Latest watch news · Page 1443

Editor’s note: Many executives in the Swiss watch industry are boring. They went to finance school, and they sell watches by looking at a balance sheet, never finding any of the watches in their own catalogue inspiring, and therefore never inspiring anyone to buy one. This could not be further from the truth for Edouard … ContinuedThe post Why Edouard Meylan sells watches smarter appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

With a name that sounds like it comes straight from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it should come as no surprise that the watch looks more than a little out of this world.  First of all there’s the dial - or rather the lack of it. Because as you might guess with a name like “Skeleton … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton X in Carbonium Gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The SKELETON X, a new Manufacture openworked movement for Ulysse Nardin. Notably, it features an X shape bridge that holds together a vertical design gear train.

Every year H. Moser & Cie. introduces an over the top, sometimes controversial watch – this year’s headliner was covered in grass – while also doing the opposite with its minimalist “concept” watches. Forsaking logos and numerals or indices, the concept watches have a clean yet colourful aesthetic coupled with appealing in-house movements – a tribute to stealth luxury. The latest iteration of the idea is the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Cosmic Green, a variation of the first model from two years ago. The watch now has a sublime green fumé dial. Though Moser relies on graduated dials often, maybe too often, it is still an attractive look, here with the added interest provided by the flying tourbillon. While not unique to Moser, the graduated tone fumé dials are almost a better calling card than the brand’s logo. In fact, all of Moser’s bestsellers feature this intriguing finish that has the dial colour darkening towards the edge, with the effect now available in several colour variations, including blue, grey and green. The green dial is striking, and quite mesmerising the first time you see it. Up close, the dial is more subdued than in the stock images of the watch, more sea green than forest green. Given the emptiness of the upper half of the dial, the sunburst finish is obvious and complements the gradual external colour change. The flying tourbillon The focal point of the lower half of the dial is the one-minute, flying t...

There’s an inherent romance in all mechanical wristwatches - a romance drawn largely from the fact that these painstakingly created devices are fundamentally anachronistic machines that have been superseded several times over. Yet, still they manage to survive and, indeed, thrive.  And it might just be me, but this romance factor is more present than … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Hermès Arceau L’heure de la lune appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A lot of new watches are released every year. Big brands will often release 100 or more new unique variants (and fair enough, different dial/strap/material, etc take up a lot of this space), but even so, it’s fair to say that not every new watch gets its time in the sun. Sometimes that’s OK, as … ContinuedThe post You might have missed these 6 excellent new watches – these are the sleeper hits of 2019 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The latest commemorative drop is all about info and convenience.

IWC introduces the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Right-hander”, the first Big Pilot for the lefties in #watchfam

The gradual, one-a-month rollout of the 10-piece A. Lange & Söhne 25th anniversary is, fortunately, almost at an end, with number eight just being unveiled: the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”. Launched 16 years after the Lange 1, the Lange 1 Daymatic was an exercise in practicality, being the first watch in the family to be powered by a self-winding movement, the cal. L021.1. And it also included a day of the week indicator, in addition to the date. A splitting image of the original Though functionally different, it was a mirror image likeness the original Lange 1, featuring the familiar asymmetric dial, but inverted. A retrograde display for the day of the week replaced the power reserve of the original. Not only does the Daymatic look like the original, it also has the same dimension, and even retains the pusher for the date at 10 o’clock. But despite the upgrades, the Daymatic has never been as popular as the original Lange 1, leaving it as the least known of the line-up. The new Daymatic is the commemorative, white gold rendition of the model. At 39mm in diameter and 10.4mm high, it is just 1mm wider and 0.6mm thicker than the standard Lange 1. And, in keeping with the anniversary colour theme, it features a solid silver, argenté dial with recessed, grained segments that’s paired with blued steel hands. Instead of the applied hour markers found on the standard Daymatic, the Roman numerals and indices are printed in blue. Visible through the ...

The 8th limited edition release of the Lange 1 family this year: 25 piece limited edition of the Lange 1 Daymatic, in the 25th Anniversary colour schema.

The Lange 1’s 25th anniversary celebrations continue with the launch of a special version of the watch that gave the icon an automatic winding mechanism: the Lange 1 Daymatic “25th Anniversary”.

Editor’s note: Why is this unassuming looking farmhouse in the Swiss countryside so important to a brand as large as Cartier? Because it houses the workshop for Cartier’s Maison des Métiers d’Art, sanctuary to a set of artistic skills and techniques that are hundreds of years old. It is in this farmhouse that some of … ContinuedThe post Keeping tradition alive at the Cartier Métiers d’Art appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

If you love watches, you probably want to wear them all the time. The past CEO of The Swatch Group Nicolas Hayek was famous for wearing half-a-dozen watches at one time, and even if you aren’t quite that eccentric, you might still feel like you’re missing something when you don’t wear a watch. But this … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Should you wear a watch when exercising? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

IWC’s popular, oversized pilot’s watch is already available in as many variations as the sky is high, but the latest limited edition – the Big Pilot’s Watch “Right-Hander” – is the first that’s a “destro”. Italian for “right”, destro is a nickname often applies to watches with a left-handed crown, and thus catered to right-handed people. Because the onion-shaped crown sits at nine o’clock instead of the usual three, the movement inside has been rotated 180 degrees, bringing the power reserve indicator to nine o’clock as well. For those wondering if this is inspired by a historical, “destro” pilot’s watch, the answer is no. This is just a reinterpretation of a bestselling model. Crown-aside, the look is pretty much stock Big Pilot. The dial is a dark grey, with luminous markings and hands in white SuperLuminova. The rest of the watch is identical to the standard model. The steel case is 46.2mm in diameter, with automatic cal. 52010 inside. It’s the second generation of the flagship IWC automatic movement, featuring a seven-day power reserve and a Pellaton winding mechanism with its pawls and winding wheels in wear-resistant ceramic. Key facts Diameter: 46.2mm Height: 15.6mm Material: Steel Water-resistance: 60m Movement: Cal. 52010 Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and power reserve Winding: Automatic Frequency: 28,800bph, or 4Hz Power reserve: 168 hours (7 days) Strap: Calfskin with folding clasp Price and availab...

