Edouard Meylan took the helm at H. Moser & Cie. in 2013, a year after the struggling watchmaker was acquired by his family’s investment firm. Beloved by watch enthusiasts for its clever and proper watches, Moser was at the time a failing proposition financially, having cost its previous owner some SFr100m according to contemporary news reports.

Your correspondent spoke with Meylan shortly after he took on the top job at Moser, as he outlined plans to get the brand back on track. Three laters later, Meylan is almost ready to declare mission accomplished with Moser’s turnaround, and on a recent visit to Singapore he shared with us the watchmaker’s strategy to stay on track.

Interview was edited and condensed.

Investing in brand building and viral marketing
In Asia we invested in marketing, even though the market was going down – that [boosted] demand for us.

The launches we did with concept watches and the Swiss Alp Watch meant we created demand amongst early adopters who have been very visible [with their Moser watches] on social media. Those opinion leaders started looking at Moser again. Demand creates demand – the more [opinion leaders] like it, the more the buy it, the more other people see it, the more we get orders.

Now we are on the breakeven point, but with marketing expenses I’m not making any money. So it’s a question of how much I believe in the future. We were losing so much money three years ago, now it’s breakeven but at the same time we believe so much in it that we want to grow further.

Limited editions…
[Limited editions are] part of our strategy, which is that Moser is very rare. Some people see it as opportunistic to make limited editions, but at the end of the day you want to buy something that you don’t see everywhere.

I can say my production is limited, that’s one point. When I say this is a limited edition, it’s another. We have that flexibility. We might do 20 in gold, five in platinum, and three in palladium. We do such things and it creates demand because people want something special.

Even if you buy the most produced watch in our collection, there are maybe 200 [produced to date]. And that’s the small second, red gold, silver [dial Endeavour]. If you put [the numbers] in perspective, people will better understand our positioning.

Our objective is everybody who buys a Moser should understand how many are produced. The only way to do something like this would be to have an application that gives you those numbers, that pulls figures out of our [database], putting it in the shops or [allowing access to Moser] owners. We are working on something like this.

The Swiss Alp Watch S on Meylan’s wrist

And exciting new complications
Next year we are going to relaunch the Perpetual Moon, which is a movement we have already, but there’s also going to be another complication, a jumping hour. And we are working on a chronograph and a minute repeater, but those are far off. 

But keeping them very rare
We are never going to be at 10,000 watches a year. Our objective is to have a certain stability [in revenue]. At 1000, 1500 watches a year, it’s a fight as recurring revenue can change very quickly. You do a bad design one year and you have a difficult year; you do a great one and you have a great year.

You want to get to a point where it’s recurring, so you can really so you can focus on the long term and brand building. That’s why we need a critical size and we’re not there yet. We don’t want to stay a niche brand of a few hundred watches, we want to be anywhere between 2000 and 3000.

We are in many markets the biggest of the niche brands, but we want to be in all markets the smallest of the established brands.

Entry-level watches? Not yet.
I have doubts around the business model of [focusing on entry-level watches]. Let’s say for brand X the entry level is SFr20,000 in gold, and tomorrow I launch a product at SFr10,000 in steel. But in the meantime I have the same number of shops and the same number of people working for the brand. Am I going to sell that many more watches that it’s going to compensate for the fact that I am going to sell less watches? I don’t think so.

[An entry-level line] has to come gradually, and if possible it has to be a new collection. For example Piaget is trying something [with the Polo S]. We might question the design, but at least they didn’t have [a steel version of] the [existing models] in gold.

For Moser we are really well priced for gold watches, so I’m not planning to have a huge series in steel. We’re working very hard to one day have the possibility of something in our Pioneer collection in steel. But the price will then have to be right, our movements being very expensive and high quality.

Two years ago if I wanted to make a steel watch, the entry-level for us would be SFr17,000. Today we slowly managing to get some [production efficiency], so eventually if we can be within SFr9000 and SFr11,000, we might [go there]. But for that we need the right [distribution] network, because you need volume, and we don’t have that network yet… with few points of sales.

A Straumann hairspring fitted in Moser’s patented removable escapement module

The horological equivalent of “Intel Inside”
A lot of work is being done with hairsprings, with new curves, new materials. We will launch a new hairspring material this year, one that is not a common material but something that takes the best of silicon and the best of Straumann [the proprietary hairspring made by Moser’s sister company Precision Engineering].

