SERIOUS WATCHES:

Kith is back with its third and most powerful G-SHOCK 6900 collaboration to date, giving its metal shroud an iridescent coating and designing the kind of strap that could become a signature.

The collaboration process saw more than ten rounds of sampling before arriving at the desired level of color gradation as well as distribution of color along the sides.

Kith’s monogram is arranged in an alternating pattern along the watch’s translucent strap, which is finished with a metal pin buckle given a dark blue treatment.

Being a G-SHOCK the model is both shock resistant and water resistant to 200m, it features an electro-luminescent backlight, multi-function alarm and a perpetual calendar accurate until 2099. The set, which includes a second clear strap, is presented in custom packaging along with a zone created for the partnership.

The Kith for G-SHOCK GM-6900 Rainbow follows a rose gold take on the GM-6900 from earlier this year and the Kith x G-SHOCK DW-6900KTH-7 Sea Salt from 2018.

The G-SHOCK 6900 series has been around since 1995 and has come to embody the brand through its silhouette and three round counter LED screens above the main display. The GM variant is a more recent addition, adding a forged metal shroud over the watch for a more premium feel.

The Kith for G-Shock GM-6900 Rainbow drop on March 22 via Kith, priced $400 USD.Audemars Piguet has revealed a new, entirely redesigned 43mm Royal Oak Offshorecase size with a haute horlogerie limited-edition flying tourbillon flyback chronograph.

Presumably introduced to eventually replace the existing 42mm and 44mm cases entirely, the new ‘evolved’ 43mm case has been completely redesigned, here in titanium, with improved appearance and ergonomics in mind featuring wider beveled edges as well as a vertically curved bezel and sapphire crystal.

It also represents the first time a flying tourbillon has appeared in an Royal Oak Offshore. The Calibre 2967 adapts the existing Calibre 2952 that debuted in AP’s Code 11.59 collection late last year for the larger diameter of the Offshore, while also switching up the movement’s aesthetic from a crisp luxury geometry to an altogether sportier, more muscular feel.

The movement’s open-worked satin-brushed titanium bridges, which make up the watch’s open dial, are treated to a black PVD coating while sandblasted and polished raw titanium inserts present a high contrast look, not dissimilar to air intakes on a supercar.

While the Calibre 2967 matches its predecessor with 65 hours of power reserve the watch itself offers a more reassuring 100m of water resistance more inline with the Offshore’s sportier characteristics. The watch also features Audemars Piguet’s new quick change strap system, which is built directly into the watch’s iconic studs, and is supplied with a a black alligator strap and a black rubber alternative.

Just 100 individually numbered pieces are being produced and are available now, priced CHF 250,000 ($270,000 USD).Montblanc is introducing a limited edition 1858 Split Second Chronograph crafted in a brand new alloy created by the company itself: 18K Lime Gold.

Used to craft the 44mm case of the chronograph, the new lime gold material consists of 18k gold, silver, and iron, combined to create a pale, yellow-green tone. Complementing the hue of this innovative material are the green numeral indexes, the cathedral hour and minute hands, and the tachymeter and telemeter scales, all arranged elegantly on the gold-toned, sunray-finished dial.

Powering the watch itself as the in-house mono-pusher chronograph calibre MG M16.31 — a movement that draws inspiration from the original Minerva calibre 19-09CH from 1909 — operating at 2.5Hz and carrying a power reserve of 50 hours. A display caseback provides a clear view into the intricate movement, which boasts handcrafted traditional finishings including Côtes de Genève, inner angles, circular graining and bevelling, all done within the Montblanc Manufacture in Villeret, Switzerland. The vintage-inspired timepiece is then completed with a green nubuck alligator strap with beige stitching, naturally paired with a buckle in the same lime gold material.

Now available, Montblanc’s new lime gold 1858 Split Second Chronograph Limited Edition 18 is retailing for $50,000 USD. Head over to the watchmaker’s website to learn more.Audemars Piguet is going green with its first-ever full platinum Royal Oak Jumbo, the Le Brassus brand’s 39mm octagonal superstar.

Both case and bracelet are crafted from 950 platinum but the watch forgoes the model’s usual Tapisserie dial pattern in favour of an unorthodox smoked green sunburst dial, with the lack of relief changing the Royal Oak’s appearance considerably.

There’s little to distract from the dial itself with just applied 18kt white gold hour markers, hour and minute hands, a date window with black date wheel and minimal text, although the inclusion of the word ‘Automatic’ seems a little superfluous.

The watch itself is just 8.1mm from front-to-back, more than answering the ‘Ultra Thin‘ claim, especially in such a geometric design. This is made possible thanks to its self-winding Calibre 2121 inside, which despite its full-width, 22kt gold winding rotor, usually the first thing to go when designing an ultra-thin movement, is just 3.3mm thick.

The 2.75Hz movement has a power reserve of 40 hours and and is visible through a sapphire crystal exhibition caseback while the watch is water resistant to 50m.

Just 100 pieces of the $105,400 USD watch will be made and are only available through Audemars Piguet’s network of AP House ‘apartments’.