.The Tambour Horizon Light Up measures 44mm-wide and 13.2mm-thick with a 1.2-inch screen. The domed edges of the crystal make it seem more compact than it really is, but their true purpose is revealed when the dial is going full kaleidoscopic Blossom-mode, which reaches out to the far ends of the case. The 24 individual LED LV insignias dotting the circumference join the party and visibly heighten the wonderfully ostentatious display. It’s so extra and so much fun that there really isn’t much else like it out there.It feels very well-finished and succeeds in what is one of the most important tasks for a $3,500-$4,000 smartwatch: it makes me forget (or, more importantly, not care) that this will be obsolete in the future. Just like for buyers of luxury electric cars like Tesla, that pesky inevitability doesn’t really matter. If it’s obsolete in two years, then buy the new one. This is a luxury product with a focus on a travel-heavy lifestyle because that’s the buyer the brand has in mind. There were over 35 million Apple Watches sold in 2021 and there are many popular and competent offerings from Samsung, Garmin, and others out there. Luxury smartwatches like the Tambour Horizon Light Up are for the buyers who, for several possible reasons,  don’t want what everyone else has.In addition to luxury cars, even things like cameras (let alone smartphones) have entered the obsolescence cycle. Buying something like the Leica Q2 will cost you about twice as much as a comparable camera from other brands and will be replaced with the inevitable Q3 in a matter of years. Other than clothing, accessories, and things like mechanical watches, future obsolescence is baked into being a consumer these days. We pay for exclusivity, finish quality, and how a product makes us feel even if it isn’t rational for 95% of the population.The Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Light Up battery lasted me about a day, though I kept it on Blossom mode so you could ostensibly stretch it a little longer — I’d recommend charging nightly.

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Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon

After launching the second generation Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon smartwatch earlier this year, Louis Vuitton (PARIS:MC.PA -1.84%) introduces a series of digital neon designs for the timepiece’s face. Taking cues from LV’s colorful windows for this season, the electronic faces reinterpret the brand’s iconic monogram flowers and logo with bright kaleidoscopic graphics.

In addition to the new neon designs, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon connected watch includes a travel feature with flight, hotel and transportation information, “My 24 hours” with weather, daily agenda and step counter, along with access to LV’s City Guide and exclusive customizable watch faces to truly tailor the timepiece to your own needs.

Colorful, brash, high-end, and easy to navigate — that’s how I’d summarize the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Light Up after spending some time with the latest smartwatch from the iconic luxury brand. Frankly, I appreciate how up-front the entire presentation of the piece is. If you a) don’t like smartwatches; b) don’t like the design of the Tambour Horizon; c) prefer subtlety to flash; or d) all of the above, then this probably isn’t for you. And all that’s before mentioning price. Now, if you haven’t eliminated yourself, then keep an open mind, and take a look at the most unapologetically fun luxury smartwatch out there.

Note that I’m not going to get into all the specs and technical rigamarole here, but you can easily glean all that information from our release article here.

The Tambour Horizon Light Up lets you know what it’s all about from the name alone, which underscores how vital the “always-on” screen is. Rather than trying to impress with specs, it dazzles with spectacle. Seriously, I couldn’t stop tapping the screen to activate the vivid theatrical display that is wonderfully punctuated by the curved edges of the sapphire crystal. Of course, there are times when you don’t want a fireworks display on the wrist, as well as times when you want to extend battery life. Fortunately, it’s very simple to switch among four different modes either from the app or by swiping up on the watch. “Blossom” is the most fun, with just about every engagement with the watch kicking off that stunning light display. “Explorer” mode is meant for the typical day where you just want the connected features without the pomp, the weekday to Blossom mode’s weekend. “Submarine” is basically a “do not disturb” mode that silences notifications, and finally, “Saver” mode turns off most functions to extend battery life.

Swiping right on the screen lets you manage the “My Day” function, which handles the personal basics like calendar, appointments, weather, and the health tracker. Swiping left deals handles the “My Travel” functions like flight info and city guides. And swiping down lets you check messages and notifications. It’s all very clean, simple, and easy to operate, so it’s perfect if you’re like me and don’t want to deal with yet another overly complicated device in your life.

