22 Best Watch Releases Of 2021 (So Far)
Here, our highly-curated pick of the year’s best timepieces to date.
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2021 has been a heady horological year that’s seen the debut of a wealth of alluring new releases. From the dominance of green-dialled design, to the birth of ever-more complicated references and the constant drive for innovation within watchmaking, a plethora of timepieces have caught the eye of the Robb Report team. Here, our highly-curated pick of the best to land so far.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Quadriptyque
Get this: this watch will not only tell you the time, but the day, date, month, if it’s day or night, and whether or not it’s a leap year. It’s also equipped with a celestial and astronomical function, meaning you can track exactly how far we are into the synodic, draconic and anomalistic cycles. Oh, and on the fourth of the watch’s four faces, a moonphase indicator will display the stage of the Moon in the Southern Hemisphere. It does all of this via a series of cogs and gears inside a case that’s just 51mm x 31mm x 15.15mm. Astonishing.
IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert
For its latest ‘Mojave Desert’ models, IWC sticks to the original, larger-than-life 46mm format. Undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching launches of the year so far, the watch is now available as a perpetual calendar and a simple three-hander. We say simple … even the time-only model houses a twin spring-barrel movement that provides a seven-day power reserve.
Piaget Polo Skeleton
Every watch brand has its shtick. Piaget has two specialisms; skeletonisation and ultra-thin movements, fortes writ large in the new Polo Skeleton. The model is 30 per cent thinner than existing Polo watches, with a 42mm case that’s been slimmed down to just 6.5mm thick. An in-house, wafer-thin movement measures just 2.4mm deep. Despite its leanness, the watch has a 44-hour power reserve and is water-resistant to 30 metres. If you’re not digging the blue, choose slate grey instead.
MB&F Horological Machine N°9 ‘Sapphire Vision‘
In 2019, MB&F presented the Horological Machine N°9, the case of which was designed to mimic the flowing, aerodynamic lines of cars from the 1940s and ‘50s: MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser described the engine inside the watch as “the most beautiful movement we’ve created to date”. So it stands to reason that Büsser would want to show off that engine. Why did it take two years to create a transparent shell? Because sapphire crystal is one of the most difficult materials with which to work. Most sapphire cases are composed of two flat slabs screwed together. The HM9 is all bubbles and curves. It took two years for MB&F to crack the case—not literally, obviously.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon
Fresh from its cameo in one of the most-watched documentaries of all time—see the wrists of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in last year’s The Last Dance—Roger Dubuis presents the latest interpretation of its Excalibur Double Flying Tourbillon. A quick-release system allows owners to switch between straps, although the Tourbillon club remains exclusive. Only 24 examples are being made—eight in white gold, eight in pink gold and eight in pink gold with diamond-set bezels and lugs.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm
AP sandwiches a black ceramic case between a bezel and case-back made of either pink or white gold. The Code 11.59 collection was launched to diversify the brand away from its seminal octagonal sports watch, the Royal Oak. While it doesn’t look like Gérald Genta’s design classic will be knocked off its pedestal any time soon, AP continues to demonstrate its commitment to the most provocative watch of the past few years.
Chanel Boy.Friend Skeleton X-Ray
When it first dropped in 2015, its dainty proportions and diamonds positioned it as women’s watch, even if the brand wouldn’t say so explicitly. Yet there was enough masculinity in the Tank-like design to widen the watch’s appeal. The brand has since described the timepiece as “gender fluid”. The Skeleton X-Ray presents Chanel’s stunning, vertically laid-out, in-house Calibre 3 in all its floating glory, thanks to an all-sapphire case. Don’t let the name put you off.
Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25
If you appreciate sophisticated watchmaking, the elegant Quattro Spirit 25—Chopard’s first jumping-hour timepiece—features an 18-carat rose-gold case and a beautiful Grand Feu white enamel dial, with an hour aperture at six o’clock. Almost the entire watch, from the enamelling process to the production of its four-barrel movement, was completed within Chopard’s manufacturing facility in Fleurier, Switzerland.
Hublot Big Bang Integral Ceramic (Grey)
There’s a lot to like about this new Hublot—the integrated bracelet, for starters. Then there’s the single-material architecture, and the fact that it’s twice as scratch-resistant as steel. Mostly, though, it’s about this particular colour; a polished-then-satin-finished, titanium-esque, gunmetal grey. The 42mm watch is also available in white and midnight-blue, but it’s this stealthy, steely number that’s the real head-turner.
