SpotlightEthos Watch Awards 2018: The Most Outstanding Watches For Men

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February 17, 2021

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Watch Of The YearOris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition Exemplary Anniversary EditionOmega Seamaster Diver 300M Best Pilot’s WatchBreitling Navitimer 8 B01 Outstanding ChronographTissot T-Race MotoGP Automatic Best Boutique EditionJaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Limited Edition Outstanding SmartwatchFrederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture Best Skeleton WatchRaymond Weil Freelancer RW1212 Skeleton Outstanding Limited EditionCorum Admiral 45 Squelette Outstanding Tribute WatchBaume & Mercier Clifton Club Indian Tribute Burt Munro Outstanding ComplicationCarl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral Breakthrough MaterialGraham Chronofighter Superlight Carbon Outstanding Value WatchMovado Museum Classic Best Watch DesignNomos Autobahn Outstanding Diver’s WatchRolex Deepsea Outstanding Dress WatchJunghans Max Bill 2018 Best Vintage-Inspired WatchPanerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Acciaio ‘Art Deco’ Outstanding New SeriesMeistersinger Black Line Breakthrough World TimerOris Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 114 Outstanding UpdateRolex ‘Pepsi’ Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II Outstanding Coloured EditionCorum La Grande Vie Best In CustomisationTAG Heuer Monaco Bamford Calibre AchievementBaume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Outstanding Dial ArtGraham Chronofighter Vintage Nose Art—‘Chloe’ Trendiest Fashion WatchHugo Boss Modern Oxygen Watch Of The Year—People’s ChoiceHublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic

The greatest advancements in timekeeping that are unveiled every year are more often than not quite unattainable. The most ground-breaking achievements in mechanical watchmaking manifest in grand complication timepieces that only a handful of individuals will even see up-close, leave alone actually own and wear. However, concept watches and one-of-a-kind haute horlogerie pieces aside, there are still innovations aplenty that you can actually get your hands on and enjoy for decades and generations even. With the Ethos Watch Awards, we bring you 25 such watches for men that have made a mark in the realm of timekeeping this year.

We have a fair share of bestselling icons—such as the Omega Seamaster—that have kept their iconography alive, owing to the subtle yet impactful updates to their look. There are some drastic, but impressive updates as well, in the form of the Breitling Navitimer 8, and the new Art Deco dial of the Panerai Radiomir—an all-new (old) look. Contemporary design goes further with timepieces such as the best designed watch, the Nomos Autobahn, while customisation has never been quite like you see it in the new TAG Heuer Monaco Bamford. Keeping with the need of the hour is Frederique Constant that marries mechanical watchmaking with smart technology in their Hybrid piece. However, advancements in mechanical timekeeping haven’t gone unnoticed (read: the Baume & Mercier Baumatic), even as we admire a prestige complication going to the next level in the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral. And then there are fitting tributes to inspirational personalities and heroes of the past, such as our ‘watch of the year’, the Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition. So let’s get on with it, shall we!

Watch Of The Year
Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition

Paying tribute to Carl Maxie Brashear—the first amputee and African-American master diver of the United States Navy—is the Oris Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition, a ‘sequel’ to the 2016 edition. Crafted in bronze, like its predecessor, this 43mm chronograph exudes textural splendour through the embossed minute markers and treatment on the bronze unidirectional rotating bezel. The bicompax dial features gold-plated and SuperLuminova-enhanced hour marker indexes and central timekeeping hands. The stainless steel caseback narrates a story, with the celebrated American hero’s words embossed in steel, along with a motif of the diving helmet. This 2,000-piece limited edition watch, which is water resistant to 100m, is the ultimate symbol of an inspiring story and the definite watch of the year.

Exemplary Anniversary Edition
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M

Commemorating 25 years of the flagship Seamaster collection, Omega unveiled the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M in several variations, including this striking piece in steel, grey and blue

₹5,45,900

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Certain updates have been introduced, such as the date window positioning, the new case size of 42mm, and the new patented cone-shaped helium escapement valve at 10 o’clock

₹5,79,300

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Commemorating 25 years of the flagship Seamaster collection, Omega unveiled the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M in as many as 14 variations—each of them exemplifying the collection’s clout and sheer aura. Featuring a ceramic bezel with the diving scale in Ceragold™ or white enamel, the celebrated watchmaker has designed a beautiful dial, available in black, blue and a PVD-treated chrome colour. Certain updates have been introduced, such as the date window positioning, the new case size of 42mm, and the new patented cone-shaped helium escapement valve at 10 o’clock, which allows the wearer to operate it underwater with more ease. First featured on the wrist of Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in the movie GoldenEye (1995), the Seamaster has been making waves of change and setting records time and again.

