Modern Sports Icons [Watch Holiday Gift Guide]

Imagine being born in the 1950’s but instead of aging, you get younger and stronger each year. Not only are you healthy and full of energy, but you have also never looked better. The new-model sports watches featured in this blog are exactly that because they have surpassed survival and gone on to improve with age since first debuting in the mid-1900’s. At this moment in time, the vintage sport has been catching the eye of every watch connoisseur for its revival of archival heroes from the past as they improve upon themselves and reintroduce them into present day.

1. Breitling

Featured: Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph Norton Edition

Dedicated to the performance and style of hand-built Norton motorcycles, this special B01 also has a Breitling edition Norton motorcycle counterpart. Coincidentally, both the brands Breitling and Norton have even made appearances in a few James Bond films. In Thunderball, Bond wore a Breitling Top Time when it first came out in 1965 and in Spectre (2015) the Norton Dominator SS made a slight cameo. The 42 mm stainless steel case contains a Norton logo engraved on a plate and the watch’s dial is highly readable. Consistent with the Breitling signature function and framed by a tachymeter scale, a black background is contrasted with gold numerals, silver subdials, and hands with Super-LumiNova.

2. TAG Heuer

Featured: TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph

The infamous design of the original 1962 model inspired by the dashboards of racing cars and aircraft, is revived in the upcoming TAG Heuer Autavia. The name is even made up of the root words "auto" and "avia" clearly curated from automation and aviation to further pay homage to its early influence. Echoing that of the original, the beveled lugs and name are the same but the Heuer-02’s state-of-the-art movement is unparalleled. The Greek word Isograph on the dial is smartly put for its definition of the word, “equal timing”. This refers to the watch’s immunity to shocks, vibrations, temperature change and magnetism thanks to the Isograph’s carbon-composite hairspring. This model also contains a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel.

3. Tudor

Featured: Tudor Black Bay Bronze

First introduced in 2016, this award-winning Tudor Black Bay Bronze is new and improved for the upcoming year, featuring a slate-grey dial and bezel. Over the years, the bronze case has developed a notoriety for developing a unique patina each year. The bronze of the watch is also particularly resistant to salt water’s corrosive effects, making it ideal for diving. Water resistant up to 200 meters, this watch also contains the in-house, COSC-certified caliber MT5601, with a silicon balance spring and a 70-hour power reserve. Finally, with the signature snowflake hour hand, it pays homage to when this feature was first introduced by Tudor in 1969.

Which of these watches are on your holiday wish list? Make an appointment or visit any of our five locations to see our impressive watch collection in person!