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Results for Rattrapante (Split-Seconds Chronograph)

4,129 articles · 600 videos found · page 103 of 158

Hands On: Petermann Bédat’s Reference 1825 Does More with Less SJX Watches
Petermann Bédat Oct 15, 2025

Hands On: Petermann Bédat’s Reference 1825 Does More with Less

Petermann Bédat has just unveiled its third model, the Reference 1825, which arrives two years after the Reference 2941 Split-Seconds Chronograph. The brand’s simplest watch to date, the 1825 is three hands but far from basic. In fact, the 1825 illustrates the cliche that less is more. Founded by duo Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, the brand departs from current fashion with the 1825, which has a restrained aesthetic front and back, though the movement incorporates enough subtle flourishes to make it distinctive and distinguished. The proliferation of open-dial time-only watches with overwrought finishing makes the quiet presence of the 1825 stand out. The cal. 233 of the 1825 Initial thoughts The recent enthusiasm for independent watchmaking has tended to focus on time-only watches of a specific sort, with open dials, exposed movements, and lots of finishing techniques. Naturally, independent watchmakers and brands have delivered in response to that demand. In comparison, the 1825 is old school in style and form, almost plain in fact, but I like it precisely because of that. The 1825 is appealing on two levels. One is tangible – it is an appealing watch on the wrist and clearly executed to a high level. The other is philosophical – I applaud Petermann Bédat for not going with current fads. The 1825 isn’t imaginative or radical, it is simply a simple watch of high quality that feels like it was conceived and executed by sincere, competent watchmakers. All ele...

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The MB&F; LM Sequential Upgraded with a Flyback SJX Watches
MB&F; May 28, 2024

The MB&F; LM Sequential Upgraded with a Flyback

In 2022 MB&F; launched its first ever chronograph, the LM Sequential EVO. A twin-chronograph constructed by Stephen McDonnell, it was a clever reinterpretation of the split-seconds function. Today MB&F; upgrades the concept with the LM Sequential Flyback Platinum that boasts a revised movement incorporating an additional flyback function.  Initial thoughts The LM Sequential Flyback is certainly polarising in terms of style and technique, like most MB&F; creations. The original Sequential EVO was praised for its exceptional and creative movement construction, though the utility of the twin chronograph was debated. The LM Sequential Flyback now adds a flyback function to the package, which may seem excessive. But that misses the point: the question of utility needn’t be answered nor asked. Such a timepiece goes far past the realm of practicality and needs to be judged simply by what it is: an incredible concept painstakingly executed. We already explored in detail how Mr McDonnell implemented the Twinverter system of double chronographs mechanisms while making the complex movement chronometrically-potent, despite the obvious challenges. I recommend reading the original story, as it thoroughly explains the beautiful mechanical subtleties of the watch. In the original Sequential EVO, the layered and complex construction of the movement meant the flyback function couldn’t be reliably implemented. Mr McDonnell ultimately dropped the idea and focused on perfecting the rest of t...

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Highlights: Complicated Wristwatches at Phillips Hong Kong SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux Opera Two May 21, 2024

Highlights: Complicated Wristwatches at Phillips Hong Kong

Having covered the highlights from independent watchmakers and historical pocket watches at The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XVIII on May 24 and 25, we now turn to complicated watches past and present. Amongst the historical are an Omega 30I tourbillon wristwatch tested at the Geneva, Neuchatel and Kew observatories, as well as a pair of chronographs with historical movements, an Excelsior Park with the Venus 179 split-seconds chronograph calibre and a Montblanc with the large, 17”’ Minerva monopoussoir chronograph movement. More recent is the Patek Philippe ref. 5059R London edition with applied Roman numerals and the Girard-Perregaux Opera Two, an ultra-complicated watch that’s a value-buy. The auction is scheduled for May 24 (lots 801-934) and May 25 (lots 935-1083), with online bidding and the catalogue available on Phillips.com. The Patek Philippe ref. 5059R made for the Grand Exhibition in London. 822 – Lange Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” Launched in 2021 to overwhelming demand, the Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” was the A. Lange & Söhne’s second luminous digital-display watch after the “Phantom” of 2010. It was a limited edition of 200 watches and based on the second-generation Zeitwerk, which is visually almost identical to the original model but enhanced with several technical upgrades, including a longer, 72-hour power reserve. Like the earlier “Phantom”, the Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” has a tinted sapphire dial that reveals the luminous numer...