I initially wasn’t sure what the pushers on the side of the case could be for and worried they could add unnecessary complication to such an easy-to-use smartwatch. Fortunately, that’s not the case, as the upper pusher just shuffles watch faces, and the bottom pusher can be set to quickly activate an app of the wearer’s choosing. Much has been made about the new operating system, a specially customized take on the Wear OS that is the “first outside Apple’s own ecosystem to be accredited as ‘MFI’ or ‘Made For iPhone.’” In real-world terms, what this means for iPhone users is an Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon Connect app that runs butter-smooth with full functionality, unlike many previous Android apps that both glitch out and/or offer limited functionality for Apple users. The Tambour Horizon Light Up measures 44mm-wide and 13.2mm-thick with a 1.2-inch screen. The domed edges of the crystal make it seem more compact than it really is, but their true purpose is revealed when the dial is going full kaleidoscopic Blossom-mode, which reaches out to the far ends of the case. The 24 individual LED LV insignias dotting the circumference join the party and visibly heighten the wonderfully ostentatious display. It’s so extra and so much fun that there really isn’t much else like it out there.

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Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 41

For 2022, Breitling has redesigned its iconic Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch, which for decades has been a staple of high-end tool timepieces originally designed for commercial airline pilots in the early 1950s. The Navitimer has seen countless iterations over the years and is one of the world’s most recognized luxury sports watches. It has not, however, experienced a recent makeover under Breitling’s current stewardship by Georges Kern. The updated Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch for 2022 is known officially as the Navitimer B01 Chronograph and comes in three case sizes with a variety of different dial options, many of which have never been offered in a Navitimer watch before. The aBlogtoWatch team was able to go hands-on with all of the new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches and below is our take on this modern version of a timeless classic. For me, the Navitimer has always been a staple of tool watches because of its focus on computational utility. Its core design element is a slide-rule bezel that once allowed pilots to make various necessary calculations such as time to their destination or fuel consumption rate. The rotating slide-rule bezel mixed with the chronograph offered a small universe of capabilities. Only the smartest and most competent pilots would be seen wearing such a wrist instrument, and the legacy of the learned aviation professional lives on in this decidedly Breitling brand watch. With a design DNA that was perfected long ago, according to many timepiece enthusiasts, what was Breitling able to do with a modern Navitimer that hasn’t been done before? It is important to mention some useful context at play when Breitling designed the new Navitimer. First of all, it was the brand’s goal to make the Navitimer look and feel as pleasant as possible while fitting into contemporary trends in luxury timepieces. That means the watches also need variety and be able to appeal to multiple audience sizes and color preferences. While the slide rule feature is truly iconic, few Navitimer customers are known to actually use this piece of functionality, which means the feature needs to be there but Breitling doesn’t really talk about it much. In fact, Breitling has a series of prototype Navitimer watches with more water resistance (hard to accomplish with the bezel functioning as it does). None of those ever made it to market because the resulting watch cases don’t really look “Navitimer enough.” So, Breitling’s goal with the redesigned Navitimer is mainly two-fold: to create a commercially successful luxury watch that fits into Breitling’s “relaxed luxury lifestyle” brand personality, and to offer a product that looks and feels like the classic Navitimer enthusiasts love. Note that to make the dial a bit cleaner, this generation of Navitimer Chronograph watch dials do not have a tachymeter scale, and I don’t think a single person will really miss it. It was also important that Breitling get to feature its extremely competent in-house caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement but also to make the Navitimer case thinner. Older Navitimer watches are thinner, but they are also manually wound (versus automatic). The 2022 Navitimer watches are about 1.5mm thinner than previous-generation models, and they also feature an exhibition caseback. The case thinness (they are all about 13.6-14mm-thick, depending on the version) is thanks to a redesign of the slide-rule bezel system, which is now flat instead of sloped, as was the case on previous models. The dial doesn’t appear flat, however, thanks to the recessed subdials. Many people will not notice, at first glance, the different architecture of the Navitimer dial, but it is very apparent once you start to inspect it or compare it to other recent Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch. Breitling decided to go very commercial with the dials in terms of colors and finishing. That’s a business decision that probably makes sense, but purists will probably still be more attracted to some of the more historic-looking recent Navitimer watches that have more of a “tool watch” look. The various metallic colors and copious reflective surfaces test well with luxury seekers but make the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches quite “blingy” when compared with the classic models. Adding to that look are new colors, including two different greens (one is a fun mint), two blues, and a variety of grays, whites, and black tones mixed together. There are even 18k red-gold case options in addition to the main steel-cased versions to offer an even more high-end feel. The dials are very nice, but I prefer a more matte style to watches with this level of dial detail, and for the snazzier shiny look, I am still very much taken by Breitling’s Chronomat 42 masterpieces. For me, the most jarring aspect of the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph case design is the polishing. While not always true, most recent Navitimer watches have had all-polished cases — really nice polished cases. For 2022, Breitling goes a different route by maintaining the core Navitimer case style but offering both polished and brushed surface finishing over the case and the available bracelet. This adds a lot of visual interest to the case and bracelet, but the dual-finishing of the 2022 Navitimer watches do make them stand out from the rest of the modern versions of the watch and will probably help them stand out to customers who have previous-generation Navitimer models. On the dial, we see a return to the AOPA Breitling “wings” logo, which has been used on some retro-remake models but no standard collection pieces, until now. Breitling CEO Georges Kern presided over the Navitimer B01 Chronograph launch event and explained something very interesting about the brand’s logos. The problem is that none of the current logos work with all of the watches. Some logos appear better on the modern watches but not the classic ones. Some of the watches have just a Breitling “B,” and others have mere graphic logos. It is great that Breitling has so much history to pull from to make this possible, but it is also interesting that the brand’s current logos don’t actually work well on all watches. Breitling isn’t the only watch brand now to play with different logo designs on contemporary watches but probably has the best reasons to use multiple logos across product collections. To serve the needs of various customers (including women), Breitling made the correct decision to offer what is essentially the same watch in three different case sizes. It is true that some dial color configurations are only available in some sizes, but for the most part, Breitling Navitimer Chronograph watch makes sure that the 41, 43, and 46mm-wide Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches are more or less the same in terms of style and look. Having worn all three sizes, I would say that my personal preference is the 43mm wide version, but I would gladly wear any of them. The cases are water-resistant to 30 meters, and 13.6, 13.69, and 13.95mm thick, respectively. Watch size is a matter of taste and not a matter of correctness. So the correct size for you will depend on your anatomy and, to a degree, the watch dial colors that you prefer. Breitling’s B01 automatic chronograph movement powers each of these watches and, for the first time in a Navitimer Chronograph piece, you can see the very nice movement through an exhibition caseback. This was designed by former Rolex engineers who worked on the chronograph movement inside the Daytona and is very accurate. Each is a COSC-certified Chronometer and operates at 4Hz with 70 hours of power reserve. The watch features the time and date (integrated into the lower subdial), as well as the 12-hour chronograph. All of the watches are available on a brown or black alligator strap, or a matching seven-link metal bracelet (steel or gold depending on the version). The bracelet option (in steel) costs just $400 more and also features a new butterfly-style deployant clasp, a serious upgrade from the previous fold-over deployant clasps.

