Latest watch news · Page 1217

Style & Heritage Director at Vacheron Constantin, Christian Selmoni walks us through the maison’s latest at Watches & Wonders 2021.

Patek Philippe’s outgoing steel Nautilus 5711 is given one last hurrah with an olive green dial for its end of series edition, the reference 5711/1A-014

Launched alongside the affordable Tank Must in steel at Watches & Wonders 2021, the Tank Louis Cartier is a limited-production that’s the flagship model of the new Tank offerings. Featuring an Art Deco “sector” dial modelled on a style found on the Les Must de Cartier Tank of the 1980s, the Tank Louis Cartier (or Tank LC) combines an 18k gold case with the in-house, hand-wind 1917 MC movement. Initial thoughts The Tank LC is the perhaps quintessential Tank, and the new version is one of the most compelling in recent years, both in design and the fact that it’s mechanical (most have been quartz). The new model is practically identical in size to what was historically the “large” Tank LC. That means a case that’s 33.7 mm by 25.5 mm, and 6.60 mm high. It’s relatively small by modern standards, but the size works well as a formal-dress watch under a cuff, though it would look out of place with casual wear. In fact, it excels as a formal watch that is a little more interesting, thanks to the dial design and colours. The Art Deco dial is simple but striking, and appealing in both design and colour. The only shortcoming is a historical one – it was originally found on the inexpensive Les Must de Cartier Tank, while this is clearly a high-end timepiece. At US$13,100, the new Tank LC is relatively affordable as such things go, which makes it a strong contender for a formal watch that’s a bit more lively. Classic Tank The new Tank LC is offered in two guises ...

Chabi Nouri, CEO of Piaget, walks us through the their latest at Watches & Wonders 2021.

The Cartier Tank is quite possibly the most iconic rectangular wristwatch, matched only in its longevity and enduring appeal by the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. Capitalizing on the popularity of the Tank, Cartier has reintroduced the Tank Must de Cartier name as an entire model family at Watches & Wonders 2021. Initial Thoughts The Tank Must de Cartier was born in 1977, in the throes of the quartz crisis. The Must de Cartier was the jeweler’s answer to the upheaval within the industry – it marked the first time the Tank was produced at an industrial scale and was also the first time the model was not produced in precious metal. The Tank Must de Cartier borrowed the shape of the Tank Louis Cartier – whereas the brancards of the 1917 original were flat, those of the Tank Louis Cartier are gently rounded. I am a fan of the new collection. Not only is the Must de Cartier probably the most recognizable of the Tank range, but the new watches are handsome and a surprisingly good value proposition. The new Tank Must de Cartier is a comprehensive family that is sure to become a bestseller – not only is there a model at every price point, from entry-level steel to more glitzy diamond-paved variants, but the models are also available in a dizzying number of sizes and movement configurations. Tank Must de Cartier The classic silver-dialed model with Roman numerals, railroad minutes track, and blued steel hands is available in steel in three sizes: small, large, and extra-large. ...

IWC has introduced eye-catching variations of the Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar, two new colorways for the Pilot Chronograph, and a Top Gun Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar special edition.

There was a major Rolex announcement hidden in plain sight today. It was not mentioned during Rolex’s Watches & Wonders presentation, but our team of sleuth detectives realised that on Rolex.com the model configurator tool will allow buyers to put the Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi & Batman on an Oyster bracelet once again. On … ContinuedThe post The sleeper Rolex story is that the Batman and Pepsi are back on Oyster and Sky-Dweller is available on Jubilee appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A. Lange & Söhne first unveiled the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in 2014.  Still the most complicated Lange 1 in the line up, the watch combined an instantaneous perpetual calendar with a discreet tourbillon only visible on the back side. Fast forward seven years later, Lange finally unveils a simplified version – but still a complicated watch – the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar, now without the tourbillon. Two variants are available: in pink gold with a grey dial, or in white gold with a solid pink gold dial. Initial thoughts At a glance, one can be forgiven for thinking this is another version of the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon. It is, however, a completely new model that distills the design to focus on a fascinating perpetual calendar, without the added complexity and cost of a tourbillon. In typical Lange style, there were no shortcuts taken: the watch is powered by a new(ish) movement, rather than the same calibre minus the tourbillon. The removal of the tourbillon makes it more accessible, but the new watch is still a hefty €98,000 with the grey dial (and a bit more for the pink gold). At the same time, it might dilute the status of the pricier, flagship tourbillon variant. Nevertheless, the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar is intrinsically an exemplary perpetual calendar – in both construction and design – especially the pink gold dial (or “salmon”) being a trendy colour that would likely be the more popular choice. An upgraded moonphase ...

