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The five 2019 Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Special Editions indlucing the Ref. 5531 World Time Minute Repeater with cloisonné enamel dial

The first-ever steel Calatrava Pilot’s Watch from Patek Philippe makes its debut.

At the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches auction, you can browse the catalogue and find all manner of incredibly rare and important watches and clocks from all the best watchmakers in the world. There is everything you would expect, and more, including a possibly unique red dial Rolex Daytona, a factory gem-set yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master, … ContinuedThe post Best 5 watches for under $5K at the Sotheby’s Important Watches auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT SBGC203 has a bold appearance due to both its generous diameter of 43.5 mm and even more so by the large chronograph pushers and crown. Despite being such a substantial watch, Martin Green was surprised how well it sat and wore on his modestly sized wrist. Here he summarizes a week wearing this versatile all-rounder.

A concept becomes a reality, and the world of perpetual calendars will never be the same.

The Netflix series is back – and with something special for watch lovers.

We bring you sneak previews of the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Singapore. And you are invited: From Sept 28 to Oct 13. Details within.

Jason has a chat with Paul Scurfield, a career saturation diver and the man behind Scurfa Watches

SJX Watches recently published an in-depth look at Seiko’s prodigious and fabled 9F Quartz movements, which are now in their 26th year of production. And there’s no question the 9F is a genuinely high-end movement that has taken decades of engineering to perfect. It’s actually a remarkable feat of timekeeping when you think about it … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Seiko’s 9F Quartz Movement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

First introduced two years ago as an entry-level model styled on vintage marine chronometers, the Marine Torpilleur has just received an upgrade. The Marine Torpilleur Monaco Yacht Show is a limited edition fitted with a grand feu enamel dial, created to mark the watchmaker’s sponsorship, now in its 11th year, of the annual yachting event in Monte Carlo harbour. While the standard model has a brass dial, the Monaco edition has a three-part dial made of vitreous enamel that’s fired in an oven – a desirable feature that increases its retail price by a modest 20% or so. Like all of Ulysse Nardin’s enamel dials, it is produced by Donze Cadran, a subsidiary of the watchmaker that’s one of the few dial makers in Switzerland able to make fired enamel dials in substantial numbers. An old school dial The dial starts out as a copper disc that is covered with white enamel powder that’s then baked in a small oven, several dials at a go, to melt the enamel and fuse it to the dial. The dial has two apertures for each of the sub-dials, which are separate pieces that are covered in grey enamel and fired separately. After they are fired, the dials are printed with enamel markings, resulting in another trip to the oven to set the markings. Then the apertures on the main dial, as well as the edges of the sub-dials, are filed by hand to ensure a perfect fit with each other. Once complete, the sub-dials are soldered to the main dial. The dial is marked “09.19” – the m...

Audemars Piguet welcomes a new ladies watch that tells time differently. Here’s how the Millenary Frosted Gold Philosophique looks and feels on the wrist.

The Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 opened today for a sneak preview of the monumental showcase of watchmaking and horology. It includes everything from watchmaker demonstrations to a look into the art of enamelling, explained by no other than master artisan Anita Porchet herself; more on those in upcoming stories (or you can also buy the hardbound catalogue with proceeds going to charity). For now, here’s a peek at the highly anticipated limited edition watches produced for the event. The outline of the Singapore 2019 collection is simple: four relatively accessible watches, two grand complications, and a variety of unique Rare Handcrafts clocks, pocket- and wristwatches. All of the limited edition watches bear “Patek Philippe Singapore 2019” on the case back, printed if the back is sapphire, and engraved if the back is solid. The first is the Aquanaut Singapore 2019 ref. 5167A-012 in steel, a variation of the standard model. It has a dial with the minute track and seconds hand in red, matched with a red strap. This is limited to 500 pieces, and priced at 22,400 Swiss francs, or 33,500 Singapore dollars. (Full details on the Aquanaut here.) It’s accompanied by the Aquanaut Luce Singapore 2019 ref. 5067A-027 in steel for ladies that has a red dial and strap, also a variation of the standard model. Only 300 will be made, with a retail of 19,900 Swiss francs, or 29,800 Singapore dollars. Also for ladies is the Calatrava Pilot Travel Ti...

Having created a number of appealing and accessibly priced “tool” watches over the years including the Seastrong Diver Heritage and the KM-710, Alpina now unveils the Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph, powered by a single-button chronograph movement supplied by its sister company, La Joux-Perret. The Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph is the second mechanical chronograph in the Alpina catalogue; the first was the Alpiner 4 Manufacture Flyback, which had a Valjoux 7750, likewise modified by La Joux-Perret to include a flyback function. The brand Alpina was actually founded over 130 years ago but fell victim to the quartz crisis in the 1970s. Then in 2002, it was acquired by Frederique Constant, which was itself then acquired by Citizen of Japan in 2016. Now, like its sister company Frederique Constant, it specialises in accessibly priced watches, made possible in part by the movement making expertise of La Joux-Perret. As with most Alpina watches, the Startimer Pilot Heritage chronograph combines retro design with modern dimensions and build. Its styling is recognisably 1970s, and evokes the experimental spirit of the era without being overtly flashy or eccentric. Measuring 42mm by 40.7mm, the Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph features a cushion case with the chronograph pusher located at two o’clock. Like all cushion-cased watches of the 1970s, it has a radially brushed top surface and case band that are separated by a wide polished bevel, which enha...

