News: The New Star-Struck Zenith, Oris Impresses and Alain Silberstein is Everywhere
The new year is well underway and the watch industry is out of the starter blocks like a whippet on steroids, banishing those January blues and—we hope—setting the tone for what promises to be a horologically blessed 2023.
Three new launches that have caught our eye and perked us up in this gloomy month are a boutique edition, star-spangled Zenith steel sports watch, a beautiful-looking Oris with a highly impressive new movement, and a Bell & Ross collaboration with a resurgent watch designer known for his uber-funky dials. Which one would you choose?
Zenith Defy Skyline Boutique Edition
There are a handful of watches on the radar of any luxury steel sports fan who has abandoned the idea of getting their hands on a costly Nautilus or a Royal Oak. Girard Perregaux’s Laureato is a good compromise, as is Chopard’s Alpine Eagle. And, of course, there’s Zenith’s ever-growing Defy collection, which features a dazzling array of styles and colours, from skeleton dials to chronographs influenced by superstar DJs. The dial pattern on this boutique edition incorporates the Zenith star logo, which is in rose-gold and set against a slate-grey anthracite dial. It features a date window at 3 o clock and, unusually, a single sub-dial at 9 o’clock featuring a 1/10th-of-a-second indicator. This brushed-steel beauty is one of the more understated Defy models around and is all the classier for it.
Case | Stainless-steel
Dimensions | 41mm
Dial | Slate-grey anthracite sunray-patterned starry sky
Crystal | Sapphire
Water-resistance | 100m
Movement | Zenith El Primero 3620, automatic high-frequency calibre
Power reserve | 60 hours
Frequency | 36,000 vph
Strap | Stainless-steel
Functions | Hours and minutes in the centre. 1/10th of a second indication at 9 o'clock. Date indication at 3 o'clock.
RRP | $9,000
Oris Big Crown Calibre 473
Within this very attractive Big Crown is an admirable Oris milestone—namely, its 10th in-house movement in as many years. And the new hand-wound Caliber 473 is no bog-standard movement, either. It boasts a whopping 5-day power reserve with an indicator visible through the exhibition case-back letting you know if you’re running out of juice. The red-tipped date-pointer, lume-painted Arabic numerals, small seconds at 6 o’clock and a muted teal dial add to the retro aesthetic, as does the Cervo Volante sustainable deer-leather strap.
Case | Steel
Dimensions | 38mm
Dial | Blue
Crystal | Double-domed AR-coated sapphire crystal
Water-resistance | 50m
Movement | Oris Caliber 473
Power Reserve | 5 days
Frequency | 28, 800 VpH
Strap | Sustainable brown deer leather
Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, date
RRP | $4,400
Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein Black Ceramic Trilogy
Alain Silberstein’s namesake watch company went bankrupt in 2012 after 23 years, but the French designer himself is thankfully still in the game, partnering with the likes of MB&F and Louie Erard. His latest collaboration is with Bell & Ross, whose eye-catching square cases are perfect for showcasing Silberstein’s bold, geometrical dial design. Based on the existing BR-03 collection, this trio, one of which is a chronograph, has been given the colourful Silberstein treatment, complete with signature squiggly seconds hand. The 42mm cases are black ceramic and the automatic movements used are the Caliber BR.CAL-302 and BR.CAL301 for the chronograph version—both based on ETA movements. All three models are limited editions that come in 100 or 200 pieces.
Case | Ceramic
Dimensions | 42mm
Dial | Black, with Silberstein signature hands
Crystal | AR-coated sapphire crystal
Water-resistance | 100m (dive version is 300m)
Movement | Bell & Ross caliber BR-302 (caliber BR-301 for chronograph version)
Power Reserve | 42 hours (all models)
Frequency | 28,800 VpH
Strap | Rubber
Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds (and a chronograph version)
RRP | $4,400 to $6,700 depending on model
