Zen Love, Author at Revolution Watch

Dior’s Masculine Chiffre Rouge Watch Is Back, and It’s Pure Sleekness

Zen Love — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 09:00:07 +0000

Dior’s Masculine Chiffre Rouge Watch Is Back, and It’s Pure Sleekness

Can Dior be the next fashion label to capture watch enthusiasts’ hearts and minds with its reborn Chiffre Rouge collection?

News

By Zen Love

Feb 12, 2024

When you hear the name Dior, what do you think of? Perfume? Handbags? The type of watches that occupy the consciousness and Instagram feeds of so-called #watchnerds might not be the first thing the storied fashion label calls to mind.

Those who recall the early aughties, however, or who have plumbed not-so-vintage watch archives might recall a certain collection which marked the luxury label’s bid for watch enthusiasts’ attention: the Chiffre Rouge. Now 20 years since its introduction, it’s back in sleek black and red across a range of models offering everything from simple time telling and chronograph functionality to gemstones and tourbillons.

(Courtesy of Dior)

Dior has already proven itself in the realm of high- end and even complicated jewelry watches. They have the acumen, the knowhow and the name to compete for a slice of the luxury market and to get your attention. But can they win over persnickety watch collectors anew?

From a fashion designer’s perspective, watches are accessories. Obviously. The design sensibility for which prestigious fashion labels are celebrated can be applied to timepieces as well. Right? Alas, those who specifically collect and study watches are a grumpy bunch and don’t always see it this way. In this sometimes insular subculture, the term “fashion watch” was long something of a dirty word for mass-market, often white-label watches—the antithesis of what many enthusiasts value most. Lines have begun to blur, however, and this attitude seems increasingly antiquated.

(Courtesy of Dior)

Fashion and apparel brands face skepticism in the competitive world of watchmaking, just as even established watch brands do. Success stories such as Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Hermès and Chanel having broken into serious horology were hard-fought, but they’ve begun to soften collectors’ hard hearts. A famous name doesn’t get you a VIP pass to the watch enthusiast conversation, but the discourse is increasingly open.

A couple facts about Dior, however, should get watch lovers’ attention: it’s been making watches since 1975 and has its own development and manufacturing center in La Chaux- de-Fonds called Les Ateliers Horlogers Dior SA. The brand is serious about watchmaking, but its catalog is predominantly feminine. You can get the likes of fashionable quartz watches with precious metals, as well as those that qualify as haute horlogerie or haute joaillerie to echo the brand’s presence in haute couture.

(Courtesy of Dior)

In 2004, the brand aimed to expand upon that image. The creative director of Dior’s menswear division introduced the Chiffre Rouge as the brand’s first automatic watch and easily its most masculinely conceived to date. Its target audience was clear: watch guys. Made for a number of years, the Chiffre Rouge eventually faded from the brand’s catalog but has now returned for 2024 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The Chiffre Rouge is based on sport watch archetypes though it isn’t made for a specific activity. Rather, its posture is sporty and integrated with tool-watch characteristics: an asymmetrical architecture with a protruding 3 o’clock caseside (which Dior calls a “bumper”) is reminiscent of, say, the Omega Speedmaster. Other distinctive features include an uncommonly long crown at 4 o’clock and notches in its fixed bezel between 9 and 12 o’clock, and together they help give the Chiffre Rouge an unmistakable identity.

(Courtesy of Dior)

Those are the features which define the collection’s silhouette and character at a glance, but there are more details to appreciate on closer inspection. The dials and straps feature patterns that echo Dior bags’ quilted texture which it calls “Cannage.” The collection’s mainstays, the time-only and chronograph models, feature a date window with a red, round frame. Emphasizing the date window in this way is unusual. Said to be Mr. Dior’s favorite number, the date wheel’s number eight is the only date to appear in red. Rouge, of course, means “red” in French and is one of the signature colors of Dior. Chiffre, on the other hand, is usually translated as a numeric “digit,” but some have suggested the meaning can also be broader. Interpret the name as you will, but Dior has conceived the new Chiffre Rouge with a serious, all-black color scheme punctuated by touches of striking red. Some models feature elements of rose gold and gemstones to inject even more color.

(Courtesy of Dior)

The time-only and chronograph Chiffre Rouge watches will be the core of the collection, and they seem to distill the concept down to its essential elements. Past models, for example, sometimes had avant-garde features such as “inverted” movements which saw the automatic rotor on the dial side of the watch for a more animated effect. The new models with hearty 100m water resistance ratings, on the other hand, would seem aimed at practical—if stylish— daily urban wear.

Time-only Chiffre Rouge watches are 38mm wide and powered by a version of the Sellita SW300 automatic movement. Modified and rebranded as the Dior CD.002, this is a movement that commands respect among watch enthusiasts and which has been used as the base for a number of well esteemed watches. One of its best qualities is that it’s comparatively thin, which always helps a watch wear more comfortably.

