Austerity! Austerity! Austerity! It's the word on everyone's lips at the moment, just like Disco! Disco! Disco! was circa 1976. I know which of those two words we all prefer, but it's hard to ignore the economic doom and gloom. The lesson we must all learn is to live within our means and tone down the brashness and the conspicuous consumption. In the watch industry, the austerity trend has led to case sizes becoming smaller and designs getting simpler. In essence, things have become a bit dull and safe. However, the situation is also ripe for a bit of austerity rebellion and few things are more rebellious than sinking your money into a beast of a watch. Thankfully, there are still a few manufacturers willing to go big.
Panerai is one brand that never thinks small and, with the new Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Ceramica (right), it has boldly gone as big as ever, with a 48mm case. The watch is a classic Panerai design, with the black ceramic case housing a simple black dial. There is a small dial at the three o'clock position that indicates am or pm as well as a small seconds dial at the nine o'clock position. The tourbillon is hidden within, which makes a change from the manufacturers who feel compelled to show off such a complication. Other features include a second time zone and a power-reserve indicator on the caseback. The power reserve is huge at six days and the watch comes with two leather straps. The Panerai Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Ceramica is priced at HK$896,000.
Roger Dubuis' 2012 Pulsion Chronograph is notable for its beefy 44mm case size. Although there are many versions of this watch, the best-looking option is the one with a black PVD titanium case (below right). The use of titanium works well with more hefty case sizes and so it is with this timepiece, which has ample space for its open-worked dial and three rings of numerals. Features-wise the Pulsion Chronograph has a tachymeter, a 30-minute counter at the three o'clock position and a small seconds counter at the nine o'clock position on top of the chronograph complication. One of the nicest touches is that the sapphire glass is screwed onto the bezel rather than below it, which gives the watch a unique profile when glanced from certain angles. The strap is black rubber with a black titanium deployment buckle. The Pulsion Chronograph in black titanium with black dial face is priced at a tempting HK$311,000.
Last but not least is the dashing Ralph Lauren Sporting Wood Dial in steel (below left). Priced at an attractive HK$102,000, this model was released last year. The polished-steel case comes in at 44.8mm, and, inside, the movement has been supplied by IWC, so there haven't been any corners cut on quality. The watch is all about the classy design, with features such as steel screws on the case frame as well as the gorgeous elm burl wood used for the dial. The elegant design is topped off with a black calf-leather strap and an intricately detailed small seconds dial at the six o'clock position. The Ralph Lauren Sporting Wood Dial in steel comes with a 45-hour power reserve and is water resistant to 50 metres.