grand tour wrist watches

Jeremy Clarkson Watches Worn During Clarkson’s Farm Season 1 And 2

Jeremy Clarkson is a well-known figure in the world of entertainment, and his latest venture, Clarkson’s Farm, has captured the attention of audiences worldwide. But fans were quick to notice the beautiful watch on the Grand Tour presenter’s wrist. In this article, we will explore the watch in question and provide readers with a comprehensive guide to its features, history, and value.

Clarkson’s Farm Season 1 – Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean

In Season 1 of Clarkson’s Farm, Jeremy Clarkson wore the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean worth around £6-7,000. He’s also worn this during certain episodes of The Grand Tour, as well as older episodes of Top Gear .

When it comes to luxury dive watches, the Omega Planet Ocean is a highly regarded timepiece. In particular, Omega developed the Planet Ocean as a modern take on a dive watch that could rival the timeless Rolex Submariner.

While the Seamaster collection as a whole has always been positioned as a luxury line of tool watches, the Planet Ocean takes it a step further with its sleek and sophisticated design. This watch is perfect for those who want a dive watch that can seamlessly transition from the ocean depths to a fancy dinner party.

Stylish and Modern Appearance

One of the main selling points of the Planet Ocean is its stylish and modern appearance. The watch features a bold and sporty look, with a wide range of colour options to choose from. Additionally, the Planet Ocean boasts a larger case size than the Submariner, making it a standout choice for those who prefer bigger watches.

An Extreme Watch

Both the Planet Ocean and Submariner are top-performing dive watches that can withstand extreme conditions. They are water-resistant up to 600 meters and feature helium escape valves for decompression during saturation diving.

However, the Planet Ocean has a slight edge in terms of functionality. It boasts a more advanced movement with a co-axial escapement, which provides greater accuracy and longevity. Additionally, the Planet Ocean’s uni-directional bezel is made from a ceramic material, which is more scratch-resistant than the Submariner’s aluminium bezel.

Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 – Breitling Avenger Hurricane 12H

Clarkson’s Farm Season 2 sees Jeremy Clarkson wearing the bright orange and striking Breitling Avenger Hurricane 12H worth around £5-6,000.

Breitling, the renowned aviation-inspired watch brand, is known for its unique style and bold designs. The Breitling Avenger Hurricane 12H, featuring a 50mm case, is a testament to the brand’s confident and distinctive aesthetic.

Breitlight Material: Lightweight and Durable

One of the key features of the Breitling Avenger Hurricane 12H is its case material, Breitlight. This futuristic polymer, reinforced with composite fibres, not only makes the watch incredibly durable but also surprisingly lightweight, weighing only a third of titanium.

Dominating Presence on the Wrist

The matte finish of the case, combined with the indented markers on the bezel, creates a commanding presence on the wrist. The watch is available in both black and a striking mustard yellow dial named Cobra. As a watch designed for pilots, the hands and indices are luminous, while the stencil-style numerals are large and legible. The bezel is rotatable and has four rider tabs, while the crown and push-pieces are large and designed for easy manipulation when wearing gloves. The strap is made of high-resistance military textile fiber lined with rubber.

In-House Automatic Breitling Calibre 01

The Breitling Avenger Hurricane 12H is powered by the in-house automatic Breitling calibre 01 movement. This COSC-certified chronometer has a power reserve of 70 hours and offers regular timekeeping, a chronograph function, and a calendar display between 4 and 5 o’clock.

Alex Harrington

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Watching Celeb Watches: TOP GEAR’s Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May

Tonight: Richard ‘Hamster’ Hammond wears an Omega! ‘Captain Slow’ James May wears an Omega! And, Jeremy Clarkson wears an Omega! We’re going to have a look at the wrist-gear of the TOP GEAR presenters, and wonder, do they only drive in TOP GEAR or also wear TOP GEAR on the wrist? Do their watches make it to our cool wall?

First of all, I have to admit to being an absolute fan of Top Gear, when I first spotted an Omega Seamaster Professional on Jeremy Clarkson’s wrist, years ago, I was delighted. This year they are airing their 21st series and by now all three gents wear proper (read: mechanical, high-end) watches. However we have to be strict and an Omega Seamaster Professional is for sure a great watch, it does not really qualify as the Lamborghini Aventador of wristwatches. They might know their way around a test track but how do their watches fair in our world? We go from small to big, first up the Hamster Richard Hammond.

Richard Hammond, who when not having his teeth whitened, wears an true classic among wristwatches, the Omega Speedmaster. The Speedmaster aka ‘Moon Watch’ was the watch worn on the moon. In our three-part story about the history of the Omega Speedmaster (click here for part 1 the pre-moon editions , part 2 with the 1970’s models and part 3 about the rare and limited editions ) we described everything you need to know about this legend among wrist watches.

Comparing this classic wristwatch to the car industry, the only real comparison can be the Volkswagen Golf. It ‘s been around since… ever, and there are a gazillion versions, yet it is still totally recognizable as a Volkswagen Golf… err, I mean an Omega Speedmaster. Great choice, Mr. Hammond, however we have no clue why you’re making that ‘dirty face’ in the picture? Can’t be the watch.

Round Two: Another classic on Richard Hammond’s wrist. The Breitling Navitimer has also been around for decades, in a more or less unchanged design. When thinking of a car that fits this watch it would have to be the BMW 3-series. The 3-series is a classic among cars, again, like the VW Golf, available in many variations and it has remained a proper 3-Series throughout the decades it has been around. Also like the Golf it has grown over the years (which is more than we can say for Richard Hammond!) The Navitimer has always been one of the larger watches on the market, which was a result of the dial with surrounding slide-rule that allowed pilots to make fuel consumption and speed calculations before the age of the computer. Because the 43mm diameter is now an average size, Breitling introduced two larger versions of the Navitimer (measuring 46mm and even 48mm) Maybe Mr. Hammond should stick to his own 43mm Navitimer, which, honestly, would be our choice as well.

Next up: Captain Slow James May. Here we see James wearing a Rolex Milgauss, which is also another classic among wristwatches. The Milgauss was designed as an antimagnetic watch, specifically for people who worked in power plants, medical facilities and research labs where electromagnetic fields can cause havoc with the timing of a watch. Rolex took the Milgauss out of production in 1988, but reintroduced it again in 2007 in its beefy 40mm configuration. Earlier this year they introduced a b lue dial version , as we predicted. Comparing to the car industry, let’s say the Milgauss is a BMW 6-series; a beautiful coupe ALSO taken out of production in the late 80’s and then reintroduced by popular demand in the first decade of the new millennia.

Now this is a watch for true connoisseurs. While many watch aficionados and collectors will turn up their noses because it’s a quartz watch (for the really hardcore Monochrome readers: you know, with a battery inside!… haven’t seen one like this around here in a long time eh?), this is actually a pretty cool watch. It was originally launched in 1976 at the Montreal Olympic Games and was, at that time, Omega’s flagship chronograph. It was also the first digital/analog chronograph on the market and now a days it’s a sought after collector’s piece. There’s even a Wikpedia page about this watch and that also mentions James May as one of the famous owners of an Omega Seamaster Chrono Quartz. It was cool in the 1970’s, definitely uncool in the following decades and is now cool again… so it might compare a Reliant Scimitar GTE? (is that still not cool?)

Here we go, James May sporting another classic, the IWC Portuguese Chronograph. An all-time favorite here at the Monochrome headquarters, and one that looks good in pretty much every situation. Boardroom, fancy dinner or spending the day fishing with your mates, it looks great. Earlier this year we reviewed the new IWC Portuguese Chronograph Classic , which is another interpretation of this classic. When thinking of a car that suited both James May and the IWC Portuguese Chronograph the model that kept coming to mind was the Audi A6. It’s large, practical, its lines and ergonomics are clean and purposeful. And it’s probably equally popular among bankers as the Portuguese Chronograph.

Now we’re getting in more dangerous territory. ‘Some say’ Jeremy Clarkson can use a Seamaster to scale a fish. And, that on at least one occasion he broke out in hives at the thought of wearing a Breitling Aerospace Emergency watch. All we know is he had been wearing the Omega Seamaster Professional in the older Top Gear series, and has been seen with the newer Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean in more recent episodes.

