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SJX Watches
For episode 18 of the SJX Podcast, we sit down with Sylvain Berneron, founder of one of the most talked about new brands of the past few years. Fresh off the launch of the brand’s first complicated model, the Quantième Annuel, Mr Berneron breaks down what it takes to start a watch business and stay on pace to produce a new model every year. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
Worn & Wound
In celebration of their 20th anniversary, the self-proclaimed “world’s first horological concept laboratory”, MB&F;, has a slate of special editions to remind the world of their experimental timepieces that push the boundaries of watchmaking (and watch wearing). Named for founder Maximilian Büsser (and friends), the brand’s back-catalog of inventive pieces has been plundered, with a total of 20 limited edition watches to be given away to the lucky few. The catch here is that instead of making the limited editions available commercially, MB&F; will be holding two raffles, each yielding 10 watches to 10 lucky winners. The first of the two raffles is more exclusive, being open only to “Tribe” members; aka, current owners of MB&F; watches. Becoming a Tribe member requires registering your MB&F; watch, and opens the door to special editions, collectibles, warranty extensions, and other perks. This Tribe-exclusive raffle promises winners one of 10 limited edition LM101 Longhorn pieces. The LM101 is among the most prized “Legacy Machine” watches MB&F; makes, and the Longhorn case is seen infrequently in MB&F;’s catalog, and is perhaps even more sought after. It’s named for its distinctive long lugs, here extending from a 40mm stainless steel case. The colorway is sober silver with black subdials and blue accents on the hands. A caseback inscription on the reverse side reads “Fortune Favors the Bold”. The second raffle is tied directly to the much more acces...
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) has just announced a majority stake in Inhotec, a supplier of components for high-end mechanical movements. Long a supplier to AP, Inhotec produces parts ranging from base plates to springs, in both raw and fully decorated states. The value of the deal was not revealed, but founder Alexandre Eme will retain a minority stake and continue to serve as chief executive of Inhotec, which was founded in 2011. According to the announcement, AP will “provide strategic and financial support” while leaving Inhotec to retain “operational autonomy” over “managerial decisions, industrial activities and commercial relationships”. Lucas Raggi, the chief industrial officer of AP, explains the acquisition “is about consolidating key strategic skills and supporting the continuity of an expertise that is essential to the future of haute horlogerie“. AP’s acquisition of Inhotec reflects two trends. One is the longstanding and continued development of AP’s production capabilities, exemplified by the recent inauguration of the expansive Arc manufacture in Le Brassus. The other is macro, a slowdown in business for specialised suppliers across the watchmaking value chain.
SJX Watches
Between July 10-20, 2025, Jaeger-LeCoultre is staging Atelier d’Antoine in Singapore. A nod to the founder of the brand, Antoine LeCoultre, Atelier d’Antoine is series of workshops that invites both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts to discover the world of the Reverso by working on the famous swivelling case. The workshops take place at the Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) boutique in Marina Bay Sands and will mirror the experience at the manufacture in Le Sentier. The event is open to be public, but registration is required. Atelier d’Antoine will feature two different programmes, Discovery Workshops and Masterclasses. Discovery Workshops take place in the context of the brand’s 2025 theme of the 1931 Polo Club, a tribute to the year the Reverso was launched, and will explore the Art Deco styling which defined the Reverso cases from the beginning. Participants will also learn how the iconic swivel mechanism works and learn about the evolution of the design. Modern-day Reverso watches, even though they are decades after the original, continue to echo the culture and tradition of the 1930s. Masterclasses are the culmination of the event, where participants assemble a Reverso case by hand, putting the 50 components together themselves. The experience will provide an unparalleled insight into the construction of the seemingly simple Reverso case. And continuing with the confectionery theme established at Watches & Wonders (W&W;) this year, JLC is pairing the event with a cho...
