Pietro Pilla The last seven days have revolved around independents and emerging brands. Yes, Blancpain made headlines with a compact Bathyscaphe, but this week’s selection looks broader: a sapphire-faced Czapek that follows a highly successful limited edition from 2024, a debut release from independent watchmaker Alexandre Martin, and Wren listening to its customer base and finally delivering a black diver. Discover the rest of the selection below and enjoy reading! Czapek Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue Czapek revisits the sapphire dial concept of its Viridian Green 2024 with the Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue, a limited edition of 38 pieces that joins the current collection. The 38mm steel case is 10.8mm thick with sapphire crystals on the front and back, revealing a smoky blue dial created by vapor-deposited metallization that tapers towards the off-center small seconds hand at 4:30. The internal skeletonized SXH7 caliber was reworked to be readable from the dial side, with a platinum microrotor and a 60-hour reserve. Price: CHF 28,800 Learn more about Czapek Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue here. Alexandre Martin 1965 Former Greubel Forsey and Petermann Bedat complications watchmaker Alexandre Martin presents his first piece, calling it the 1965. The 38mm stainless steel case features a concave bezel and long, stepped lugs for a minimalist yet attractive design. Its almost ethereal dial features a grand feu enamel subdial crafted by Anita Porchet’s Atelier and is limited to 12 pieces. Price: on request Learn more about the Alexandre Martin 1965 here. Wren Diver One Abyss Wren Watches answers collectors’ requests for a black dial with the Diver One Abyss, using Musou Black, a Japanese coating that absorbs 99.4% of light. The 41mm transparent DLC-coated steel case is 13.3mm thick with a domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal and water resistance to 200m, unchanged from the standard Diver One. A 120-click black ceramic bezel is fully illuminated on its 60-minute scale, with aquamarine Swiss Super-LumiNova on each dial element. Price: US$1,195 Learn more about the Wren Diver One Abyss here. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Blancpain returns to the style of the particularly attractive 1968 Bathyscaphe for its 70th Anniversary Limited Edition, recreating its proportions and distinctive steel bezel architecture. Its 37.4mm stainless steel case houses the automatic caliber 1150, which offers a 100-hour power reserve while protected by 300 meters of water resistance. Limited to 300 pieces, the new Bathyscaphe combines a sunburst meteorite gray dial with vintage-toned lights and a chocolate-colored calfskin strap. Price: US$18,300. Find out more about Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition here. Chopard LUC Essence by Shunga Chopard creates a unique piece for the Monegasque gallery ART IN TIME, marking the gallery’s new location in Ginza with a tribute to Japanese artistic heritage. The 40mm 18K ethical rose gold case is just 8.1mm thick and houses a rotating disc that reveals six miniature scenes inspired by Shunga art of the Edo period, hand-painted with Urushi lacquer. Each scene was individually handcrafted by a master craftsman from Urushi in Japan, moving thanks to the LUC 96.29-L automatic caliber with a 65-hour reserve. Price: €97,000 Learn more about Shunga’s Chopard LUC Essence here. Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph and Senator Chronograph Navigator Glashütte Original introduces two new 41mm chronographs that share the same case and caliber but with two very different feels: the more elegant Classic with a lightweight dial and the tool watch-style Navigator. The Navigator’s matte black dial has Super-LumiNova 3D Arabic numerals, while the Classic has a galvanic silver dial and blue-coated gold Roman numerals to echo 19th-century maritime observation watches. Both models run the Caliber 37-24, the internal column-wheel automatic flyback chronograph with silicon hairspring, panoramic date and 70-hour reserve. Price: US$16,100 (strap), US$17,100 (bracelet) Learn more about the Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph and the Senator Chronograph Navigator here. Legare Chapter 1 AGP Inverted Wei Koh and Guillaume Tetu launch LEGARE, a Neuchâtel-based brand that revives forgotten watchmaking ideas, debuting with the Chapter 1 AGP Inverted after Albert-Gustave Piguet’s 1932 double balance pocket watch. The 37.5mm grade 5 titanium case is 9.95mm thick, with the movement reversed so that its twin balance wheels sit visibly on the side of the dial, and is available in two different finishes. The two independent balance wheels beating at 21,600 vph, averaged by a differential rather than resonance, employ side-angled lever escapements normally used for tourbillons. Price: CHF 81,944 Learn more about Legare Chapter 1 Reversed AGP here. Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition Minerva dresses its inverted monopusher chronograph in 18k yellow gold for the first time, pairing it with brown-coated bridges for a warmer take on the Unveiled series. The 43mm case is 14.78mm thick and features a fluted bezel, five sapphire apertures on the case side, and a domed box-shaped crystal. The manually wound M17.26 caliber rotates its column-wheel monopusher chronograph to the side of the dial, with 291 components and a 50-hour reserve. Price: €84,000 Find out more about Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition here. Venezianico Nereide Opale Blu Venezianico follows up its Nereide Opale 2025 with the Opale Blu, a lab-grown opal sphere produced by Kyocera in Japan, limited to 600 pieces. The classic Nereide case measures 42mm by 12.5mm with a polished tungsten bezel insert, sapphire crystal, and 200m water resistance. Each 0.4mm thick opal sphere changes between teal, blue and cobalt when light hits it and hides a Sellita SW200-1 with a custom rhodium-plated rotor. Price: €1,350 Learn more about the Venezianico Nereide Opale Blu here. Norqain Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC Norqain gives its Independence Skeleton a more stealthy look, moving to a grade 5 titanium case with black DLC coating for the first time, along with warm red and gold dial accents. The 42mm case is 11.8mm thick with sapphire crystals front and back, a screw-down crown and water resistance to 100m, and weighs noticeably less than the steel version. The black skeleton dial combines red gold-plated markers and hands with white X1 Super-LumiNova. Price: €4,850 (buckle), €5,180 (folding clasp) Learn more about the Norqain Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC here.
