Singer are the Californian perfectionists who take a 911 and turn it into a bespoke sports car that Porsche would recognise only from the shape. We’re great fans of these restomods. Now Singer are producing a range of automatic watches to match, under the Singer Reimagined moniker. As you can see, these timepieces are just as under-stated, yet highly detailed, as Singer's four wheeled masterpieces. And just like those not-911s, the look recalls another time, in this case the sports watches of the 1960s and 1970s.
Singer Reimagined is the result of a chance meeting between Singer boss Rob Dickinson and Milan-based watch designer Marco Borraccino. What if, they wondered, there could be a watch that, like Singer sports cars, offers the owner the precision and privilege of hand-made, bespoke 1960s/70s style, with all the sophistication that 21st century engineering offers? Singer Reimagined was born.
Movements in all watches are hand-made mechanisms, assembled by expert watch makers. Subtle design aims to be - as Singer Reimagined themselves put it - "contemporary and classic”. Like the company’s cars, there’s no need for the look to shout about what it is. Chronographs - to take just one example - can track an event of up to 60 hours long. We’d need a mere 24 hours for our next visit to Le Mans, but you get the picture.
Singer Reimagined: The Divetrack
Latest in the collection is the range-topping Divetrack, billed as "the world's first-ever mechanical diving chronograph”. Quite the claim, but this is Singer we’re talking about, remember. Case is waterproof to 1,000 feet, which should just about be enough. Case is Grade 5 Titanium, turning bezel is stainless steel. Three sapphire crystals allow for side visibility, crucial for deep diving.
Central multi-functional tool is divided into Chill, to help you with the surface interval after a dive; Dive, for when it’s safe to dive again; and Fly to mark the 18 hours after a deep dive when you shouldn’t for health reasons fly. This is one serious timepiece. Highest possible grade of luminous Super-LumiNova allows for maximum legibility in the dark depths, while the watch is powered by Singer’s unique 24h AgenGraphe Caliber, as they’ve named it, a movement whose mechanical symphony is celebrated by the transparent rear of the watch.
Singer sports cars are far from a superficial bargain. The joy is in the day to day interaction with the bespoke. So it is with Singer Reimagined watches. Singer automobiles require £300,000 or so from your bank account. Luckily, Singer Reimagined will ask a mere tenth of that for one of the timepieces that you’ll feel obliged to buy to match your transport. The sophistication of the new Divetrack range, demands a little more: around £80,000. While that might get you a lightly used actual 911, it won’t be a Singer and where’s the bespoke in that?
Next up: These are the watch brands you should be buying vintage.