SJX Watches
Twenty twenty-five marks Andersen Genève’s 45th anniversary, although founder Svend Andersen’s career as an independent watchmaker has spanned far more than 45 years. For the anniversary, the brand has revived the Communication 45, the tenth world timer wristwatch in its catalogue since Andersen Genève was established in 1990. Initial thoughts Danish horologist Svend Andersen is an important name in independent watchmaking. The 83-year-old was one of the founders of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants AHCI, along with Vincent Calabrese. One of the earliest models he introduced after setting up his brand was a world time wristwatch – powered by a mechanism of his own design – that was inspired by his tenure working at Patek Philippe. Appropriately the brand is marking its anniversary with the very same complication. The new Communication 45 (left) and its predecessor from 1990 With the Communication 45, Andersen Genève seeks to reinvent its original world timer, without being disruptive. The new model sports a refined case with prominent teardrop lugs and a textured dial in cognac-shaded Blue Gold. Notably, the case employs two peculiar crowns that are flush with the case band, a design which seeks to preserve the symmetry of the case - although it all ends up looking slightly odd. The dial is well made and evokes the stylistic lavishness of 1990s luxury watchmaking, yet there is one element that doesn’t fit: the hands. Executed in the sha...
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Fratello
Yes, a Ressence watch certainly stands out from most other watches. The apparent simplicity, rounded shape, and thoughtful use of color make Benoît Mintiens’ creations very distinct. The brand’s oil-filled watches - the Type 3, 5, and the recently introduced 7 - best express the founder’s functional philosophy: a mechanical watch should tell you the […] Visit Up Close And Personal With Benoît Mintiens And Ressence’s Oil-Filled Watches to read the full article.
SJX Watches
With the recent election of Pope Leo XIV-the first American and Augustinian pontiff-a rare opportunity arises to revisit one of the most intriguing intersections between horology and the papacy. While much attention has historically centered on Pope Leo XIII’s Jubilee in 1888, when Patek Philippe crafted commemorative watches for the occasion, the relationship between watchmaking and the Vatican stretches further back, rooted in the values and vision of Patek Philippe’s co-founder, Antoine Norbert de Patek. A devout Catholic and Polish émigré, Patek viewed watchmaking not merely as a commercial enterprise but as a moral and cultural calling. His personal faith and longstanding connection to the Catholic Church helped shape the company’s enduring ties to religious institutions, most notably the Vatican. This ethos of sacred precision and spiritual patronage found material expression in a number of papal commissions, the most prominent of which emerged during the reign of Leo XIII. Complementing Patek Philippe’s contributions, Vacheron Constantin also played a significant role in this narrative. In collaboration with Parisian retailer Ratel, they produced devotional timepieces that transcended mere functionality, serving as instruments of spiritual reflection. These watches, rich in symbolism and craftsmanship, further exemplify the deep connections between horology and the papacy. Papal Precedents: The Watches of Pius IX Before Leo XIII’s Jubilee, the tradit...
SJX Watches
Zenith has finally started to look beyond the El Primero with the G.F.J., which features a new version of the storied chronometer cal. 135. Conceived to mark the brand’s 160th anniversary, the G.F.J. moniker is a reference to the brand’s founder, Georges Favre-Jacot, whose initials grace the facade at the manufacture in Le Locle. This new model marks the return of the famous movement phased out about 60 years ago. But production has officially restarted, and the new cal. 135 features modern upgrades that differentiate it from the vintage original used in the Calibre 135 Observatoire introduced in 2022. The “new old stock” cal. 135 that Zenith dusted off for the 2022 edition. Image – Zenith The movement returns to market in a 160-piece limited edition in platinum and features an elaborate blue dial that that is made from lapis lazuli and mother of pearl. For about double the price, owners can request a full platinum bracelet, which endows the watch with impressive heft. Initial thoughts I’ve always liked the cal. 135 and wished Zenith would bring it back. That said, I was not convinced by the first stock images I saw of the G.F.J. I felt like the dial was overwrought, and the basketweave pattern on the movement was distracting. Having spent some time with the watch, I would soften my criticism of the dial as it’s more subtle on the wrist and up close the details are finely done. Moreover, subsequent non-anniversary versions will likely have these details toned...