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AP Celebrates the Royal Oak Offshore’s 30th Birthday With A Dramatic Limited Edition

Hot on the heels of Watches & Wonders 2023, Audemars Piguet is announcing their latest limited edition model, this time to commemorate the 30th birthday of the daring Royal Oak Offshore chronograph. Taking inspiration directly from an early example with a cameo connection to ’90s action cinema, we find a specific colorway and the use of some action-ready materials. Of course, those of you who grew up loving the action films of the 1990s may well recognize the black-and-yellow coloring as a direct and intentional reference to the early Royal Oak Offshore that Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in End of Days back in 1999. Based on the current-gen AP Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, this limited edition (ref. 26420CE) uses a 43mm black ceramic case that is 14.4mm thick and employs titanium for the caseback, pusher frames, and studs.

While, yes, 30 years ago would mean 1993, the AP Royal Oak Offshore was not an instant hit and Arnold’s interest in wearing it in the film played a role in establishing the model with the correct audience. To that point, AP CEO Francois-Henry Bennahmais said, “In 1999, the collaboration with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Royal Oak Offshore End of Days started putting the collection on the map of a wider public for the first time. For the 30th anniversary of the Offshore, paying tribute to this specific timepiece is an obvious choice.” The original End of Days reference is the 25770SN and many collectors and enthusiasts know it as the “End of Days” ROO. This new model houses Audemars Piguet’s 4401 automatic chronograph caliber that ticks at 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 70 hours. This 30th Anniversary Royal Oak Offshore is limited to 500 units worldwide at a price of $60,300. I think I feel loosely the same about AP Royal Oak Offshore Chronographs as I do about ’90s action cinema. Both are big, a bit over the top, hyper-masculine, and meant to combine an array of modern creative capabilities in a presentation that is simply meant to be exciting and fun. From that perspective, I think AP has nailed this 30th-anniversary edition. The watch is largely a known quantity so it’s the coloring, the ceramic case, and the pair of straps that help it to stand out. I love black and yellow (more on watches than on cars or clothing) and I think that if Arnold was making End of Days today, he’d go for the ceramic as it really suits the vibe of the ROO. Finally, the watch comes with two “textile effect” quick-change capable straps, one in black with yellow stitching (seen in the images) and one that is yellow with black stitching. If you’ve got the tan for the latter, you have my tacit support.

