New Watch Releases You May Have Missed from IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Bremont, and Minase

Happy first weekend of August, and welcome to another new release summary! Would that make it a “summery” summary? Bad alliterative jokes aside, we’ve seen some exciting new pieces from big-name watchmakers and microbrands alike. Rounding out this release list are a colorful new IWC Top Gun collab, a Jaeger-LeCoulture that shoots for the stars, a meteoric Bremont with lofty aspirations, and a Minase that brings a little winter chill to the summer sun.

Read on, and let us know if there is a new release that you think we missed out on in the comments!

IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Miramar

Far from their first Top Gun release, IWC’s new chronograph may not seem that exciting at first glance. But the new Miramar edition has a secret weapon: a Pantone hue of the same name. Other Top Gun IWCs have been made available in shades of black, gray, and beige, which although appropriate for the military-theme, aren’t terribly exciting from a color perspective. The Miramar, then, stands out with its unapologetically cheery blue, inspired by the light blue t-shirts worn by TOPGUN flight instructors under their flight suits.

It’s not just the color that gives the Miramar an edge, though. Design-wise, the left-leaning subdials at the 12, 6, and 9 o’clock positions, balanced out by the dual date and day windows, provide for a handsomely readable aesthetic. The typeface is characteristic of other IWC Top Gun watches, with rounded sans serif numerals. White rhodium-plated hands and text details pop against the Miramar blue, and the crown, flanked by two pushers, wears the IWC logo.

The Miramar’s ceramic case measures in at 41mm, making it lightweight despite its relatively muscular size, and comes with a blue rubber strap to match the case and dial. A stainless steel version is also available, featuring a Miramar blue dial and a matching steel bracelet, but my money would be on the all-blue variant for summer vibes. Both versions and their respective straps feature IWC’s EasX-Change system for easy swapping.

The IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Miramar is limited to 1,000 pieces and retails for $13,500. More information can be found on IWC’s website here.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Shooting Star

Long the envy of many watch enthusiasts with an eye for fashion, Jaeger-LeCoultre is no stranger to stunningly eye-catching pieces. Their new release, though, has me a little starstruck, personally. The aptly-named Rendez-Vous Shooting Star is a “reintroduction” of the original model, first released in 2022, and reinterprets the design with a hand-painted dial. The real star of the show, though, is a Calibre 734 movement composed of 335 parts that, when activated by wrist movement, causes a shooting star to appear on the dial at random. What results is a watch that appears at first to be a work of art, hiding intricate mechanical artistry beneath the surface, all working together to stunning effect.

Two variations of the reimagined Shooting Star are available, and both are housed in a 36mm 18-karat pink gold case. The dial itself is composed of three superimposed discs. The top layer, made of sapphire glass, features lacquer hand-painted peony blooms, hiding the shooting star from view. The second layer is a mother-of-pearl rotating disc, airbrushed with layers of blue to emulate the night sky, and when activated, a laser cut-out of a shooting star silhouette reveals the final third layer of the dial: a fixed-disc of gradient metal, which gives the appearance of light flashing across the night sky.

Around the dial is a three-quarter semicircle of diamonds, matched by a full circle of diamonds on the bezel. The variations are defined by the color of the peonies on the dial; the “pink peony” version features a pink gold bracelet with 625 total diamonds and 6.31 carats, while the “blue peony” model comes on a blue alligator strap with 189 diamonds and 1.48 total carats.

If you want to make a statement (and perhaps blind some passersby), the Shooting Star may be the watch for you. Still, underneath the fine art-worthy dial is a true mechanical marvel that will impress even the most practical-minded watch enthusiast. The Jaeger- LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Shooting Star is limited to 10 pieces each for the pink and blue variations, and price is available upon request. More information can be found on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s website here.

Bremont Altitude MB Meteor Orange Barrel

Bremont keeps punching upwards with the release of a new edition of their popular MB Meteor models. The MB Meteor Orange Barrel carries on the tried-and-true 42mm case diameter and Trip-Tick (reinforced three-part) case construction, this time in Grade 2 Titanium with a slimmer profile and reduced lug-to-lug distance. Twin crowns at 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock—the latter allowing for rotation of the bi-directional roto-click inner bezel—and a signature MB “lollipop” second hand further cement the Orange Barrel as a true MB Meteor model.

Of course, the name itself gives away the main new trick: the titular orange knurled barrel. First used on the MBII and featuring Cerakote ceramic-coating for the first time, the bright orange hue of the barrel against the dark grays, blacks, and whites of the rest of the design gives the watch a look that’s both tactical and funky in a way that most military-inspired watches fail to be. Six versions of the Orange Barrel are available, differentiated by strap option: a black face or white face can be paired with a titanium bracelet, a leather strap, or a nylon strap.

A BB14 automatic movement ticking behind a transparent caseback promises a 68-hour power reserve, while anti-shock and anti-magnetic features like rubber movement mounts and an internal iron ring further justify the MB Meteor’s penchant for toughness. The Bremont Altitude MB Meteor Orange Barrel retails for $6,090 for the leather and nylon strap options, and $6,553 for the titanium bracelet option. More information can be found on Bremont’s website here.

Minase Uruga Ice Blue

For the final release of the week, we turn to the Japanese brand Minase. The new Ice Blue entry in their Uruga line may seem a little frigid for summer, but it brings a touch of “uruwashii” (elegance) and “myabi” (beauty) to a summer full of sporty divers and tool watches. Available in two very disparate sizes—31mm and 42mm—the Ice Blue variant of the Uruga boasts a clamping case structure that holds in gemstones and provides water resistance and dimension to the case.

Basically, the 31mm model is intended to be for women, though it bears similar styling to the larger version, albeit with genuine diamonds on the dial and indexes. I don’t typically prescribe to “women’s watches vs. men’s watches” as a concept, but I do like the small distinctions between these two models, and the smaller version stands as a dressier, blingier alternative to the borderline sporty 42mm variant. Of course, the ice blue dials are of great importance here, and the background texture of interlacing lines creates the illusion of ice on a window pane, a comforting and refreshing image as we battle through the heat of August.

Both variants are housed in 316L stainless steel cases, but have differing movements that reflect their personas. The 42mm model features a Swiss ETA 2892 with a 50-hour power reserve, visible through a sapphire crystal caseback and touting hand-finished surfaces with perlage, diamond polishing, a black gold main bridge and plate, and a “checkerboard” date disc in black and white. The 31mm model, meanwhile, features a smaller ETA 2671 movement, that nevertheless brandishes all the same blingy features of its big brother. Strap options include stainless steel bracelets, leather bands, and white or black rubber straps.

The Minase Uruga Ice Blue 42mm retails for $5,500, and the 31mm retails for $6,700. More information can be found on Minase’s website here.

Search This Blog

Mini faster