It’s the Chinese New Year again! And what’s a better way to welcome the new beginning with a dash of red (the colour of blessings and all things good) in your life? And yes, that includes getting red watches as well!
Hence, for this week’s Throwback Sundays column, we will be taking a look at six red watches that you might want to consider for Chinese New Year. What are some of the watches that we’ve selected? Let’s find out!
Rado Tradition Golden Horse Limited Edition
We begin the column with arguably a red-hot piece from Rado, both literally and figuratively. Cue the Traditional Golden Horse Limited Edition.
For our regular readers, the Golden Horse is probably no stranger to you. It was covered extensively on our review article, as well as the Throwback Sundays column as well. There is no doubt why the vintage reissue captured our hearts – it has a very palatable case size at 37mm, and its stunning red dégradé dial is a sight to behold. The vintage cues, in addition, lends a very nice rustic charm to the timepiece as well.
The cherry on the top of the cake lies in its price point. The Golden Horse retails at S$2,410, which offers compelling value for new and seasoned collectors alike.
Seiko 5 Sports Brian May Edition
This one is for the watch collectors who are fans of the great rock band Queens – a limited edition Seiko 5 Sports that is produced in collaboration with Queen’s lead guitarist Brian May.
The design of the watch is a tribute to the design of the guitar which Brian and his father built in the early 1960’s. Known as the Red Special, the guitar had served Brian faithfully in his musical pursuits over the last few decades.
Interesting, the Seiko is also a nod to the watch that Brian had worn since the 1970s. Albeit a new model with a new movement, but the new Seiko 5 Sports follows its predecessors with a solid movement, robust case, and functional features. The 42.5mm watch is surely built to last; long enough to leave a legacy as well.
Priced at €560 (approximately S$834), the Brian May special is a tad pricier than some of the entry-level Seiko watches. However, we are willing to overlook the premium as it is not just a great timepiece, but one with a beautiful story behind it as well.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic
If your goal is to paint the town red, then perhaps the Hublot Big Bang Unico Red Magic might be the watch that you would want to don on your wrist.
The most obvious characteristic of the watch lies in its case. The watch is cased in the first “vibrantly coloured ceramic” using technical and aesthetic ceramics. According to Hublot, its proprietary manufacturing process allows them to produce a bright red ceramic case that is extremely dense and hardy – a first of its kind in the industry itself. The end result is certainly amazing, and its combination with the large 45mm case makes the Red Magic rather conspicuous.
Powering the watch is Hublot’s in-house Unico Calibre HUB1242. It is a self-winding movement that boasts a date function and a flyback chronograph complication. In addition, the 330-part movement boasts a decent power reserve of approximately 72 hours. The Red Magic retails at S$37,200, the limited edition timepiece (of 500 pieces) is certainly something that will stand out in the crowd.
Patek Philippe World Time Chronograph Singapore 2019 Special Edition
Limited edition Patek Philippe watches are certainly a treat. But what about on that draws its link to your home country? That is indeed something really special.
The World Time Chronograph Singapore 2019 Special Edition is one of the few watches that Patek Philippe had launched during the Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019. Based on the wildly popular World Time collection, this limited edition piece features a highly attractive red dégradé guilloché dial and a customised timezone city ring that replaces Shanghai with Singapore instead.
Powered by the in-house Caliber CH 28-520 HU, the self-winding timepiece features both the world time and chronograph function (as its name suggests). The finishing is exceptional, and the world time movement is very intuitive as well (please read our review for more information).
The 39.5mm is priced at S$106,700, and it is limited to a production of 300 pieces. It is a sublime piece, and probably a rare bird in the market as well. But for someone who wants a Patek Philippe that is a tad different from the crowd, this Singapore Limited Edition is surely worth a look.
MB&F HM7 Aquapod Platinum Red
The Horological Machine (HM) series of watches have never failed to amaze us with its quirky interpretation of watches. The HM7 Aquapod is no exception. Taking its inspiration from dive watches, the HM7 features an organic-looking avantgarde case with a rotatable bezel on the peripheral.
The centrepiece of the HM7 is perhaps the tourbillon, situated at the middle of the watch. It is designed completely in-house, featuring 303 components. Interestingly, the movement is constructed vertically, with all its mechanism rotating concentrically around the centre. It is housed beneath an exaggerated domed crystal, which allows the movement (the tourbillon, especially) to take the centre stage of this magnificent timepiece.
Notably, the HM7 Aquapod Platinum Red is priced at CHF 155,000 (approximately S$215,632). The HM7 is certainly a cool timepiece, and this particular version in red makes it a little more striking than usual. It is, however, only limited to a production run of 25 pieces.
Richard Mille RM50-03 Tourbillon Split Seconds McLaren Ultralight
We round up the selection with the Richard Mille RM50-03 Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph Ultralight McLaren F1.
As its name suggests, this particular Richard Mille is produced in partnership with McLaren to create watches inspired by cars produced from the British manufacturer. The tonneau-shaped watch is cased in Graph TPT (Thin Ply Technology), a material which combines the base of Carbon TPT but uses a supercharged resin containing graphene. This allows the watch to be extremely lightweight (only 38 grams), yet sturdy simultaneously.
Richard Mille’s obsession with lightweight did not just end with the case itself. The movement, produced in collaboration with Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi (APRP), weighs a mere 7 grams despite featuring a split-second chronograph and tourbillion. This is all thanks to the use of titanium and TPT Carbon for its base plate and bridges, as well as the fact that the entire movement is skeletonised. The finishing is pretty solid as well.
This outrageous timepiece certainly comes with a hefty price tag, at CHF 980,000 (approximately S$1.31 million). Notably, it is also limited to a production of 75 pieces. This is the perfect watch for someone who wants an outrageous watch that is instantly recognisable by many during the festive season.
Concluding Thoughts
We did not have a difficult time shortlisting the red watches that we are planning to feature in this article. Perhaps, this is due to the release of more watches with red dials or red colour schemes in recent times. This is not a bad thing, considering that this adds more vibrancy into the scene (as compared to the usual safe choices like black or blue).
So, what are your thoughts on red watches? Are they all right, or are they simply too loud for your liking? Let us know in the comments section below!
