Reply With QuoteAP Chrono Divers are the pick of the bunch for me this year
I quite like it!Originally Posted by tobywatches
Any bets that Rolex release a 39mm datejust?
AP Chrono Divers are the pick of the bunch for me this year
RIAC
It's stunning, but what I really love is the black subdials and date wheel- Stealth! Then that blue moonphase, a beauty!Lewis, I hope this is your next watch so I can try one! This is absolutely unbelievable!
This dial is their best yet, you're right I think they've gone modern.
The Panerai 662 Radiomir and 663 Luminor are both killers!
Name down on the 663 for me!
The 662 is a very nice looking specimen too
Both have flat brown/tobacco dials printed numerals instead of sandwich and engraved branding in white instead of ecru. The p3000 movement has been altered slightly also with one of the bridges being split into 2 separate pieces.
At they 2 hand models? I can see th seconds handThe Panerai 662 Radiomir and 663 Luminor are both killers!
Name down on the 663 for me!
The 662 is a very nice looking specimen too
Both have flat brown/tobacco dials printed numerals instead of sandwich and engraved branding in white instead of ecru. The p3000 movement has been altered slightly also with one of the bridges being split into 2 separate pieces.
Definitely two-handers. Panerai stick to sub-seconds dials if there's the option. Shame they're too large for my wrist as they're rather nice!!
The AP Chrono divers have been the biggest surprise to me so far, they are 4 mad colours they have offered them in. Really like the orange one but don't think I could wear it well for work and suited up. Shame, perhaps I need another job.
What a beautiful watch, the movement's breathtaking! If I have to nitpick, the power indicator's seems out of place...
If only I have USD321,000 to spare......
There are some bloody ugly watches on this thread, I find it all rather depressing.
"A man of little significance"
Edited due to being blind .....
Last edited by chris56; 19th January 2016 at 13:07.
Theres an Auf/Ab indicator at the top left, between 9 and 10 :)
Oops - yes there is. In which case I would have to agree with the original op as it is difficult to spot. :)
Are you serious or saying it in jest?
I dont think most of the watches posted on this thread are 'bloody ugly'.
Like that AP diver minus the 10 o'clock, not that I could afford it mind.
Very serious. Are you saying that in jest?
"A man of little significance"
One of the few sane minds here.
aBlogToWatch quoted $27900 in their article. No idea of the UK price yet.
Do people actually find these new AP models nice? they look so awful to me, but I was never a fan of AP in the first place. Lange on the other hand..
I bet that they won't, but you're right that they should. Or even better, a 38mm DJ with the old case shape, or a reissued dark grey dialled pre-Daytona - two things that would really make a splash but will have to remain a fantasy unfortunately.
Love that ALS datagraph.....have to admit it might be out of my £budgetary reach :)
Have to say I do like the Panerai 1940s case Radiomirs. That 662 is pleasing. I've got a 514 and like it. But it's 47mm and think maybe a 45mm 619 (?) might 'fit' better.
Sacrilege -I prefer the 1940s cases to the 'normal' Radiomirs!
I don't think it's sacrilege. The 1940s cases look truer to the originals than the rest IMO, but when I tried a 42mm I found it incredibly underwhelming. I think it needs to be 45mm+ to be a true Panerai although I haven't tried one yet.
whatever they announce it will not be at SIHH as they are not part of the Richemont group and are highly unlikely to be invited to the Carré des Horlogers
some nice pieces from Cartier announced. not a brand i really considered before but they have a certain dressy style that appeals plus an in-house movement
Good point, the Oyster Perpetual 39 was announced at Baselworld last March, so there will be a couple of months to wait for any news from them. But I won't be holding my breath on DJ based on the grey OP39, appealing as it sounds.
- The Senfire movement from Parmigiani Fleurier, based on the novel escapement developed by Pierre-Marcel Genequand / CESM really is astounding.
- De Bethane's new DB25 World Traveller is also impressive.
- Good to see Michael Vogt / Thomas Prescher's Vogard rather cool bezel tech (and name) getting used in a mainstream piece (IWC's Timezoner(C)).
For me Vacheron Constantin have stolen the show. It's the Overseas ultra-thin for me, but this perpetual calendar in white gold also takes some beating in the grail stakes:
http://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the...etual-calendar
Of course, it will be compared with the very similar AP Royal Oak perpetual calendar. But while I'm a fan of Royal Oaks, this may just be a little bit prettier in every detail. Has the VC just overtaken the AP? Possibly, though given that the AP in gold is close to $100k, I don't know if it makes much difference to me!
Last edited by Itsguy; 20th January 2016 at 15:20.
I was wondering why the press for this event was so absurdly enthusiastic about absolutely everything (compare the Hodinkee report on the new IWC pilots with the thread on here, for example) but I just learnt why: the event is invite-only. Guess Richemont want the momentum flowing in a positive direction ahead of Basel?
This is a tricky area, and one that does not appear to be addressed consistently. I don't understand why there aren't more potential conflicts of interest declared on 'blogs.
I like panerais touch of blue in the twin set, there seems to be a lot of blue about at the minute
For the life of me, I just don't get the subtle nuances of difference between the many Panerai models.
Ha! Touché!
On a serious note, I do like the ALS and the VC.
Thank Goodness. Nothing there that I like and so no temptation! Phew!
Just Baselworld to get through now! :D
Very much so – two years away though, but still, potentially 70-day power reserves to look forward to.
