Łukasz DoskoczCH24 Watch of the Year 2023 – winners of the 14th edition!
Hereby we present you the winners of the 14th edition of our “CH24 Watch of the Year”. International […]
Watch of the Year 2013 – “and the awards go to…”
The 4th edition of our “Watch of the Year” competition came to a happy end. Hereby we present you the 7 best timepieces form last 12 months, including the one selected by you.
It is already for the 4th time, that together with four of our great friends (Elizabeth Doerr, Miguel Seabra, Kristian Haagen and Dariusz Chlastawa) we embarked on the mission to select the best watches premiered this passing year. As usual, it was not an easy choice, but after long discussions and extended voting we selected 6 winners in each competition’s category. The last winner was selected by a public vote in the open, internet voting on the WOTY dedicated website. And the winners are…
Watch of the Year 2013 – the Results
Classic watch
In the category easily described with the words like “timelessness” and “purism” our choice went to the new version of the true watchmaking icon – the Calatrava by Patek Philippe. Celebrating its 185th birthday next year, the Geneva manufacture unveiled (earlier this year) modern incarnation of the piece believed to be a design perfection and of ideal proportions. Calatrava Ref.5227 presents the golden, 39mm case, elegant dial with central seconds hand and a date plus an automatic, beautifully finished 324 calibre, hidden behind the sapphire glass and a protective gold cover – just like in the old pocket watches form the past.
Sport watch
Just like the classic Calatrava, also the “Sport watch” category winner – the Omega “Dark Side of the Moon” – is a modern version of the legendary watch, the Speedmaster moonwatch, that was the first timepiece on the surface of the moon, worn by American astronauts on their space mission of Apollo 11. The DSotM is however a very different watch, mainly because of the use of high-tech ceramic. Omega went far beyond the others with the use of ceramic composite – this resistant, light and deep-black as a night material was used for the case, the dial, the pushers, the crown and even the clasp of the timepiece. Add the automatic, in-house made 9300 calibre with Co-Axial escapement and you have a truly stunning watch.
Complicated watch
For every watch aficionado the complication are the essence of this micro-mechanical art – no meter if can or can’t afford them. There are 4 grand complications: tourbillion, perpetual calendar, minute repeater and the split-second chronograph. When 3 of them meet in one timepiece made by the manufacture, that is regarded as one of the best out there, the choice of the best “complicated watch” seams quite easy. The 2013 award goes to the Grand Complication from A.Lange&Sohne. Its 50mm gold case houses manually wound calibre L1902 with perpetual calendar, split-second chronograph and a Grande and Petite Sonnerie. Mechanically it is a near perfect creation.
Ladies watch
The year 2013 will be remembered as a ladies year – never before watchmaking manufactures have paid so much attention to the ladies and the watches made especially for them. If before that time most of the women preferred full paved, diamond set pieces, the taste recently changed to more of a manly approach, with higher appreciation for watch mechanics. We saw plenty of great, mechanical ladies watches this past 12 months, and our choice is one of them – the Jaeger-LeCoultre Randez-Vous Celestial. Small, white gold case with diamonds protects an automatic, JLC manufactured calibre 809 with the Celestial complication – stars chart on the Northern hemisphere, the Signs of the Zodiac and the month indication.
Innovation in watchmaking
If the classic is what shaped the watchmaking art, innovations are what drives it today. When one could think, that we already saw everything possible made before, there are manufactures that prove us all wrong. Each of the 6 nominated timepieces is innovative in its own way, but our choice went to the Antoine Martin Slow Runner. When most of the watch brands participate in the race to achieve better chronometrical values by mean of higher frequency, Antoin Martin went the complete opposite way, creating a watch with the slowest beating, 24mm balance wheel. The frequency is 1Hz. Looking at this breathing regulating organ was never such a pleasurable experience, yet accessible for a less wealthy collector. The price tag for a steel version is 19.500CHF.
Watch priced up to 10.000PLN
Mechanical watches are a beautiful, addictive and unfortunately mostly expensive passion. Luckily there are some manufacturers producing great quality pieces with a affordable price level. This quality/price ratio is well represented by each of the nominated pieces, but our choice went to the watch, that offers something extra – the breath of fresh air. SevenFriday P3 – our winner – was designed by Daniel Niederer and his team as a futuristic piece, that could easily be mistaken for a top-dollar, innovative watch from a high-end brand. His brilliant, fresh idea combined with good quality and mechanical movement inside brought together a watch, that caused a huge sensation world-wide.
Public Prize
And finally your vote in this year’s “Watch of the Year”. Selecting from al the 31 nominated timepieces, your choice is a watch that combines couple of fundamental things: timelessness, elegant look, in-house made movement, useful complications and quite an attractive price tag – the Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Manufacture. Gold case (42mm), alligator leather strap, automatic FC calibre, purist dial with an analogue date and a moon phase – this is your 2013 Watch of the Year.
The final dinner gala of 2013 Watch of the Year will be held in Warsaw on November 7th, at the Sobanski Palace, home of the Polish Business Club (our partner). The award ceremony will also reveal the winner in the “Grand Prix of the Watch of the Year 2013” category and a “Special Jury Prize”.
The co-host of the event are the Polish Watch and Clocks Collectors Club and the MANAGER MBA magazine.
More about the 2013 Watch of the Year on the official website HERE.