(Courtesy of Dior)

Chronograph and tourbillon models are a bolder 41mm, the former borrowing El Primero 400 movements from Dior’s LVMH sister brand Zenith. The modern version of one of the first automatic chronographs, it’s also widely considered the most successful, famously beating at the uncommonly high rate of 5Hz (4Hz or less is most common) and here modified to form the Dior CD.001. The complicated tourbillon, of course, is often considered the highest expression of watchmaking and Dior flexes its watchmaking prowess with these models made for elite collectors.

(Courtesy of Dior)

With Swiss-made automatic movements, crowd-pleasing sizes, enthusiast-friendly details and the elegant panache that characterizes the brand’s broader product lines, the reborn collection is poised to break into the enthusiast watch conversation. When you hear the name Dior in the future, it just might be the moody, masculine Chiffre Rouge that comes to mind.

Tech Specs

Dior Chiffre Rouge Automatic

Reference: CD.002 automatic
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Case: 38mm, steel with black DLC coating
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap: Black rubber

Dior Chiffre Rouge Chronograph

Reference: CD.001 automatic
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Case: 41mm, steel with black DLC coating
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap: Black rubber

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FROM THE SHOP

Furlan Marri

Limited Edition

Furlan Marri x Auro x Revo - Flyback Chronographs 3188-A ‘Salmon Flyback

$3,175.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Manual winding Sellita caliber AMT5100, with rose gold plating and custom bridge for Furlan Marri; 58-hour power reserve; heated blued steel screws
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Case	38mm (46mm from lug to lug); stainless steel with olive-shaped pushers for Honey Blue flyback, Taupe flyback and Tasti Tondi pushers for Salmon flyback; water resistant to 50m
Dial	Taupe, blue, or two-tone salmon and black (Revolution edition); double printed text with pulsations scale, polished applied indexes
Strap	Italian leather with quick release system
Limited Edition	270 pieces per reference + 30 collector boxes (including one of each references) in addition.

The post Dior’s Masculine Chiffre Rouge Watch Is Back, and It’s Pure Sleekness appeared first on Revolution Watch.

The New, 38mm Bulgari Bulgari Brings Back the ’80s, in a Good Way

Zen Love — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:00:30 +0000

The New, 38mm Bulgari Bulgari Brings Back the ’80s, in a Good Way

In glam gold, it comes in a perfect new size and is styled for peak nostalgia.

News

By Zen Love

Jan 29, 2024

Are you ready for a return of the ‘80s? The 1960s and ‘70s were a golden age of watch design, but brands are now looking to other decades to spice up their vintage reissue repertoires. And the polarizing styles of that era are starting to look fresh again, or at least nostalgic. Ready or not, George Michael and the Bulgari Bulgari are here to rock your world.

Please feel free to hit play here and enjoy this article while listening to the sultry sax of George Michael’s classic, “Careless Whisper.”

Inspired by Roman coins and stemming from the pen of watch design celebrity Gerald Genta, the Bulgari Bulgari derives from the brand’s Roma watch of 1975. But it was the 1980s when it gained popularity, and a well-known picture of George Michael shows him wearing an example of the watch paired to his signature gold cross earring and five-o’clock shadow. It’s this model and vibe that the new watches seem to channel.

At first glance, the new Bulgari Bulgari might not seem like a major departure from the existing collection. The combination of case material and dial color are the only novelty here, you might be tempted to assume. This particular configuration might feel a bit ‘80s, but what’s most notable is that it’s rendered in a new size for the modern line.

You can already get automatic Bulgari Bulgari watches at 41mm or quartz ones in more petite sizes. The new watches, however, introduce an automatic model with a crowd-pleasing diameter. Its 38mm sizing is exactly what a lot of modern fans are calling a “sweet spot” nowadays. Smaller sizes are in fashion today, but let’s not forget that watches in the ‘80s were often even smaller.

Bulgari Bulgari

It won’t necessarily win over detractors who sneer at the garish style of that glam decade, but it’s going to be even more attractive to a lot of enthusiasts who already embrace the era—or who just like the Bulgari Bulgari. I’m one of them. That giant logo branding with “Bulgari”-emblazoned bezel? Almost no other brand can get away with this kind of thing without being called a “fashion watch,” but Bulgari manages to pull it off stylistically and, of course, is beyond reproach in terms of horological chops.

Bulgari Bulgari

Just as you’ll find in the existing 41mm Bugari Bulgari models, but now fit into a 38mm frame, the in-house BVL191 automatic movement beats inside. While it simply means “time only” in Italian, the brand referring to these movements mellifluously as “Solotempo” only adds to the charm. In addition to the 38mm automatic watches, the brand has also introduced quartz versions in 26mm and each comes in 18k yellow or rose gold variants. We look forward to variants in steel (or other materials) in the future.

