Since its debut, WatchTime New York has served as a major launch pad for watch brands looking to reach the collector community in the United States. As the country’s largest and most significant watch event, WTNY has long hosted a wide range of luxury watchmakers, several of them taking the opportunity over the years to launch and showcase models that are entirely new to American audiences.
Such has been the case with this year’s recently concluded event, with many participating brands taking the prime opportunity to either highlight or launch new timepieces for Fall 2021. Among them were A. Lange & Söhne, De Bethune, Arnold & Son, Blancpain, MeisterSinger, Bremont, MB&F, and more, with details below:
1. De Bethune Dream Watch 5 “Season 1”
Of the many releases, none was more prominent at the event, and to the wider media world, than De Bethune’s Dream Watch 5 “Season 1.” Developed as part of a partnership with rapper and producer Swizz Beatz, the futuristic, azure-toned timepiece is an even more novel take on the already avant-garde Dream Watch 5 design. Importantly, in an effort to update and distinguish its latest haute horologerie creation, De Bethune not only used a blue-tinted titanium for its case but also added hardened mineral glass and sapphire crystal throughout to put its jumping time display nearly in full view.
The Dream Watch 5’s “Season 1,” designation implies that it is likely to be the first in a number of subsequent collaborative models by the brand, with this first edition limited to 10 total pieces, each priced at $520,000.
2. Arnold & Son Luna Magna Platinum
Arnold & Son was quick to draw attention at WTNY, not only with its existing, impressive catalog of three-dimensional haute horological creations, but also with a brand-new timepiece unveiled on the floor of the event. The new watch is dubbed the Luna Magna Platinum, and it follows up on two other releases within the Luna Magna line this year, the gem-adorned Luna Magna Ultimate I, and the original, rose-gold Luna Magna.
Like its siblings, the Platinum edition of the Luna Magna features the largest 3D moon ever built into a wristwatch, though it now accomplishes this within a namesake 950 platinum case. The watch is limited to 28 pieces globally, with pricing marked at 55,900 Swiss francs or about $61,500.
3. Blancpain Air Command Blue Titanium
While historic Swiss watchmaker Blancpain has had a relatively quiet year, the brand made a step toward changing that at WTNY 2021, providing guests a sneak preview of the new blue-accented, titanium-cased Air Command.
While not much is known about the new watch yet (Blancpain has yet to issue a release), it looks to be a fresh take on the original Air Command from 2019 (below), a luxuriously updated pilot’s chronograph watch inspired by a rare timepiece produced for the U.S. Air Force in the late 1950s that went by the same name. The new Air Command appears to take that historical style and update it for today, not so much in general design but certainly in materials and colors — as seen in its prominent use of a blue colorway in contrast to the 2019 model’s black style, along with the titanium case rather than the steel case of its predecessor.
Pricing and availability of the new Blancpain Air Command is still unknown, though its likely to surpass the original, which was limited to 500 pieces and priced at 18,460 euros, or about $21,425.
4. MeisterSinger Bell Hora
While high-end luxury launches loomed large at the event, there were other notable releases that catered toward a more entry-level price point. Among them was German watchmaker MeisterSinger‘s new Bell Hora, a one-handed timepiece that features an uncommon “sonnerie au passage” complication that produces a friendly chime at the top of each hour and can be activated (or deactivated) via a simple button in the upper right section of the case.
Quiet enough to be heard only by the wearer, yet loud enough to spark a smile, the Bell Hora is a rare and true novelty, providing a chiming complication in a mechanical format at a price point far below those typically reserved for other chiming timepieces such as alarm watches and, most famously, minute repeaters. The model importantly celebrates 20 years of operation for MeisterSinger and it does so in a seriously memorable fashion.
Pricing for the MeisterSinger Bell Hora is 3,490 euros, or about $4,060, with production of the watch ongoing.
5. Bremont Longitude
After their first unveiling in London, Bremont‘s new Longitude models attracted a crowd of American aficionados at WatchTime New York. The three watches include a rose-gold, white-gold, and steel variation, each differing in colors and materials, but all using the British brand’s signature Trip-Tick case construction, a large onion-style crown, and, most notably, a raised central globe with namesake longitudinal lines on the dial.
The Longitude was released to celebrate the opening of Bremont’s new manufacture in Great Britain called The Wing. As such, each features the Bremont Caliber ENG376, a new automatic movement that serves as the first variation of the base Caliber ENG300 announced in mid-October 2021, and one hailed as the first Bremont movement assembled and largely manufactured at its domestic facilities.
The Bremont Longitude will be available for purchase globally in early December, with the steel edition limited to 150 pieces and priced at $16,995, and the rose-gold and white-gold versions, limited to 75 pieces, marked at $23,995 and $24,995, respectively. A portion of each sale will benefit Royal Museums Greenwich, Bremont’s partner for the limited-edition, commemorative launch.
6. MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO Titanium
While technically not launched at WatchTime New York 2021, as it was announced to the press a few days earlier, the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO Titanium took advantage of the prominent Manhattan horological stage for its first physical and public showcase.
The watch follows up the first LM Perpetual EVO, released in 2020, which was itself a sportier variation of the experimental watchmaker’s famed Legacy Machine. This year’s version updates the style in an even sportier and trendier direction, replacing the first EVO’s zirconium case material with grade 5 titanium, and adding to the display a green CVD dial plate in place of the previously used “atomic orange.”
While not technically a limited edition, the production of the new MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO Titanium by its $176,000 price is likely to restricted to relatively small quantities.
7. A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen”
The new A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” was not technically launched at WatchTime New York, and the watch was not present at the event, but its October 24 debut coincided with the last day of WTNY, so guests who attended the special announcement at Lange’s booth were among the first to be introduced to the new limited edition.
The launch date of the new Zeitwerk was also timed to coincide with the anniversary date of the company’s founding — October 24, 1990 — with the watch serving as the brand’s latest celebration of its storied and complicated legacy. The timepiece is not only the latest take on the groundbreaking Zeitwerk design but also a physical culmination of three of A. Lange & Söhne’s more praised technical signatures: the Zeitwerk base design, the Saxon brand’s proprietary Honeygold precious metal case construction, and a semi-transparent “Lumen” dial, whose light-permeable treatment allows the numerals on the disks to glow in the dark.
The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” is available exclusively through Lange’s boutiques, with production limited to 200 total pieces, priced at $145,000.
While WatchTime New York 2021 might be over, you can re-live the event and see all its highlights via our recap, here!
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