Cut For Time: Seven Releases You Missed During The Holiday Break

A flurry of new releases arrived in our inboxes just before the holidays. Here is a selection of the ones that really caught our eye.

Bulgari opened its gemstone paintbox to create a selection of exquisite rainbow Serpenti timepieces. Bulgari has always loved colorful gemstones, believing them to have the power to bring joy. Each timepiece follows the brand’s philosophy of Mai Troppo, or “never too much,” reminding its clients to enjoy beauty however extravagant.
 

Three new Serpenti Viper editions featuring two-row bracelets with colored gemstones join the collection along with a Serpenti Viper Rainbow crafted with round-cut diamonds, pink, purple, and blue sapphires, intense red rubies, orange spinels, yellow sapphires, green garnets, and emeralds.
 

A new Serpenti Viper Blue Color Wave and Serpenti Viper Red Color Wave offer a tone-on-tone sprinkling of gemstones with light and dark blue sapphires for the Blue Color version and light and dark sapphires, rubies, and diamonds for the Red Color version.

The moon was the unifying theme for Hermès throughout 2020, with the release of the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune editions featuring the brand’s unique moonphase complications and rare meteorite dials.
 

This new Hermès Arceau Grand Lune comes in a 43mm stainless steel case with a sunburst blue dial adorned with slender hands and Hermès’ iconic sloping Arabic numerals. The dial’s focal point is its large moon phase and date counter set in a starry night sky. The hour, minute, and second hands and a calendar complete the indications. The timepiece is powered by a mechanical self-winding movement and paired with a matching Abyss blue alligator strap.
 

At the close of 2020, Girard-Perregaux celebrated the 160th anniversary of its trading relationship with Japan with a new collaboration. The brand teamed up with streetwear designer Darren Romanelli, aka DRx, for a new 18-piece limited edition called the 1966 East to West.
 

DRx explained his motivation, saying: “One of the reasons I wanted to collaborate with Girard-Perregaux was because of François Perregaux’s legacy. He was a nonconformist and a trendsetter. Likewise, I like to experiment with fashion and art as well as work with different collaborations. Also, I am known for my fondness for Japan and Japanese culture.”
 

The 1966 East to West comes in a 40mm steel DLC case with a black onyx dial. The dial requires 15 operations to complete and comes paired with a gold GP logo, a black DRx logo (with the designer’s trademark scissors), and golden leaf-shaped hour and minute hands. It is powered by the brand’s self-winding mechanical movement and is already available in stores across Japan.

Formex’s Essence ThirtyNine Automatic Chrono has been one of the brand’s bestselling collections in its 20-year history. This new version is slightly smaller at 39mm.
 

“Since we launched the Essence collection, there’s hardly a day we wouldn’t reply to an inquiry if we planned this model in a smaller case,” shared Raphael Granito, CEO Formex. “However, we didn’t just want to make it smaller, we wanted to make it better. We added the new logo icon and now match the color of the date wheel to the dial and have increased the filing depth of the Super-LumiNova to ensure even better legibility at night…By popular demand, we now use the new deployant clasp with the patented gradual fine adjustment,” he added.
 

The timepiece keeps all the same detailed case finishing as the original and comes in four dial color options – green, blue, black, and a smoky silver – and is powered by Sellita’s SW200-1 COSC-certified caliber that has a 42-hour power reserve. The timepiece is now available for pre-order starting at $1,280 with delivery in February.

Rado reinterprets another of its historically inspired timepieces in its Captain Cook range. The Rado Captain Cook Bronze is a re-edition from 1962 and comes with vintage details and styling true to the original design. The timepiece is housed in a 42mm bronze case that will change patina with its owner over time.
 

An additional feature of the Captain Cook Bronze is a very fine (3 micron) layer of 23-carat gold plating. This temporary coating is designed to avoid patination between the time the watch is produced and the time it reaches the customer’s wrist. Over time the gold will disappear and allow the bronze to start to evolve.
 

The timepiece comes with a red dial and a matching NATO strap that harmonizes with the warmth of the bronze to perfection.

Alpina recently announced the retail version of its new 45mm AlpinerX Alive smartwatch with personal customization, new features, and a donation to the US National Park Foundation.
 

The new AlpinerX Alive is also debuting some exciting new technology such as a heart rate monitor, an integrated GPS, a new AMOLED touch screen, and a rechargeable battery with a seven-day life between charges. There are also extra fitness features such as VO2 max readings, hydration, and breathing monitoring to help you with your 2021 fitness goals.
 

Alpina will also be donating $100 to the US National Park Foundation for all watches ordered by July 31st, 2021 on the dedicated AlpinerX Alive Website.