Welcome to our luxxee magazine weekly wrap-up, where we bring you fresh news about what's going on in the watch world.
The Rolex Deepsea Challenge
The new Deepsea Challenge had one of the most incredible releases, unveiled by James Cameron since it pulled inspiration from the experimental watch that travelled 10,908 meters (35,787 feet) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Essentially, the new Deep Sea Challenge is a production model of the experimental watch and built as an ally in all water pressures. Now, this release took so long to cover due to me having to wrap my head around one thing; the gargantuan case size.
While the experimental watch was attached to the arm of James Cameron’s submersible, the new Deepsea Challenge is meant for the wrist. Rolex has decided to do a soft launch and use a low-production model to introduce the latest technologies in the Deepsea Challenge gradually. The case and bracelet have been crafted from Grade 5 titanium, RLX titanium specifically, to be 30% lighter than the experimental and durable for all depths. Due to the experimental aesthetics, some changes had to be made. Rolex decided to thin out the crystal over the dial, change the case and bracelet material, and rethink overall watch sizing. That last statement is shocking once I get into more detail.
The Deepsea Challenge features a grade 5 titanium case and bracelet, RLX titanium specifically. Titanium decreases the weight of the experimental watch by a whopping 30% for the Deepsea Challenge, making it considerably lighter on the wrist. A lighter weight is beneficial, especially when the case size is 50mm. If you have to read that again, I understand entirely. While the “sweet spot” in terms of sizing for most is 38-40mm, Rolex decided to take a completely different tact and make the Deepsea Challenge a staggering 50mm.
I know this is an extreme dive watch and the sizing is justified considering it has a depth rating of 11,000 meters, a helium escape valve and everything else you’d find in a deep sea diver. Still, the sizing is unbelievably large and won’t look proportionate if you aren’t the size of Shaquille O'Neal. Taking a deeper dive (pun intended), the new Deepsea Challenge features the Rolex calibre 3230. The 3230 features a Chronergy escapement, Parachrom hairspring, 70-hour power reserve and Paraflex shock absorbers. Not to mention it’s also a Superlative Chronometer.
I know it’s big and bulky, but with its already extensive pre-cursor with James Cameron and the Mariana Trench, the Deepsea Challenge is a fantastic watch if you’re into diving or life that lives beneath the surface. While it retails for $26,000, it’s unrealistic for most, but please check it out in the metal if you have the chance.
Watch Wonders: Are we paying too much for high-end watches?
As a collector, I often look through eBay or any marketplace website for watches or straps and realized that this hobby is costly. Buying my way into high-end Swiss watches seems more and more unrealistic as days go by and markets increase exponentially. While we have seen a slight decline in grey market pricing with some brands, others have maintained their pricing or increased. However, I thought about high-end watches with the recent release of the Christopher Ward C1 Bel Canto and where the luxury market might be heading.
The release of the Bel Canto was a perfect example that a beautifully complex and elegant wristwatch didn’t need to clean out your bank account. While it was a limited release, its popularity showed Christopher Ward that the people wanted more of it. I’m sure we’ll see a large production run, but should other brands be worried about more “budget-friendly” entries into the luxury watch space?
Brands such as Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe are at the forefront of Swiss luxury with large and unrealistic pricing for mere watch-collecting mortals. With more brands bringing intelligent and unique designs to the table and making them more accessible, we might see a response from prominent brands like AP and Patek to get into the “affordable” market.
I’m aware that you’re getting more in terms of finishing, movement decoration, and more complications and components with more expensive brands.
Still, as technology advances, it trickles down into more budget-friendly spaces. It happens in every industry. Could the Bel Canto be the first to start the affordable yet complicated wristwatch? We’ll have to wait and see.
The Social Corner: @viranimansion
It’s that time again when I talk about someone in the Instagram horology scene that’s absolutely killing it. This week, I want to talk about a fantastic collector, artist and overall amazing person, and that is @viranimansion.
Virani, or V, is a wonderfully talented artist with an exceptional eye for beautiful wristwatches. Showing off her collection of Timex, Junghans, Vostok and Breitling, and many others, you can always find gorgeous photos of her collection through her Instagram account. Are you interested in art? Well, she just so happens to have an art profile, @viranicanvas. Check out her profiles for some awesome content.
Thank you for reading luxxee's weekly wrap-up and don't forget to come back next week to see what’s happening in the watch world!
