Sophie’s Choice: The Top Five Timepieces From LVMH Watch Week
Watchonista’s Sophie Furley chooses five watches from LVMH Watch Week that caught her eye.
By Sophie Furley
Contributor
This week has been full of novelties for the four LVMH watch brands in Dubai, the choice was hard but here are five timepieces that caught my eye.
Bvlgari Serpenti Seduttori
I am a huge Bvlgari Serpenti fan and have been annoying my husband with requests for the Serpenti Tubogas Three Color Gold for the longest time. So, when Bvlgari introduced the Serpenti Seduttori last year, let’s just say I was a particularly captive audience. Now Bvlgari is tormenting me even more with some gorgeous new models.
Perhaps I should not admit this, but I’m honestly, torn between the Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon and the quartz version. As a watch journalist, there is this unspoken pressure to favor the super complicated stuff, but I’m going to throw caution to the wind and vote for this super simple rose gold quartz version with only a few diamonds on the bezel. This is the kind of watch I could put on and never take off.
Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Red Magic
The new Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Red Magic showcases the brand’s expertise in colored ceramic. It is something they have worked on for several years, and they nailed it. Ceramic watch cases are usually only available in black or white, so in terms of material innovation, this is a big deal. It is no surprise Hublot figured it out first; their motto is “Art of Fusion” after all.
What I love about the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Red Magic is this combination of a shiny, bright red case with some seriously gorgeous mechanics. The movement is the brand’s HUB9011 manual-winding skeletonized movement with seven series-coupled barrels. It is bold, serious, and playful all at the same time.
Zenith Defy 21 Land Rover Special Edition
Following the unveiling of the brand-new Land Rover Defender at the end of last year, Zenith has now revealed its collaborative timepiece with Land Rover to celebrate this (much-awaited) car launch. Equipped with the brand’s El Primero 9004 automatic movement, this timepiece can measure elapsed time to 1/100th of a second, which means the second hand makes an entire trip around the dial in just one second.
The styling is interesting with this gray ceramic case, matte gray dial, and anthracite hands. There is no mention of Land Rover on the dial, so you don’t need to be a Land Rover aficionado to own one; this watch stands on its own as a cool high-performance sports watch.
TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition
TAG Heuer will be celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, and to kick off the celebrations, the brand has unveiled this TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition. Inspired by watch designs from the 1960s, this vintage-looking chronograph comes in a 39mm stainless steel case with an elegant silver sunray brushed dial and three subdials at three, six, and nine o’clock.
The movement is the TAG Heuer Automatic Calibre Heuer 02, an in-house movement with an impressive 80-hour power reserve. For people who like the vintage style, but want the performance of new, this timepiece ticks all the right boxes. It is limited to 1,860 pieces (the foundational year of the brand) and will be available starting in June 2020.
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater
Bvlgari released some exciting new Octo models during the LVMH Watch Week, each one as gorgeous as the next. (Read our report: Bvlgari announces Four New Octos).
This Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater was the first to catch my eye. It is a new edition of the record-breaking Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater launched in titanium from 2016. This version comes in a sand-blasted rose gold case and features a cut-out dial to increase the resonance inside the case and amplify the sound, as well as offer a nice aesthetic touch. The minute repeater pusher is positioned at nine o’clock and is protected with an “all or nothing” safety device for fool-proof operation. Bvlgari’s mix of edgy Italian design and Swiss engineering never fails to impress.
(Photography by Watchonista)
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