365 articles · 17 videos found · page 10 of 13
Time+Tide
Being the cradle of watchmaking, France is bound to have some good watchmakers - and it does.The post 19 of the best French watch brands keeping the historic craft alive appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Baltic returns as the official timekeeper of The Tour de France Automobile, along with a new limited edition chronograph in honor of the long-standing rally.
Worn & Wound
I really don’t know anything about cycling. Beyond a childhood penchant for Livestrong bracelets and about 20 minutes a year spent watching either the Tour de France or the Olympics, the world of competitive cycling is a mystery to me. I don’t even own a bicycle right now. So on some level, the watches produced by Bravur, the Swedish watch brand whose watches often celebrate the fastest sport on two wheels without an engine, shouldn’t really be my thing. And yet, each and every time I encounter the brand, I come away impressed and intrigued. That was definitely my response when I first saw the brand’s Team Heritage watch last year, and it remains my response in seeing their latest addition to that collection: The Team Heritage STR, inspired by the livery of the St. Raphaël team. I’ll have to take Bravur’s word for the long-dormant St. Raphaël team’s “legendary” status, one thing is absolutely for sure, their colors make for a hell of an addition to the Bravur lineup. The Team Heritage model was first released last year and stood out to me not only for its unique colorways inspired by the liveries of some of cycling’s most significant and historic teams but also for the model’s unique architecture, interesting dial executions, and downright fantastic feel on the wrist. Each of the model’s distinct looks stood out to such an extent that it’d have been hard for me to pick a favorite. Not so much anymore. This red, white, and blue bullseye pattern...
Monochrome
The Tour Auto is the historic reincarnation of the Tour de France Automobile, a race created in 1899 by the Automobile Club de France, and French brand Baltic is the official timer of the event this year again. As with previous year’s events and ahead of the 2025 edition of this vintage car rally, which […]
Time+Tide
France's best-known luxury brand and Finland's master watchmaker collaborate on a 5-piece limited edition.The post Louis Vuitton teams up with Kari Voutilainen on an ultra-elevated tantalum take on the Escale appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
“Through constant emails, face-to-face requests at events, and in the comments of our social posts, it has been impossible to ignore the requests for this ‘Goldilocks’ case size. We are a brand that listens to our customers––you asked and we delivered.” –Christopher Ward’s CEO and Co-Founder Mike France It’s always refreshing when the feedback of the watch community is recognized by at least one company or representative within the watchmaking industry. To hear Mike France and Christopher Ward directly address their customer’s concerns is exactly what makes the microbrand/indie sphere so great. Whether you believe they’ve expanded beyond their microbrand status to “legacy micro,” “independent,” or some other higher level of categorization, the brand’s acknowledgement of customer input speaks volumes about their character and ability to take and utilize constructive criticism––perhaps a result of their humble beginnings as a true microbrand. After the critical acclaim the 36mm and 40mm Twelve models received, Christopher Ward is set to release a fresh take on their popular design with the new Twelve 38. The stainless-steel case, which made its limited edition debut last year in the “Ice Cream” collection, measures 38mm across, 43.3mm lug-to-lug, and 9.95mm thick, thanks to its ultra-slim Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 movement. With 26 jewels, a smooth 4Hz beat rate, and a 38-hour power reserve, these reliable and durable automatic move...