Although this iteration of the Seamaster, the Seamaster Planet Ocean, has not been around for decades, it can already be considered a classic. In fact the entire Seamaster collection comprises several classics, all of which a perfect all-rounders and that makes it easy to compare it to cars.  No, with this timepiece Jezza is not in Ferrari, Lambo, and or Benz AMG territory. He prefers his cars to be perfect for the track and totally unfit to go for groceries or picking up the kids from school. His watches are choses with a more practical approach. So what would be the Omega Seamaster’s equivalent with wheels? I think Mercedes-Benz C class makes a great all-rounder that fits almost any situation: a night at the opera, hauling rubbish to the dump and it dispatches all of its duties with grace. We had a closer look at both the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph and the Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT and both make it to our cool wall! (as do all of the above)

Here we see Jezza wearing an Audi RS5 in black. Err… I mean of course that Jeremy Clarkson is wearing an IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun Edition. Bold, masculine, all the things Jeremy Clarkson would love to be associated with. The highly legible dial of the 46mm Top Gun Chronograph with fly-back function is perfect for measuring hot-laps in your track-day racer. The ceramic/titanium case is made to look good after aggressive use (OK, here you go… “more than we can say for Mr. Clarkson”)

And on that bombshell it’s time to end!

14 responses

How could you compare such nice watches with bimmers and Golfs? Great article nonetheless, I think we would have to interview them to know their entire collections because they must have a lot more.

We’re not saying those watches are not nice, but they can’t be compared to a Lamborghini or a Pagani. But you’re right, maybe they have more to show us

May takes the cake on this on, imho

James May it’s the connoisseur in my opinion I have seem more special watches on his wrist the the other tow, who have also worn good ones

The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean that Jezza is wearing (whilst firing the assault rifle) is the older model, (Daniel Craig wore it in Casino Royale). The O,SM,PO in the split screen photo is the New Model with the Rubber Strap, black stitching. DC wore the watch in Skyfall but with the original S/S strap. I have the new model with the old model rubber strap as an extra that I use for work so I don’t scratch the shit out of my S/S bracelet!…… Just saying.

I thought James May had some class because he was wearing a Seiko 7T32 movement watch. But I guess I was wrong, because it looks like he also got corrupted by the Swiss 🙂

To be honest, I expexted them to wear more Heuer watches. Nevertheless, Richard Hammond got a great taste for timepieces. I’m a true carguy and petrolhead, but my favourite is the TAG Heuer Carrera – although I like Breitling a lot.

a speedmaster as a golf!?!!? are you high? what the f?! get off your high horse you snob

Yes Jeremy, the Speedy would compare to a nice VW Golf. Watches worn by the three gents are just not to be compared to the cars that they drive in the show. Just some friendly consumer advice 😉

I loved this article, would you consider writing another one for a bit more recent Grand Tour watches spotting? Thanks.

Thanks… and thanks for the idea. I think the new season just started, so I’ll get at it!

Jeez the author probably doesn’t have a nice watch yet he talks down about these 🤨

Lol speedmaster compares to a golf? Right 🤦‍♂️

Lmao comparing a Moonwatch to a VW Golf hahaa – like many others here pointed out, sounds like you don’t know what you’re talking about lol, yet you sound so sure and arrogant in the comments. A Golf is an average consumer hatchback in theCorolla/Civic territory ffs (unless it’s a GTI or R or something), and would be more comparable to Swatch/Tissot/etc. An average person definitely can’t/won’t spend $6k+ on a watch lol Yes the Golf has been around and recognized for as long but definitely not comparable in all other aspects lmao. The Speedy would be more comparable to Merc/BMW/Audi, whereas higher end ones like Patek, AP, etc would be comparable to Rolls / Bentley. Just some friendly consumer advice 🙂

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IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun - Jeremy Clarkson - The Grand Tour

Jeremy Clarkson wears a  IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun IW388007 watch in the Amazon series  The Grand Tour .

The watch is worn together with several wristbands and can often be seen clearly when Clarkson is driving a car.

The canvas strap of the watch might have been replaced with another leather or brown leather strap.

Watch The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime . 

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Hands-On With the Bravur Grand Tour Chronographs

La Corsa Rosa (nickname for Giro d’Italia), La Grande Boucle (referring to the Tour de France), and La Vuelta (or Vuelta a España) are three of the biggest, most prestigious bicycle races in the world. Spanning thousands of miles, weeks of cycling with very few days off, and crossing multiple terrains, riding in a Grand Tour is no joke. While you’re more likely to find an ultra-light (and ultra-expensive) Richard Mille or a more modest $3k Breitling Endurance Pro on the wrist of a cyclist at the head of the pack, there’s something much more appealing (to me at least) about the vintage-inspired chronographs that we’re looking at today. Swedish watch brand Bravur pays tribute to the three big races and the founders’ passion for cycling with this collection of charming automatic chronographs, each assembled by hand at the brand’s HQ in Sweden. 

Crafted from 316L stainless steel and measuring in at a compact 38.2mm in width, the Bravur Grand Tour Chronographs are sized exceptionally well for an everyday watch, regardless of whether you’re spending some time circling the velodrome or just out for a stroll to the coffee shop. Like the three Grand Tours, the three watches each feature their own signature look and feel, with design cues taken from jersey colors, race flags, and subtle nods to cycling throughout. Let’s take a closer look at these three interesting chronographs from the Swedish brand.

Each watch in the collection features the same 38.2mm 316L stainless steel case. Measuring in at 46.3mm lug to lug, the watch remains compact in both length and width. It fits my 6.75” wrist really well. The only measurement that might bring some to take a second look is the thickness. With an automatic chronograph movement inside, there’s no getting around the fact that there has to be enough room to accommodate both the chronograph portion of the movement and the automatic winding components. While the 14.4mm thickness may sound like a lot for a 38mm watch, the case is broken up in a balanced way that results in a very comfortable watch. 

From the top down, you’ll see the domed sapphire crystal, a polished slanted bezel that transitions into the brushed mid-case, and a rather thick case back that does a great job of mitigating its height with a slanted edge that terminates in a sapphire case back. The angled case back props the watch up on your wrist, so the only portion of the watch that’s in contact is the sapphire case back. This helps keep the Grand Tour feeling light during wear. 

A mix of brushed and polished surfaces breaks up the case and adds some visual appeal. One part that really stood out to me is the shape of the chronograph pushers. They’re rectangular with a taper towards the lugs and a fine brushed finish that matches the mid-case. They have a polished beveled edge that gives them a little pop of shine, outlining the pusher with a glowing edge when in the right lighting conditions.

Across the board, the finishing is nice and crisp. The case has a polished bevel between the top of the case and the side. Vertical brushing on the lugs and horizontal brushing on the mid-case is light but nicely applied. Between the lugs, there’s an interesting inwards polished cut that adds some visual appeal to the area surrounding the strap while making the lugs appear thinner.

On both the La Corsa Rosa and La Grande Boucle models, the case features a smooth polished bezel around the dial. On La Vuelta, you’ll find an orangey-red aluminum bezel insert with minute markings every quarter hour with hash marks in between. The aluminum insert gives the watch a totally different vibe, which is cool considering that the change in design is relatively small but definitely meaningful.

Dial + Hands

Each of the three models has a distinctly different dial that gives off a completely different look. There are some common threads — you’ll find three chronograph registers, a central seconds hand, polished pencil-shaped hour and minute hands, and similar application of text. The colors are all unique, following the cycling theme with color and design elements that represent the races they’re inspired by. Let’s take a quick look at each of the three models since they’re all so different.

La Corsa Rosa

Featuring pink accents, La Corsa Rosa is inspired by the leader’s jersey of the Giro d’Italia. Each of the sub-dials is rendered in different shades of pink with a few matching accents around the dial. The text above the brand name, central seconds hand, and unlucky 13 on the rehaut are all pink, making them pop out from the black dial. There are two textures on the dial, a smooth inner circle and a textured outer circle that brings tarmac to mind — a nod to road racing. Stick-shaped indices mark each hour, with smaller hash marks between for minutes. This is the only watch out of the three that sports a rehaut, which has 5-minute increments printed in white on the black surface.

