Vacherin Constantin; Grand Seiko; Rado

From wild spirits to a classic dress watch and a tribute to Ash Barty.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art the Legend of the Chinese Zodiac – Year of the Tiger

VACHERON CONSTANTIN MÉTIERS D’ART THE LEGEND OF THE CHINESE ZODIAC – YEAR OF THE TIGER

Easy, tiger. Well, actually not easy. Wildly difficult in fact. The Métiers d’Art is the realm of Vacheron’s master craftsmen who hand-engraved the aforementioned tiger in pink gold. He prowls through plant motifs that are hand etched into the metal of the dial and semi-embedded to give the impression of depth. Next up, enamel is applied in successive layers to enhance the intensity of the bronze-toned dial. There are no hands on this watch, only paws. Instead, the unique movement uses four openings at the 2, 4, 8, and 10 o’clock positions to convey hours, minutes, day and date. Suffice to say none of this comes particularly cheaply from the world’s oldest watch manufacturer. Then again, as Vacheron kindly reminds us, the tiger is “an auspicious animal that exorcises evil spirits and brings good luck” and you can’t really put a price on that. $167,000

Grand Seiko SBGY008

GRAND SEIKO SBGY008

A classic dress watch is all about simplicity and at first glance this seems like a quietly formidable example. The rose gold case is unobtrusively sized at 38.5mm to make it ideal for a wrist of any gender, the pinky blush of the metal complemented by the brown crocodile-leather strap. Admittedly the dial is rather special, with its subtle texture designed to evoke the snow-covered ice that covers Japan’s Lake Suwa every winter. Visible through the open caseback, the movement is equally impressive and provides a 72-hour power reserve on a single wind, as well as guaranteed accuracy of +/-1 second per day. But it’s from the side angle that this watch literally shines, with the case runners bedecked with 53 hand-set diamonds. The result is a dress watch that maintains its formal decorum while buzzing with palpable joie de vivre. $53,000

Rado Hyperchrome Ash Barty Limited Edition

RADO HYPERCHROME ASH BARTY LIMITED EDITION

If you’re an ambitious tennis player, you could do a lot worse than start wearing

a Rado. Consider the evidence: former ambassador Andy Murray partnered with the Swiss brand in 2012 and the next year he became the first Brit to conquer Wimbledon since 1936. Adding credence to Rado’s lucky-charm powers, Ashleigh Barty has already scooped two Grand Slams and become world No.1 since joining the brand in 2017. Celebrating her achievements, this quartz-powered watch offers a high-tech ceramic case that encloses a mother-of-pearl dial in delicious blue. Three diamonds are stacked at 12 to balance a rhodium-coloured moving tennis ball symbol at 6. It’s the second collaboration Rado has done with Barty, but if her remarkable momentum continues, one suspects it won’t be the last. $3675