Very Frederique Constant in our eyes, but none the worse for that as Christopher Ward continues to flirt with elegance. We bet we know what the CW Moonphase will remind us of! Here is their take on this rather attractive new piece.
As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary year, Christopher Ward has gone ‘back to the future’ to create a stunning new watch — the C5 Malvern Slimline – inspired by the first ever Christopher Ward model, the now legendary C5 Malvern Automatic.
Over the years, the revered original has provoked a series of requests from Malvern owners for a sleek contemporary version of their favourite watch. The Malvern MK I made waves at its launch with the watch-buying cognoscenti never having previously witnessed such quality and style at so accessible a price, marking an extraordinary new presence in the luxury watch market with an unprecedented blend of design, quality and value.
The stylish new C5 Malvern Slimline, as well as embodying the established Christopher Ward values, is set to stir the emotions of watch lovers who will recognise not only the quality of the componentry but also the architectural excellence of its form.
The case not only superbly houses the compact, hand-wound ETA 2801 mechanical movement but also actually accentuates its slimness with beautifully subtle lines. The resulting wrist watch, at 40mm, is 2mm wider than that pioneering first automatic, has wider lugs (20mm) and, importantly, its height is 2.10mm lower at only 8.70mm. But most of all, it is a simply gorgeous piece to wear and behold.
The three colour options range from a classic Optic White one-piece dial to the mesmerisingly beautiful tones of the Charcoal and Blue versions with galvanic sun-ray effect one-piece dials.
The fineness of the elongated indexes and hands add to the overall impressiveness of a watch which, as well as being a fitting way to celebrate Christopher Ward’s first decade, makes a confident nod towards an even more exciting future.
Features
Swiss made
Hand-wound mechanical movement
38 hour power reserve
Hand-finished 316L stainless steel case
Unique engraved serial number
Transparent case back
Screw-in back plate
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
One-piece dial (3 versions)
Italian embossed alligator pattern leather strap with engraved buckle
The New Face Of The Legend
Iconic in its classic version with a black dial, the famous Navitimer adopts even more exclusive colorus in a limited series featuring a magnificent bronze dial.
Created in 1952, the Navitimer is not only the doyenne of all mechanical chronographs produced worldwide, but with its technical and functional style, this instrument – unique in its kind – has asserted itself as one of the ten great 20th century watchmaking classics, and is a cult object for all passionate aviation enthusiasts. Breitling offers this legendary model in a 1,000-piece limited series distinguished by a bronze-coloured dial – an original and refined touch that further highlights the originality of the design with its three hollowed counters and its circular slide rule, designed to perform all calculations involved in airborne navigation. A transparent caseback provides a chance to admire the Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01, a high-performance selfwinding chronograph entirely developed and produced within the Breitling Chronométrie workshops and chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) – the highest benchmark in terms of precision and reliability, and the only one based on an international standard.
well you all know by now that I’m a Navitimer man so of course we like it!
If I am honest, I have always resisted the charms of Rolex. Yes I like them, yes I admire and respect the brand, but I have always been a bit immune to them. More of a Breitling Man. It is the same with Omega, great brand, great watches, but I always seemed to see them on the wrists of salesmen and especially car salesman. It got in my head, I’d see an Omega, look at the guy, look at the suit and think “salesman”. Totally irrational of course, totally unfair both to Omega and to salesmen the world over – an honest job to be proud of, and an honest watch to be proud of. It is just me, I’d look at the watch and trust me the word “existential” would never enter my head, I’d see one and a herd of rhinoceroses would invade my head, I’d hark back to my student days, think of Ionesco and his exploration of existentialism and see a herd of rhinos and spot one with an Omega on his horn. No as a symbol of existentialism an Omega does not cut it. Rolex fell foul of the same irrationalism in my head. Don’t ask me to justify my love for Breitling then, it will be as preposterous as my immunity to the charms of Omega and Rolex – I’d fluster and bluster and ending up shouting, “Biggles” at you!
