Rolex releases Invicta Homage and other highlights of Watches and Wonders 2024

 I have always been taught to start with the positives, so that is what I shall do. I will be the first one to admit that I have not seen the watches I am about to critique in person. So please add in the photographic fudge factor. And also remember: Dreams are free

Note: All pictures are courtesy of Watches and Wonders 2024 website

W&W2024 Winners: 

1. IWC: This one is an absolute no brainer. The IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar is a home run. To be THAT complicated and look clean and classy is simply breathtaking. The world's first secular perpetual calendar is the sort of flex that we can only dream of from Rolex (with the hype around discontinuation and model releases) and here you have IWC that has just pointed at their systems engineering team, given them a problem space and let the magic happen! You will never buy the watch to check whether in the year 2100, the leap year is missed, you buy it cause you can! 

2. A Lange & Söhne: Gave IWC a close run for the top spot. This list would have been incomplete without the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honyegold "Lumen". The green and the gold just works! I suppose the complications are endless (do we expect any less from the likes of Lange?): flyback chronograph, jumping minute counter and perpetual calendar. Would I like to own one? sure! Will I? Most certainly not if I plan to stay married! Limited to 50 pieces, it is equally as rare as it is expensive but it is a thing of beauty! 

3. Jaeger-LeCoultre: Yes Yes I have expensive taste! Duometre Chronograph Moon is spectacular on the best of days. Does it look like a drink joker? sure! but what is life without a few quirks right? Sometimes you just need a watch from a brand that simply can live up to its name! And that is what JLC has done here! 

4. Reusability of Denim clothes: Thank you Patek! I have been looking far and wide for solutions to my old worn denim clothes. Now I know what to do with them! Spare bands for my Patek 5980. In the spirit of channeling my inner Oris, I can recycle clothes now! woohoo! 

5. Piaget: I have never been a fan of Piaget. But then again that might be a result of my ignorance of what they bring to the table. But when you bring out the world's thinnest tourbillon you deserve a mention. At 2mm thick (or shall I say thin) and $US400,000, it will also leave your wallet a lot thinner! But let's face it, it is a thing of beauty! Well done Piaget! 

 

Watches/Brands that Need to Improve

Yes Yes, I didn't want to call them losers. Wanted to put a positive spin on it! 

1. Rolex: Kudos to Rolex. They have managed to release an Invicta Homage! The all gold Deep Sea is downright hideous. It lacked imagination, taste, and classiness. Their other releases were underwhelming, to say the least, be it the 1908 or the GMT Master 2. And just when you thought you were done, Rolex hits you with the diamond bezel Daytona! Shocker! 

Will these models sell well? Of course! It says Rolex on the dial and the fan boys will find an excuse to hype it up so that their money is safe! 

2. Tudor: Given they are Rolex's little brother, therefore the scale of their disappointment should also be little brother level. Where Rolex chose to release an Invicta homage, Tudor decided they would release cheaper Rolex homages! Just seems like the photocopier along with the head of marketing are the hardest-working employees at Tudor! 

3. Hublot: enough said right? Or shall I say more? No? thanks! You have saved me a little bit of emotional bandwidth! absolutely hideous and let's call it like we see it, Hublot and it's reputation does not actually help matters here! 

4. Tag Heuer: Oh that's right! That is exactly what I was looking for! a Richard Mille movement in a Monaco so that it was more affordable? What's that? it is limited? what's that? it is six figures? What's that? it looks like a coffee table on one's wrist? What? it is a Ciga Design Homage? ok then.. ! moving on! 

5. Bremont: Their nose dive continues. None of their watches will excite you and a few of them look like overpriced citizen pilot watches. And the prices only seem to be going one way. Either the product portfolio needs to be revamped OR that honour should be bestowed to their upper management. Harsh I know but there is nothing exciting about them at the moment. 

Your challenge: Add to my list! Or refute it! Either way: happy judging! ✊Judge away! I will never call you a dumbass like Weh did for questioning Rolex releases! 

The Classiest Tag Heuer Ever!

