Rock solid: adventure watches

Simon de Burton discovers some tough timepieces inspired by adventurous, adrenaline-fuelled pursuits

Watches & Jewellery 15 Feb 2019

Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, £36,460
Omega Speedmaster ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ APOLLO 8, £7,200
Above left: Zenith Heritage Cronometro Tipo CP-2, £6,400. Above right: Chopard Mille Miglia, £4,730
Above left: Bremont MB-II, £3,795. Above right: Tudor Black Bay GMT, £2,570
Breitling Superocean Heritage II ‘Outerknown’, £5,600
Above left: Breguet Type XXI, £10,400. Above right: RICHARD MILLE RM36-01 Tourbillon Competition G-Sensor, £591,000

Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time: Patek Philippe divided opinion when it launched the robust and sporty Calatrava Pilot Travel Time in 2015. The left-mounted crowns enable the two hour hands to be quickly adjusted in either direction, while the large date counter automatically syncs with local time. £36,460

Omega Speedmaster ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ APOLLO 8: Omega’s Speedmaster became famous for being the first watch worn on the moon, during the Apollo XI mission 50 years ago. But this ceramic ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ version pays tribute to the Apollo 8 expedition of 1968 that was the first manned space flight to complete a full orbit of the moon. £7,200

Zenith Heritage Cronometro Tipo CP-2: Zenith’s retro-look Cronometro Tipo CP-2 Cairelli is based on a 1960s model originally commissioned by Rome jeweller A Cairelli for supply to the Italian Air Force. The 43mm reincarnation uses Zenith’s famed ‘El Primero’ movement with an added flyback function. £6,400

Chopard Mille Miglia: Last year marked Chopard’s 30th anniversary as the headline sponsor of the Mille Miglia car rally. To celebrate, it launched five chronographs in colours synonymous with the main competing countries – British Racing Green; Speed Yellow (Belgium); Rosso Corsa (Italy); Vintage Blue (France) and Speed Silver (Germany). £4,730

Bremont MB-II: Developed with ejection-seat manufacturer Martin-Baker, MB-II prototypes were exposed to extreme vibration, salt water and huge variations in temperature before being ejected from an aircraft cockpit. There is a range of finishes available for the central barrel, but only those who have been ejected in a Martin-Baker seat can buy the red version. £3,795

Tudor Black Bay GMT: One of the most coveted of all dual-time watches is the Rolex GMT Master, with its red and blue bezel known as the ‘Pepsi’ among fans. Now Rolex stablemate Tudor has created its own GMT version of the smash-hit Black Bay, complete with in-house automatic movement and a tempting base price of £2,570

Breitling Superocean Heritage II ‘Outerknown’: Breitling has chosen to enhance its eco credentials with this version of the rugged 44mm Superocean Heritage II chronograph. It carries the name and logo of champion surfer Kelly Slater’s sustainable clothing brand ‘Outerknown’ on its caseback and is fitted with an Econyl yarn strap made from recycled nylon waste. £5,600

Breguet Type XXI: Watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet’s great, great grandson Louis-Charles was a pioneer aviator whose influence in early aviation made him the obvious choice to advise when Breguet began making pilot watches – one of the most famous being the ‘Type 20’ of 1954, which evolved into the Type XXI ‘flyback’ chronograph, pictured here. £10,400

RICHARD MILLE RM36-01 Tourbillon Competition G-Sensor: Inspired by the sideways driving antics of nine-time World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb, the RM36-01 incorporates a multi-directional G-force sensor, a semi-circular gauge that can record the force of acceleration, deceleration or lateral movement up to 6G. £591,000