Bulgari Bulgari

Is the return of ‘80s styles a good thing? You’ll have to be the judge of that. But watch fans who were kids at the time are now of an age at which they can more likely afford luxury watches, and brands are happy to tap into their nostalgia. There’s a little bit of cheekiness in revisiting the ‘80s, but some styles that once looked over-the-top are starting to take on a different tint now that we’re safely and sufficiently removed from the era. Brands have been cautiously cherry picking inspiration from the decade, and we can expect more to come.

Tech Specs

Bulgari Bulgari Ref. 103967, 103968

Movement: Bulgari BVL191 automatic
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Case: 38mm wide, 8.75mm thick
Materials: 18k yellow or rose gold
Water Resistance: 50m
Strap: Alligator
Price: TBC

Learn more on Bulgari’s website here

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$3,175.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Manual winding Sellita caliber AMT5100, with rose gold plating and custom bridge for Furlan Marri; 58-hour power reserve; heated blued steel screws
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Case	38mm (46mm from lug to lug); stainless steel with olive-shaped pushers for Honey Blue flyback, Taupe flyback and Tasti Tondi pushers for Salmon flyback; water resistant to 50m
Dial	Taupe, blue, or two-tone salmon and black (Revolution edition); double printed text with pulsations scale, polished applied indexes
Strap	Italian leather with quick release system
Limited Edition	270 pieces per reference + 30 collector boxes (including one of each references) in addition.

The post The New, 38mm Bulgari Bulgari Brings Back the ’80s, in a Good Way appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Omega’s First Speedmaster of the Year Updates the Dark Side of the Moon Collection

Zen Love — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:48:47 +0000

Omega’s First Speedmaster of the Year Updates the Dark Side of the Moon Collection

The new Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 introduces key updates to the collection and details worth nerding out on.

News

By Zen Love

Jan 17, 2024

Omega is starting the year strong with a new version of its Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. The brand and its Speedmaster collection are big for space fans, but the new model really nerds out—in a good way. Celebrating the Apollo 8 mission of 1968, it features accurate moon surface textures on its dial and movement and even a miniature rocket among more notable details. This is the newest version of the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8, and it bodes well for a year of exciting new Omega watches.

Known as the Moonwatch, the Omega Speedmaster Professional is retro by nature, recalling the historic moon landing of 1969 when astronauts first set foot on lunar surface, accompanied by Omega Speedmasters. The Speedmaster collection, however, is vast and the Dark Side of the Moon brings a distinctly modern and edgy vibe for contemporary collectors. The historical cool factor is still baked in, but the Dark Side of the Moon watches feature ceramic cases with beefier dimensions and more conceptual designs.

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon-Apollo 8 features texture and details of the moon's surface as seen from earth.

Omega first created an Apollo 8 watch in 2018 for the 50h anniversary of the mission. Though this new model takes a similar approach, it’s packed with details and differences. Like the 2018 version, the new model has a dial that depicts the lunar surface as seen from earth with dial cutouts that hint at the movement underneath. It’s similarly highlighted with yellow elements and a sporty perforated strap.

The differences, however, are in the details. The dial features greater depth, texture and detail thanks to laser ablation technology which has improved in the years since to offer even higher resolution. This is cool, yes, but the coolest parts? There are two. First is that the literal flip side of the lunar landscape depicted on the dial is that of the surface of the dark side of the moon engraved onto the movement plates which are visible through the watch’s caseback.

The Omega 3869 movement is co-axial and Master Chronometer certified, and it features an engraving of the surface of the dark side of the moon.
The running seconds hand is a 1:19,000 rendering of the Saturn V rocket which took the astronauts to space in 1968.

What easily steals the show, however, is the three-dimensional miniature rocket which forms the main time’s running seconds hand. If this doesn’t tickle the space nerd in you, nothing will. Specifically modeled after the Saturn V rocket which took the astronauts into space in 1968, it’s made from titanium and its colors are achieved via varnish and laser ablation.

Along with these details are also subtle changes to both the watch’s case and movement. What makes the 3869 different from the 3861 is the above mentioned decoration. The case, on the other hand, is notably updated and based on another historic generation of the Speedmaster (the 105.012, fourth generation) with subtle contours that will be apparent when placed side by side with previous Dark Side of the Moon models.

Specs: Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 ref. 310.92.44.50.01.001

Movement: Omega 3869 hand-wound

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph

Case: Ceramic, 44.25mm × 50mm × 12.97mm

Strap: Racing style perforated rubber

Availability: Not limited
Price: $14,300

Learn more on Omega’s website here

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Atelier Wen

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Atelier Wen X Revolution Perception - XI

$3,400.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding extra thin Dandong caliber SL1588; 41-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes and seconds
Case	40mm; grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Red guilloché with "Sunmao" structure; rhodium plated applied indexes
Strap	Titanium bracelet and white colored rubber strap
Limited Edition	Limited and numbered edition of 100 pieces

The post Omega’s First Speedmaster of the Year Updates the Dark Side of the Moon Collection appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Running an Ice Marathon in Antarctica? This Is the Watch You Need

Zen Love — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 13:00:52 +0000

Running an Ice Marathon in Antarctica? This Is the Watch You Need

We spoke to two extreme athletes just returned from testing Montblanc’s newest watch in some of the world’s harshest conditions.

