Cut For Time: New Watch Introductions From Zenith, Hermès, Hamilton, And Breitling

Two new “super” models just joined Breitling’s robust Chronomat collection. The new watches are modeled after a watch Breitling crafted for the Italian Air Force’s Frecce Colori squad over three decades ago in 1983. The daring pilots of the Acrobatica Nazionale Frecce Tricolori are the ”hotshot” aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force. 
 

What’s new here is the Super Chronomat’s bold 44mm size. Breitling CEO Georges Kern described the Super Chronomats as watches that will get you noticed, adding, “This watch is tough enough for every pursuit, but it won’t get in the way of your sense of style.”

The first of the two new "super" models is the Super Chronomat B01 44. There are several different material and dial/bezel color combinations from which to choose. The base model, which features a stainless steel case and rubber strap, has two dial and bezel color options: blue and black. The high-end of the range comes in an 18K red gold case with a matching bracelet and features a brown dial and bezel.
 

But, perhaps, the most intriguing feature is one of the bracelet options for the stainless steel versions of the Super Chronomat B01 44. More specifically, it comes with a separate UTC module built into the bracelet just below 6 o’clock. The Universal Time Coordinated display serves as a second time zone indicator and has a quartz movement.

Finally, all of the Super Chronomat B01 44 iterations feature ceramic bezels – a first for the Chronomat line – and come with the COSC-certified Breitling Caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement with 70 hours of power reserve. 
 

The second new model is for those who favor higher complications. The Super Chronomat 44 Four-Year Calendar, as its name implies, has a four-year calendar complication, meaning it only requires adjustment every four years during a leap year. The COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 19 movement powers the timepiece. The watch is water-resistant to 100 meters. Two versions are available – one with a black ceramic dial and bezel with 18K red gold accents, the other features a blue ceramic dial and bezel with 18K red gold accents. 
 

Hermès’ latest watches take the wearer to the skies – or to space, to be exact. Housed in the classic Arceau case designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, the three new timepieces are flights of fancy on the wrist and limited in production.

The watch dials feature elements of the design of the recently introduced Space Derby silk scarf created by illustrator Ugo Bienvenu, who, inspired by 20th-century American comic book superheroes, imagined brightly colored cosmic equestrian teams running a breathless derby in the stars.
 

Watch collectors will admire the intricately hand-painted dials on each of the three models. The vibrant colors are rich, and the highly detailed images are a product of multiple layers of micro-painting, with each layer dried in a kiln before the next is applied.

Two of the three models in the Arceau Space Derby collection are 12-piece limited editions featuring blue aventurine dials, 41mm 18K white gold cases, and the automatic manufacture Hermès H1837 movement with 50-hour power reserve. Both 12-piece limited editions depict a jockey and his chariot being pulled an armor-clad thoroughbred beneath a star-filled sky; however, one model has blue and indigo hues, while the other uses pink and yellow.
 

The third model in the Arceau Space Derby collection depicts a driver holding the reins of a horse-drawn carriage painted on a pink opaline dial. Limited to 24 pieces, it features a 38mm 18K white gold case, a bezel set with 82 diamonds, and a moonphase display.