Baume Et Mercier Riviera
A sense of refinement drapes the return of B&M’s Riviera, a robust piece famed for its 12-sided bezel, and which debuted in 1973. That ’70s spark remains and the reissue feels right in regards to its timing, given the ascendancy of integrated steel bracelets. The contemporary outing means three sizes—36mm, 42mm or 43mm case—with the top-spec Baumatic edition boasting the in-house Baumatic movement launched in 2018.
OMEGA Seamaster 300m Black Black
While Omega waits for its two major publicity exercises to get underway (James Bond movie, Olympic Games), they’ve delivered the Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black. That’s not a typo; so blacked-out is the latest version of Bond’s watch that one “Black” wouldn’t do. The watch’s dial is made from black ceramic, as is the minute track around its edge. The use of two different colour lumes on the Black Black’s indices and hands means it’s not impossible to tell the time.
Zenith Chronomaster Revival A385
Much more than just a sepia-tinted throwback, Zenith’s latest Chronomaster is a genuine reissue of one of the original three stainless-steel El Primero models from 1969. The original tonneau-shaped A385 featured a brown gradient dial—possibly the first “smoked” dial ever made. This year’s A385 uses the production plans from the initial model, to wit: a 37mm case, pump-style pushers and, if you opt for metal over calf leather, a stainless-steel ladder-style bracelet.
Rolex Explorer + Explorer II
Updates to Rolex models can seem to offer a new definition of the word “incremental”. Not so in 2021. The brand resisted giving its Explorer the precious metal treatment for 68 years. Finally, it caved. Not only has the watch been reduced to its original 36mm size, the Explorer is available in two-tone—a streak of yellow-gold contrasts against cool, utilitarian stainless steel. Less obvious are the revisions to the updated Explorer II. The watch features the same case size but is now equipped with Rolex’s latest-gen movement.
Ulysse Nardin UFO Table Clock
The dive watch specialist is celebrating its 175th anniversary, a milestone it marks with the Unidentified Floating Object, geddit? The table clock is said to contain all of Ulysse Nardin’s horological history in one object, from marine chronometers of the 19th and 20th centuries to the brand’s silicon-escapement-equipped wristwatches of the 21st century. CEO Patrick Pruniaux asked his watchmakers what a marine chronometer would look like in 175 years’ time. The UFO was their answer.
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph Ref. 5968G
Although the green Nautilus is certainly noteworthy. The hype machine that powers it has seen it skyrocket beyond the logic of most watch collectors. Instead, Robb Report is partial to the Aquanaut ref. 5968-G. Here the first-ever white gold Aquanaut chronograph in the khaki dial colour is a stylish addition to the wrist with the automatic calibre CH 28-520 C movement powering the watch. The 42.2mm case is water-resistant to 120-metres and showcases Patek’s otherworldy attention to detail.
Bremont Argonaut Azure
It’s already been a busy year for British brand Bremont. Not only did the watchmaker become the official timing partner to Formula 1 team Williams Racing, it also opened a sprawling new Manufacturing and Technology Centre as part of its 19-year quest to produce proprietary movements in the UK. There have also been watches, like the Argonaut Azure. A striking blue dial meets a 42mm hardened steel case and a bright-orange strap.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms ‘No Radiations’
The new Fifty Fathoms ‘No Rad’ offers a 40.3mm stainless-steel case (a size now reserved for limited-edition novelties) fitted with a matte black dial and contrasting markings on the hour, chapter ring, hands, time scale and bezel in ‘old radium’- coloured SuperLuminova. The timepiece comes powered by Blancpain’s Calibre 1151 – a self-winding movement that boats silicon balance spring and four-day power reserve. The watch arrives with a strap in ‘Tropic’-type rubber, a material popular with divers in the ‘60s due to its durability and general comfort.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar
The cult status of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo continues to gather pace. New for 2021 is the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, the slimmest example of the grand complication ever created—another world record for the company. The watch is just 5.8mm thick—not a lot of space to fit in a complication that will take into account the lengths of different months, as well as leap years, automatically.
Grand Seiko White Birch Forest Hi-Beat
Forged in the brand’s manufacture in Shizukuishi, Japan, the dial of Grand Seiko’s White Birch Forest Hi-Beat has been made to resemble the birch tre-es that grow in the surrounding forests. The watch houses a high-beat movement with an 80-hour power reserve, which is accurate to an impressive +5 to -3 seconds per day. You can watch the calibre do its thing through an exhibition case-back.
