Watches

In January, Swiss watchmaker Omega announced that it was bringing back its famous Calibre 321. Now, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon, the company is releasing its Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum that features the revived mechanical movement.

It looks like a fitness tracker, acts like a smartwatch, yet has has no buttons or screen. It also plays audio when you touch your finger to your ear and is gesture and voice-controlled. It's called Get and its creators think it could change the way we connect with each other and our information.

For this year's Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy annual Only Watch charity auction, Louis Moinet has come up with something completely different – a wristwatch called the Memoris Only with a completely independent chronograph function.

Omega Watches set the record for the deepest diving watches as three of its Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional wrist watches strapped to a special manned submersible reached a depth of 10,928 m (35,853 ft) in the Mariana Trench earlier this year.

Smartphones and smartwatches for kids aren't exactly new, but China-based Abardeen has done things a little differently. The company has taken a modular approach with its latest offering – launched this week on Kickstarter – bringing considerable flexibility to the kids phone/watch space.

Last year, Citizen marked its centenary with a concept pocket watch that was billed as more accurate than any other watch on the market. That technology has now been incorporated into the company's new Caliber 0100 line of wristwatches, which are slated to go on sale toward the end of 2019.

​Some watches are made for looks. Some are made to be tough. Making its debut at this year's Baselworld exhibition, the Bianchet Genève G5000 Active Tourbillon is made to be really tough, withstanding impacts of up to 5,000 g and still keep ticking.

In its 14-year history, MB&F has surprised us with some seriously original watches and now the brand has its first ladies' timepiece. Called the Legacy Machine FlyingT, the new wristwatch not only sports some serious bling in an eye-catching 3D design, but it also incorporates a flying tourbillon.

If you can't decide if you want a dress watch or a chronograph, Deux Watches has your back with its new Deux Collection, which features a face that transforms with a twist of the bezel. Available in three models, each one incorporates an irising mechanism that hides the chronograph subdials.

In what could be the most minimalist watch yet, H. Moser & Cie have come up with the Swiss Alp Watch Concept Black, which has no hands and a blank black dial. The time is told by way of tiny chimes and gongs for the hours, quarter hours, and minutes.

Last year, Ressence unveiled its Type-2 e-Crown Concept watch. Now, the company is releasing the hybrid timepiece for general sale, so anyone with CHF 42,500 (US$43,000) can have an automatic wrist watch that can set the time by simply tapping the crystal.

A classic of the mechanical watch world has received a new lease on life after Omega announced it would restart production of its Calibre 321, which powered watches worn by US astronauts during the Apollo missions. The new 321 movement was recreated by extensive research and reverse engineering.