Best Pilot’s Watch
Breitling Navitimer 8 B01

Guy Bove, Breitling’s creative director states that he Navitimer 8 is like a prequel to the existing Navitimer line, which can be traced back to 1952

₹15,24,530

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Synonymous with aviation and remarkable know-how of chronograph watch construction, the Breitling brand surprised many by doing away with the slide rule in the Navitimer 8 B01

₹6,65,000

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As Guy Bove, Breitling’s creative director puts it, “The Navitimer 8 is like a prequel to the existing Navitimer line (which can be traced back to 1952).” He states that the Navitimer 8 is basically a reference to the cockpit clocks, of the 1930s. “This is to make customers aware of how far back our aviation traditions go,” he adds. It’s this kind of conscientious strategy that has helped the brand in achieving phenomenal success in the domain of aviation watchmaking. Synonymous with aviation and remarkable know-how of chronograph watch construction, the Breitling brand surprised many by doing away with the slide rule in the Navitimer 8 B01. Powered by the automatic in-house B01 movement, this 43mm timepiece offers a massive 70-hour power reserve.

Outstanding Chronograph
Tissot T-Race MotoGP Automatic

Adding to Tissot’s sports lineage and numerous associations with motor-racing and other sports comes the bold and masculine T-Race MotoGP 2018 Automatic Limited Edition watch. Powered by a Swiss automatic movement, this chronograph is a true collector’s item for motorbike fans. With a commitment to inspire and a drive to strengthen its performance, Tissot has infused a number of motorbike racing-inspiring elements in this timepiece. Right from the colours of MotoGP and Tissot seen in the overall black look and striking red details, to the brakedisc anticlockwise rotating bezel, and the oscillating mass of the automatic movement—visible through the caseback—the 45mm round stainless steel case with black and rose gold PVD coating is a sight to behold.

Best Boutique Edition
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Limited Edition

This year’s special edition from the iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso collection pays tribute to equestrianism—the very origins of the collection. It was a watch made for polo players, who could flip the case on its back so as to not smash the glass with their polo mallets. In this edition, the Reverso comes fitted with a leather strap made by Casa Fagliano, the Argentinian manufacturers of premium leather goods, specialising in equestrian boots. Set in a rose gold case, water resistant to 30m and measuring 49.4mm by 29.9mm, one side has a slate grey dial with hours, minutes and seconds, while the other is silvered with hours, minutes and a day-night indicator.

Outstanding Smartwatch
Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture

Touted as ‘the world’s first 3.0 watch’, the Frederique Constant Hybrid smartwatch offers three technologies—mechanical timekeeping, smart features and calibre analytics

₹3,77,900

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The 42mm stainless steel case shines through in all four models with the black, brown, or dark blue alligator leather straps lending a highly traditional look

₹3,49,500

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Touted as ‘the world’s first 3.0 watch’, the Frederique Constant Hybrid smartwatch offers three technologies—mechanical timekeeping, smart features and calibre analytics—thereby bridging the gap between smartwatches and mechanical watches. Leaving one spoilt for choice, the collection includes four models with the variation of rose gold plating on one, while the dial colours vary from silver to navy and grey. The 42mm stainless steel case shines through in all four models with the black, brown, or dark blue alligator leather straps lending a highly traditional look. Running on a frequency of 28,800vph, the Hybrid offers a 42-hour power reserve for the mechanical movement, with a seven-day battery life for the smart functions. An exceptional avant-garde smartwatch, the Hybrid gives tech giants stiff competition.

Best Skeleton Watch
Raymond Weil Freelancer RW1212 Skeleton

The skeleton dial is beautifully framed by the hour-marker ring, within the 42mm case that comes in three versions

₹3,20,000

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Besides the version in full black PVD-treated steel, there is also an all-steel version with accents in blue

₹3,11,000

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All versions, including the two-tone version, offer a view of the movement through the skeletonised display

₹3,08,000

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Displaying their first in-house movement—the automatic calibre RW1212—for the first time in an open-worked display, Raymond Weil has exhibited advancing capabilities in mechanical watchmaking this year. The skeleton dial is beautifully framed by the hour-marker ring, within the 42mm case that comes in three versions. There are versions with full black PVD-treated steel and steel and gold cases feature gold detailing, while the all-steel version has accents in blue. The former two come with black and brown leather straps respectively, while the latter comes with a steel bracelet. All versions even offer a view of the movement, featuring a skeletonised winding rotor, through the sapphire crystal caseback.

