Latest watch news · Page 1342

Each watch takes the theme of a specific '60s-era classic car.

Introducing the Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Squad

Breitling announces the Top Time Classic Cars Capsule Collection with three new chronographs paying homage to American classic sports cars from the 1960s.

Watchbox, one of the world’s largest retailers of pre-owned watches, has just announced that it’s taken a majority stake in De Bethune, an independent watchmaker that’s recently enjoying a revival in its fortunes. The deal closed on August 31, according to Patrik Hoffmann, the former chief executive of Ulysse Nardin who’s now the head of Watchbox Switzerland. According to Mr Hoffmann, De Bethune now has just four shareholders, down from a dozen or so previously, with Watchbox holding the largest stake. While Watchbox now has board representation, its investment is largely passive says Mr Hoffmann. Both of De Bethune’s key men will remain in their equity stakes as well as management roles: Pierre Jacques as chief executive and cofounder Denis Flageollet as its technical and watchmaking head. And Mr Hoffmann adds will be no change in terms of De Bethune’s products. “Denis sees the brand DNA so clearly,” continues Mr Hoffmann, “So it would be a big mistake to change that… [since] few brands have the same clearly-defined DNA.” The road from 2002 As the saying goes, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. De Bethune was originally cofounded in 2002 by a vintage watch dealer active in the late 20th century, Davide Zanetta, a truly original character who was legendary in his time. Mr Zanetta sold his majority share of the brand in 2017 after many years of losses. One of the investors who bought into the brand in 2017 was Steven Rostovsky, a pre-own...

I’ll be blunt and admit the Czapek Antarctique became a strong personal favourite in the integrated bracelet game when it smashed onto the scene last year. This time Czapek throws us a curveball with a complex skeletonized version featuring a new, fascinating movement bringing the best of vintage haute horlogerie back to the future of … ContinuedThe post The Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante brings skeletonized wonder to the integrated bracelet scene appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Question: has any watch brand evolved as much as Bulgari in the last decade? In 2011, the company’s watchmaking design division was transplanted from Rome to Neuchâtel in Switzerland in a sign of the brand’s horological intent. It’s proved to be wildly fruitful, too, as Italian style has merged with Swiss precision in a succession … ContinuedThe post Bulgari’s pivot to the Roma at Geneva Watch Days reveals they’re not just the Finissimo Show appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Louis Roederer NV champagne is to be discontinued and replaced by a new NV dubbed Collection 242. Ken Gargett thinks that this new Roederer is a joy to drink, immaculately balanced, and delightfully fresh. But that's not all.

People will surely have a normal reaction to that date window.

An interview with Crown & Caliber's Mark Hackman.

New York meets Atlanta.

When I spoke with Parmigiani chief executive Guido Terreni earlier this year, he described his plans for the brand’s product as having a “new direction for design, which is less ostentatious”, adding that Parmigiani will ” go back to the craft and excellence of the early days… with an eye on the world of today.” With the new Tonda PF collection launched to mark Parmigiani’s 25th anniversary, Mr Terreni appears to have pulled it off. Made up of four watches – ranging from a time-only to a pricey split-seconds – the Tonda PF is a synthesis of Parmigiani’s recent integrated-bracelet sports watch and its earlier Toric timepieces that were classical and Breguet inspired. The result is a sleek case and integrated bracelet matched with a refined yet minimalist guilloche dial featuring solid-gold hands and indices. Initial thoughts In a review two months ago, I wrote that liked the Tonda GT sports watch, though I thought the dial could be done better in several ways. The new Tonda PF does exactly that. It keeps everything that was good with the Tonda GT and enhances the rest. The dial has been stripped of superfluous elements while gaining a barleycorn engine turning. In fact, the dial is almost Moser-ish in its restraint, with the only marking being a small “PF” logo, which is made of solid 18k gold. And the upgrades in materials continue with the case, with all the steel model getting a knurled platinum bezel. And the movements have been enhanced. The...

An Aubry-era throwback, now in titanium.

Oris nods to the helpers.

Ferdinand Berthoud showcases the pièce unique Chronomètre FB 1.6-3 with a black DLC-treated steel case

A dazzling dial made of recycled plastic.

'2001: A Space Odyssey' called, they want their clock back.

Having tested the market with a handful of Gerald Genta-branded limited editions, Bulgari has just revealed during Geneva Watch Days 2021 that the Genta name will be revived. And the inaugural model for that venture is the Gerald Genta Arena Retrograde Mickey Mouse, a Disney-themed watch that harks back to the 1990s Fantasy watches of Gerald Genta. Initial thoughts The commercial opportunity with the Gerald Genta name has been obvious for several years, given the enduring popularity of a narrow set of his designs, namely the 1970s sports watches like the Royal Oak and the later Fantasy watches with Disney characters, all of which sell for handsome sums on the secondary market. While all the 1970s sports watch belong to the brands that Genta designed them for, Bulgari does have the Octo, which was created long after Genta himself left the brand. And now Bulgari has resurrected the Arena Retro Mickey Mouse. Like the Octo, the Arena case was created after Genta departed the namesake company when Bulgari acquired it, but the new Mickey Mouse Retro successfully channels the spirit of the 1990s originals in style and complication. And in terms of mechanics, it’s also more sophisticated than the originals, in that it is powered by a variant of the in-house Bulgari BVL 191 “Solotempo” calibre, instead of the ETA movements found in the originals. The Mickey Mouse reissue, however, does come at a steepish price of about US$17,500. That’s slightly more than the most desirab...

After a decade, the Greubel Forsey GMT Earth has reached its Final Edition, the final edition is now in a titanium case with an intense black finish.

Czapek’s latest launch draws you in with a hauntingly beautiful dial inspired by natural phenomena.

Introducing Seven New Marine Torpilleurs from Ulysse Nardin

Fly butterfly!

Say goodbye to the world's most expensive GMT watch.

According to UN Environment, every year as many as 13 million tonnes of plastic leak into the oceans – which is the equivalent of a truck-load every minute. With only 9% of all plastic produced thought to have been recycled, and various aquatic animals suffering dearly as a result, there is a clear need for … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Oris Aquis Date Upcycle made from recycled plastic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The GMT and tourbillon have long been a favourite combination at Greubel Forsey, but the watchmaker is bringing the combo to an end – at least in its current form – with the GMT Earth Final Edition. Greubel Forsey (GF) is closing the model’s run with a version in titanium, matched with an all-black palette, giving it a look and feel that’s sportier than the earlier GMT Earth models, which were primarily cased in precious metals. Initial thoughts GF has offered a variety of models with a GMT complication, with each having being iterated several times in small runs. But the GMT Earth has always stood out for its simplicity – compared with the model boasting twin double-axis tourbillons for instance – yet it packs in all the defining features of the brand’s travel-time watch, such as a fully-visible rotating globe that indicates day or night around the world and of course the 24-second, inclined tourbillon. That makes it ideal for someone who wants the essence of a GF travel watch in a simple (relatively speaking) package. And the GMT Earth Final Edition the coolest looking of the bunch, with a dark dial that goes well with the greyish titanium case. It’s a good look that’s gives the watch a more edgy, futuristic design, setting it apart from the typical GF. And the darker colours should leave the 45.5 mm case appearing smaller. Unlike other ultra high-end sport(y) watches, such as those from Richard Mille, GF is slightly restrained in terms of aesthetic...

Bvlgari reprises a version of the beloved Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse watch and announces four new additions to the Octo Roma line for Geneva Watch Days 2021.

Czapek extends their Antarctique line with a split seconds chronograph with the mechanism visible from the dial side. Here is the Antarctique Rattrapante.