In the past decade, we have witnessed more and more professional climbers and explorers tackle the world’s tallest and most treacherous mountains wearing rugged timepieces designed to withstand unfathomable extremes. It is a phenomenon, though, that will reach far into the future.

For just about a century, top watch brands have been inextricably linked to explorers and mountain climbers as they strived to reach new heights, conquer new summits and explore Earth’s greatest mountains. Each expedition in real life, where watches went to extremes with explorers brave enough to push the boundaries, resulted in better, stronger, more precise timepieces. Today, watch brands continue to accompany climbers to mountain tops worldwide with timepieces that can go the distance.

Almost 70 years ago, in 1953, Rolex made history on the wrist of Sir Edmund Hillary when he and Tenzing Norgay became the first explorers to summit Mount Everest. For that successful climb, Rolex (which had begun furnishing expeditions to the Himalayas with watches decades earlier) equipped the expedition with Oyster Perpetual watches. Those timepieces made it to the summit intact and still working precisely — attesting to the strength and durability of watches, as well as man. The now-famed Explorer watch that was able to withstand those extreme conditions was launched later that year, followed by evolutions ever since.

A couple of decades after Sir Edmund Hillary’s daring 29,032-foot Mount Everest ascent, in 1970, adventurers Naomi Uemura and Teruo Matsuura became the first Japanese to reach the South Peak of Everest from the steeper Southeast Ridge. Uemura was a fan of the Seiko dive watch and during that climb, he wore a Seiko 6159-7001 watch. He continued to believe in Seiko watches for his expeditions: when he became the first adventurer in the world to reach the tallest peaks in all five continents later in 1970. He went on to wear that watch on a two-year solo dog sled expedition from Greenland to Alaska in 1974 and, while he disappeared forever in 1984 on the descent from Denali, Seiko honored him last year on what would have been his 80th birthday by creating a modern interpretation of the watch, the Seiko Prospex Diver’s Automatic. Each of these expeditions, and the many others over the years that led to physical conquests and fulfillment of knowledge, were reallife tests for the timepieces before the extensive laboratories of today existed. The watches were put to harsh tests of altitude and temperature changes, water resistance and so much more, and as climbers rose to new heights, the watch brands accompanying them did, too.

Today, certain watch brands are keen on continuing collaborations with explorers, adventurers, and others to make their watches better, stronger and more wearable to the everyday consumer who wants reliability and durability. The ultimate goal is also to equip today’s explorers with the tools they need to get the jobs done.

Pushing the Limits Without Oxygen 

Montblanc is one such brand that supports adventurers. In fact, the brand partnered with Reinhold Messner a couple of years ago, in 2020, to create the 1858 Geosphere that was named in his honor. He was one of the first to climb Mount Everest without the assistance of supplementary oxygen in 1978 (and also summited Everest solo two years later).

Now, as Montblanc wants to real-life test its newest 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch on Everest, Messner suggested working with mountaineer Nimsdai, Nirmal, Purja, who is began his ascent in May 2022. An ex-Gurkha and an honoree of the British Military, Purja has accomplished the fastest ascents in a single season to the world’s 14 highest peaks. The current expedition to Mount Everest is being done without supplemental oxygen — something Purja has not accomplished before.

The 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen watch accompanying him was made in an oxygen-free environment at Montblanc’s workshops. By allowing no oxygen inside the watch case, fogging as climbers endure drastic temperature and altitude changes is eliminated and the movement delivers greater precision and decreased oxidation. Additionally, special oils are used that can perform at temperatures below 50 degrees Celsius. The 44-mm watch is made of titanium to ensure light weight, especially given Purja’s equipment weight minimums. While the watch has been tested to Montblanc’s 500 Hours standards and is certified, this adventure is the ultimate real-life test.

In a Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022 preview, both Nicolas Baretzki, Montblanc’s Global CEO, and Laurent Lecamp, the brand’s Managing Director of Watches, said the relationship with climbing is all about pushing new boundaries while remaining authentic. “We have three key pillars in our strategy,” says Baretzki, “which include working with authentic people and differentiating ourselves with innovative and distinctive elements.” (He went on to say that the third pillar is offering undisputed perceived value.) These important mantras are what led to the development of the Zero Oxygen watch.