Deployant
Daniel Roth unveils the new Extra Plat Souscription, paying tribute to the brand's founder and historical references from the 1990s.
Monochrome
A week ago, we covered some of the best watches coming from the Netherlands for the simple reason that both our founder Frank and myself are Dutch. However, part of the team comes from France, and as such, I thought it would be fun to have a look at French watches this time around! And when […]
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SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey unexpectedly debuted the Hand Made 1 in 2019, but the watch has recently been in the headlines because Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was wearing one while announcing the elimination of Meta’s fact-checking policy. So it’s an opportune time to revisit the Hand Made 1, especially since its successor may be on the horizon. More classical in style than the typical Greubel Forsey, the Hand Made 1 gets its name from the fact that entire watch, including the case, is “95%” produced “using only hand-operated tools”, but finished to the requisite high standards of the brand. “Robert and myself wanted to bring the level of reliability and performance of a modern watch, so we have imposed the tolerances of a Greubel Forsey timepiece on a hand-made watch,” explains Stephen Forsey, cofounder of Greubel Forsey. Initial thoughts Highly regarded for its elaborately-finished and often elaborately constructed watches, Greubel Forsey surprised with the Hand Made 1. While still equipped with a tourbillon regulator, the Hand Made 1 is simple relative to the brand’s usual fare, which is focused on inclined regulators and multi-axis tourbillons. While the Hand Made 1 is different from most Greubel Forsey offerings, it is similar in possessing a sheen of perfection. This is immediately apparent with the watch in hand. Every edge and surface in the movement looks perfect, even under magnification. This sets it apart from the average “hand made” watch, which ...
SJX Watches
To mark founder Michel Parmigiani’s 74th birthday, Parmigiani Fleurier created the L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse, a minute repeater without a tangible time indication on the face. Instead, the enamelled, guilloché dial on the front is purely decorative, with the repeater to tell the time on the wrist. But there is the time on the back of the watch thanks to a pair of discreet, peripheral hands. Initial thoughts Among the many complications, the minute repeater is one of my favourites. The beauty of a minute repeater lies in its acoustic time indication, which makes hands redundant in some ways. The L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse takes this concept to its logical conclusion in a gorgeously executed manner. The elaborate dial and case, however, result in the watch being very large, big enough that it loses some of the refinement and details present in a smaller case. Several notable artisans contributed to the watch, including Vanessa Lecci for the enamelling. The movement was supplied by Renaud & Papi, which is a fine, high-end movement but it’s a bit of a shame that Parmigiani didn’t utilise one of its in-house repeater calibres. A fascinating complication Like many historical Parmigiani models, the styling of the L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse is inspired by Ancient Greece. The fluted case middle is modelled on Doric columns, while the engine turning on the dial and the back are inspired by the Fibonacci sequence. It’s a large watch, w...
Quill & Pad
With great sadness, the independent Swiss watch manufacture Armin Strom announces the death of its founder, Mr. Armin Strom at the age of 86.
SJX Watches
Having stepped in to acquire Brodbeck Guillochage in 2022, Voutilainen has announced the opening of a new, larger facility in Fleurier that is poised to become a new centre of excellence for guilloché. Retaining the name Brodbeck Guillochage in honour of its founder Georges Brodbeck, the new facility is located in what was once the local watchmaking school of Fleurier, the town adjacent to Voutilainen’s hilltop headquarters at Chapeau de Napoléon. The new home of Brodbeck Guillochage in Fleurier Initial thoughts This is welcome news for a number of reasons. First, it will help perpetuate the legacy of Mr. Brodbeck, ensuring that his life’s work will continue to have a positive impact watchmakers and lovers of fine objects for years to come. Second, the steady hand of Kari Voutilainen, whose accomplishments as an entrepreneur rival his skills as a watchmaker, should help the new enterprise navigate potential industry downturns in the future. Finally, the impressive scale of the operation should be a magnet for talent, improving the economic prospects for young artisans interested in guilloché. A new centre of excellence A self-taught guillocheur, Mr Brodbeck founded his eponymous firm in 2004, gradually building up a stock of more than 30 antique engine turning machines, each restored to working order by Mr Brodbeck himself. In 2023, Mr Brodbeck was awarded the Prix Gaïa, arguably the highest award in the Swiss watch industry, for his contributions to the preservati...
