Latest watch news · Page 1341

A thoughtful primer to help you better understand just how bad you might need that vintage Rolex.

According to Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Wochenende (via Reuters), Switzerland’s Competition Commission, a federal body that oversees competition and antitrust matters, is considering an outright ban of movements sales by ETA to third parties, in other words brands outside of the Swatch Group, starting January 2020. Also known as COMCO, or its German acronym WEKO, the agency is expected to deliver a verdict on December 19 . No explicit reason was cited for the potential ban, but it was implied that a recent COMCO report on the industry structure of the movement business is the reason. It is possible that COMCO believes the number of alternatives to ETA is sufficient that the watch industry would be better served over the long term by forcing watch brands to switch away from ETA. COMCO has long tussled with Switzerland’s biggest movement maker, in a dispute that began 17 years ago, when ETA announced it would gradually halt sales of ebauches, or movement blanks, to brands not owned by its parent company, Swatch Group. Because ETA was, and still is, Switzerland’s largest movement, reputedly producing some five million movements a year, its decision was regarded by COMCO as anticompetitive. And the wider Swatch Group – which is the country’s largest watchmaking conglomerate – produces perhaps a third of the components needed for watch movements in the entire industry. In the subsequent years ETA and COMCO reached various agreements over movement supply, with the l...

In the second installment of Dear Santa, Robin shares with us some of the watches that he had chosen for his Christmas wishlist.

The Swiss press is reporting that the tug of war between Swatch Group and Comco is now back on the table – and could result in dire consequences for the entire industry as soon as 2020, when ETA may stop delivering movements to outside brands. Get the story here.

The topic of watches and their worth has been the talk of 2019. With never-ending threads of comments on social media, expressing frustration at the current prices of some pieces, retailers attempting to negotiate the challenge of managing wait-lists, and the growth of The Flipper in the world of watch buyers, it seems that 2019 … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: How watches became financial assets appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

One of the most appealing elements of a Louis Vuitton watch is just how unabashedly bold they are in their design, as well as their wrist presence. The new Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Cobalt is an excellent example, with its amply portioned 46mm stainless steel case, vivid dial graphics and branded rubber strap. The dial … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Distinctive design with the Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Cobalt appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

After months of buildup, the not-so-secret Alpinist refresh is finally underway.

Any time is an appropriate time to gift a watch lover with a book containing well-written words and beautiful photos of watches. At Quill & Pad we love reading books as much as we love writing them (on occasion). Here is a selection of books we have reviewed and written, suitable for gifting or reading at any time of year.

We begin our holidays special with 3 watch selections from each of our writers. This time the watches are categorised by price, with three tiers of prices under 1) SGD10,000, 2) SGD25,000; and 3) Limitless.

Extraordinary engraver Kees Engelbarts loves his skeletonized watches as they do very much showcase his art form. “I wanted to make another kind of skeleton watch,” he says about his creation called Tourbillon Organic Skeleton. “Most skeleton watches are, as you know, very symmetric. My plan was to make a skeleton watch without a drawing or plan before starting, by just taking away material from the base plate and bridges that is not needed.”

Editor’s note: It may surprise the uninitiated to read this, but creating a completely new calibre, in-house, from scratch, is a very, very costly exercise. And there’s a reason that most boutique and micro watchmakers stick to third-party movements from the likes of ETA and Sellita, because to make their own movements is financially unviable. … ContinuedThe post Germanic genius: the Nomos Tangente neomatik 41 Update appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

It’s been a big year for the TAG Heuer Monaco as it celebrated 50 years of production from when it was first released in 1969. The brand has released a number of limited editions this year in celebration; however, they arguably saved the most important release till last with the new TAG Heuer Monaco Heuer … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Is this the most important TAG Heuer Monaco? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

1969 marked the introduction of the world’s first self-winding chronographs. These were presented by Zenith with its El Primero, Seiko with the 5 Speedtimer, and an illustrious group consisting of Breitling, Heuer/Leonidas, and Hamilton/Büren, with the Chronomatic Caliber 11. Sabine Zwettler takes us through the history and looks at three of the latest-generation commemorative automatic chronographs by these early pioneers.