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Raúl Pagès Wins Inaugural Louis Vuitton Watch Prize SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Watch Prize Feb 7, 2024

Raúl Pagès Wins Inaugural Louis Vuitton Watch Prize

In its first year, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has been awarded to Raúl Pagès and his RP1 Régulateur à Détente. Selected by a five-person jury, the RP1 triumphed over five finalists, including Andreas Strehler with his Tischkalender Sympathique and Petermann Bedat and its Reference 2941 split-seconds chronograph. A watchmaker, restorer, and automaton maker, Mr Pagès’ winning entry is a time-only wristwatch with a regulator-style display, and more importantly, a movement of his own design with a detent escapement. Historically found in precision marine chronometers, detent escapements are highly accurate but typically not shock resistant, a problem Mr Pagès solved by taking inspiration from a 19th century escapement design. As a result, his escapement is shock resistant enough for everyday use in a wristwatch. Besides technical features, the RP1 movement also boasts a high level of decoration that is artisanal in nature and accomplished by hand. The finishing, architecture, and construction are all classical in style, reflecting Mr Pagès experience as a restorer, most notably at Parmigiani, perhaps the most respected restoration workshop in Switzerland. A drawing a traditional detent escapement (left), and the RP1 detent escapement Tearing up as he gave his acceptance speech, Mr Pagès’ win is a milestone in a career that actually started over a decade ago. His skill and dedication were recognised by the jury, made up of Carole Forest...

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TAG Heuer Introduces the Glow-in-the-Dark Monaco Night Driver SJX Watches
TAG Heuer Introduces Sep 14, 2023

TAG Heuer Introduces the Glow-in-the-Dark Monaco Night Driver

Following its recent run of strikingly modern iterations of the classic Monaco, like the Skeleton Dial and the one-of-a-kind Only Watch split-seconds chronograph, TAG Heuer debuts the Monaco Chronograph Night Driver Limited Edition alongside the side of the 2023 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Dressed in shades of grey during the day, the Night Driver transforms into something else altogether at night. It retains the outlines of the vintage original in terms of design, but the Night Driver gets a luminescent chapter ring and sub-dials for nighttime legibility – a nod to the Singapore Grand Prix’s status as the first-ever Formula 1 night race. Initial thoughts After the recent Monaco models that were very contemporary, the more traditional looks of the Night Driver are a positive development. And even then the Night Driver incorporates an intriguing twist, making it more than just a vintage-ish watch. The Night Driver has a dial that uses Super-Luminova as a key element of the design, bringing to mind the Monza Flyback Chronometer. But here the lume is even more generously applied than on the Monza.  Moreover, the grey tones of anthracite, grey opaline, and case coated in diamond-like carbon (DLC), complement the lume well, creating a vintage feel that evokes faded “ghost” dials while still being a modern watch. Like other titanium Monaco models, the Night Driver is light in hand and on the wrist, despite the relatively large case. The thickness of the case, a cons...

