The new Certina DS Rookie (ref. C016.417.22.057.00) quartz chronograph is essentially the old DS Action chronograph introduced back in April 2009 and is now packed in a slightly smaller, more elegant case.
At the beginning of this year, Eberhard & Co. extended its Chrono4 line of automatic chronographs with a sportier Chrono4 BADBOY (ref. 31060). Featuring a bold and energetic, yet "industrial" design, which combines a monochromatic color scheme of steel and rubber with only small red accents here and there, it leaves a somewhat ambiguous impression and, like the famous black licorice, should be sold under a "Love it or hate it, Whatever" slogan.
Although Girard-Perregaux's iconic World Wide Time Control collection was first unveiled about ten years ago, the new ww.tc World Wide Time Control Chronograph (ref. 49805-11-650-BA6A) doesn't look much different from the model that started it all. Coming in basically the same oversized stainless steel case and offering the same dial layout, it differs from its numerous predecessors only with its color scheme (and even that one is just a carefully facelifted job that doesn't offer anything particularly new in the styling department.) Frankly, I must admit that I actually like this approach: like the iconic Speedmaster or the Navitimer with their easily recognizable styling, some watches just have to evolve as slowly as possible in order not to disappoint the loyal followers of the brand.
Remember the good-old, quartz-powered Chronospace? I mean, the one that was discontinued about 12 years ago? This year, Breitling decided to resurrect the popular model!
When I wrote the first draft of this brief review, I started with a claim that this (then) "new Mido Multifort PVD Special Edition Chronograph (ref. M005.614.37.051.01) was one of the most bizarre "ordinary" timepieces I have seen this year." Now, upon taking some time (more than eight years, actually) to reconsider my opinion, I decided to partially re-write this article as this relatively affordable gadget grew on me (if that's possible to say since I was too slow to grab one of these beasts myself and now if you don't mind the expression, have to enjoy it from a distance) and I now think that this thing is interesting in its ability to mix things that many watchmaking specialists deem, um, unmixable. I would also like to note that, as guys in crime movies often say, I am not making this statement under any duress: I simply changed my opinion after so many years.
The 2010 Zenith Elite Captain Central Second (ref. 18.2020.670/01.C498) belongs to the rare breed of (relatively) affordable dressy timekeepers powered by superbly-designed in-house movements. Not as technically impressive as their "high-beat" models, it is still a good alternative to a similarly styled three-hander from ultra-luxury brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Right in time for the holiday shopping season, Baume & Mercier will hit the stores with a new limited-edition William Baume Jumping Hour (ref. M0A08857, also known as ref. 8857). It is what it is: a dressy automatic watch featuring a not so common jumping hour complication. What's even more exciting about this timepiece is that this is a true limited-edition model: with just a handful of individually numbered devices to ever be released, there is a good chance that it will become a rarity in no time at all.
This Autumn, Victorinox Swiss Army will start selling its new Maverick GS Dual Time collection featuring a second time-zone indicator sometimes referred to as "GMT."