Monochrome
A relatively young brand founded in 2014 and based in Paris, France, the brainchild of childhood friends Ambroise and Adrien, Charlie Paris aims at delivering nice designs and solid watch content at fair prices. And the brand already carries quite a solid portfolio of models, such as the sporty Concordia we’ve covered already. But today, […]
Worn & Wound
Today, if you ask nearly anyone, “What’s the epicenter of watchmaking?” the answer will resoundingly be, “Switzerland,” but you might be surprised to learn its neighbor to the west is largely responsible for the birth of modern watchmaking as we know it. In France, the earliest clocks date back to the Middle Ages, primarily used by clergymen. Fast forward a few hundred years, you’ll find the first “wearable clocks” emerging in France by the end of the 1400s. Over the next couple hundred years, watchmaking became an increasingly thriving industry in France. However, the horological community experienced its first disruption in 1685. That year, King Louis XIV revoked of the Edict of Nantes, which had granted the minority Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic at the time. As a result of the revocation, there was a mass exodus of Huguenots from France across the border to Switzerland, many of whom were-you guessed it-watchmakers. King Louis XIV Still, the real golden age of French watchmaking came in the 1700s in conjunction with another major moment for the country: the Age of Enlightenment. During this time, Paris became the heart of the watchmaking industry. Here, in the Île de la Cité (one of two natural islands in the Seine River right in the center of the City of Light), is the Place Dauphone, a public square on the western end of the island opposite the ico...
Monochrome
Abraham-Louis Breguet was the leading watchmaker of his day and enjoyed the patronage of France’s royalty and aristocracy. Among the names on his VIP list was Caroline Murat, aka the Reine de Naples, Napoleon Bonaparte’s youngest sister, who was a keen collector of Breguet’s horological marvels. The Reine de Naples collection is a free interpretation […]
Fratello
Rugby fans worldwide are looking forward to the annual Six Nations Championship that kicks off on January 31st in Paris, France. This year’s tournament will end with a trio of matches on March 15th. It will be interesting to see whether Ireland can defend its title or if we will witness the crowning of a […] Visit Breitling Introduces New Six Nations Chronomat Limited Editions For Men And Women to read the full article.
Monochrome
One of France’s oldest family-owned and run luxury companies, Hermès started life in 1837 as a producer of harnesses and saddles in Paris. Renowned for its impeccable artisanal craftsmanship and intrepid artistic flair, Hermès manages to endow its watches with a singular dash of poetry. The equestrian-inspired profile of the Arceau, which has hosted poetic […]
Monochrome
Founded just eight years ago by Etienne Malec, Baltic has gone from strength to strength with its attractive designs. Relying on outsourced movements assembled in France, Baltic sells its watches directly online at genuinely competitive prices. Baltic’s neo-vintage models are particularly successful, including the Hermétique Tourer, a field watch with compact dimensions and a surprising […]
SJX Watches
The fabled Breguet no. 160 “Marie Antoinette” (pictured above, image credit Baruch Coutts) was reputedly made for the last queen of France, but was so complicated that it took decades to complete, by which time the queen was long dead. Stolen in 1983 and then recovered in 2007, the legendary watch started by Abraham-Louis Breguet will be on display for the first time outside of the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art In Jerusalem since its recovery. From December 12, the Breguet “Marie Antoinette” will be on show at the Science Museum in London (which is also home to important George Daniels creations, including the unfinished watch and the Space Traveller II). The Breguet Marie Antoinette is part of Versailles: Science and Splendour, an exhibition dedicated to the scientific and technology discoveries related to the French royal court in the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition explores a 120-year span of scientific progress at Versailles, illustrating the scientific endeavours accomplished during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. The mythical watch While the exhibition will include over 100 exhibits, watch enthusiasts will know the highlight is Breguet no. 160, the grand complication commissioned in 1783, by Marie Antoinette’s lover according to legend, hence its longstanding nickname. A no-expense-spared commission, watch no. 160 was only completed in 1827, having been delayed by A.-L. Breguet’s exile during the French Revolution. By the t...