[Our hairsprings are] very successful except when the markets go down, then we are a supplier like everybody else [Precision Engineering being about 20% of the group’s turnover]. We can tell that the watch brands are suffering, because many of our clients are postponing orders. It’s not an easy business because we are in the supply chain.

So we need to innovate, and it’s important to build a strong brand [and Straumann] should really be a label of quality. So that’s the project for the next few years.

We work with great brands, many don’t want to mention us, but some do. In the near future with the innovations we are bringing in and building a brand, I want brands to be proud to say: ‘Hey, we don’t have a standard hairspring, we have Precision Engineering’. That should give them the power to put a premium on the price of the watch… [just like] ‘Intel Inside’.

The first Range Rover was drawn up in 1969, the same year the Zenith El Primero chronograph movement came to market, claiming the title of the world’s first self-winding chronograph movement. Now the two are united with the El Primero Range Rover Special Edition, the first wristwatch resulting from Zenith’s recently inked partnership with Land Rover.

Like its namesake SUV, the Zenith Range Rover wristwatch is intended to be functional rather than flashy. The dial is a restrained dark grey with vertical brushing, with “Range Rover” in diminutive script at 12 o’clock. Another subtle detail that alludes to Range Rover is the open tail of the centre seconds hand, a form that mimics the motif of the SUV’s.

The case is classic El Primero, 42mm in diameter and 12.75mm high, with the narrow bezel as well as angular and sloped lugs characteristic of the design. What makes it unusual is the material: ceramised aluminium. This means the material boasts the lightness of aluminium – the watch weighs just 40g or so – with the scratch-resistance of ceramic.

Essentially aluminium covered with a ceramic layer created via chemical process known as electrolytic oxidation, ceramised aluminium is the same material Panerai named Composite.

While Zenith has used ceramised aluminium in certain components of past models, including for the inner case of the El Primero Lightweight. The El Primero Range Rover Special Edition, however, is the first instance where the entire case is made of ceramised aluminium.

Inside the ceramised aluminium case is the El Primero 400B, the classic Zenith automatic chronograph movement that is high-frequency, meaning it runs at 36,000 beats per hour. One feature distinguishes it from the ordinary El Primero: both the Zenith and Range Rover logos on the rotor.

The El Primero Range Rover Special Edition is fitted to a rubber strap covered with ivory or blue perforated calfskin, the exact same hide used for Range Rover interiors.

The El Primero Range Rover Special Edition is the first watch in the Zenith-Land Rover tie-up, with more watches inspired by the automaker’s vehicles expected in the coming years.

Price and availability 

The El Primero Range Rover Special Edition (ref. 24.2040.400/27.R797) is priced at US$7700, or €7900 including 19% value-added tax.

The latest vehicle to join the line-up, the SVAutobiography Dynamic, also the most powerful Range Rover

A maker of unusually styled quartz watches that cost under US$200, TACS is the brainchild of Japanese designer Yoshiaki Motegi. TACS’ latest is a modest step up the price spectrum, the Vintage Lens Automatic. Priced at just over US$400, the Vintage Lens Automatic is a chunky wristwatch modelled on a rangefinder camera – fitted with an impressive fisheye sapphire crystal – and powered by an automatic Miyota movement.

Almost kitschy but fortunately not, thanks to well put-together external components, the Vintage Lens Automatic wants to feel like a camera and manages it, especially with the freely rotating bezel that’s akin to a focusing ring. But its best feature is the fisheye lens sapphire crystal that sits over a black dial that ably mimics the look of a camera lens.

The sapphire crystal is arguably the best technical aspect of the watch, because sapphire crystals on less expensive watches are typically plain and flat since the material is tough to machine, being second only to diamond in hardness.

In contrast, the sapphire on the Vintage Lens Automatic is thick enough it sounds dull when you tap it with a fingernail, domed on top and machined out on the underside for the fisheye effect. This feels like it came out of a more expensive watch, especially since fancily shaped crystals are often a selling point on pricier watches.

Rectangular in form and painted black in sections to match the dial, the hands are functional but obviously less important.

