Singer Reimagined has sought inspiration from late-60s watch design for its latest pair of timepieces.
Called the 1969 Chronograph and 1969 Timer, the pair feature tonneau-shaped 40mm stainless steel cases with domed glass-box sapphire crystals, exhibition casebacks revealing their movements and an impressive 72 hours of power reserve.
The pair also feature Singer Reimagined’s trademark brown, black and orange colour signature, complete with orange second hand. The yellow dial surround reinforces the classic aesthetic by looking like the faded lume of a vintage wristwatch.
Setting the two watches apart is the 1969 Chronograph’s hour and minute display at the six o’clock position, featuring a pair of rotating dials to display the watch’s 60-hour chronograph. The centre of the watch has three hands for hours, minutes and seconds, and the chronograph is controlled via push buttons at the two and 10 o’clock positions, and a crown sits between the four and five o’clock markings.
The Chronograph also features a tachometer around the outer edge of the dial, for measuring the average speed of an object travelling a known distance – such as a car covering a mile.
The simpler 1969 Timer has just the one push button, this time for controlling a flyback one minute timer. This uses the watch’s second hand, and the flyback mechanism has the second hand show elapsed time with a press of the button.
Although it wasn’t around at the time, Singer Reimagined says it chose 1969 as inspiration for its new watches because it was “a year rich in incredible events, stories, discoveries, with culture-altering events like Woodstock, the Moon landing, and the first Concorde flight, just to mention a few.”
As striking as the retro dial is, we’re equally impressed by the intricacy of the movement, visible through the sapphire case back. The more complex Chronograph uses the Agenhor AGH 6365 movement, while the Timer is driven by the AGH 6363, both adjusted for the 1969’s 40mm case size. Despite their differences, both movements have a 72-hour power reserve and operate at a frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour. Both are water resistant to 100 metres.
As you might expect from a name that also produces some of the world’s finest Porsche 911 restorations, Singer’s watches don’t come cheap. The 1969 Timer is CHF 29,900 (approximately £29,900) and the more complex 1969 Chronograph is CHF 51,000 (£45,700), both excluding VAT. Just 50 examples of each will be made.
