Latest watch news · Page 1114

Blancpain updates the 2019 Air Command with few upgrades that makes it nearly perfect sports watch.

Thirty years after the last Countach left its factory, Lamborghini announced a 21-century environment-conscious remake in August this year: the Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 hybrid. A perfect complement to this insane piece of engineering and design is the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Countach DT/X, the latest creation from the manufacture’s partnership with Lamborghini Squadra Corse.

Fifty Fathoms.  It’s a reference to an antiquated British unit of measure of approximately 91 and a half metres, but in the realm of horology, it’s synonymous with one of the first (along with Rolex’s Submariner) purpose-built dive watches, and its history is long and storied. First introduced in 1953, the original Blancpain Fifty Fathoms … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Blancpain Bathyscaphe Titanium is a sexy beast of a dive watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Safe to say he learned his lesson. See the watches he's holding onto - and the sweatshirt he can’t live without.

A sense of unity and purpose evident throughout the latest edition of the biennial Only Watch auction, which took place on November 6, 2021, yielded a number of interesting results for the 53 participating watches. Here are those results listed in order of their generous bids.

Only Watch 2021 was a landmark for the biennial charity auction in both scale and value. Organised by Christie’s, the ninth edition of Only Watch just took place in Geneva, with 53 timepieces having been sold for CHF30 million, or about US$32.8 million. Held for the first time in Palexpo, the sprawling convention centre near Geneva’s airport, Only Watch 2021 saw a turnout of over 850 people inside the cavernous room, a massive uptick in attendance compared to the one or two hundred in past years. People and faces Practically everyone who is someone in Swiss watchmaking turned up, including Thierry Stern of Patek Philippe, Frederic Arnault of TAG Heuer, Tudor chief executive Eric Pirson, as well as independent watchmakers like Kari Voutilainen and Francois-Paul Journe. Even Aurel Bacs and Alex Ghotbi of rival auction house Phillips were spotted seated in the room. Some of the boldface names were also bidding on lots in the auction, including Francois-Henri Bennahmias of Audemars Piguet who bid enthusiastically on the Chanel J12 pair and Jean Arnault of Louis Vuitton La Fabrique du Temps who was after a creation by an independent watchmaker. While there were watch collectors from around the world present – including a contingent from Dubai Watch Club – there were fewer Asian bidders in the room compared to past years, presumably because of the travel restrictions still in place in most Asian countries. That said, many of the crucial bidders from Asia did turn up, inc...

It's not fashionable and it's not expensive, but my hand-wound Timex Marlin is a watch that truly gets me.

Editor’s Note: In an interview from the forthcoming issue of NOW, Time+Tide’s annual Watch Buying Guide, we interviewed a guy who unrepentantly wears a fake Rolex. After trying and failing to buy a real Daytona at retail, he bought a “super-clone” that he claims will be a stop-gap until the day he hopefully gets the … ContinuedThe post EDITOR’S PICK: @fakewatchbusta asks, is it EVER ok to wear a fake watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

From Germany with love (and cameras).

The annual calendar complication is synonymous with Patek Philippe. Not only does the brand have a sizeable collection of annual calendar pieces, it was also the first brand to commercialise the complication back in 1996. Ten years later, the annual calendar complication was combined with the chronograph for the first time in a Patek PhilippeRead More

The Omega Speedmaster Spacemaster Z-33 is certainly a weird and distinctive watch but not without its quirky charms.The post Second look: The retro-futuristic charms of the Omega Speedmaster Spacemaster Z-33 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

TAG Heuer marks the 30th anniversary of Ayrton Senna becoming the youngest ever three-time Formula 1 world champion with the Formula 1 Senna Special Edition

NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect Isotope Watches recently making a change to the movement within both the Hydrium Burnt Tangerine and the Hydrium Will Return. I’m going to share with you a very unpopular opinion of mine. Limited Editions (LEs) absolutely have a place in the wristwatch market. When I say that, … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Isotope Watches Hydrium Burnt Tangerine and Will Return are fresh, bold and unlike anything else appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Daniel Roth lives on in Bulgari in the Octo Roma Central Tourbillon Papillon, an incredible watch showcasing the results of creative combinations in both business and design. Joshua Munchow takes a closer look.

The watches of Hollywood's best gangsters, including Piaget, Omega and Rolex from movies like The Irishman, Casino and Scarface.The post EDITOR’S PICK: From Scarface to Tony Soprano – Hollywood’s 5 best gangsters and their watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

We muse over the state of the independent watchmaking, and pick six of our favourites to celebrate the joys of collecting watches.

