‘Tis the season of gifting and of shopping, so you won’t be shocked that watch brands are in overdrive, too. While there are sales on casual and giftable watches, there were also new releases of all kinds that are worth a look — dive watches, chronographs, dress watches and even Peanuts-themed Swatch watches are just some of what came out in November. You’ll find those and many more below, from the fun and affordable to high-end works of art for those that had a really good year.
Defakto Stille Nacht Automatik
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A collaboration with artists Frieda Bellmann and Raphael Ickler and Raphael Ickler of Defakto Watches, the Stille Nacht Automatik is a special edition of 50 pieces in which each dial is unique. Coolest of all: the skeletonized hands stack together perfectly to reveal a slice of constellation.
A collaboration with FiveFortyFive, a retailer in New Zeland, the new U3-FFF celebrates all things…New Zealish? This beautiful blue chronograph sold out quickly on Unimatic’s own site, but there’s still some stock left on FiveFortyFive’s.
An homage to Swiss Army designs of the past, the Heritage Collection comprises several models featuring robust quartz movements, 100m of water resistance, luminous dials and your choice of strap or bracelet, all at an affordable price.
German company Braun is 100 years old in 2021 and has an entire segment of watches and clocks that are some of the best examples of Bauhaus design out there. A new collection in collaboration with designer Paul Smith featuring a wristwatch, wall clock and alarm clock keeps them as fresh as ever.
First produced in the 1950s, the Blancpain Air Command is a classic pilot’s chronograph. It includes a flyback feature like other such watches, but has some character and features that set it apart, too: This new version introduces a blue colorway and a titanium case using the uncommon Grade 23 of the metal (Grade 5 is most common).
Swiss brand Delma makes some tough tool watches, and this diver not only looks serious with a fully black DLC coating but is water-resistant to no less than 4,000m. That’s four kilometers below the waves — not that you’ll need that, but hey, you just might want it. It comes in three dial color options, as well.
Three watches released by Grand Seiko this week include a couple dive watches, but our favorite is this classic Heritage model, the SBGA469: It’s got a Spring Drive movement, a fascinating texture with an indigo hue and measures 41mm wide. An online exclusive, this is some of the most compelling horology you can get for $5K.
Get your kids obsessed with watches early with these cartoony new Swatch x Peanuts collabs as stocking stuffers. (Or, indulge your own nostalgia.) There are six models in total featuring Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the whole gang.
Citizen’s Navihawk is made for pilots and has a dial that’s just about as busy and captivatingly technical-looking as a modern cockpit. The watches are packed with functionality, too, and several new versions are produced in partnership with the military veterans’ charity Jump for Valor.
Detroit Watch Company M1 Woodward Le Mans Classic Chronograph
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This Detroit watchmaker makes a range of often classically tinged and sporty-leaning watches, but their new racing chronograph takes a decidedly colorful turn. Based on the famous Gulf colors, it comes in several limited-edition variations inspired by a specific race car. A drawing of the car is included.
Bremont’s new Broadsword Jet celebrates a Silver Armed Forces Covenant award bestowed up on them by the UK government. With a jet-black execution but enlivened and legible thanks to gold accents, it’s available to civilians, too, but can only be purchased online.
Building on the success of its very cool Avi Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition, Breitling has taken the basic concept of its Clasic Avi collection and supersized it with its new Super Avi line. Growing 5mm to an intimidating 46mm, they come in five variations with themes inspired by historic aircraft.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, apparel and gear maker Tanner Goods teamed up with Los Angeles-based watchmaker Weiss on a special edition watch. It’s got a cream-colored dial sporting the Tanner Goods logo in its seconds subdial at 6 o’clock in a manner somewhat reminiscent of vintage dual-branded watches.
At Panerai, size matters. But what’s bold and what’s wearable is all relative, and so for the slimmer-wristed or those who simply prefer such sizes, Panerai is introducing new 40mm-diameter models in its iconic Luminor Marina collection. With black, white and blue dial options, it’s only 100m water-resistant but should provide the Panerai experience you’re looking for.
British watchmaker Isotope teamed up with design publication Cool Hunting on an eye-catching limited-edition version of an already unconventional watch. 10% of sales will benefit the Miles4Migrants charity.
G-Shock is doing some cool things with materials and ion plating, offering visual effects not often seen or attempted before on watches. The latest in its MT-G series of higher-end watches is awash with colors, combining plated elements in bright hues with a carbon bezel laminated with colored glass fibers. The particular pallet for this model is based on the sandstone in Antelope Canyon, Arizona.
The BR 05 is Bell & Ross’s take on the integrated-bracelet sport watch. It perhaps looks best, however, as a chronograph — its new White Hawk version sports a stark white dial.
We’re fans of Timor’s modern reissues of the field watches its namesake made for WWII soldiers. Those were the famous Wrist, Watch, Waterproof (WWW) watches, but one known as the ATP preceded them and was one of the earliest military watches made. The current company has now brought it back with a similar field watch form as the WWW, but the ATP has a subtly refined bezel, cream dial and slightly more classical, 1930s-looking design.
Oris’s Calibre 400 series of movements introduced this year are made in-house and boast all kinds of technically impressive features like antimagnetic properties, COSC-beating accuracy rates and five days of power reserve. It’s now finding its way into more collections including the brand’s classical pilot’s watch, the Big Crown Pointer Date. The “403” variation of the movement features a small subdial for the seconds at 6 o’clock. It offers a lot for the price.
New York-based watch company Carpenter is introducing a new variation of its Brooklyn Field watch collection. It offers a simpler (decidedly less “field watch”) dial but adding a sporty touch with its orange seconds hand. Measuring 40mm and powered by a Miyota 821A automatic movement, it’s available on blue, black or brown leather straps.
This new watch from Swiss brand Alpina has a unique look, but it’s what’s inside that most makes it notable. The brand’s own in-house movement offers a feature seldom, if ever, seen in modern watches: instead of the rotor turning 360 degrees to wind the watch as you move your wrist, it only turns 120 degrees and bounces off springs on either side. You can watch it in action though the caseback. This type of system is called a “bumper movement,” and it’s about as nerdy a feature as you can ask for in a modern automatic watch for under $3k.
It’s got an impressive in-house movement inside, the brand’s signature “fumé” dial and bronze case — and all those things are cool — but it’s a simple detail that makes this pilot-style watch extra cool and different: It’s that the brand’s logo is rendered in Cyrillic as found on some of the brand’s vintage watches from around the time if its founding.
Zenith does great everyday sport watches, but they also dabble in cutting-edge tech and high-end horology. Such watches often appear n the brand’s Defy line, and a couple more have joined its ranks with crazy-complex movements set in fully sapphire crystal cases — so you can see its double tourbillon and largely skeletonized clockwork from almost every angle.
Parmigiani’s Tonda GT collection recently got a winning redesign, so there’s no surprise in seeing it expand and include limited editions. This one features cream and brown colored dials and is made in very limited quantities (5 for the chronograph seen here and 15 for the time-only model) for retailer Oliver Smith Jeweler in Arizona.
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