IWC releases the Big Pilot Watch 43 in homage to the IWC Big Pilot’s watch Ref. 5002 launched in 2002.

To celebrate the Reverso’s glorious nine-decade long journey, Jaeger-LeCoultre has chosen the Hybris Mechanica collection to introduce its most complex Reverso, with 11 complications displayed over four functioning faces and 12 patents to its credit.

A roundup of the stunning watches newly released by the maison this year.

Jaeger-LeCoultre releases two new Reversos A non-complicated Reverso in a green dial, and the other will be revealed on April 14th when the embargo lifts.

When A. Lange & Söhne first introduced the Triple Split in 2018, it was an incremental improvement over the Double Split but still a landmark, being the first watch capable of recording twin elapsed times of up to 12 hours. Lange remains the only watchmaker to offer a split-seconds chronograph of this magnitude. And now at Watches & Wonders 2021 it is unveiling the Triple Split in a new guise of pink gold and a blue dial. Initial thoughts Interestingly, Watches & Wonders 2021 marks the first major watch fair where Lange has not introduced any new timepieces with either a silver or black dial. Instead, the new Lange models all feature bold dial colours that break away from tradition – and I’m all for it. The new Triple Split is a merely facelift of the original, which had a dark grey dial and white gold case that gave it an austere characteristic of Lange. In contrast, the new model sheds its predecessor’s sternness with the rich combination of a blue dial and pink gold case, allowing it to come across as significantly more contemporary. I really like the new look. It’s eminently striking, while also being intriguing as it’s an unusual colour combination for Lange, which typically makes its watches with either silver or black dials. I particularly like the rhodium-coloured sub-dials, that contrast distinctly against the blue dial. Regardless of colour, the Triple Split is a magnificently complicated watch, one of the most complicated that Lange produces. Arguab...

The Aquaracer is many people’s first Good Watch and has become a well-loved collection from TAG Heuer. The new TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 collection presents a strong vintage-inspired vibe including a razor-sharp limited edition that ticks all of my boxes. The Aquaracer might seem very familiar, but TAG Heuer has successfully transformed the range, with … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300 delivers a strong new vintage-inspired collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Starting four years ago, Cartier has utilised the Privé collection to relaunch many of its most classic designs, typically in small production runs. It started with the Crash Radieuse in 2017, which was followed by the Tank Cintrée, Tonneau, and last year’s Tank Asymétrique. Not unexpectedly, Cartier has continued this with the Cloche de Cartier, in both skeletonised and traditional formats. Though the form is novel, the Cloche is a long-established case design for the Parisian jeweller. Its asymmetry allows it to double up as a small desk clock, with the flat side of the case resting on the desktop. The shape made its first appearance as a wristwatch in 1921, with a platinum case set with diamonds according to Cartier. Reputedly inspired by the shape of a service bell – cloche is French for “bell” – the Cloche remained in production, albeit in tiny numbers, until a relaunch as a quartz watch in the Louis Cartier collection. The two most recent iterations of the Cloche came in 1995 and 2007, the first a limited run of 200 in yellow gold, the second 100 in yellow gold as part of the Collection Privee Cartier Paris (CPCP). Harking back to the first Cloche wristwatch of 1921 – the platinum skeleton set with diamonds Initial thoughts The watches of the Privé collection – Cloche, Crash, Tank Cintree, and Tank Asymétrique – exemplify what Cartier does best. To call these watches unconventional would be an understatement – they were radical when they each ...

Driven by the theme of “on purpose, totally different” Lange’s introductions at Watches & Wonders 2021 are familiar faces, that are completely different.

