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  • Watches and Wonders is here and here are all the new releases from Rolex, Tudor, Cartier, TAG, Grand Seiko, Panerai, IWC, Patek and others...

Watches and Wonders is here and here are all the new releases from Rolex, Tudor, Cartier, TAG, Grand Seiko, Panerai, IWC, Patek and others...

I tried cramming as much possible into one edition. It still didn't work out

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It's About Time
March 27, 2023

Hey friends, welcome to the first It’s About Time Newsletter - Watches and Wonders Edition. With appologies to the new subscribers who joined over the weekend, this will not be a regular edition of the newsletter.

I’m throwing away all the bells and whistles, all the additional links and videos just to cram in as much W&W news as possible (and even that is not nearly enough - tomorrow’s edition will have a bunch of overflow from today). This is NOT what the newsletter usually looks like, so stick around till after all the W&W hubbub calms down. There’s a lot going on, so let’s get going!

In this issue:

  • It’s just a barrage of Watches and Wonders news, nothing else

Today’s reading time: I’m not even kidding… It’s 25 minutes and 12 seconds. I usually keep it under 5 minutes, but it was just impossible with this amount of news. Just skip around to whatever you fancy.

We’re starting off with a bang! We’re giving away TWO of this year’s hottest watches, The Tiffany Tissot PRX Powermatic 80
All you have to do is click the button below and have five of your friends subscribe. Both you and one of your friends will be eligible to win one of the watches

👂What’s new

1/ 

Rolex swamped Monday morning, the first day of Watches and Wonders, in Geneva with a bunch of new announcements. Some were expected, some came as huge surprises and some are slight disappointments. So here we go:

  • Most of the pressure prior to release has been put on the Daytona, as Rolex is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary. Many were expecting a completley new look for the watch. We didn’t get that - we got slightly updated looks for the steel, two-tone, gold and platinum editions and new things on the inside.

    The cases are still 40mm in diameter but the Cerachrom bezel is now recessed slightly into the case with edging in the case material. So pictured above, it's edged in steel. In gold, it would be edged in gold, and so on.

    The biggest news is that for the first time since the year 2000 when Rolex went in-house for the movement - the 4131. Since they went in-house, Rolex wanted you to see that, but only if you have enough money, so the new Daytona in platinum (and only the platinum) becomes the first Rolex sports watch with an exhibition caseback.

    The new 2023 stainless steel Daytona starts at 14,400 CHF, the two-tone model is 18,600 CHF, 18k yellow gold is set at 29,200 CHF on an oysterflex or 37,700 CHF on a gold Oyster bracelet.

  • We’re getting two new gray/black bezel variants of the GMT-Master II in yellow gold and two-tone. The new two-tone version (“Rolesor”, as the brand calls it) joins the current lineup as the only current steel/gold offering on Rolex’s jubilee bracelet. While Rolex is calling it Rolesor, fans online have dubbed the new Cerachrom bezel variant the “Guinness”.

    The watch also comes in solid gold. And not just any solid gold GMT (because we have that in Everose), but the return of yellow gold, a metal that's been missing from the lineup for a few years now. This is not just a masterful return of solid yellow gold, but also a return to yellow gold to the Jubillee.

    The new GMT-Master II variants are priced at $16,450 and $38,900 USD, respectively, for the two-tone and full gold variants.

  • Late last year, Rolex released the Deepsea Challenge in its proprietary RLX titanium material. But that was a stupid watch at 50mm, unwearable by most humans. Now titanium and Rolex fans get what they want, a wearable titanium watch - the Rolex Yacht-Master 42 in RLX.

    The new reference is powered by Rolex’s in-house Calibre 3235, certified as a Superlative Chronometer. The cool thing is that Rolex did not just slap an Oysterflex on it, but rather they fashined an entire titanium Oyster bracelet for it. The new Rolex Yacht-Master 42 in RLX titanium reference 226627 will sell for CHF 13,400.

  • Two years ago, Rolex eliminated its 39mm Explorer model and reintroduced a 36mm sizing. Today, the size goes back up and the Explorer is now larger than its ever been before at 40mm in diameter. Effectively nothing else has changed on this watch other than the size. The movement is the same caliber 3230, the case remains stainless steel, and the dial has the same recognizable layout.

