Angus Davies reviews the Richard Mille RM038, a watch built for recent Augusta Masters winner Bubba Watson.
Bubba Watson wins the Augusta Masters.
At 6-foot-3, he's a colossus in size and hits the ball with prodigious power, leading the PGA Tour in driving distance with an average of 313.1 yards.
Bubba was a refreshing change from the average golfer on the PGA Tour. He is self-taught and has developed his own very personal style.
Many golfers spend years training with coaches, holding the club in a certain way and honing their swing through video analysis, but not Bubba.
Wearing an all-white outfit with pink detailing, he used a pink driver to support the charity. On his website, Bubba states that "helping these charities, and more importantly, the families involved, means more than winning a golf tournament". I suspect this is a mantra embraced by many sports coaches.
Bubba is approachable and recounts his humble origins and growing up in Baghdad, Florida. He opened up about his emotions, tearing up and hugging his mother affectionately as he celebrated his victory at the Masters.
Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 GMT watch hands-on In the Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 watch (this title is so long that I'm already afraid of having to type it multiple times in this article) is GMT. Luckily, you'll never forget the watch's name because Zenith kindly put it under their name on the dial - they thought of it. The GMT already has at least two limited editions, including the Red Baron and 1903, but more on that later, and is probably one of the clearest and most accessible dual time zone watches around.
We first discussed the Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 GMT watch here in 2013 when it was first introduced. It was one of two "smaller" 48mm wide Zenith Pilot watches introduced that year. The other is the Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 Annual Calendar (hands on here), another great piece. When I say smaller, I mean the "original" Hyundai Zenith Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 watch from 2012 (hands-on here) is a whopping 57.5mm wide. You can now see why the 2013 Pilot watch is "smaller" at 48mm wide. In fact, Zenith also launched a 40mm wide version (simple three-pin).
While I really like the annual calendar model, with the El Primero chronograph movement and very simple mechanics (a good thing), Ludwig Oeschlin designed the annual calendar system, I think this GMT model is a purer pilot's watch. On the one hand, the dial is much simpler - it doesn't even have a date display. Second, the GMT complication is arguably more like a traditional "pilot complication". So for me, the Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 GMT was the obvious choice for this bold collection of pilot timepieces.
The base GMT model has a 48mm-wide steel case, which is, in a sense, really heavy. It has a mix of brushed and polished finishes and is water resistant to 100 meters. Even a large crown is a thing of beauty and feels comfortable in your fingers. Being so large makes operating and reading the watch so easy. I've said it before and will comment again - the Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 series thing is so big it's almost cartoonish. That's not necessarily a bad thing, although a piece like this is likely to typify the hatred of collectors who don't particularly like "big watches." On the other hand, if you like big watches, this will most likely be on your wish list.
Honestly, for a big watch, it wears just fine. The 48mm width and around 16mm thickness can't be disguised, but the watch fits well, and the short lugs are curved for maximum comfort. Even though I have smaller wrists, I'd happily pull off something like this on a regular basis. Maybe not as everyday wear, but a timepiece like this is a case in itself that combines style and utility. The dial is perhaps the Pilot Montre d'Aeronef Type 20 GMT's forte. Excellent contrast and easy-to-read numerals and hands make reading a breeze. Zenith – consistently a producer of high-quality hands – uses a brushed polish for the right-sized hands and fills them with luminous. So not only do you have a dial with ideal proportions, but you also have a dial that does not reflect light due to the lack of reflective surfaces. Allow me to implore watchmakers again; please stop putting inappropriately reflective surfaces on watch dials.
French manufacturer BRM has unveiled an "all black" version of its iconic DDF watch, with a design inspired by racing brake discs. It benefits from a technical finish that offers a unique perspective on the engine of Swiss watchmaking.
