Latest watch news · Page 1316

50 is the new 40.

Almost exactly a year after Breitling announced the Navitimer Ref. 806 remake – a spot-on remake of the first Navitimer and a smash hit – the watchmaker has applied the same formula for the AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition, a limited edition of 1,953 watches in steel. Introduced in 1953 and produced in several variants until 1965 when it was rebranded the Co-Pilot, the AVI ref. 765 was typical of mid 20th century pilot’s chronographs, with large Arabic numerals, syringe hands, and a steel rotating bezel. In fact, it is reminiscent of the Type 20 chronographs supplied by Breguet, Auricoste and other firms to the French navy and air force during the same period. Remade exactly And the AVI ref. 765 was oversized for the era, with a case measuring 41.1 mm. According to Breitling, the AVI Re-Edition replicates the original to the smallest detail, down to the tenth of a millimetre of case diameter. The steel bezel is even secured by three screws in exactly the same spots as on the original. Only two external elements on the remake have been changed: one is the removal of “Geneve” from the dial, a necessity given Breitling’s location; and the other is the increased water resistance of 30 m. That being said, modern production techniques and materials mean that rather than being perfectly identical, the replica is probably better in fit and finish than the original. The lacquer-filled engraving on the bezel, for instance, is more precisely done on the modern version. The vi...

A small dive watch from a small French brand knocks it out of the park.

A collectable classic pilot's chronograph reborn as a limited edition for a new era.

With its steampunk style that was ahead of its time, the Vianney Halter Antiqua was one of the most important perpetual calendars of its time.

Breguet expands their magnificent Classique Tourbillon Extra-plat Automatique 5367 with a deep blue grand feu enamel dial.

The Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique 5367 includes all of Breguet’s best bits in one watch.

Slim, elegantly and typically Breguet in style – the gently off-centre dial echoes asymmetric pocket watches – the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367 was originally launched with a guilloche dial, before being given a white, fired enamel dial. And last year Breguet debuted a striking variant with a fully skeletonised movement decorated in a surprisingly elaborate manner. For 2020 Breguet has returned to its traditional look, albeit with a twist: the dial has been transformed into deep blue enamel for a boutique-only edition. Similar to the makeover applied to the time-and-date Classique 5177, the blue dial is grand feu enamel – vitreous enamel set by firing it in an oven at temperatures over 800°C. The dial starts as a disc of solid gold, which is then painted with a mixture of enamel powder, water and oil.  It’s then baked in an oven, and the process repeated several times until the deep blue colour is achieved. The surface is then ground down by hand to give it a mirrored finish, before undergoing a final trip to the oven. The star and lozenge minute track is inspired by the same on vintage pocket watches Then the markings on the dial – including the symbols of the minute track and Breguet numerals – are printed in powdered silver, which gives them a granular, metallic sheen. And faintly etched by laser just above the tourbillon is the Breguet “secret” signature, a feature devised in the 19th century to distinguish genuine Breguet pocket watches from ...

An annual edition now in its 14th year, the “Laureus Sport for Good” helps support the foundation of the same name, which promotes sport amongst disadvantaged and disabled children around the world. In a departure from the norm of using a current model as the base, the 2020 edition is a brand-new reference that’s not yet in the catalogue (though it probably will be by Watches & Wonders 2020), the Portugieser Monopusher Chronograph “Laureus Sport for Good”. The Portugieser Monopusher Chronograph is an unusual watch: a manual-wind, single-button chronograph with a long power reserve of 192 hours, or eight days. It’s powered by the cal. 59360, which has a notably thin chronograph mechanism built over the cal. 59000 eight-day movement. The movement, however, not actually new. It was last used in 2015 inside the Portofino monopusher chronograph, but subsequently absent until now. (Reputedly the movement had kinks that required fixing, particularly in terms of timekeeping while running the chronograph.) The cal. 59360 with its thin chronograph mechanism; note the wide and flat column wheel The movement is wide and relatively flat, resulting in a large watch that’s 46 mm wide and just shy of 14 mm high. Given the traditional Portugieser design of a wide dial and narrow bezel, the size of the watch is particularly pronounced. As is traditional with the Laureus edition, the dial is a deep, metallic blue with ample space for the two chronograph registers as well as the...

