White metal watches rarely shout. Steel, white gold and platinum sit quietly on the wrist, and this season’s watches lean on that restraint. Photographed by Clover Green for our December issue, the selection shows how far simplicity can go.
Steel and white gold, stripped back
Richard Mille’s RM 07-01 places a white-gold tonneau-shaped case on a black rubber strap. The contrast does most of the work, and few white gold watches need so little else.
Omega’s Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond takes a different route. It has a steel case and matching bracelet, and it is the watchmaker’s latest tribute to the British spy franchise.
Steel also anchors the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 100 and Montblanc’s Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen. Both show how these pieces can carry a sporty design without extra ornament.
Steel’s quiet presence extends beyond the wrist, as a minimalist kitchen tool shows. Kairi Eguchi’s Disappearing Stainless Steel Shoehorn proves that restraint can be a functional statement worth a look.
Ceramic, sunrays and a calendar that adjusts both ways
IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince uses a 42.9-millimetre white ceramic case. Ceramic is lighter than steel and very hard, so it resists scratches well. A stainless steel crown and case back ring complete the metal palette.
The dial is a deep blue sunray finish, a hallmark of IWC’s special editions inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s world-famous tale. White printed numerals and rhodium-plated hands filled with Super-LumiNova keep the time legible in low light.
The ProSet is the first perpetual calendar with a moon phase that can be set forwards and backwards from a single crown position. Its module is built from gear wheels, protected by five patents, and many parts are made using the LIGA process, a high-precision microstructuring method that combines lithography and electroplating.
The calibre 82665 is manufactured in-house by IWC. Its reinforced Pellaton winding system, which uses nearly wear-free ceramic components, builds a 60-hour power reserve. A white rubber strap comes fitted and swaps out easily thanks to the EasX-CHANGE system.
The calendar has a longer history than this model. In the early 1980s, IWC’s head watchmaker Kurt Klaus set out to turn the irregular Gregorian calendar into a mechanical program for a wristwatch. His design debuted in the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar in 1985, using only about 80 parts. Its moon phase deviates from the real moon by one day after 577.5 years, while the new ProSet’s gear train drifts by one day only after 1040 years.
If the perpetual calendar caught your eye, a silver-toned lunar calendar takes a similar approach to timekeeping. Oboro’s Elegant Lunar Calendar Blends Art and Utility offers a gentler take on tracking the moon‘s cycles.
Classics in steel and gold
Patek Philippe’s Twenty-4 has been one of the most enduring design classics among luxury watches since its debut in 1999. Its clean lines have held their appeal across two decades of changing tastes.
The Oyster Perpetual 36 watch by Rolex belongs to the same category of enduring design. Here it is photographed in Oystersteel, Rolex‘s stainless steel.
Warm gold and lighter white metal watches
Cartier pairs steel with warm yellow gold on its new Santos de Cartier watch. The two tones pair steel with warm yellow gold.
Titanium offers a different kind of quiet among silvery timepieces. It is a lightweight, silver-grey transition metal, and Breguet uses it for the new Marine Chronograph 5527.
For a matching sense of restraint in dress, the Favourbrook label offers eveningwear and womenswear. Across these luxury watches, the common thread is simple: a clean case, a clear dial and a metal that does not need to be noticed. The cool, crisp finish of these watches, as cool as an Icicle, lets the design speak first.
Via wallpaper.com
Frequently asked questions
How long is the power reserve of IWC’s calibre 82665?
The calibre 82665 is manufactured in-house by IWC and builds a 60-hour power reserve. Its reinforced Pellaton winding system uses nearly wear-free ceramic components.
Can the moon phase on IWC’s ProSet be set both ways?
The ProSet is the first perpetual calendar with a moon phase that can be set forwards and backwards from a single crown position. This makes adjusting the moon phase simpler for the wearer.
Why does IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch use a ceramic case?
Ceramic is lighter than steel and very hard, so it resists scratches well. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet uses a 42.9-millimetre white ceramic case.