Most Christian religions and churches use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas. The word “Advent” means “Coming” in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. In 2022, Advent starts theoretically on Sunday 27th November. Each Sunday has a different spiritual theme and often involves the ceremonial lighting of an Advent candle. In our case, we have made a selection of watches for all tastes and budgets, with each week offering seven timepieces with a common style. For the first week, we have picked classic looking watches.
Let’s start with a watch that really surprised me last week, the new Certina DS-2 Sun-Ray (£825). I love its uncompromising 1970s retro look, with the futuristic styled tonneau, gold plated steel case, and deep brown sunburst dial. While Certina watches are in the more affordable range, they lose nothing in terms of quality. They manufacture their own movements, and this watch is powered by their own automatic calibre. Despite the styling, it is water resistant to 200 metres, ensuring that never mind the party conditions, the DS-2 Sun-Ray will “take a licking and keep on ticking”. It might be the ultimate festive activities watch for the sartorially lounge lizard inclined. You can buy it HERE.
Despite is classic look, the Certina DS-2 is a tough one, water resistant to 200 metres and powers by the company’s own automatic calibre.
Next in our pick of classic looking watches is the Nomos Ludwig 33 noir (£1,520), a delicate and sophisticated watch with a certain intellectual touch. Nomos call it its “little black dress for the wrist” and I can see why.
Delicate, black, and sophisticated, the new Ludwig 33 noir from Nomos Glashütte will compliment your wrist this winter from morning to evening.
This watch looks as good at a company meeting as it does at the theatre or the opening of an art exhibition. The comfort of the Ludwig 33 noir comes from its 33mm rounded case, slender bezel with arching lungs and the anthracite soft velour leather strap. Its sophisticated aspect derives from its deep galvanised black dial with gold hands and Roman numerals. At its heart, we find the high-precision, hand-wound Alpha movement. You can buy it HERE.
Our third choice is the Tissot PRX 35mm Gold Diamonds (£1,600). This elegant watch showcases an 18k carat gold fluted bezel and 12 indexes adorned with 44 diamonds. The hours and minutes hands are coated with Super-Luminova, for easy reading at night. The combination of steel and gold, brushed finishing and sparkling diamonds bring s a softer and luxurious touch to this model, ideal for those who like a little sparkle in the festive season.
This version of the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 features a 18K rose gold bezel, bringing character and elegance to classic timepiece.
The watch comes with a sun brushed grey coloured dial and a steel bracelet with an interchangeable quick release bracelet. The PRX Gold Diamonds is powered by the Powermatic 80 automatic movement with 80 hours power reserve and is water resistant to 100m. You can buy it HERE.
I love the natural elegance of white so I couldn’t resist to include Rado’s HyperChrome Automatic Diamonds (£2,870) in this selection. With its high-tech ceramic 36mm case and bracelet made of the same ceramic and titanium, this watch is definitely designed to stand the test of time and with its classic looks, it is highly unlikely it will ever go out of fashion.
Featuring the unmistakable flash of diamonds, the HyperChrome Diamonds marries a stunning dial with glittering gems on the outside.
The diamonds on the white mother-of-pearl dial marking the hours and the date window at 3 o’clock add a subtle element of luxury to its classic form. The automatic movement grants you 38 hours of power reserve. The watch is water resistant to 50m. You can buy it HERE.
Definitely classic looking is the Longines Master Collection 190th Anniversary in rose gold (£10,190). Limited to 190 piece – like all the other gold versions – this anniversary timepiece showcases the best of Longines.
The 40mm 18k pink gold case houses a Longines exclusive calibre with a silicon balance spring. The grained anthracite dial is simple, easy, elegant. These qualities are accentuated by the rose gold hands for hours, minutes and seconds and the engraved Arabic numerals. All the painstaking craftsmanship of this watch can be admired through the transparent back, which features a commemorative engraving. A soft anthracite grey leather strap completes the style of this exquisite piece. Buy it HERE.
Both classic and retro-cool is Vacheron Constantin’s Historiques American 1921 in white gold (£29,300). In a spirit very close to the original, this iconic watch in 18k white gold reinterprets a model launched in 1921 specifically designed for the American market during the Roaring 1920s.
Vacheron Constantin’s Historiques American 1921 reinterprets a model launched in 1921 specifically designed for the American market during the 1920s.
Its form is unmistakably unique, with its cushion-shaped 36.5mm case and a diagonal dial (so you don’t have to turn your wrist to read the time) with an off-centered crown. Its manual-winding movement offers a power reserve of nearly 3 days. Bold and elegant. What else could we ask from a classic? You can buy it HERE.
The final watch in this selection is the Patek Philippe Calatrava “Clous De Paris” Ref. 6119G (£24,770) with the new hand wound movement is the latest holder of the Calatrava title; the watch that has been, since 1932, the flagship model for the marque. Released in 2021 at Watches & Wonders, the 6119G has a subtle grey-black dial with a vertical brushed finish, applied white gold hour markers, and snail finishing on the sub-dial.
This Patek Philippe Calatrava model freshens up its guilloched hobnail pattern ( aka Clous de Paris) by treating it to a slightly larger diameter and a reinterpreted design.
The bezel “Clous De Paris” finish is reminiscent of past references that were part of the Patek range about a decade ago. Despite the Calatrava being part of regular production, it is highly sought after. A simple time only watch is still the quintessential dress piece, and despite almost countless variants over the nine decades since the line started, it is arguably still first among some equals, but never bettered. Buy it HERE.
Words: Julia Pasarón
Opening picture by Nubia Navarro
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