Latest watch news · Page 1656

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. 

Ben came into the Time+Tide offices to buy a NATO strap for his TAG Heuer Monaco. But the conversation quickly turned to the unusual Bulgari diver’s watch on his wrist. Here, Ben explains the backstory behind the purchase and why - despite it contradicting everything he normally likes in a watch - he absolutely loves it. Originally, … ContinuedThe post What Sealed The Deal: Ben’s Bulgari Diagono Scuba appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

"Times change, and we change with them" – William Henry Harrison

High fashion inspires the latest high horology collection from Vacheron Constantin, the Égérie.

It’s a good thing that wearing a watch is something that you can do regardless of the weather, because Australia is in the midst of an absolute doozy of a summer. Over the last few months devastating fires have ravaged the countryside, and now parts of the land are completely flooded. Regardless, I went out … ContinuedThe post Weekend watch (and race car) spotting with JR appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In this week's Throwback Sundays column, we take a look at six wonderful high-end dress watches for any discerning collector.

GaryG once wrote on Quill & Pad about his relationship with the world’s greatest mass luxury brand in 'Why I’ve Never Owned a Rolex – And Why I Might Yet.' Well, to know him is to know that if he says he “might yet” buy something it’s likely only a matter of time. So, too, with this Rolex: the GMT Master II BLNR “Batman” with black-and-blue bezel.

Well, this is a bit different to a normal What Sealed The Deal … seeing as this Baume & Mercier Capeland Chronograph is actually my watch. I purchased it late last year after a particularly dogged haggling match that started with a seemingly innocuous Gumtree.com ad. Anyway, I’ll spare you the deets of the torrid exchange … ContinuedThe post What Sealed The Deal – James’s Baume & Mercier Capeland Chronograph appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Dedicated ladies’ watches are a relatively surprising turn of direction for Zenith, which has primarily concentrated on men’s watches up to now. Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at the fresh new feminine additions of the Zenith Defy Midnight And Elite Classic collections for 2020.