Interviews

By Zen Love

Jan 8, 2024

What’s it like to run a marathon in Antarctica? Is that even a thing? It’s hard to imagine, but you can do it if you want to. But “you have to really, really want to,” says alpinist Simon Messner who recently participated in the Antarctic Ice Marathon together with watch brand executive Laurent Lecamp.

People have many reasons for undertaking such extreme endeavors. For Messner and Lecamp, one of those was to test and call attention to Montblanc’s rugged world time watch made expressly for mountain climbing and extreme cold, the 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen. It’s the latest iteration of a concept Montblanc pioneered: a watch with a case completely free of oxygen.

Why does a watch need to be oxygen-free? It means you won’t find the crystal fogging up with moisture in the frighteningly frigid conditions of mountains or glaciers. It’s an issue which adventurers such as Messner and Lecamp can attest to.

Neither Messner nor Lecamp is any stranger to cold or extreme sports. Simon is the son of legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner and an accomplished alpinist in his own right, as well as a Montblanc brand ambassador. He’d never run a marathon before. Laurent Lecamp, on the other hand, is an experienced marathon runner and the Global Managing Director of Montblanc’s Watch Division. It’s worth noting that not every watch executive accompanies brand ambassadors on the likes of grueling arctic adventures.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen South Pole Exploration LE watch on the wrist of Simon Messner while in Antarctica (Image: Montblanc)
Laurent Lecamp (left) and Simon Messner at the Classic Car Club Manhattan speaking about having just returned from the Antartic Ice Marathon (Image: Troy Barmore)

Other versions of Montblanc’s watch have been worn by famous mountaineers. This limited edition is specifically dedicated to Reinhold Messner’s 2,800 kilometer crossing of the Antarctic continent in 1989-1990 (the year Simon was born) on foot and with only minimal equipment. It features a pale-blue dial color based on the glaciers Messner and Lecamp would’ve jogged past during the marathon and a caseback depicting the Southern Lights—which they didn’t have a chance to see since the sun didn’t set for their entire trip.

Only a couple of days after having completed the race (they came in seventh—together—among around 80 participants) Messner and Lecamp landed in New York City. We had a chance to sit down with them for an interview as well as a fireside chat with collectors at the Classic Car Club Manhattan.

With muscles still sore and skin still a little wind-burnt, they were able to confirm that the watch’s dial did indeed pair well chromatically with the glacial ice and that it remained perfectly fog-free. They also shared insights about life, mountain climbing and reflected on what it’s actually like to run a marathon in Antarctica. Here are the highlights of our broad-ranging chat.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity

The Antarctic Ice Marathon is a standard 42.195 kilometers (26.219 miles) but facing katabatic winds and temperatures of around -30 degrees Celcius (-22 Fahrenheit). (Image: Montblanc)

Can anyone run an ice marathon? What does it take?

Simon Messner: You have to train a lot. For me, it was the first marathon I ever ran so I was not sure what to expect. It was quite tough. I would say that not everybody could do this. You have to really want to. I’m coming from mountaineering and it’s the same rule: you have to really, really want to do it, and I think it’s the same for this marathon.

Laurent Lecamp: For me, it’s all mental. I would say that if someone wants to do it, he can do it if he or she is willing to train regularly, three or four times a week. It’s just a question of time. If you’re willing to give up a lot of things to reach your goal, it’s possible. An example: we saw a guy who was 81 years old, and he was running the half-marathon. In the end, it means that everything is possible, but you have to train. So yes, it’s possible. For people who say it’s only for the elite, only for a few people—forget it, that’s not true.

Adding to the environment's already extreme cold are katabatic winds—strong, downhill winds in Antarctica flowing from the polar plateau. (Image: Montblanc)
The Texture of the 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen is based on a picture taken by Laurent Lecamp of the glacial ice on Mont Blanc and produced by an old technique called gratte boise; this variant's dial color is based on that of Antarctic glaciers. (Image: Montblanc)

What was it like getting to Antarctica? What was it like to be there?

Messner: We were flying along the coast, and it’s never-ending. It’s hard to explain, but you need hours, and it’s just ice, ice, ice, 4 kilometers thick. My brain cannot understand this.

Lecamp: You just have to imagine when you land. The place we went was extremely windy, and all the snow was blown away and we could see the ice. And I was observing this from the plane and the pilot said “landing,” and I said “no, he will not do it.” The plane was a [Boeing] 757-200, so a huge one, and it was landing on the ice. For me it was “merde, how is this possible?” And this is where the experience started.

Everybody was at the window observing what was happening. It was 20 degrees [Celcius] inside and then you go out and it’s -30 degrees. Then you go back to the camp where we discovered our tent where we slept for three nights, or tried to sleep.

