OW RALLYCHRON 'COUPE DES ALPES'
In the 1950s and 1960s the Coupe des Alpes, also known as the Alpine Rally, was among the most prestigious and formidable rallies in the world. An 820-kilometre three-stage dash across the Alpes featuring some of the most breathtaking and perilous mountain passes in Europe. Ollech & Wajs, inpartnership with Rallystory, has created a Special Edition Rallychron chronograph to honour both the legacy and longevity of this famous event.
Production of the OW Rallychron ‘Coupe des Alpes’ will be limited to 56 watches each year, representing both the founding year of Ollech & Wajs and also the 56 two-person teams involved in the infamous 1958 ‘Coupe Des Alpes’ - the most gruelling on record.
NEW VULCAIN TABLE CLOCK
Vulcain has created a desk clock that resembles the clock in the former TWA terminal now the TWA Hotel at the Kennedy International Airport. When some restoration work was being done a decade ago on the TWA Flight Center, the abandoned space age-looking terminal at Kennedy Airport, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey had a difficult decision: Should the three-sided Vulcain clock that hung over the main concourse be retained? Or was its time up? The clock had not appeared in the original 1956 plans that Eero Saarinen, the Finnish American architect, presented to Howard Hughes, the owner of Trans World Airlines. And when the MidCentury Modern terminal building opened in 1962, its only public clock was in the Solari split-flap boards that kept track of departures and arrivals. But within a year, a Swiss-made clock had been retrofitted under a prominent fluted light fixture in the center of the concourse, where the swooping ceiling arcs of the reinforced concrete structure met. Why? Experts aren’t sure.“Reportedly, Howard Hughes could not accept a design of an airline terminal without a prominent public clock,” wrote Richard Southwick, the director of historic preservation at Beyer Blinder Belle, the architectural firm that oversaw the building’s two restorations. “So within a year, TWA installed the Vulcain model we see now.” It remained through the second restoration, in which MCR Hotels turned the building into the 512-room TWA Hotel, which opened in 2019.
TIME TO REACH YOUR STAR - ZENITH DEFY SKYLINE CERAMIC AMERICAS EDITION
AIM FOR THE STARS
The DEFY Skyline Ceramic Americas edition features an unprecedented two-tone dial, where a sunray-finished deep metallic green dial gives way to a constellation of engraved rose gold-toned stars with sharp inward facets. Each angle catches the light and animates the dial. An emblematic feature of the DEFY Skyline, the geometric pattern draws inspiration from the case backs of vintage DEFY references as a “double Z” symbol. Consisting of perfectly arranged four-pointed stars, the motif depicts the starry night sky adding contrast and visual depth. It is accentuated by the matching gold-tone hands and applied markers that are filled with Super-LumiNova for optimal readability in any condition.
MORITZ GROSSMANN PRESENTS THE 37 ARABIC VINTAGE
37 ARABIC VINTAGE IN BRUSHED STAINLESS STEEL
When it comes to Arabic numerals, it is not just about the curved yet simple aesthetic form that delights with its symmetry and can be adapted to suit various styles; it is also the fact that Arabic numerals stand for progress and the achievements of science and culture. After all, the numeral system originated almost 2000 years ago in India and continued to develop, spreading across Asia to the Occident and finally conquering the world. Its greatest achievements were the ordering of digits in positions and introducing the digit zero, which was described in the book “Kleines Mathematikum” as “one of humanity’s most brilliant inventions”. In this respect, the system of Arabic numerals is similar to the art of watchmaking: the mechanics in watchmaking were also developed over several centuries and made progress in astronomy, physics and navigation possible, ultimately paving the way for the way we lead our lives today.
ZRC SECURICODE DIVER300
For its 120th anniversary, ZRC unveils a new collection with the evocative name of SECURICODE. Three vintage-inspired models in various materials embed this exciting new chapter in the brand's history. In 1965, the SECURICODE made waves as the very first diving watch capable of providing advanced immersion times at various depths. It retained the effective aesthetics of the S1, and the name SECURICODE became iconic after winning 1st prize at the 11th Inventors’ Exhibition in Brussels. All SECURICODE models feature the S1's historic Magnum-type hands and a lollipop second hand, adorned with beige or green Super-LumiNova® depending on the version. Their black dials in solid “guilloché” brass are topped with a blue anti-reflective sapphire crystal, which take on marine hues in the sunlight. This evocation of oceanic color makes it easy to read in all conditions.