The camera-esque feel is complete by the the dial, which is matte black with a small aperture in the centre. The aperture reveals the Miyota movement, which has a skeletonised main plate on the front.

Low cost but robust, the Miyota movement is also visible from the back. Miyota movements are mass produced by Citizen in China, but effort has been taken to dress this one up, with gilded parts and stamped Geneva stripes for instance.

While rudimentary, the movement decoration is more than adequate at this price point, especially since makers of more expensive watches are also resorting to similar styles of finishing to lower prices.

The case is large, measuring 47mm wide and 16mm high. Stamped into shape and then brushed, the case is stainless steel, but plated with gold and fitted with a black plastic insert on the front. Of all the parts that make up the Vintage Lens Automatic, the case is the one that is clearly of its price bracket.

While the look of the case suits the watch, it  is heavy, a bit too heavy, almost as if it’s trying to compensate for being affordable.

The leather strap is appropriately thick for the watch case, but more notably is made from Horween leather. One of America’s oldest tanneries, Horween is a well reputed leather supplier best known for its shell cordovan, and recently a favourite of sorts for hipster-artisanal leather products.

The Vintage Lens Automatic is packaged in a wood box with accessories befitting a camera, namely a leather cover for the watch, and most amusingly, a pouch that holds six SD memory cards.

Price and availability 

The  TACS Vintage Lens Automatic is a limited edition of 500 pieces, available only via crowdfunding site Kickstarter. For the earliest backers it is priced at HK$3299, about US$425, rising to HK$3499 (about US$450) subsequently.

Vacheron Constantin is the first of the exhibitors at SIHH 2017 to offer a sneak peek at its wares, announcing the Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon and Patrimony Moon Phase and Retrograde Date. Now larger and open to the public, SIHH takes places in January 2017 with Vacheron Constantin one of the 17 exhibiting brands.

The first new launch is the Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon, a top of the line complication that’s a brave statement given market conditions.

While the movement is impressively constructed and carefully finished, the calibre 2755 TMR is based on an existing movement. It’s a variation of the calibre found in various Patrimony grand complications (including the custom-made Maître Cabinotier Astronomica), the calibre 2755 TMR here is reduced to just two complications, a one-minute tourbillon and minute repeater.

Available in pink gold or platinum, the Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon is unusual for its engine-turned, 18k gold dial. Guilloche dials are reserved only for watches exclusive to Vacheron Constantin boutiques and rarely found on the brand’s complications. While the motif is unusual, the dial design sticks to the house style, with an off-centre minute track, baton indices and dauphine hands. The platinum version is offered with a silver or dark grey dial, while the pink gold version is paired with a silver dial.

Typical of Vacheron Constantin complications, the Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon is a large 44mm in diameter, though relatively slim at just 12.2mm high. Sold only in boutiques, the Traditionnelle Minute Repeater Tourbillon is priced at S$751,700 in pink gold and S$837,100 in platinum. That’s about US$553,000 and US$616,000 respectively.

More affordable is the Patrimony Moon Phase and Retrograde Date. This is a modest variation on an existing model, the Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date. On the new model a moon phase display replaces the day indicator, giving the dial a bit of colour and romance. And the moon disc is 18k gold in the same alloy of gold as the case.

But the Patrimony Moon Phase and Retrograde Date features one key improvement over its day and date counterpart: all the displays on the new model can be set via the crown, doing away with the inconvenience of a stylus or toothpick to set the calendar.

The case is 42.5mm in diameter, and available in white or pink gold. Inside is the calibre 2460 R31L, an in-house, self-winding movement with a 40-hour power reserve, as well as a 22k gold rotor.

This is priced at S$61,500, equivalent to US$45,200.

The star attraction of Phillips‘ The Geneva Watch Auction: Four that takes place in mid November is undoubtedly the Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in stainless steel, one of just four made – it might just become the most expensive wristwatch ever sold when the hammer comes down.

But alongside the steel 1518 Phillips has also lined up two more ref. 1518s, in pink and yellow gold. That’s three 1518s in one auction, out of just 281 made.

