If you're into sailing, then 2013 is a dream year, with the America's Cup to be decided in October. If you're not into sailing, you might be wondering how the devil the whole thing works. Well, there's a holder and a challenger - so far so good - but the way they work out who the challenger is seems a bit convoluted, with a challenger of record, a challenger determination series and all sorts of other opaque arrangements that rather take the wind out of the sails of neutral spectators.
Alas, my jib is cut from a different cloth and I must betray my ignorance about the America's Cup. I have, however, always found the culture, the fashion and the watches that surround the sport rather to my liking. Watches such as the Alpina Sailing Yacht Timer Countdown (below), with its striking dial design, straddle that line between practical and fashionable. Sized at 44mm and with a case made of steel, this watch has a substantial feel that is augmented by a uni-directional bezel with nice printed compass indices. The dial itself is dominated by the top right-hand cutaway on the watch face, where the countdown indicator is located. The watch is designed to count down the seconds from 10 to one before the start of a yacht race. Gimmicky perhaps but likely to amuse your friends in the yacht club bar afterwards.
Other typical features of such a water-ready watch include a thick black rubber strap and 300 metres of water resistance, as well as luminescent hands and indices. The movement inside is an in-house AL-880 automatic calibre, with what Alpina calls the "special regatta" countdown function. The Alpina Sailing Yacht Timer Countdown is priced at HK$25,500 and limited to 8,888 pieces. The watch comes in a box with a miniature Extreme 40 yacht.
Next up is a watch that is a more direct celebration of the America's Cup, the Omega Seamaster Diver ETNZ limited edition (above left). Designed for the Emirates Team New Zealand, one of the hopeful challenger teams for the 34th America's Cup, the ETNZ watch is all about function and practicality. The red and black colour scheme owes much to the sponsor but still looks slick - although the Omega logo on the black rubber strap might be a bit of overkill.
There is further Emirates Team New Zealand branding on the case back, perfect for patriotic Kiwis or fans of the team. Once again, the case is sized at 44mm and made of steel, but the bezel comes in ceramic. As well as being a robust sailing watch, if you do happen to fall in there's 300 metres of water resistance and, for the divers out there, a helium escape valve. The watch is powered by the dependable-as-ever Co-Axial calibre 3330 chronograph movement and the dial face has three chronograph counters, for 30 minutes, 12 hours, and seconds. Like the Alpina, this watch also has a regatta countdown function. The Omega Seamaster Diver ETNZ is priced at HK$51,500 and limited to 2,013 pieces.