La Grande Boucle

This model is inspired by the most well-known cycling race of all time — the Tour de France. La Grande Boucle translates to “the big loop”, a nickname for the race. The dial pulls inspiration from the jerseys worn while competing — the yellow of the leader’s jersey, polka dots from the mountain jersey, and the green of the sprinter’s jersey. Combined, all three elements are seen on the dial in a pleasing green/gold/yellow color combination. Gloss polka dots make a subtle appearance on the matte green dial and are only really seen when the light hits it just right. A neat feature on the dial is the upside-down 13 — a number that is typically associated with bad luck. In the race, the wearer of number 13 flips it upside down to counteract any of that potential bad luck. It’s a cool little detail that shows the crew at Bravur’s deep passion for the sport of cycling.

The final Grand Tour of the cycling season takes place in Spain. With red being the primary color of the race, there’s plenty of it to go around on this dial configuration. A white base dial with black chronograph registers is accented by pops of red throughout. The biggest departure from the other two models is the aluminum bezel insert present on La Vuelta. It makes the watch look quite different from the pack. I enjoy the pop of red on the outside of the dial, which draws your eye towards the smaller accents like some dial text and the tips of the chronograph hands.    

If the watches weren’t housed in the same case, each could easily stand on its own. The variations on the theme are distinct and interesting with heavy ties back to the world of cycling. However, there are a few things about the dials that I’m not totally sold on. The first is the crystal choice. With an angled bevel around the edge, the distortion renders the outer scales of numbers illegible on the Corsa Rosa and Grande Boucle models. The chronograph register spacing is also pretty far apart, which is particularly distracting on the Vuelta model that features Arabic numerals for each hour. We completely lose the 3 and 9, along with parts of the 2,4,8, and 10. I understand that housing a movement of this size in such a compact case has some trade-offs, but the spacing of the sub-dials does not totally vibe with the smaller size of the watch.

Flip the watch over and take a peek through the sapphire case back and you’ll notice an automatic Sellita SW511b chronograph movement doing its thing. Based on the iconic Valjoux 7750 movement, the SW511b features a central timing seconds hand and three sub-dials. On the right you’ll find a 15 minute counter, on the bottom there’s a 12 hour counter, and on the left a running seconds indicator. The movement is self-winding, thanks to the custom engraved rotor. Inside, 27 jewels keep things running smoothly and accurately at 28,800 vibrations per hour. When fully wound (either by hand or through wear) the watch will run for a solid 48 hours. Selitta movements are practically a household name at this point (assuming your housemates are into watches) and are known to be reliable and easily serviceable. It makes sense in the Grand Tour Chronographs given their price and size — bravo, Bravur.

Strap + Wearability

Keeping things in the spirit of racing is the 18mm black, padded rally-style perforated leather strap included with each watch. The top surface is a rich black, while the underside is a dark shade of green. You’ll find a signed buckle sporting the Bravur text logo engraved into the shiny polished steel that keeps the watch securely fastened to your wrist. The strap both looks and feels nice, with high-quality stitching used throughout. On the underside, you’ll also find quick-release spring bars built into the strap that makes for easy and tool-free strap changes. Bravur also offers a rubber strap that sort of looks like the classic tropic strap, which is much better suited to cycling since it’s made of rubber. You can put all the speed holes in the world into your rally strap, but sweat and leather still don’t get along so well. 

Switching over the rubber strap is a pretty different experience from the padded leather strap. The strap is a $59 add-on, but if you plan on wearing the watch while you’re riding your bike (or doing anything active for that matter), the lightweight and stretchy rubber strap feels great on the wrist. It’s lighter, more comfortable, and the perforated tropic design will allow sweat and the occasional splash to drain away from your skin during wear. 

By the numbers, 38.2mm wide, 46.3mm lug to lug, and 14.4mm thick measurements result in a watch that’s comfortable and easy to wear on my 6.75” wrist. I mentioned earlier that when you have an automatic chronograph movement powering a watch, it can only be so thin. The case width and length combined with the case geometry do a great job of mitigating the thickness. While the majority of my cycling happens on a Peloton (that constantly sends me those “Hey…where have you been?!” emails), I could see this being worn out and about on the road by a more avid cyclist than myself. Wearing the watch a bit further up your wrist does help it away from the bend and the rectangular pushers never dig into my hand. It’s a solid design that is comfortable for daily wear with a convenient 10ATM water resistance rating that’ll stand up to a little bit of sweat and the occasional splash of tires through a deep puddle.

While I don’t find myself regularly competing in ultra-high-level cycling competitions, I can still appreciate a watch (or three) that follows the theme. Each of the watches in the Grand Tour collection from Bravur does a great job of representing their inspiration. From the green and gold Grande Boucle to the black and pink Corsa Rosa to the bezel insert clad Vuelta, each watch has its own unique personality. I appreciated the great ~38mm size, reliable automatic movement, and clean-looking rectangular pushers. The only thing that sparked any sort of mental pushback is the price. $2450 can get you a heck of a lot of watch. Picking up a Bravur Grand Tour is most likely outside the realm of impulse purchase for most of us. However, if you love cycling and you’re in the market for an automatic chronograph, then the Grand Tour series from Bravur is definitely worth a closer look. Bravur . 

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Watch Review: Bravur Grand Tour La Grande Boucle II Chronograph

Bravur’s Grand Tour collection is a line of three chronograph models, each inspired by one of the Grand Tours of cycling. If you’re like me and assumed that the entirety of the sport of cycling was the Tour de France, allow me to enlighten you. The Grand Tours are three 21-stage cycling races that are regarded as the most demanding and prestigious events in the sport. In addition to La Grand Boucle representing the Tour de France, there is the pink La Corsa Rosa for the Giro d’Italia and the red La Vuelta for the Vuelta a España. All three models use color and texture to bring the spirit of the races to your wrist.

At 38.2mm across with an 18mm lug-width, the Bravur Grand Tour’s stainless steel case immediately differentiates itself from other modern chronographs (the five chronographs we’ve reviewed most recently all come in at over 40mm). At 14.4mm-tall, despite being no thicker than most modern chronos and certainly not wider than most, this watch wears a bit more stoutly than its contemporaries. Unlike what you might experience on, say, a 42mm chronograph, there’s no width here to disperse the thickness that results from using an automatic movement. But in my experience, I didn’t find that to be a bad thing. While a bit stocky, it still wears very well. That’s primarily down to its overall small dimensions, including a 46.3mm lug-to-lug, but partially attributable to the silhouette of the case. The way the case form curves from lug to lug on both sides, as well as its gentle arc along the wrist, give it a visual and physical ease that a blockier profile wouldn’t afford.

The case is well decorated with crisp brushing and thin polished chamfers, the latter of which encompass the entirety of the case sides, giving what would otherwise be a slab-sided case a bit of character and slenderness. The polished bezel is aesthetically fine, but I worry about how much of a scratch magnet it may be (though I’m sure it won’t be as bad as the bezel on a Cartier Santos). The Grand Tour has 50m of water resistance (remember, it’s inspired by cycling) and the domed sapphire crystal has AR-coating which kept glare down (and won’t wear away, since it’s applied to the underside), but my favorite element of the case is the pusher design. I, for one, am tired of generic pump and button pushers, and while the pushers here may not seem special—they aren’t, really—the thought put in to have them follow the contour of the case demonstrated the intentionality of the design.

The engaging dial is where the cycling inspiration really shines. The yellow accents are a nod to the yellow leader’s jersey worn during the Tour de France, while the capsule-like 12 o’clock marker is a nod to the collectible milestones that mark out the famous French climbs throughout the course. The dial itself is a soft black (the brand calls it “wet asphalt”) that’s marked by semi-gloss polka dots, a pattern taken from the race’s King of the Mountains jersey; the contrasting finishes to the dots and the main dial offer a lovely bit of light play when the watch is on the wrist. The final tip of the cap to cycling is the upside-down ’13’ on the tachymeter ring; traditionally, the rider assigned number 13 wears the number upside-down on their back.

The beauty here is that if, like me, you aren’t a cycling fan, you probably wouldn’t have known any of that without being told, instead simply seeing a well-executed chronograph dial with pops of yellow. Conversely, if you are a cycling fan, it’s likely that several of those elements were apparent without my explanation, like horological Easter eggs. That’s exactly what you want in a watch like this.