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Watch Complications: A Comprehensive Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Aug 17, 2023

Watch Complications: A Comprehensive Guide

A watch complication, by definition, is any function offered by a timepiece that is in addition to its primary function of keeping the time. Despite the name, watch complications don't really have to be, well, all that complicated: that date display you glance at before signing a check qualifies as a complication even though it's not nearly as complex and dynamic as, say, the split-seconds chronograph you use to time racing laps or the world-time function you consult before making a call home on an international business trip. Here we run down the major watch complications from the simplest to the most mechanically sophisticated, and provide an example of each. Date Complications: Date Window Probably the most common of “small complications,” this is simply a display of the date via a numbered disk that passes under an aperture in the dial, usually positioned at 3 o’clock, 4:30, or 6 o’clock. Unless the watch is an annual or perpetual calendar, this date will need to be manually adjusted forward at the end of any month shorter than 31 days. Some watches, like the Rolex Submariner, enlarge this display by placing a magnifying lens over the window. Large Date This one also goes by “big date” “grande date,” or “panorama date,’ and is essentially just a larger version of the standard date display, though it usually uses two date disks (one for the tens numeral and the other for the ones) rather than one, and a double window, with each numeral appearing in...

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AP Social Club Day 2: 40 functions, 23 complications, ONE WATCH?! Time+Tide
Audemars Piguet Universelle boasts 40 functions Feb 3, 2023

AP Social Club Day 2: 40 functions, 23 complications, ONE WATCH?!

New RD#4: Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Universelle boasts 40 functions and 23 complications in one watch. Royal Oak Concept debuts in 43mm size with split-seconds chronograph GMT. New Royal Oak Perpetual Colander Ultra-Thin has a smoky-blue dial exclusive to the model As if yesterday’s announcements had not already satiated our appetite for new Audemars Piguet pieces, … ContinuedThe post AP Social Club Day 2: 40 functions, 23 complications, ONE WATCH?! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Habring2 Introduces the Doppel 38 SJX Watches
IWC three decades ago Now Nov 18, 2022

Habring2 Introduces the Doppel 38

Habring² has scaled down its signature split-seconds chronograph to create the Doppel 38, which retains all of the key features of the original but in a more compact case. Still having the “bullhead” pusher layout that characterises the split-seconds chronographs of Habring², the Doppel 38 is smaller and thinner than its predecessor, but continues to be powered by the proprietary hand-wound A11R calibre. Initial thoughts Long one of the best values in terms of sub-US$10,000 chronographs, the Doppel is perhaps the archetypal Habring² watch since it’s descended from the complication Mr Habring invented at IWC three decades ago. Now vastly improved and refined by Mr Habring, the Doppel possibly the most accessible split-seconds chronograph on the market – in itself a major point of appeal. But the original Doppel was 42 mm, not massive but large enough to make someone who prefers smaller watches think twice. Personally I thought the larger Doppel was sized well for its particular type of complication, but the Doppel 38 is unexpectedly compact, especially at just 11.5 mm high. Beyond making it more wearable for more people, the new dimensions will no doubt give the Doppel 38 a slightly more retro feel, although the dial styles on offer are thoroughly modern. And it remains affordable as such things go, with a retail price of about US$7,900 before taxes. A value-proposition split-seconds Like many of the recent watches from the brand, the Doppel 38 is simple in sty...

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Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Vasco da Gama SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Vasco da Feb 1, 2022

Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Vasco da Gama

Launched last year but perhaps overshadowed by mega complication like the Vermeer pocket watch and Traditionnelle split-seconds chronograph, the Métiers d’Art Tribute to Great Explorers – Vasco da Gama was the latest in Vacheron Constantin’s long-running series of antiquarian-map watches dedicated to noted historical seafarers. The Vasco da Gama, along with its siblings in the series, exemplify the brand’s tagline for 2021 – “Classic with a Twist” – with a case that evokes 1980s design but an enamelled dial and time display that are both quirky and interesting. The Vasco da Gama is one third of the Métiers d’Art Tribute to Great Explorers collection. The other two watches that make up the rest of the line up are naturally dedicated to “Great Explorers”, namely Bartolomeu Dias and Pedro Alvarez Cabral, fellow Portuguese sailors who were contemporaries of da Gama. They are each mechanically identical to the Vasco da Gama and differ only in terms of the dial motif. Each of the dials depict the journey of the respective explorer who were professional seamen who charted the world during the Age of Discovery, the period between the 15th and 18th centuries that saw the rise of European empires as their ships roamed the world. The watch outlines the first voyage of da Gama, the first European to reach India by sea. In 1497, he led his fleet of four ships on the two-year journey, setting sail south Lisbon, then around the Cape of Good Hope, and onto to Cali...

