Christmas Picks – Lifetime Budget by Our Team
After having announced our team’s choices regarding this year’s launches for different budgets over the last two days, we ended this journey today with the announcement of the Lifetime Budget, with prices starting from €5,001 without limit.
We leave our choices below.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX White Dial
I’ve been looking for a watch with a white dial for some time and the new IWC Mark XX is a real temptation, despite its 40mm case that naturally fits big on my wrist, I loved it, it combines the simplicity of the basic time and date functions with a pilot’s watch design, materialized in black Arabic numerals that match the black hands and a discreet date window that almost goes unnoticed due to its ‘camouflage’ and then we have the iconic triangle between two points marking 12 o’clock.
On the outside everything is perfect, its round shape with brushed surfaces, a smooth polished bezel, a wide fluted crown as expected, a solid case back adorned with a plane and a five-rows steel bracelet.
And inside the symphony continues, thanks to the Caliber 32111 that offers five days of power reserve, and all this for €6,850 this could be the one.
Ines Dias
Rolex Daytona 100th Anniversary 24 Hours of Le Mans
As soon as the new Daytona came out, it won me over mainly due to its details, in addition to the beautiful reverse Panda dial, the watch just adds up, be it the details on the dial and bezel painted in red, the new 24-hour register that replaces the traditional 12-hour counter and of course the new and impressive Caliber 4132 which is Superlative Chronometer and therefore proudly displays through the sapphire crystal of the rear case its skeletonized oscillating weight in yellow gold engraved with ‘Chronometer Perpetual’.
The only downside is that the case is in white gold, as the real Daytona is supposed to be in steel, but I think I can live with that issue, as far as its waiting list is concerned, the music is different. The watch is on sale for €52,200.
Bruno Lopes
JLC Reverso Tribute Small Seconds
The simplicity of the new Reversos despite the small seconds complication is remarkable, preserving all the elegance of a classic watch that was born for the polo sport.
The watch fits very well even on small wrists thanks to its dimensions of 27.40mm by 45.60mm and a thickness of just over 7.50mm for the gold versions and 1mm more for the steel ones, which is remarkable considering its slide case, which when not displaying the time, shows a solid back ideal for engraving dates, names or special messages.
The dial, which can come in black, red or white-silver, features a sunburst finish, applied hour markers and faceted Daphine hands in addition to the running seconds.
The Caliber 722 does not dazzle with its 42 hours of reserve but it fulfills its mission, highlighting the Fagliano calf leather canvas straps to which the new Reversos are attached, which in addition to being beautiful are very versatile.
The steel version with a white dial is by far my favorite and comes at a nice price of €9,200.
Duarte Camacho
Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1,200M
The celebration of the 75th anniversary of the brand’s most iconic diving watch, the Seamaster, dictated the return of the much-missed Ploprof, the robust diving watch with a case with a distinctive shape as it includes a crown safety clasp on the left and a vertical safety pusher on the right.
The watch returns to its roots dressed in steel and with dimensions closer to the original, which fits incredibly well even on smaller wrists (believed, we tested it!) and with a beautiful gradient blue dial with light blue accents, and no date window, on which we never stop being grateful for.
At its helm is the Caliber 8912 with an appreciable 60 hours of power reserve, which is protected by a solid rear case engraved with the figure of Poseidon. The new Ploprof comes attached to a retro-style blue rubber strap, but which can be replaced with the brand’s Mesh bracelet, an upgrade that we highly recommend (or not due the price).
The price is not cheap, and if we add the Mesh bracelet to the €16,100 requested, the final price should be around €17,500.
Nuno Sampaio
A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar In Platinum
After the other two versions in pink gold and white gold, it now appears in platinum with a black dial, and it is probably the most beautiful of all.
Its 41mm case, which is not small but also not large, allows it to house a dial full of complications, where we can find an off-center dial, a big double date window, a retrograde day-week display, a small seconds, a month indicator, a moon-phase aperture and even a trapezoid leap year window, all of this in an almost perfect harmony within the reach of very few and which A. Lange & Söhne executes with mastery.
All this is only possible thanks to the incredible In-house Caliber L021.3 carefully hand-sculpted.
The price rocks the sky, estimated at over €100,000.
We continue to dream of a smaller version (Little Lange 1) in steel and more affordable.
Ricardo Amaral