First unveiled in 2009 as a ladies’ watch, the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase is the petite sibling of the full-sized Lange 1 Moon Phase. Previously available with a guilloche dial, as well as the silver-and-blue livery for the brand’s 25th anniversary, the model now gets a sparkly new look with the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase Aventurine. And because it’s historically been a women’s timepiece, the new model includes a variant with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel. Initial thoughts Lange seemingly used the entry-level Saxonia to gauge the demand for aventurine glass (back in 2018). Consumers no doubt responded with a resounding yes, because we now see the same material in the Lange 1, the brand’s flagship product line. The new Little Lange 1 is a showstopper with its aventurine glass dial. Lange’s watches are mostly equipped with either a silver or black dial, possessing a sort of German austerity. However, in recent years Lange has been experimenting with dials in atypical colours or materials – like the recent Saxonia that also has an aventurine-glass dial – and the new Little Lange 1 Moon Phase continues that trend. The aventurine dial works even better here than it does on the time-only Saxonia due to the thematic congruence with the moon phase. Meant to evoke a “bright moonlit night” according to Lange, the dial does look stunning in the press photos. And although I’m not usually a fan of bling, the diamond bezel is well integrated into the des...

Cartier takes great strides towards sustainability with the elegant Tank Must, a watch shaped by the past but reimagined for the future.

Revisiting a distinct design with roots from 1973, Baume & Mercier has reinvented their Riviera range and we caught just as it was putting its gloves on and jumping into the ring to battle it out. What was it fighting for? I am, of course, talking about the legendary Integrated Bracelet Middleweight Belt and, yes, … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: A strong 70s revival sees the reawakening of the Baume & Mercier Riviera appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Rolex is known for incremental change so “surprising” is not really the brand’s forte. Having said that, the new range definitely contains some curveballs this year, both in terms of the Crown’s choices and a few unexpected pieces in particular. That’s why I decided to rank all of the new 2021 Rolex Collection novelties from … ContinuedThe post The 2021 Rolex Collection ranked from least to most surprising appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Anyone that’s paid more than a passing glance to Time+Tide stories, social media posts and videos over the years knows one thing. We do things a little differently over here. Especially at watch fairs. It’s not entirely by design. We are more often than not as chronically over-caffeinated as we are understaffed. Luckily for everyone, the … ContinuedThe post Hey, wow, what a surprise, we’re doing Watches & Wonders a little differently this year appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

“Can’t stop, won’t stop breaking world records,” might be the mantra of the Bulgari watchmaking department, because that’s exactly what they keep doing. Year after year since 2014, the Italian manufacturer has relentlessly achieved new benchmarks for thinness in horology, building their credibility as a force to be reckoned with faster than almost any brand … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar breaks the brand’s 7th world record since 2014 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Most watch brands will never make their 100th birthday. In fact, very few companies from any industry are able to build successful businesses over several generations. Time is as unrelenting as it is unforgiving, so when something is able to stand the test of time, we can only applaud the strength of will behind it. … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 collection turns 100 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The watch world collectively held its breath when rumours started circulating about the possible demise of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711, arguably the hottest watch on the planet right now. Rumours turned to facts when Patek Philippe CEO Thierry Stern confirmed that the fabled luxury sports watch would indeed be discontinued, but it put no … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Four new Patek Philippe Nautilus references including two with green dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

“I take a ridiculous pleasure in what I eat and drink,” James Bond says to Vesper Lynd in Ian Fleming’s first 007 novel, 'Casino Royale.' And so starts the adventures, not solely libationary and culinary, of one of the great fictional characters in the world. Rarely has anyone, fictional or not, influenced the eating and drinking habits of humanity to the extent managed by MI6’s finest. Ken Gargett takes a look at a few of Bond's favorite tipples, and there were quite a few.

The word icon gets thrown around a lot in the watch industry. Every manufacturer wants one and you can understand why. But  the Cartier Tank is without a doubt one of the fundamental pillars of watch design in the last century. While the Santos-Dumont collection has received a lot of attention from the brand in … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Tank Louis Cartier collection is a revival of Art Deco flamboyance appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Back when I was first dipping my toes into the waters of watch enthusiasm, the IWC Big Pilot was one of the first luxury watches that captured my admiration. I had no means to afford it at the time, and I did not have the level of understanding I do today, but its utility and … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: How does the new IWC Big Pilot 43 differ from the original Big Pilot 46? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.