The New Classics

By Keith W. Strandberg

These watches may appear classic, but look again—graced with modern movements and complications, they're not your grandfather's timepieces.

Perhaps as a result of the recent financial unpleasantness, watch aficionados are opting for the iconic rather than the avant-garde: Classic, traditional timepieces are once again in vogue. That’s good news for brands such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Jaeger-LeCoultre that have classic and traditional in their DNA. But even more recently established watchmakers, like A. Lange & Söhne and Ralph Lauren, are making traditional-looking timepieces that still offer unique complications, finishing and special elements. Traditional doesn’t have to mean dull, and the following watches combine classic design with innovative components.

IWC PORTOFINO HAND-WOUND EIGHT DAYS

IWC Schaffhausen has reworked its Portofino range, a collection with over 25 years of history. The new 59210 caliber movement is IWC manufactured with an incredible eight-day power reserve. Housed in a 45 millimeter case, this simple and elegant watch is absolutely modern, and the classic face is set off by an alligator band made by Santoni, the Italian shoemaker. The range also includes a new dual time and a new chronograph, but the Hand-Wound Eight Days is the shining star of this collection.

Price: Steel on brown and black Santoni strap: $10,000, red gold on brown Santoni strap: $18,700

Powerful: The 59210 movement generates enough power to run the watch for nine days. But IWC chose to stop the movement at eight days, so as not to lose any torque in the spring and affect the long-term accuracy of the watch.

iwc.com

RALPH LAUREN SPORTING WITH WOOD DIAL

Inspired by the interior of Lauren’s 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, this new Sporting mixes traditional materials and, with its large size (44.8 millimeters) and the rugged screws on the bezel, a modern look. The dial uses loupe d’orme—or elm burl wood—to echo the Bugatti’s iconic wooden dashboard and trim detail. The black calf-leather strap is meant to be evocative of the Bugatti’s black leather seating. This Sporting is powered by caliber RL98295, a hand-wound mechanical movement made by IWC for Ralph Lauren.

Price: $11,900

ralphlaurenwatches.com

AUDEMARS PIGUET MILLENARY 4101

A clever combination of traditional watchmaking and modern design, the newest watch in the Millenary collection from Audemars Piguet was designed to be a see-through timepiece, though nothing in the movement has been skeletonized. In fact, the most visual elements of the in-house mechanical movement were moved to the dial side of the watch, meaning no need to turn the timepiece over to admire its workings. Look for the traditional decorations on the internal bridges: the horizontal stripes of côtes de Genève finishing, circular graining and snailing. The Millenary 4101 is available in either stainless steel or pink gold.

Price: Pink gold: $33,900, steel: $20,600

audemarspiguet.com

GIRARD-PERREGAUX 1966 SMALL SECOND

Inspired by Girard-Perregaux’s iconic 19th century pocket watches, the 40-millimeter 1966 Small Second features an elegant grand feu (high fire) white enamel dial. Enamel is a tricky material with which to work, requiring high heat and multiple firings to complete, but it looks stunning and guarantees that the color will last virtually forever. Powered by a new Girard-Perregaux automatic in-house movement, the 1966 Small Second harkens back to a simpler time but features the reliability of a modern watch.

Price: $21,900

girard-perregaux.com

“Small second”: The term refers to the small dial at 6 o’clock that counts down each minute.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE REVERSO RÉPÉTITION MINUTES À RIDEAU

Most watches that date back 80 years are found in museums, not in a brand’s current collection. The Reverso, which is turning 80 this year, remains one of the company’s best sellers, in large part due to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s gift for keeping it fresh. This new limited-edition (75 pieces) minute repeater in the Reverso case shows the company’s desire to move more high complications into the Reverso collection. The sliding curtain that covers the face of this watch is the trigger for the minute repeater; with 270 components, it’s more complicated than many watches.

Price: €230,000 (about $315,000)

jaeger-lecoultre.com

PATEK PHILIPPE PERPETUAL CALENDAR CHRONOGRAPH (REF. 5270G)

Patek Philippe combines two of the most useful complications, the chronograph and the perpetual calendar, in one elegant watch introduced earlier this year at the Baselworld watch show. The subtle 41-millimeter white gold case features the traditional rectangular pushers from the ’40s and ’50s, and the timepiece is powered by the manually wound, in-house movement with a column-wheel control and horizontal clutch. With all the information this watch provides, including time, chronograph, perpetual calendar and moon phases, the dial is surprisingly simple and highly readable.

Price: Upon request

patek.com

A. LANGE & SÖHNE ZEITWERK STRIKING TIME

German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne was reborn 20 years ago, after barely surviving Allied bombings in World War II and appropriation by the communist East German government, and this is the first striking watch for the new company. Lange is renowned for the quality of its timepieces, and putting this very traditional complication in the new Zeitwerk is a masterstroke. With the hammers and gong visible on the dial side, when the clock strikes the hour and quarter-hour, this watch is a visual treat.

Price: White gold: $90,800, platinum: $111,400

alange-soehne.com

Need quiet? To silence the Zeitwerk’s chime, push the button at 4 o’clock.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN PATRIMONY TRADITIONNELLE WORLD TIME

This world timer combines a thoroughly modern movement—37 different time zones indicated on the dial—with a very traditional and beautiful three-dial system. Featuring a brand new movement enabling the display of half-hour time zones (Caracas, Venezuela and India, for example), the 42.5 millimeter Patrimony Traditionnelle uses three dials: a shaded blue sapphire crystal dial to show nightfall over the earth, a metal disk with a map of the world and another with the city names on it.

Price: $39,900

vacheronconstantin.com

Taking time: The all-new calibre 2460WT movement took over three years to develop; a patent is pending for the movement, which bears the Hallmark of Geneva.

ULYSSE NARDIN FREAK DIAVOLO

Sometimes a classic takes decades to achieve that status, but on rare occasions a watch unites modern design with traditional complications so successfully that it’s an icon right out of the case. Such was the case with Ulysse Nardin’s Freak in 2001, and now the Freak Diavolo appears poised to repeat the feat. The Diavolo uses silicon in the hairspring and most of the escapement—not just the wheel as in the original—and also features a flying tourbillon; the cage is equipped with an arrow that indicates the seconds. Great watch-making frequently includes some element of surprise, and the Diavolo has one hidden on the back of the watch: Flip it over to see the red “horns” and black “cloak” that gave the watch its name.

Price: $146,000

ulysse-nardin.ch

Details: The Freak Diavolo maintains the proportions of the original Freak, with a 44.5-millimeter 18-karat white gold case and black alligator strap.

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