Among around 80 participants, Messner and Lecamp finished the 2023 Antarctic Ice Marathon together in 7th place. (Image: Montblanc)

So, the day comes and you start running. What was underfoot? Ice? Snow? What was the marathon itself like?

Lecamp: It’s a glacier. If you remove the snow you see the glacier. It was hard to predict the next step. You have to pay attention and you always have to focus on what’s in front of you. It’s completely different from a normal marathon.

Simon said, it’s not 42 kilometers, and he’s right. I run normal marathons which are 42 kilometers, but here the feeling was 55 or 60 kilometers. It’s different because you have snow, it’s slippery, you have strong winds, it’s extremely cold, feeling like -30. So when it’s -30 and you have the wind in front of you and all the snow and all the ice just below, one step is not like one step in a regular marathon.

Messner: I’ve always run as part of my mountaineering preparation, but always uphill. It’s not difficult anymore. But starting to run longer distances, in the snow in the rain, to figure out how it works—it was very tough. I could do this walking with a heavy bag, but running was another game. It started becoming interesting after 30 kilometers.

What was the toughest part? Was there a time that you wanted to give up?

Lecamp: The last kilometers were a huge pain. I’m used to running on snow and ice, so the first 30 kilometers was no issue at all. But frankly speaking, during the last kilometers I had this issue here [indicates inner thigh] and at every step as I was running I could feel the contraction on my face. I don’t know what happened that time, but when you’re on the snow and the ice you’re not stable, and I had this pain.

So that was difficult because you say “will I be able to make it to the end?” We said we should finish because we have the watch, and everybody will ask. We have the interview, so what can we say if we don’t manage it [laughs]? And it’s once in a lifetime, so giving up wasn’t an option.

Laurent Lecamp is unusual among watch brand executives for accompanying extreme athletes like Simon Messner to test watches in extreme conditions. (Image: Troy Barmore)
Even in -30 degrees Celcius, the 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen remained fog-free for legibility and appreciating its ice-inspired dial. (Image: Montblanc)

Was there anything you weren’t expecting or weren’t prepared for?

Lecamp: If you want to pee, you cannot. In Antarctica, it’s forbidden. That’s something we didn’t know about. Every five kilometers you have a checkpoint with toilets, but they say in between it’s impossible to pee. They say that if you do it, they have to cut the ice and everything around it to remove it because it has to be pure. Otherwise it’ll be there for the next 100 years.

We thought it was a joke but it was not, they repeated it many, many times. So that’s a stress because, you know, you pass a checkpoint and after two kilometers you have to wait three kilometers. And in the cold, it’s not the same. Imagine you have to go to the toilet, but I say “ok, first you have to walk four kilometers.”

Messner: It’s summer there so it was, for three days, always day. This is something I wasn’t expecting.

Lecamp: Yes. Because the tent is heated by the sun, it’s completely light inside. For us, it was like lying on the beach under the sun all day long and all night long. So I remember the first night: you don’t sleep. You have the excitement, you have the sunlight, you have jetlag. One night, Simon said “did you hear that?” It was the opening of a crevice which is very typical in the mountains. So then I couldn’t sleep at all.

The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen features an oxygen free case in tribute to Reinhold Messner's historic mountain ascents without the use of supplemental oxygen. The first watch to feature an oxygen-free case means much slower aging of the components and oils as well as avoiding condensation inside the crystal in freezing temperatures. (Image: Montblanc)

Did the watch perform as expected?

Lecamp: We received so many questions from runners. Runners were asking a lot of questions about the watch. They said “why do you have a mechanical watch?” And we explained it to them. One of them had a mechanical watch and he had some drops [condensation] inside and he could not see [the time]. Because in the tent it was 15 degrees and it was -30 outside. So the 45 degree difference makes the humidity inside the watch [condensate on the glass]. But it doesn’t happen with our watches because there is zero oxygen inside.

Why zero oxygen? Because we were inspired by Reinhold Messner who was the first to climb the highest peaks in the world with no supplemental oxygen. And Simon, every time he climbs, he never uses oxygen.

Did you see the kind of glacial ice which inspired the dial of this 1858 Geosphere watch?

Lecamp: On the other side of here [indicating on a photograph], we saw a huge glacier with a specific blue, and the blue of the glacier was the same as the dial. For the dial, we were working with the team to create the same color as the glacier from Antarctica, and we created this. So it means that you have the real color of the glacier.

And one dial requires 30 days to be produced. Gratte boisse is the process we’re using to create this dial. It’s an old process from the 19th century, it’s made by hand. The thickness is 0.4mm, but we can create the depths of the glacier thanks to this technique. And it seems we are the last ones in Switzerland using it.

Though advised against it, Messner and Lecamp insisted on racing together and were the first ever to complete the Antarctic Ice Marathon as a team. (Image: Montblanc)

You climb mountains. You run ice marathons. Why? Is climbing fun? Is there pleasure in the experience?

