Tatler GMT Malaysia – 1 October 2025

Summary

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 leads the October 2025 Tatler GMT Malaysia cover — "GMT Strong Vibe" — with the cover story examining how the brand engineered a tourbillon-chronograph hybrid into the iconic 39mm case. The 104-page issue covers Geneva Watch Days 2025 highlights, diving watch depths from Seiko to Rolex, and ceramic's journey from fringe to mainstream in watchmaking.

—————

Content Guide

▸ Focus / Cover Story / Insider / Icons / Features / Regulars

p.14 · Editor's Picks — Geneva Watch Days 2025
Spotlight on 10 debut watches from the September 2025 Geneva Watch Days. Each entry lists the reference, calibre and retail price in MYR or USD. Close with: the biggest surprise was a micro-brand delivering a manufacture movement at RM 12,000 — the lowest entry price to an in-house calibre from any Geneva Watch Days exhibitor.

p.24 · Omega Seamaster — Bond Classic
How the Omega Seamaster became James Bond's watch, from GoldenEye to the present. The article traces each film's specific reference with production years and current values. Close with: the Seamaster 300 from GoldenEye (1995) — ref 2254.50 — trades at RM 15,000-18,000 today, 3x its 1995 retail price and the best-performing Bond watch at auction.

p.30 · Dive Watches — Deep Dive
A survey of dive watches from RM 2,000 to RM 100,000, comparing water resistance ratings, helium escape valves and ISO 6425 certification. Close with: the RM 2,000 Seiko Prospex uses a 4R35 calibre with 41 hours power reserve; the RM 25,000 Rolex Submariner uses a 3230 calibre with 70 hours — the Rolex costs 12.5x more but delivers only 1.7x the reserve.

p.44 · Van Cleef & Arpels Planetarium Automaton
A technical breakdown of the Planétarium Automaton — a wristwatch with 5 animated planets orbiting the sun on individual sapphire discs. Close with: the planets' orbital speeds are scaled to their real orbits — Mercury completes a lap in 88 seconds while Neptune takes 164 years; only Neptune is invisible to the naked eye on the dial.

p.58 · Audemars Piguet RD#5 Cover Story
The Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5 combines a flying tourbillon with a column-wheel chronograph in a 39mm case — the first time this combination has been achieved at this size. Close with: the RD#5 costs RM 850,000 and only 100 pieces will be produced worldwide — register at the Kuala Lumpur boutique; the waiting list closed after the first 50 deposits.

p.60 · Ceramic — From Fringe to Mainstream
Ceramic cases from Rado's first in 1986 to Omega's full-ceramic Speedmaster in 2026. The article covers the production process — zirconium oxide powder, injection moulding, sintering at 1,450 degrees Celsius, and diamond-polishing. Close with: ceramic is 6x harder than steel on the Vickers scale but will shatter if dropped on a hard surface; steel deforms, ceramic fractures — insurance premium for a ceramic case watch is typically 15 percent higher.

p.64 · The Art and Craft of Perpetual Calendars
How perpetual calendar mechanisms work, from the simple 48-month wheel to the 1,461-day programme wheel that handles leap years. Close with: the simplest perpetual calendar mechanism uses 27 components; Patek Philippe's most advanced uses 137 — the additional 110 parts handle the century rule, moon phase accuracy to one day per 122 years, and 4-digit year display.

p.72 · Richard Mille Manufacture
A tour of Richard Mille's facility in Les Breuleux, Switzerland — a fortress of audacious innovation where each RM case requires 200 machining operations. Close with: Richard Mille produces only 5,200 watches annually but employs 190 machinists — a ratio of 27 employees per 100 watches versus the industry average of 8 per 100.

p.76 · Inside Panerai's Neuchatel Manufacture
How Panerai produces the P.9000 calibre series and the new Submersible line. The article covers CNC machining and hand assembly workflows. Close with: Panerai's movement decoration department employs 12 artisans who hand-finish each bridge — each P.9000 calibre takes 4 hours of decoration work after machining is complete.

p.86 · Breguet CEO Gregory Kissling
Kissling on the challenges of leading a legacy brand — how Breguet balances heritage with innovation. The interview covers the brand's new Classique Chronometrie line. Close with: Breguet's new calibre 777A uses a silicon balance spring that is anti-magnetic to 20,000 gauss — the highest magnetic resistance of any Breguet movement ever produced.

p.94 · Eyka Farhana — Love, Growth and a New Season
Audemars Piguet ambassador Eyka Farhana on her watch collection, her favourite Royal Oak reference and how she chooses pieces. Close with: Farhana's daily wear is a 33mm Royal Oak with a quartz movement — she chose quartz over automatic because it requires no winding when she travels and is always ready to wear.

p.102 · One Last Time
A final page featuring a collector's most sentimental watch — a 1969 Rolex Daytona passed down from father to son — with a story about its purchase at a Singaporean army surplus store in 1972 for RM 800.

—————

Editor's Take

The RD#5 cover story delivers genuine engineering journalism — explaining how AP achieved a tourbillon-chronograph in a 39mm case is not easy to communicate, and the article succeeds through clear diagrams and specific component counts. The weakest element is the Bond Seamaster retrospective, which retreads well-known movie history without uncovering new archival material or interviewing anyone from Omega's or EON's archives. The issue suits dive watch collectors and ceramic case enthusiasts, though the Richard Mille manufacture tour reads like corporate communications rather than independent journalism.

Strengths
• RD#5 technical breakdown explains 39mm tourbillon-chronograph achievement
• Ceramic hardness ratio specified at 6x steel on Vickers scale
• Richard Mille employee-to-production ratio quantified (27 per 100 watches)

Weaknesses
• Bond Seamaster piece offers no new archival research or interviews
• Richard Mille manufacture feature reads as approved brand content

Verdict: Recommended — RD#5 engineering story is genuinely interesting; historical features need fresh sourcing.