Watch Shoot: Passion Is in the Details
When it comes to finding the perfect watch, it’s the fine — sometimes invisible — details that make all the difference. From fascinating historical connections to exceptionally accurate movements, there’s ample grey area to finding a watch that ticks all the right boxes. What works for some won’t necessarily work for others, and oftentimes it’s the confluence of a particular sequence of design cues and specifications that help a watch achieve that intangible perfection. That in mind, we amassed a handful of standouts for a photoshoot that graced the pages of our Winter 2023 issue of SHARP Magazine.
Rolex Deepsea
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Creating a watch that can withstand the immense pressure found at nearly four kilometres below sea level is far from easy, but Rolex — a company that created the world’s first waterproof watch, the Oyster — has been working on it since the 1920s. Thanks to a middle case crafted from a solid block of corrosion-resistant Oystersteel, a proprietary hermetically sealed case back, and the patented Ringlock System, the 2022 DeepSea is guaranteed waterproof to 3,900 metres, an incredible achievement by any measure. Its “D-blue” gradient dial, meanwhile, is a subtle tribute to James Cameron’s historic 2012 Deepsea Challenge dive. ($16,800)
Seiko Presage SPB267
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This Presage puts all of Seiko’s unique creativity and know-how on display, with a dial made from prized Arita porcelain. Crafted in the rich shade of bluewhite for which Arita has become famous, this dial is a product of a porcelain- making tradition on the island of Kyushu dating back to the 17th century. Equipped with Seiko’s automatic Caliber 6R27, the watch features subdials for the date and power reserve indicator, whose deep white ridges create a pair of glowing haloes. The product of centuries of refinement and craftsmanship, this limited edition combines ancient and modern in a way that only Seiko can. ($2,475)
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX
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IWC doesn’t just make some of the world’s best pilot’s watches in the 21st century, it pioneered the design of these essential flight instruments in the 1940s with the Navigator’s Wristwatch Mark 11. Nearly 80 years later, IWC is still refining its movements, and the original design remains as appealing as ever in the new Pilot’s Watch Mark XX. With a time-only dial reminiscent of its historic forebear, the new watch ups the ante with the new IWC-manufactured 32111 calibre, a state-of-the-art movement with an impressive 120 hours of power reserve. ($6,750)
Tudor Ranger
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In 1952, a team of 30 British scientists and Royal Navy officers set out from London for Greenland on a mission to study the region’s weather, geography, and seismic activity. Each man was equipped with a specialized Tudor watch that would prove indispensable over the two-year expedition, and the new Ranger traces its ancestry directly back to that timepiece — and the brave explorers who field-tested it. In addition to its daring backstory, the new Ranger comes with an in-house chronometer movement and a textile strap woven on 19th-century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in St-Étienne, France. $3,200
Omega Constellation Co-Axial Master Chronometer 41mm
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While it may not have the Speedmaster’s connection to NASA or the Seamaster’s ties to James Bond, the Constellation has no shortage of distinctive appeal both on the surface and beneath it. Its design, boldly conceived in the early 1980s, was one of the most influential of that era, and its dramatic stainless steel and 18K pink Sedna Gold exterior conceals something equally distinctive. Take a peek through the watch’s sapphire case back and you’ll discover Omega’s Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8900, a movement certified by METAS for superlative accuracy that’s also resistant to magnetic fields up to 15,000 gauss. ($12,300)
Mido Baroncelli Signature 20th Anniversary Inspired By Architecture Limited-Edition
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As the second model in a series of five architecture-themed anniversary editions, this watch is a tribute to one of Europe’s finest cultural institutions. Inspired by the Rennes Opera House in France, an Italianate masterpiece inaugurated in 1836, the stone-textured dial features understated nods to the building’s facade in its 12 o’clock index, date aperture, and minutes track. Also hidden within its 39 mm steel case, and no less refined, is a Swiss Caliber 80 movement with 80 hours of power reserve and a Nivachron balance spring. ($1,250)