Unfortunately, to these eyes, they stole defeat from the jaws of victory.
So much promising potential, only to end up delivering abject mediocrity, which even with the use of Cartier’s patented quick strap change mechanism won’t overcome.
You’re not the only one.
The white gold Overseas ultra-thin and perpetual calendar appear abjectly mediocre to you? One can only imagine how the rest of the world appears... Picasso, a talentless scribbler. The Grand Canyon, overrated. The moon landing, predictable and dull. What a joy life must be!
Agreed, far too many models that look to me very similar.
Does anybody know how many models they currently produce.
Ultra thins do sod all for me – needless engineering to prove nothing more than it’s doable – same applies to the AP 15202, especially on something purporting to be sporty.
The PC is pretty crap – I detest sub-dial pointers at the best of times, but that month and leap year type really grates on my nerves. Then again, another pointless bit of engineering since hardly anyone forgets which month or year they’re currently living in!
As for the Overseas and Overseas Chronograph – the return to a 222-esque bezel is neither joyous nor endearing. The look of the OS dial is cheap and could be mistaken for sub £1K if it weren’t for the branding on it.
The hands and markers are shit – completely and utterly – and the chronograph could be any generic triple sub-dial with date at 4:30, much like a Seiko Ananta, for example.
Don’t particularly like the style of the rotor, although I get what it’s trying to convey – for me, it just fails to impress, and smacks of done on the cheap (like a lot of the watch) and a case of DFR (do ‘fine’ rightly), suggesting they left it to the last minute to design.
At this level of the horological game, I expect more and better – and as the outgoing chrono had a big date, which differentiated it from the likes of PP and AP, you’d have thought they’d have carried on with that USP.
Quick strap change mechanism is novel, useful even, but hardly something that will bowl over consumers, particularly when the rest of the watch looks generic and unimaginative.
You only have to look at stablemate brand GO or Swatch Group’s ALS, to see proper thought being put into their offerings – although I still don’t like ALS’ moonphase size and position on the Datograph (and the least said about PC/Chrono combos the better!).
Last edited by PJ S; 21st January 2016 at 16:35.
Thought experiment: if they had announced a QP / PC that used the movement that Stephen McDonnell designed for MBandF, would that have met your expectations?
That's the funniest thing I've read all week..
Now that is nice. Appeases my need for a date too.The new Overseas is pretty cool too:
http://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the...w-caliber-5100
The date sure does look much better than the previous iteration...
Cheers,
Christian
As has been said - There is a new grail in town.
I guess we can say it's a matter of personal taste! I happen to like ultra-thins, not all the time but they work very well with a shirt and suit jacket where bulkier watches sometimes don't, so for me it's not a meaningless exercise. The 15202 RO wears way better on me than the 15300.
The bezel appears more similar to the one on both previous generations than to the 222 bezel, though I guess you are referring to the fact that it now rests on circular layer, as did the 222, which arguably neatens things up a bit and creates a bit more depth that's exploited in the recessed chapter ring. I happen to like the bezel a great deal, which on the original OS model appears to be functional - the larger sections are where the screws from the back end up. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder clearly...
The dial on the ultra-thin, a grey sunburst, is one of my favourite styles, and I don't have a problem with the hands or markers either. Of course ALS make some superb watches, as do GO, though they also make some that don't quite work for me, or that I wouldn't personally choose. As to which design you prefer, I'd say it's personal preference rather than objective design flaws - it's hard to write off all sub-dials for instance - some people seem to quite like them. Where I do agree is that I'm less bowled over by the standard Overseas and the Chronograph than by the Ultra-thin, which will be well out of my usual price bracket in any case. But what I see in the ultra-thin is a refined and perfected Overseas. I guess if you never liked the concept of the 222 or the Overseas in the first place, you will see a collection of design flaws. Each to his own!
Last edited by Itsguy; 21st January 2016 at 20:04.
I like the current Overseas way better and wow ALS.
Could be worse. AP get away with using a Dubois Depraz module on their $30k ROO Diver Chrono
They are not alone:
http://www.ablogtowatch.com/inside-d...vement-module/
For sure- nothing wrong with DD. Longtime supplier to AP.
But if we're expecting IWC to offer in-house on a US$7k IWC, then it's not unreasonable to expect that AP can deliver the same when the asking price is four times as much. Base is in-house, so would it be that hard for AP to offer an in-house integrated Chrono?
I think we ask for in-house too much, which only drives up prices. Why re-invent the wheel? But what's less acceptable is to charge an in-house price for a standard ebauche, that's not even finished, customized or improved in any significant way, as the floating date windows show.
The ultra thin looks pretty good altho a little bland for a VC. I think the Chrono's lugs look strange, too wide and thick.At least Vacheron have added a nice new model in the Ultra Thin https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/th...y-caliber-1120...
...although I'm not sure the new In-House chrono works for me personally...
As for the new AP Divers, apart from the blue one the other colour screams are pretty out there.
Edit - Ha meant to type colour schemes.
I suspect these watches need to be seen on the wrist or in 3/4 view, as many are shown. When they are shown flat to camera, with bracelet or strap poking out above and below, that's not really how the watch wears and it doesn't flatter the design. The pic of the ultra-thin gives a much better idea, it's essentially the same kind of case shape but the case is clearly intended to flow through to the integrated bracelet as you would expect. The flat-on view of the chrono does it no favours at all - though for me there's also a bit too much going on generally, the minimal ultra-thin works better.
Posting Permissions