Hermès H08
There was a time when Hermès was a brand more closely associated with horses than horology. Yet the Parisian leather goods specialist has been noiselessly delivering whimsical wristwatches for several years now. There’s a lot going on with the brand’s new H08. Circles in squares, matt on gloss, orange on black, vulcanised rubber on DLC-coated titanium, a fun, characterful numeral font, and a tiny date window at half past four. It’s a winner. Tactile. Graphic. Multifaceted. Mathematic, even.
Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921
“Classic with a twist”. That’s Vacheron Constantin’s theme for 2021. So it stands to reason that the storied horologist would choose this year to revive one the most avant-garde timepieces. It helps that the diagonal-dial Reference 11677 is celebrating its centenary. Three faithfully reinterpreted versions have been revealed, including a dazzling 40mm white gold edition. True to the original, the timepiece features a manually-wound movement housed in a case that’s just 8mm thick.
Cartier Tank Must
Based on the Tank Louis Cartier of 1922, the original Tank Must debuted in 1977 with a rectangular case and a mechanical hand-wound movement. Well, now the Must is back, replacing the discontinued Tank Solo. There are 17 references in total, split across three case sizes, which are available in steel or precious metals, and housing both mechanical and quartz movements. Most noteworthy of all, perhaps, was the announcement that Cartier is working on a movement that will be powered, in part, by light.
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Show Stopping Fun
Robb Report Australia and New Zealand teamed up with Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance in late February to celebrate a weekend of fine motor cars on Cockatoo Island.
Robb Report Australia & New Zealand and Citizen Kanebridge, the new private members’ club brought to you by this masthead’s publishers, offers exclusive access to magical experiences and unrivalled networking.
This year’s Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance on Cockatoo Island did not disappoint. Our invited guests—including speakers Gerard Doyle, General Manager ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation; Ant Middleton, the British adventure and TV personality turned hydration-drink disruptor and owner R3SUP; and Lex Pedersen, CEO of automotive investment firm Chrome Temple—enjoyed unlimited access to the three-day event and an elegant sufficiently of Champagne, wine and whisky, as well as an exquisite catered lunch inside the Citizen Kanebridge Private Members’ Lounge. They enhanced their experience by VIP transport to and from the mainland via superyacht.
The British-born event, which also has iterations at Pebble Beach in California and Hampton Court Palace in England, once again teamed up with the world’s most prestigious marques (among them Aston Martin, Bentley, Brabus, Genesis, Lamborghini, McLaren, Rolls-Royce and Porsche), to display their latest supercars alongside the pageant of owner-driven vintage vehicles.
On Sunday, Robb Report’s Editor-in-Chief Horacio Silva treated guests to a special preview of the winners of this our annual Car of the Year awards, showcased in our coming March 2025 issue. Our lips are sealed.
To learn how to become a member of our exclusive new community, visit Citizen Kanebridge.
Thank you to the following sponsors: Whisky and Wealth, Jacob & Co, Wine Selectors, Mulpha, Jackson Teece, Young Henry’s and Resup.
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Patron’s New Ultra-Premium Tequila Is a Reposado Blend That Punches Way Above Its Age
Patron’s latest luxury tequila is a blend of ages.
There are certain categories in the tequila world that indicate how long the spirit has been matured, so what happens when you combine a few of them together into one release? Patron is the latest brand to get in on this multiple-maturation blending action with the new high-end El Alto release, a combination of tequilas aged for different lengths of time.
In the whisky world, an age statement represents the minimum age of the liquid that’s in the bottle—in other words, a 10-year-old scotch may have liquid much older than that in the blend, but 10 years represents the minimum age. When it comes to tequila, there are also rules in regards to how it has to be labelled based on maturation, and like whisky that depends on the youngest liquid in the blend. The core of El Alto is an extra anejo tequila (the exact proportion isn’t revealed), meaning it was aged for a minimum of three years. But master distiller David Rodriguez decided to blend some anejo (aged one to three years) and reposado (two months to one year) tequila into the mix as well, making this an expression that is defined as reposado instead of extra anejo even though it has some ultra-aged liquid in the blend.
According to the brand, 11 different types of barrels were used to mature the tequila in El Alto, with the majority being hybrid barrels consisting of American oak bodies and French oak heads—each type of wood is thought to impart different flavours into the spirit. “The tequilas that harmoniously come together in Patron El Alto are a result of selecting the finest 100 percent Weber blue agave in the highest parts of Jalisco, Mexico, a territory known for producing the sweetest agaves,” said Rodriguez in a statement. “We took four years to focus on only the best of the best and perfect the bold, sweet flavors of this expression the right way: naturally.”
