The 2014 Ball Engineer II Pioneer Chronometer (ref. NM2026C-L4CAJ-BK) delivers all the usual treats from the watchmaker that was founded in America, but later moved to Switzerland. The compact, deliberately simple body would look good on almost any wrist, its dial is high-contrast and easily readable even to older persons with poor sight. However, if your idea of a dress watch doesn’t include more than two dozen glass micro-tubes filled with a mildly radioactive, self-glowing gas, you may find this timekeeper slightly difficult to adapt to.
100 m
Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chrono 2014
Chopard is known for its endless love for all things automotive. During the last two or three years, they have introduced several beautiful sporty timekeepers, and it doesn’t look like they are going to stop churning out new racing-inspired chronographs and three-handers any time soon.
Coming in a flashy black-and-yellow (a color scheme, which is often associated with Chevrolet’s Corvette Racing team, although I am not sure whether the similarity is intentional or purely coincidental), the Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Chrono 2014 (ref. 168570-3001) will not go unnoticed even if you plan to wear it with a Hawaiian shirt.
Ball Watches Fireman Storm Chaser Pro
Ball Watches has released the facelifted version of the Ball Fireman Storm Chaser Pro (ref. CM3090C-L1J-BK) during the Baselworld 2014 show. The refreshed watch features a finely executed telemeter scale and packs within its medium-sized 42 mm stainless steel body the same cal. RR1402 automatic chronograph movement, but now looks a lot more elegant than the previous iteration of the timepiece. It’s almost as if Porsche has released its current-gen Cayenne performance SUV with its gorgeous exterior and plush interior without sacrificing all the off-road goodness of the first-gen model.
Royal Ebony: Breitling for Bentley 6.75 Midnight Carbon
The limited-edition Breitling for Bentley 6.75 Midnight Carbon first appeared on March 5, 2014. Created in partnership with the German-owned, British-based maker of ultra-luxury cars, the monstrous timepiece features all the usual design elements and, as usual, comes in a fairly small lot of 1000 individually numbered pieces. It sports a sexy black (or very dark grey) finish that, unlike models treated with the PVD coating process, is a lot more durable in the long run.
Colorful Personality: Tissot T-Race Touch Aluminium
During Baselworld 2014, Tissot put on display a number of nice collections that make absolutely clear that Tissot is serious about increasing its market share when it comes to “affordable” watches. Among the new products, they have officially presented their T-Race Touch Aluminium (ref. T081.420.97.057.03)
Seiko Astron GPS Stratosphere (Ref. SAS033)
Seiko has officially presented its Seiko Astron Stratosphere GPS-enabled watch. Although currently there is nothing more than a presentation page on their corporate site, it is already clear that the new version looks a lot more impressive than the high-tech Astron GPS Solar World Timer in black titanium that the Japanese brand started selling in October 2012. Just look at this huge, domed sapphire crystal that covers not only the dial itself but also the bezel with its luminous UTC city codes. Isn’t it amazing?