Latest watch news · Page 1274

An inside look at the modern manufacture of a watch icon.

A mid-century inspired modern dress watch, now with a black dial.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is one of the most well-known watches in the world, but there are some references within the family that remain relatively undiscovered. While they are extremely rare, Royal Oaks with stone dials are as beautiful as you would imagine from the Le Brassus-based brand, with lapis lazuli and various other … ContinuedThe post The liquid depth of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin with onyx dial is worth travelling to Japan for appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Get the full scoop on that jaw-dropping Paul Newman Daytona (and a whole lot more).

Postponed from its usual mid-May date to end-June, Phillips’ spring watch auction is Geneva is nonetheless the full works, with 214 lots on offer, including the four spectacular Patek Philippe watches from the collection of Jean-Claude Biver, including a ref. 1518 “pink on pink” and a second-series ref. 2499. Also amongst the offerings at the Geneva Watch Auction XI are two important examples of contemporary watchmaking – a pair of F.P. Journe souscription watches consigned by the original owner – Lorenz Bäumer. A jeweller whose workshop is on the storied Place Vendome in Paris, Mr Bäumer is perhaps best known for crafted the tiara worn by Charlene Wittstock when the former Olympic swimmer wed Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2011. But Mr Bäumer is also a watch aficionado who met François-Paul Journe via a mutual friend. Mr Journe had then decided to launch his own brand by taking inspiration from Abraham-Louis Breguet, who had offered clients the opportunity to purchase a newly-developed, fairly-affordable watch by first putting down a deposit – thus “subscribing” to the offer. The jeweller became a “subscriber” and paid the down payment for a Tourbillon Remontoir d’Egalite “Souscription”, subsequently receiving the watch numbered “14/20” on the dial. A year later, Mr Bäumer was approached once again to “subscribe” for the new Chronomètre à Resonance “Souscription”. He took up the offer, and again got the watch number “14”....

It's been a rough week and the guys cut loose for another round of unscripted banter. Plus, you'll get to hear about a monumental TBWS milestone - that Kaz & Mike completely forgot to update you on.

We take a look at a rare and breathtaking Hybris Artistica iteration of the iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Gyrotourbillon I.

Two watches of enormous horological and historical importance, from a single collection.

A timepiece that celebrates the combined legacies of Grand Seiko and the Watche of Switzerland Group.

** It is mandatory that all readers of this post be listening to this song while they do it. Thank you for complying.** We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – G-Shock are losing the plot, and we’re loving it. And now, to cut straight to the chase, as direct as a frickin laser … ContinuedThe post G-Shock’s latest GMW-B5000 is off the grid, here’s how they did it (frickin laser beams, man) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In episode three of Ross Povey’s Zoom video interview series, “Desert Island Dials, where we ask some of our friends from the community what watch they would bring along with them, if they were on a desert island, we have our latest US editor (@steviewatches) speaking with us today. He tells us about his Gerald Genta Automatic Jump Hour Retrograde Mickey Mouse watch and other unexpected pieces in his collection.

The new quartet of Royal Oak models marks a first for Audemars Piguet – the Royal Oak Selfwinding 34 mm combines a 34 mm case with an automatic calibre supplied by movement specialist Vaucher. An addition to the line that is not meant to replace any existing model, the new 34 mm watch is now the smallest mechanical Royal Oak for ladies, with the smallest, 33 mm model being quartz, and the next-largest automatic having a 37 mm case. Initial thoughts The new watch fills a gap in the diverse Royal Oak line-up – a watch compact enough for ladies but with a mechanical movement. While the new 34 mm model is not explicitly described as a women’s watch, it is in all but name, as Audemars Piguet already has a 37 mm model as the medium-sized men’s Royal Oak. That said, the proportions of the 34 mm case remind me of the Royal Oak ref. 4100 of the 1970s and 1980s, which was then a large-sized men’s watch and 36 mm in diameter, not too much larger than the new model. By that benchmark, the new 34 mm model should not be a ladies’ watch per se, and could appeal to men who prefer a smaller case size. But for the broader market, it is a ladies’ watch, and I can see its appeal. Importantly, it has a mechanical movement – long absent for the ladies’ Royal Oak – and the versions with the diamond-set bezels offer a bit of bling to go along with the iconic design. So it should attract a new female customer who has always wanted a Royal Oak, but was savvy enough to wait fo...

