Latest watch news · Page 576

Three colors. One great flying saucer shape.

The latest from Furlan Marri pays tribute to a classic watch design while adding just enough of a twist to make it feel contemporary. The new Disco Volante takes a circular, flying saucer-like case that first became popular in the 1930s as its starting point, and tweaks the formula slightly. Thinking about Furlan Marri’s previous work and the design language they’ve established, the Disco Volante makes a lot of sense in their ongoing project of updating classic Art Deco ideas, and the watch really fits into the current moment as well, which has seen shaped cases and unusual designs pulled from the past and brought up to date for new audiences.  The circular cases seen here have hidden lugs on the back side, so these sit as a perfect circle on the wrist. Cases with no visible lugs, of course, tend to wear a bit smaller, so Furlan Marri has chosen to make these Disco Volantes in 38mm as opposed to the more traditional 36mm cases found on vintage watches in this style. In theory, this should open up the Disco Volante to both men and women who are used to wearing modern watches, but seek something a little unusual and heavily vintage inspired. The integrated crown that sits flush with the case further reinforces the Disco Volante’s shape, as does the gently curved bezel.  Three dial options are available at launch: Havana Disco, Disco Celeste, and Disco Verde. The Havana Disco is perhaps the most striking of the bunch, and acts as a link to Furlan Marri’s very first ...

Co-founded by Swiss industrial designer Andrea Furlan and watch collector Hamad Al Marri, Furlan Marri launched on Kickstarter in 2021 with a beautifully designed vintage chronograph powered by a hybrid mecha-quartz engine. The next act, in 2022, was an equally handsome vintage black sector dial equipped with a mechanical movement that won over the MONOCHROME […]

After a successful three-watch collaborative effort last year, the guys from Furlan Marri are back, remaining true to their creative nature. Instead of riffing off their existing catalog, the new Furlan Marri Disco Volante genuinely surprised me. Small brands tend to find a stable recipe for success and stick to it. And this is true […] Visit Hands-On With The New Furlan Marri Disco Volante - An Intricate Dress Watch With A Different Take On Vintage to read the full article.

Furlan Marri’s take on the Disco Volante formula blends striking Art Deco looks and traditional finishing with modern, sci-fi touches.The post The Furlan Marri Disco Volante revives a retro-futuristic case design in a more accessible, adventurous format appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The first quarter results of Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that just announced a new chief executive, illustrate a well-established trend in the luxury goods industry, with the group’s jewellery brands outperforming its watchmakers in the three months to end June 2024. Dominated by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, the Swiss group’s jewellery division eked out a 4% increase in sales, reflecting the strength of the group’s twin jewellery giants. Notably, the revenue growth was “supported by both jewellery and watches”, reflecting the brand equity of each jeweller has carried over into their respective watch offerings. The three jewellery brands – the smallest is Buccellati – accounted for 70% of Richemont’s turnover. Although profit was not announced, the jewellers are also responsible for an even greater share of the group’s profits. Watch weakness In contrast, the watch division saw revenue fall 13%. Amongst the division’s brands are IWC, Panerai, Piaget, and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Interestingly, A. Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin were singled out for their “resilience”. Unsurprisingly, both are haute horlogerie brands that derive the highest proportion of revenue from in-house boutiques, as opposed to third-party retailers. Whether this resilience is durable is an open question, although odds are not in the brands’ favour given their respective product mix, sales strategies, and consumer sentiment. Only available at boutiques At a group leve...

I have handled a lot of watches over the past 30 years. To my knowledge, though, I had never held a Borgel-cased watch until sometime last year. Now I own two Borgel pieces, and they’re worth sharing. Both are Movado Sport models from the ’50s and are lovely regardless of the case maker. My interest […] Visit Vintage Watches: A Pair Of Movado Sport Models With Borgel Cases to read the full article.

Released last year, the Tissot Heritage 1938 COSC is a watch that’s hard to not objectively find brilliant. Combining a nice retro design with modern specs and a truly fair price, it even comes equipped with a chronometer-certified movement – making it one of the most accessible Swiss chronometers on the market. This handsome, affordable […]

Your 101 guide to keeping your bronze watch clean and shiny or green and grimey.The post How to care for your bronze watch, from forcing patina to citric acid baths appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This time, we discuss exit watches after receiving a great topic request from one of our favorite listeners. It’s a familiar theme we may have touched upon before. Let’s see if our collective tastes have changed. For our listeners, watch content starts after eight minutes. Exit watches […] Visit Fratello On Air: Revisiting Our Exit Watches - Patek Philippe, Rolex, And More to read the full article.

