Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Grand Seiko Elegance Collection SBGK009
Small changes make a big difference.
Hodinkee
Small changes make a big difference.
Revolution
Revolution’s Editor-at-Large Ken Kessler takes a tour through the watchmaking classics.
Deployant
Breitling reintroduces their Co-Pilot from 1953 with a new edition - the AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition. Press release and commentary details.
SJX Watches
Like the bizarre-looking, ultra-deep sea creatures that produce bioluminescent light, De Bethune’s DB28GS Grand Bleu boasts its very own, self-contained light source – hardly surprising given what De Bethune is all about. Since its inception in 2002, De Bethune has expanded its aesthetic and technical language, going from relatively classical, Breguet-inspired watches to timepieces that are at the cutting edge of modern horology. Most of its contemporary watches feature far-flung, otherworldly designs, a house style that no doubt made it challenging to ensure the Grand Bleu conforms to the ISO 6425 dive-watch specification. The resulting Grand Bleu is perhaps one of the most extravagant and extraordinary dive watches ever – this video shows the illumination in action. Though De Bethune dabbled in oversized sports watches well over a decade ago, starting with the DB24 Super Sport of 2007, the Grand Bleu is evolved from the more recent DB28GS launched in 2015. While the DB28GS was already a hardcore sports watch with a high-tech movement, the Grand Bleu takes it further -or mor eacccurately, deeper. It combines a brand-new case with a new movement equipped with a mechanical dynamo that powers a set of tiny LED lamps. The more sedate DB28 Grand Sport A new case The Grand Bleu is a large 44 mm, and rated to 100 m. At 12.8 mm high, it is thicker than most De Bethune watches but still slim for a dive watch. But the highlight of the case are the spring-loaded, open-wor...
Revolution
Revolution’s founding editor, Wei Koh sits down with Instagram’s most followed collector of Audemars Piguet watches, Austen Chu. Better known to you and I, by his handle: @Horoloupe.
Time+Tide
We all have those knick-knacks lying around that get forgotten. Dried-up sharpies, matchboxes, and screwdrivers are the common offenders in my household, however there had always been one outlier. A small, unassuming wristwatch had been sitting in an antique drawer for at least 20 years. Freshly into my 20s, I landed a job that meant … ContinuedThe post Restoring my Great-Grandfather’s Omega Seamaster appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Bulgari Initiates Geneva Watch Days 2020 (26-29 April), focused on European press and retailers after the cancellation of Watches & Wonders and Baselworld.
Revolution
In another point scored for contactless luxury retailing, Net-a-Porter now offers Audemars Piguet watches, starting with 12 in precious metals.
SJX Watches
Following the cancellation of both the year’s biggest watch fairs – Baselworld and Watches & Wonders Geneva (WWG) – due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, a consortium of watch brands have come together to show their wares come April. The event, dubbed Geneva Watch Days, was the brainchild of Bulgari and its chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin – one of the first brands to pull out of Baselworld – and conceived with European press and retailers in mind. [Update March 24, 2020: GWD will now take place August 26-29, 2020 instead.] WWG to GWD Taking place when WWG was due to happen, April 26 to 29, Geneva Watch Days now has a line-up of brands big and small: Girard-Perregaux, Gerald Genta, Ulysse Nardin, Breitling, MB&F;, De Bethune and Urwerk. A handful more might sign on, including H. Moser & Cie. and Chopard. However, at present, none of the brands belonging to the major watchmaking conglomerates, Richemont or Swatch Group, or either of the Geneva giants, namely Rolex and Patek Philippe, has announced their participation – and are unlikely to due to the complexities of the industry. Crucially, Geneva Watch Days is not a fair per se, rather it is a series of events organised by brands in separate venues, including boutiques and hotels, but happening during the same period. Because the individual events during Geneva Watch Days are small-scale and discrete, none of them will run counter to the Swiss government’s temporary ban on events with over 1,000 people. ...
Time+Tide
Franck Muller is known as the Master of Complications, and for good reason. Almost none of the watches produced by the Genevan watchmaker are straightforward, with watches that run backward, hour hands that jump around the dial, and a host of other marvels of mechanical engineering that both surprise and delight. This flair for the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The triple threat of the Franck Muller Master Banker in steel appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Bulgari, Breitling and other high-end brands will show their watches in the Swiss capital of watchmaking April 26-29.
Quill & Pad
What makes an enamel dial so magical? That is the question Martin Green asked himself when presented with the new version of the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique with a blue oven-fired enamel dial that Breguet recently launched. You may enjoy the answer he came up with.
