By the time you read this it will be 2015 and after what was, hopefully, a wonderful Christmas followed by a seriously enjoyable New Year’s Eve, you are probably all back at work and contemplating how you are going to bring your 2015 resolutions to fruition. Here at The Male Stylist we are also conscious that, as the seasonal afterglow fades and (unfortunately) the credit card bills arrive, a little horological pick me up might not be misplaced. So how about joining us in taking a moment to gaze into the January firelight, or computer screen, and indulging in a little daydreaming about wrist candy that we cannot quite yet afford, not even in pre – loved form.
Top of our list is a Patek Philippe and Watchfinder (http://www.watchfinder.co.uk) have, as usual, a selection of superb examples including this elegant 5130G day, date and moon phase complication. Quite simply stunning, with a 39mm white gold case which has an exhibition back exposing one of the most beautiful movements made today, it really does complete any gentleman’s outfit. Do take a look at the detailing on the deployment clasp; it is just a hint at the quality of craftsmanship inside that goes into making this an especially stylish timepiece.
It’s a 2014 model with almost two years warranty remaining and was £34,700 new, but at even at a bargain £26,750, sadly, we won’t be lifting it off the shelf today (or anytime soon)!
Richard Mille watches aren’t on everyone wrist but Rafa Nadal and Felipe Massa both have models named after them and are frequently photographed wearing them. These are genuine exotica, and their style is not to everyone’s taste, but there is no denying the startling level of ingenuity, engineering and manufacturing excellence that goes into each and every one. Official Watches of London (http://www.officialwatches.co) have this amazing 2011 RM023 AJ TI with a titanium case and a transparent dial showing the unusual design and rare materials which make every Richard Mille as highly prized as they are rarely seen.
At £29,895 it is another real New Year sale bargain as a new one will set you back around £56,500 but it is also another dream watch that we will have to leave on the shelf. Oh, by the way, if you want one of Richard Mille’s Felipe Massa Models then Official Watches have one of those too; a new chronograph at a cool £124,690! Well, we did say that these watches are for dreaming about.
A few more years ago than we really care to remember, Jaeger-LeCoultre produced their Geographic It was a complex watch yet one which succeeded in carrying its complications lightly and elegantly, reminding us that globetrotting utility doesn’t need to be chunky to be readable, effective and ultimately stylish.
The watch pictured is the latest ‘incarnation’, the Jaeger–LeCoultre Master Geographic and in its stainless steel case shown here is by far the least expensive of our dream watches. Nevertheless, its ability to create simplicity from complexity, not to mention having the virtue of instantly transporting our grey UK winter dreaming to faraway places by simply rotating the inner bezel, coupled with the brand’s legendary coolness (well it is Aston Martin’s brand partner) easily places it in our watch ‘dream team’. Dare we dream? Well perhaps we might, although at a list price of £8400 it is still firmly out of reach and, at the time of writing, we couldn’t find one that someone had already loved, although Iconic Watches (http://www.iconicwatches.co.uk) will source a new one for you at a discounted £6250.
Waking up from the dream and rubbing our eyes; if the holiday season has really hurt your wallet but you actually need a new watch and you still want something interesting; you could do a lot worse than look at one of the most exciting timepieces to come out of Switzerland last year. The original innovative Swatch watches are often credited with ‘saving’ the Swiss watch industry in the face of stiff global competition and the brand’s latest model takes that same spirit and moves it firmly into the 21st century. Like our dream watches The Swatch SISTEM51 is Swiss made with an automatic movement and, whilst it has an astonishing 90 hour power reserve and, even more surprisingly, only 51 parts (seen through the ‘exhibition back’), it costs only £108! It comes in black, red or blue and we liked the SISTEM BLUE shown below. It may not make our (or your dream team) but its price, style and originality just might make it on to your real life wrist in 2015.
The Man About Time