We no longer need to introduce BRM, an independent French manufacturer inspired by mechanical movements. Next year it will celebrate its 20th anniversary thanks to the passion and determination of its owner and founder, Bernard Richards, as well as its success with the public, riders and paddocks. For example, it was the first watch brand to offer an online configurator, allowing customers to personalize their watches, as some well-known sports car makers have done. Other manufacturers have since adopted this approach.
The DDF (read here) is one of BRM's flagship models, and its Brake Disc Bezel ("DDF") gives it character...and a success! The collection is available in several colour versions (read here): orange, blue, green, yellow, red…
Today, the manufacturer offers us the DDF6-46-N-SQ-AN, a more discreet, even sneaky, watch with an "all black" design. Nonetheless, it retains several details that make up the DNA of the BRM watch, as well as the connection to mechanical movement cherished by Bernard Richards: the hour numerals in the form of racing numerals, inspired by areas with red The tachometer's chronograph, the lightweight hands like the spokes of a racing wheel, the removable horn and the lightweight crown. The only concession: the sporty feel of the red second hand.
The 46 mm diameter stainless steel case (water-resistant to 100 meters) is machined from titanium, an ultra-light and durable material widely used in motorsport. Therefore, it compensates for its huge size. It has a black PVD finish that complements the perforated bezel and brake caliper-shaped crown holder. The handcrafted black Alcantara strap maintains the theme with tonal stitching and a black pin buckle.
Protected by anti-reflective sapphire crystal, the dial opens wide in the center of the watch's engine, allowing you to observe its operation and the movement of the various gears and cogs. The other side can also be seen through the sapphire crystal on the case back.
This is a "Swiss Made" ETA 2824/2 self-winding movement. It is hollowed out by hand to distinguish each component in detail. Vibrating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, it provides a compact power reserve of 38 hours. It's a powerful and precise movement that won't cause any problems. Also, like the spectacular FF39-40 introduced at the beginning of the year (read here), it is protected from shocks by a shock absorber system, here the Fortal HR shell is suspended by three springs.
With the DDF6-46-N-SQ-AN watch, BRM offers us a beautiful "all black" version in its iconic collection, reminiscent of racing brake discs. Preserving the famous "racing spirit" cherished by the French manufacturer, its openworked finish adds a technical and original side that will appeal to watchmaking mechanics. It is the subject of all the know-how of the manufacturer and its excellent quality has been recognized by the label "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" issued in 2021.
Technical characteristics – Case: Black PVD titanium, diameter 46 mm, water-resistant to 100 m, anti-reflection sapphire crystal, black PVD stainless steel bezel, black PVD 316L stainless steel crown and crown protector , 316L stainless steel lugs with black PVD treatment and sapphire crystal on the back; – Dial: Skeleton, ultralight black hour and minute hands with luminous tips, red central seconds; – Movement: ETA 2824/2 self-winding movement, 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), 25 jewels, 38-hour power reserve; – Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph; – Strap: Black Alcantara, black stitching, black PVD-treated stainless steel pin buckle; – Reference: DDF6-46-N-SQ-AN;
Out of the gate, Patek Philippe has released two of its biggest shows for Watches & Wonders in 2022. The first is the all-new Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Travel Time Reference. 5326G-001. This watch perfectly showcases retro style and technical ingenuity. It combines an almanac and a travel time complication that displays two time zones. It comes with automatic Calatrava Ref. The 5226G-001 also has a stunning overall new style. This is a watch that introduces explorer fashion. Let's find out more.
The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona means many different things to many different people, but one of the most common reactions to a watch is frustration, at least if you're talking about the steel-to-steel reference 116500LN. It’s a story that goes back decades, all the way back to 1963, when the first Cosmograph chronograph was introduced. The first cosmometer, ref. The 6239, wasn't an instant hit for Rolex - in fact, it didn't sell well at first. While chronographs had become an increasingly important watch category for the company in its portfolio in the 1960s, the Cosmograph certainly wasn't the ball beauty it is today, if not the ugly duckling among the swans.