HILUXURY – Hawaii Luxury Magazine

Photo by Leah Ball

breguet men's type xxi fly-back chronograph in steel
* self-winding movement with date and subdial for the seconds.
* graduated turning bezel.
* luminous hands and numerals.
* screw-locked crown.
* water-resistant to 100 meters.
$8,600

Photo by Leah Ball

Omega men's seamaster planet ocean chrono
* stainless steel wristlet.
* co-axial chronometer.
* three subdials.
* water-resistant up to 600 meters.
* automatic self-winding movement.
$5,580

Photo by Leah Ball

Omega men's de ville hour vision chrono
* in-house co-axial movement.
* 18k red gold with sapphire case.
* automatic self-winding movement.
$13,600

Photo by Leah Ball

Omega women's stainless steel speedmaster automatic
* diamond bezel.
* white mother-of-pearl dial.
* red croco strap with deployant buckle.
* three subdials. $7,000

New watches mix function and fashion

From astronauts on a space mission to the recreational diver deep undersea, watches are often a must-have tool for work or play.

For more than 150 years, Omega has been at the forefront of developments in watchmaking. In 1965, after testing a variety of brands and models, the Omega Speedmaster was confirmed as “flight qualified by NASA for all manned space flight missions,” and is now worn on all U.S. space missions. Then in 1969, Apollo 11 touched down, and the Speedmaster became known as “The Moon Watch” – the only watch to have been on the surface of the moon.

Underwater, Omega has been just as reliable. In 1937, the Omega Marine was tested successfully at a depth of 135 meters, which then led to the introduction of the Seamaster that set many underwater records. And more recently, in 1993, Omega introduced the Seamaster Chrono Diver, the first mechanical chronometer-chronograph capable of operating perfectly at 300 meters.

In luxury timepieces, Breguet offers a distinguishing style that is the most classic of watches today. In its two-century-plus history, Breguet has created timepieces for the “diplomatic, scientific, military and financial elite,” including Queen Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Queen Victoria and Sir Winston Churchill.

Breguet’s newest collection, Reine de Naples, offers feminine refinement in a contemporary jewelry watch. The collection was inspired by an early bracelet watch that A.L. Breguet created for Bonaparte’s sister Caroline, queen of Naples.

The collection features about a dozen different wristwatches in white gold or yellow gold, and with varying details, such as a sapphire caseback, a natural mother-of-pearl face, self-winding movement, and a bezel and caseband set with diamonds. Some styles are also available on a bracelet set with diamonds or pearls.

Omega and Breguet timepieces can be found at Ben Bridge Timeworks at Ala Moana Center.