Monochrome
With ArtyA, the brand’s founder Yvan Arpa has formed a unique vision of watchmaking characterized by great creativity and bold designs. Over the past months though, the brand has focused on the production of more restrained, less polarizing skeleton movements, often housed in transparent sapphire crystal cases, forming the Purity collection. Today, we are taking a […]
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SJX Watches
The flying tourbillon marks the beginning of my career as a watch dealer and collector. In the mid-1970s, I met a former fellow pupil of mine, Richard Miklosch, in a little antique shop in my hometown of Aachen. At the time, I was unaware that Miklosch (1939-2014), originally a technical schoolteacher, had become a highly sought-after watchmaker specialising in pocket watch tourbillons (Fig. 1) – to his great credit being entirely self-taught in the field [1, p. 198][1, pp. 374-377][2, p. 140][3, p. 40]. That is how Theodor Beyer, who ran Chronometrie Beyer and Beyer Uhrenmuseum in Zürich, came to have a Miklosch tourbillon, as well as a George Daniels tourbillon, in his collection. I told him about my growing fascination for watches and my plans to start organising auctions specialised in this field. Miklosch looked at me sympathetically, and, pulling a watch out of his pocket he said: “This is one of the best precision timepieces ever made”. Although I had only rudimentary knowledge of the subject at the time, I was immediately struck by the visual aesthetics of the movement. It was one of the flying tourbillons from the famous Glashütte School; to be precise the 1930-1931 tourbillon made by Max Hahn marked “School no. 3673” and “Special no. 21”. That was my eureka moment and one that ultimately marked the beginning of my watch career. Some of these iconic watches were to pass through my hands in the following 50 years, or even to find a place in my colle...
Worn & Wound
The concept of a “mid-life crisis” has long had a negative connotation thanks to the word “crisis” implying a moment of difficulty, but I’d suggest we rethink this as a mid-life turning point. For Lilian Thibault, founder of Awake, this moment came when he reached a certain age and his kids began to grow. He took the opportunity to turn a mid-life crisis into a mid-life reinvention. After years of investing in other successful businesses, he decided to invest in himself and his own passions. Lilian had been an avid watch collector for more than two decades, and in 2018 he set out to create his own brand-Awake was born. “As my kids are growing older, I’ve started to think more and more about the legacy that will be left behind for them,” Lilian told me. “I decided I wanted to bring my own brand to market that reflects the vision I would like to see in the world for the next generation. This is, in fact, why I chose the name ‘Awake,’ I have a mission to awaken people’s attention to beauty and what really matters in life.” Lilian Thibault To bring his vision to life, Lilian launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for production in 2018. The campaign was originally planned to run for a month, but the brand reached its goal of $30,000 within an hour and ended up raising $400,000-Lilian was clearly onto something, and his vision was resonating. A year later, the brand unveiled its first collection aptly named “Origins.” In the spirit of thinking a...
