{"id":359708,"date":"2025-12-20T04:22:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T04:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/359708\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T04:22:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T04:22:15","slug":"holiday-horology-something-old-something-new-something-special-felix-scholz-revolution-australia-editor-in-chief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/359708\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Horology: Something Old, Something New, Something Special \u2014 Felix Scholz, Revolution Australia Editor-in-Chief"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Something New: IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have any sort of scientific metrics when it comes to picking the \u201cbest new watch of the year\u201d or however we\u2019re framing it. It\u2019s vibes all the way. Case in point, the IWC Ingenieur 35mm, one of the stars of the brand\u2019s 2025 release schedule. Now, the steel version is a lovely watch indeed, but it doesn\u2019t hold a candle to the impact the full gold version (Ref. IW324903) had on me. My reaction to that petite chunk of 18K 5N gold was, frankly, unreasonable. But hopefully (for any who have had the chance to check it out up close) relatable. It\u2019s just so gold. The Ingenieur case, for all that is less famous than other Genta designs, is undeniably great, and sings in the period-correct 35mm dimensions, but it\u2019s the solid gold dial with tonally matched hardware and date display that really seals the deal for me.<\/p>\n

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\"IWC<\/a><\/p>\n

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35<\/p>\n

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Metalem\u2019s dials are so finely done, and the pattern here is just so good. It is the watch that has stolen my heart this year. There\u2019s one thing I would change, though \u2014 the center links on the 35mm models are polished, while the more masculine 40mm gold model gets the brushed treatment. If anyone at IWC is reading, I\u2019d like this in \u201925, full brushed, and (I dare to dream) proper yellow gold for 2026.<\/p>\n

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Something Special: Chopard L.U.C Heritage Grand Cru<\/p>\n

I struggle with the concept of grail watches. For many, it seems to be the most outlying of outliers \u2014 that far point on the chart representing both the extreme of inaccessibility and exceptionalism. For me, it\u2019s like saying \u201cWould you rather hang a Rothko or a Rembrandt in the spare bedroom?\u201d \u2014 a fun exercise for some, but ultimately pointless. I don\u2019t aspire to own that level of watch. However, drop down from the stratosphere, and that\u2019s where things get fun. One watch that I haven\u2019t been able to get out of my head since I saw it in 2017 is Chopard\u2019s L.U.C Heritage Grand Cru.<\/p>\n

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\"Chopard<\/a><\/p>\n

Chopard L.U.C Heritage Grand Cru<\/p>\n

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Specifically, the black-dialed version with baguette diamonds on the bezel. It is a most un-Felix watch. Curvy, classical and with one of the most pleasing diamond bezels I can remember seeing. Not only is Chopard\u2019s L.U.C line of watches amongst the best commercial watchmaking in Switzerland, but the combination of tonneau case and (dare I say it) understated diamonds also makes this the epitome of a \u201cgrown-up\u201d watch. Maybe if I ever grow up, it will be mine.<\/p>\n

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Something Old: Cartier Tank Louis Cartier<\/p>\n

When is a vintage watch not a vintage watch? When you can walk into the store and buy it today, essentially unchanged from when it was first released. It\u2019s a slightly disingenuous answer, but it contains a nugget of truth. The Cartier Tank Louis Cartier is perhaps the best example \u2014 it\u2019s barely changed since it debuted over 100 years ago. Sure, the movement has changed, and the overall quality of components and watchmaking has improved, but in all the details that matter, it\u2019s the same watch.<\/p>\n

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\"Cartier<\/a><\/p>\n

Cartier Tank Louis Cartier<\/p>\n

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From the proud rectangular silhouette with its softly curved brancards to the Roman numerals and blued hands, a Cartier Tank Louis Cartier is one of the most quintessential expressions of perpetual elegance out there. This alone is enough to love it, but the real reasons why I rate it are that it\u2019s accessible and incredibly versatile. Because the Tank Louis Cartier has such a long production history, it\u2019s entirely possible for collectors at any end of the spectrum to acquire one. It makes a great \u201cfirst watch\u201d for some of the more recent models, or if you\u2019re looking for the vintage final boss, try getting one of those century-old examples. It also works on anyone; man, woman, young or old \u2014 everyone looks good in a Cartier Tank Louis Cartier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 Something New: IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35 I don\u2019t have any sort of scientific metrics when it comes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359709,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,106291,196303,196304,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-359708","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-australia","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cartier","11":"tag-chopard","12":"tag-iwc","13":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359708"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359708\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}