Arloji Dev Shop

Last year's monster Pilot's watch (Type 20) from Zenith was a run-away success for the brand. So much so in fact that for BaselWorld 2013, they've release an entire line around it - including this guy. You're looking at an annual calendar chronograph in a 48mm case. No doubt utilizing the same movement found inside the awesome Zenith Captain Winsor...

When the news broke last month that Pope Bendidict XVI was resigning, a HODINKEE reader asked me rather sarcastically: Does the Pope get a retirement watch? Since no Pope has "retired" in the last six hundred years, there’s not much of a precedent here for a Pope receiving a timepiece at the end of his service. When Pope Gregory XII retired in 1415, the first spring-driven portable clocks were still decades away.

But if a Pope was to get a watch as a gift for retirement or a commemorative event, he would have to get a Patek Philippe of course. Leaders of the church have a long history wearing Patek Philippe. Here’s the story:

Patek Philippe founding father Antoine Norbert de Patek (1812-1877) was a fervent Catholic who passionately defended his Polish homeland and his faith. He worked tirelessly for the Zmartwycwstancy, the Congregation of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the group recognized him for his work in The Church. In 1865, Patek was knighted as a Count circa 1865 from the Republic of San Marino and was recognized by the Vatican for his role in supporting the Holy See. In fact, the Calatrava cross that is on the crown of your modern Patek Philippe is a logo that dates back to the 1870s and clearly had religious significance for Mr. Patek. Pocket watch cases began being stamped or engraved with the Calatrava logo dating back to the time Patek was trying to restore a Catholic Poland.

During Antoine Norbert de Patek’s later years, Pius IX (1792-1878) was head of the church, from 1846 until his death, and he was an enthusiastic multiple Patek owner – he wore an open-face quarter-repeating 49 mm Patek Philippe made for him in 1866, complete with a caseback polychromatically enameled with his Papal arms and a cuvette engraved “Pater, Rex / Dirigas Intelligentias et Corda, Geneva, 29 June 1867” ("Our father, Sovereign, You Give Direction to the Spirit and the Heart”). This watch was sold at auction in 1989 and can now be seen at the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, as well as in the photo above. Pope Pius IX also owned a silver open-face Patek Philippe watch given to him from the Swiss Catholic organization Piusverein in 1877. This watch recently sold at auction and can be see here.

After Pope Pius IX died in 1878, the next Pope, Leo XIII (1810-1903, elected Pope in 1878), continued the tradition of Papal Patek ownership. He is believed to have received a silver and rose gold Patek Philippe pocket watch in 1901 as a gift to commemorate his anniversary of becoming Pope. This watch can also be seen at the Patek Philippe Museum.

Fast forward to 1970, and the first Patek Philippe wristwatches believed to be associated with a Pope were ordered from the retailer Haussman in Rome.

According to a new book titled Patek Philippe: Cult Object and Investment by Michael Mehltretter, twelve Ref. 3588 automatic watches were delivered to the Vatican in 1971, each made with a custom dial in "Papal Purple" with faceted gold batons. The watches were intended to be gifted to Cardinals and church VIPs.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Vatican also utilized a Patek Philippe master timing system to control the time signals throughout the city. The master timing system was state-of-the-art for its day and kept the Vatican on time for years with its numerous slave clocks. For more information on these master timing systems, see this earlier post.

For the recently-retired Pope Bendict XVI, it doesn’t look like he was given a Patek Philippe for his service but he did recently receive a Erhard Junghans Tempus Automatic. Maybe Pope Francis will have better luck.

Surely, Patek Philippe must have been on the mind of the overseers of the Catholic church for many years, as the company and the church had mutual admiration for generations. For the watch world, the quest to know the secrets of the Patek archives is not dissimilar to the global fascination with the untold secrets of the Vatican. Could there be some more horological treasure buried deep below the Vatican? Probably. And I'd venture to guess more than a few bear the Calatrava cross of Patek Philippe.

INTRODUCTION

The Breitling Transocean was first introduced in 1958 in hopes of building on the success of the cult-favorite Navitimer. Breitling went with an understated design and upscale COSC movement for the Transocean, playing nicely into the hands of a post WWII boom and men that we might equate with Don Draper. The slogan for the new watch read: "Men who have faith in the mighty liners of the sky will trust the Transocean, for behind every Breitling wristwatch lies the experience of aviation precision." And so, the watch was a hit in the new, smaller world enjoying the fruits of transatlantic flight.

In 2010, Breitling saw fit to revive the Transocean in the spirit of the original. Released as a chronograph model, the new Transocean retained the understated design and COSC movement, though this time with the brand's first foray into the land of manufacture movements, the B01. The size on the other hand, might have left fans of the original a little turned off. At 43mm, the new Transocean Chronograph's size could be considered average at best within the context of other modern Breitling watches. While the looks and internals certainly make the Transocean Chronograph lust-worthy, they may not be enough for new buyers to forget about the size (43mm) and heft (14.35mm thick).

