The Zenith Defy El
Primero 21 Carbon
The Ulysse Nardin
Freak NeXt.
new timepieces hitting dealers this year. Featuring high-performance
movements, avant-garde designs, and space-age materials, these wrist-
watches are enthusiast specials that would be right at home in its cabin.
HUBLOT CLASSIC FUSION FERRARI GT 3D CARBON
While wristwatch co-branding associations with Ferrari have involved
numerous partners and go back to the 1950s, no manufacture outside
Hublot has done a better job of getting into the mindset of pushing
performance and technology – keystones of Ferrari’s own mission – into
the wristwatch space. For their latest model, the Classic Fusion Ferrari
GT 3D Carbon, Hublot worked closely with Centro Stile Ferrari for design
and development, and the resulting carbon–cased chronograph truly
feels worthy of the prancing horse logo on the dial. Powered by a Hublot
Unico movement with column wheel flyback chronograph mechanism,
this timepiece has horses under the hood too.
ZENITH EL PRIMERO DEFY 21 CARBON
The 488 Pista makes generous use of carbon fiber for weight-saving
measures, so it should come as no surprise that one of our favorite new
watches – the Zenith Defy – would make this list. Featuring the same
retro-styled case language introduced in 2017, the Defy 21 Carbon looks
positively futurist when clad in this ultra-light composite material. With
two escapements, one for the chronograph mechanism and one for
regular timekeeping, the Defy absolutely checks the box or next-level
engineering and design. Properly fitting for a astronaut – and a
racecar driver.
ULYSSE NARDIN FREAK NEXT
To say that Ulysse Nardin has ever done anything pedestrian would be
a bit misleading. But the new Freak NeXt, introduced earlier this year,
perhaps perfectly illustrates exactly why the brand is known for thinking
– and designing – out of the box. A design study in next-generation move-
ments, Ulysse Nardin makes judicious use of titanium and silicon materials,
as well as an entirely new gearing system referred to as the Grinder – all
with an eye towards increased accuracy and efficiency in the escape-
ment. Currently being touted as a one-off concept watch, there is little
doubt that UN will find a way to incorporate this experimental technology
into the next generation of horological machines. Oh, did we mention that
large portions of the case glow in the dark? Freaky.
James Lamdin is the Founder of Analog/Shift, a leading vintage watch
retailer based in New York City. He is also a freelance contributor to a
number of automotive and horological publications.
SUMMER 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 105