Tag Heuer Aquaracer CAF2011.BA0815

One hertz. That's your average quartz watch, ticking away once per second. Tick, tick, tick. A vintage mechanical watch at 18,000vph ticks at two-and-a-half hertz. The modern equivalent beats at 28,800 times per minute, that's four hertz. Zenith's superb El Primero, a hi-beat movement at 36,000vph—five hertz for that one. This TAG Heuer Carrera Mikrograph? Fifty hertz. That's one hundred beats every second. 360,000 per hour. Phew!

When you’re looking for the watch that’s right for you, it’s easy to be swept up in the hype of those top few default choices. Say you’ve set your heart on a chronograph; chances are your shortlist may contain a Speedmaster or a Daytona. Both superb watches, no doubt about that, but there are others that you might not know about—and they’re equally worth consideration.

Peaches and cream. Fish and chips. Cars and watches. These are all things that have gone together beautifully since time immemorial, such perfect combinations that they could be used as a legitimate argument to prove the existence of God. But none so much as the pairing of Audemars Piguet and Maserati. 'But what about TAG Heuer and McLaren?' you are no doubt saying, 'What about Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin?' Those are fine examples of automotive-watchmaking collaborations, but they don’t quite share the same bond as Audemars Piguet and Maserati. Got no idea what all this is about? Read on.

In light of news that former Zenith CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour - the man who turned Zenith around following some less prosperous times (and pieces) - has moved to the captain's chair at Rolex has sprouted a certain nostalgic desire to dig out one of Zenith's transcendent pieces, the Ultra Thin. The Ultra Thin is, second to the El Primero itself, a bedrock for Zenith, a steady pulse in times both good and bad. Inspired by the clean vintage look popular for most of the twentieth century, it leaves the clutter of modern design behind in favour of saying few words, but choosing them well.