Skip to main content

The Manual Wind: Ralph Lauren Automotive Chronograph

manual wind ralph lauren automotive chronograph 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It is a common misconception that the popularity in watches is on the decline.  Smart phones and watches, although far more functional and carried by all, have no shot in replacing the wristwatch.  Timeless design, ease of checking the time, and most of all, status, keep the timepiece firmly in place on the wrist.  With this sustained and growing popularity there is more motivation than ever to break into this market.  Long established fashion brands are taking note.  

1415030589306One example is Ralph Lauren.  The iconic designer with one of the most established brands in American history saw great opportunity as well.  A few years ago he introduced a line of watches inspired by his famed car collection.  His most recent release ahead of SIHH watch show 2015, The Ralph Lauren Automotive Chronograph, shows inspiration from the most famous Ralph-Lauren-Automotive-Chronograph-1member of that collection; the 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic coupe.

Recommended Videos

Measuring a robust 45mm in diameter, this stainless steel Bugatti inspired case exhibits swooping lines at the lugs as well as the pushers.  The bezel, secured by six screws, surrounds the multi layered dial meant to give the watch a dash gauge appearance.  The matte black dial is recessed below this burl wood ring to add depth and further pronounce this vintage automobile inspiration.  Under the dial lies the caliber RL751A/1 automatic chronograph movement.  Specially made by Jaeger LeCoultre for Ralph Lauren, this 65 hour power RL-Automotive-Facereserve movement inches Ralph Lauren past the other fashion brand watches.  This very significant movement choice shows how serious Ralph Lauren is about breaking into the watch world.  

With every fashion line trying to cover their loyal followers under their umbrella, the watch game gets more interesting.  The likes of Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and of course Chanel had entered this race years ago.  Although they do not hold the clout of some of the more purist brands such as Audemars Piguet and aforementioned Jaeger LeCoultre, their clients do show loyalty when they see quality. Ralph Lauren has made bold moves in both design and movement choice to make a concerted effort to join the ranks and it shows with this latest release.  

Priced just below $10,000, I  don’t know if I would wear a fashion brand watch, but with the Jaeger LeCoultre movement, it is not out of the realm of possibility.

Topics
Ian Schwam
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Contributing writer and watch enthusiast Ian Schwam dons an expert knowledge of all things watches. Having spent a decade in…
New York Men’s Day debut: Joseph McRae honors transformation through boldness
Finding the balance between subtlety and using your voice
Joseph McRae greens

New York Men's Day showed up in 2014 mainly because the belief was that men's fashion took a hard backseat to women's fashion during fashion week. While the big brand houses focused on the high fashion looks of the runway to inspire what women would be wearing off the runway, Agentry PR brought brands dedicated to doing the same for men in a now decade-old tradition. Brands of all levels, from newcomers to New York Men's Day veterans, appear yearly to inspire us guys to look our best. The Joseph McRae NYMD debut tells us a story to go beyond the boring and uninspired outfits and instead use our voice to tell a sartorial story.
Balancing boldness and subtlety

The bold use of silhouettes is the first thing that strikes someone walking into the showroom occupied by Joseph McRae in the afternoon segment of NYMD. While the colors are more muted greens and browns, which seem right on trend this season in fashion week, the shapes and lines of his designs are anything but muted. Large, puffy tops and long flowing bottoms create a loud voice contrasting the colors accompanying them. He celebrates the beauty of change. Just as the caterpillar is small, slow, and muted in color, and the butterfly is bright, airborne, and expansive, his collection showcases the marriage between the two. McRae makes a splash in the evening session of the annual show by encouraging us to embrace change and stand up to be seen, even if the world is telling us otherwise.

Read more
New York Men’s Day debut: HOLD NYC goes alpine sexy in new collection
comfort glamour elevated for the lodge
HOLD NYC Hero

Finding the perfect Apres ski look is a task that every mountain sports nut has figured out. The move from the mountain to the lodge takes you from extreme sport to casual relaxation and maybe a little luxury. While you will mostly find the skiers and snowboarders dropping off their gear and shedding the layers in place of their flannels, jackets, and technical function style, there is an opportunity for some elevation that HOLD NYC is looking to capitalize on in 2025. The HOLD NYC NYMD debut brings an element of crossover between functional luxury and the element of glamour for their first run at New York Men's Day.
Bringing glamour to the mountain

The mountain lodge may not be the first place you think of when you think of glamour. While the lodge is the place for the perfect Apres ski looks that scream comfort and relaxation, there is a bit of etiquette and thought that goes into it. Glamour is the same, and therefore, there is a connection between the two that is perfect for someone like Holden Akerley, designer of HOLD NYC, to find the pathway between the two. He does that at New York Men's Day with the use of casual elements built into more elevated styles. From suiting using shorts to skirts with fleece tops, there is something for everyone in this collection that is classified as genderless. You shouldn't expect anything less than bold excellence from a former designer for Ralph Lauren, and Holden delivered that at New York Fashion Week.

Read more
G-Shock’s new G-Steel Fine Metallic Series comes with silicone straps
Check out the new G-steel FINE metallic series watches
The Fine Metallic Series reinvents the legendary G-STEEL GM5600 and GM2100 lines, offering both digital and analog versions of these refined timepieces.

Meet the new G-shock collection, 10 years in the making, that’s characterized by a metallic appearance:  the G-Steel Fine Metallic Series.

Every timepiece featured in this new series draws inspiration from the GM2100 and GM5600, both manufactured from high-end materials. The collection has four different watches—two in a silver colorway, and the rest have a gold finish that’s quite stylish.

Read more