This type of multi-aged tequila seems to be part of a growing trend, with a few other brands releasing similar high-end expressions including Cincoro and Volcan de Mi Tierra. Perhaps it’s a way of stretching supplies or a tactic to get consumers to dip their toes (or tongues, preferably) into another luxe tequila, a category that is growing every year.
This month Australians are getting an exclusive taste of the El Alto as this formerly USA-exclusive release is launching here with The Bacardi Group. You can find El Alto in selected hospitality venues and at Barrel & Batch for $298 as these chic spots that represent the “pinnacle of celebrating momentous occasions,” according to the brand.
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Neutral, Not Boring: How to Wear This Season’s Most Stylish New Menswear
The soft tones of California’s Joshua Tree provide a perfect backdrop for the season’s refined yet relaxed vibe.
Amid spring 2025’s myriad trends, there was one connecting element: colour. From Alessandro Sartori’s rusty hues at Zegna to Loro Piana’s subdued neutrals, the palette was more sun-bleached than saturated, and the muted tones of California’s Joshua Tree provide a perfect backdrop for the season’s refined yet relaxed vibe.
Stylists Naomi Rougeau and Alex Badia, teamed up with photographer Brad Torchia to create these casual looks that turn a bold statement into a confident whisper.
Berluti leather jacket, $14,067; L.B.M. 1911 merino crewneck, $450; Dolce & Gabbana linen trousers, $1,921; Zenith 37 mm Chronomaster Revival in steel, $13,987.
Umit Benan silk jacket, silk shirt, and linen trousers, all prices upon request; Dolce & Gabbana suede loafers, $1600; Girard-Perregaux 38 mm Laureato Sage Green in steel, $23,954.
Brunello Cucinelli linen shirt, $1500; Loro Piana linen trousers, $908; Zenith 37 mm Chronomaster Revival in steel, $13,987.
Anderson & Sheppard cotton jacket, $4,421; Gabriela Hearst cashmere turtleneck, $1,430; Louis Vuitton cotton jeans, $2n138; Tod’s suede sneakers, $1438.
Canali wool, silk, and linen tweed blazer, $4,011; Thom Sweeney silk shirt, $876; Paul Smith mohair trousers, $908; Church’s patent-leather loafers, $1,768; Parmigiani Fleurier 40 mm Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date Golden Siena in steel and platinum, $40,675.
Paul Smith cotton trench, $3528; Ferragamo cashmere sweater, $1,752, and cotton trousers, $4389; Dolce & Gabbana suede loafers, $1599.
Hermès denim shirt, $1,647, and belted cotton chinos, $1,366.
Loro Piana cotton cardigan, $4,381, and linen shirt, $1,768; Todd Snyder linen trousers, $639; Zegna Triple Stitch leather sneakers, $1,768; Morgenthal Frederics sunglasses, $2,564; Berluti silk scarf, $1,221; Parmigiani Fleurier 40 mm Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date Golden Siena in steel and platinum, $40,675.
Thom Sweeney cashmere and merino sweater, $956; Brunello Cucinelli linen shorts, $1045; Manolo Blahnik raffia and leather loafers, $1,438.; Leisure Society sunglasses, $1905; Zenith 37 mm Chronomaster Revival in steel, $13,987.
Kiton jean jacket, $6061; Officine Générale cashmere sweater, $932; Brioni wool trousers, $1,768; Ralph Lauren Purple Label leather belt, $562; Morgenthal Frederics sunglasses, $52081; Zenith 37 mm Chronomaster Revival in steel, $13,987
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This New York Jewellery Gallery Is Offering up a Treasure Trove of Vintage Watches
The Mahnaz Collection’s first formal collection of timepieces will include rare finds with fascinating histories
There was a period when Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos found it hard to hold on to a watch. The prominent collector and dealer often would post pictures on social media of the uncommon, sculptural timepieces she purchased for herself. But every time, clients of her eponymous jewellery gallery—New York City’s Mahnaz Collection—would hound her into selling them.
“They found those photographs, and they are just diligent in bothering me,” she says with a laugh, adding that some would simply persist until she changed her mind about letting them go.
