The 10 best back-to-school watches | GQ France LargeChevron Menu Close Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter Pinterest Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram YouTube LargeChevron<

It's time to get back to itTo dive into the start of the new school year, here are the 10 favorite watches of the editorial staff, and there is something for everyone.

By Alexandre Lazerges

A good watch is the sign of a return to school on time, whether in steel, bronze, ceramic or titanium. Proof by 10.

TAG Heuer, Aquaracer Professional 300 Night Diver

The latest addition to the Aquaracer collection at TAG Heuer not only makes it possible to dive headlong into re-entry (down to -300 m) but also makes it easier to tell the time even when daylight has not yet dawned, thanks to its fully luminescent dial. You will therefore no longer have any excuses in the event of being late for an early meeting, especially since this watch indicates the date under a magnifying glass at 6 o'clock. Finally, very useful for the start of the school year, the steel case covered in black DLC carbon with a delicate touch, goes wonderfully with a suit jacket, and retains a sporty and robust look for the weekend. 43 mm, DLC steel, automatic, power reserve: 38 hours, water resistance: - 300 m, price €3,150.

Chanel, Monsieur de Chanel Edition Superleggera

Back to school is an opportunity to relearn how to tell the time with this brand new Monsieur de Chanel Edition Superlegerra. The hours can be read in the window at 6 o'clock, the so-called "retrograde" minutes on the upper dial at 240° and the seconds in the small round dial. This is the specificity of Caliber 1, developed entirely in-house and which appeared on Chanel's first Monsieur in 2016. As for the term “Superleggerra”, already attached to the J12 in 2005, it refers to the ultra-light manufacturing process of bodywork car invented by the Italian Touring and found on the famous Aston Martin Superleggera. Be careful though, this delicately guilloché watch is manually wound. @42 mm, ceramic, manual winding, power reserve: 72 hours, water resistance: - 30 m, price:

🇬🇧🇺🇸 I have this hope that, since I speak both portuguese and spanish, I'll be able to learn italian only by consum… https://t.co/ZnP2k07uSE

— giannina Sat Jul 24 01:51:46 +0000 2021

Rolex/Skeleton Concept, Daytona Pastor Maldonado Concept

As we have just seen, the world of watchmaking is inspired by the automobile, but also by the marvelous world of custom builders, what is called “bolidage” in French. This is exactly the case with this sublime Rolex Daytona customized by the Parisians of Skeleton Concept, at the request of former F1 driver Pastor Maldonado. Following his instructions, the master watchmakers at Skelton Concept began by replacing the ceramic crown with a delicately chiselled piece of titanium, before "skeletonizing" the dial. The operation consisted in placing a new openworked dial painted blue, allowing the “engine” of the watch to be admired. Please note that only 45 copies will be made at the price of a fine car, i.e. €55,000.40 mm, steel, automatic, power reserve: 72 hours, water resistance: - 100 m, price: €55,000 (limited to 45 copies) .

Hublot BigBang DJSnake

After his collaborations with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Diplo, Kanye West or Lil Jon, our most listened to national artist in the world is now collaborating with the watchmaker Hublot. “To be able to wear on my wrist and offer my fans a watch that looks like me at heart […]. I am very happy to have been able to mix my inspiration with the know-how of the fantastic watchmakers and technicians of this Swiss house,” explains DJ Snake. As a souvenir of the revolutionary summer, the purplish-blue case is decorated with a colored PVD coating with multicolored reflections called the “Newton Effect” reminiscent of disco disco balls. Nota Bene: in homage to the stage name of the artist, the recommended bracelet is of the "snakeskin" type. 45 mm, titanium, Automatic, power reserve: 72 h, water resistance: - 100 m, price: 25,900 € , (limited to 100 copies).