  • The most complex model in Rolex’s catalogue, the Sky-Dweller, in 2023 gets an updated movement, Calibre 9002, a development of Calibre 9001 that has powered Sky-Dwellers since its introduction

    The new Sky-Dweller editions are presented on a Jubilee, five-piece links Oystersteel bracelet for the white Rolesor with mint green dial reference, the Everose and blue-green has a gold Oyster with three-piece solid links, and the white gold/black dial features an Oysterflex, made from elastomer. That mint green really is mint…

    CHF 15,100 for the 336239 (steel, white gold) – CHF 40,700 for the 336934 (white gold), price upon request for the Everose gold 336935

  • There have been wild predictions as to what Rolex might introduce at W&W. Some even claimed crazy things like a titanium daytona. But nobody something like this coming - a steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual with a sky-blue "Celebration" dial decorated with a cluster of different-sized bubbles that reunite all of the colors from the eye-popping line of lacquered OPs that rocked the watch world in 2020. People are already making fun of it online but I think it’s a fun experiment. Much better than what’s to follow.

    The piece comes in 31, 36, and 41mm sizes and is one of the wildest Rolex desing in years. Love it! Prices are as follows: CHF 5,400 (31mm), CHF 5,800 (36mm), CHF 6,100 (41mm)

  • We also get six new versions of the day-date, three of which were definitely not needed. Lets start with the watches we never needed: the day-date with a jigsaw puzzle motif dial made from champlevé enameling available in yellow gold, white gold, and Everose. The watch displays "inspirational" keywords at the 12 o'clock display ('Happy', 'Eternity', 'Gratitude', 'Peace', 'Faith', 'Love' and 'Hope') and 31 emojis (what?) in place of the date at 3 o'clock.

    After those three monstrosities, the three stone dials seem like an understated Patek Calatrava. The three new stone dials are available in carnelian (yellow gold), turquoise (platinum) and green aventurine (Everose gold).

  • Rolex also releases a brand new collection called the Perpetual Collection. And the first official watch in the lineup is the 1908. It is, in fact, a replacement to the shuttered Cellini line, as it same similar aesthetics and size (39mm).

  • Many online have loved to hate on the Rolex Milgauss. People call it ugly, making fun of its green crystal and orange lightning seconds hand, but I always thought it was very cool and completely different to everything else Rolex was making. Well, Rolex heart the critics. They are discontinuing the Milgauss.

2/ 

  • Tudor introduces a purist-driven 37mm steel take on the Black Bay 54 that makes direct reference to the 7922. This is the closest you can get to a vintage Tudor when buying new - the size, the single colorway and also, the no-date dial. The movement is the MT5400, shared with the Pelagos 39 and other Black Bays like the 925.

    Despite it’s smaller size, the new 37mm Black Bay 54 remains just as capable of a dive watch with 200 meter resistance and a bracelet and the rubber strap that have T-Fit claps that allow micro-adjustments. It’s 11.24mm thick and 46mm lug to lug. The Black Bay 54 is being offered on steel for $3,850 or rubber for $3,625.

  • Tudor also introduces a very very sexy white opaline dial to the GMT. It's the same Black Bay GMT we know – 41mm steel case, "Pepsi" bezel, manufacture caliber, just with a new, off-white, "polar" dial. Tudor is calling the new dial "opaline," telling us it isn't quite white, but is finished with a galvanic process that gives it a matte white-grey finish. It gives the dial a silvery hint. Price: CHF 4,100 (on bracelet) and CHF 3,800 (on strap)

3/ 

  • The Cartier Tank is arguably the most iconic Cartier watch design, and a certified icon in watchmaking as a whole. So it’s only curious that Cartier has waited so long to revive it within the Privé. The new Cartier Privé Tank Normale collection faithfully honors the original 1917 Louis Cartier design. Cartier has remained faithful to the original design’s proportions, with the new watches clocking in at 25.7mm in diameter and 32.6mm across the wrist lug-to-lug.

    A first for the Cartier Privé collection, the new Tank Normale watches, available in yellow gold and a platinum, will not only be available on a leather strap, but also on a bracelet as well. With the point of the Privé collection being to faithfully modernize their “mythical” designs, the new collection offers a spectrum of pieces – four of which skew very close to the original design and skeletonized pair that emphasizes modernity within the contextual codes of the original shape and proportions.

    Pricing has yet not been announced.

  • Cartier is also refreshing the Tank Américaine. The new-for-2023 Tank Américaine lineup includes 11 total watches across three sizes: mini, small, and large. Across all sizes, the Américaine will be offered in steel and rose gold; the mini and small versions also offer a diamond-treated case. Cartier has refined the case of the Tank Américaine by making its curved shape and sides just a little finer and curvier. The large version also houses a new caliber 1899 MC, which Cartier says is thinner than its previous automatic movements

  • New models are coming to the Tank in the form of the 2023 Cartier Tank Louis Cartier collection, with two new mosaic-dial models and two lacquered-dial models.

