Watches & Wonders 2021 is just around the corner, and all the brands, from Rolex to Lange & Sohne to Patek Philippe to TAG Heuer, will come together in a virtual show for what will be one of the biggest weeks of watchmaking news ever. But the brands that aren’t showing aren’t sitting on their hands either – last week, Audemars Piguet and Omega both unveiled their 2021 collections and there’s plenty to talk about. 
At Audemars Piguet, the focus is on taking the watches that contemporary collectors know and love and giving them a technical upgrade and a refreshed design. In some areas, these are pure additions, such as a stunning new platinum “Jumbo” Ref. 15202, a new platinum “Jumbo” watch with a gradient green dial, and some new Rolex replica watches with ceramic center cases.
But in other areas, the entire collection has been updated, most notably with the Royal Oak Offshore Diver and Offshore Chronograph. These are no small feat, as these are some of the most popular models in the AP collection, and there are avid collectors who focus solely on these models. In this episode, James, Jon, and I delve into what has changed, which changes are most important, and why some of these replica watches may be better than ever.
Omega hasn’t announced as many new pieces as Audemars Piguet (we did get a new moon watch not too long ago), but their playbook doesn’t seem to be all that different from Audemars Piguet’s. While the Seamaster 300m Black Black is a striking novelty, an all-black take on their hard-wearing replica Breitling watches, the latest Seamaster 300 is a reboot of the collection, including a “bronze-gold” stunner that we’re really looking forward to seeing in metal.
Think of this as a preview of things to come. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be providing you with plenty of updates on releases. Let us know in the comments what kind of conversation you’d like us to have, what you’d like us to watch out for, and how we can provide you with the best product coverage when the hottest watches of 2021 are released.