Time+Tide
If you missed Part I of the Aldis Hodge interview yesterday, you can find it right here. In Part 2, we get to the core of it. What is Aldis Hodge doing in watchmaking? How did he start? And where is the journey going? Lastly, perhaps most importantly, WHEN will see watches with ‘Aldis Hodge’ or some such … ContinuedThe post Long read: A week in Sydney with Aldis Hodge – Hollywood’s only watchmaker Pt 2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Celebrate now, because in 1.6 billion years perpetual calendars will be obsolete.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Coronavirus, fashion watches... the guys have been tackling some big topics lately. This week, they hope to keep things light be revisiting and old-time favorite - guilty pleasure watches.
Hodinkee
Tropical vibes in a modern, affordable, water-resistant diver.
Revolution
Old meets new in the latest collaborative effort from Massena LAB and Unimatic.
Hodinkee
From funky quartz Pateks to egocentric video art, we cover it all.
Deployant
In the spirit of 'better late than never', we bring you the low-down and our thoughts on the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire in white gold from 2016.
Time+Tide
Last week, Nick Kenyon and Luke Benedictus got into a horological war of words over the rights and wrongs of the humble NATO strap. Luke took a defensive why-the-hell-not approach while Nick stuck to the purist’s line that some things must remain sacrosanct otherwise the whole of civilisation will go to pot. We then threw … ContinuedThe post Crime or Sublime: Putting a NATO strap on a dress watch – the results appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
The iconic Portugieser Chronograph from IWC gets the automatic in-house Cal. 69355 in regular series production, and a display caseback to show it off.
SJX Watches
Founded two years ago, the Qatar Watch Club (QWC) is a community of internet-savvy watch enthusiasts in the wealthy Arab nation. The club recently got together with Tudor and local watch retailer Fifty One East to create the Pelagos “Qatar Watch Club”, a limited edition of the brand’s top-spec dive watch. The second QWC edition after last year’s Chopard L.U.C GMT, the Pelagos has “Qatar” in Arabic, or “قطر”, on the dial at six, replacing the five lines of text on the standard model, giving it a much cleaner look. The other point of distinction is the club logo engraved on the case back. The rest of the watch is identical to the standard model, which means a titanium case rated to 500 m and a scratch-resistant, blue-ceramic bezel insert. And the watch is equipped with the MT5612 movement. A proprietary calibre produced by Kenissi, a joint venture Tudor shares with Chanel, the calibre has a 70-hour power reserve, silicon hairspring, and is an all-round strong performer, particularly at this price point. The watch is delivered in a box bearing the QWC logo, as well as an additional blue rubber strap. Only 50 were produced – the club has 50 members – and at press time all have been spoken for. QWC members at last year’s launch event for the Chopard L.U.C GMT QWC edition. Photo – QWC Key facts Tudor Pelagos Qatar Watch Club Special Edition Ref. M25600TB-0001 Diameter: 42 mm Thickness: 14.3 mm Material: Titanium Water resistance: 500 m Movement:...
Time+Tide
This weekend we were lucky enough to be visited by the fantastic team from the Horological Society of New York, who were in Australia offering watchmaking classes to a few very passionate Melburnians. It was an evening that also celebrated the incredible generosity of the watch community at large, which was shown through the recent … ContinuedThe post Weekend Watch Spotting – Very rare Rolex spotted in the HSNY Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Launched last year alongside the time-only Tonneau, the Privé Tonneau Skeleton Dual Time is classical Cartier in style and execution. The case is a century-old Cartier design that has not aged, while the movement is interesting in aesthetics and mechanics. In fact, the 9919 MC inside is surprisingly novel – it’s a skeleton, form, and curved movement with two time zones. The Tonneau Skeleton is also being produced in a modest limited edition, which means it will remain unusual. But it is hindered by a high price tag. Double fuseau The Tonneau Skeleton Dual Time is modelled on the Tonneau double fuseau (French for “double time zone”) that was produced in a variety of versions, including a 1999 Macau handover commemorative edition, from the 1990s until the mid 2000s. A Cartier Collection Privee Cartier Paris (CPCP) Tonneau dual time zone in white gold, c. 1998. Photo – Sotheby’s Cartier was particularly fond of the twin time zone complication during the period, and the double fuseau was also produced in many Tank case styles, ranging from the Tank Cintree to the Tank Louis Cartier. Despite the diversity, all the double time zone watches shared a common feature – they were powered by two separate small movements – either mechanical or quartz, depending on the model – essentially two tiny watches combined into an extra-large case. Though mechanically unsophisticated, the two-in-one construction made each time zone entirely independent, down to the minute....
Hodinkee
Even for those that are 366 days long, the years have been kind to this special perpetual calendar.
Deployant
Citizen revives the Spirit of the Iconic Parawater with the new Kuroshio ’64 series of 5 watches. We go hands-on with the new watch.
Quill & Pad
A visit to Texas offered Elizabeth Doerr a surprise: she came across a very large painting simply entitled 'Watch' at the Dallas Museum of Art. Further inquiry into its painter, Gerald Murphy, revealed a fun historical anecdote and a bit of a mystery. Why did Murphy paint a giant Cubist impression of two watches in 1925, and which watches were they?
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