Deployant
We had the opportunity to visit Yema's manufacturing facility in Morteau France. Here's us bringing you for an in-depth look into a French watch manufacture
Fratello
A few weeks ago, I joined Chopard on a trip to the Dordogne region in France. There, I could sit down and talk with Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard, and look at some of the L.U.C watches the brand has planned for 2025. The past, present, and future of L.U.C Other brands also do these […] Visit A Visit To The Dordogne With Chopard - L.U.C Watches, Wine, And Classic Cars to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Founded in 1948, Yema is an independent French watch manufacturer in Morteau, France, which as Yema reminds us, is “the birthplace of French watchmaking.” The third-generation Bôle family operates it alongside a team of watchmakers with over 40 years of experience. Over the years, they have gained a reputation for producing robust and dependable tool watches suitable for diving, car racing, and military expeditions. Yema has sought a new, more enthusiast focused clientele in recent years, particularly with their popular dive watches and the new Wristmaster line of integrated bracelet sports watches. To enhance this revival, they partnered with Alain Silberstein to create a special limited edition piece. Silberstein is an artistic watch designer with a background in interior architecture who grew to prominence with his eponymous brand in the 80s and 90s. His original designs were genre-defying and have now become his signature look. His style can be polarizing, frequently incorporating bright primary colors and geometric shapes in unexpected ways. The word “playful” gets thrown around a lot in the watch world, but it truly defines the Silberstein design language – they just have a way of making you smile. And that’s exactly what this new collaboration with Yema is designed to do. It is a 40mm dual crown dive watch in Black DLC Grade 5 Titanium with micro-blasted finish. The Yema x Alain Silberstein Marine features a crown at 4 o’clock for time setting and win...
Monochrome
Although Eska is a “newcomer” today, it’s actually a historic Swiss brand that goes back over a century. In early 2024, the first watch from the revived brand (now based in France) emerged as the Amphibian 250 (ref. 1094), a close remake of the 1959 Eska Amphibian 600. That watch was inspired by the Blancpain […]
Fratello
A flyback countdown chronograph with a date at 9 o’clock and a 3Hz beat rate… A mic-drop meme would be enough now to introduce the seemingly unique Airin Regatta Chronograph that resurfaced in France. I have been following French graphic designer and watch collector David Renou, aka @Super.Compressor on Instagram, for quite some time now. […] Visit #TBT A Colorful Airin Regatta Timer With An Impressive Valjoux 237 Movement to read the full article.
Monochrome
Oris introduces a limited edition of its Divers Sixty-Five created in collaboration with France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and the National Convention of Child Protection Associations charity (CNAPE). The model chosen to promote the annual children’s football tournament is a classic 38mm Divers Sixty-Five powered by an automatic movement – not to be confused […]
Deployant
Last week, we looked at Japanese brands. This week, we turn our attention to France. Here are our pick of six watches from French brands.
Fratello
Le Tour de France, Wimbledon, Copa América, and UEFA Euro 2024 are all happening right now. If that’s not enough, from July 26th to August 11th, the Summer Olympics will take place in Paris. It’s a very intense summer for sports (or winter if you’re watching from the Southern Hemisphere). At some of these events, […] Visit You Can’t Imagine All The Technology Omega Uses As The Official Timekeeper Of The 2024 Paris Olympics to read the full article.
Fratello
The Summer Olympics will kick off in Paris in less than a month. Zenith has created the Defy Skyline Édition Paris to help celebrate the occasion. It uses a different style of dial, which may leave potential buyers wishing that this limited edition watch wasn’t only offered in France. Omega is the first brand that […] Visit Hot Take: The Zenith Defy Skyline Édition Paris to read the full article.
Fratello
Thus far, we’ve seen brands that mix horology with space and land exploration, car racing, coffee, and food. “But what about literature?” you may ask. Well, friends, I’m glad you want to know because, today, we’re going to take a look at Buci. This is a brand hailing from Paris, France, with a first collection […] Visit Introducing: Buci - Where Poetry Intersects With Horology And Horology Meets Vandalism to read the full article.