Outstanding Limited Edition
Corum Admiral 45 Squelette

Having a strong grip on the production of avant-garde nautical watches, owing to the iconic Corum Admiral line, Corum continues to steer the watchmaking world since its inception. A flagship among the watchmaker’s 2018 novelties is the Admiral 45 Squelette collection. Limited to 288 units of each variant, this bold and playful collection comprises seven timepieces, which includes three models with cases in natural titanium, and four others in matte-black PVD. The eye-catching skeleton dials with the trademark dodecagonal bezel and nautical pennants make this collection an exclusive horological beauty. The combinations of fun colours and the possibility of adding coloured rubber straps lend a sporty chic appeal.

Outstanding Tribute Watch
Baume & Mercier Clifton Club Indian Tribute Burt Munro

A product of a fantastic partnership between Baume & Mercier and Indian Motorcyle—the premium American motorcycle manufacturers—this watch pays tribute to the New Zealander biker, Burt Munro who set the under-1,000cc record speed, in 1967. The year is also the inspiration for this limited edition of 1,967 pieces. The chronograph watch also features design elements inspired by Munro and his achievements. His Streamliner motorcycle’s red is seen on the strap and chronograph hands, his lucky number ‘35’ on the small seconds sub-dial, and the number 184 corresponding to his record speed of 184mph is highlighted on the tachymeter scale of the bezel. An exemplary sporty watch, this tribute is the perfect piece for any motorcycling enthusiast.

Outstanding Complication
Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral

This year, Carl F. Bucherer took the tourbillon and flew with it. One of the most prestigious mechanical watchmaking complications was reinterpreted as a peripherally-mounted mechanism and combined with the brand’s signature peripheral winding rotor, the watch became a ‘Double Peripheral’. This new movement—the chronometer-certified Carl F. Bucherer T3000 calibre—places the peripherally-mounted tourbillon cage at 12 o’clock, which also acts as the sub-dial for the small seconds display. Offering a phenomenal 65-hour power reserve, the calibre fits right into a 43mm 18-carat rose gold case that perfectly frames the white dial with gold details. Water resistant to 30m, this case comes with a brown alligator leather strap with a gold pin-buckle.

Breakthrough Material
Graham Chronofighter Superlight Carbon

With a relentless focus on in-depth research on high-tech materials and international patents in material technology and watchmaking, Graham’s main area of expertise has been material innovation. Testament to this is the newly unveiled Chronofighter Superlight Carbon series that draws inspiration from the vibrantly coloured racing tyres spotted in Formula One racing. Besides using carbon for its signature crown protector-cum-chronograph trigger, the brand has applied the material in the making of the 47mm superlight case as well as the lugs and the iconic Graham trigger crown.

Outstanding Value Watch
Movado Museum Classic

Heavily influenced by the highly venerated Bauhaus movement and designed by influential designer Nathan George Horwitt, who left an indelible imprint in the world of art, design and horology are the Movado Museum Classic watches. The one watch that comes into focus for its outstanding value is the Museum Classic adorning a textured cognac leather strap with a black PVD-finished stainless steel buckle. The indulgence of cognac leather—a strong and confident shade that automatically suggests luxury—makes it an absolute classic choice, especially at the price it is offered at. Featuring the signature Museum dot at 12 o’clock, the black Museum dial looks resplendent in the 40mm black PVD-finished stainless steel case.

Best Watch Design
Nomos Autobahn

Named after the German highway system that is devoid of a mandated speed limit, German watchmaker Nomos Glashütte’s Autobahn can be called a ‘tasteful ticket to speed

₹4,37,000

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Boasting of dial colours in options such as white with silver-plating, sports grey, and midnight blue, this watch is heavily inspired by racetracks and automotive analogue dash counters

₹4,37,000

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Produced in collaboration with German designer Werner Aisslinger, each Nomos Autobahn timepiece can be declared as a one-of-a-kind novelty

₹4,37,000

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Named after the German highway system that is devoid of a mandated speed limit, German watchmaker Nomos Glashütte’s Autobahn can be called a ‘tasteful ticket to speed’. This sporty automatic model is the recipient of the Red Dot Design Award 2018 that recognises global excellence and innovative products with outstanding form, function, aesthetics and quality. Boasting of dial colours in options such as white with silver-plating, sports grey, and midnight blue, this watch is heavily inspired by racetracks and automotive analogue dash counters, as is evident in the curved rehaut design in the centre of the watch. Produced in collaboration with German designer Werner Aisslinger, each Nomos Autobahn timepiece can be declared as a one-of-a-kind novelty.