As far as its basic design and elements, the dial features a 3-6-9 layout with 15-minute and 12-hour hour totalizers and running seconds; the registers are all offered in a silvery white azurage finish and slightly sunken into the dial. Contrasting the below-grade registers are the applied circle hour markers that double down on the polka dots and are filled with Super-LumiNova (as is the lower half of the 12 o’clock marker). The hands, too, are lumed, and are rhodium-plated for a bit of glossy shine in certain lights; they can get lost for moments when there’s no direct light highlighting them, but all it takes its a refocus on the lume strips (which your eyes and brain will do for you). Overall, though, legibility is excellent, as the yellow chronograph and seconds hands stand out clearly and the unscaled chapter ring’s markings are easy to read.

Through a sapphire caseback display, surrounded by a steel ring with a checkered flag motif (interrupted only by the limited edition numbering), one can glimpse the inner workings of the Bravur Grand Tour La Grand Boucle II: The Sellita SW511b. This automatic Swiss movement has an integrated cam-operated chronograph mechanism, with a 62-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph. For those familiar with the SW510, the SW511b is the same caliber with the date omitted and the 30-minute totalizer at 3 o’clock replaced by a 15-minute totalizer. The sapphire window is printed with an outline of France and the “Grand Tour” collection name.

As you’ve likely spotted through this review, the Bravur La Grand Boucle II comes paired with the buyer’s choice of a yellow or black FKM strap or a steel Milanese mesh (for an extra $50 USD), all of which are quick-release. The waffle-print racing-style rubber strap is quite comfortable on the wrist and the perforations allow for some venting, which should be helpful on hotter days. The brand also included a black leather quick-release strap. which can be purchased separately, but dulls things down a bit, in my opinion.

Necessary Information: >Brand : Bravur > Model : Grand Tour La Grand Boucle II > Price :  $2,550 USD > Size : 38.2mm-wide, 14.4mm-thick, 46.3mm lug-to-lug distance, 18mm lugs > When  reviewer would personally wear it : When doing or observing sports, especially cycling > Friend we’d recommend it to first : My friend’s dad, who is an avid cyclist, but is wanting for what we may call “real watches” > Best characteristic of watch : The colorful dial and its Easter eggs > Worst characteristic of watch : Due to the smaller case diameter, it can look stocky on the wrist; 18mm lug width may be a turnoff for some

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Projects Watches Grand Tour Shiitake – Art Is in the Spotlight

By Zsolt Janka Updated February 19, 2024

In this hands-on review, I will take a look at a unique timepiece where timekeeping becomes a canvas for artistic expression. Read on for more info on the Projects Watches Grand Tour Shiitake!

Art should not be limited to museums or relegated to Instagram feeds; it should seamlessly integrate into our daily lives. This belief led to the establishment of Projects Watches 30 years ago, crafting wearable art by “creators for creators”.

It’s not like any watch brand; they collaborate with multiple craftsmen, like artists, architects, and designers, to create exquisite timepieces that go beyond the conventional to inspire customers through the amalgamation of art and time.

At Projects Watches, the emphasis is on the artistry rather than the timekeeping. Every timepiece represents a distinct work of craftsmanship that conveys narratives, stirs sentiments, and questions the ordinary notion of a timekeeping device.

They make their watches accessible to a wider audience by offering them both online and in shops and museums, like the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) design store or the Newark Museum of Art webshop.

Table of Contents

Michael Graves

The creator of the Grand Tour series was Michael Graves (1934–2015), an influential American architect and designer. 

Graves was known for his postmodern architectural style, which often incorporated classical elements and bright colors. Some of his notable works include the Portland Building in Oregon and the Humana Tower in Kentucky.

In addition to his architectural achievements, Michael Graves was a prolific designer of consumer products and household items.

He collaborated with companies like Alessi and Target to create a wide range of products, including kitchenware and home accessories. His designs are characterized by their whimsical and playful approach to architecture, everyday objects, and watches.

Graves lent his creative genius to Projects Watches, giving birth to exquisite timepieces like the Witherspoon, the Mado, and the Grand Tour, each a testament to his remarkable craftsmanship.

The watch arrived in a cardboard box featuring a perforation, allowing me to inspect its contents without opening it. 

Inside the box the watch was securely held in place by rubber bands. Small plastic crown stoppers were included to maintain the battery’s freshness during shipping. 

As an added bonus, I found two branded items, a baseball cap, and a textile bag that were thoughtfully included as part of the package. 

The first striking aspect of the Grand Tour Shiitake (PJT-7611B) is its exquisite design. Its proportions give it the appearance of a bracelet rather than a traditional timepiece, with a subtle nod to the classic Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso in its design.

The watch measures 21 mm in width and 48 mm from lug to lug, with a height of less than 9 mm. It has an 18 mm wide, brownish nylon strap with a quick-release spring bar that makes it easy to swap the straps as you want.

Case and Crystal

The case is made of stainless steel with a nice brushed finish, which makes the watch resistant to scratches. The stainless steel caseback features several noteworthy elements: the engraved Projects Watches logo, the name of the watch, its 5 atm water resistance rating, and the signature of the timepiece’s creator, Michael Graves.

The crystal is mineral glass, which, while not as tough as sapphire, is still resilient and capable of enduring daily usage. As previously mentioned, the watch is water-resistant up to 5 atm, making it suitable for handling light rain and sweat without any issues.

Dials and Hands

The dial of this watch is a true marvel. With two distinct dials showcasing dual time zones, it’s a practical yet stylish choice for frequent travelers or those with international connections. 

The brown hue of the dial perfectly complements the strap and vice versa, creating a harmonious and cohesive appearance.

The applied markers provide an exquisite touch, capturing and reflecting light beautifully, allowing the watch to reveal different facets under varying lighting conditions.

Beyond its functionality, the two-time zone display also gives the designer the creative liberty to craft a squared dial , adding to the watch’s overall appeal and uniqueness.

Now, we are turning our attention to the less captivating aspect of this review for watch enthusiasts. The watch’s movement doesn’t appear to be their primary focus. 

At the heart of this timepiece, we find two quartz movements proudly marked as products of the EPSON Corporation, a subsidiary of the Seiko Group .

Interestingly, the Project Watches website claims the use of Miyota quartz movements. While this may seem contradictory, the Japanese origin of these movements remains undisputed, and I have not experienced any negative issues with them.

The Verdict

In my humble perspective, the Grand Tour Shiitake emerges as an exceptional timepiece, catering to individuals who genuinely value the fusion of artistic expression and design in a watch. 

Notably, the movement within proves to be impressively reliable, ensuring that its owner won’t encounter any undesirable issues in the foreseeable future.

On a personal note, I’ve harbored reservations about quartz movements . 

Still, I had to set aside any biases and immerse myself in the artistry and elegance embedded in this meticulously crafted watch. It offers genuine enjoyment for everyday wear and serves as a splendid addition to any watch collection. 

Let’s put aside any preconceptions and appreciate the craftsmanship and aesthetic appeal of this meticulously designed timepiece.

Have questions or comments? Leave them below!

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Hi, I'm Brock, the guy behind this site. I love wearing watches, especially ones that look great on small wrists (mine are about 6.3" around). The Slender Wrist is dedicated to helping you learn about and buy watches that you will love wearing.

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Projects 7611O Mens Grand Tour Dual Time Michael Graves Watch

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Product specifications

Watch information, looking for specific info, product details.

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.5 x 3.3 x 1.6 inches; 3.2 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 7611O
• Department ‏ : ‎ mens
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ April 28, 2010
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Project
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0056AX2O0

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Grand Tour Black

The Grand Tour Dual Time watch designed with architect Michael Graves is the first in his series of Projects timepieces. Filled with precise details, such as the numeral “1” representing 1 o'clock in the top clock and the number “2” representing 2 o'clock in the bottom, this is a great watch for any avid traveler. Set your watch to any two time zones with this unique dual threat.

Weight: 1.0 lbs Face Measurements:: 25.5mm W x 47.8mm H (1" x 1.88") Height: 8.45mm (0.33") Colors: Black / Light Blue Material: IP Stainless Steel Water-resistant: up to 5 ATM Band Color: Black Band Material: Leather Band Size: 18mm

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Designed in the USA

All products designed in partnership with artists from around the globe at our creative headquarters in Chicago.