Worn & Wound
Germany is the home of many prominent timepiece manufacturers. The most notable city known for watchmaking is Glashütte; however, another city, Pforzheim,, located roughly 560 kilometers away, has its own proud watchmaking history. Brands calling Pforzheim home include Circula, Laco, Limes, Stowa, and others, along with the famous case maker Ickler, whose work supplies numerous watch brands worldwide. Heinrich is a watch brand located in Stuttgart, less than an hour from Pforzheim. This proximity allows brand founder Wolfgang Heinrich to collaborate with skilled watchmakers to develop new sport and dive watches that take inspiration from the 1970s while incorporating a unique twist. Twist barely describes their latest creation, the Taucher Infused Forged Carbon V2. If that sounds like a mouthful, it is, but it is also an eyeful. These watches feature dials and bezel inserts made from colored forged carbon combined with SuperLuminova BGW9. We are not only referring to the indices, minute track, and bezel markings being lumed; instead, we mean that the dial and bezel material itself is integrated with lume. The fusion of materials in each watch is unique, ensuring no two are alike. The 41mm stainless steel case measures 13.6mm to the top of the boxed sapphire crystal, and due to the very short lugs, it has a compact length of 47.8mm from lug tip to lug tip. This watch should fit nearly everyone comfortably. Although it has a 1970s throwback style, this case is 200 meters ...
Teddy Baldassarre
I’ve been covering and getting to know the team at Baltic watches for about half a decade now, and in those five years I have watched the brand – with founder Etienne Malec at the helm – transform itself from “microbrand,” playing in the vintage-inspired sandbox, to venerable player in the game, full stop. Where we once heard the Baltic name and immediately thought of watches like the Aquascaphe or Bicompax chronograph, the intervening years have seen launches like the MR-01 micro-rotor model, and the Prismic (foreshadowing) with sprinkles of appearances at Only Watch thrown in for good measure. Returning to the Prismic, that watch debuted earlier this year and represented a venture into fresh territory for a company mostly known for producing tool watches (the MR-01 being the lone prior exception). So when I walked into the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland during Watches & Wonders this year to say hello to my pals at Baltic, I expected to see the entire current catalog and get my hands on those Prismics which I did not yet get a chance to see in person. Little did I know that they would have three surprises on hand… in April… nearly six months before they were et to be released. I am, of course, talking about the three new limited additions to the Prismic lineup which launched this week. They take the same case construction as the existing models – 36mm wide by 9.2mm tall – but pack a real punch by way of the dials. Where the standard Prismic ...
Worn & Wound
News broke this morning that Chanel has invested a 25% stake in MB&F;, one of our favorite independent brands. The investment comes on the eve of MB&F;’s 20th anniversary year, and is being framed by the brand as future-proofing the company. “It was our responsibility,” according to a statement from founder Max Büsser, “in today’s very favourable context and with our management team in its prime, to take this major step to ensure our long-term future.” MB&F; founder Max Büsser Büsser retains a majority stake in the company (60%) while his partner and Head of R&D; & Production Serge Kriknoff owns 15%. According to the statement released by MB&F;, the brand will continue to be run independently by the current leadership team, which also includes Charris Yadigaroglou (Head of Marketing Communications) and Thibault Verdonckt (Head of Sales). Brands taking on investment is of course nothing new, and the decision of a niche independent that has displayed over multiple decades that it’s capable of not only sustaining itself but growing feels like a smart business decision. It plays directly into a topic that comes up a lot in the world of independent watchmaking: What happens when a founder moves on? While there is no indication that Büsser is stepping aside anytime soon, longevity is something always on the mind of watch collectors. This is an industry, after all, where some brands can trace their roots to the 18th century. We covered this very topic in a Q&A; podcas...
