While we here at WWR like to primarily feature watches that fall into the affordable category, we do take the occasional foray into the world of higher-end, or luxury, watches when one catches our eye. It is interesting to see how brands that make up that higher end segment differentiate their products from the other end of the spectrum, which often takes the form of higher-end materials and different movements than we might expect to see; that is what we have here with the Meerson D15.
Why did the Meerson D15 catch my eye? Well, aside from the fetching blue dial, it was the inclusion of a second time zone in the watch that started things, which is indicated by the red-tipped wire hand. It was also the combination of hands that grabbed my attention too. You have the aforementioned GMT hand, hours and minutes, and central seconds. Over at the 9 o’clock position you have an AM/PM indicator (for the main time), and then the date is indicated in the subdial. This is not my favorite style of displaying the date, but it keeps things looking balanced here.
The next thing that I found interesting was the material used for the 44mm case, which also manages to be only 10mm tall. In this case, it is grade 5 titanium (or 18k “grey” gold) that will of course offer quite a bit of strength and durability in a relatively lightweight package. You have sapphire crystals front and back, with the rear crystal apparently featuring a slight concave to better fit the watch to your wrist. Through that caseback crystal you can see the AM-4705 movement (created by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and Dubois Depraz) that is COSC-certifiable (but apparently has not gone through the testing). This is another thing that I like to see, a new movement (or at least combination of movement and complication) that we do not commonly see.
All of this comes together in a rather attractive package, with either a blue or a black dial. While the Meerson D15 is not quite in full production yet, it can be pre-ordered via their website; the starting price is £13,500 ($20,887). Along with reserving your watch, this also gets you set up for a conversation with Alexandre Meerson himself, which will be used to work out the finer details of your particular watch, including the leather (specific type of hide used and the color) that will be paired to your watch; delivery will occur 4-6 weeks after you order. While the Meerson D15 is not a watch that will find itself on everyone’s wrist, it does offer a lightweight sporty package, along with an interesting mix of complications that would make it a good fit for the wrist of a world traveler. meerson.com
Watch Overview
- Brand & Model: Meerson D15
- Price: starting at £13,500 ($20,887)
- Who we think it might be for: This is best fit to the world traveller who wants a sporty and lightweight take on a GMT watch
- Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: While this would be great to see in person for a review, it is certainly out of budget for me
- If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Explore either removing the date complication, or utilizing a smaller date window that is less obtrusive on the dial
- What spoke to me the most about this watch: For me, it’s the mix of handsets used along with the lightweight titanium
Tech Specs from Meerson
- Reference: 102-GELB
- Indication: hour, minute, second, GMT, date, AM/PM
- Power: mechanical self-winding movement
- Diameter (mm): 44.00
- Case thickness (mm): 10.05
- Water resistance: 100m/10ATM
- Material: titanium
- Dial: True Blue; rhodium & white superluminova
- Case back: clear sapphire crystal
- Crystal coating: double coated anti-glare
- Buckle: signature Meerson buckle in titanium
Movement Specs from Meerson
- Reference: AM-4705 manufacture
- Indication: hour, minute, second, GMT, date, AM/PM
- Chronometry: automatic, high efficiency, two barrels in series
- Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 bph)
- Diameter: 26.2mm / 11 ½ lignes
- Height: 4.95mm
- Number of parts: 189 + complication
- Number of jewels: 28 + complication
- Winding rotor: central
- Power reserve: 50 hours approx.
- Anti-shock: Incabloc®
- Balance: Glucydur®
- Decoration: hand and machine finishing
