The 2017 Blancpain 50 Fathoms Vintage St. Valentine’s Day edition is an excellent, robust casual watch, with a steel case, 50-meter water resistance, and a automated motion, the ultra-slim Caliber 913. It’s a glucydur balance wheel fitted with micrometric regulating screws, and a balance spring made of silicon, the very low density of making it especially light and shock-resistant. Silicon can be anti-magnetic. The gold strand is given a snailed bevel and glistening angles, in addition to straight and circular Côtes de Genève designs. It comes with two interchangeable alligator leather straps, one in red and another in white. The seconds hand is shaped like a Cupid’s arrow, with a red tip. The dial is placed only with diamond markers and three Roman numerals from the collection’s signature font. The 29mm instance’s bezel and lugs are set with 68 diamonds. It is priced at $14,900. My absolute favorite watches are pretty-looking sport versions. There is a significant quantity of these watches around, but really attractive ones are hard to find. Most likely the biggest obstacle in making a beautiful-looking sports watch is to first make certain that it’s a great utility watch, and only then making sure it is visually attractive. Doing both is no simple task, but success can yield the benefit of a watch being a true classic. That is probably a great way of introducing this hands-on look at the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II timepieces that just look so darn good.
Mercedes-AMG recently celebrated its 50th year by rolling out several limited edition automobiles, including the top of the line AMG GT3 Edition 50, a five-piece limited edition of the AMG race coupe powered by a monster, 622hp V8. Each buyer of the GT3 Edition 50 – which costs almost €400,000 – gets an IWC Ingenieur chronograph.
Significantly more affordable, the watch is part of a larger edition of 250 watches to mark AMG’s anniversary. The Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Edition “50th Anniversary of Mercedes-AMG” is based on the stock Ingenieur Chronograph Sport, which is powered by the in-house cal. 89361 and distinguished by its twin registers at six and 12 o’clock (the entry-level chronograph has three registers). The cal. 89361 is automatic with a longish 68-hour power reserve. It also features a flyback function, while the chronograph mechanism relies on a vertical clutch and column wheel.
The silvered dial is modelled on a speedometer, with oversized minute numerals taking the place of conventional hour markers, with a cartoonish lightning-shaped constant seconds hand at six o’clock.
The case is titanium and 44mm in diameter, with a soft iron inner cage to protect the movement from magnetic fields. A sapphire window on the back reveals the rear of the soft iron capsule, which has been perforated to resemble a brake disc and emblazoned with the AMG motto.
Price and availability
Available at IWC boutiques and retailers, the Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Edition “50th Anniversary of Mercedes-AMG” (ref. IW380902) is priced at US$11,800 or S$17,900.