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I love this watch. It looks and feels great and I love the creative/artistic design. I will buy from this website again.

Awesome product, it was delivered in 26 days to Europe. It has a quality leather straps with qiuck lock, but unfortunately the strap size just too big for 17 cm wrist circumference.

Cool design! I appreciate how quick delivery to europe was.

This watch is a bit of me. Always been a fan of the macabre and I do love it. The only "issue" I have (which is a very strong way of putting it) is that I wish the heart in the middle, which does the seconds, was bigger. Maybe beyond the skeleton? Othe than that, it is brilliant.

Reçue dans les temps avec frais de tva à payer en plus à la douane ( mais c’est normal ) .

Magnifique montre, très très originale. J’ai acheté le bracelet métallique en plus et c’est super joli

About the Creator

Michael graves.

Few are credited with spearheading a single design movement; Michael Graves, well known throughout the world for design excellence, led three. In the 1980s, Michael redirected the architectural conversation away from abstract modernism toward a more humanistic approach to architecture and urban planning, that among other things, brought color and art back into the experience of architecture.

In the 1990s, his partnership with Target defined America's expectation that great design should be available to everyone. And design became a corporate strategy. Over his past decade, Michael became a passionate advocate for the disabled and used the power of design to improve healthcare experiences for patients, families and clinicians.

Michael Graves transformed the role of the architect in society and left the world a better place than he found it. Michael Graves received prestigious awards including the AlA Gold Medal, the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton, The Richard H. Driehaus Prize, and the Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education.

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GRAND TOUR - LA VUELTA II

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Case:  38,2 mm diameter, 46,3 mm lug to lug, stainless steel 316L, 18 mm lug width

Crystal:  Domed sapphire, inside anti-reflective coating.

Case back:  Sapphire crystal

Movement:  Swiss Made Sellita SW511b, 27 jewels, self winding, stop second device

Power reserve:  Up to 62 hours

Frequency:  28 800 A/h (4 Hz)/8 beats per second

Dial:  Silver white with tarmac texture, three red recessed sub dials, Super-LumiNova dots at 12 o'clock

Sub dials:  15 minutes counter at 3H, 12 hours counter at 6H and small second at 9H.

Hands:  Rhodium plated hour and minute hands infilled with Super-LumiNova, red chronograph hand, black and white sub dial hands.

Strap:  Milanese mesh stainless steel/Black FKM rubber strap with pin buckle

Water resistance:  10 ATM

Limited Edition:  50 watches

HAND BUILT IN BÅSTAD, SWEDEN

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The La Vuelta dial is characterized by its red color scheme, inspired by the leader's jersey of the Vuelta a España, nicknamed  La Roja . The red hues pops nicely against the fresh silver white dial, featuring a tarmac pattern at the center.

At 12H you'll find a symbol most riders are happy to see in a race;  the flamme rouge , the red triangular flag marking the final kilometer of a race.

The dial features a 15 minute counter at 3 o'clock, a 12 hour counter at 6 o'clock and a small second at 9 o'clock. The main second hand will start once you press the chronograph pusher.

The tradition of the rider with number 13 in a race wearing the race bib upside down on the back of the jersey goes a long way back, and is a detail you can find on the minute track.

We wanted to create an elegant, yet powerful, case design. The classic dimension of the watch, 38,2 mm diameter, is smaller than most chronographs which we think is beautiful.

We have carefully combined polished and brushed surfaces to create a visually interesting look.

On the case back you will find a recessed "finish line" checker pattern, with a sand blasted finish. A classic racing reference.

The two pushers are easy to operate and the crown features our signature design with a recessed surface.

The Movement

Inside La Vuelta you'll find a Swiss made Sellita SW511 movement, with rhodium plating and decoration. The beautiful movement, which can be seen through the sapphire case back, also features blue screws and a custom rotor with a deep etched "finish line" pattern.

The 27 jewel movement impresses with a power reserve of up to 62 hours.

ASSEMBLY & TESTING

Each Grand Tour watch is hand built in Båstad, in the southern parts of Sweden. Here we have a small workshop where our watchmaker does all the assembly, testing and, if needed, regulation of the accuracy of the movements.

Every watch is made to order, and the assembly and testing process takes about two weeks, and after a final visual inspection the watch is sent to the customer.

FRATELLO WATCHES

"Out in the wild, the Grand Tour watches look sharp yet remain playful. They wear incredibly comfortably yet maintain a strong presence both physically and visually. The just larger than 38mm diameter seemed custom-tailored to my wrist, and everything just seemed to make sense. I greatly appreciate the exhibition case backs that allowed me to watch the SW511 b in action. And the matte black ceramic coating of the case is a stark frame to the bright playfulness of the dials. And what dials they are!"

READ THE REVIEW

WRIST SIZE: 16 cm/6,3"

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The Tour de France is Grand. But Is the Giro Tougher?

As Tadej Pogačar considers tackling the Giro, cycling legends and experts explain the distinct hurdles and surprises that make the Italian Grand Tour a unique and thrilling race.

Each of the three Grand Tours has its own flavor and unique challenges. The highly anticipated and widely followed Tour de France follows a tried-and-true formula of an opening week of relatively flat stages, a brief stint in the mountains, more flat transition stages, another brief stint in the mountains, and then a short run into Paris.

But the Giro d’Italia offers a thrilling blend of diverse terrain, technical challenges, and mano-a-mano racing, creating a more dynamic experience for riders. With reduced pressure from teams and media, the Italian Grand Tour stands out as a race where athletes can test their limits while savoring the joys of Italian cuisine and scenery.

Lots of climbing

“The Giro is much more surprising because it doesn’t follow a general formula,” explains Andy Hampsten , the first and only U.S. American to win Italy’s grand tour. “There can be mountains in almost any region of Italy. What surprised me the first Giro I ever did, and I kept an eye peeled for it later, were just incredibly hilly days, usually in central Italy in the Marche or Umbria or even further south in Campania or Calabria.”

Easy stages in the Giro where racers can rest and relax can be hard to find. “A stage without categorized mountains can still be up and down every kilometer of the race,” adds Hampsten. “Those days that usually aren’t highly rated might finish in a reasonably leveled area, and a sprint finish will be the prediction. But they could have 2,000 meters of climbing throughout the day, which could really shatter the field.”

Chaotic finishes

After all the ups and downs, the difficulties aren’t over when a stage reaches the finishing town. The towns that pay to host the finish don’t want to waste their investment. “They want to highlight the best parts of the towns, usually through some gates that emperors in the Roman Empire built. That might be in the final kilometer, and it might get down to a lane and a half or two lanes,” notes Hampsten, who lives and runs Cinghiale Cycling Tours out of his home base in Tuscany.

“When I did the Giro in 2009, you would be close to the finish because you were entering the town, but they would find ways to send you around the neighborhood and through the shopping district just to make it total chaos before the finish,” remembers former NBC Tour de France analyst and grand tour winner Chris Horner. “It was technical. You could crash in the middle of it. I was scared for my life on a few of those finishes.”

“In the Tour, you will come into the finishes on much bigger, wider roads. There are still crashes at the Tour, but there are other reasons for that. [The Giro is] a little scarier in terms of the towns, but the Tour is scarier in terms of the fight for position. Every team has their A team riders, so the level of the peloton is super fast and curb to curb the whole time,” adds Horner.

A grand tour for the neo-pros

Italian cycling fans, known as ‘tifosi’, go wild for the Giro, but the Tour de France is more popular worldwide. Results at the Grand Boucle can make or break a team’s sponsorship, which goes a long way in explaining the composition of the teams for each race. “Normally, what happens when the riders show up at the Giro is that they are bringing A guys mixed with B guys and C guys,” notes Horner. “Typically, when you go to the Tour de France, it is your whole A team.”

“The Giro and the Vuelta [a España] are where you will bring in your neo-pro guys or your one- or two-year guys who haven’t done their first grand tour,” explains Horner. “Even Visma-Lease a Bike has to bring in a neo-pro sooner or later!”

But not having a team composed of all your best riders has some interesting side effects. Horner notes that at the Giro and Vuelta, you see much more ‘mano a mano’ racing in the stage finales, whereas on the tour, the teams are so stacked that it is common for the top teams to have five or six guys on the front on the last climb.

