It happens in August every year: the Perseid meteor shower that is a stunning display of shooting stars and fireballs if you catch it at the right moment. The shooting stars blaze over the Northern Hemisphere beginning in early August and being active through August 24th this year. The best night to spot the meteors and their potential fireballs, though, is August 12 into the morning of August 13, when anywhere from 50 to 100 meteors can be seen in an hour. Of course, you will want to dress right for the momentous occasion and that means wearing the perfectly coordinated watch.
A Lange & Söhne
The Little Lange One Moonphase is the perfect piece for a meteor shower. The midnight blue dial (over a solid silver disk) features blue gold flecks that shimmer with a copper hue, similar to aventurine glass. The material sparkles like the stars so be careful, you may find yourself staring at your wrist instead of the heavens. The watch boasts an offset dial at 9:00 with the hours and minutes, the outsized date at 1:00, for which A. Lange & Sohne is so well known, a power reserve indicator at 3:00 and – in another nod to the heavens, in a subsidiary dial at 5:00, there is a beautiful moon phase indication. Crafted in 18-karat white gold, the watch is powered by an in-house-made manually wound movement with twin mainspring barrels and 72 hours of power reserve.
Grand Seiko
The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Masterpiece watch was inspired by the constantly changing night sky, seen at its best in the mountain village of Achi, Japan. Crafted in platinum, the watch boasts a starry blue dial created using a special technique of stamping, plating and painting. The dial features a long, thin, glide motion seconds hand that seems to simply float around the dial. The watch is powered by the Spring Drive manual-winding caliber created by the brand in its Micro Artist Studio also located in Achi. Equally as alluring as the dial and the mechanics is the platinum case, which is created using a meticulous engraving pattern that is repeated over and over in different directions and then polished to perfection. Just 50 pieces of the 38.5mm watch will be created.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the famed Reverso two-sided swivel watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre is pulling out all the stops this year. One of the newest pieces is the Nonantième watch that boasts a new visual display on one side that is a delightful departure from a second full dial. While the front side of the 18-karat pink gold Reverso boasts a silvered grey sunray-brushed dial with date and moonphase indication in addition to the hours, minutes and seconds, the reverse side features an aperture in the center with a golden starry night against blue lacquer. Beneath the night sky in the center circle is an aperture to showcase the minutes. Inset above the night sky is an aperture to showcase the hour in jump hour style. There is also a day/night indication. The watch is powered by a 230-part manual winding movement.
Bulgari
Thanks to a three-way collaboration, Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Tattoo Aria watch features an elaborate yet whimsical illustration of the galaxy with moon, sunrays, clouds and stars all sharing the dial and the bracelet. The watch is the result of a partnership between Laurent Picciotto, founder of Chronopassion in Paris, London-based tattoo artist Mo Coppoletta and Bulgari’s Executive Director of Product Creation, Fabrizio Buonomassa. The limited-edition watch is created using laser engraving to transfer the artistic design onto the metal dial and bracelet. It is powered by an ultra-thin self-winding movement with platinum micro rotor. Just 10 pieces were made, all available exclusively at Chronopassion.
De Bethune
Intensely blue and incredibly alluring, the dial of the new DB28 XP Meteorite watch is created using a blue meteorite with white gold stars transferred onto it. The hour ring on which the pink gold Arabic numerals are placed is created in anthracite. To not detract from the stunning dial in any way, and to add a true midnight appeal, DeBethune creates the case in black zirconium. Matching black anthracite zirconium floating lugs allow for optimum ergonomics on the wrist, as does the blue crown located at 12:00. The sapphire crystal is treated with a double layer of anti-reflective coating. The watch is powered by a mechanical hand-wound movement that consists of 166 parts, including a twin barrel, silicon escapement and titanium balance wheel with gold inserts that was patented by DeBethune in 2016. The balance wheel is visible at 6:00 on the dial. Just 10 numbered pieces are being made.
