Cars & Watches with Breguet and Glashütte Original At London City Concours 2018

Well-heeled motoring enthusiasts made what is fast becoming an annual pilgrimage to Central London last week to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the second annual City Concours. Bringing together some of the world’s finest cars in the intimate setting of the gardens of the Honourable Artillery Company, along with a host of partner brands and excellent hospitality, it definitely made for a fun couple of days in the sun. And with Breguet and Glashütte Original also back as official timepiece sponsors, we knew we couldn’t resist a quick visit.

If you visited the City Concours last year (or read our article about it here), then you would have seen the super cool Breguet Chronograph No. 2023 on display at the Breguet tent. Produced for car manufacturer Ettore Bugatti in the 1930’s, this dashboard chronograph was acquired by the watchmaker at auction last year. Those who missed it last year would have been pleased to discover it was back on display this year, this time joined by another recent Breguet Museum acquisition: a gorgeous Type 20 wristwatch dating back to 1957.

According to Breguet, this particular watch was gifted by the Esso company to the winner of the 1959 Monte Carlo car rally, a Frenchman by the name of Paul Coltelloni. Based on the military versions initially produced as a part of a commission for the French armed forces, it belongs to the first generation of Type 20 timepieces developed for the general public. The famous chronograph was used by the French Air Force and French Fleet Air Arm up to the early 1980s and the commercial versions are obviously still in production under the Type XX moniker (you can read Brice’s in-depth review of his own personal model here).

Over at Glashütte Original, it was all about new watches, specifically the new Sixties Annual Edition with panorama date and its striking green, guilloché-stamped dial crafted in-house. Presented in a round steel case measuring 42mm x 12.4mm, it offers a central time display (hours, minutes and running seconds), with a bold panorama date display just above six o’clock. Of course, if you prefer something even more refined, there’s also the non-date option. Both are powered by manufacture calibre 39-52, an automatic movement with 40-hours power reserve and a rotor featuring a gold mass and the typical double G shape of the Glashütte logo.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about such a bold green dial, but on the wrist, this thing is stunning, especially when it catches the sunlight. Interestingly, production of this dial colour is limited to this year only (presumably there will be a new dial colour next year), so I will be curious to see how this strategy plays out for GO. Also on display was the new black and white Senator Chronograph Date, with a varnished matte white dial and distinctive black Super-LumiNova® on the hands and indices. This is a more subdued variation of last year’s model (see it here) and will no doubt widen the audience for this watch.

Once again, the City Concours has delivered a fantastic event in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Even if you know nothing about cars (or watches for that matter) there is still something here for everyone to enjoy, plus how often do you get the opportunity to get up close and personal with such exceptional mechanical machines right in the heart of London? We’re already looking forward to next year!

And now, some of the nicest cars (and watches) seen at London City Concours 2018: