Call to Action: Westime’s Greg Simonian talks to Haute Time
If your New Year’s resolution is to get fit , incentivize yourself with a watch made to complement an active lifestyle. Sure, these five timepieces look great at a restaurant, courtside, and even at work. But they’re built to perform from runway to race course, so why not put them through their paces? All are available at Westime boutiques in Beverly Hills, La Jolla and West Hollywood.
Hublot
The king of car racing, Formula 1, was absent from the U.S. for many years, but it made a triumphant return to a brand new circuit in Austin, Texas, last November. To mark the historic sporting event, Hublot introduced the 250-piece limited edition F1 King Power Austin. Like a Formula 1 race car that is highly engineered to be fast, light, and strong, the watch features design elements and materials that accomplish similar performance goals. Its 48-mm titanium case is light and resistant to corrosion, while its bezel is made of super light yet strong carbon. The perforated bezel also pays homage to a high tech brake disc. An automatic chronograph movement powers a 30-minute timer at the 3 o’clock position. With a black alligator strap sewn onto a black rubber backing, this sports watch is bold and comfortable in all circumstances.
Breitling
Even when he’s off the pitch, soccer great David Beckham’s life is non-stop. So it is little wonder the frequent traveler chooses to wear Breitling’s Transocean Chronograph Unitime, perfect for tracking the hour in 24 time zones via a city bezel. This watch also features a chronograph movement, which provides the stopwatch style functions that are essential in any sports watch. The automatic movement, made entirely in-house by Breitling, is a 1/4th second chronograph with 30-minute and 12-hour totalizers. Available in a 46-mm case of steel or red gold, the black or polar white dial has an elegantly designed globe at its center.
Graham London
Silverstone is home to the British Grand Prix, and its Stowe circuit—a course of just over a mile—features enough tight turns and corners to test the mettle of any driver. Graham London dedicates its new 50-piece limited edition Silverstone Stowe Racing USA to the legendary track. The 48-mm steel watch features a bold, highly legible white dial with black Super-LumiNova hands and numerals. Steel pushers with a Clous de Paris high-grip pattern operate the automatic chronograph’s seconds and minutes subdials. A black ceramic bezel frames a steel rim bearing a tachymeter scale, just in case some serious calculations are called for. The tire tread pattern on the black rubber strap reminds its wearer that the road always beckons.
Richard Mille
Richard Mille approaches watch design in the same manner that Formula 1 racecar engineers master their super cars. The results are timepieces that are extreme, efficient and innovative. The new Tourbillon G-Sensor RM 036 Jean Todt Limited Edition contains a never-before-seen complication that is ideal for a high-speed driver or anyone encountering G forces. The manually-wound tourbillion movement powers a mechanical G-sensor system that indicates the number of G’s accumulated by the wearer during rapid decelerations. A scale at the 12 o’clock position on the dial shows if the driver is in a safe (green) zone, or has entered a critical (red) zone. Proceeds from the sale of this 15-piece limited edition support Jean Todt’s global campaign for road safety and the ICM Brain and Spine Institute.
Snyper
Swiss watch brand Snyper takes design inspiration from the sniper marksman, a powerful individual who must be accurate, efficient, fast and capable of making a split-second decision in order to excel at his task. The Snyper F101 displays similar characteristics thanks to its case machined from a solid block of steel or titanium, its automatic chronograph movement with trigger-style pushers, and its unique ability to support Snyper “modules.” Perfect for the adventure-seeker, the modules are Swiss-made attachments that provide an LED light source, a red laser light or a storage capsule.
For more information, please
call (310) 289-0808, or email
info@westime.com