Men

Watches: Living Legends to Own

Photo Courtesy of Instagram.com/iwcwatches

For a watch to become a living legend, a long history must lie behind it. We are not talking about the collections that are being newly released here, but rather about the ones that are still alive thanks to the watchmaking houses’ efforts to introduce the same historical piece while catering to the modern-day needs.

Whether through a complication or a more modern design, the timepieces that we’re about to highlight are true collector items. Well, that’s the least we can say about a watch that has been around for generations and is still available in versions that make it more interesting than ever.

Below are a few of our favorites!

 

Rolex, Submariner watch

Debuted in 1954, this watch broke the records with its durability and legibility. Created as a professional diver’s watch, it gained a more luxurious status in the 1980s and contributed in making Rolex one of the world’s most coveted luxury timepiece brands.

 

Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak watch

During the Quartz revolution, the Royal Oak is the watch that saved Audemars Piguet – opening a new chapter in the history. This timepiece introduced the brand to a bigger market and defined the concept of a luxury steel watch by out-pricing most of the gold watches at that time.

 

Cartier, Santos watch

Friend of French jeweler Louis Cartier, Alberto Santos-Dumont shared with the latter the difficulty of checking the time on his pocket watch while achieving a sustained flight in a fixed wing aircraft around 1906. Therefore, Cartier designed this wrist-mounted watch that allowed Dumont to check the time without removing his hand from the flight controls.

 

Jaeger-LeCoultre, Reverso watch

Debuted in 1931, Reverso was one of the original partnerships between Jaeger and LeCoultre, which later on merged to form one brand. Destined to be a high-end timepiece designed for Britain’s social elite who wore it while playing polo. While creating a flipping case seems simple today, it was complex at the beginning and the purpose was to protect the dial.

 

IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser watch

Created for a group of Portuguese ship merchants who traveled to their Switzerland-based manufactures in the 1930s, this watch was necessary thanks to its precise marine chronometer. Today, they are still one of the brand’s popular sellers and come in a wide range of styles.

 

Mirella Haddad



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