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In-Depth: F.P. Journe FFC Blue “Francis Ford Coppola” SJX Watches
F.P. Journe FFC Blue “Francis Ford Oct 31, 2021

In-Depth: F.P. Journe FFC Blue “Francis Ford Coppola”

Francois-Paul Journe’s creation for Only Watch 2021, the F.P. Journe FFC Blue, sticks to a familiar template. Like prior watches conceived for the biennial charity auction – the tourbillon of 2015, split-seconds chronograph of 2017, and the Astronomic of 2019 – this year’s timepiece has a tantalum case and blue dial. But FFC Blue is a strikingly unique watch – the five-fingered time display is a first in watchmaking. Though it has a conventional round case, the FFC Blue is conceptually closer to the unconventional Vagabondage watches than the brand’s round watches. Short for Francis Ford Coppola, the FFC Blue originated with a question posed to Mr Journe by the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now in 2012. Mr Coppola suggested a watch that indicated the time with human hand. Over the following years Mr Journe worked on the concept, with Mr Coppola suggesting the finger positions to indicate each hour. And now the filmmaker’s idea has been realised as a one-off creation for the charity auction. Though entirely unique compared with F.P. Journe’s other creations, the FFC is powered by the workhorse cal. 1300 of the Octa series Initial thoughts I found the hand-display concept intensely compelling when Mr Journe described it during my visit to Geneva in 2017. In the metal the FFC is equally compelling. It is inventive and appealing. It’s rather large at 42 mm in diameter, though like nearly all F.P. Journe watches it is unusually thin given the c...

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Hands-On: Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H SJX Watches
Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H Now Jun 2, 2020

Hands-On: Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H

Now five years old, Montblanc’s 1858 collection has proven to be both on the nose and on the money – and the line-up now includes an unusual single-handed, 24-hour wristwatch that doubles as a solar compass. From the entry-level automatic to the top-of-the-line split-seconds chronograph, the 1858 watches offer respectable value in their respective price categories, while possessing a pleasing balance of retro details reliant on clever use of tone, font, and finish. At Watches & Wonders 2020, Montblanc continued the theme, but with a twist, when it introduced the 1858 Automatic 24H. Initial thoughts Mechanically simple but functionally and visually unusual, the Automatic 24H doesn’t cost very much more than the base-model, three-hand automatic. Admittedly it only tells the time approximately, but the look and feel is reminiscent of an oversized vintage instrument, rather than just a vintage-inspired wristwatch. In order words, it is probably the most interesting entry-level watch from Montblanc. In fact, it’s a compelling proposition in the broader sub-US$5,000 category, being more interesting than the usual fare in this price segment. 24 hours and uncommon While not new, watches with a 24-hour time display where hour hand makes one revolution a day are uncommon, especially outside of specialised timers for professionals who operate on a 24-hour time such as pilots and astronauts. As a result, 24-hour watches are often no-nonsense instruments. Such watches typic...