Dial detail of the ref. 1518 in steel

Ref. 1518 in yellow gold

Less expensive but with an arguably more compelling tale to tell is the Patek Philippe ref. 565 “The Night Watchman”, a stainless steel, time-only wristwatch that once belonged to Patek Philippe’s night watchman. The watch was a gift from the firm for his service. Fitted with a black dial featuring luminescent radium numbers and hands, this is likely a one of a kind watch, giving it an estimate of SFr200,000 to SFr400,000.

Another watch with a story behind it is the Breguet Type XX owned by Sir Jack Brabham. Sold in 1960, this wristwatch was a gift from Esso to the British Formula One racing champion after he appeared in the American oil company’s advertising. A dedication on the back attests to that. The estimate is SFr20,000 to SFr40,000.

One of the most historically important watches in the sale is the Omega Speedmaster Professional “Alaska II”, one of just three experimental prototypes made in 1970 for NASA’s study into living in extreme environments. It’s essentially a Speedmaster with a removable, extra-large outer case made of red aluminium, intended to protect the watch from the elements. This carries an estimate of SFr100,000 to SFr200,000.

No high profile watch auction is complete without valuable vintage Rolex and Phillips continue to deliver amply in this regard. The Rolex ref. 6085 “The Dragon” is one of the top lots of the auction, estimated at SFr500,000 to SFr1m. Made in 1951 and fitted with a cloisonné enamel dial featuring a dragon motif, this is just one of five Rolex watches with a dragon dial. Each of these five, however, have a different model reference, meaning every one is most likely unique.

Naturally the auction also includes the requisite Cosmograph Paul Newmans. One of the key Daytonas in the sale is the Rolex ref. 6263 “Panda” with a Tiffany & Co. signed dial. Never sold before at auction and according to Phillips, the only Paul Newman signed by the American jeweller, this is estimated at SFr250,000 to SFr500,000.

Preview and sale information

The full catalogue for the sale will be published in early October 2016.

Sale highlights will be on show in Hong Kong from October 1 to 5, then New York from October 13 to 17, and finally London from October 22 to 24.

The auction exhibition takes place November 10 to 13 at Hôtel La Reserve in Geneva, and the auction itself happens over two days on November 12 and 13 at the same venue.

Limited edition watches designed especially for the Middle East, particularly the Gulf countries, have been a favourite of watchmakers in recent years with growing demand for fine watches in the region. Of all the editions made for the Middle East, the most popular watches – some have even gone viral on social media – are the ones with Eastern Arabic numerals for the hours, often labelled as “Arabic dials”.

Eastern Arabic numerals, sometimes known as Arabic-Indic numbers, are symbols descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, invented some 1600 years ago by Indian mathematicians. Over time they were adopted by the Arabs and then in the West, evolving into the Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 and so on) that are commonly used today.

Today Eastern Arabic numerals are widely used with the Arabic alphabet in the east of the Arab world, namely the wealthy, oil producers of the Arabian Gulf. For that reason, such numerals are sometimes described as “Arabic script” numerals in watch auction catalogues, and hereafter known simply as “Arabic”.

Rolex Day-Date 40 Middle East edition/@maxtor71

Hublot started the Arabic number revival (yes, they were popular once upon a time – we’ll get to that in a bit) in 2013 with a beautiful titanium Classic Fusion with a grey dial and rose gold-plated Arabic numerals.

Created by the Middle East’s watch retailing giant, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, and Hublot, the series was limited to 100 pieces and disappeared quicker than a dozen unattended Hermes Birkins on a shelf. And Instagram sensation Watchanish receiving one for his birthday while on a trip to Dubai spurred demand even more.

Hublot’s success encouraged watch brands to come up with their own interpretation of Arabic dials. Popular brands like Zenith, Bovet and Graham followed suit, as well as independent watchmakers like F.P. Journe, MB&F, as well as De Bethune.

First, a bit of history

But such dials are not actually a new phenomenon. One of the notable pioneers was Rolex, which offered special dials with Arabic numerals as early as the late 1950s on Day-Date watches.

“Rolex’s willingness to tailor its watches to the specific needs and tastes of its clientele in order to increase sales to an emerging luxury market” was the rationale behind such Arabic dials, explains Eric Ku, a noted vintage Rolex specialist and owner of San Francisco-based 10PastTen (or follow him on Instagram). “The discovery of oil in the Middle East, first in 1908 in modern day Iran, then gradually throughout the region, coupled with the heavy colonial influence of the British was the genesis of the introduction of Rolex to the Middle East.”

