Into the blue: Three great watches that are beautiful in blue
Taking inspiration from the sea and the sky, these are some of our favourite new watch releases from Switzerland and beyond, all looking beautiful in blue.
Oris Aquis Pro 4000m
The historic watchmaker of Holstein has progressed in leaps, bounds and huge splashes in recent years – from designer savvy to in-house mechanical nous. This latest bathyscaphe for the wrist goes several nautical miles in both senses, fit to dive all the way down to 4,000 metres, powered by Oris’s mammoth 120-hour ‘400’ movement, but kitted out with an ingenious timing bezel, lockable once set with a vulcanised rubber ring.
• £4,900, oris.ch
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT
In a sunray-brushed ‘Dragonfly Blue’ dial, Maidstone’s bafflingly affordable brand launches a dazzling refresh of its Swiss-made diver, driven by mechanics from the rocksolid white-label outfit Sellita (also supplier to TAG Heuer and Oris, no less). This new Sealander comes with a second 24-hour ‘GMT’ time-zone hand, and also premieres a new bracelet design for Christopher Ward, dubbed ‘Consort’ – a switch-up whose five-link array lends a sophisticated ‘beach to beach bar’ versatility.
• £1,060, christopherward.com
Grand Seiko Sport GMT Caliber 9S
This 200-metre water-resistant watch from Japan’s answer to Switzerland looks skyward rather than seaward, inspired by daybreak over Mount Iwate, near the Grand Seiko atelier. They’re calling the shimmering dial pattern ‘A sea of clouds’, with a Hi-Beat 36000 GMT Caliber 9S86 ticking beneath: a mechanical classic assembled and painstakingly adjusted by the handful of watchmakers in Seiko’s mountainside ‘Shizukuishi’ studio.
• £7,250, grand-seiko.com