Following the announcement yesterday of decreasing sales for the Swatch Group, particularly impacted by the industry’s challenging situation in China and South East Asia, it is time today for one of its main competitors, Richemont Group, to announce its sales for the first quarter ended 30 June 2024. Contrary to expectations, global sales are to […]

The Sato winery in New Zealand has a collection of wines that both reflect their site and terroir while retaining finesse and elegance. Ken Gargett found them utterly entrancing.

Among Tudor’s new releases for 2024, the most conservative is undoubtedly the Black Bay 41 METAS ref. 7941A1A0NU, which offers a monochrome, black-and-white alternative to the gilt-and-burgundy ref. M7941A1A0RU-0003 introduced last year. Initial thoughts The new Black Bay 41 (BB41) feels instantly familiar. In fact, it’s a little surprising that it wasn’t already in the collection, being about at straightforward as a contemporary dive watch can be. But what it lacks in surprise, it makes up for in simple, tangible quality. While the BB41 was the original Black Bay – launched a dozen years ago now – it now sits atop a range that also includes the smaller Black Bay 58 and even more compact Black Bay 54. The BB41 METAS’ dimensions of 41 mm by 13.6 mm thick mean it wears similar to a modern Rolex Submariner; those looking for vintage proportions should consider the BB58 and BB54. Of course, the big news is METAS certification for the MT5602-U movement, which now carries a “U” suffix to identify it as a METAS-certified Master Chronometer. The differences from the standard MT5602 used to date are likely minimal, since the movement has always had a silicon hairspring, one of the most important features for resisting the METAS standard’s 15,000 gauss anti-magnetism test. The difference, therefore, is that the movement’s high-performance specs have been confirmed by an independent test. Tudor is all about value, and the BB41 METAS is no exception. Available with...

Last year, I bought a digital sports watch to keep track of my running and rowing sessions. Since I’m very much an amateur athlete, I went with a Coros Pace 3, an entry-level exercise tracker. I got it on a Velcro strap because I heard it helps with adjustability, and honestly, it’s very comfortable and […] Visit Hands-On With Delugs Delcro Straps - The Smartwatch Strap Makes A Move Toward Luxury to read the full article.

Vacheron Constantin will soon stage From Geometry to Artistry in Singapore, an exhibition to showcase the brand’s latest timepieces launched Watches & Wonders 2024, as well as an interactive kinetic artwork by design studio Lanzavecchia + Wai. According to Vacheron Constantin, the new timepieces for 2024, ranging from the Traditionnelle to the Overseas, demonstrate artistry inspired by geometric shapes, hence the exhibition’s title, From Geometry to Artistry. The exhibition will take place in 48 Bukit Pasoh from July 22-28, 2024. It’s open to the public, but registration online is required. This year’s Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time with a green dial. La Bonsaï, the kinetic artwork by Lanzavecchia + Wai, was created in response reaction to exhibition’s theme. La Bonsaï is a mechanical bonsai-planétaire that goes into motion when guests touch the jewel-like plant. Each branch of the artwork is inspired by Vacheron Constantin’s signature finishes, components, and movements, including  a large blue disc on the trunk of the bonsai references the sunburst, satin-finish dial of the Patrimony, as well as a sphere on the base of the plate that orbits the trunk, a nod to the moon phase display. La Bonsaï, 2024 by Lanzavecchia + Wai. From Geometry to Artistry  Open daily to the public July 22-July 28, 2024 2:00 pm-9:00 pm 48 Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore 089859 For registration, visit vacheron-constantin.com.  

The owner of brands like Omega and Longines, the Swatch Group just announced its results for the first half of 2024. The half-year numbers crystallised a slowdown that the watch industry has felt since late 2023. Revenue was down 14.3% to CHF3.44 billion, while operating profit plunged 70% to just CHF204 million, giving the group an operating margin of just 5.9%, compared to 17.1% from a year earlier. According to Swatch, the fall in revenue was “triggered by the sharp drop in demand for luxury goods in China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR)”. At the same time, wholesale sales fell over 10%, indicating that third-party retailers are ordering less watches from the group’s brands, which in turn indicates the retailers’ pessimism for the short- and medium term. Swatch also explained the poor results by noting the group did not “make any redundancies… [and] maintaining all production capacities and not laying off qualified staff”. This was done so that “the Group [will] recover more quickly and benefit more significantly from the next upswing.” The progressively weakening positions of each of the group’s brands relative to the competition – marques like Breguet and Blancpain stand out in this regard – imply this might be overoptimistic. Notably, Swatch stated “the Swatch brand bucked the negative trend” thanks to the bestselling MoonSwatch, but this was not (and will not) be sufficient to help the rest of the group given the low value of Swat...