I would love to get exact details on how and when (for instance, who came up with the original idea?) these Arabic dials came about but alas information on vintage Rolex is always difficult to obtain, even more so on watches that were made in very limited quantities for a specific region.

The widely accepted wisdom is that the first Day-Dates were as the refs. 6510 and 6511, distinguished by smooth and fluted bezels respectively. Launched in 1956, they were the first Rolex watches with both a day and date display. Both were succeeded a year or so later by the refs. 6611, 6612 and 6613 (fluted, smooth and diamond bezels respectively) and this is where the story begins.

The use of Arabic script on Day-Date dials came in stages, starting with the days of the week. There have been ref. 6611s discovered dating to the late 1950s fitted with the days spelled out in Arabic. The date numbers, however, are in conventional numbers; though the date wheel is “roulette” style, meaning the even numbers are black whilst odd numbers are red. So you get a watch with two languages on the dial, so to speak.

Towards the end of the 1950s and we can find something a little more suited to the Middle East. With both its day and date in Arabic script, the Day-Date ref. 6612B “Lone Star”, depicted in Day-Date – The Presidential Rolex by Pucci Papaleo, also features a platinum case and bracelet, making it acceptable in Arab culture as Islam – the dominant religion in most of the Middle East – prohibits men from wearing gold. And the dial has diamond hour markers, a sign it was intended for wealthier clients.

Rolex Day-Date ref. 6612B “Lone Star”/Pucci Papaleo

As with all things Rolex, it is hard to say definitively when Arabic dials, that is to say dials with hour markers in Arabic script in addition to the day and date, first came to market. It is industry wisdom that such dials were first fitted to Day-Dates from the late 1950s, with several such specimens known to exist. These special watches are likely the first time that a entirely Arabic number dial with a matching Arabic script calendar function was ever produced, not just only Rolex but by the entire Swiss watch industry.

Closeup of the Day-Date ref. 6612B “Lone Star”/Pucci Papaleo

More comprehensively documented are the special dials that came with the next generation of Day-Dates (the refs. 1802, 1803, 1804 and so on) that arrived in 1961. In fact, one of the most special Day-Dates ever to emerge is from this era. That’s the remarkable ref. 1804 dating to 1960, nicknamed “Scheherazade” by Pucci, which is unique in almost every way – Arabic day, date, and hour markers, cased in platinum with a sprinkle of diamonds on the bezel. This, in my opinion, is the ultimate Arabic Rolex released at the time.

The Rolex Day-Date ref. 1804 “Scheherazade” in platinum, c. 1960/Phillips

Watches with Arabic dials were very popular, resulting in them being in production for the better part of the next 20 years, during which Rolex experimented with the designs and so did its customers with various custom orders. The result was many different combinations of dial colours and hour indices, as well as varying metals for the case and bracelet.

Some dial patterns are even unique to Arabic dial Rolex Day-Dates, having never been found on any other model. One such example was sold by Phillips in 2015, a ref. 1803 in pink gold fitted with a tapisserie guilloche dial nicknamed “Aladdin’s Rose”, which was made in 1974 and sold in Damascus, Syria, according to a previous owner of the watch.

The Rolex Day-Date ref. 1803 “Aladdin’s Rose” in pink gold, c. 1974/Phillips

The Rolex Day-Date ref. 1803 “Idris” in white gold Arabic, c. 1968/Phillips

But while all of that aesthetic evolution was taking place over more than two decades, two factors remained unchanged: the font of the Arabic hour numerals consistently remained the same size and style, and so did the typography for the day and date. Towards the end of the 1970s, or perhaps even the early 1980s, the Arabic dial was discontinued, leaving only the Arabic day and date wheels as an optional feature available on request.

An tangential but intriguing genre of vintage Rolex Day-Dates are those with Arabic text or logos on the dial that commemorate events or people. Such watches were said to have been first made as special orders coming from Oman, and more specifically, from the Sultan Qaboos Al-Said himself, reputed to own one of the world’s largest watch collections. These Omani watches were mainly retailed by London jeweller Asprey on Bond Street, and delivered to clients as they were from Rolex in Geneva, with Asprey selling them without any modification.