A trio of new pieces featuring a true RL icon.

Exploring the enduring interest in how an action-movie hero tells time.

Your weekly round-up of vintage watches from around the web.

We try out the world's most expensive camera system for a week - the Phase One XF IQ4 150 with Schneider Kreuznach Bue Ring lenses, and give our user views.

Micro brands are transforming how we perceive watchmaking and branding. Here are a few who have made an impression.

An educator by profession, Josh Shapiro had a longtime interest in watchmaking, which sharpened into a pursuit of traditional engine turning in 2013. After several years of practice – and a roomful of guilloche machines – the self-taught guillocheur and watchmaker produced a handful of dials for American watchmaker David Walter in 2016. And last year Josh launched his own brand, J.N. Shapiro, which he now pursues full-time, while remaining a part-time vice principal at a high school in Los Angeles. His debut watch was the Infinity Series, named after the Infinity Weave, a proprietary guilloche pattern he invented. The first J.N. Shapiro Infinity Series delivered, the watch pictured here, was finished earlier this year – and is numbered “N.01”. Though Josh offers a variety of options for the case and dial colours, this watch hews closely to the prototype, with a rose gold case, silver dial, and blue hands. It’s important to note this is actually the first watch Josh sold, and consequently shows some of the inevitable inconsistencies of a watchmaker’s early work. There are a couple of stray marks and burrs on the dial, and a bit of lint, but the early work of independent watchmakers is usually inconsistent, which is part of the hand-finished charm, and also proof of how artisans evolve. Josh’s subsequent dials have improved tremendously. Josh Shapiro with one of his straight-line machines. Photo – J.N. Shapiro The Infinity Series has a simple but effect...

Breitling announces the Navitimer Automatic 41 Southeast Asia Boutique Limited Edition to mark six years of dedicated boutique presence in Southeast Asia.

Vacheron Constantin’s annual collection of one-off and custom haute horlogerie watches was titled La Musique du Temps this year, being most made up of minute repeaters. They ranged from the strikingly simple to exceedingly ornate, with one of the prime examples of simplicity being the Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘Romantic Note’. Being one of two time-only minute repeaters in the collection – the other is ‘Dance of the Gemstones’ – the Romantic Note is essentially a variant of the regular-production Calibre 1731 repeater. It’s a large but elegantly proportioned watch, measuring 41mm by 8.5mm, so it sits wide but flat on the wrist. Though not overly large, the watch would be a bit more elegant if it were smaller. On a small wrist the wide-but-flat proportions can resemble a dinner plate. The smallest case size possible, given the diameter of the movement, is about 39mm, which would have given the watch a more tangible vintage feel. Design-wise the case is simple, which suits the watch well. The styling is taken from the Traditionnelle line, meaning it is relatively angular, with lots of flat surfaces when viewed from the front, which is deceptively simple. Much of the case detail lies in its profile – the case band has a single, lengthwise step, along with lugs inspired by the Maltese cross, the company’s logo. And the case back has a fluted edge as a design feature, being a snap-on, rather than screw-down back. Though the case design is fo...

Ok, boomer. But, like, what time is it?

If you like technology, watches, and sports – and you like them all together – you’re in luck: Richard Mille has just joined a McLaren co-created professional cycling team as one of the main sponsors: meet Team Bahrain McLaren!

NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry to validate … ContinuedThe post The Enabler: How To Justify Buying Another Watch. (#5: “The Cost Per Wear Argument”) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Forget the hype and celebrate the top of the top.

This week, Kaz and Mike tackle a substantial listener question submitted by @gmtchronodive on Instagram. Space, land, air, and sea - what are the ultimate watches that'll tackle these environments? Tune in, enjoy the show, and share your picks. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season so far!

Greubel Forsey enters the luxury sports watch genre with the new GMT Sport. The case is in Ti, and is curved in multi dimensions. Assertive. Bold. Unique.