Monochrome
Behind the name Jacques Bianchi is actually a man who, during the 1980s, in his workshop based in Marseille (south of France) produced watches for French military divers. Working closely with COMEX and Jacques Mayol or Captain Cousteau, he was an important figure there. In 2021, the brand made a resounding comeback, faithfully reissuing the […]
Teddy Baldassarre
When you think of Australia, watches are probably not the first images that come to your mind. Kangaroos, boomerangs, Hugh Jackman, and Nicole Kidman, maybe, but not watches. However, much like Great Britain, France,, and our own United States, Australia in the 21st Century has given rise to a creative and ambitious generation of watch aficionados-turned-entrepreneurs that are eager to establish home-grown watchmaking in the Land Down Under. While a full-fledged horological industry in Australia is still quite a way from becoming reality - unlike those aforementioned nations, it has little watchmaking history to speak of, and outsourced parts and even manufacturing are still the norm - these 10 Australia-based watch brands are making timepieces worthy of enthusiasts’ attention. Melbourne Watch Co. Founded: 2013 Headquarters: Melbourne, Australia Founder: Sujain Krishnan Notable models: Melbourne, Flinders, Portsea, Fitzroy Melbourne Watch Company started out as a crowd-funded venture in 2013, a passion project for founder, former IT consultant and self-trained watchmaker Sujain Krishnan. It attained early success with its first timepiece, the Flinders Automatic, a business-casual steel watch named for a central train hub in the founder’s home city of Melbourne and sporting a dial inspired by that station’s clock. The brand has expanded its offerings in the decade-plus since, now offering no less than seven collections, all taking their names and some aesthetic cu...
Fratello
In just less than two weeks, on June 15th and 16th, almost 50 independent brands will assemble to exhibit their watches at TimeFest in Bordeaux, France. This is the first time this event is happening, and if I lived a little closer, I’d be very curious to check it out. There’s a nice mix of […] Visit Get Ready For The Very First TimeFest In Bordeaux to read the full article.
Monochrome
A strong advocate of French watchmaking and a brand with history, Yema keeps upgrading its collection with more horological content and designs to please vintage enthusiasts. This blend of modern watchmaking and historic looks was the base of the recently presented Superman Slim CMM.20, the icon of the brand powered by a manufacture micro-rotor calibre developed and assembled in France. Now, it's time for the Navygraf, the other dive watch of Yema to be upgraded and refined with these nice mechanics. Meet the new Navygraf Slim CMM.20 diver.
Quill & Pad
If you dare to compare, make it apples to apples. Ludovic Ballouard (Brittany) and François-Paul Journe (Marseille) both hail from France. Most pertinent to this comparison though is that both men designed quirky jumping-hour watches.
Monochrome
We return to the intriguing world of car collecting and the subsequent auctions that often go hand-in-hand. A couple of months ago it was announced that one of the most coveted collections in Europe would be offered for sale through Artcurial, the relatively young auction house headquartered in Paris, France. Catering to vintage car enthusiasts, […]
Worn & Wound
The Tour Auto, rooted in the historic Tour de France Automobile dating back to 1899, has become a pinnacle of motorsport, featuring legendary drivers like Maurice Trintignant and iconic brands such as Ferrari and Porsche. Today, over 250 competing crews traverse France’s scenic roads and racetracks, captivating spectators. Baltic returns for a second year in the row as the Official Timekeeper, and, in commemoration of the event, has produced 500 Tricompax timepieces. The Tricompax’s colorway strikes a balance between tradition and modernity, drawing inspiration from the excitement and iconography of the race. Its dial, in a matte light beige, complements three black-ringed subdials, reminiscent of the Tour de France Automobile’s colors. Accentuated by a black railway track, it pairs harmoniously with the tachymeter scale bezel, designed for speeds of up to 200 km/h. The Tricompax is encased in a 39.5mm 316L stainless steel case, clocking in at a thin 13.5mm profile. With a 63-hour power reserve from the Sellita SW510-M manually wound movement, 50-meter water resistance, and its double-domed sapphire crystal, each feature of this watch is meant for the long-haul. Each watch comes with both a steel flat link bracelet and a navy blue Alcantara strap, housed in a beautifully presented custom-made case. Also included in the case is a Rally Timer comprising two emblematic motorsport tools: a stopwatch with a matte light gray dial, operated by a Hanhart hand-wound movemen...
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