This thoroughly modern AP Royal Oak Offshore combines the modern scope of the model with a special bit of Hollywood history that helped to solidify the idea of a big-and-burly Royal Oak via the power of the silver screen.

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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph “End Of Days II”

You might have read it, but did you get a chance to let the news really sink in? The Offshore turns 30 this year. That’s three decades. Thanks to a healthy diet of regular facelifts, the watch managed to become a forever-young legend. During the watch’s lifetime, some iterations have gained legendary status. The Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days” reference 25770SN was one of them, and now that bold stainless steel PVD-coated watch now has a modernized successor. It’s the 43mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph in black ceramic with bright yellow details.

The Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days” reference 25770SN was a limited edition of 500 pieces. And one of them was on the wrist of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1999 movie End of Days. The big and black “ROO” for the movie star was a steel watch that received AP’s first-ever PVD coating. It was quite avant-garde at the time, even trend-setting. The watch in the movie (and also the 499 other ones that were not) featured a Velcro strap, a black dial with yellow Arabic numerals, a date display at 3 o’clock, and three sub-dials. And along with the 42mm case, the bezel, crown, pushers, and clasp were done in black PVD steel too.
Black PVD steel is not very 2023, but black ceramic is. And that’s why the homage to the original ROO “End of Days” is done in scratch-resistant, lightweight, anti-allergic, black high-tech ceramic. The new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph is not just black, of course, there’s also a bit of yellow. You might know about my issues with the combo of black and yellow in watches. If you don’t, it doesn’t really matter. I will just stick to the facts and leave all the interpretation to you, the reader. Anyway, the look of the new ROO is bold, dynamic, and historically rooted. Also, the limited edition of 500 pieces is in line with the previous watch. The movement inside the new ROO, however, is very different from its historical counterpart. And that’s a good thing because the new creation features AP’s latest self-winding chronograph movement, Calibre 4401. That’s a fully integrated 12-hour chronograph movement with a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and flyback functionality. You can have a look at it through the window on the display case back. You might also notice the refined decorations, including Côtes de Genève, circular graining, sunray finishing, circular satin finishing, and polished bevels. And there you’ll also find the 22K pink gold rotor. The NAC process gave the oscillating weight an anthracite hue. It’s fair to say that End of Days was not the most warmly regarded film in the Arnold Schwarzenegger canon. “A head-on collision between the ludicrous and the absurd” was the verdict of film reviewer Roger Ebert on the 1999 movie that saw Arnie take on the devil himself in order to stop Beelzebub from spawning a master race of satanic followers. Still, Ebert’s two-star review was far kinder than the general consensus: the Rotten Tomatoes website gave the film an 11% rating. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore proved similarly contentious at first. Designed by Emmanuel Gueit, who was just 22 at the time, the 42mm watch was considered gigantic when it was released in 1993. The biggest critic was the father of the Royal Oak, Gerald Genta, who famously burst in during the watch’s presentation to publically accuse Gueit of ruining his design.

Given the initial reception of both the film and the Offshore model, you wouldn’t hold out much hope for the product that linked the two: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore “End Of Days”. Outside the world of mathematics, after all, two minuses rarely make a plus. Except the result turned out to be far more positive than expected. Limited to just 500 individually numbered pieces (it should really have been an allocation of 666), the Royal Oak Offshore “End Of Days” was one of the very first horological collaborations with a celebrity. As Francois-Henry Bennahmias says in the video below that celebrated the Offshore’s 25th birthday, Arnie made specific demands regarding the design: “The watch has to be black and I want yellow numbers,” he reportedly said. The result might not have been subtle, but that design coated in black PVD, makes the yellow hour markers and luminescent Arabic numerals leap out against the petite tapissiere dial. Here was a watch as big and as bold as the action-hero on whose wrist it would appear.