A Rolex Day-Date ref. 1803 with Omani “Khanjar” logo as well as Arabic day and date wheels, c. 1969/Phillips

A classic comes back to life

Fast forward to Baselworld 2016 – the world’s largest watch trade fair – and photos emerged of a brand new Day-Date 40 that pays tribute to the particular era that was the golden age of the Arabic dial, a platinum Day-Date with a dial entirely in Arabic script, the ref. M228206-0025. It is amazing that it is only after all this time that Rolex finally decided to resurrect what was once a very desirable watch, a fact reflected in auction prices for vintage Arabic Day-Dates.

Like other platinum Rolex watches, the Arabic Day-Date has an “Ice Blue” dial – fitted only to platinum watches – a pale blue that is beautifully finished a sun-ray brushing. The dial is out of this world. The radial brushed finish contrasts with the Arabic hour indices, which are a mirror-polished white gold coated a rich, dark blue, the same material used for the hands.

The new Arabic Day-Date not merely a casual tribute to the past; if you compare the numerals on the vintage and modern Arabic Day-Date you will realise that the font and alignment is exactly the same.

This is what I call an “homage” piece, true to the original purpose of catering to the Arab market by being sensitive to local preferences, while still keeping it rare by making only limited numbers and keeping it to the most precious material, and all the while retaining the original look.

Rolex did it right on the first attempt. Introducing the Arabic dial on a top of the line model, in the priciest metal, and having it produced in limited quantities is the final icing on the cake, but what about the cherry?

Distribution is extremely limited: the watch will only be available at select authorised dealers in the Middle East, namely those located in the Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the territories of the United Arab Emirates. The special edition Day-Date 40 (ref. M228206-0025) is priced at AED232,400, equivalent to US$63,200.

But that’s not all, rumours have it that there is another Arabic Day-Date 40 in platinum that costs almost twice as much, thanks to a baguette diamond bezel. That combination is true to the history of the Arabic Day-Date, historically an object of luxury and exclusivity. Priced at AED432,000, or about US$117,700, the Arabic Day-Date 40 with a diamond bezel will be dazzling.

Adel “D244” Al-Rahmani is a watch collector in Dubai and founder of the Dubai Watch Club, a social club for watch enthusiasts in the UAE. All photos of the Day-Date 40 are by Jason Saundalkar.

The author is grateful to Eric Ku for his input, and to Phillips and Pucci Papaleo for their photographs.

Addition January 13, 2017: Model reference added.

Originally introduced as a 250-piece limited edition (50 in platinum and 200 in rose gold) with a fired, white enamel dial, the Richard Lange Pour le Mérite is now available once again. The latest iteration of the Richard Lange Pour le Mérite is dressed differently and priced lower, but otherwise identical to its predecessors. Welcome news for those who are on the hunt for one, but existing owners of the watch might be sceptical.

The first Richard Lange Pour le Mérite came to market at an opportune time, unveiled in early 2009 just as the financial crisis was starting to bite. That meant it took a while to sell out, in fact the pink gold version was still available at authorised retailers in 2015, but the Richard Lange Pour le Mérite has since emerged as a crowd favourite of sorts amongst Lange collectors.

Though functionally simple as a time-only wristwatch, the Richard Lange Pour le Mérite is equipped with an elaborately constructed movement featuring a chain and fusee constant force mechanism, the sort of thing a technically minded Lange enthusiast would appreciate.

The new Richard Lange Pour le Mérite has a white gold case that’s 40.5mm in diameter, the same size as before, while the dial is solid silver finished in a slightly glossy black. The numerals are printed in white, with red accents at each quarter for the minutes.

The movement inside is the L044.1, a hand-wound calibre with a chain and fusee. This mechanism comprises a cone linked to the barrel via a chain, relying on the principle of leverage to ensure a constant flow of power to the escapement even when the barrel winds down.

An anachronistic device historically found in marine chronometers, the chain and fusee is an impressive feat of miniaturisation, with the chain made up of 636 parts and just 0.25mm high. A good deal of space inside the movement is occupied by the chain and fusee, explaining the relatively short power reserve of 36 hours.