It’s easy to forget or overlook the magnitude of what Hublot has achieved with their materials innovation - the scale and scope of their sapphire pieces is impressive to say the least, and their use of ceramic is amongst the most interesting in the business (which is no small feat given that every brand and … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Pop pop! The Hublot Big Bang Unico Blue Magic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Editor’s note: Not many know it, but Australia was one of the most important markets for Hans Wilsdorf as he built the businesses of Rolex and Tudor in the early part of the 20th century. Tudor watches have been in Australia for the best part of 100 years, proving that Australians know great value when … ContinuedThe post Tudor in Australia for almost 100 years? Here’s why appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Two queens are better than one.

Almost exactly a month ago at Sotheby’s in London, the George Daniels Space Traveller I sold for £3.62m, or about US$4.56m at the time, including all fees. It became the most expensive English watch ever sold, breaking the record set by the second Space Traveller that sold in the same venue two years earlier. After the landmark 2017 sale, the Space Traveller II disappeared into private hands somewhere in the United Kingdom. Now it has reemerged at the Science Museum in London, where it will be on display for at least three years. Made entirely by hand, as were all his watches, the Space Traveller II was produced after Daniels had sold the first version of the watch, which he greatly regretted. Along with the Grand Complication, the second Space Traveller was worn by Daniels until the end of his life. The first Space Traveller The first Space Traveller was conceived to commemorate the Moon landing of 1969, which is why it displays both mean solar time – the usual 24 hour day we use on Earth – as well as sidereal time, which is time based on the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. Once Daniels embarked on making the second Space Traveller to replace the first, he endeavoured to make it more complex, incorporating his proprietary “compact chronograph” mechanism. But it is no ordinary stopwatch, because the chronograph in the Space Traveller II can switch between mean solar time and sidereal time thanks to a clutch mechanism. “It is fitting that this stunning ...

We take a close look, examined, and analysed the propostion of the new independent brand born in Poland - the Chopin Opus 10 Number 12.

Trade your sweep hand for a ticker and come quartz with us.

This is one of those watches that makes so much sense I’m amazed it didn’t exist until now. But before we dive into the details of the IWC Big Pilot Edition ‘Right-Hander’, let’s step back and have a quick recap on the Big Pilot.  The Big Pilot is a watch with two distinct histories. The … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The IWC Big Pilot Edition ‘Right-Hander’  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

If you’re reading this, you probably know who Gérald Genta is, and if you don’t, you probably recognise the name. He was the most prolific watch designer of the 20th century, having been the source of inspiration for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the Omega Constellation. He designed for everyone, … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: The Gérald Genta archives appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Delve into the history of dial design and the elements that make up some of the most famous watch faces of our time. In part 1: sector dials.

Chanel has been slowly but steadily building up its line of mechanical watches powered by high-end, in-house movements. Most notable is the Monsieur de Chanel jump hour, created with the help of respected independent watchmaker Romain Gauthier, who sold a minority stake in his company to Chanel several years ago. Mr Gauthier also had a hand in last year’s Boy.Friend Skeleton, a top of the line variant of Chanel’s fashionable rectangular watch. Fancy mechanics are usually the preserve of men’s watches, but the Boy.Friend Skeleton boasts an impressively thoughtful, open-worked movement, the Calibre 3. In fact, the design and details of the in-house movement show that it was conceived from the ground up with a particular aesthetic goal in mind. It’s the only way to create a skeleton movement that looks as coherent as this does. An especially beautiful detail are the gilded bevels on the outermost frame of the base plate and the sub-seconds, which emphasise the finish and shape of the movement. Chanel circles The Calibre 3 has been constructed to incorporate a series of repeating, interlocking circles, a favourite motif of Chanel’s chief watch designer, Arnaud Chastaingt. The motif starts with the bridges and base plate, which are all brass finish with a frosted surface coated in black amorphous diamond-like carbon (ADLC). A telling indication of the attention to detail put into its construction lies in how the bridges are constructed. Instead of being a sing...

Now that we’re more than halfway through, I think we can all admit that 2019 has been a bit of an odd one, as far as years go. If you had told past Felix that a slender steel quartz Cartier would be one of the best watches of the year, he would have scoffed.  But … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Cartier’s Santos-Dumont is guaranteed to add class to your daily wear  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

For some, money is no object. For most, this is far from the case, but still an enjoyable intellectual exercise of “what if”. So, what if you win the lottery, and after taking care of the dull administrative duties (mortgage, student loan, etc), you decide to treat yourself to a couple of nice watches and, … ContinuedThe post The 11 most exciting chronographs of 2018 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A form-follows-function homage to one of the most influential design schools of the 20th century.