Watches with Experiences

Another brand that anchored into the mountain climbing field in 2021 is Officine Panerai with its partnership with professional alpine climber, National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin. Chin has climbed Everest, trekked on foot across Tibet’s 275-mile Chang Tang Plateau and is one of the only people ever to ski off of the summit of Mount Everest. He is also the co-producer of the documentary Free Solo, which tracked climber Alex Honnold’s ropes-free solo climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Chin was a perfect partner for Panerai, which had already collaborated with other extreme explorers, including Mike Horn, and had created special edition watches with them that were sold with an “experience.” The same held true of the Jimmy Chin relationship, where Panerai produced the Submersible Chrono Flyback Jimmy Chin Edition watch in two versions: one (in a limited edition of just 14 pieces) for customers who also were invited on a Jimmy Chin climbing experience in summer of 2021 in the Grand Tetons, and one not involving an experience.

Both versions were 47-mm brushed titanium cases housing an automatic mechanical movement with Incabloc anti-shock device and have since sold out.

As to the Jimmy Chin experience: customers joined Chin in his hometown of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a climb of the Grand Tetons. Most came away with an incredibly humbled respect for the risk-taking and physical abuse Chin takes daily. Panerai continues its relationship with Chin, but future watch plans are currently under wraps.

New Comfort Zones

Vacheron Constantin — a brand not typically associated with scaling Everest — also embarked on new mountain adventures as far back as 2018 when it entered into a collaboration with climber and adventurer Cory Richards, who is also a National Geographic photographer and a member of Vacheron Constantin’s “One of not many” marketing campaign.

Richards has survived avalanches, including one that was a near-death experience, has summited Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen, and, in 2019, made a third ascent to Mount Everest via one of the most perilous routes, the North-East Ridge. For that trek, he took a specially made Vacheron Constantin Overseas watch with him. Its performance was stellar, encouraging the brand to create a special edition in honor of Richards, and an ensuing Everest-inspired watch.

In fact, Vacheron Constantin recently released the Overseas Dual Time Everest limited edition watch inspired by Cory Richards and his Everest climbs. It houses a new mechanical self-winding movement developed in-house by Vacheron Constantin that consists of 234 components and offers 60 hours of power reserve. As with all Vacheron Constantin, the watch carries the Hallmark of Geneva seal attesting to its quality standards. The watch offers second time zone, day/night indicator and date synchronized with local time. Crafted in titanium and stainless steel, the watch is created in a limited edition of just 150 pieces.

Beyond Thrill Seeking 

More and more, today, the list of thrill-seeking brands hoping to test their watches to the fullest, is growing. Bremont, for instance, already tests its Martin Baker watches by ejecting them out of planes strapped to Martin Baker ejection seats. This brand also recently teamed with Aldo Kane, a world-record-setting adventurer who began his career in the Royal Marine Commandos, and today provides safety services for television and aerial crews in extreme places around the world. Recently featured in Welcome to Earth with actor Will Smith, Kane has been seen scaling cliffs, heading into volcanoes and testing his Bremont S501 watch “beyond endurance.”

So, what’s the point other than giving watch brands the chance to test their timepieces in ultimate real-life settings to continually improve quality and durability? Making sure they can offer real-life people the watches that can go the distance with them. Watch lovers may not all be extreme adventurers who want to scale Everest, but they might want to climb more achievable mountains to follow their dreams — even if it’s running a mountain path.

To that end, Casio has the answer with its newest G-Shock Move sports watch. Associating with mountain runner Joseph Gray, an 18-time USA National Champion and the only African American member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team, G-Shock outfits him with the GBDH1000-1A7 watch. This piece shows off its smart side with the ability to receive GPS signals for location access, and to offer heart rate monitoring and vital information such as altitude, barometric pressure and temperature changes.

As horizons widen, and the sky seems to no longer be the limit, what watch works for you?

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For over 90 years, Hamilton watches have been featured in major Hollywood movies, adding depth to cinematic storytelling. As part of their commitment to staying on trend, Hamilton partnered with Ben Wilkinson from the props team for the upcoming film to ensure the watches accurately reflected the time period.

Along with his whip and fedora, the Hamilton Boulton is in line with the character of Indiana Jones. With his inquisitive mind and thirst for noble pursuits, Indy is known for his talent to escape dangers in the nick of time. However, it is not only the Boulton timepiece which stars in the movie, as Renaldo, Indy’s loyal friend, wears the the custom Khaki Navy Scuba.

First introduced in the 1940s, the Hamilton Boulton, part of the American Classic collection, has been re-imagined several times, while maintaining its distinctive cushion-shaped case and its signature Art Déco aesthetics. The quartz watch features a white dial with prominent subsidiary seconds and distinguishing serif-style and slightly raised numerals. The stainless steel/PVD case is water-resistant to 100 meters and has a diameter of 27mm x 31.6mm. Pricing is marked at $695.

To learn more, visit Hamilton, here. 

