SpotlightMarked In Red: Bulgari, Louis Moinet, MeisterSinger, And Others Win Red Dot Design Awards
Among the best-recognised international seals for good design, the Red Dot Design Awards celebrate some of the most functional, innovative, retrospective and gorgeous timepieces, each with their own story to tell
May We Recommend
Among the most prestigious design honours in any industry today are the Red Dot Design Awards—a seal that applauds the best in business. When a mechanical watch wins the Red Dot Design Award for best product design, that little red mark, like a tag of approval, is reason enough for both the maker and wearer to rejoice. Celebrating some of the best-designed watches in the industry today, the 2023 Red Dot Design Awards were bestowed upon Bulgari, Louis Moinet, MeisterSinger, Rado and Grand Seiko, among others.
Due to the pandemic, for two years, the Red Dot Design Awards jury had to review design through the products’ photos, or simulations online. This year, 43 design experts from around the world gathered on-site to physically hold, use and review products. “When you jury online, you primarily evaluate photos or images, sometimes even renderings,” says Peter Zec, founder and CEO of Red Dot. “But in product design or industrial design, you have to be able to experience the products. That’s very important for a qualified and serious decision.” The watches mentioned below were awarded for their pleasing aesthetics, and functional, durable, innovative, impressive, commemorative and retrospective designs.
Bulgari Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph
With an aluminium case and a rubber bezel and strap, the Bulgari Bulgari Aluminium redefined luxury sports watches when it was first released in 1998. Recipient of the 2023 Red Dot ‘Best of the best’ accolade—an award of the highest distinction when it comes to design—this more recent Aluminium Chronograph holds the edge over the competition. Its 41mm aluminium case, titanium caseback and rubber bezel give the Aluminium Chronograph not just an impressive aesthetic, but also render it extremely functional. The lightweight aluminium—primarily used in the aerospace industry for its practicality and durability—has been used for the case, including the crown guards and lugs. Also in aluminium are the links that hold the sections of the high-quality rubber strap, giving the watch a more ergonomic and comfortable fit on the wrist. A signed rubber bezel surrounds the black dial, where a red-tipped central chronograph hand stands out against the watch’s black and white aesthetic. The caseback is DLC-treated titanium, as are the crown and pushers.
This mix of materials seems to have been a huge reason for the award. The Red Dot Design Awards jury were charmed by the watch’s ‘perfect proportions and premium-quality materials’. Powering the watch is the Calibre B381—a self-winding movement with a power reserve of 42 hours.
Louis Moinet Time To Race
An ode to the first chronograph of 19th century watchmaker Louis Moinet, the Time to Race watch is based on another award-winning collection by the brand—Memoris. The 40.7mm case of the Time to Race watch houses a visible chronograph movement protected by domed sapphire crystal. This curved glass aids with legibility of the tachymeter and 60-second displays on the bi-material flange around the periphery of the watch. The timekeeping sub-dial at six o’clock features a numeral in a racing font. However, the number is customisable to that of one’s choice, which is what makes every watch unique. It was the Green Racing model with the number 55 of the brand’s Time to Race watch that caught the imagination of the Red Dot Awards jury. “The highest art of watchmaking, combined with personalised elements make the Time to Race chronograph, with its sporty retro design, an exceptionally fascinating timepiece,” the Red Dot Design Awards jury said about the timepiece. This win makes it the seventh time Louis Moinet have won the prestigious Red Dot.
MeisterSinger Singularis Enamel Edition
In their limited existence of 22 years, MeisterSinger’s fascinating one-handed watches have won a whopping 36 design awards, 14 of which have been Red Dot accolades. The recipient of the latest Red Dot design award is the limited 20-piece Singularis Enamel Edition watch. The 43mm stainless steel case frames a genuine enamel dial in ivory, while housing MeisterSinger’s hand-wound movement MSH01. Everything about this watch is delightfully vintage—the art of enamelling, a retro-looking ivory dial, the serif font for the double-digit numerals, a blued timekeeping hand, the manual-winding movement, to name a few elements. Although, with a power reserve of 120 hours, the movement itself is pretty sophisticated. The gorgeous enamelling of the dial is what sold the jury on the watch; that, and the movement within. ‘The jury were impressed by the skilful combination of traditional craftsmanship—only a few artists remain who have mastered the enamelling technique—with state-of-the-art watchmaking technology.’