Watchmaking combines technical achievement and aesthetic expression, and sometimes the two are inextricably linked. In a handful of instances, the technical achievement transforms the artistic value, as in the jumping seconds. The complication is perhaps the most abrupt expression of time. Is there any value in having a mechanical jumping seconds? In exploring that, we first have to understand how the seconds as a unit of time came to be. Time in antiquity In today’s world where no one bats an eyelid when a satellite is sent into orbit, time and space are perceived to be intimately linked as one. Before Einstein hit upon the theory of relativity, the link between space and time was nebulous, but the definition of time was well established. For the ancient Egyptians, daytime was based on the apparent movement of the Sun, and the night sky was segmented into smaller divisions based on the position and motion of stars. Over the subsequent millennia, the Sumerians and Babylonians further refined the time measurement to better account for stellar motion. The Babylonians, inspired by the Egyptians, approximated the movement of the Sun’s apparent revolution into 360 divisions, due to the number of days required for the Sun to trace its path on the ecliptic and their predilection for a base-60 (or sexagesimal) system. This is also the origin of 360 degrees required for a complete revolution, which was explained by Malcolm Correll in the volume 15 of scientific journal The Phy...

Editor’s note: There are more micro and independent watchmakers out there than you could possibly ever discover in one lifetime – literally thousands upon thousands of different brands, all vying for your hard-earned. Ascertaining which makers are the successful ones is pretty simple. If they’ve been established for anything more than two years and they’re still … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: 5 almost instantly sold out collaborations that have consolidated the cult of Unimatic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The watch industry has a remarkable way of pulling together when times are tough. We see it every other year with the Only Watch auction raising money for muscular dystrophy. Jack Nicklaus auctioned his Rolex Day-Date last year to raise money for unwell children, and John Goldberger did the same with his unique white gold … ContinuedThe post Horological Society of New York responds to Coronavirus pandemic with Working Watchmakers Grant appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Sinn is a brand that is stealthily emerging from the shadows. The Frankfurt-based manufacturer favours slow incremental changes to their product line, making their watches better every year, but never reinventing the wheel as they go about it. This year, the new collection has looked to improve on a few older references, as well as … ContinuedThe post 8 deadly new Sinns from 2020, including dress watches (yes, really), refined pilots and divers appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

For this week, we will be showcasing six watches from independent watchmakers for less than S$25K. What are some of our favourite watches?

A birthday party of the highest order.  

Claude Greisler, co-founder and technical director of Armin Strom, talks resonance for the layperson with watch collector Michael J. Biercuk, professor of quantum physics and technology at the University of Sydney and CEO and founder of Q-CTRL.

Limited editions used to be a rarity, but they started to become more popular in late 1980s and early 1990s, almost like a snowball rolling down a hill that gets bigger and bigger. Martin Green wonders if we can still take LEs seriously at all.

Baume & Mercier’s collection of timepieces has been on a discernible upward trajectory for some time now – after years lost in the woods with middling collections and co-brands, the Geneva outfit is quietly making waves. And 2020 looks like it’s going to be another level again, with B&M; layering up their sensational Baumatic model … ContinuedThe post After years of middling it, Baume & Mercier novelties are peaking, and people should be reconsidering appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Fibratech is the latest example of Panerai creating ever sturdier and more durable watches for those who seek adventure. Joshua Munchow examines the brand-new Luminor Marina Fibratech and delves into the cool technology of the new material. You might be surprised where it comes from!

Zenith revamps the Elite collection of unisex watches. The classic line now comes with a new dial and case design. The Elite Moonphase is available in two sizes, 36 mm and 40.5 mm, understandably the equivalent of two sizes for ladies and men.

Standing before his eyes was the most perfect of God’s creatures, a wonderful mix of Audrey Hepburn and Penelope Cruz. What Makes Me Tick thought his heart had skipped a beat, and he heard the chimes of every single minute repeater Patek Philippe had ever created – all chiming at exactly the same time! Six months later the gentle creature and he were married. This extraordinary story reflects the marvelous world of vintage watches: finding the rare bird, linking it to a story, and never letting it go.

Editor’s note: For many watch enthusiasts out there, including me, one of the biggest problems we can come across is timepieces that are just too… big. I’ll freely admit it: I’ve got dainty wrists, and yes, it’s a problem. Luckily, though, watchmakers are catching on that there are more than a few individuals like me … ContinuedThe post What Sealed The Deal: Daniel’s Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 45mm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: On the brink of bringing you some of Seiko’s new novelties via our second ‘Home Delivery Watch Fair – Basel Edition’ over on YouTube, we cast our mind back to two things. Firstly, the 2019 collection, which is captured here in a video, and in the pics below. What stood out to me … ContinuedThe post Revisiting 6 key watches from Seiko’s 2019 collection, how do they hold up a year on? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The 2020 Hermès Slim d’Hermès GMT features two subdials: one for the date at 6 o’clock and one for the home time shown using the brand’s own “escaped numerals” at 9 o’clock. There is also a night-and-day indication for local and home times (L and H). And good news: unlike the original palladium-encased Slim d'Hermès GMT, this gorgeous new release is not limited.