Lower stakes

Another side effect of the difference in popularity between the Giro and the Tour is the pressure on the racers. “It is so much easier for a foreigner or a racer on a foreign team to do your seven or eight hours of race and podium, and interviews then get to the hotel and relax in a delightful country without the towns being completely overrun like it would be at the Tour de France,” recalls Hampsten. “At the Tour, it is hard to get away from the pressure for the racers. I would say they recuperate better at the Tour of Italy than the Tour de France.”

“He’s [Tadej Pogačar] going to realize that it is not as stressful and the press is a little bit easier. He is going to realize that the Giro is fun compared to the Tour,” agrees Horner. “When he gets off the bike, I mean, he is Pogačar, so he is going to be swarmed a little bit, but it’s not going to be the all-demanding every member of the world press in your face.”

Unpredictable weather and great food

The weather in the Giro can be horrendous. Hampsten won his Giro after attacking the peloton and surviving an epic blizzard on the Gavia Pass on the stage, known as ‘The Day Strong Men Cried.’ “It’s rare to have terrible weather in the Tour in July. Certainly, in any hilly area [in Italy], it could be snowy or cold rain, which is just about as bad as snow,” explains Hampsten. “People are demoralized. Any wet day. It’s more nerve-wracking because there are more crashes with the bad traction.”

Hampsten, the first American to win the Tour stage to l’Alpe d’Huez, is a true gourmand. “And don’t even get me started on the food. It is much nicer for all racers to have good food in Italy than in France. The Italians are just so proud of their food. It makes so much difference for any racer’s morale to have wonderful, healthy, easy-to-digest food that’s tasty. It is a delight for the racers.”

Whether it’s the Giro or the Tour, the riders will give 100 percent, and the racing will be exciting. But the Giro has its own unique qualities and challenges, and it seems to always provide a worthy winner; this year’s might be Tadej Pogačar . So don’t wait until July to be excited about bike racing.

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} 2024 Giro d'Italia

A Comprehensive Guide to the 2024 Giro d’Italia

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Challengers of the 2024 Giro d'Italia and TdF

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• This 1968 Grand Seiko Just Sold for $90,000

This palladium-silver watch was the most precise wrist watch in the world and cost a third of the average annual Japanese salary. It just sold on Yahoo Auctions in Japan.

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The Watch Market Continued to Slow Down in Q1: Report

A collector who knows their Grand Seiko history: That’s who would pay over $90,000 for this watch.

The birth of Grand Seiko in 1960 started a decade-long battle of precision standards between the Japanese manufacturer and the Swiss watch industry. Grand Seiko initially aspired to the same precision standards as the Swiss. Each watch was measured over a period of time at various temperatures, and the error rate of the watch had to stay within a range of -3 to +12 seconds per day to bear the name ‘chronometer’.

The watch that just sold for over $90,000 was produced in 1968, so it falls within the VFA -2 to +2 seconds per day standard. Amazingly, upon being sold this watch was guaranteed to run within that standard for the first two years of ownership. Take that in: Rolex doesn’t offer such a guarantee today, nor does Omega, nor does the current Grand Seiko, or any brand we can think of. The Grand Seiko VFA that just sold on Yahoo is fifty-five years old, and its standard still trounces all modern standards.

Now, as a disclaimer, there is more to modern chronometer testing than just rate error. There is also shock resilience, magnetic field resistance and varying temperature fluctuations but you get the point: The Grand Seiko VFA precision standard was 50 years ahead of its time.

Though Grand Seiko still can’t match the 50-year-old VFA standard, there are rumors that VFA will be back soon in the modern GS catalog. Given their rarity and high precision, it is no wonder such models command prices from $8,000 to $15,000 on the open market, depending on condition.

But what about this particular watch was special enough to push an online auction?

First, this was the first VFA model produced and only in December 1968. Based on its serial number of 8D0134, this is the 134th example made. Only a small handful of examples of this model have sold in the last 10 years, most of them via private sales. There have been two public auctions recently, one in 2017 where a VFA watch sold for ¥2,551,000 (equivalent $23,000 at the time), but that had a damaged bracelet. In 2021, another example sold for slightly less but that was significantly over-polished, which kills value.

Third, this is clearly the best quality example to have come to sale in a long time—perhaps ever. It seemingly comes with matching papers but no box. It still has its original plastic caseback sticker in place indicating minimal actual use. The case and bracelet appear to be badly tarnished, but also completely unpolished, with both the original sharp crease lines on case and bracelet and the fine brushing still visible. I expect the tarnish can be dealt with chemically, which ultimately means this is an almost new condition example of an exceedingly rare vintage Seiko. It even seems to have its full complement of bracelet links, all in palladium-silver.

To call this watch a rare find is an understatement and there are more than a few dedicated Grand Seiko collectors out there that think $90,000 and change was a fair price paid .

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Giro d'Italia 2024: Preview, full schedule and how to watch live

The Giro d’Italia 2024 is about to kick off the Grand Tour season in men’s road cycling .

On Saturday 4 May, Venaria Reale will host the opening stage of the 107 th edition of the Corsa Rosa that will see its conclusion three weeks later in Rome on Sunday 26 May.

All eyes will be on the Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar , who aims to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Giro-Tour double.

Reigning champion and Olympic time trial gold medallist, Primoz Roglic , will not be defending his crown, as he has got his eyes set on the Tour de France.

The 2024 edition of the Italian Grand Tour features gruelling mountain stages in the Alps, gravel roads in Tuscany and more than 70 kilometres of time trial. The winner will lift the prestigious Trofeo Senza Fine (Endless Trophy) and wear the coveted Maglia Rosa in the Italian capital.

This year's race will cover a total of 3400.8 kilometres , making it the shortest edition in 45 years.

Find everything you need to know about the Giro d’Italia 2024 below, including the riders to look out for and how to watch the event live.

• Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024: Tadej Pogacar powers to second victory
• Jambaljamts Sainbayar: From braving Ulaanbaatar's freezing roads to making history for Mongolian cycling

Who are the riders to watch at the Giro d’Italia 2024?

Pink jersey (general classification).

There is one overwhelming favourite for the Giro d’Italia 2024, and that is Tadej Pogacar .

Fresh off his second Liège–Bastogne–Liège title in impressive fashion, the two-time Tour de France winner is arriving to Italy in top shape.

Pogacar started his season by conquering the gravel roads of Strade Bianche , riding 81 kilometres solo to claim victory in Siena.

At Volta a Catalunya , the Slovenian swept four out of seven stages, securing the overall victory and sending a clear message to his rivals at the Giro about who the man to beat is.

Geraint Thomas suffered heartbreak at last year’s Giro d’italia, narrowly missing out on the overall victory by just 14 seconds.

The 2018 Tour de France champion was leading the race going into the penultimate stage, only to relinquish the pink jersey to Primoz Roglic after the Slovenian's formidable performance in the individual time trial.

The INEOS Grenadiers leader has some unfinished business with the Corsa Rosa and will try to pose a challenge to Pogacar.

Among the outsiders is Australia's Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R), who finished fourth in the 2021 Tour de France.

This year, the 28-year-old has consistently finished within the top five in week-long stage races. At the Giro d'Italia warm-up race, the Tour of the Alps, he was the runner-up behind the former Maglia Rosa wearer Juan Pedro Lopez , who also will be lining up at the start line in Venaria Reale.

French veteran Romain Bardet recently said that he is at his best level in years and is convinced he can challenge for the podium.

A second place at the Liège–Bastogne–Liège behind Pogacar was a boost of morale for the 33-year-old, who has not been on a Grand Tour podium since 2018, when he finished third at the Tour de France.

Daniel Martínez will lead the BORA - hansgrohe team. The Colombian climber is no longer in the shadow of INEOS stars Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal , following his move to the German team ahead of this season.

In 2021, Martínez was a strong domestique for compatriot Bernal and helped him secure the overall victory. He also achieved his best overall result in a Grand Tour by finishing in the top five that year. With the absence of teammate Roglic, it is up to Martínez to secure a top result.

“The Killer Bees” Team Visma|Lease a Bike made history in 2023, becoming the first team to claim all three Grand Tours in a single year. Although a repetition of the historic achievement looks difficult, the Dutch team have put their faith in 21-year-old prodigy Cian Uijtdebroeks .