A member of Switzerland’s diplomatic corps for some two decades – he was the Swiss Consul General in New York City until 2007 – Raymond Loretan was tapped to become the President of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2018. Just before the 2021 awards ceremony took place in Geneva, we sat down with Mr Loretan to get his thoughts on how the GPHG has evolved and where it is going. Raymond Loretan making the opening speech at the 2021 GPHG ceremony. Photo – GPHG Benjamin Teisseire: You have overseen profound changes at the GPHG since you took over as president in 2018. Is everything going as planned? Raymond Loretan: So far yes. We created the Academy last year and it represents a big change in paradigm for the Grand Prix. It worked well with the 350 members but with some glitches, which we have now learned from. This year, it worked even more smoothly with over 500 members of the Academy. No technical issues with the digital platforms and academicians were involved at all stages in the selection process. But the goal is to double this number of academicians in the next two to three years. That’s because it is the way to assert the three principles on which the Grand Prix is built. First of all is the Neutrality that has been questioned in the past. With this new way of working, this important pillar will be guaranteed. The second one is Universality. The more people coming from all over the world, the better this diversity will be represented. And it...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Don’t mess with a classic? We reckon that can be rather unimaginative advice. Iconic watches often earn their status because the bones of their design are stronger enough to absorb a fair amount of experimentation without compromising their identity.  And, as this story proves, the Rolex Day-Date is a text-book example. The Rolex … ContinuedThe post EDITOR’S PICK: Five wacky Day-Dates that show why it’s the most interesting Rolex model appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In the northern hemisphere, it’s that time of year again. The rubber straps slowly retreat to your watch drawer, followed closely behind by those metal bracelets. As the temperatures decrease, the feeling of cold steel or stiff rubber on your wrist isn’t at all enjoyable. Thus we turn to the warmth of leather or the … ContinuedThe post Winter is Coming: Five Time+Tide Shop straps for the cold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A clock that truly rocks.

Franck Muller introduces the Grand Central Tourbillon, with a centrally mounted flying tourbillon housed in the signature Cintrée Curvex case.

In an era of smartphones and smartwatches, the traditional timepiece became a bit of a niche accessory. Why, after all, should you spend your expendable cash on a luxury object that is, in a practical sense, essentially redundant? But the watch community is growing at an exponential rate, with more and more people finding themselves … ContinuedThe post The Delft Watch Works Oostpoort delivers casual dress vibes at a compelling price appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In today’s watch world, Unimatic are punching above their weight. Founded in 2015 by two Italian industrial design students, this relatively new company has established a clean and unique core style in an environment flooded with start-ups and Kickstarter watches. Often the key to good design (and indeed writing) is to edit down.  Just because you … ContinuedThe post A WEEK ON THE WRIST: The Unimatic U3-FFF is a distinctive bargain of a dive watch that proves less is more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Despite all its scholarly technology, Elizabeth Doerr finds Antoine Preziuso's Stella Polare Tourbillon Muonionalusta to be far more wearable for slimmer wrists than some of his other creations. Not only that, this watch is the culmination of the independent watchmaker's journey to capture a shooting star.

Montegrappa is revisiting Harry Potter in a new limited edition pen aptly named Harry Potter: Hogwarts L.E. Nancy Olson reports on the collection comprising a fountain pen and a rollerball, each honoring the world’s most famous fictional school of witchcraft and wizardry.

One of the most anticipated sales during Geneva’s watch auction week just concluded with a big number – the Philippe Dufour Grande Sonnerie wristwatch sold for CHF4.749 million, or about US$5.2 million, including fees. While bidding was steady, it was restrained. Three bidders were the key movers behind the result – a phone bidders represented by Yong Ho and Alex Ghotbi of Phillips in Hong Kong and Geneva respectively, as well as an online bidder in Singapore. At the end it was down to the Singaporean buyer and Mr Ghotbi’s phone bidder, who clinched the watch with a hammer of CHF3.9 million. I wrote just earlier this week that I expected the Grande Sonnerie to sell for between US$4.0-5.0 million, so the result was well within my expectation. While there was talk of a far higher number prior to the sale, a variety of factors led me to that range, including the number of known potential buyers as well as the values of comparable watches. And that was how it turned out.  

Why Daylight Saving Time is great.