Messner: There is not. The first marathon is the same. There’s not pleasure, there’s not joy. That comes afterwards. [At the top?] Mmm, no. The last successful expeditions I did, at the top you’re just totally exhausted. You just feel lucky that you don’t have to go further. The joy, if it’s there, comes afterwards, maybe weeks afterwards.

Does the joy of mountain climbing come from the sense of achievement? From satisfaction or bragging rights? Or is it something else?

Messner: Every young climber thinks doing a bivouac would be amazing, sleeping up there in the mountains. At some point, there comes the time where you have to do it and you’re not prepared. You will not sleep a second, it’s very cold, you’re sitting there just shivering. Again, it’s not fun. But afterwards you know exactly what it means to have a simple bed or just a warm place. If you’ve ever been really thirsty, a simple glass of water is the best thing.

Simon (left) with his father Reinhold Messner. (Image: reinhold-messner.de)

You had a fear of heights as a child. How did you go from vertigo to climbing mountains?

Messner: Mountaineering, as you can imagine, was totally normal for us, me and my two sisters. At some point I just wanted to experience it for myself. So I went for my first time alone, and I noticed I had this very strong vertigo. It started two meters off the ground. And this was something I could not accept for myself, so I wanted to know where this fear is coming from and why I’m not able to handle this. It was more the question of where the fear is coming from than the climbing itself which motivated me.

Did your father encourage you to follow in his footsteps or give you any advice that you particularly remember?

Messner: My father always said “I don’t like that you climb. You are free, you can do what you want. But I’ll give you one piece of advice: if you climb, never fall.” It’s very simple. You have to distinguish the sport of climbing from alpinism. In alpine climbing, it sounds very simple, but it’s an old rule: you’re not allowed to fall. If you do fall once, maybe you survive. Two times, maybe. But the third time, maybe not.

Simon Messner speaks with watch collectors at the Classic Car Club Manhattan about mountaineering, the Alpinist mindset and more following completion of the Antarctic Ice Marathon. (Image: Troy Barmore)

Mountain climbing is dangerous. Is that a good thing?

Messner: When I was young I always knew that you can die. It’s possible, but it was ok for me. But if you’re in this field for many years, and I’ve been climbing for 16 or 17 years, you lose a lot of friends and a lot of people you know. So you start thinking. And I think that the highest art is knowing when to stop, so I keep this in mind. If you follow the highest[-level] climbers in the world, they will not get old. This is a fact.

I once interviewed Reinhold Messner, your father, and he told me that his is “the art of reduction, reduction, reduction.” Is this your approach, to eschew equipment and technology?

Messner: It’s the mindset of alpine-style climbing. You don’t use fixed ropes, no help from porters, no artificial oxygen. For me, it’s very important what the climbing society thinks of a climber. It’s much more important than what all the other people think. The greatest, “most difficult climb” is done with the least equipment, so just your strength and your mind.

It’s very simple thinking. It’s about using less technology because you see here in New York what is possible with all the technology. So in mountaineering if you use all this, at some point we don’t need to invest our energy anymore or our skills. This mindset is still present in the Dolomites where I was raised as a climber. It’s a very old tradition. So, we are not swimmers in the Alps.

What would be the perfect soundtrack for running the Antarctic Ice Marathon?

Lecamp: The ERA songs “Ameno” or “If You Shout.”

Learn more about the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen South Pole Exploration Limited Edition here

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Atelier Wen

Limited Edition

Atelier Wen X Revolution Perception - XI

$3,400.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding extra thin Dandong caliber SL1588; 41-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes and seconds
Case	40mm; grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Red guilloché with "Sunmao" structure; rhodium plated applied indexes
Strap	Titanium bracelet and white colored rubber strap
Limited Edition	Limited and numbered edition of 100 pieces

The post Running an Ice Marathon in Antarctica? This Is the Watch You Need appeared first on Revolution Watch.

The Seiko 5 Sports Field Is Reborn as the Newest Affordable GMT

Zen Love — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 00:24:59 +0000

The Seiko 5 Sports Field Is Reborn as the Newest Affordable GMT

Looks and features like this have never been so accessible.

News

By Zen Love

Dec 19, 2023

Until last year, you mostly wouldn’t have expected to get a solid automatic GMT watch at under $1,500 much less $500. Seiko changed all that with its 4R34 movement and the Seiko 5 Sports GMT, and it’s now adding to that collection with the Field GMT—and to its reputation for offering the kind of watch you wouldn’t expect to find at such affordable prices.

It’s more than a GMT version of Seiko’s field watch

Longtime Seiko fans will know the celebrated but famously dirt-cheap Seiko 5 collection, within which was also a Seiko 5 Sports line. It was resurrected to fit into the modern brand’s more global presence in 2019, and began with models based on the beloved SKX dive watches. The collection’s ranks soon proliferated. Representative of the old Seiko 5 line was the SNK and other field-style watches, and modern versions of them soon followed as the modern Seiko 5 Sports became a pillar of the modern brand.