In 2022, the American watchmaker’s 30th anniversary, RGM added a striking blue dial version of its vintage-inspired Model 600. We went hands on with the bicompax pilots’ chronograph.

Roland G. Murphy’s RGM Watch Company is located in a small town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, an area with a rich history of watchmaking in America’s past. Thanks to Murphy’s vast knowledge and love of watch history in America and Switzerland, and his huge experience in restoring and creating watches, RGM itself has become an important chapter in America’s watchmaking present in the last 30 years. “The goal was to make a living doing what I love,” said Murphy. “It wasn’t about becoming a big international company, I always wanted to stay small and stay involved in doing what I like.”

Some examples of this? In 2008, Murphy conceptualized and executed the first American-made, in-house movement since 1969. Given the name “Caliber 801” (the address of the company’s workshop in Mount Joy), Murphy followed it up in 2010 with the Pennsylvania Tourbillon, containing RGM Caliber MM2 (for “manufacture movement 2”), with a tourbillon that was fully constructed in the horological heartland of Lancaster County. In 2013, RGM celebrated its 20th anniversary with the firm’s third in-house movement (and its first shaped one), Caliber 20. Five years later, movement #4 was released, which used Caliber 801 as a base and added a central seconds hand. In 2019, Murphy returned to Caliber 801 once again with a skeletonized take that took him over a year to develop.

Another specialty of RGM are customizations: A production model, for example, can be customized with a unique dial or a personalized engraved rotor. Such modifications represent a more cost-effective way for an enthusiast to obtain a unique example of an already limited-production watch. At the other end of the scale, RGM can also create a bespoke timepiece that is designed, built and assembled completely in-house. All things combined, RGM is currently producing “somewhere under 400 pieces” per year.

RGM’s Model 600 was first introduced in 2021 as part of the company’s regular collection of mechanical watches, the foundation on which the brand was launched in 1992. Murphy commented, “This watch really is inspired by those military watches that Hamilton and Lemania made for the British military. It’s very much in that flavor. I basically took the elements I liked from both of them and put it into this watch. I really wanted to have that feel of those 1960s military chronos. I purposely didn’t want to make it just another chrono with a glass back; I wanted it to be real. That’s why I didn’t put a calendar on it.” After the Model 600-M with matte black dial, RGM introduced a blue dial option in the beginning of 2022. “We get a lot of requests for blue dials,” said Murphy. “There are people that really like, for instance, our Model 151 pilots’ watches; we sell the black dials, we have other colors, but the blue dials sell really well. People like that vintage classic look, but jazzed up a little bit, and that’s what the blue dial option does. I came out with the black one first, because I wanted that to be truer to the inspiration. And now this is just a little bit of a departure from that, just to jazz it up a little bit with a radial finished blue dial.” 

The Model 600 is also RGM’s first production model with a box-style raised sapphire crystal, resembling the acrylic glasses used for the originals. Murphy explained, “It gives you the classic look, but also makes the watch appear slimmer, because you can step your way up. And the crystal is part of that step now, instead of just all metal. So that helps with keeping the watch looking slimmer on your arm and more visually appealing to the wearer, and it’s a model that I’ve been wanting to do for a few years now.”

On paper, the 42-mm chronograph is 12.4 mm tall. Factoring in the sapphire crystal, however, the total height comes close to 15 mm. Unsurprisingly, the visually well-balanced watch offers a lot of presence on the wrist, partly because of the case length (from lug end to lug end) of 52.2 mm, but mostly because of the clean, symmetrical dial layout with two subdials and almost no text on it, and the striking blue dial color, which creates a wonderful contrast to the brown leather strap.

The case is made of stainless steel with a mostly brushed finish (the threaded bezel is polished). The chronograph pushers are at 2 and 4 o’clock, and the large crown has a double gasket and Keystone insignia, the latter being a reference to the unit patch of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division, the oldest division-sized unit in the Department of Defense (the Germans called it the “Bloody Bucket” because of the blood-red keystone insignia and vicious fighting tactics during the Normandy Campaign). Coupled with a sterile, solid caseback, water resistance is guaranteed up to 50 meters. The watch is fitted with a thick 22-mm wide brown leather strap with white stitching, quick release spring bars and a standard pin buckle.

RGM opted for the Valjoux 7753 automatic chronograph movement with 48-hour power reserve (and the typical noticeable rotor movement when worn). Instead of the three subdials and a date at 6 o’clock, RGM went with a no-date bicompax execution. The Swiss workhorse movement is rhodium-plated and decorated with côtes de Genève; the caseback is held in place with seven screws (which would, in theory, have allowed for a perfectly aligned caseback engraving).

