Clockwork orange

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Clockwork orange - Halloween
3 minutes read
We have the perfect selection of watches to go with your pumpkin.

Let me be clear from the outset: you won’t find any skulls in this article. It’s about Halloween, the contraction of “Hallows’ Evening”. Although it is a celebration that, in religious terms, is dedicated to remembering the dead, its origins date back earlier to the harvest festivals. Because some cultures encouraged abstinence from meat at this time of year, a fruit and a vegetable have come to be associated with the day. For the Anglo Saxons, toffee apples or candy apples have long been associated with Halloween, but it is the pumpkin that is by far the most readily associated with food around Halloween. We see them carved out and illuminated outside people’s houses, baked into pies and cakes and even incorporated into pasta by the Italians.

By natural extension, therefore, my selection of Halloween watches has been chosen to match the bright orange colour of the pumpkin. I have been strict with my choice, avoiding watches that just have an orange strap in favour of those which give the colour orange a dominance on the dial or for the overall look of the watch. The resulting selection is surprising eclectic, covering everything from sporty smartwatches to exuberant luxury ladies’ watches.

Alpina AlpinerX

Alpina took the unusual step of launching its outdoor smartwatch on Kickstarter earlier this year. Whilst there is a plethora of watches launched on such crowdfunding platforms, Alpina was the first mainstream brand to use the platform to gauge interest in a product before launching it. More recently, this outdoor smartwatch, which includes features such as an altimeter, compass and UV index display in addition to the more usual smartwatch features, is perfect for the adventurer. It may still be too early to test it out on the ski slopes but the orange version is perfect for navigating your way around the trick or treat route. You can order it now from the Alpina website for 895 Swiss francs.

Clockwork orange

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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Royal Oak Offshore offers something for everyone, as this feminine watch proves. It combines a number of features that are unusual for a ladies’ watch, such as stainless steel, diamonds and a chronograph. Its orange tinted dial and orange rubber strap make this model the perfect choice for Halloween among the 26 new models that Audemars Piguet presented this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary. Price: 29,500 Swiss francs. The colourful Royal Oak Offshore models are also available as a diver’s watch, diver’s chronograph and even as a bright orange chronograph tourbillon.

Clockwork orange

de Grisogono Tondo by Night SO2

You are spoilt for choice for colourful ladies’ watches with de Grisogono, with the Allegra and Cascata both available in orange. But the most logical choice for Halloween is the unique Tondo by Night. Its composite fiberglass case is actually photoluminescent, which means it glows in the dark and is sure to add an extra spooky touch to your Halloween costume. The inverse oscillating weight dial is visible on the dial side, as are orange hands with photoluminescent material. The matching galuchat strap in orange completes the Halloween look to perfection. Price: 11,600 Swiss francs.

Clockwork orange

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Moonphase King Gold

Hublot has succeeded in adding a variety of colours to its Big Bang collection and has even pioneered in the production of coloured ceramic and sapphire cases. For Halloween, however, I have chosen an 18-carat rose gold Spirit of Big Bang model, since the warm tones of the King Gold go so well with the orange quartz dial. A bezel set with 48 orange sapphires completes the Halloween effect for this complicated watch which offers moonphase indication and a big date. Price: 40,300 Swiss francs.

Clockwork orange

Patek Philippe Aquanaut

Despite being a thoroughly traditional brand, Patek Philippe likes to surprise us now and again. This year’s unexpected watch was the Aquanaut chronograph with its discreet orange accents on the dial (the chronograph hands and seconds markings) and the not-so-discreet orange rubber strap. This is the statement watch for luxury Halloween parties and, once finished, you can switch back to a black rubber strap for the perfect everyday sporty timepiece. Price: 38,600 Swiss francs.

Clockwork orange

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