Netflix’s latest blockbuster, Uncut Gems, follows the story of a deeply flawed and shady jewellery dealer, Howard Ratner, played by Hollywood funnyman Adam Sandler. It’s an … interesting film, that essentially involves Sandler yelling and screaming profanities A LOT in a pretty unconvincing manner. OK, I’m going to be brutally honest here, it’s actually a straight-up … ContinuedThe post 3 badass watches from Netflix’s Uncut Gems appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: The one-watch collection is forever in the back of the minds of watch collectors, as a consideration of how one’s tastes might look when reduced to a single timepiece. A fun extension of this thought is what one might wear during the apocalypse, and you’d be hard pressed to arrive at a better … ContinuedThe post Gunmetal greatness with the Casio G-Shock GMW-B5000V appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

According to Joshua Munchow the sleeper of horological complications is the dead seconds, or jumping seconds, function. And, according to him, no one does it better than A. Lange & Söhne as evidenced by the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds model. Follow him on a deep dive of this unusual watch right here.

The product guru talks about stocking up, paring back, and the importance of helping people find their passions.

A few weeks ago, Nicholas Kenyon and I got into a bit of a row over whether it was a crime or indeed sublime to double wrist a mechanical wristwatch and an Apple Watch. Kenyon was firmly in the sublime camp, whereas I was, well … you can read my thoughts on the matter right … ContinuedThe post Crime or Sublime: Double Wristing with a mechanical and Apple Watch – the results appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Born in China but having worked in Hong Kong for decades, Kiu Tai Yu was long reputed to have been the first watchmaker to produce a tourbillon wristwatch in Asia, having premiered his own in 1990. Before that, only watchmakers in the West had ever produced a tourbillon, a device that was then still regarded as the pinnacle of artisanal watchmaking. A year after unveiling his tourbillon, Kiu became the first Asian member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI), the association of independent watchmakers that had been established by Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese just a few years before. The news of Kiu’s death was first announced by Mr Calabrese on Facebook. Kiu Tai Yu in his shop. Photo – Vincent Calabrese But it was in 1993 that Kiu debuted his most memorable invention, the Mystery Tourbillon. Equipped with an oscillating balance wheel making one revolution a minute, but seemingly with neither a cage nor bridge. The secret lay in a clear sapphire plate that functioned as the upper bridge, while the cage of the tourbillon was reduced to a fish-shaped platform underneath the balance wheel, a construction that has since been adopted in various forms by brands like Montblanc and Zenith. Not content with a mere Mystery Tourbillon, Kiu subsequently installed the invention in a rectangular form movement, and later even added a jumping hour time display. It’s worth pointing out that every one of Kiu’s tourbillon wristwatches was unique, and ...

This is the 14th watch IWC has made with the foundation.

Timex has been on a roll since the release of the Marlin a little while back. Since then, the watch world has gone completely nuts over reissues like the Q and vintage-inspired models like the recent M79. Join Mike and Kaz as they run through Timex's greatest hits, analyze the brand's overall strategy, and consider adding Timex models to their own personal collections.

It's not 2003 anymore.

The latest Luminor sees the old case in a new case material.

Vacheron Constantin introduces the Égérie, a whole new line of ladies watches. Discover the three watches in the launch series.

Reviving a name once used for a line of tonneau-shaped women’s watches, Vacheron Constantin has just unveiled the Égérie, now a round watch with an unusually positioned crown. Translating as “muse”, Égérie is a slightly larger and more casual automatic watch for ladies, setting it apart from Vacheron Constantin’s current offerings for ladies, which are mostly downsized or quartz versions of men’s watches, as well as pricey, high-jewellery timepieces. That also sets it apart from its namesake, introduced in 2003 with a tonneau case, which lasted several years in the catalogue but never quite took off. Inspired by haute couture according to Vacheron Constantin, the new Égérie line is centred on two models, with either a moon phase or date. Each is offered in pink gold or steel, as well as a fully diamond-set version in white gold, for a total of five models. Égérie Self-Winding (top row), and Égérie Moonphase All models share a fully polished case with a diamond-set bezel, with a silver opaline dial featuring an offset sub-dial at two o’clock that sits just beside the crown, topped with a moonstone cabochon. The dials are decorated with a pleated, radial guilloche done the traditional way, with a hand-operated rose engine. The engine-turning is intersected up by a chapter ring with spherical markings for the minutes and applied gold hour numerals. Specially designed for the collection, the numerals are a modern take on traditional Breguet numerals...