Breitling's solution, the Transocean Chronograph 38, is released 3 years later and is a breath of fresh air to buyers who prefer to stay south of the 40mm border. The design is restrained, just 2 sub dials adorn the dial at 3 and 9 o'clock. The date window moved to 6 o'clock completes the symmetrical dial. A width of 38mm illicits thoughts of "Finally, a new watch sized for a gentleman" from the James May types among us. Then, the tag line hits you: "First class femininity." It certainly doesn't look like the stereotypical ladies watch. Where is the mother of pearl, the diamonds, the floral patterns? "It looks like a men's watch," you're thinking. One of the great things about this watch though is that it will challenge any antiquated thoughts you may have of gender specific features.

WHO'S IT FOR

In short, this is a watch for anyone who finds it attractive and enjoys wearing 38mm watches. Last I checked, neither of those things is gender specific. Let's face it - while it might be labeled a ladies' watch by Breitling, a lot of guys will prefer this watch to its larger brother. A man wearing this watch out of the house is certainly not analogous to a man wearing his wife's dress out of the house (not that there's anything wrong with that, if you're into that kind of thing). Unless you bring it up, no one will be any the wiser that you're wearing a watch labeled as "feminine" by its manufacturer.

While sitting with a group of friends, both male and female, I asked what they all thought of the watch. "Really beautiful," "I love it," "How much does it cost?" were all among the questions asked. Not once did I get a "This looks like a girl's watch." So why is it labeled that way by Breitling?

This is really the only mystery here, and if you can get past that bit, you'll probably be pretty happy with the watch. One could speculate that, given Breitling's "tough, masculine man, I shave with a knife" kind of image, they didn't want a 38mm men's watch in their catalogue. Perhaps Breitling really thinks that men don't wear 38mm watches, but that doesn't change the fact that many men do, and a lot of us prefer sub-40mm watches. Does that say anything about our masculinity? All I can say is that doesn't about mine.

Earlier this year, Breitling introduced a new addition to their Transocean collection, the Chronograph 38, a watch that has since received equal parts admiration and admonition. It has been lauded for its lovely symmetrical dial and conservative stature, while being being criticized for having been labeled a ladies watch. After wearing the watch for a week, and having judged its merits free of any gender bias, I believe I can put this controversy to rest.

INTRODUCTION

The Breitling Transocean was first introduced in 1958 in hopes of building on the success of the cult-favorite Navitimer. Breitling went with an understated design and upscale COSC movement for the Transocean, playing nicely into the hands of a post WWII boom and men that we might equate with Don Draper. The slogan for the new watch read: "Men who have faith in the mighty liners of the sky will trust the Transocean, for behind every Breitling wristwatch lies the experience of aviation precision." And so, the watch was a hit in the new, smaller world enjoying the fruits of transatlantic flight.

In 2010, Breitling saw fit to revive the Transocean in the spirit of the original. Released as a chronograph model, the new Transocean retained the understated design and COSC movement, though this time with the brand's first foray into the land of manufacture movements, the B01. The size on the other hand, might have left fans of the original a little turned off. At 43mm, the new Transocean Chronograph's size could be considered average at best within the context of other modern Breitling watches. While the looks and internals certainly make the Transocean Chronograph lust-worthy, they may not be enough for new buyers to forget about the size (43mm) and heft (14.35mm thick).

Breitling's solution, the Transocean Chronograph 38, is released 3 years later and is a breath of fresh air to buyers who prefer to stay south of the 40mm border. The design is restrained, just 2 sub dials adorn the dial at 3 and 9 o'clock. The date window moved to 6 o'clock completes the symmetrical dial. A width of 38mm illicits thoughts of "Finally, a new watch sized for a gentleman" from the James May types among us. Then, the tag line hits you: "First class femininity." It certainly doesn't look like the stereotypical ladies watch. Where is the mother of pearl, the diamonds, the floral patterns? "It looks like a men's watch," you're thinking. One of the great things about this watch though is that it will challenge any antiquated thoughts you may have of gender specific features.

WHO'S IT FOR

In short, this is a watch for anyone who finds it attractive and enjoys wearing 38mm watches. Last I checked, neither of those things is gender specific. Let's face it - while it might be labeled a ladies' watch by Breitling, a lot of guys will prefer this watch to its larger brother. A man wearing this watch out of the house is certainly not analogous to a man wearing his wife's dress out of the house (not that there's anything wrong with that, if you're into that kind of thing). Unless you bring it up, no one will be any the wiser that you're wearing a watch labeled as "feminine" by its manufacturer.

While sitting with a group of friends, both male and female, I asked what they all thought of the watch. "Really beautiful," "I love it," "How much does it cost?" were all among the questions asked. Not once did I get a "This looks like a girl's watch." So why is it labeled that way by Breitling?

This is really the only mystery here, and if you can get past that bit, you'll probably be pretty happy with the watch. One could speculate that, given Breitling's "tough, masculine man, I shave with a knife" kind of image, they didn't want a 38mm men's watch in their catalogue. Perhaps Breitling really thinks that men don't wear 38mm watches, but that doesn't