Interestingly, RGM only applied lume on the dial dots and on the hour and minute hands. Neither the chronograph functions nor the Arabic numerals glow at night, which makes it difficult to quickly check if the watch is still running, and impossible to use the chronograph at night (which, admittedly, rarely happens). Overall, legibility is excellent, thanks to the contrasting bright white dial elements, but it would have been a nice touch to have the chronograph functions and the time indication somehow paired.

All in all, the Model 600 is one of RGM’s cleanest and most mature designs so far. The refreshingly clean dial layout combined with the incredibly beautiful blue color with sunray finish leave little to be desired; the chronograph is comfortable to wear and easy to operate. Therefore, for those looking for a comparatively exclusive watch from an independent brand, the Model 600 feels like an ideal way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most passionate American watchmakers of our time. Both dial versions are priced at $4,250 each and are available through RGM’s website.

RGM Model 600-B Specs:

Manufacturer: RGM Watch Company, 801 West Main Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552, USA 

Functions: Hours and minutes from the dial’s center, seconds on subdial (9 o’clock), chronograph with central elapsed seconds hand and counter for up to 30 elapsed minutes (3 o’clock) 

Movement: Valjoux 7753, automatic, 28,800 vph, 27 jewels, stop-seconds function, 48-hour power reserve, diameter = 30 mm, height = 7.9 mm, rhodium finish and Geneva stripes 

Case: Stainless-steel case, box-style raised sapphire crystal, water resistant to 50 m, crown with double gasket and Keystone insignia 

Dial: Blue lacquer with sunray finish 

Strap and clasp: Brown leather strap with stainless steel pin buckle 

Dimensions: Diameter = 42 mm, length (lug to lug) = 52.2 mm, height = 12.4 mm (approx. 15 mm with crystal), lug width = 22 mm, weight = 108 g (with strap) 

Price: $4,250

To learn more about RGM, click here, and to subscribe to the WatchTime print magazine, click here.    

The latest additions are no different, as Nomos named the new Tetra quartet after distinct female personalities and emotions: Die Kapriziöse (the capricious one), Die Wildentschlossene (she is really determined), Die Fuchsteufelswilde (very furious) and Die Unerreichbare (the one who is untouchable).

Adorned with expressive colorways, such as sunray silver, bold aubergine, and soft nude, the stainless-steel timepieces measure 29.5mm × 29.5mm in diameter and are only 6.3mm thick. They are driven by the manufacture’s Alpha caliber with manual winding and attached to velvet gray strap, made of carbon-neutral Alcantara vegan velour leather.

Pricing for the Nomos Glashütte Tetra is marked at $2,080.

To learn more, visit Nomos Glashütte, here.

Over the past several years the Tudor Heritage Black Bay has grown into an important and attractive watch collection. It was launched in 2012 with a retro-look model in stainless steel with a red dive-watch bezel, followed in 2014 by a more reserved version with a blue rotating bezel, and then one year later with the simplest version so far, in black.

Tudor set off a new round of reworks in 2016 with the introduction of the Heritage Black Bay in bronze, in a 36-mm case, and with an ultra-sporty completely black version. Plus all new and existing Heritage Black Bay models will use the in-house MT5602 movement instead of the ETA 2824, which was previously used. (The MT5602 was introduced in 2015.)

The dial has a matte finish; the rotating bezel has a shiny aluminum track.

A wide range of different straps and bracelets continues to add variety. Each watch comes with either a three-row stainless-steel bracelet or an antiqued leather strap, and a fabric strap is always included with either option. The boldest choice is the 36-mm 2016 Tudor model with an “urban camouflage” fabric strap.

The watch we tested has a black, brushed PVD-coated stainless-steel bracelet that matches the case. While the dial has a matte finish, the rotating bezel stands apart with a shiny aluminum track. The fact that the ring is not made of ceramic, and is therefore susceptible to scratches, is rather difficult to overlook in a watch that costs more than $4,000.

The Black Bay Dark’s sturdy and functional in-house movement has minimal decoration.

But an entirely positive feature is the movement, especially in light of Tudor’s traditional values of precision and sturdiness. This little brother to Rolex meets initial expectations by ensuring the inspection of every movement by COSC, the official Swiss testing institute for chronometers. In addition to other criteria, COSC certification requires that the watch’s average rate deviation remain within -4 and +6 seconds per day.

Our test on the electronic timing machine confirms this precision. However, in contrast to the official test, we also tested the sixth position, crown right, which revealed a minor outlier in the minus range. While this position is rare during everyday use – it occurs only when raising the wrist to read the time – it is essential for people who store their self-winding watches on watch winders because many of these machines might leave timepieces in a vertical position during rest periods that can last several hours.