Seiko Prospex Alpinist Recreation

Celebrating its 140th anniversary all year round, the Japanese watch brand revisits its past with this attractive Prospex Alpinist watch, taking up the design of its very first sports watch released in 1959. Once again, watchmaking is inspired by the automobile, like Jaguar, which stands out identically to the racing cars of the past such as the XKKS or the Type C which we call “Continuation”. Seiko therefore uses the same design as at the time, but with a brand new, more efficient caliber that only adds a single millimeter of thickness to the watch. For the rest, the indexes are still clearly visible in lumibrite, the sapphire crystal reproduces the curves of the curved glass of the original, and everything is mounted on a wide leather strap with visible seams as in the past. Finally, due to the return, Seiko has added a date window between 4 and 5 o'clock. 36.6 mm, steel, automatic, power reserve: 45 hours, water resistance: - 100 m, price: €3,000 (limited to 1,959 copies) .

Michel Herbelin, Newport Day/Date

Franco-French watchmaker and proud of it Michel Herbelin never stops improving his emblematic Newport model, while retaining the characteristics that have made it successful: the central attachments of the bracelet, the porthole-style bezel or even the marine wheel stamped on the crown. But this fall, this best-seller is adorned at 3 o'clock with a double window which offers, in addition to the date, the indication of the day of the week. Unheard-of luxury for less than €1,000. Cocorico!42 mm, PVD, automatic, power reserve: 38 hours, water resistance: - 100 m, price: €990.

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Bronze

In less than ten years, the Black Bay Heritage released in 2012 has become a classic model, it is Tudor's iconic diver's watch: elegant, sober, timeless and chic. Taking advantage of the exceptional qualities of this model, the sister brand of Rolex, released a slightly smaller version called Fifty-Eight in 2018, before declining it as desired in blue, gold, ceramic, all more elegant. each other. Here it is now in bronze with, for the first time, a matching bracelet, fitted with the ingenious “T‑fit” quick-adjustment system. 39 mm, bronze, automatic, power reserve: 70 h, water resistance: - 200 m, price: €4,250.

Omega, Seamaster 300 Gold Bronze

Why is this Omega Seamaster 300 diver so much more expensive than the Tudor above? Because it is made of a clever mix of bronze and 18 carat gold. A remarkable alloy which, according to the watch brand, would be very pleasant to wear on the wrist and whose delicate light tint is proving to have the best effect in this busy back-to-school season. It is therefore a sublime variation of the model originally invented in 1957, and intended for professional frogmen, before becoming James Bond's favorite model.41 mm, bronze and 18 K gold, Automatic, reserve walk: 60 hours, water resistance: -300 m, Price: €11,400.

Longines, Spirit Titanium

Titanium is the title of the last film that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but it is above all a metal that is lighter and more resistant than steel. Better, the aspect of this metal turns out to be duller and darker than the good old steel of the families. It gives watches and bracelets a certain originality, which allows them to stand out this fall. Available in two sizes, 40 or 42 mm, this watch would have delighted its first shock ambassador: Charles Lindbergh, the first man to cross the Atlantic between New York and Paris aboard the Spirit of St Louis in 1927. 40 or 42 mm, titanium, automatic, power reserve: 72 hours, water resistance: - 100, price: €2,950 (titanium strap), €2,550 (NATO strap).

BND Watches, MNBLU

Finally, here is our favorite at the editorial staff of GQ: a brand new French brand called BND Watches. With its first model, the small label is betting on neovintage, a bit like Renault and its future neo-R5. Jokes aside, the inspirations of the designer Vincent Bonnaud are to be sought rather from the side of Steve McQueen, Carroll Shelby or Graham Hill: remarkable personalities for their driving style and their flamboyant style. This old-fashioned diver's watch (here in “MNBLU” blue, but exists in “MNBLA” black or “MNBRO” brown), has a disarming simplicity that gives it a timeless chic with its unidirectional bezel, its luminescent indexes and its domed plexi glass. Inside hides an irreproachable and ultra-affordable Seiko movement, which allows this watch to display an exceptionally low price, at less than 400 €. This may be the best news of the fall. 39.5 mm, steel, automatic, power reserve: 41 hours, water resistance: - 100 m, price: €396.