In response to that demand, this month her Madison Avenue space will begin offering its first formal collection of unique watches, curated with the same rigor and studious eye Ispahani Bartos has applied to sourcing rare jewellery. (Her specialty is the hard-to-find fare made by artists, designers, goldsmiths, and architects.) One coveted example is a gold-and-diamond pendant watch handmade by the late Italian-born avant-garde designer Andrew Grima, whose work was beloved by the British royal family. This example from his historic collaboration with Omega was made in the 1970s. Lesser known but no less noteworthy is the Spanish designer Augustin Julia-Plana, who created a gold-and-jadeite watch for his brand Schlegel & Plana, also in the ’70s. “He was a great jeweller and watch designer,” says Ispahani Bartos of Julia-Plana, who penned striking and visually creative work for everyone from Chopard to Tiffany. “He specialised in really unusual stones,” she adds, noting that he died far too young at age 41.
Photographed by Janelle Jones/Styled by Stephanie Yeh
Ispahani Bartos knows something about legacy. Born in Bangladesh—when it was still called East Pakistan—she grew up in a culture steeped in traditions of wearing and appreciating jewellery. She recalls her grandmother giving her earrings made from yellow gold, turquoise, diamonds, and Burmese rubies at age 7. (Too young to wear them, she put them on her dolls’ ears for safekeeping. Both were lost when her family fled the violence of the country’s 1971 revolution; the ship carrying their belongings, she says, was sunk by an enemy carrier.)
When she was a teenager, her mother gifted her one of Omega’s Grima-designed watches, which she still owns. That early introduction to rare design influenced her own collecting journey, which turned into her full-time job when she opened her gallery in 2013.
Photographed by Janelle Jones/Styled by Stephanie Yeh
That comprehensive approach befits Ispahani Bartos’s previous career and intellectual curiosity. After earning a Ph.D. in international relations, she served as a foreign- and security-policy expert for an array of global organisations, including the Ford Foundation and the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Penfolds Saves Best For Last with Show-Stopping Release with Creative Partner NIGO
Penfolds has just dropped their limited-edition 65F by NIGO Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, a mouthwatering wine you need to nab now.
Though Penfolds holds many wonderful wines in its star-studded suite, their latest collaboration with NIGO is earmarked as a sure-fire collector’s item.
Retailing for $395 a bottle, the Penfolds 65F by NIGO is expected to sit snugly alongside the likes of Grange and Bin 389 as a standout single-vintage wine connoisseurs will vie for in years to come.
This prize wine isn’t just delicious and highly collectible, it looks the part. It features branding by artistic director and creative visionary NIGO, the founder of cult streetwear brands A Bathing Ape and Human Made, a pal of Pharrell Williams and current creative director of French fashion house Kenzo. For the box and packaging NIGO was inspired by the towering 65-foot chimney that prevails over Penfolds South Australian home, Magill Estate.
Penfolds archival material served as NIGO’s inspiration for the inclusions within the gift box and on the wine label. A chalkboard wine tag with coinciding chalk pencil pays homage to the chalk boards used in the original working winery at Penfolds Magill Estate and allows the opportunity for personalisation of the wine if used as a gift. The bottle label features a design which takes inspiration from the pressed bottle labels from the 1930-50s, and the tissue paper wrapping the bottle has been adapted from the Penfolds logo style used in the early 20th century. NIGO’s signature playful design style is emphasised with a chimney smoke wine stopper.
Inside it’s a classic embodiment of the way South Australian winemakers blend cabernet sauvignon with shiraz to stunning effect.
As a result this wine has a mouth-watering palate with plenty of fine grain tannins and silky mouth feel. A nose enriched with spicy nutmeg, cardamom and cassis is layered over blueberry compote and lush fig on a palate. There’s lots of blueberry soufflé, gamey tones and just a hint of fennel seed, with more complexity to come as the years fly by.
All the base wines were sourced from grapes grown in South Australia’s top wine regions of Coonawarra, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. And while the 65F by NIGO Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz is being released now, it will continue to reward cellaring for years to come.
Penfolds first announced NIGO as its Creative Partner in June 2023, with the global release of One by Penfolds. This was closely followed by the launch of Grange by NIGO (the first takeover of Penfolds flagship red wine) in February 2024, followed by Holiday Designed by NIGO in October 2024.A classic for the ages.
Penfolds 65F by NIGO Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2021 is available globally from Thursday 27 February 2025 (RRP AUD$395.00 for 750ml). Available via Penfolds.com, at select Dan Murphy’s stores nationally and select independent retailers.
