If you were already on the lookout for a gift for dad this Father’s Day (FYI, it’s 19 June), look no further than this list of new watches to expect this June 2022.
We promise you that few things will get his adrenaline pumping quite like a brand-new timepiece. Novelties that have already been showcased during Watches & Wonders a couple of months earlier have been progressively making their ways to the nearest boutique, so now’s the time to caress them in person before putting in the order.
After all, no matter how talented a photographer is, nothing beats holding it in the palm of your hand and letting the intricate detail sway your (and dad’s) bedazzled eyes.
The colour green might have been considered newfangled when it lit up the industry a couple of years ago, but quite evidently, it will be a mainstay for years to come, just like grey, black and blue. Bell & Ross’ latest BR 05 Skeleton – the fourth iteration since its introduction – is endowed with a green crystal to give it a decidedly sporty look that goes immaculate with the steel bracelet; or if you fancy the rubber strap in khaki, you get that too. Beyond that, not much has changed compared to its predecessors – the case size remains at 40mm and the automatic movement is the trusted BR-CAL.322. The BR 05 Skeleton Green is limited to 500 pieces.
It might be better known for its range of handbags whose values rise exponentially, but Chanel has proven that it also belongs in watchmaking with the increasingly popular J12. Any lady after a chic, well-made sports-luxe watch should give the J12 Caliber 12.2 serious consideration, because Chanel has just shrunk the famously unisex watch to 33mm. If you didn’t fancy the chunkier 38mm iteration previously, this petite number might just change your mind. And oh, two editions studded with diamonds are on the catalogue too.
Fans of Aston Martin have something truly spectacular to look forward to: the Laureato Absolute Chronograph AM F1 Edition in British racing green. The novelty is a combination of all things Girard-Perregaux knows best – the recognisable Laureato case shape in 44mm, the cutting-edge composite of titanium and carbon, and technical know-know as the watch — although rather big in size — is actually very light. 306 pieces of which will be produced, each fitted with an innovative strap made of rubber and carbon mined from two Aston Martin F1 race cars from the 2021 season, texturised to resemble fabrics.
For a dive watch of a different kind, check out Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Polaris Date inspired by the 1968 Memovox Polaris. While modern dive watches tend to showcase a rotatable outer bezel made of hardened alloys or ceramic, Jaeger-LeCoultre exacts greater craftsmanship on this compressor-style dive watch that once ubiquitous in the 1960s. On the dial, you’ll see a lacquered, double-gradient dial in olive, while the transparent case back bares the Calibre 899 capable of 70 hours of power reserve. This 42mm dive watch in steel is a boutique exclusive.
Visually enchanting and melodiously endearing, H. Moser & Cie.’s new watch for June 2022 is a minute repeater bearing the minimalism and iconoclasm that we admire the brand for. Encased within 40mm of red gold or titanium are a “Grand Feu” enamel dial in gradated aqua blue built upon a base that’s been hammered to create a textured surface, the chiming mechanism of hours, quarter-hours and minutes, and a one-minute flying tourbillon, governed by the HMC 904 hand-wound movement capable of 90 hours of power reserve. The Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon Aqua Blue is limited to 20 pieces in each metal.
Now one of Hermès’ most iconic watches, the Cape Cod is given a technological update unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Created in collaboration with the Neuchâtel-based Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) and Vietnamese designer-graphic artist Thanh-Phong, this iteration comes with a dial made from a silicon wafer, carefully fabricated to reflect the intimate and refined “Crépuscule”, or “dusk”.
Accompanied by slender gilded hands, the dial is a sophisticated work of art, its bluish tints matched with yellow gold with the help of nanotechnology. A navy blue calfskin single or double tour strap keeps the watch minimally beautiful.
Hublot caused a stir with the Square Bang a couple of months ago. For June 2022, it is introducing another new watch case in an unconventional shape. The provocative 44mm Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross is inspired by the jaw-dropping works of the multidisciplinary British artist and designer, featuring his signature colour of orange — a colour which represents optimism and energy — within its geometry. The leitmotif of the watch is the hexagon – seen as the building block of life – which is repeated throughout the strap and case to form a titanium honeycomb. Encapsulating a person’s zest for life, the watch beats thanks to an automatic 72-hour manufacture movement equipped with a tourbillon and is produced in 50 pieces.
With globe-trotting back on the card, Louis Vuitton is aptly introducing jet-setters to the Tambour Outdoor Chronograph GMT – the maison’s new watch for June 2022. Offered in nautical steel and urban jungle – the former bears a blue dial, while the latter khaki – it possesses a unique design code that presents a welcome respite to the usual way of perceiving a GMT watch. Peppered with orange or red accents, the quartz-powered watch comes alive thanks to an animated small seconds disc inscribed with the famous skeletonised initials LV, while at the same time, affording you the luxury of adapting the 44mm watch to various occasions with ease courtesy of a patented interchangeable strap system.
Bringing fun and sexy into the typically apathetic high watchmaking is Richard Mille’s new watch for June 2022 – RM 38-02 Tourbillon Bubba Watson. Just as how hobbyist golfers like wearing the most outlandish gear to make a statement, this pink and white number promises turn heads no matter the occasion.
Like many Richard Mille’s watches, the colourful case is also made of a combination of Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT. So while it might look goofy, its manufacturing process is all serious. The watch is ultra lightweight but boasts supreme durability. The skeletonised movement is engineered to withstand no less than 10,000 gs – an impressive feat when you take into account how fragile a tourbillon can be. The exclusive RM 38-02 version is produced in 50 pieces.
This article was first published on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur.
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