Watch Words
as canada makes time to celebrate 150 years, luxury-watch
makers enjoy their own longevity by tony whitney
In the field of luxury watches, a surprising num-
ber of manufacturers saw their beginnings many
years before Canadian Confederation in 1867.
Among those whose collections you can still buy
are Vacheron Constantin (1755), Breguet (1775), Patek
Philippe (1851) and Jaeger-LeCoultre (1866). Early on,
all were involved in pocket watches — wristwatch-
es did not become widely used until the late 19th
century, when they found favour for military use.
Rolex, one of the icons of watchmaking, was
founded in 1905, the year Saskatchewan and
Alberta were admitted as Canada’s newest prov-
inces. Rolex has a long history in international
yachting and its Yacht-Master model is often watch
of choice for crews. For 2017, Rolex has introduced
a new Yacht-Master II, an impressive timepiece
by sports-watch standards with a dial and bezels
designed for the specialized business of regatta
timing. Expectedly, it’s a rugged watch built for life
afloat and waterproof to 100 metres (328 feet), not
common among watches with chronograph func-
tions. A countdown feature can be programmed
between one and 10 minutes; exactly what the
skipper needs when it comes to racing. Rolex
watches are reasonably priced considering their
prestige, although the company’s Tudor spinoff —
around since 1926 — is a less expensive alternative.
Tudor recently unveiled its Heritage Black Bay 36
model, military-inspired with an appealing mini-
malist design.
One of Vacheron Constantin’s newest watches
launched at the huge Baselworld watch fair in
2017. The Malte “small model” is suited to slimmer
wrists and comes in various case sizes. Its tonneau-
shaped case in 18-karat pink gold has a mother-of-
pearl face and a vibrant fuchsia-coloured alligator
strap. It looks elegant and perhaps fragile, but don’t
be fooled. The case is water-resistant to 30 metres
(98 feet) and the watch uses a classic hand-wound
movement, built in-house, which runs an impres-
sive 40 hours. The beautifully crafted movement
can be admired through a sapphire-crystal case-
back. There’s also a larger version with a tourbillon
for superlative timekeeping.
Canada may be marking its 150th, but watch-
makers are great anniversary celebrators too.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is toasting the 85th year it’s been
crafting its famous Reverso watch. The Reverso
was originally designed for use by polo players: it
enabled them to flip the case over on the wrist dur-
ing a chukka or two to protect the crystal and face.
Polo exponents can never have been a large market,
but the Reverso has persevered. Instead of protec-
tion from wooden polo balls, modern versions offer
two different faces. You can “change your watch”
by simply flipping the cleverly pivoted case to
reveal a watch more suitable for evening.
Longines, founded in 1832, recently introduced a
special-edition watch to mark the 90th anniver-
sary of Charles Lindbergh’s epic first non-stop solo
transatlantic flight in 1927. It’s a re-creation of the
watch the great aviator helped Longines design
soon after the flight. Called the Lindbergh Hour
Angle, the watch has features that help determine
accurate longitude, critical to aircraft navigation
back then. The big automatic watch has a crown
that’s easy to manipulate with the gloves needed
when flying under the conditions Lindbergh faced.
You don’t have to be a pilot to own one of these and
for many, the 1920s styling alone will be the clinch-
er. Longines has another link with the famous
flight. It helped time the attempt for the official
record books.
Omega has been Official Timekeeper at the
Olympics on 27 occasions since 1932 and has often
created watches to commemorate various events.
Already, Omega has a watch celebrating the 2018
Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South
Korea. Omega chose its Seamaster Planet Ocean to
mark the event. It’s an eye catcher with a ceramic
dial finished in the blue and red of the host coun-
try’s national flag and a rubber strap to match.
Beneath the mineral-crystal front, the words
“PyeongChang 2018” have been inscribed on the
minute track using the five colours of the Olympic
Rings. More Olympic references are engraved on
the crystal caseback, which gives a glimpse of
Omega’s co-axial movement. A rugged watch in
stainless steel, it is waterproof to 300 metres (984
feet). Only 2,018 pieces will be produced, so collect-
ability comes with the purchase.
Regrettably, no watch manufacturer we’ve heard
about is marketing a timepiece to mark Canada’s
150th. We say, it’s about time.
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