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SJX Watches
Proving recent rumours to be true, MB&F; has just announced that Chanel now owns 25% of the company. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it is likely that the valuation of the independent watchmaker not far from the CHF120 million mark. Though meaningful in the context of independent watchmaker, it is a small investment for Chanel, which had 2023 revenues of almost US$20 billion. MB&F; will continue to be controlled by founder Maximilian Büsser (above left), who pares his stake down to 60% stake, while his longtime deputy, Serge Kriknoff, continues with a 15% share in the brand best known for its sculptural, sci-fi creations. The pair were the only shareholders in the brand prior to the Chanel investment. The MB&F; HM11 A major player behind the scenes With its MB&F; investment, Chanel continues to grow its presence in watchmaking, particularly independent watchmaking. The stake in MB&F; follows on Chanel’s investment in F.P. Journe (believed to be about a quarter), and about a half share in Romain Gauthier. Chanel has also long owned a substantial stake in Bell & Ross, as well as a quarter of movement maker Kenissi. Add to those Chanel’s holdings in the watchmaking supply chain, and the result is a luxury group that has a substantial and growing player in watchmaking. Chanel’s watch and jewellery chief, Frédéric Grangié, said the investment in MB&F; “is part of our long-term strategy to continue to preserve, develop and invest in specialist know-how and...
Worn & Wound
Hentschel has been on my radar for a while, and I followed the watch company casually for many years – until a mutual friend living in Berlin made the introduction. My curiosity level spiked, and I was ready for a deep dive into the background, manufacturing, watches, and everything that is Hentschel. A Brief Overview of Hentschel Andreas Hentschel is the watchmaker and founder of Hentschel, based in Hamburg, Germany. Established in 1993, Hentschel has garnered a decent reputation for its craftsmanship and producing high quality mechanical wristwatches. A majority of the watches feature manual winding movements and sub-seconds on the dial. The design is reminiscent of classic pocket watches, but with complex case construction and colorful dials, they appear refined modern. Under the expert guidance of Andreas Hentschel, the family-owned workshop consists of a team of four skilled watchmakers that produce approximately 150 watches annually. According to Andreas, this limited production approach maintains the highest standards of craftsmanship and ensures that every Hentschel watch remains unique. In-House Movements Before I provide you my impression of two watches that I test drove for a month, I would like to address Hentschel’s in-house movements. Hentschel refers to the HUW 1130 S caliber as a “in-house manufactory movement.” Without going into the definition of in-house, Andreas is upfront about it being based on the Swiss A-Schild manually winding 1130 moveme...
SJX Watches
On the evening of August 29, 2024 in Geneva we’ll have Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk and Rexhep Rexhepi of Akrivia on a panel moderated by our founder SJX, and hosted by Phillips at its downtown Geneva office. The two eminent watchmakers will be discussing the topic: “What is Soul in Independent Watchmaking?” The panel is taking place outside Geneva Watch Days so we can’t promise any new watch launches, but there will be interesting and engaging conversation, and a few drinks. If you’re interested in attending, drop us a line via our website contact form.
Worn & Wound
Earlier this year, when Dutch independent brand Holthinrichs announced their new Signature Collection, we thought it was one of the most impressive new projects in indie watchmaking. It represented a bold shift for the brand, moving from complex, bespoke watchmaking to something more easily repeatable and at a more approachable price point. With advances in manufacturing capabilities, the new and less expensive Signature Collection actually represents a vision of watchmaking far closer to what brand founder Michiel Holthinrichs had always intended. It was, and remains, an exciting story for fans of the brand, but after seeing Holthinrichs steadily create watches that are more and more ambitious in recent years, we’ve kept hope alive that the brand hadn’t completely abandoned their goals of creating something truly high end and in-house. Now, on the heels of the Signature Collection comes word of a new project within Holthinrichs that would appear to fill the void of truly high end watchmaking that was left when the brand transitioned to their new model. Holthinrichs Haute Horlogerie provides an outlet for the brand’s most ambitious ideas, and the first watch under this new banner, the Ornament Nouveau, is unlike anything they’ve attempted previously. Like every watch Holthinrichs has made, the defining characteristic of the new piece is its sculptural design. But with the Ornament Nouveau, those ideas have been manifested not just in the case and dial design, b...
Hodinkee
The Wanna Buy A Watch? founder shares some of his favorite vintage watches and a few thoughts on a lifetime of dealing.
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