Each week, EWC will be gathering horological industry news, cultural conversations and moments surrounding our favorite topic: timepieces. Happy Friday; here’s what’s on our watch. 

New releases are typically a little quiet in the lead-up to Watches & Wonders, but this week, there's a mic drop. There's a lot going on in the world of watch industry events, with charity galas, new facilities, and watchmaking awards taking place within a single week. We know it’s a lot to keep up with, so let’s get right to it.

New releases

Omega released the Constellation Observatory collection, the first two-hand watch to achieve Master Chronometer certification. In the past, chronometer certification required a seconds hand for observation, but a new testing method developed by the Laboratoire de Précision that uses an acoustic tracking method combined with optical hand-tracking that makes the requirement for a seconds hand optional. The collection has a plethora of color and metal options, including four versions in Omega’s proprietary stainless steel alloy O-MEGASTEEL, four in various types of 18K gold, and one in platinum.

The precious metal versions are powered by Calibre 8915, one of the two calibres developed for this collection. The Platinum-Gold edition, ref. 140.93.39.21.99.001, houses the Calibre 8915 Grand Luxe, which has a rotor base in 18K Sedna Gold and an Observatory medallion on the movement in 18K white gold with a dark blue sky enamelled with aventurine glass. The 18K gold versions, available in yellow Moonshine Gold (refs. 140.50.39.21.99.001 and 140.53.39.21.99.001), red Sedna gold (ref. 140.53.39.21.99.002), and white Canopus gold (ref. 140.53.39.21.99.004), contain Calibre 8915 Luxe, which has an 18K Moonshine Gold rotor and balance bridge. 

The steel versions are powered by Calibre 8914 Standard, a replica of Calibre 8915 Luxe in a rhodium-plated finish, and the dial options available include blue, white, green, and black ceramic. The pie-pan black ceramic dial shape on ref. 140.13.39.21.01.001 is a significant technical achievement, because the shapes involved are difficult to achieve in a ceramic material. 

In honor of the brand’s founder and namesake’s 200th birthday, Moritz Grossmann released the Hamatic Silver-Plated by Friction Anniversary Edition. In a limited edition of 18 pieces, it incorporates nods to history, such as the year 1826 engraved on the balance cock and the vintage M. Grossmann logo on the dial, as well as its modern and unconventional mechanism. It’s powered by the brand’s Calibre 106.0 automatic movement, which uses a pendulum-style hammer weight and has very well-executed hand-finishing. 

Celebs

Ryan Gosling wore a TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer 39mm ref. CBS2016.EB0430 to the NYC premiere of his new film, ‘Project Hail Mary’. He’s been seen with this piece at multiple premieres of the film. We have not seen the film, so cannot comment as to whether the watch is featured in the movie.

BTS member and Hublot ambassador Jung Kook wore a Hublot Big Bang Unico Black Magic ref. 441.CI.1171.RX for the band’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. The watch is powered by Hublot's HUB1280 UNICO Manufacture automatic flyback chronograph movement with a 72 hour power reserve.

Jay-Z’s watch collection was featured in an article in GQ, detailing his journey with watch collecting and collaborations that he has worked on with watch brands. For his cover shoot with the magazine, Jay-Z brought an amazing selection of his watches, including a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6264 “John Player Special”, a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6270, a Patek Philippe 5004R and 2499/101J (the former of which he’s been spotted wearing recently), a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-018 “Tiffany” dial, and a Patek Philippe 5308G-001.

Richard Mille announced the latest addition to their list of brand collaborators, reigning UFC Featherweight and Lightweight World Champion Ilia Topuria. The champion is the first combat sports athlete to enter the brand’s roster of partners. Outside the ring, he wears a RM 67-02 Automatic Extra-Flat.

Industry news

The Horological Society of New York held its 160th Anniversary Gala on March 21 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The packed room of attendees enjoyed dinner while bidding on ten auction lots, with the proceeds going to fund the scholarships that the organization provides to watchmaking students. The live auction, presented by Sotheby’s, included items such as a Dennison-Cased Rolex “Precision” solid gold wristwatch, donated by Dennison Watch; an HSNY Lifetime Membership Card, made and donated by Joshua Shapiro and Artur Akmaev; and a unique C by Romain Gauthier titanium wristwatch, donated by Romain Gauthier. 

Hazemann & Monnin were announced as the winners of the second edition of the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, with their “School Watch”. The winning timepiece is in a 39.5mm steel case, powered by the manually wound in-house Calibre HM-01, which has a jumping hour display and an exposed sonnerie au passage chiming mechanism on the dial side. It’s offered in both a mineral stone dial and openworked version. The award includes a €150,000 scholarship and a year-long mentorship at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. The pair are racking up recognition, and were previously winners of the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition in 2023.

Audemars Piguet opened their latest AP House in Miami Beach, AP House Miami. The space is a 7,300-square-foot experiential retail space was designed by Miami-based designers Studio DADO, using natural materials such as wood and stone and soft, blush pink tones for a calm and welcoming vibe. The space includes a panoramic view of Miami Beach from the indoor spaces or the large outdoor terrace.

Porsche Design opened its new Timepieces Manufaktur in Grenchen, Switzerland, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to independent watchmaking. The building itself formerly housed the Eterna watch manufacturing facility, Eterna watch manufacturing facility where Porsche Design timepieces were made from 1998 to 2014. The space has been renovated to include not only a watchmaking facility but an exhibition and experiential space, where visitors can discover the history of Porsche Design Timepieces.