At the time of writing, the Coronavirus outbreak has already infected more than 70,500 people in China and resulted in 1770 deaths. It’s forced the quarantine of more than 50 million people in China and resulted in travel and visa restrictions to more than 70 countries. If that’s not bad enough, a new article in … ContinuedThe post 3 reasons why the Coronavirus is really bad news for the luxury watch industry appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Auction catalogues often offer early 20th century pocket watches of impressive, refined quality that bear the names of unfamiliar Geneva firms. Amongst the most prominent are Agassiz, Ed. Koehn, Haas Neveux, and Touchon. Despite their obscurity now, these brands were once amongst the best in the world – arguably the equals of Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin, producing or retailing highly complicated and extra-thin timepieces. All of them, save for one, are now defunct and long forgotten. In fact, most went under long before the Quartz Crisis. A single name has survived and prospered while remaining a family business, by evolving its business over the centuries – Golay Fils & Stahl. A familiar name As an avid reader of auction catalogues, I had come across Golay Fils & Stahl on several occasions, and the name stayed with me because of the high quality of firm’s pocket watches (Haas Neveux being another). Then in November 2019, Phillips sold the Patek Philippe ref. 3652 minute-repeating wristwatch. Not only was the watch relatively recent, having been made in 1985, it was a unique reference powered by a reworked vintage movement – and signed “Golay Fils & Stahl” on the dial. Few retailers get their name on modern Patek Philippe watches, let alone a one-off, custom timepiece. It piqued my curiosity. The ref. 3652 – essentially a Calatrava ref. 96 minute repeater By sheer chance that curiosity was satisfied when Melissa Wolfgang Amenc got in touch after see...

Having unveiled the vintage-inspired Presage Automatic Chronograph ref. SRQ031 in October 2019, Seiko has returned to the same historical wristwatch with the Presage Prestige 2020. Comprising of three variants – SPB127J1, SPB131J1, and SPB129J1 – the new Presage is once again modelled on the “Crown” chronograph ref. 5719A-45899 that was unveiled in 1964 to mark that year’s Tokyo Olympics. The vintage original was a mono-pusher chronograph with basic functionality, featuring a central, elapsed seconds hand and black plastic bidirectional bezel for recording times of over a minute. Last year’s Presage chronograph was a step up from the original with three counters, but this year’s Presage Prestige does away with the chronograph altogether. But since the original had a plain dial without registers, the new Presage Prestige manages to look pretty much the same. The original “Crown” chronograph from 1964 All three versions of the Presage Prestige differ only in dial colour, and are otherwise identical in terms of dimensions, design and movement. Because of the styling of the “Crown” Chronograph, the Presage Prestige manages to be fairly faithful to the original. Nearly all of the elements of the dial, from the chapter ring with the applied hour markers and oblong “lume” plots to the dauphine hands, are a close-enough replica of the original. Granted it has been modernised with the usual tweaks found in remakes, including a slightly larger case and ...

Launching a completely new watch collection (starting-from-a-blank-page new, not variations on an existing line) is a high-risk game that involves huge costs: the cost of design and development – and if it’s not a resounding success (heaven forbid), the cost to both brand equity and bottom line. No wonder it’s a rare event. Even rarer … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Vacheron Constantin Égérie Self-winding with Date, and Égérie Moon Phase appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

While watches equipped with a moon phase complication aren’t without their detractors, for the astronomically inclined, they are wonderful devices. And, from an aesthetic standpoint, timepieces just tend to look better when they sport some form of moon on their dial. Don’t believe us? Well, take a look at these four watches … maybe they’ll … ContinuedThe post Out of this world: These are 4 of the most attractive moon phases money can buy appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Jaeger-LeCoultre supports ‘The Supermarket Of Images,’ the latest exhibition at the Jeu de Paume arts center in Paris, which exhibits and promotes all forms of mechanical and electronic imagery. The exhibition’s central premise is that our lives are increasingly saturated with images. The impact of this is the story that this exhibition tells.