    Of the set of four, the most novel are the two mosaic models that serves as an homage to the Tank Must dials of the ’70s. The next set, or duo, of new Cartier Tank Louis Cartier watches have colourful lacquered dials. These tones will be familiar to Cartier fans, as both burgundy and green were found in the trio of lacquer-dial Tank Musts that debuted in 2021.

    Price is still TBA.

  • Over the past dozen or so years, Cartier has made a habit of releasing attention-grabbing skeletonized watches. It started with the Santos 100 in 2009, and this year Cartier is introducing the Santos-Dumont Skeleton in a trio of metals.

    The three skeletonized Santos-Dumont models are powered by Cartier's new caliber 9629 MC, a micro-rotor caliber comprised of 212 components that Cartier says it took two years to develop at its manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The centerpiece of the new Santos-Dumont Skeleton collection is the yellow-gold version, which will be limited to 150 examples. The case and bezel use blue lacquer. Alongside this, Cartier's introducing a rose gold and a stainless-steel Santos-Dumont.

Cartier also updates the Santos and Santos-Dumont with new colors. Not much more to this.

4/ 

  • The new Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001 marks the first ever fully mechanical chronograph from Grand Seiko, and, again, is a regular production model within the Evolution 9 collection. As expected from Grand Seiko, the Tentagraph name is very intentional and precise: TEN beats per second, Three days, Automatic chronoGRAPH.

    For this first Tentagraph entry, the Grand Seiko SLGC001 is cased in the manufacture’s high-intensity titanium and in the highly faceted Evolution 9 case design. It certainly skews on the larger side, with a diameter of 43.2mm and a case thickness of 15.3mm.

    The Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001 is priced at US$13,700.

  • Grand Seiko is going back to the woods. The craftsmen at their Micro Artist studio in Shiojiri have channeled the white birch forests at the foot of the North Yatsugatake Mountains for inspiration on their newest engraved piece in platinum to create the Grand Seiko SBGZ009 “Majestic White Birch”, part of the brand’s Masterpiece collection.

    The case is first polished to a mirror finish before being worked by the skilled engravers of the Shinshu Watch Studio. This is the third fully hand-engraved piece powered by a manual-winding Spring Drive movement.

    The new SBGZ009 will be available in a limited edition of 50 watches starting in June 2023 for a price of $79,000.

  • Grand Seiko is not the first brand that comes to mind when you say iced out watches. And yet, here we are, at Watches and Wonders, where Grand Seiko introduces the brand is updating it’s SBGD209 “White Lion,” with the SBGD213. The SBGD213 case is made of fully polished 950 platinum (as is the deployant clasp on the attached blue crocodile strap), measuring 44.5mm across and 14.4mm-thick.

    It features 112 pavé diamonds in lieu of brushed facets, while the fixed bezel is set with 60 baguette diamonds and the crown features a sapphire cap. A combination of 48 diamonds and 12 sapphires marks out the minutes, while the hour track features the same balance of stones cut in tapered baguettes, with a triple sapphire setting at 12 o’clock.

    Yours for $260,000.

5/ 

  • Radiomir is going 40mm. Quaranta means forty in Italian, and after launching several Radiomir Quaranta eSteel models for the Chinese market earlier this year, a more precious Goldtech model now joins the line-up.

    Goldtech is Panerai's version of Rolex's Everose or Omega's Sedna Gold, which the Swiss-Italian watchmaker says features a mix of platinum and copper, all serving up gold with a redder hue. Goldtech is now used across the portfolio, from the Submersible to Luminor collections. With a lug-to-lug ratio of 48mm, the watch comes in at just 10.15mm thick, making it the slimmest case in Panerai's entire portfolio.

    While it’s to be applauded that Panerai is making more accessible watches size wise, the $18,200 price tag stings a bit, as there are more competitive watches out there.

  • The new Panerai Radiomir Otto Giorni (that's "eight days" in Italian) PAM 01347 and PAM 01348 are about what you'd expect from a modern Panerai Radiomir, with a few aesthetic flourishes. The 45mm case of each is made of Panerai's eSteel, which Panerai says is produced from recycled steel. But the case is treated to give it a weathered, vintage feel, created using PVD.