The new Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT watches have dials and 39.4mm-wide cases quite similar to their non-GMT counterparts (though lug-to-lug and width measurements are slightly different). Those dials recall old Seiko 5 watches like the SNZG with large Arabic numerals and small military time markers toward the inner dial. But that 24-hour bezel—it changes the watch’s character considerably.

A taste of Explorer II, for the masses?

Rather than the diver style that characterized the first crop of Seiko 5 Sports GMT watches, the new models riff on the collection’s field watches. But they also recall another familiar watch archetype. A lot of watch fans are going to see the fixed (i.e., not rotating) steel 24-hour bezel and think of one thing. Yeah, it’s Rolex.

Specifically, they’ll think of the Rolex Explorer II. Or, perhaps the Tudor Black Bay Pro will come to mind. Or, the recent Seiko Prospex Land “Navigator Timer” GMT. But, for many, nearly all watches seem to inevitably call back to Rolex, and Seiko is offering what can be understood as a popular style but with just enough of its own DNA and character.

Seiko 5 Sports GMT watches still feel a little special

Since Seiko introduced the 4R34 movement in sub-$500 watches in 2022, the GMT landscape has evolved quickly. Citizen introduced its own automatic GMT with the Miyota 9075 movement, and microbrands have begun adopting both Seiko and Miyota movements in their own affordable GMT watches. There have even been more relatively accessible Swiss automatic GMTs.

With the strong response to its entry-level GMTs, Seiko also took the concept to its other collections. Prospex and Presage models got a similar treatment with the brand’s higher-tier movements being similarly tweaked to offer the dual-time functionality. Despite the generally prolific nature of the Seiko 5 Sports collection, however, the brand has held back on flooding it with new colors of GMT.

Three models introduced the Seiko 5 Sports GMT in 2022, and the brand has only recently added three more in a similar style. It feels as if Seiko is being careful to keep GMTs in this collection feeling “special” with carefully considered releases. The Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT comes in two variants: the SSK023 is in brushed steel on a five-link bracelet for a price of $435 and the SSK025 has a black coating and comes on a leather NATO-style strap at the new entry point for a Seiko automatic GMT at $415.

Seiko 5 Sports Field GMT SSK023 & SSK025 Specs

Dimensions: 39.4mm wide, 47.9mm lug-to-lug, 13.6mm thick

Movement: Seiko 4R34 automatic

Functionality: Time (hours, minutes, seconds), date, GMT

Water Resistance: 100m

Availability: April 2024; not limited

Price: $435 (SSK023), $415 (black SSK025)

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TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding extra thin Dandong caliber SL1588; 41-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes and seconds
Case	40mm; grade 5 titanium; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Red guilloché with "Sunmao" structure; rhodium plated applied indexes
Strap	Titanium bracelet and white colored rubber strap
Limited Edition	Limited and numbered edition of 100 pieces

The post The Seiko 5 Sports Field Is Reborn as the Newest Affordable GMT appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Breitling Acquires Universal Genève: What It Means for Watch Fans

Zen Love — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 18:03:12 +0000

Breitling Acquires Universal Genève: What It Means for Watch Fans

It’s one of the most anticipated returns in all of watchmaking. The storied brand Universal Genève looks set for a worthy comeback, but you’ll have to wait for their first watches.

News

By Zen Love

Dec 13, 2023

Polerouter. Nina Rindt. Variants of “Compax.” In the world of vintage watches these names have serious weight, as does the watchmaker behind them, Universal Genève. But the celebrated company has been all but lost to watchmaking for decades, until now.

It’s some of the biggest news watch fans could have hoped for: Universal Genève has been acquired by the same company (Partners Group) that controls Breitling. Indeed, many have hoped for such a comeback of the beloved brand and talked about it for a long time. And now, this storied brand is finally being resurrected. Here’s what it actually means for enthusiasts.

Why Universal Genève’s vintage watches are so celebrated

Just as in modern watches and many other pursuits, hype is a force in vintage watches. Certain models such as the Polerouter are particularly well known, but the brand Universal Genève itself is something like a darling among collectors. Why? And why is the brand’s resurrection such a big deal?

The hype doesn’t come from nowhere, of course. Universal Genève is known first for its high-quality chronographs and later for its micro-rotor movements. The Compax series of watches began in the 1930s and models from the ‘40s such as the Tri-Compax were recognized in their time but have become legendary in retrospect.

Such watches have been valued by collectors deep in the game, but a simpler model has in recent years catapulted the brand into much wider recognition. That would be the Polerouter. It was an early design by Gerald Genta who would later have massive influence on the industry by creating an entire category now called “luxury sport watches” (among other appellations) with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus.

The Polerouter’s story has been told many times, but it incorporated a thin micro-rotor movement and was created to commemorate Scandanavian Airlines Systems polar flights from New York/Los Angeles directly to Europe in 1954. The celebrity (Genta) association along with its backstory and technical interest (in-house micro-rotor movement) and relatively approachable price made it exciting to vintage collectors. Ironically, it’s no longer as much of a value play as it once was, but its pumped-up status has endured.

