July 29, 2019

TRAVEL TIME

by AHMED SEDDIQI & SONS

Plan your itinerary, pack your bags and clock off for the summer with one of these destination watches, available now at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons

It’s at this time of year as we take a well-earned rest that the watch wardrobe question becomes suddenly pressing. The slimline workwear watch might cut it in the boardroom, but on Copacabana Beach it would stick out like a man with no tan. Which watch to pack for the souks of Marrakech? What to style your wrist with for sundowners overlooking the Med?

Here, we’ve picked out some of the finest Swiss Made watches to keep you on time as you set off on your summer travels.

Out of Africa – Bell & RossBR 03-94 Desert Type

The roots of Bell & Ross’s square-cased BR 03 pilot’s watch line lie in aviation, but the instrument panel-inspired look has always translated into contexts far beyond the cockpit. That’s even clearer when the case is made of matt black ceramic and the dial and strap are beige or sand-coloured, as with this automatic chronograph version of the Desert Type. That designation may have been added for pieces made to meet the specifications of air forces in arid countries, but it works just as well for a traveller’s watch. Pair it with taupe linens and wafty cotton-chambrays.

The Grand Bazaar – Audemars PiguetMillenary Hand-Wound

So much attention falls on Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak sports watch, and more recently on its new Code 11.59, that its oval-shaped Millenary can find itself relegated to the shadows. Which is a shame, because the Millenary is one of the great dress watch designs, particularly for ladies, as here in this 39.5mm pink gold hand-wound model on a slinky polished mesh bracelet. Its asymmetrical dial layout and diamond-setting is as exotic as a Turkish bazaar – unpredictable, sensual and so detailed that every time you look at it you get a fresh perspective.

Island Mentality – DiorLa Mini D de Dior Mosaïque

A summer spent lazily sunning oneself on the expansive clifftop apartmentbalconies of a Mediterranean island – Capri comes to mind – is a summer well spent. Dior’s La Mini D de Dior Mosaïqueappears to have been created expressly for such a mission. Its sun-kissed yellow mother-of-pearl dial and woven mosaic-effect strap mirror the colours of a bucolic island idyll, while diamonds set into the crown and bezel sprinkle it with glamour for those balmy evening soirées. Incidentally, the strap is easily interchangeable, so you can dress up or dress down its delicate 19mm case.

The Charm Offensive – BulgariSerpenti Tubogas

The spiralling coils of Bulgari’s Serpenti collection, which covers a range of accessories, were originally inspired by the fluid, sinewy curves of a serpent. This watch is as much a braceletas a time-telling device, designed to adorn the wrist with the grace and intrigue oftraditional Indian jewellery. This single-spiralled version is cast in 18-carat rose gold and has a diamond-set case, a black opaline dial, a cabochon-cut pink rubellite set into the crown, and a quartz movement that provides it with hour and minute hands.

Eastern Mysticism – Ressence Type 3

Japan – on the one hand an ancient country with traditions that run deep; and on the other, a nation transformed by technology. As gloriously hard to fathom is Ressence’s Type 3, a watch with a unique way of telling the time. It uses ROCS, or the Ressence Orbital Convex System, a micro-mechanical system that replaces hands and sub-dials with rotating discs. Continuing the unconventional approach is the upper section of the watch, which is flooded with oil. This has the effect of cancelling out the refraction of light as it passes from crystal to air. The final flourish is that because the oil has to be sealed into the upper half, the mechanical movement’s activity is transmitted to the dial using a series of magnets, otherwise one of the enemies of mechanical watchmaking. Ressence is inspired by the Japanese word ‘Shibui’, meaning something that appears simple, but which is in fact very complicated.

In From The Cold – BulgariOcto Finissimo Limited Edition

The cool blue hues of Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo could easily distract from the so-thin-it’s-almost-not-there proportions of this spectacular watch. The hand-wound skeletonisedmovement (with the dial removed and the movement finish upgraded so it can sitcentre stage)is just 2.23mm thick and slots into a 40mm sandblastedtitanium casethat is a mere 5.15mm from front to back. It is a sliver of horological perfection: lightweight, stylish and, like the Scandinavians, wonderfully alternative. Only 200 will be made.