Tudor Caliber MT5602 meets the standards for COSC chronometer certification.

Various technical properties of the “Movement Tudor” MT5602 fulfill the second part of the brand’s philosophy: sturdiness. First of all, the robust nature of the 6.5-mm-high movement ensures that no functional problems will occur due to minor tolerance variations. Secondly, the balance is not supported just on one side by a cock but instead lies completely straight and secure beneath a bridge. And thirdly, the silicon hairspring ensures that no deviation in rate will occur in the event of a disturbance or impact resulting from centering errors or deformation.

Additional quality features of the manufacture movement include the long, 70-hour power reserve and the variable inertia balance with four regulating screws. The rate is no longer regulated by changing the active length of the balance spring, as was the case when the Heritage Black Bay had an ETA movement. Even though Tudor used a different fine regulator in the ETA 2824, a stable variable inertia was possible only with the switch to its in-house movement.

The watch’s link bracelet ends in a functional folding clasp and safety lock.

The brand has invested very little effort or cost in decorating the movement, which is consistent with the philosophy of providing reliable watch technologies at a reasonable price. Mechanical watch enthusiasts who may be driven to open the fully threaded caseback (with the correct tool, of course) will discover minimal decorations, limited to a skeletonized and brush-finished rotor engraved with the Tudor name.

Tudor has omitted a date display for the Heritage Black Bay Dark, which we see as a positive change. This sports-design watch follows in the tradition of the Tudor Oyster Submariner of 1954, which also had no date display; its clean, unadorned dial simply has eight round and three rectangular hour markers and one triangular marker at 12 o’clock. The striking hour and seconds hands with their distinctive “snowflake” shapes can be traced to the second Submariner generation, which was presented by Tudor in 1969. The watch’s water resistance today is 200 meters, as it was in 1958. This was an impressively high value at the time of diving pioneers and remains sufficient for most recreational divers today.

In this way, the Heritage Black Bay Dark unites the best of various classic models – now in the casual black outfit of a very trendy sports watch. It’s the coolest way to dive – not to mention the best way to bring diving history into the beach bar.

The screw-down crown is inscribed with a Tudor rose emblem.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: Montres Tudor SA, Rue François Dussaud 3-7, 1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland
Reference number: 79230DK
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Movement: In-house Caliber MT5602, automatic, chronometer, 28,800 vph, 25 jewels, hack mechanism, silicon balance spring, fine regulating screws on variable inertia balance, Incabloc shock absorber, power reserve = 70 hours, diameter = 31.8 mm, height = 6.5 mm
Case: PVD-coated stainless steel, uni- directional dive bezel with aluminum track, curved sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating on the inside, screw-down crown, fully threaded PVD-coated caseback, water resistant to 200 m
Strap and clasp: PVD-coated stainless-steel bracelet with one-sided safety folding clasp, additional fabric strap with PVD-coated stainless- steel pronged buckle
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours):
Dial up    +3
Dial down     0
Crown up     +1
Crown down     +3
Crown left     +3
Crown right     -1
Greatest deviation     4
Average deviation     +1.5
Average amplitude:
Flat positions     290°
Hanging positions     252°
Dimensions: Diameter = 41 mm, height = 15.5 mm, weight = 170 g
Variations: With antiqued leather strap and additional fabric strap ($4,150)
Price: $4,475

SCORES:
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points): Superior finishing of the steel bracelet and one-sided folding clasp with safety bar; links have screw connectors, not pins. 8
Operation (5): Hack mechanism and large, grooved screw-down crown. One drawback: The bezel is di cult to use when wearing diving gloves. 4
Case (10): The steel case is water resistant to 200 meters and has a nicely ratcheting rotating bezel. The aluminum dive-time track and PVD coating are not the sturdiest solution. 8
Design (15): The black Heritage Black Bay is the sportiest, though not the most unique version of the popular dive watch. 13
Legibility (5): Reading the time is simple both day and night. Dive time is easily legible only under good lighting. 4
Wearing comfort (10): Weighing in at 170 grams, this watch is comfortable and not at all top-heavy on the steel bracelet. 9
Movement (20): The in-house movement has a sturdy design and runs with chronometer-level precision; minimal decoration 15
Rate results (10): Gain of only 1.5 seconds per day on the timing machine and on the wrist; the greatest deviation was only 4 seconds. 9
Value (15): The price of $4,475 is not too high for such a well-designed manufacture watch with highly developed robust and functional qualities. 13
Total: 83 POINTS

Original photos: OK-Photography.

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