The Breitling Watch Blog

Pilot watch collectors can rejoice as another reputable Swiss manufacturer of watches creates a new Pilot watch for enthusiasts. The Alpina Startimer Pilot is a beautiful Pilot watch with a twist.

ALPINA – Startimer Pilot Collection

Alpina, former supplier of army pilot watches, has returned to its century-old heritage with the Startimer Pilot Collection. Comprising four models, two with three hands and a date, an in-house regulator and a chronograph, these re-interpretations meet the same requirements as in the past: precision, reliability, resistance and instant legibility. The 44 mm polished steel case, the matt black dial with its oversized white luminescent hourmarkers, and the red triangle at the base of the direct-drive seconds hand are hallmarks of every Alpina timepiece, now as in the past. For the launching of this latest model, limited to 8,888 watches, the brand has joined forces with two choice partners, Cessna Aviation and PrivatAir.

Movement
Automatic, AL-860 chronograph calibre

Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph

Case
Polished stainless steel, 44 mm
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal and transparent back
Water-resistant to 100 m / 10 ATM

Dial
Matt black
Oversized white luminescent hourmarkers
Minute and seconds counters at 9 and 3 o’clock

Bracelet/Strap
Stainless steel or black leather with folding clasp

Other versions
AL-525 movement: 3 hands and date; in-house AL-710 movement and AL-950 regulator: 3 hands with date hand

LUMINOX – Deep Dive

The new automatic Deep Dive is the latest addition to the Luminox collection of certified watches designed for diving professionals. These instruments, which have been used for over 20 years by the Navy Seals, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Stan Waterman, a pioneer in the field, are the pride of Luminox, a brand which continually strives to push back the limits of the ocean depths while fulfilling the most demanding specifications. Water-resistant to 500 metres, the Deep Dive features an automatic helium valve, a bezel locking system (patent pending), and the unique Luminox Light Technology system. This ensures optimum visibility thanks to the micro-tubes which emit a blue glow, the last colour a diver can discern as he decends. Numbered limited edition.

Movement
Automatic ETA

Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds and date

Case
Reinforced steel, 45 mm
Automatic helium valve
Bezel with locking system (BLS, patent pending)
BLS crown protection
3 mm sapphire crystal front and back
Water-resistant to 500 m / 50 ATM

Dial
Black
Hourmarkers, hands and bezel numbers with LLT blue luminescent underwater system
Wide minute hand with double LLT tubes

Strap
Black polyurethane with wetsuit extension system

ANTOINE PREZIUSO – “Power Inside” Unlimited

This year, Antoine Preziuso is presenting a resolutely pumped-up model named “Power Inside”. Running in tandem with its owner, this timepiece indicates the level of vitality drawn from a spring wound by the wearer’s activities and transmitted to a circular rotor. This extremely environment-friendly form of energy derived from human movement is more up to date than ever. The “Energy” segment in the bottom left-hand side of the dial bears permanent testimony to the level of power in its mechanism. A sophisticated and dynamic design with a resolutely masculine look and a light, sturdy structure contribute to making this timepiece truly exceptional.

Movement
Automatic, Calibre APG 297, 21 jewels, 42-hour power reserve

Functions
Hours, minutes, and Energy indicator

Case
Stainless steel, 48 mm
Upper and lower bezel secured to the middle by 12 lateral pillars and 24 screws
Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-glare treatment
Engraved and satin-brushed caseback
Water-resistant to 50 m / 5 ATM

Dial
“Côtes de Genève” motif
Energy indicator at 8 o’clock with sunburst motif
Openworked hands

Strap
Porosus crocodile leather and carbon fibre with overstitching and personalised folding clasp

TISSOT – Seastar 1000

With its imposing design and its extremely sturdy case water-resistant to 300 m, the Seastar 1000 by Tissot continues the brand’s incursion into the diving world. This chronograph combines the performances of an automatic movement with the noble aesthetic appeal of a timepiece that defies the oceans and featuring a number of nods to the maritime world. A unidirectional rotating bezel, a wristband with diving buckle as well hands and markers coated with Superluminova to ensure perfect readability. Each model also has a helium valve for saturation diving – an additional step that Tissot is taking in the underwater depths, a field in which it is gaining ever increasing expertise.

Movement
Automatic, Calibre CO1.211

Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph

Case
Black or blue PVD-treated stainless steel, 48 mm
Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
Screw-locked crown, pushers and screw-in caseback
Helium valve
Water-resistant to 300 m / 30 bars

Dial
Black, blue, black and white or black and orange
Superluminova-coated markers and hour and minute hands
Blue chronograph hands
Hour, minute and seconds counters at 6, 12 and 9 o’clock respectively
Date window at 3 o’clock

Wristband
316L stainless steel bracelet with safety fastening and diving extension; rubber strap with folding clasp

Wow – this is a hell of a looker. The Blacksand Uniformity. Having searched all over the net with little to no information on this brand, I have to assume they are new as there is a domain registered to www.blacksandgeneve.com but no website currently there.

Beautiful DLC coated movement, dubbed the Black Sand Caliber 1970, is fantastic in appearance and features double barrels giving it 5 day power reserve! I’m pretty excited to see some more stuff coming out from these guys, including more information on the company.

BLACKSAND – Uniformity

A striking emblem of a watchmaking trend firmly geared towards authenticity, Uniformity takes up the challenge of marrying sophisticated aesthetic references with a superb expression of the noblest watchmaking arts. Its easily identifiable design is asserted through the distinctive structure of a strongly curved case housing a finely crafted movement. This COSC- and Chronofiable-certified automatic movement beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a five-day power reserve. The hands and hour-markers light up the dark background of a shimmering opaline blue dial, ensuring maximum readability and aesthetic magic. With this model, Blacksand is preparing the way for a new watchmaking style that is “conjugated” in both modern present and classic future tenses.

Movement
Automatic, Blacksand Calibre 1970, 13¼ lignes, 35 jewels, twin barrels

Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds and date

Case
Grade 5 titanium, tantalum, 5N pink gold or ceramics, 46 mm
Sapphire crystal with anti-glare treatment, front and back
Water-resistant to 100 m

Cadran
Two-dimensional, opaline mainplate and vertical satin-brushed upper plate
Hour-markers, vacuum-moulded Arabic numerals and satin-brushed hands coated with blue-emission white Superluminova
Date window at 6 o’clock

Wristband
Interchangeable. Tech rubber or alligator leather strap with triple-blade folding clasp in grade 5 titanium or 5N pink gold, ceramic pushers