Speake-Marin
Openworked Red Gold
$45,655
Portobello Road has always thrived on contrast, a London district where pastel façades, market stalls, and a certain unhurried eccentricity coexist with complete confidence, and it is this atmosphere that Speake Marin channels in the Ripples Portobello. The signature engraved Ripples motif, a horizontally satin-finished wave pattern cut into a brass dial plate, is dressed here in an exclusive lavender hue. The color is achieved by applying a translucent tinted lacquer over a silver-toned base, a delicate layering that lets the shade shift from soft and luminous to something deeper depending on the angle of the light. The small seconds counter at 1:30, with its sunray finish and rhodium-plated diamond-cut ring, anchors the composition, while faceted rhodium-plated indices and a lavender tinted minute track carry the theme to the dial’s edge.
The stainless steel case, known as La City and conceived by Stéphane Lacroix, comprises 40 components and resolves the circle and the square into a single harmonious form. It measures 40.3mm in diameter and just 9.20mm thick, with a screw down crown, sapphire crystals front and back, and water resistance to 5 atmospheres.
Inside beats the automatic calibre SMA03-T, developed and assembled in-house by Le Cercle des Horlogers in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Running at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 52 hour power reserve, it winds via a tungsten micro-rotor finished with a laser-engraved motif. A lavender leather strap embossed with a denim texture completes the watch.