    Both dials feature a gradient that transitions from light at the center to darker at the edges – brown in the case of the PAM 01347 and blue in the PAM 01348. The rest of the dial is familiar: small seconds at 9 o'clock, with the text "8 Giorni Brevettato" ("8 days patented") counterbalancing that subdial at 3 o'clock. The sandwich dial uses Super-Luminova, with large Arabic numerals at 12 and 6 o'clock.

    Price: $9,700

  • High complications are not something we would typically associate with Panerai, however that could all be about to change with the introduction of their first annual calendar movement, the Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar.

    The PAM1432 comes in a case made of Platinumtech™, Panerai’s proprietary 950 platinum alloy that’s harder and more resistant to scratches than other platinum, while also maintaining its deep metallic hue. The PAM1363 is offered in the same case rendered in Panerai’s Goldtech™, an 18k rose gold alloy with copper and a dash of platinum, which provides added durability and a slightly deeper shade than traditional rose gold.

    The Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar PAM1432 in Platinumtech™ is priced at $88,100 USD and the PAM1363 in Goldtech™ is priced at $39,200 USD.

6/ 

  • Zenith has introduced an updated take on its long-standing Pilot watches, announcing its new Zenith Pilot collection of four models and going very modern with both design and materials: the Pilot Automatic and the Big Date Flyback, both in a stainless steel case or black ceramic. The Pilot Automatic measures 40mm, while the Big Date Pilot Flyback measures 42.5mm. All four have black dials with horizontal grooves, large Arabic numerals, and a new case and bezel design.

    Each of the four watches have Zenith's interchangeable strap system, and come with a pair of straps: leather and black "cordura effect" rubber for the steel versions, and cordura effect in black and khaki for the ceramic.

    This might just be a huge hit for Zenith. Pricing is as follows: $7,500 for the steel automatic, $9,600 for the ceramic automatic, $11,500 for the steel big date flyback and $13,500 for the ceramic big date flyback.

  • After bringing back the Zenith Defy A3642 with the Defy Revival last year, Zenith is now giving the Defy Revival the titanium treatment and calling it the Zenith Defy Revival Shadow. It's the same silhouette and angular case as last year's Defy Revival, but now in microblasted titanium. That is to say: an octagonal case measuring 37mm diameter, that distinctive 14-sided bezel, and Zenith's ladder bracelet.

    It is not a limited edition and is available for $7,400

  • Zenith’s Defy collection has gone over to the dark side. The brand has just released two new Skyline models in full black ceramic, the Defy Skyline and the Defy Skyline Skeleton. Apart from the case and bracelet material, which is a nice black ceramic, the new dark Skyline shares mostly the same specs as the steel versions. Priced at CHF 14,900

7/

The reissue of Gérald Genta's iconic sports steel watch for IWC – 1976's Ingenieur SL "Jumbo", Reference 1832 – has landed.

This will surely be the Schaffhausen watchmaker's most attention-grabbing Watches and Wonders novelty, as it has been 40 years after it stopped production (although other Ingenieur models were available, most recently until 2017). The reissue of this cult design favorite was always a matter of when, not if.

The new IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 is launched as a compact collection of 4 models, including one in titanium. All three stainless steel versions will be priced at CHF 12,000.

8/ 

  • TAG is going for gold. The 40mm Aquaracer line, one of its most popular in recent years, is getting flashier by way of a pair of solid gold cases. One is solid 18k 5N pink gold, the other in solid 18k 3N yellow gold, and both watches are affixed to rubber straps. It’s not just an update for the case, but also for the movement. That would be the new COSC-certified manufacture movement: the caliber TH31-00.

    With those two upgrades, is an Aquaracer worth $18,450?

  • TAG is also doing an Aquaracer in two-tone gold. Take a gander at that as well.

  • TAG Heuer is releasing a completely reconceived Carrera chronograph in two color configurations: steely blue and reverse-panda black. The model is being touted the "Glassbox" for its domed, curved, crystal, which pays homage to similarly domed hesalite crystal designs from the 1970s.

    This new Glassbox design allows TAG a new unique way to display the inner tachymeter scale. Where it has typically been displayed – flat – on the outer edges of the dial, now it slopes down, matching the curvature of the crystal. Inside the watches is a newly evolved version of the Heuer 02, called the TH20-00 featuring an oscillating weight that offers bidirectional winding. The case is 39mm, but people who have worn it say it fits more like a 36mm due to the domed crystal.