Price and availability 

Limited to 218 watches – the number of points of sale for A. Lange & Söhne – the Richard Lange Pour le Mérite (ref. 260.028) in white gold will be available at end 2016, priced at US$82,500, or €81,300 (inclusive of 19% German value-added tax).

The white gold Richard Lange Pour le Mérite is almost a third less expensive than the earlier pink gold version with an enamel dial (which retailed for US$113,500). This makes it a good buy in comparison, though owners of the earlier models might not be too pleased, especially when combined with the fact that the size of the limited edition has since doubled.

The original Breguet La Tradition 7027 is a milestone in modern watchmaking, not so much for its complication since it had none, but for its design. With the movement rearranged symmetrically for the open-worked dial, the La Tradition was a groundbreaking design when it was introduced in 2005, despite being based on 200-year old pocket watches. And the Tradition series has not included a ladies’ watch – though it does include last year’s groundbreaking Tradition Chronograph 7077 – until the recent launch of the Tradition Dame 7038.

While ladies’ watches that are actually frilly, dressed up men’s watches usually look the part, the Tradition Dame 7038 works surprisingly well. It’s white gold and 37mm in diameter (the same size as the original men’s Tradition 7037, on which it is based). That puts the Tradition Dame on the large side for a woman’s watch but the elaborate styling makes it elegant.

Thin and long lugs as well as a fluted case band are typical of Breguet, while the bezel has just under 0.9 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds. Unusually the crown is set with a synthetic ruby of the same sort used in the movement.

The movement is identical to that in the men’s Tradition, but slightly more elaborate. The barrel right in the centre of the movement has a guilloche barrel cover, while the sub-dial for the time is dark mother of pearl engine turned with clous de Paris and printed with Breguet numerals.

One of the key features of the Tradition movement is the U-shaped pare-chute shock absorber spring for the balance jewel, a feature that draws on the original, 18th century invention of Abraham-Louis Breguet. While the pare-chute is a nod to history, the hairspring is silicon – a signpost to the future of watchmaking. Non-magnetic, precisely shaped and manufactured in large quantities, the silicon hairspring is now a common feature in Breguet watches (and by extension its sister companies in the Swatch Group).

The movement is finished in a bright white-grey plating with frosted surfaces and polished bevels. Everything is cleanly and neatly executed, to a degree that makes it obvious mechanical aid was used in the finishing. So while the Tradition is obviously based on 19th century pocket watches, the movement’s details are distinctly modern.

The calibre 505SR is self-winding, with a hammer shaped rotor inspired by the early automatic winding mechanism invented by Breguet and named perpetuelle. Those were wound by a hammer-shaped weight that swung from side to side, winding the mainspring.

While the modern day calibre 505SR has a similarly shaped rotor, it works in an entirely modern manner, with the rotor making a full 360 degree oscillation to wind the barrel. This is perhaps the biggest aesthetic drawback of the watch, as the hammer-shaped rotor is ungainly and only serves as a historical throwback that isn’t really necessary. Fortunately it is hidden on the back.

The escape wheel and pallet fork visible from the back of the movement

Price and availability 

The is priced at US$38,900 or SS$55,900. It will be available at end September 2016 from Breguet boutiques and retailers.

Back in 2011 the original Mikrograph in rose gold made its debut for US$50,000. It could measure 1/100th of a second, thanks to a clever movement with twin balance wheels, one running at 360,000 beats per hour, or 100 beats per second.

Those were optimistic and heady days, the same year TAG Heuer introduced the US$120,000 Mikrotimer 1/1000th of a second chronograph. As the resolution of the chronograph got fractionally smaller, prices grew exponentially. The final, mad burst extravagance came in 2014 when the Mikropendulum Tourbillon was announced in 2014 – priced at over US$400,000.

The Mikropendulum Tourbillon never made it to market, naturally.

Now the Carrera Mikrograph Anniversary Edition – powered by the same 480-part movement as the $50,000 original – carries a price tag of US$21,000.

One factor in the reduced price is the case, which is now stainless steel. Still large at 45mm in diameter, the watch case is “bullhead” style, meaning the crown and pushers are on top. The dial is white lacquer and modelled on 1920s sports stopwatches made by Heuer.

