Grey matter: men’s watches

Exuding understated masculine style, these grey-faced timepieces are a sophisticated alternative to the classic black or white

Watches & Jewellery 5 Oct 2018

Clockwise, from bottom left: Mille Miglia Grigio Speciale, £6,640, CHOPARD; Airco Mach 2, £2,895, BREMONT; Complications 5146P Annual Calendar Moon Phases, £49,050, PATEK PHILIPPE; Speedmaster Moonwatch, £9,040, OMEGA; Chronomat B01 44, £6,500, BREITLING; Marine 5517, £13,900, BREGUET

Breguet Marine 5517

While the great 19th-century horologist Abraham- Louis Breguet is often associated with the tourbillon mechanism, it’s less well known that he had a significant relationship with the sea, in as much as he was appointed chronometer-maker to the French Royal Navy in October 1815. The modern-day Breguet brand recognises that in its Marine collection, with this simple, grey-dialled model offering time and large date displays in a robust 40mm titanium case that’s water resistant down to 100 metres.

£13,900; breguet.com

Bremont Airco Mach 2

Bremont harks back to the days of the simple, legible military watches of the war years with its Airco range, which is named after the Aircraft Manufacturing Company Limited, the world’s largest producer of aeroplanes between 1912 and 1920. While the Airco Mach 1 offers a utilitarian, tool watch look, the Mach 2 version is intended to be more of a robust dress piece, with its 40mm, hardened steel case being complemented by an anthracite dial with polished numerals, making for a decidedly ‘clean’ appearance.

£2,895; bremont.com

Breitling Chronomat B01 44

Breitling’s new management hopes to dispel the common misconception that it only makes aviation watches with its new ranges designed for ‘land, sea and air’. Although the Chronomat was originally based on a 1980s model designed for Italy’s Frecce Tricolori display team, it has evolved into a ‘universal’ tool watch with the brand’s in-house B01 chronograph mechanism and a tough 44mm case fitted with a screw-down crown and push pieces that guarantee water resistance to a dive watch-worthy 500 metres.

£6,500; breitling.com

Patek Philippe Complications 5146P Annual Calendar Moon Phases

Patek Philippe’s annual calendar mechanism broke new ground when it was first presented in 1996 with the ability to distinguish between months of 30 and 31 days, meaning it needs to be manually corrected only between the last day of February and the first day of March. The innovation earned the original 5035 model ‘Watch of the Year,’ since when the mechanism has appeared in numerous models, including this 39mm, platinum-cased 5146P version with a delectable grey dial.

£49,050; patek.com

Chopard Mille Miglia Grigio Speciale

They say business and pleasure should never be mixed, but Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has disproved the theory by successfully combining watch production with his passion for classic cars – which is how Chopard has become well known in the world of historic and modern motorsport. Its partnership with Italy’s celebrated Mille Miglia classic rally began in 1988 and has resulted in new ‘MM’ watch designs being created each year. One of two for 2018 is the titanium Grigio Speciale.

£6,640; chopard.com

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch

Although Omega’s Speedmaster chronograph was primarily intended for drivers when it was launched in 1957, it is better known as the first watch to be worn on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 mission 12 years later. Omega has riffed extensively on this historic fact with a large range of special ‘moonwatches’, among the best of which is this Grey Side of the Moon model inspired by the hue of lunar dust. It has a grey-coloured ceramic case and a sandblasted platinum dial.

£9,040; omegawatches.com