2012 Hublot Aero Bang FMM watch Hublot big Bang

Other football-themed releases by Hublot include pieces forManchester United, the Swiss National team and a recent tribute to Diego Maradona. 

A few weeks ago Hublot became the first official timekeeper in the history of the FIFA World Cup, perhaps marketing strategists at Omega etc also deserve a Big Bang….on the ear, for letting that one slip by.

A new edition, the Hublot Aero Bang FMM, a collaboration with the Mexican Football Federation (FMM) has just been unveiled and will be a limited edition of 250 pieces.  

This is the second tribute piece released in this sporting partnership, the first in 2007 was a fairly tame affair compared to the latest boldly styled piece which features strong use of the green and red Mexican team colours on the openworked dial and hands.

South Africa World Cup Hublot Classic Fusion FIFA World Cup Watch

With a watchcase, dial and bezel crafted from pink gold, the 45mm piece is a celebratory tribute to the FIFA World Cup Trophy which is sculpted from 5kg of 18 carat solid gold. A mini version of the prestigious trophy appears on the satin finished dial of this Classic Fusion and is also engraved onto the back of the watchcase.Hublot present the Official Watch for the upcoming World Cup tournament – the Hublot Classic Fusion FIFA World Cup Watch.
The Classic Fusion FIFA World Cup watch is an exclusive piece, limited to just 100 pieces but with the Hublot brand set to be Official Timekeeper for the  2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments, it is surely only a taster of further releases to come.

New Tudor Pelagos watch

All references to Rolex aside, you can see from the specifications listed in the above photo that Tudor is not messing and around with the Pelagos.

This modern diver has a lumed ceramic bezel insert, an automatic helium escape valve and is powered by the bland yet reliable ETA 2824 automatic movement.

 Until then, be sure to check out Tudor’s Basel 2012 page for more information on these new models.

The titanium bracelet has a stainless steel clasp that features a unique extension system which incorporates a spring-loaded mechanism with three fine adjustment points and an active setting that can tighten the clasp on its own as a wrist and wetsuit compresses at greater depths.

 We think the Pelagos is the more attrative of the two and looks to be a no-nonsense translation of the modern Submariner styling that Tudor should be very proud of. Seeing as WatchReport.com has Canadian representation, we will do what we can to get some hands-on time with the Pelagos and Black Bay divers in the coming months.

We love the ability to adjust a bracelet in warmer weather so this system looks to be very practical for either diving or daily use scenarios. Hodinkee.com has reported the price to be 3950 CHF (~$4300 USD) which is a competitive price given the Tudor name and technology incorporated in the Pelagos.

The Pelagos looks like an instant winner in terms of design and the Black Bay looks lovely and should play well given the increased interest in vintage inspired models.

The $4000-$6000 price range will see heated competition from Omega, Bremont, IWC and Breiting but US buyers will have to travel north to Canada to see these models as Tudor does not retail in the US.

Seiko Announces the Astron featuring both GPS

 The new Astron is definitely a technological flagship for Seiko as it features both GPS and solar charging. The Astron’s 7×52 quartz caliber will connect to no less than four GPS satellites and will both sync the time AND correct the timezone for your current location.

The Astron looks good too, like an upgraded Casio Oceanus and we really like that the styling is relatively reserved and still offers a second timezone display (essential feature on a travelers watch).

With four models offering high intensity titanium or stainless steel, “hard black” coatings (dlc?) and ceramic bezels, Seiko has designed a watch that will be bought and worn.

The Swiss aren’t the only ones launching new watches right now, Japanese super brand Seiko has announced a new GPS enabled watch called The Astron. Seiko devotees will note that the Astron is the same name given by Seiko to the first quartz watch ever made, circa 1969.

Seiko says the Astron knows all 39 of the world’s timezones and can, at the press of a button, sync the time (takes ~6 seconds) and the current timezone based on location data from the Astron’s GPS connection (this takes ~30 seconds). There is no delicate way to put this, the Astron looks freaking amazing – see for yourself:47 x 16.5 mm case
High intensity titanium or stainless steel options
Titanium model weighs only 135g
Solar powered, no battery changes
Perpetual calendar (accurate to February 2100)
Dual time sub-dial
Ceramic bezels (standard on all models)
Sapphire crystal with Seiko’s own AR coating
Non-synced accuracy of +/- 15s per month
Titanium bracelet or silicone strap
100m Water resistant (330 ft, 10 bar)
Priced from  ¥152 250 –  ¥210 000 (~$1880 – 2600 USD)