The case is actually two part: a lower cradle attached to the strap and a separate module containing the movement. The module locks into the lower case like a bayonet (twist and remove); it be removed and fixed onto a table clock stand or instrument holder (that is meant to be screwed into a car dashboard).

The size of the watch is a consequence of the movement, which is a large but marvellous creation. It’s essentially two movements in one. One half of the movement is the regular time telling portion with its own barrel and escapement, which has a 42-hour power reserve.

Way more interesting is the other half that comprises its own mainspring and escapement, completely independent with a balance that runs at 360,000 bph. At full tilt this 1/100th of a second mechanism runs for 90 minutes.

Both sides of the movement are wound by the same rotor that winds bidirectionally, with each direction winding one barrel.

Pricing and availability 

The Carrera Mikrograph Anniversary Edition (ref. CAR5A1A.FC6374) is a limited edition of 100 watches, priced at US$21,000.

Like last year’s more affordable belt-driven Monaco V4 Phantom, the new Mikrograph feels like the curtain call for TAG Heuer’s ultra high-end timepieces, the likes of which won’t be seen for a long time to come.

A masterpiece of modern watchmaking, with just 200 made – though a couple of extras have emerged in recent years –  the Philippe Dufour Simplicity has never come to market at an international watch auction, until now. Not one, but a pair, of Simplicity wristwatches will go under the hammers at Phillips’ The Hong Kong Watch Auction: Three at the end of November 2016.

The pair of Simplicities are also a primer on the entire range, the two watches encapsulate the variations of the Simplicity across its production run: 34mm and 37mm, white metal and rose gold, lacquer and guilloche dial.

The Simplicity was introduced in the year 2000, the result of Philippe Dufour’s desire to create the perfect simple wristwatch, one that was heavily inspired by mid-20th century timepieces of his native land, the Vallée de Joux. Dufour had already unveiled the much more complicated and expensive Grande Sonnerie wristwatch some eight years earlier, but it was the Simplicity that made him famous.

Today the Simplicity has become something of a unicorn eagerly pursued by collectors, even those who seek the Dufour name rather than his craft. That has elevated this simple wristwatch to a six figure value, some two to three four times its original price.

Both specimens of the Simplicity in the The Hong Kong Watch Auction: Three come from noted collectors in Asia. Each was a highlight in its owner’s collection, bearing the patina of use typical of a precious object that has been carefully worn.

Of the two watches the rose gold specimen is one of the earliest Simplicities made, coming straight from the original owner. The Simplicity was first introduced as a 34mm wristwatch, and this specimen is the one of the first of the 37mm watches. In fact, it is one of the first dozen or so Simplicities produced, having been completed in 2002.

The 37mm case is rose gold, with a white lacquered dial featuring Roman numerals and blued steel Breguet hands.

The movement is gorgeous, and slightly larger than that found in the 34mm model, having been redesigned to fit the larger case. And an unusual feature found only on a handful of Simplicity watches is the Philippe Dufour logo, in the form of an interlocking “PD”, engraved and gilded on the balance cock.

The second Simplicity is a 34mm model in white gold, the exact same version Dufour made as the original prototype that he still wears today. Though small in comparison to many contemporary watches, the compact size is strikingly appropriate for a watch like the Simplicity.

The dial is silver-plated with an engine-turned centre, arguably the quintessential Simplicity look. Arrowhead indices and dauphine hands give it the distinctive style of a high quality chronometer wristwatch of the 1950s.

Though completely different from that on the rose gold model, the guilloche dial was made by the same company, Metalem, the Le Locle-based dial maker responsible for all of the Simplicity dials. Metalem is identified at six o’clock on all Simplicity dials, fairly unusual at the time, given that suppliers of components were then mostly anonymous.

The view from the back is as gorgeous as that of the larger watch, though the movement fills the case slightly better given its larger size relative to the case diameter.

Both watches are complete with their original box and papers and carry an estimate of US$120,000 to US$200,000 each*.

Sale and preview information

The full catalogue for the sale will be available in mid October 2016.

The auction preview is open to the public daily from November 24 to 28, 2016 from 10am to 6pm at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Watch Auction: Three begins at 10am on November 29, 2016.

*The writer of this article has an interest in the sale of the 37mm Simplicity.