Rado DiaStar 60th Anniversary Edition
Celebrating 60 years of the first-ever scratch-resistant watch, the 1962 DiaStar, ‘Master of Materials’ Rado released the DiaStar Original 60-Year Anniversary Edition timepiece in 2022. With a case made from a tungsten carbide alloy called ‘Hardmetal’, the 1962 timepiece was touted as ‘Better than the most expensive watch’ for its durability. The stainless steel case of the DiaStar Original 60-Year Anniversary Edition features a radially-brushed Ceramos bezel—Ceramos is the brand’s proprietary ceramic and metal composite. A hexagonal-faceted sapphire crystal glass covers the dial. The six-sided geometric pattern is a reference to the six decades of the game-changing DiaStar. The watch is powered by the Rado R764 automatic movement, which offers an 80-hour power reserve. Mounted on a Milanese steel mesh bracelet, the 60th Anniversary Edition also comes with a grey textile strap. ‘The jury praised the contemporary aesthetics of the watch model, as well as the charming details that reference the original.’
Seiko Prospex Mechanical Diver
Seiko Prospex Mechanical Divers are beautifully-designed retrospective watches that are a contemporary reinterpretation of a hyper-functional diver’s watch by Seiko. All three references—SPB313 (white dial), SPB315 (black dial with gold highlights), and SPB317 (black dial)—featuring 41mm cases with a thickness of 12.3mm, are based on the 1968 Seiko diver’s watch, the 61MC-010. Now with an improved water resistance of 200m, slimmer case profile, and more comfortable ergonomics, the Seiko Prospex Mechanical Divers are reminiscent of the original in terms of their aesthetics. Clear and functional legibility, paired with an easy-to-use rotating bezel and a comfortably-placed crown at four o’clock, are some of their pluses. “The Seiko Prospex Mechanical Diver wristwatches SPB313, SPB315 and SPB317 are worthy successors to an almost 60-year-old icon and impress with their combination of function and contemporary design,” the Red Dot Design Awards jury said about the watches.
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Diver’s Watch
The sporty diver’s watch from the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 collection houses the Spring Drive calibre 9RA5 with enhanced accuracy and a five-day power reserve. The multi-faceted and robust—yet relatively light—43.8mm titanium case of the Evolution 9 Diver’s watch is water-resistant up to 200m. Much like the rest of the Evolution 9 collection, the diver’s watch too draws inspiration from Japanese style and elements. The deep black dial features a pattern inspired by the Kuroshio current, a strong surface oceanic current that runs along Japan’s eastern coast. Sharp, three-dimensional indexes and hands filled with Seiko’s LumiBrite aid legibility underwater. A unidirectional-rotating bezel has clear numerals and markers, with a lume-filled dot at 12 o’clock. ‘The jury praised the function-oriented aesthetics combined with country-specific associations’.
In their own way, each of these watches display their brands’ stories, and the thought that goes into making a timepiece deserving of the Red Dot mark. As MeisterSinger CEO Rainer Eckert puts it, “Of course, we are very proud of this special award from the renowned Red Dot Design Awards jury. And feel once again confirmed in our efforts to achieve perfect coherence and pure aesthetics.” One can only hope that this internationally-recognised seal of quality inspires even more functional and better, aesthetically-pleasing designs in the future.
Shop The Story
-
Louis Moinet Mechanical Wonders
LM-96.20.8VF
-
Rado DiaStar Original
R12163118
-
Grand Seiko Evolution 9
SLGA015G
