Rounding up our letters to Santa, where over the last few days the Deployant staff have been busy writing our letters to North Pole, we have come to the final letter. Here is the Chief Editor’s wishlist.
As with the other lists, we have decided to make it easier for Santa…and put a watch in each of three categories – S$10,000, S$25,000, and the final is an ambitious “money no object” category for dreaming. The watches are selected from those introduced this year – through the various shows, and private showings. Without further ado, here is the list. Links in the titles take you back to the hands-on detailed review. More pics. More opinions. More facts.
Below S$10k: Citizen AQ 6010 Caliber 0100
We start with a watch which is designed to defy all others. Currently the most accurate watch in the world, with a maximum deviation of 1 second a year, the Citizen AQ 6010 is truly one to marvel at. Yes, it has a quartz heart instead of a mechanical one, but it is one built like no other. Read our thoughts on the merits of a quartz watch here.
The Citizen AQ 6010 is the cumulation of years of work in high precision engineering to achieve this superlative accuracy. The design is beautiful, with the restrained Japanese styled aesthetics giving it a simple, elegant and very dressy feel.
At US$7,400, it comes in at S$10,098, just busting our budget by a small amount. Take the hundred bucks our of our whisky budget.
Below S$25k: Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date Special Limited Edition
As a maison, Glashütte Original is impressive indeed. The amount of value addition is one of the highest one can find in the world of series produced watches. Making perhaps no more than 7000 watches a year, we are making an educated guess as Swatch Group does not publish official production numbers, they are still a relatively small manufacture. But all their watches carry in-house designed, developed and manufactured movements. I was captivated with this new Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date Special Limited Edition when I was presented the novelty ahead of other press worldwide in November.
They get the basics correct. This is a fine column wheel chronograph movement is built in the classical way, and decorated in the high end haute horlogerie style. Yet it does not carry the very high price tags of the pure play haute horlogerie chronographs, but aimed at the more modest, sporty, stainless steel cased market.
What sets it apart from its competition is the seventies inspired case design and the absolutely gorgeous green fumé (GO calls this effect dégradé) dial made in their own premises in Pforzheim. It straddles a nice balance between a nicely made and finished chronograph with a modest price. A win-win in our books.
Our pick is the green dial version in a calf strap, retailing at S$19,800.
Money no object: Ferdinand Berthoud FB1L
I have been fascinated by Ferdinand Berthoud since the first FB1 was introduced. I am very impressed that the dreams of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and his upright, moral character is reflected in the watches made in tribute to the great French clockmaker whose name he revived.
Karl-Friedrich is taking his time with the watches, and it is obvious that he is taking great pleasures with the creations My top choice which I am enamoured with is the FB1R01.6. The use of negative space on the dial, the presentation of the digital hours in a regulator style design captures my imagination. But that was the 2018 novelty. What joy greeted me in 2019 at SIHH when I was presented the Age of the Moon – the FB1L.
This is an absolute marvel of a watch. It ticks all the boxes. Brilliant aesthetics which is classical but still leading edge. Execution and finishing which is second to none. A special complication showing the age of the moon which is a rather rare one in wrist watches. And the magnificent base of the FB1 movement which we already love to bits.
Have a Blessed Christmas all.
We jest of course in this series of Dear Santa articles. But it allows us an avenue to share with you the dreams of our writers. And in that sharing allow you a glimpse into the character of the man behind the keyboard. This is important as all of us have biases, though many would deny having them. But indeed we all are guided by our world view and our tastes. And articles like this allow us to show you where these lie, so that when reading our reviews, you may be able to understand the psyche behind and align them with your own to make more informed decisions.
1 Comment
Thanks for the article. I just commented in Robin’s article with very similar 1st and 3rd choices!
I prefer the FB 1R.6-1, though, as it has a simpler and plainer face, which, as you say, makes great use of negative space.