A fitting nod to Cussler on what would have been his 93rd birthday.

Astor+Banks has debuted the long awaited Sea Ranger M2, a watch that brand founder Andrew Perez has been working on, tinkering with, and previewing for over a year. At this weekend’s Windup Watch Fair in Chicago, he finally had production versions on display for all to see, and it was well worth the wait. It’s easily the most refined and well thought out watch in the Astor+Banks catalog, a natural evolution of what came before and a logical extension of the Sea Ranger line. This is a dual crown diver in four colorways: black, blue, army green, and a rich brown the brand refers to as “tobacco.” As you’d expect, one crown controls the time setting and winding duties, while the other rotates the internal bezel, which is lumed on all four variants. This is a really fun effect and the lume is applied liberally for a bright glow that will be genuinely useful in low light situations. The dials all have a matte finish.  The case is 40mm in diameter, 12.5mm tall, and 45.5mm lug to lug. On the wrist it feels very well proportioned, and the overall machining quality and finishing is top notch, and feels like a step up from previous Astor+Banks efforts. The bracelet is a match for the case in finishing quality and has a lovely taper from 20mm down to 16mm at the clasp. Astor+Banks, responding to feedback from collectors, is using the NodeX clasp by Nodus on the Sea Ranger M2, which offers easy micro-adjustments up to 10mm.  The Astor+Banks Sea Ranger M2 has a retail price ...

Céladon is a project established in 2012 by watch aficionado and collector Benjamin Chee. It is part of his small group of watch brands, alongside BCHH and Milléchron. If these two relate to Europe and Switzerland, Céladon was created to celebrate Chinese artisanship, with watches “Made in China with pride.” In particular, the brand’s timepieces […]

A new watch event comes to Italy, with 20 brands and a taste of La Dolce Vita, from October 4-6, 2024.

With a stunning chrysocolla dial and a blingy bezel, this is a thoroughly dressed-up diver.The post The Ulysse Nardin Diver Atoll has a dial like you’ve never seen appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

From a sporty option from NOMOS Glashütte to a lightweight BVLGARI Chronograph and beyond.

In recent years, the Windup Watch Fair has played host to a number of notable debuts from some of our favorite watch brands. It’s a great time to launch a watch, after all. With hordes of watch enthusiasts descending on Chicago’s Venue West over the weekend, brands had a captive audience to launch splashy new releases. Christopher Ward, a Windup mainstay for years, keenly understands this, and jumped at the chance this weekend to debut colorful new versions of The Twelve in a new 38mm case size. The enthusiast favorite size rounds out a varied collection of integrated bracelet sports watches that have driven a lot of interest in the brand since they launched a little over a year ago, and Christopher Ward, as always, is having some fun with color in this new batch.  The brand has dubbed these the “Ice Cream Collection” for their bright colors, all of which are inspired by ice cream and thus feel perfectly timed as a summer watch release. The new, cleverly named colors are Biel-Berry, Mint 38, Peach Sellita, and Made in Mangohead. They all feature the now familiar Christopher Ward flag motif repeated across the dial, and come on integrated stainless steel bracelets as well as color matched rubber straps. We had a chance to see these in the metal in Chicago over the weekend, and, pardon the cliche watch writer terminology, the colors really do pop. My personal favorite is easily the Peach dial, but talking to fair attendees over the weekend it was clear that all of t...

Three is the magic number - or so they say. Many a watch enthusiast has boldly claimed that all you will ever need is the minimalist and perhaps mythical three-watch collection. While I do see the logic behind this, I struggle to accept that an arbitrary number should define my collection without at least trying […] Visit Size Matters: The Philosophical Guide To A Perfectly Proportioned Watch Collection to read the full article.

VC brings the novelties from Watches & Wonders to Singapore in an interesting exhibition. We were at themedia preview. Here is our event guide.