Best in 2018: Dress Watches

0 0 Sunday 23 December 2018 Edit this post

It is time for a new article in our series dedicated to some of the best timepieces introduced in 2018 in various categories, including Chronographs, Sport Watches, Dress Watches, Ladies Watches and Complications.

After Chronographs and Sport Watches, today we highlight some of our favourite Dress Watches launched in 2018. Selected watches are listed alphabetically, not in order of preference.

Akrivia Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain
The first model of the new line is the Chronomètre Contemporain, a classical round watch available with a white or black Grand Feu enamel dial characterised by Art Deco-inspired asymmetrical gold or blue lines. The 38 mm x 9.5 mm case, in red gold or platinum, is made of three parts with screwed case back and alternates polished and brushed finishing. Through the sapphire crystal case back, it is possible to admire the in-house, manual winding Calibre RR-01 with stop seconds and 0-seconds reset function. Beating at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour and offering a power reserve of 100 hours, this movement is beautifully hand finished using traditional Haute Horlogerie techniques. Read the full article.

Blancpain Villeret Grande Date Jour Rétrograde

For the new Villeret Grande Date Jour Rétrograde, Blancpain introduced a new retrograde day of the week indication positioned on an arc between 7 and 9 o'clock and complemented by a large date displayed in two windows placed between 5 and 6 o'clock. Featuring the distinctive traits of the Villeret collection with its double stepped bezel and slim profile, the 40 mm case has no dimples to ruin the clean flank of the case. In fact, the day of the week can be set by using a patented under-lug corrector while the date is adjusted through the crown. The Blancpain’s new 6950GC in-house movement has two mainspring barrels which guarantee 72 hours of power reserve. This model is available in polished stainless steel with white dial or in red gold with silver opaline dial. Read the full article.

Breguet Classique Extra-Plate 5157

The Breguet Classique Extra-Plate 5157 is a perfect example of timeless aesthetic. Measuring 38 mm x 5.45 mm, the signature rose gold ultra-thin case houses the 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) self-winding Calibre 502.3 movement with silicon balance spring and 45 hours of power reserve is housed in a 38 mm x 5.45 mm case with delicate fluting on the caseband. The silvered gold engine-turned dial bears the traditional “Clous de Paris” hobnail style. The time is shown by the traditional Breguet open-tipped hands in blued steel, an element of great elegance. Read the full article.

Glashütte Original - Senator Excellence Panorama Date and Panorama Date Moon Phase

With the Senator Excellence, Glashütte Original created a line with no compromises in terms of quality, combining the highest technical standards with classic and timeless design. The newly revamped Senator Excellence Panorama Date and Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase are available in blue, silver grey and white with slightly bigger 42 mm stainless steel cases. The beautiful clean dials are the result of a galvanisation and finishing process performed in Glashütte Original's in-house dial manufactory in Pforzheim. Beating at 28,800 vph, the self-winding Calibre 36 – here in versions 36-03 with the Panorama Date and 36-04 with the Panorama Date and moon phase – guarantees exceptional accuracy and stability thanks to the innovative silicon spiral and the single spring barrel ensuring a power reserve of more than 100 hours. Read the full article.

Grand Seiko Caliber 9S 20th Anniversary Limited Editions

In 2018, Grand Seiko celebrated the 20th anniversary of its 9S mechanical caliber with three special movements housed in new 40 mm cases available in platinum, yellow gold and stainless steel. After the launch of the very first Grand Seiko watch in 1960, the creation of the 9S mechanical caliber in 1998 was perhaps the most important moment in the history of Grand Seiko. Today, 9S is the platform on which the entire Grand Seiko suite of mechanical calibers is built and is recognised as one of the world’s finest calibers for its high precision, long power reserve and robust construction. Read the full article.

Grönefeld 1941 Principia

The 1941 Principia was the first automatically wound timepiece created by Dutch watchmakers and brothers Bart and Tim Grönefeld. Each version of the 1941 Principia is offered with an array of dials crafted in solid sterling silver: turquoise, light blue, rhodium and salmon dials with polished applied baton hour markers or a cream lacquered dial with roman numerals. Characterized by hollowed, concave recesses and convex surfaces, the case measures 39.5 mm in diameter and is available in red gold, white gold or stainless steel. Beating at 21.600 vibrations per hour and offering 56 hours of power reserve, the automatic movement of the 1941 Principia is equipped with a 22-karat solid red gold monobloc rotor. Read the full article.

Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tribute

In 2018, Jaquet Droz celebrated its 280th anniversary by paying tribute to its most recognizable watch model with the Grande Seconde Tribute, a limited edition of just 88 pieces which, for the first time, the brand offers in yellow gold. Framed by a 43 mm-diameter round case (thickness is 11.48 mm), the Grand Feu enamel dial of the new Grande Design Tribute features the hours and minutes counter at 12 o’clock, with indexes alternating between Roman and Arabic numerals to enhance readability. At 6 o’clock, the large seconds counter sweeps around a slightly larger circle, thus creating the signature Jaquet Droz figure “8”. The timepiece is powered by the hand-assembled Calibre 2663 self-winding movement which guarantees three days of power reserve. Read the full article.

Nomos Glashütte Tangente neomatik 41 Update

Thanks to the development of a new in-house built caliber with date function, Nomos Glashütte introduced the new Tangente neomatik 41 Update, a variation of their popular model characterized by a larger size and an original date indication. The 40.5 mm stainless steel, bipartite case frames a galvanized, white silver-plated dial with oxidized black hands. The date ring of the watch features two red dots to frame the current date. Thanks to the slimness of the neomatik caliber DUW 6101 (just 3.6 mm), the total height of the watch is 7.9 mm. Read the full article.

Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P

At a mere 4.30 mm thick, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P is the world’s slimmest self-winding watch. In this timepiece, movement and case form a single entity, with the latter serving as a mainplate to which the 219 incredibly thin components are affixed. Some of the parts are barely thicker than a hair’s breadth, including certain wheels measuring just 0.12 mm thick. This complex architecture has led to a reversed movement construction, with the bridges and the the going train fitted on the dial side – an approach that contributes to the aesthetic of the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic, since they are now visible through the front of the 41 mm white gold case. The Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P guarantees a 50-hour power reserve. Read the full article.

Urban Jürgensen - Reference 2140 White Gold Black Dial

Featuring the contemporary tapered lugs characterizing the Jules collection, the Urban Jürgensen Reference 2140 White Gold Black Dial comes in a 40 mm white gold round case where convex and concave surfaces alternate. The black hand finished guilloché dial is a work of art which alternates Grains d’orges and Guilloché Damier patterns. Crafted from solid silver dial, each dial requires up to 700 operations and takes 2 full days of hand work to complete on a guilloché lathe. The in-house hand-wound Urban Jürgensen P4 Lever Escapement movement beats at 3 Hz (21,600 vph) and features two barrels for a 72-hour power reserve. Read the full article.

Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix date
Vacheron Constantin launched the Fiftysix collection at SIHH 2018. The name evokes an iconic model presented in 1956: the reference 6073, one of the first watches from the Manufacture to be equipped with a self-winding movement. The Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix date comes in a 40 mm-diameter steel or pink gold case with a box-type crystal rising well above the bezel. This model displays the hours, minutes, central seconds and an aperture-type date indication. It houses a brand-new mechanical self-winding movement, Calibre 1326, endowed with a 48-hour power reserve. Read the full article.