This latest version of Rolex’s charming Milgauss range however, has pierced my armour, exploded inside my heavily defended tank of resistance and blown away all of my defences. Frankly, I am smitten, in love, a love sick teenager once more, I am Romeo and Milgauss is my Juliet. If my life has just one more watch to fall into my arms, to rest contentedly on my wrist, then let it be this Milgauss Rolex, with her beautiful face adorned with the most lovingly applied make up, in hues of blue and green.
The Picture and text below are courtesy of Rolex Rolex Milgauss
Rolex is presenting a new version of the Oyster Perpetual Milgauss with unique and symbolic aesthetics. Its green sapphire crystal marked a first in watchmaking when it was introduced on the Milgauss in 2007. Now this crystal is combined with an electric blue dial, an allusion to the emblematic lightning-bolt-shaped seconds hand and the watch’s technical purpose as a paramagnetic timepiece designed for engineers and scientists in the 1950s. Seen through the green sapphire crystal, the Z blue dial takes on a powerfully attractive magnetic hue.
For Engineers and Technicians
Ever since its launch, the Milgauss has remained an avant-garde watch. It was created in 1956 for engineers and technicians who are exposed in their work to magnetic fields which disrupt the performance of mechanical watches. It was designed to resist strong interference of up to 1,000 gauss, hence its name – mille being French for thousand – while maintaining its performance and precision as an officially certified chronometer. A pioneer in magnetic resistance, it became known as the watch worn by scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva and gained a reputation as the ultimate watch of science and technological progress. Several innovations contribute to its resistance to magnetism. The first line of defence is a shield made of ferromagnetic alloys which surrounds the movement within the Oyster case, an invention patented by Rolex in 1954. The second line of defence involves two of the movement’s key components, the oscillator and the escapement, which are made of innovative paramagnetic materials developed by Rolex since the 2000s.
The Oyster Case – Symbol of waterproofness and robustness
The 40 mm Oyster case of the Milgauss, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet), is a paragon of robustness and reliability. The characteristically shaped middle case is crafted from a solid block of particularly corrosion-resistant 904L steel. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool exclusive to Rolex watchmakers. The winding crown, fitted with the patented Twinlock double waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof green sapphire. The waterproof Oyster case provides optimal protection for the Milgauss’s high-precision movement.
The Milgauss is equipped with calibre 3131, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Like all Rolex Perpetual movements, the 3131 is a certified Swiss chronometer, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. It includes Rolex-patented components to guarantee the level of resistance to magnetic interference for which it is named. The escapement of the Milgauss features a paramagnetic escape wheel made of a nickel-phosphorus alloy. This component is produced using a micromanufacturing technology (UV-LiGA) that is entirely mastered in‑house. The oscillator, the true heart of the watch, has a blue Parachrom hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy of niobium and zirconium. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the Parachrom hairspring offers great stability when exposed to temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks.
The Oyster Bracelet – Comfortable and Secure
The Oyster bracelet of the Oyster Perpetual Milgauss is very secure and comfortable to wear. It is equipped with a folding Oysterclasp, designed by Rolex. It also features the ingenious Rolex-patented Easylink rapid extension system that allows the wearer to easily increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm, for additional comfort in any circumstance.
Each month I will post a top ten of the watches on my want list. It is a very personal list and generally will be of watches that I can actually aspire too. It is not a list I intend to tick off as life isn’t that kind and in truth it has been a long while now since I actually bought a watch, but if funds came available it would be something off this list. Each month the list will change slightly as desires and wants change, or as watches become unavailable and so on. So here is my list for April, with photos following.
1. Breitling Aerospace Evo – Grey edition.
2. Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase – blue edition.
3. Chopard Monaco Historique MF Time Attack.
4. Baume et Mercier Capeland.
5. Junkers Bauhaus Power Reserve Automatic.
6. Hamilton Pan Europ three Hander
7. Autodromo Prototipo – orange and silver edition.
WatchBeast 