The Belgian has been under the wings of reigning Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard at the O Gran Camiño and Tirreno-Adriatico. Now he faces the ultimate test as Grand Tour captain.

Cyclamen jersey (points classification)

This year’s course is more sprinter-friendly than usual, featuring eight expected mass sprint finishes. Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek will aim to defend the maglia ciclamino (mauve jersey for the points classification) that he secured last year.

However, he will face a fierce competition for the mauve jersey as several of the world's top sprinters will travel to Italy.

Soudal Quick-Step will fully support Remco Evenepoel at the Tour de France, giving Tim Merlier the opportunity to pursue success at the Giro.

The Belgian has been one of the fastest sprinters during the first part of the season, winning three stages at the UAE Tour, the Nokere Koerse, and the sprinters’ classic Scheldeprijs.

Another challenge will come from Australian Kaden Groves . In 2023, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider added stage wins at both the Giro and the Vuelta a España, where he also left with the green jersey.

Biniam Girmay will be back on Italian soil, where he outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel in the Giro two years ago to take his first Grand Tour stage victory. The Eritrean looks to be close to his form from 2022.

Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij will finally get his Grand Tour debut. The 22-year-old beat Mads Pedersen twice to claim two stage wins at the Paris-Nice in March and is one of the most promising sprinters in the peloton.

Five-time Vuelta a España stage winner Fabio Jakobsen is set to race his first Giro and can complete the set of Grand Tour wins, having already secured a stage victory at the Tour de France in 2022.

Will Filippo Ganna sprint for stage wins again? The Italian time trial specialist was fighting in the bunch sprints at last year’s Vuelta a España and showed a new side of his talent.

Despite not having shone in the last couple of years, Caleb Ewan and Fernando Gaviria are both multiple Grand Tour stage winners and they have the power to be competitive in the bunch sprints.

Blue jersey (mountains classification)

Unlike in the Tour de France, the winner of the mountains classification in the Giro d’Italia is usually not the same as the winner of the general classification.

Thibaut Pinot , who has since retired, clinched the blue jersey in the previous edition while finishing fifth overall.

However, the breakaway riders often view for the mountains classification.

A potential contender is Simon Geschke of Cofidis. The German rider was close to seal the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France in 2022, but ultimately Jonas Vingegaard ended up with both the yellow and polka dot jersey.

Other names to watch are Britain's Simon Carr , who just won a stage and the mountains classification at the Tour of the Alps, and Dutchman Koen Bouwman , who is aiming for his second blue jersey after claiming it in 2022.

Key stages of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Five stages are singled out by cycling experts as the most decisive for the Giro d'Italia 2024.

The first one arrives already on stage two , which is the earliest summit finish in 35 years. It is a true climbing test, which takes the peloton to Santuario di Oropa (6.2% over 11.8km) and will give an early indication of who will be the main general classification contenders.

A 40.6-kilometre time trial awaits the peloton on stage seven . The course is technical and the uphill finish should shake up the top ten. Some will see it as an oppornunity to gain time, while others will try to limit their losses.

Stage 15 is the queen stage of the 2024 Giro d’Italia. Containing 5,200 metres of elevation gain over 220 kilometres, it is a brutal day in the mountains. Hopefully, snowfall will not affect this blockbuster Alpine stage.

The riders get a rest day following the queen stage, but already on stage 16 , climbing legs will be tested again. It includes the Passo dello Stelvio , the Cima Coppi of this year’s race. At an elevation of 2,757 metres it is the second highest pass in the Alps.

The lack of oxygen at high altitude will make the peloton suffer. With over 100 kilometres remaining from the summit of Stelvio, the favourites who might fall behind still have the chance to catch up before the final ascents to Passo Pinei and Monte Pana.

Stage 20 , the penultimate stage before the procession around the streets of Rome, promises a decisive battle in the mountains for the final general classification. Two gruelling ascents of Monte Grappa - 18.2 kilometres at 8.1% - will determine who earns the right to wear the pink jersey in Rome and hoist the Endless Trophy .

Day-by-day route of the Giro d’Italia 2024

Saturday 4 May, stage 1: Venaria Reale-Torino, medium mountains, 140 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 5 May, stage 2: San Francesco al Campo–Santuario di Oropa (Biella), medium mountains, 161 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 6 May, stage 3: Novara-Fossano, hilly, 166 km ⭐⭐

Tuesday 7 May, stage 4: Acqui Terme-Andora, hilly, 190 km ⭐⭐

Wednesday 8 May, stage 5: Genova-Lucca, medium mountains,178 km ⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 9 May, stage 6: Viareggio-Rapolano Terme, medium mountains, 180 km ⭐⭐

Friday 10 May, stage 7: Foligno-Perugia, individual time trial, 40,6 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 11 May, stage 8: Spoleto-Prati di Tivo, high mountains,152 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 12 May, stage 9: Avezzano-Napoli, medium mountains, 214 km ⭐⭐⭐

Monday 13 May: Rest day

Tuesday 14 May, stage 10: Pompei-Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva), medium mountains, 142 km ⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 15 May, stage 11: Foiano di Val Fortore-Francavilla al Mare, hilly, 207 km ⭐⭐

Thursday 16 May, stage 12: Martinsicuro-Fano, medium mountains, 193 km ⭐⭐⭐

Friday 17 May, stage 13: Riccione-Cento, flat, 179 km ⭐

Saturday 18 May, stage 14: Castiglione delle Stiviere-Desenzano del Garda, individual time trial, 31,2 km ⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 19 May, stage 15: Manerba del Garda-Livigno (Mottolino), high mountains, 222 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Monday 20 May: Rest day

Tuesday 21 May, stage 16: Livigno-Santa Cristina Val Gardena (Monte Pana), high mountains, 202 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wednesday 22 May, stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena-Passo Brocon, high mountains, 159 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thursday 23 May, stage 18: Fiera di Primiero-Padova, hilly, 171 km ⭐⭐

Friday 24 May, stage 19: Mortegliano-Cima Sappada, medium mountains, 157 km ⭐⭐⭐

Saturday 25 May, stage 20: Alpago-Bassano del Grappa, high mountains, 181 km ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sunday 26 May, stage 21: Roma-Roma, flat, 122 km ⭐

How to watch the Giro d’Italia 2024

The Giro d'Italia 2024 will be shown live around the world. Here is a list of the official broadcast partners across different territories.

• Albania - Eurosport
• Andorra - Eurosport
• Austria - Eurosport
• Belarus - Eurosport
• Belgium - VRT/RTBF.be/RTL Belgium/VTM Medialaan/Eurosport
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Eurosport
• Bulgaria- Eurosport
• Croatia - Eurosport
• Cyprus - Eurosport
• Czechia - Eurosport
• Denmark - Eurosport
• Estonia - Eurosport
• Finland - Eurosport
• France - La Chaine L’Equipe
• Georgia - Eurosport
• Germany - Eurosport
• Greece - Eurosport
• Hungary - Eurosport
• Iceland - Eurosport
• Ireland - Eurosport
• Israel - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• Italy - Rai/Eurosport
• Latvia - Eurosport
• Liechtenstein - Eurosport
• Lithuania - Eurosport
• Luxembourg - Eurosport
• Malta - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• Moldova - Eurosport
• Montenegro - Eurosport
• Netherlands - NOS/Eurosport
• North Macedonia - Eurosport
• Norway - Eurosport
• Poland - Eurosport
• Portugal - Eurosport
• Principality of Monaco - Eurosport
• Romania - Eurosport
• San Marino - Rai/Eurosport
• Serbia - Eurosport
• Slovakia - Eurosport
• Slovenia - Planet TV/Eurosport
• Spain - EITB/Eurosport
• Sweden - Eurosport
• Switzerland - SRG SSR/Eurosport
• Ukarine - Eurosport
• United Kingdom - Eurosport
• Vatican City - Rai/Eurosport
• Wales - S4C

North and Central America

• Canada - FloSports
• Dominican Republic - Eurosport
• United States - MAX USA/BeIN Sport

