Swiss
While not terribly expensive (and still not particularly affordable given that so far the collection is only presented in stainless steel), the new Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute Quantieme was designed for those people who believe that a dress watch must only be worn with formal attire. While you still can wear one of them with jeans or even chinos, you must be either a really successful screenwriter or a slightly eccentric serial start-upper to pull off the trick.
Swiss
The 2015 Slim d'Hermes targets those iconic Piaget ultra-thin wristwatches that the competing brand is so proud of. Yet, the thinness is not the timekeeper's main selling point. The device also offers a well-balanced, solid design that is a serious improvement on their previous attempts, as well as a new self-winding mechanism with micro-rotor design that could technically even be called 'in-house'.
For Ladies / Swiss
The 2015 Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Manufacture Ladies (ref. FC-703VD3SD4) is one of the finest timekeepers introduced by the brand so far. It is also one of their (still precious few) models that are powered not by a slightly redecorated version of a run-off-the-mill blank movement made either by ETA or Sellita, but by a new caliber that was developed and built by Frederique Constant on their own production facilities. That says something, right?
Swiss
With their 39mm JeanRichard Terrascope (ref. 60510D56A602-11A), the brand tries to kill two birds with one stone. First, it is the first unisex member of the Terrascope collection. Second, it is the first Terrascope that is less than 40 millimeters without the crown. Finally, you don't have to be a huge guy to wear one of these with pride: you can be a skinny girl, too.
Swiss
What is a dress watch? For many, it requires a compact body and an enameled or engine-turned dial with classic hands. You know, the usual stuff. The 2014 Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar Meteorite (refs. Q1558421 & Q1552540) features the classic dial layout spiced with a dial plate cut from a real meteorite. The material is not terribly rare: eBay is teeming with all sorts of celestial stones ready to mail. Yet, it usually takes a skilled artisan to cut the stone (or a slug) at a particular angle that allows it to truly shine. Jaeger-LeCoultre designed this gorgeous new model with nerds in mind. It targets high-school dropouts who made their fortune offering the world software or services that makes our life a lot easier.
German
The German brand has recently updated its collection of dressy three-handers with a nice Archimede 1950's collection that pays homage to timekeepers that were produced by the local watchmakers after the end of the Great War. Although the Japanese movement that powers the device doesn't look nearly as impressive as NOS hand-wound Junghans calibers that they, for example, used for their Pilot OR2 limited edition watch, it is robust and reliable and looks like an adequate choice for the price.
Swiss
Celebrating the 90th anniversary of its legendary Meisterstuck pen that Montblanc has first released in 1924, the Swiss luxury brand releases the dressy Montblanc Meisterstuck Heritage Pulsograph by Minerva. Limited to just 90 pieces, the timekeeper features a working mechanical pulsometer: a thing that was popular among wealthy medical doctors during the first decades of the last century.
German
Last month, Archimede's sporty Outdoor collection was updated with a splendid full-lume white dial. Recently, the German brand has introduced an absolutely outstanding Archimede Outdoor Black Automatic (refs. UA8237B-A2.1-SW & UA8237-A2.1-SW) that is presented in the same stainless steel body, which is now treated with black PVD coating.
Swiss
Just in time for the holiday shopping season (and to officially mark its 130th anniversary), the American company offers its automatic Ball Trainmaster Standard Time (ref. NM3888D-PG-LCJ-WH) that attempts to combine vintage style with contemporary technology in the same compact case.
German
The sporty and elegant Archimede Outdoor Automatic Sport collection has recently been moderately refreshed. Since the timekeeper's deliciously ergonomic stainless steel case doesn't require any special attention, the German brand concentrated its efforts on the dial. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Outdoor family has finally received a version with a fully luminous face.