In The Times today ( a national newspaper in GB) a full page advert.
Not many clues but next month....

Has to be this, surely?

There are new Magnesium silicone alloys that are as strong as Titanium, and don't corrode. If a really light metal, or c/f was used to reduce inertia, then the balance wheel could be made bigger to become a feature. Struggling to see any functional benefit though.

Of practical benefit, would be the resistance to magnetism.

MarkingTime wrote: ↑Sat Mar 15, 2025 10:17 am Of practical benefit, would be the resistance to magnetism.

Paul Drawmer wrote: ↑Sat Mar 15, 2025 10:04 am There are new Magnesium silicone alloys that are as strong as Titanium, and don't corrode. If a really light metal, or c/f was used to reduce inertia, then the balance wheel could be made bigger to become a feature. Struggling to see any functional benefit though.

My resistance to shiny new trinkets? Shiny trinkets with no functional benefit? What about that eh? I suppose I've resisted the BC so far so it's just possible....

I’m saving to add a BC to the collection. This throws a potential spanner in the works, but I suspect the price will be beyond the BC and hence a bit of a stretch.

The balance looks interesting, inasmuch as it appears to have old school poising screws.

Now, letting my imagination go wild. With the ever increasing miniaturisation of components. It might be feasible to create a tiny piezo/LED so that the centrifugal force triggered the piezo to drive the LED. The led lights up at max speed with each rotation. Very bling!

Perhaps I should finally start selling off some of the collection to make way for something new. CW keeps pushing the envelope.

I'd much rather CW stop trying to push the envelope with arty watches (looking at you BC and C1 Moonphase ) and go back to functional design that serves a useful purpose (step forward Lumiere and Sapphire Edge).

fortunately, they seem to be able to both. Which I think works for them. The "arty" pieces seems to get people to talk about the brand and then most folks tip toe into the brand with the "functional" pieces first.

Very curious what this new launch will be - Though I may be tapped out on watches for forseeable future.

CBMVic20 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 16, 2025 12:36 am I'd much rather CW stop trying to push the envelope with arty watches (looking at you BC and C1 Moonphase ) and go back to functional design that serves a useful purpose (step forward Lumiere and Sapphire Edge).

My first thought on seeing the above advert was a Maltese cross; used in a range of complications, not least a wandering hour.

CBMVic20 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 16, 2025 12:36 am I'd much rather CW stop trying to push the envelope with arty watches (looking at you BC and C1 Moonphase ) and go back to functional design that serves a useful purpose (step forward Lumiere and Sapphire Edge).

And they can't help gimmicking up the more functional pieces. I'm looking at you Lumiere and Sapphire Edge

^^^ Yeah boys, stop trying to make your watches look interesting. Stick to boring, otherwise the CEO of Breitling will be along to ask you who gave you the right to do it.


Seriously though, I know I go on about lack of model longevity (where is Kate Moss when you need her?) but CW are in a sector of the market where you probably have to keep reinventing or you stagnate.

Rolex can keep on churning out Submariners and Datejusts, Omega can keep on churning out Speedmasters and Seamasters, etc etc, but if CW were still churning out Malverns, they probably…wouldn’t be. They’d be gone.

Still, for the present the “ordinary” Tridents, Sealanders, Twelves, Dunes and so on are right there if you want them.

For what it’s worth, I’ve never really considered a Bel Canto and I probably won’t be indulging in the “next big thing”. I’ve reverted to type and I’ve just committed to something that I don’t think CW would contemplate making in a month of Sundays these days.

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: ↑Sun Mar 16, 2025 3:47 pm ^^^ Yeah boys, stop trying to make your watches look interesting. Stick to boring, otherwise the CEO of Breitling will be along to ask you who gave you the right to do it.


Seriously though, I know I go on about lack of model longevity (where is Kate Moss when you need her?) but CW are in a sector of the market where you probably have to keep reinventing or you stagnate.

Rolex can keep on churning out Submariners and Datejusts, Omega can keep on churning out Speedmasters and Seamasters, etc etc, but if CW were still churning out Malverns, they probably…wouldn’t be. They’d be gone.

Still, for the present the “ordinary” Tridents, Sealanders, Twelves, Dunes and so on are right there if you want them.

For what it’s worth, I’ve never really considered a Bel Canto and I probably won’t be indulging in the “next big thing”. I’ve reverted to type and I’ve just committed to something that I don’t think CW would contemplate making in a month of Sundays these days.

Here's a glib generalisation:

Influencers - the next big thing

The man on the Clapham omnibus - the bread and butter stuff