South America

• Argentina - + Claro/DirecTV
• Bolivia - + Claro/DirecTV
• Brazil - + Claro/DirecTV
• Chile - + Claro/DirecTV
• Colombia - + Claro/DirecTV/Caracol TV
• Ecuador - + Claro/DirecTV
• Guyana - DirecTV/Eurosport
• Paraguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Peru - + Claro/DirecTV
• Suriname - + Claro/DirecTV
• The Caribbean - DirecTV
• Uruguay - + Claro/DirecTV
• Venezuela - + Claro/DirecTV
• Afghanistan - Eurosport
• Armenia - Eurosport
• Azerbaijan - Eurosport
• Bahrain - STARZPLAY
• Bangladesh - Eurosport
• Bhutan - Eurosport
• Cambodia - Eurosport
• People’s Republic of China - Zhibo.tv
• India - Eurosport
• Indonesia - Eurosport
• Iran - STARZPLAY
• Iraq - STARZPLAY
• Japan - J Sports
• Jordan - STARZPLAY
• Kazakhstan - Eurosport
• Kuwait - STARZPLAY
• Kyrgyzstan - Eurosport
• Lebanon - STARZPLAY
• Malaysia - Eurosport
• Maldives - Eurosport
• Mongolia - Eurosport
• Myanmar - Eurosport
• Nepal - Eurosport
• Oman - STARZPLAY
• Pakistan - Eurosport
• Philippines - Eurosport
• Qatar - STARZPLAY
• Russia - Eurosport
• Saudi Arabia - STARZPLAY
• Singapore - Eurosport
• Republic of Korea - Eurosport
• Sri Lanka - Eurosport
• Syria - STARZPLAY
• Chinese Taipei - Eurosport
• Türkiye - Eurosport
• United Arab Emirates - STARZPLAY
• Yemen - STARZPLAY
• Australia - SBS/Eurosport
• Papua New Guinea - Eurosport
• Algeria - STARZPLAY
• Djibouti - STARZPLAY
• Egypt - STARZPLAY
• Libya - STARZPLAY
• Morocco - STARZPLAY/Eurosport
• South Africa - Supersport
• Tunisia - STARZPLAY

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Rome 2024: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

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With Madrid behind us, the tour travels eastward to the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the second consecutive WTA 1000 clay-court event.

Eighteen of the world's Top 20 players are expected to compete for the outdoor red-clay title in the Italian capital of Rome. This is the 81st edition of the event.

Here are all the facts and figures you need to know about Rome: 

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw action in Rome begins on Tuesday, May 7 and runs for two weeks through Sunday, May 19. The qualifying rounds will take place on Monday, May 6 and Tuesday, May 7.

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The tournament takes place at the historic Foro Italico, which hosted the event for the first time in 1935. 

Rome is on Central European Summer Time (GMT+2).

How big are the fields?

The singles main draw contains 96 players, including eight wild cards and 12 qualifiers. There will be 32 seeded players and all will receive first-round byes.

The doubles main draw will have 32 teams, including three wild-card pairings.

The Dunlop Fort Clay Court ball will be used at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

When are the finals?

The singles final will take place Saturday, May 18, not before 5 p.m. The doubles final will occur on Sunday, May 19, not before 1:30 p.m.

When are the draws?

The official draw will take place Monday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Who are the defending champions?

Elena Rybakina won the second WTA 1000 title of her career last year in Rome, defeating Anhelina Kalinina in the final 6-4, 1-0, ret. Kalinina retired in the final with a left thigh injury.

Last year's Rome doubles title was won by Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens, who bested top-seeded Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the final, 6-4, 6-4.

Champions Reel: How Elena Rybakina won Rome 2023

What are the points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw.

First round: 10 points | €10,495 Second round: 35 points | €16,965 Third round: 65 points | €30,435 Round of 16: 120 points | €52,480 Quarterfinals: 215 points | €99,160 Semifinals: 390 points | €192,405 Finalist: 650 points | €365,015 Champion: 1000 points | €699,690

Who is playing?

The cutoff for singles direct entry was based on rankings of Monday, April 8. No.69 Ashlyn Krueger of the United States was the last direct entry at that time.

World No.12 Karolina Muchova (continuing wrist injury) and No.58 Petra Kvitova (pregnancy/maternity leave) were not on the initial entry list.

World No.5 Jessica Pegula and 2019 champion Karolina Pliskova withdrew from the field on Friday due to continuing injuries. 

#IBI24 𝐖𝐓𝐀 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 🤩 👉 https://t.co/Gc5cAmgHJZ #tennis pic.twitter.com/HTEDTXV1PN — Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) April 9, 2024

Projected Top 16 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek Ranking: No.1 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 30-4 (3 titles) Best Rome result: Champion (2021, 2022)

2. Aryna Sabalenka Ranking: No.2 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 20-6 (1 title) Best Rome result: Semifinals (2022)

3. Coco Gauff Ranking: No.3 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 21-7 (1 title) Best Rome result: Semifinals (2021)

4. Elena R ybakina Ranking: No.4 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 30-5 (3 titles) Best Rome result: Champion (2023)

5. Maria Sakkari Ranking: No.6 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 17-8 Best Rome result: Semifinals (2019)

6. Marketa Vondrousova Ranking: No.7 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 9-6 Best Rome result: Semifinals (2020)

7. Zheng Qinwen Ranking: No.8 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 13-8 Best Rome result: Quarterfinals (2023)

8. Ons Jabeur Ranking: No.9 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 6-8 Best Rome result: Finalist (2022)

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9. Jelena Ostapenko Ranking: No.10 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 19-8 (2 titles) Best Rome result: Semifinals (2023)

10. Daria Kasatkina Ranking: No.11 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 18-10 Best Rome result: Semifinals (2022)

11. Jasmine Paolini Ranking: No.13 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 16-9 (1 title) Best Rome result: Round of 32 (2020)

12. Beatriz Haddad Maia Ranking: No.14 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 12-11 Best Rome result: Quarterfinals (2023)

13. Danielle Collins Ranking: No.15 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 24-8 (2 titles) Best Rome result: Round of 16 (2022)

14. Ekaterina Alexandrova Ranking: No.16 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 12-11 Best Rome result: Round of 16 (2021)

15. Liudmila Samsonova Ranking: No.17 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 5-10 Best Rome result: Round of 32 (2023)

16. Elina Svitolina Ranking: No.18 Year-to-date tour-level win-loss record, at WTA and Grand Slam events: 11-7 Best Rome result: Champion (2017, 2018)

Former Rome champions entered in the main draw: Elena Rybakina (2023), Iga Swiatek (2021, 2022), Elina Svitolina (2017, 2018)

Former Rome finalists entered in the main draw: Anhelina Kalinina (2023), Ons Jabeur (2022), Madison Keys (2016), Sara Errani* (2014), Victoria Azarenka (2013) * Received main-draw wild card

. @WTA wild cards unlocked 🔓 🧵 Follow the thread to discover who else is joining Martina in the main draw! #IBI24 pic.twitter.com/yqSyR3tB6B — Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) April 23, 2024

Among the other notable names entered include former World No.1 players Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber, both of whom used special rankings to enter the main draw after they each came back from maternity leave this January.

Grand Slam champions inside the projected Top 16 seeds are Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Marketa Vondrousova and Jelena Ostapenko.

Other Grand Slam champions in the main-draw field are Victoria Azarenka, Barbora Krejcikova, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Osaka and Kerber.

What are some of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia superlatives in the Open Era (since 1969)?

Player with the most singles titles: Chris Evert (5 titles - 1974-1975, 1980-1982) Youngest singles champion: Tracy Austin (1979 - aged 16) Oldest singles champion: Serena Williams (2016 - aged 34)

How did the rest of last year's clay-court season play out?

Here's a look at last year's champions and finalists from the upcoming clay-court events:

Rome (WTA 1000): Elena Rybakina def. Anhelina Kalinina

Strasbourg (WTA 250): Elina Svitolina def. Anna Blinkova Rabat (WTA 250): Lucia Bronzetti def. Julia Grabher

Roland Garros (Grand Slam): Iga Swiatek def. Karolina Muchova

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What Madrid means to Iga Swiatek

The World No.1 joins the podcast after coming back from the brink to win the longest Hologic WTA Tour final of the season at the Mutua Madrid Open. Her match-point-saving efforts added another statistical milestone to her collection, as the 22-year-old became the youngest player in 12 years to capture 20 titles.

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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21 Things to Know Before You Go to Moscow

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