There are yet more reasons collectors love Universal Genève. Many will point out that by the 1940s it was distributed by the same company to sell Patek Philippe in the United States, and a little Patek stardust never hurt anyone. To many, Universal Genève in its heyday was a peer of Rolex and Patek Philippe and today is viewed as a prime representative of the so-called “golden age” of 20th century watchmaking.

It’s tough to definitively say why a watch brand or model is popular, but the above factors certainly play a role.

So what happened to Universal Genève?

Simply put, Universal Genève was a casualty of the so-called “Quartz Crisis” when battery-powered technology uprooted the traditional (mechanical) watchmaking industry and spelled the demise of many a brand that couldn’t adapt. The full story, however, is less simple, as Universal Genève never technically or completely died. Read more about Universal Genève’s history here.

Since around the 1970s, however, it’s existed largely in name only and little like Universal Genève as it’s fondly remembered. It tried to survive on quartz technology for a time, and the rights to its name and intellectual property changed hands more than once. There have been attempts to relaunch the brand and many more to purchase the rights to it.

Just as collectors have their “grail watches,” Universal Genève itself has long been something like a “grail” for entrepreneurs and corporations who would revive it. Until Breitling’s acquisition for an undisclosed sum, it was owned by Hong Kong-based Stelux Group since 1989. It’s a challenge for Breitling, but there’s every reason to believe that it’s well positioned to give Universal Genève worthy return.

What Breitling’s current approach tells us about Universal Genève’s future direction

What we know about Breitling can be extrapolated to some degree to look ahead at Universal Genève’s revival. Breitling CEO Georges Kernes explains that “a dedicated team will be brought on board to allow Breitling and Universal Genève to operate as separate maisons.” So while it’s not clear whether or not Kernes himself will be leading the company, we feel a similar approach to what he’s done with Breitling in recent years can be expected.

Specifically, he’s pushed out in-house movements and followed industry trends with smaller diameters, vintage reissues and generally retro inspiration. It’s been successful. Referring to “the profound heritage we are set to uphold,” updated models of Universal Genève’s most popular models seem likely, but there’s also a lot for a contemporary brand to play with. Breitling and its parent company might invest in in-house movements, perhaps with shared technology and/or production.

When brands exist within a corporate group, though, there’s the matter of positioning. We would expect for Universal Geneve to be positioned as a higher-end counterpart to Breitling’s luxury tool watches.

There will be new Universal Genève watches, eventually

All this is exciting, but watch fans will need to tamper their enthusiasm as we won’t be seeing new Universal Genève watches quite yet. So far, the acquisition has only been announced, and there’s no timeline or much detail on how the brand’s future will unfold. In its press release, Breitling describes the future of Universal Genève as “rebuilding” and it says it is “not a quick endeavor—it is a meticulous labor of love that we anticipate will unfold over the coming years.” Bringing such a storied brand back in the way that enthusiasts crave is a challenge, indeed, but the potential seems genuinely huge.

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TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber PF703; 48-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, Minutes, Date
Case	40mm; polished and satin-finished stainless steel with platinum knurled bezel; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Purple; rhodium-plated applied hour markers
Strap	Polished and satin-finished stainless steel bracelet
Limited Edition	Limited and numbered edition of 50 pieces

The post Breitling Acquires Universal Genève: What It Means for Watch Fans appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Zen Love, Author at Revolution Watch

Dior’s Masculine Chiffre Rouge Watch Is Back, and It’s Pure Sleekness

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Running an Ice Marathon in Antarctica? This Is the Watch You Need

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Can anyone run an ice marathon? What does it take?

What was it like getting to Antarctica? What was it like to be there?

So, the day comes and you start running. What was underfoot? Ice? Snow? What was the marathon itself like?

What was the toughest part? Was there a time that you wanted to give up?

Was there anything you weren’t expecting or weren’t prepared for?

Did the watch perform as expected?

Did you see the kind of glacial ice which inspired the dial of this 1858 Geosphere watch?

You climb mountains. You run ice marathons. Why? Is climbing fun? Is there pleasure in the experience?

Does the joy of mountain climbing come from the sense of achievement? From satisfaction or bragging rights? Or is it something else?

You had a fear of heights as a child. How did you go from vertigo to climbing mountains?

Did your father encourage you to follow in his footsteps or give you any advice that you particularly remember?

Mountain climbing is dangerous. Is that a good thing?

I once interviewed Reinhold Messner, your father, and he told me that his is “the art of reduction, reduction, reduction.” Is this your approach, to eschew equipment and technology?

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The Seiko 5 Sports Field Is Reborn as the Newest Affordable GMT

The Seiko 5 Sports Field Is Reborn as the Newest Affordable GMT

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Breitling Acquires Universal Genève: What It Means for Watch Fans

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