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Hands-On: A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Dubail Edition SJX Watches
Cartier Dec 26, 2019

Hands-On: A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Dubail Edition

Before the monumental Grand Complication was launched in 2013 – essentially a wristwatch remake of a pocket watch sized like a pocket watch – the most complicated A. Lange & Söhne was the Tourbograph. Launched in 2005, it combined a split-seconds chronograph with a tourbillon regulator as well as a chain and fusee. A limited edition of 51 watches conceived as a tribute to the Günter Blümlein (1943-2001), revered for having reestablished A. Lange & Söhne after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tourbograph was powered by the L903.0 movement, made up of 465 parts, excluding the tiny chain. Cased in platinum, it was the original Lange uber-complication; a later edition of 50 pieces had a honey gold case, followed by an even more complex version with a perpetual calendar. Same but different Level up But Lange went one better and made a singular example of the ultimate Tourbograph, which was the most expensive Lange at the time. This Tourbograph was a unique piece set with 202 diamonds on the case – including one brilliant-cut diamond on the crown – and 175 on the bracelet, for a total of 377 diamonds weighing 40.6 carats. Diamonds aside, it is also unique as the only Tourbograph known that’s fitted to a matching platinum bracelet. Unveiled in 2009, it was made for Dubail, destined for its flagship store – which opened just the year before – on the Place Vendome, the posh square in Paris that is home to the Hotel Ritz and grand French jewellers like Cartier and...

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Rolex Unicorns Part III – Ref. 6062 Triple Calendar “Stelline Gordon Bethune” SJX Watches
Rolex Unicorns Part III – Oct 21, 2019

Rolex Unicorns Part III – Ref. 6062 Triple Calendar “Stelline Gordon Bethune”

The third important vintage Rolex – in my opinion – at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction, after the ref. 4113 split-seconds chronograph and mint ref. 8171 “Padellone”, is the ref. 6062 “Stelline” triple calendar that once belonged to Gordon Bethune, the executive best known for turning around Continental Airlines during his decade-long tenure starting in 1994. The watch a sterling example of the ref. 6062 – and will sell for well over a million dollars – but it is also notable for what it says about the development of the vintage watch market. Now 78 and retired, though he pops up regularly on CNBC to comment on the airline industry, Mr Bethune accumulated his watch collection over two decades. He sold the bulk of it in 2012, but remains probably the only famous business executive known to have collected watches in a serious fashion (another is perhaps former Hollywood talent agent Michael Ovitz, though he more widely regarded as an important collector of contemporary art). Mr Bethune’s collection was inclined towards great, even some of the best, examples of important, uncommon and desirable watches, rather than extraordinarily or unique models. So he owned one of the best-preserved, all-original examples of the ref. 6062s “Stelline”, rather than say a well-worn ref. 6062 with a black, diamond-marker dial. It was a cold day in December… The Gordon Bethune Collection of Fifty Exceptional Vintage Wristwatches took place in December 2012 at Christi...

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Richard Mille Introduces the RM 50-04 Kimi Räikkönen SJX Watches
Richard Mille Introduces Sep 21, 2019

Richard Mille Introduces the RM 50-04 Kimi Räikkönen

As complications go, the RM 50 is the ultimate Richard Mille, combining a tourbillon and split-seconds chronograph. Descended from the RM008 of 2003, one of the brand’s foundational models, the top of the line complication now has now been dressed up in new livery for Finnish Formula 1 driver Kimi Räikkönen, who drives for the Alfa Romeo Racing Team. Launched at the start of the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix, the RM 50-04 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Kimi Räikkönen is large, lightweight, and complex, and dressed in a red, white and black colour combination that’s the same as the livery on the Alfa Romeo C38 Formula 1 car. Kimi Räikkönen Though it’s a mass of details and colours, the dial is actually easily to decipher. The two chronograph sub-dials are the six and nine o’clock. The fan-shaped indicator at 11 o’clock is the power reserve, and its mirror image to the right is the torque indicator. This indicates the level of wind in the mainspring, with the ideal being between 53Nmm and 65Nmm; “Nmm” is short for Newton millimetre. And at three o’clock is the power reserve display. Made of various lightweight carbon composites, the watch case is generously sized, like other top of the line Richard Mille complications – 44.5mm in diameter and 16.1mm high. The front and back plates are white Quartz TPT, while the middle is Carbon TPT. Both composites are made by North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT), a Swiss lightweight composite specialist that’s...

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