iW Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 89

Blancpain President & CEO Marc Hayek introduces new watches Le Brassus the brand showed an updated Senator Chronometer in a slimmer 42mm red gold case and launched two highly decorated platinum watches, each as 25-piece limited editions. These are the Senator Chronometer Tourbillon and the PanoInverse. Look for a handsome 40mm red gold PanoMaticLunar and a PanoReserve (also in a red gold case), plus look forward to the roll out of the previously shown brilliant orange Vintage Sixties Annual Edition, with and without a large date. Blancpain expands its Fifty Fathoms collection with the Heritage-inspired Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, a 500-piece limited edition that echoes the original 1960s watch with a black dial and large red and white hour-markers. Addi- tional Fifty Fathoms watches include one debut with a blue ceramic dial and red gold case, one with an all-new titanium case, and a French frogman- inspired Nageurs de Combat. Also look for a move into aviation models with a vintage-inspired Air Command with a column-wheel chronograph with flyback function within a 42.5mm case. Three new Villeret dress models, including one for women, were also unveiled. At Harry Winston, the 2019 technical highlight debuts are the four-tour- billon Histoire de Tourbillon 10, the Zalium-cased Project Z13 and brown or blue-dialed Ocean Sparkling Biretrograde Automatic 42mm. Strong intro- ductions within the brand’s dressy Avenue, Premier and Midnight collections underscore this brand’s unwavering expertise with gemstone-set dials and cases, many featuring unusual techniques and designs. Particularly notable is the Premier Precious Micromosaic Automatic 36mm, a series of four watches spectacularly set with colorful mosaic glass. Omega’s 2019 introductions include impressive models within the Speedmaster, Seamaster, Constellation and De Ville families. Two models commemorate the 50th anniversary of history’s first moon landing. The new series of 300 meter Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronographs includes nine solid new models in Sedna gold and in steel, all with ceramic bezels. Planet Ocean debuts include a model with a cerami- cized titanium dial, steel case and new orange ceramic bezel. A nice platinum and gold mixture provide heft to a new 44.25mm Speedmaster Moonphase, while a superior set of manual-wind De Ville Trésor watches cased in 40mm steel (starting at $6,500) or Sedna gold awed many observers. Harry Winston’s impressive the four-tourbillon Histoire de Tourbillon 10. Omega’s Tresor collection now includes this model with manual-winding Master Chronometer movement in a 40mm steel or 18K gold case SUMMER 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 89