    The blue edition (ref. CBS2212.FC6535) will be available as of May 2023, and the reverse panda version (ref. CBS2210.FC6534) will be available a bit sooner in April 2023. The price tag for each will be CHF 6,300.

  • There will also be a tourbillon version of the Glassbox Carrera 

  • TAG is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Carrera with four new colors for the 36mm model. The Carrera Date 36mm launches in four colour variants – a neon pink, pastel green, rich blue and subtle silver. The latter three all sport contrasting gold appliques which add a touch of warmth to the cold sunburst dial colours. The bold pink, adds an extra touch of pizzazz with a snailed finish to its sunburst pattern, opting for silver indices instead.

    The new TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36mm models are available starting April 2023 for $3,200 USD

  • Changes are also coming to the Carrera Chronograph, with a couple of more colors which are not as intense as the 36mm model.

  • TAG almost had it. They almost managed to introduce a bunch of new watches that are if not fantastic, than perfectly fine. Then they go and drop the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon adds more diamonds. Yes, I understand that this is supposed to be Avant-Garde. But those diamonds just thrown all over the watch are kinda ridiculous.

9/ 

Patek has introduced a trio of new models for the Aquanaut, all in rose gold: an Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar, the Aquanaut Chronograph, and for good measure, an Aquanaut with 48 diamonds on the bezel.

First up is the Aquanaut Chronograph 5968R to the collection. Here, the rose gold case measures 42.2mm by 11.9mm, and a composite brown strap matches the brown dial. The 5968R takes the familiar form of the Aquanaut chronograph and renders it in rose gold. MSRP is CHF 64,000.

Just a couple of millimeters smaller, Patek has added the new Aquanaut Luce reference 5261R. It's an annual calendar and it'll come in rose gold on the well-known Aquanaut composite strap in a blue-grey that matches the dial. MSRP on the new Aquanaut Luce will be CHF 52,000.

  • Patek Philippe has introduced a new Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5924G, the brand's first-ever chronograph in the Pilot watch line with a flyback chronograph. In a white gold case measuring 42mm wide and 13.05mm thick with 30m water resistance, the watch comes in two dial variations: a sunburst blue-gray, and a particularly military-inspired lacquered khaki green, each with a matching calfskin strap. Both feature gold applied numerals with luminescent coating.

    Each watch will run a cool 64,000 CHF

  • An updated Calatrava gets a series of primary-colored dial variations and a very sporty feel. It's similar to the limited-edition 6007A that Patek released back in 2020 to celebrate the opening of its new manufacturer, but now it's in white gold, not steel. Unlike that model, the new 6007G uses Patek's newer-generation movement, the caliber 26-330 S C.

    The new 6007G measures 40mm in diameter and 9mm thick. The white gold case is entirely polished and water resistant to 30 meters. The dial in each of the three references is black, with yellow, red, or sky blue accents on the minute and hour track, and a matching center seconds hand. On the black calfskin strap, Patek has also added contrast stitching that matches these colorful accents.

    Retail for each color of the 6007G is $37,850.

  • The Calatrava line is getting a lot of updates. The last of which should be the new Travel Time dual time zone function and 24-hour display. Powered by Patek’s new automatic calibre 31-260, the Calatrava features local and home time displayed on a central 24-hour track and indicated by two separate hour hands. Presented in a rose gold case with a blue dial with plenty of luminescent material on the indices and hands. The retail price is EUR 57,630.

10/ 

If you turn up to the most important annual watch salon with just one model, it had better be good. And being A. Lange & Söhne, the watch in question will not disappoint as the Saxon brand unveils its first automatic chronograph movement – calibre L156.1 – inside its Odysseus sports watch. Regarded as one of the most challenging complications to construct, the new and highly ingenious chronograph movement dispenses with counters to relay elapsed times. Instead, and respecting the strong visual identity of this watch with its outsize day and date windows, the Odysseus Chronograph relies on two central chronograph hands, a reset-to-zero button and increased functionality of the pushers.

Price is upon request. We all know what that means.

11/ 

Bvlgari’s Octo Finissimo line left a deep mark on watchmaking experimentation in the 2010s. Bvlgari took the original Genta design from the 80s and updated it with new materials and radical designs, putting it within reach of the other Genta heavy hitters - the AP Royal Oak and Patek Nautilus - when it comes to steel sports watches with integrated bracelets with radical designs and record-breaking thinness. Then, abruptly and mysteriously in January, they announced that the Octo Finissimo line is ending.

