Latest watch news · Page 1276

This week Baird and Kaz sit down to talk all things meca-quartz chronographs - how they work, models they like, and much more. Tune in and enjoy!

Synonomous with "tool watch," Fortis risked it all with artsy pieces that compromised the backbone to their reputation time and time again. 

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.

Liberté! Égalité! Temporalité!

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Inspiration4”

Zach offers up three F.P. Journe Chronométre Bleu alternatives you may want to consider - especially if paying over retail isn’t your jam.The post Don’t Feed the Hype: Three alternatives to the F.P. Journe Chronométre Bleu appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Swatch watches introduces 6 new watches with the Peanuts theme, featuring Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Woodstock, and the rest of the Peanuts gang! Available now!

I’m going to start this article with a story I want to share with you all. For those who didn’t know, in mid October, I put a deposit down on my first Grand Seiko, the SBGM247. It’s a watch from one of my favourite brands that has everything I ever wanted in a GMT. Interesting … ContinuedThe post The Collector’s Crossroads: The need to defend my watch choices online appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Bathyscaphe in Titanium: A fresh interpretation of a 65-year old dive watch legend that makes it as dynamic, durable and dive-worthy as ever.

If you run a digital media business, and it’s still in operation after the pandemic, then chances are you’ve hired someone over Zoom. Time+Tide is well and truly in that club. We’ve hired several that way. But our star remote hire is a born and bred New Yorker you know very well. And I know … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: Andrew hits New York to meet the team, and be tortured by Quentin Tarantino’s watch (what is it!) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

They say that fashion trends move in cycles, but when a design remains attractive for over a century, you’ve got to admit that it goes beyond mere stylistic whims. The Vacheron Constaintin Historiques American 1921 is unashamedly a period piece, but that’s not to say it belongs to a bygone era. It might look strange … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 36.5mm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Bulgari, Zenith, Louis Vuitton, Piaget, Grand Seiko, and MB&F; walk out of Geneva as this year's big winners.

The award ceremony of 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) just kicked off the biggest week in Geneva’s horological calendar. Widely regarded as the all-encompassing awards of watchmaking, the GPHG is made up of fourteen prizes for individual categories, plus a special prize for the watch of there year. And here are the year’s winners. Aiguille d’Or Grand Recognised for its aesthetic and technical qualities – it is the thinnest perpetual calendar wristwatch ever – the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar took home the top prize of the event. Audacity The winner certainly lives up to the name of the prize. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem is over the top but finely decorated in an artisanal manner, with an impressive movement that combines an automaton and minute repeater. Innovation Deserving of its prize, the Bernhard Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer is one of the most technically impressive watches of 2021. And that’s because it’s kitted out with a double-wheel escapement powered by twin going trains, each equipped with a remontoir d’egalité constant force mechanism. Men’s Watch Grand Seiko’s Elegance SLGH005 “White Birch” is equipped with an impressive, latest-generation calibre, the cal. 9SA5. It was a worthy winner, though it has to be said that the competition was not especially strong this year. Launched last year for Grand Seiko’s 60th anniversary, the cal. 9SA5 is the brand’s highest-end mechanical movement ...

The 2021 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève was full of surprises. Check out the complete list of laureates here and let us know what you think about the night's winners and losers.

Lots of heavy-hitters in one room.

The 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm Central European Time on Thursday the 12th of November. Follow the big night on Quill & Pad and let us know your thoughts on the winners (and losers) in the comments.

Geneva auction week this year includes Only Watch, perhaps the headline event, but also a slew of other auctions. Over at Phillips, the majority of its Geneva watch auction catalogue comprises wristwatches, but two standouts in the sale are pocket watches, one from an independent watchmaker and the other from an establishment brand. Different as they are, the two are are indeed an epic pair. The Geneva Watch Auction: XIV takes place on November 5 and 7, 2021. Lot 183 – Patek Philippe Grande Sonnerie Pocket Watch Ref. 768 There are a few reasons the Patek Philippe ref. 768 is intriguing, even though they might not be obvious at a glance. For one, the ref. 798 is truly rare – Patek Philippe has only made a handful of grande sonnerie pocket watches in its history. It incorporates the most challenging complication to execute, the grande et petite sonnerie, which means the watch chimes the time as it passes. And it is a carillon, with three gongs instead of two, so that the quarter is sounded with three notes instead of the typical two. Then there’s the fact that it’s a mid-20th century Patek Philippe, a guarantee of the  fine horological quality. The movement was made in 1898, but only cased up more than half a century later in 1953, and subsequently sold close to a decade after that. This example is interesting because it has a single-lidded back that sports an extra-large, relief-engraved Calatrava cross on a frosted base. According to Phillips the oversized logo ...

Have collectors forgotten about good ole Breitling?

You may have heard a lot about Loupe This these past few weeks. The online auction platform, founded by Eric Ku and Justin Gruenberg, recently hosted the charitable Pink Dial Project Auction, which raised $526,803 USD for the fight against breast cancer. They also auctioned off a generously donated Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/014, which secured … ContinuedThe post Loupe This to present rare Grand Seiko VFA 6186-8000-G for auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The story of one man's journey through the evolution of modern fine watchmaking, told in timepieces.

We handled and photograph the original Piaget Polo, the property of the Piaget private collection when it was showcased in an exhibition in Singapore.

The Only Watch auction is a great place to see (and bid on!) unique pieces by some of the most talented artisans and watchmakers in the world. Here Joshua Munchow highlights five watches from Only Watch 2021 that feature a variety of spectacular artistic crafts.

During a shoot in that small window in between lockdowns in Melbourne, Andrew and I were discussing some of our favourite pieces we’d seen and tried on this year. Despite not having the usual bulk access at major fairs, we’ve still had some great watches in the office to ogle. One of the first watches … ContinuedThe post We asked Andrew six hard-hitting questions on his first six months with the Zenith Chronomaster Sport. appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Inspired by German “rolling eye” clocks of the mid 20th century, the Joker is now Konstantin Chaykin’s trademark wristwatch. But the Russian watchmaker’s repertoire is far more diverse than the googly-eyed face – watches that tell the time on Mars are another of his specialties. For Only Watch 2021, Mr Chaykin has combined the two concepts in the Martian Tourbillon. The robotic clown face indicates the time and calendar on Mars, while the back reveals a one-minute tourbillon that makes one revolution every Martian minute. Initial thoughts The Joker Selfie Mr Chaykin created for Only Watch 2019 was not merely a simple variation of the standard model, illustrating both Mr Chaykin’s creativity and his desire to put together something genuinely special for the event. With most watches at Only Watch 2019 being variations of existing models, the Joker Selfie was notable for being unique in a technical sense. The watch had a built-from-scratch complication, a new base movement, and even a novel case material (which is being used once again for this year’s creation). The case is Bulat, a high-carbon, patterned steel alloy Once again Mr Chaykin has put together a truly one-off watch for the biennial charity auction. It is impressive and ingenious, with a Martian complication that’s synonymous with Mr Chaykin. Despite all its novelty, it is easily recognisable as a Chaykin wristwatch. Like its predecessor, the Martian Tourbillon has a unique complication, albeit o...