In what is a meeting of two of the most significant collections from the Franck Muller manufacture, the Vanguard Crazy Hours is an exciting offering, made even more exciting with the news of an exclusive collection for Asia. The Vanguard Crazy Hours is the first time the brand has housed the famous Crazy Hours movement inside … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Franck Muller Vanguard Crazy Hours Asia Exclusive appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: Panerai are known for many things – a rich Italian heritage in watchmaking that dates back to 1860, steep aquatic history providing watches for the naval forces of many countries, most notably Italy and Egypt, and a quintessential design language that has spanned the better part of a century … the list goes … ContinuedThe post Taking another look at the Panerai Luminor Due PAM00943 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Peter Lehmann Masterson Shiraz 2015 is called “the Masterson” in honor of the origins of the company and Peter Lehmann himself. The first release is in magnums only: a total of 1,400 magnums made, 1,000 of them to released at AUD$2,000 each. Ken Gargett rates it 98/100. Find out why right here.

The Platinum 321 was the cherry on top.

TAG Heuer has unveiled its penultimate limited edition 50th anniversary Monaco, and this one pays homage to the wonderful era that was the noughties. This is the fourth iteration of the limited-run watches, which are celebrating 50 years of the fabled original Heuer Monaco, first released in 1969. We’ve already seen the eclectic mix of … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The TAG Heuer Monaco 1999-2009 Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Zenith’s limited edition Chronomaster El Primero C.01 is an ice-cool rendition of the 1969 original to salve our chronograph fever.

Starting this weekend, the theatre inside Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands resort will become home to the epic, 16-day Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition, the biggest and longest such event ever staged by the brand. Open from 28 September to 13 October, the enormous showcase of horological artefacts and prowess will take visitors through the company’s history while delving into its many innovations and milestones. Divided into 10 themed rooms, the exhibition will present a comprehensive array of timepieces spanning centuries, including the first ever perpetual calendar wristwatch, as well as legendary grand complications like the record-setting Calibre 89. Some 400 timepiece will be on display – all detailed in a hardbound catalogue that will be sold to benefit charity – and here are seven highlights of the show that are worth a second look. The first perpetual calendar wristwatch Although the distinction of inventing the first perpetual calendar watch goes to English watchmaker Thomas Mudge, who created it in 1762 – and the Patek Philippe Museum owns one such Mudge creation – it was Patek Philippe that built the first ever perpetual calendar in a wristwatch, back in 1925. It was a one-off creation powered by a movement dating to 1898. Initially developed for a women’s pendant watch, the compact calibre only found a home 27 years later inside the landmark wristwatch. Crucially, it was also an instantaneous perpetual calendar, with calendar i...

The road was long, but we have arrived: at the start of the year, A. Lange & Söhne kicked off the gradual launch of the 25th anniversary editions of the Lange 1. Made up of 10 different models, unveiled one a month, the series has now come to a conclusion with the final model – the Lange 1 Tourbillon “25th Anniversary”. While all other watches in the Lange 1 family have remained in the catalogue since their debut, the Lange 1 Tourbillon was always a limited edition, making the last instalment of the anniversary series the rarest. The model was first unveiled in 2000 in pink gold (250 pieces) and platinum (150 pieces), followed by a honey-gold version (150 pieces) a decade later to mark the 165th anniversary of Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s birth. Then the watch received the “Handwerkskunst” treatment in 2014 (20 pieces), giving it a platinum case and glossy, black enamel dial, resulting in a very desirable watch. And Lange also quietly produced a handful of one-off examples over the years, including a recent one for retailer The Hour Glass in Tokyo. Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst The specially decorated movement of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst Interestingly, Lange 1 Tourbillon “25th Anniversary” marks the first time that the watch is produced in white gold. The case remains the standard size, 38.5mm wide and 9.8mm in height, also the same dimensions as the standard Lange 1. And like all prior 25th anniversary editions, it features a solid...

The final piece of the Lange 1 25th Anniversary collection is crowned by the Lange 1 Tourbillon. Limited Edition 25 pieces in Anniverary colours. Live pics.

The fact that e-sports – essentially competitive computer gaming – is a major phenomenon is hardly new. But now the world’s largest luxury brand is in on the action: Louis Vuitton just announced that it will build the trophy case for the Summoner’s Cup, the huge silver-plated chalice – weighing about 70lbs, or 32kg – that’s given to the winner of the League of Legends World Championship. This marks the first foray of a major luxury house into e-sports, and elevates the League of Legends championship to equal footing with global and historical sporting events like the soccer World Cup. League of Legends is one of the world’s biggest multiplayer online games, with last year’s championship event watched live by almost 100m people. It’s set in a fantasy world, with players controlling a character that, along with teammates, battles the opposing team. The annual championship sees 24 teams from around the world compete for US$1m in prize money – and the giant trophy in a Louis Vuitton trunk. The game joins events like the FIFA World Cup, America’s Cup, Rugby World Cup, and French Open, all of which have had their trophies accompanied by a custom-made Louis Vuitton travel trunk. Like all the other trophy cases, the League of Legends trunk is constructed like a traditional Louis Vuitton trunk, with a wood frame covered in monogram canvas with brass fittings; the only being last year’s FIFA World Cup trunk that was made of polished titanium. Along...

SJX Watches recently published a fascinating story by Brandon Moore that takes a look at the impact that Instagram and other social media platforms have had on the scrutiny and importance of watch movement finishing. Moore talks to former Patek Philippe watchmaker and founder of Akrivia watches, Rexhep Rexhepi, about the influence of the social … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Instagram’s influence on movement finishing appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

There are certain watches out there in the horological ether that are not only lauded by loyal followers but also able to accomplish a hell of a lot for little outlay. Whether it is accuracy, toughness and dependability, innovation, or technicality, these cult-like timepieces are worth far more than the sum of their parts, and … ContinuedThe post 3 affordable timepieces that get the nod from watch snobs appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.