Now Bvlgari is refreshing the little brother of the Octo family which will have to step up as the heavy hitter of the brand - the Octo Roma, with three new automatics, two chronographs, and four tourbillons. The Roma is not new to Bvlgari, as it’s been around since 1975, but it has been revived as a collection in 2017.

The Octo Roma is definitely not the Octo Finissimo, but glance at it for a second and you might think: “wait, what?” It looks like it so much. It softens the harsh lines of the Finissimo - it retains the octagonal shape with its satin-finished case, a dial framed by an inner ring, and a polished lower bezel. Disrupting their continuity is the circular upper bezel ring with its brushed finish. It creates an illusion of a round watch at a glance.

  • The new Octo Roma welcomes three mechanical styles in nine models. In addition to the classic three-hander and the crazy tourbillon, the stainless steel chronograph makes its debut in the collection. The 42mm Octo Roma Chronograph boasts a Swiss-made manufacture caliber BVL 399, which integrates three subdials and a date window between 4 and 5 o’clock. You can get it with a black or blue dial for €9,900.

  • The Octo Roma Automatic has a slightly slimmer stainless steel case that offers a dressier option. 41mm in diameter and 9.15mm tall with Bvlgari’s in-house automatic caliber BVL 191 inside, the Automatic comes in anthracite, blue, and white. Get it for €7,900.

  • The Octo Roma continues its Haute Horlogerie artistry with four tourbillons. The Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon and Striking Tourbillon Sapphire are the same executions as their former selves but in a new 44mm titanium case with a black DLC treatment, with the Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon showing off the grand complication right in the center and “butterfly” minute displays running from 0 to 60 on a semi-circular track while two diamond-shaped hands traversing and taking turns to count the minutes. The price for this beast is €130,000. The Octo Roma Striking Tourbillon Sapphire has a much simpler dial but one that is by no means easy to make. It retails for €85,000.

  • The remaining two tourbillons are high-jewellery models. The Octo Roma Precious Naturalia shares the same mechanical structure as the Striking Tourbillon Sapphire, but as a brushed and polished rose gold case with a rose gold crown. The cut-out plate that forms the 10 indexes has replaced the lume with a gemstone called tiger’s eye. An easy €165,000.

  • The Octo Roma Precious Tourbillon Lumière is the smallest of the whole lineup. Coming in at 38mm wide, the rose gold case has 267 round brilliant cut diamonds and 48 of the same diamonds are on the dial, while the side of the case has cabochon-cut rubies. This statement piece has a price of €190,000.

12/

Jean-Claude Biver just might be the most beloved person in the watch industry. The 73 year old is a living legend and these are just some of his accomplishments: many credit him with saving the Swiss watch industry during the quartz crisis, he paid 22,000 Swiss francs in 1982 for Blancpain and turned it around to sell to the Swatch Group for 60 million, he lead Omega, Hublot and TAG Heuer and revolutionized the industry with marketing ideas like signing the supermodel Cindy Crawford for Omega in 1995, pioneering the craze for celebrity brand ambassadors in the world of watches. He also makes fantastic cheese.

Now, only two years after suffering a major bleed in his brain after a cycling accident, Jean-Claude Biver is teaming up with his son Pierre to start their own watch brand simply named Biver.

The Carillon Tourbillon Biver is their first watch, and it is, as it’s name suggests, a carillon minute repeater regulated by a tourbillon and wound by a micro-rotor. Biver do not produce the components of this watch themselves, but they have put together an all star team of companies, the best of what the watch world has to offer to produce a watch that will mark what Biver calls the “last five minutes of his career”.

To create their Minute Repeater Carillon Tourbillon, the Bivers called upon the expertise of one of the best specialists in the field, Le Cercle des Horlogers. The following developments are proprietary calibres developed with Dubois-Dépraz. There is a movement constructor, François Perez, in-house. Two watchmakers to assemble the movements and a specialist in movement decoration have also been hired.

The repeater movement was “upgraded” with a carillon (using three hammers to chime instead of two) and a tourbillon. A pretty rare feature for a repeater, it is wound by a micro-rotor. This, and the fact that it’s in a relatively thin (13.7mm) 42mm case, contribute to the ease of wear for this watch. The dials are made of hard stone, with silver obsidian or sodalite.

Price for the Carillon Tourbillon Biver watch is $570,000 USD in titanium, $625,000 USD in 18k 5N gold, and $1,315,000 USD for the diamond-set version. We love you JCB, but that’s a bit steep, no?

Also, read the linked article, it is a stunning piece by Wei Koh on who Biever is and what Biever will be.