OK OK OK .. I know this might be a controversial opinion but I am yet to come across a Tag Heuer watch that is as classy, sporty, dressy, and timeless as the Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 6. Readers beware! this watch is not in production anymore by Tag Heuer. So this is as much a public service announcement as much as it is a plea to Tag Heuer to bring this timeless classic back! 

Let me get the specifications out of the way before I shower this watch with praise and maybe set it up for some either favourable or harsh comments from my fellow watch lovers! 

Reference Number: WAV511C

Water Resistance Depth: 10Bar

Movement: Calibre 6 COSC

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Lug Width: 20mm

Case Thickness: 12mm

Dial Window Material Type: Sapphire Crystal

Dial Diameter: 40mm

Lug to Lug: 47mm

Watch Strap Type: Stainless Steel Bracelet

Dial Colour: Dark Brown

Yes Yes this will be a biased take on the watch! This was the first "serious Swiss watch" (whatever the definition of that is these days) that I purchased after moving back to Australia and developing my watch hobby. To that effect, Vintage Watch Co made this experience an absolute breeze (https://vintagewatchco.com.au/). So to say that my take on this watch is going to be slightly biased is a gross understatement. I will do my best to be objective.

Movement: 

As everyone already knows the movement is the heart of any watch. And the heart that beats in this watch is the extremely robust Calibre 6. Based on an ETA 2895-2, housing 27 jewels, COSC certified and beating at 28,800 beats per hour. It also features Côtes de Genève decorating on the rotor which is mesmerising, to say the least. Well at least for me! The power reserve is approximately 40 hours, which might seem substandard as compared to other watch releases from the past 5 years, but the whole package more than makes up for it! The movement does have hacking and hand-winding features. Unscrew the crown and it pops out and that is the hand-winding position. One more position out and that will help you quick set the date and pull it out to the last position and you can get the hours and minutes (and the seconds dial waits till you are done and patiently waits and doesn't move!)

Grade: A (would be a plus if power reserve was higher)

Case: 

The majority of the case is brushed with some edges and the rim of the bezel is polished, which is home to a sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective coating. The crown guards are pronounced and obvious which then protects a Tag Heuer branded crown, which looks like a tyre. Do not be worried about the texture of the crown, cause it is THIS texture that helps you oh so easily turn screw and unscrew the crown. The tactile feel is just fantastic! The lugs are slightly curved, but they do not add significantly to the profile of the watch due to "all wrist size" friendly dimensions. And that is just half the story. Turn this watch over and you will see a seethrough case back which gives you a peak into the heart of the watch (as mentioned before). There are two separate sapphire windows with a case back which is secured using 6 screws. 

Grade: A+

Bracelet:

The watch that I picked up came with a steel bracelet. The majority of it is polished with alternative centre links being polished (yes yes it's a scratch magnet). The bracelet has plenty of half-links for anyone to get a great fit. If you cannot get a great fit you need a new wrist, not a new bracelet (yes yes too harsh I know). The bracelet has a push-button folding clasp, brushed with the Tag Heuer embossed. The bracelet does taper. 20mm to 17mm at the clasp. That gives it that classy touch. 

Grade: A

Dial: 

The dial is brown with a Circular Guilloche. But that is not even the most mesmerising part of the dial. It is the way that the seconds are displayed that really drew me to this watch. The GT engine-inspired, rotating system makes reading the seconds hand at a glance a breeze. You will find the date window at the 3 o'clock position. That is the only minor flaw of this model, in my eyes. They should have moved the Tag Heuer logo down a few millimetres and put the date window at the 12 o-clock position. The symmetry of the dial then would have been simply perfect. There is a bit of text on the dial, but it does not feel over the top. Grand Carrera Calibre 6 are written in 3 different fonts and sizes, followed by an automatic chronometer and is officially certified below the seconds display. It is just enough without being over the top (unlike the thesis that Rolex write on their submariner dials!). If you want to get a watch for the lume, this is not the one for you. It is poor on the best of days. It is a minimalist design for all occasions for sure!  

Grade: B+

Overall grade: A minus (the date position and the lume)

That is my grade. Does that matter? Absolutely NO! My wife is NOT a fan of this watch. It is barely passable for her! Does anyone else find that relatable?