Shedding the Christmas Pounds with Five Lightweight Watches

Most of us, myself included, tend to let ourselves go a little during the Christmas season and indulge in a little too much food, drinks and money-splurging. To combat that, many people have some form of New Year’s resolutions, like quitting smoking, losing a bit of weight perhaps, or just spending more time with your loved ones. To support you in those efforts, we thought it might be a fun and fitting idea to list some lightweight watches in today’s Buying Guide. That way, you might already have a little bump-start in shedding that unwanted extra weight. Joking aside, we’ve selected some of the most fascinating lightweight watches we’ve recently experienced. Enjoy!

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Racing Works Edition

“Lightweight” and “Big Pilot’ might sound very contradictory, but in the case of IWC’s recent Racing Works Edition of its fabled Pilot’s Watch, the two go together very well. The iconic oversized watch is executed in matte blasted grade 5 titanium, making for an unexpected experience on the wrist. The 46.2mm wide case is fitted with a sunray-brushed blue dial with grey-toned markers and hands filled with luminescent material. Being a Big Pilot, it comes with the in-house produced IW52110 automatic movement. This boasts a massive 168-hour or 7-day power reserve, indicated in the sub-dial at 3′. It comes on a blue calfskin leather carbon-embossed strap with a titanium folding buckle and is limited to 500 pieces. The price is EUR 16,000.

For more information, please visit IWC.com.

Quick Facts – 46.2mm x 15.4mm – grade 5 titanium case, matte blasted finish – screw-in crown – sapphire crystal – solid titanium caseback – soft-iron inner case – 100m water-resistant – sunray-brushed blue dial – grey-toned markers & hands with luminescent inserts – 7-day power reserve indication – date window – calibre 52110, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 168h power reserve – blue calfskin leather strap with embossed carbon texture – titanium folding clasp – ref. IW501019 – limited to 500 pieces – EUR 16,000

Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility

Inspired by vintage military-issued versions of Porsche Design’s iconic Chronograph 1, the brand launched the very cool and very robust Chronograph 1 Utility not too long ago. With an extremely durable titanium-carbide case, this one more than lives up to its robust utilitarian heritage. The case is fitted with a blackened crown, pushers, lug elements and caseback and comes on a BUND-like leather strap and a titanium folding clasp. The matte black dial is extremely legible thanks to its white printed markings and hands, with the chronograph hands being finished in bright red. Inside, we find the Porsche Design calibre WERK 01.240, which is an automatic COSC-certified flyback chronograph. Limited to 250 pieces, it’s priced at EUR 11,950.

For more information, please visit Porsche-Design.com.

Quick Facts – 40.8mm x 14.15mm – titanium carbide case, beadblasted – black-coated lug module, back, crown & pushers – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m dynamic water-resistance – matte black dial – white markers & hands, luminous – day-date display – red chronograph hands – historic Porsche Design logo – proprietary calibre WERK 01.240 – automatic flyback chronograph – COSC certified – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – BUND-like slate grey leather strap with folding buckle – limited to 250 pieces – EUR 11,950

Oris ProPilot Calibre 400 Laser

Almost two years ago, Oris introduced the ProPilot Calibre 400 range, which puts the brand’s in-house automatic movement into the edgy ProPilot X case. Crafted from satin-sandblasted titanium top to bottom, it’s a very light and comfortable watch. Add to that a unique light-reflecting lasered dial, and you end up with a very distinct Pilot’s watch. The colour-shifting dial changes appearances at every angle and in every light condition. It’s really a profound effect! The movement underneath also provides a very healthy 120-hour running time and comes with an anti-magnetic silicon escape wheel and anchor. Fitted to a sandblasted titanium bracelet with a folding clasp, it retails for CHF 4,800 and is part of the permanent collection.

For more information, please visit Oris.ch.

Quick Facts – 39mm diameter – multi-piece titanium case, satin-sandblasted – sapphire crystal front & back – fluted bezel – screw-down crown with guards – 100m water-resistant – light-reflecting lasered titanium dial – lasered indices & minute track – hour & minute hands with black Super-LumiNova, needle-like seconds hand – Oris calibre 400, in-house – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 120h power reserve – integrated sandblasted titanium bracelet with folding clasp – non-limited edition – CHF 4,800

Greubel Forsey Tourbillon Cardan

Shedding weight doesn’t mean you have to skimp on your budget since you can go all-out and opt for the Greubel Forsey Tourbillon Cardan. This technical masterpiece comes with a very hefty price tag of CHF 470,000 and is quintessentially Greubel Forsey. A fast-paced tourbillon escapement is suspended in a gimbal-like Cardan cage dominating the face of the watch. The offset dial for the hours and minutes is almost completely openworked, with a small seconds sub-dial below and a power reserve indication to the left. It comes on a black strap made from non-animal material, and only five per year will be made for a production run of five years in total. Make sure to read our in-depth story on all the technical details of this fascinating watch!

For more information, please visit GreubelForsey.com.

Quick Facts – 45.5mm x 18.15mm – titanium case, hand-finished with polishing & straight graining – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – offset openworked hour & minute dial, small seconds sub-dial, power reserve indication – multi-axis tourbillon escapement suspended in Cadran cage – in-house movement, manually wound – 389 parts – 21,600vph – 80h chronometric power reserve – hand-sewn non-animal material strap in black with titanium folding clasp – limited to 11 pieces per year, with 5-year production run – CHF 470,000

Jacob & Co. Epic X Chrono 44mm titanium

Jacob & Co. watches are never shy about making a statement, and the Epic X is one of the brand’s prime and more accessible examples. However, downsizing it to 44m diameter (coming from 47mm) makes it a much more wearable, everyday watch. Especially in this brushed & polished titanium execution, it looks and feels very good on the wrist. The light blue tinted sapphire crystal dial reveals rhodium-coloured X-bars and chronograph sub-dials, and openworked hour & minute hands. Power comes from the Concepto-made calibre JCAA05, which is based on the Valjoux 7750. It’s worn on a light-blue perforated rubber strap with a titanium folding clasp. Part of the permanent collection, this one will set you back USD 23,000.

For more information, please visit JacobandCo.com.

Quick Facts – 44mm x 14mm – titanium case, brushed & polished – sapphire crystal & smoked see-through caseback – 100m water-resistant – light blue mineral crystal dial – light blue minute track – rhodium-coated counter rings, x-bars & hands – calibre JCAA05, made with Concepto – automatic winding – Valjoux 7750 base – 28,800vph – 48h power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph – perforated integrated blue rubber strap with titanium folding clasp – non-limited edition – USD 23,000