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Results for The Nautilus Launch Story

40,939 articles · 6,008 videos found · page 1068 of 1565

Hands On: MB&F; SP One SJX Watches
Bulgari May 20, 2025

Hands On: MB&F; SP One

With its fifth new model in as many months, MB&F; has been on quite the run to kick off its third decade. Fresh off the launch of the fun and affordable M.A.D.2, which followed closely on the heels of a collaboration with Bulgari and the introduction of the the Legacy Machine Longhorn editions, the brand has returned with the SP One, a contemporary take on the open-worked dress watch. Sleeker than the typical Horological Machine yet more avant garde than a Legacy Machine, the pebble-like SP One is the first model in a new “Special Projects” collection that packages the brand’s signature contemporary aesthetic in a smaller more wearable 38 mm footprint. The SP One joins the collection as a regular production model in either platinum or 18k rose gold. Initial thoughts Picking up the SP One for the first time, one is struck by the light and airy nature of the watch. On the wrist, the minimalist case almost disappears, making the the SP One something of a wrist-worn display case for the Y-shaped movement. This effect is accentuated with a brushed internal flange dubbed ‘the amphitheater’ that focuses attention on the spectacularly three-dimensional mechanical architecture. The smooth pebble-like case measures 38 mm and is just 12 mm thick, making it the most compact MB&F; watch to-date. The front and rear sapphire crystals are cambered to blend seamlessly with the case, giving the SP One the feel of a polished stone. Visually, the smoothness is emphasised by lugs that ...

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Blancpain Swatch Review Teddy Baldassarre
Blancpain May 18, 2025

Blancpain Swatch Review

The origin of Blancpain x Swatch is the story of two vastly different watchmakers. One is the oldest watch brand in the world, in existence since 1735, and renowned for making some of the most high-end luxury timepieces in the industry, regularly carrying prices of thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. The other traces its origins only to the 1980s and made its name by producing plastic-cased, mass-market fashion watches for youthful consumers at average prices around $300. Through a convoluted series of events arising from watch-industry upheavals in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the newbie department-store brand bought the historical prestige brand, making it part of a modern-day Murderers Row of legacy watchmakers within what is now known as the Swatch Group. Both brands continued to do what they did best, and never did their efforts really intersect. Blancpain has adhered to its philosophy of never, in its almost-300-year history, making a watch with a quartz movement. Swatch, by contrast, was the brand that brought quartz into the mainstream of Swiss watchmaking in the first place, and still uses quartz movements in most (but not all) of its voluminous output of watches. But the watchword (no pun intended) of the 21st Century timepiece industry seems increasingly to be, Never Say Never. The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch (Obviously) Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch "Mission On Earth" In 2022 came a scenario that was somehow both unthinkable and inevitable at the same ...

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Highlights: A Noteworthy Trio from Patek Philippe at Phillips Geneva SJX Watches
Patek Philippe May 5, 2025

Highlights: A Noteworthy Trio from Patek Philippe at Phillips Geneva

It’s hard to stand out among the 194-lots in Phillips’ incredibly stacked upcoming Geneva auction. The catalog for The Geneva Watch Auction: XXI includes 36 watches from Patek Philippe, including familiar favorites like two ref. 5004s and an assortment of Nautilus and Aquanaut models. But three watches are especially notable. These highlights are led by the only known ref. 3448 “Padellone” perpetual calendar in pink gold – a retailer-signed example at that – followed by a landmark “grand” complication with Hagmann case, and a Beyer-signed pocket watch with a portal to Amsterdam on the back. The auction takes place on May 10 and 11, 2025, at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva. Lot 74: Patek Philippe ref. 3448 in pink gold signed “Freccero” Patek Philippe’s first self-winding perpetual calendar, the ref. 3448, was primarily made in yellow or white gold – except for this example in pink gold. Besides the unique case material, this also has a retailer-signed dial. In addition, it’s in incredible condition, with unpolished lugs so sharp you could almost cut yourself. It features an early “second series” dial, with a “dimple” style minute track and engraved, enamelled markings. Even though the movement inside the ref. 3448 is one of the most beautiful automatics ever made, the cal. 27-460 doesn’t skate by on pretty privilege. The calibre is technically competent: with a free-sprung gyro-max balance, overcoil hairspring, and Patek Philippe’...

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Hands On: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon SJX Watches
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Apr 25, 2025

Hands On: Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon

Bulgari made its debut at Watches & Wonders this year, having previously exhibited outside the fair. It was a fitting occasion to launch the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, the thinnest tourbillon watch ever at just 1.85 mm thick. Housed in the brand’s signature matte grey titanium case and limited to just 20 pieces, the Ultra Tourbillon is paired with an equally thin and silky titanium bracelet. Bulgari is deeply invested in its leadership in ultra-thin watchmaking, and the Ultra Tourbillon shows the brand is willing to do whatever it takes to own as many records in this field as possible. Initial thoughts Despite its record-breaking slimness, there was surprisingly little buzz about the Ultra at Watches & Wonders. This may be due to record fatigue, since the previous record was set just last year by the Piaget AUC Tourbillon. It could also be due to the diminishing returns of these types of records, which are now being broken by almost imperceptible margins. On its exterior, the Ultra Tourbillon is quite similar the 1.7 mm-thick Octo Finissimo Ultra introduced last year. It features a 40 mm case made from a combination of titanium and tungsten carbide, and is impressively open-worked, revealing just about every wheel and pinion on the dial side of the watch. But this watch is all about the headline figure of its 1.85 mm thickness, which endows the Ultra Tourbillon with a delicate, almost weightless feel. The case in profile. Image – Bulgari Like all ultra-thin recor...

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Insight: Rolex Land-Dweller Cal. 7135, Patents and Innovation Explained SJX Watches
Rolex Land-Dweller Cal 7135 Patents Mar 31, 2025

Insight: Rolex Land-Dweller Cal. 7135, Patents and Innovation Explained

Rolex has entered uncharted territory with the Land-Dweller, arguably the most advanced and radical creation from a hitherto conservative brand. The Land-Dweller is significant, perhaps even game changing, not because of the integrated bracelet or patented solid lume, but because of the cal. 7135, a new calibre with an all-new double-wheel escapement known as Dynapulse and a ceramic balance staff. (This story details the technical advances in the movement; for a review of the watch, check out the accompanying story.) The Land-Dweller 40 mm in platinum The fundamentals Why is it significant, or even game changing? The cal. 7135 is the first in-house, serial production Rolex movement that is high frequency, beating at 5 Hz or 36,000 beats per hour. All things being equal, a higher frequency promises superior timekeeping. Despite the higher frequency, the cal. 7135 still has a 66-hour power reserve. That’s thanks in part to the Dynapulse escapement which is 30% more efficient than a conventional Swiss lever escapement, while occupying essentially the same volume of space. The balance assembly of the cal. 7135 Dynapulse is one of several innovations that make the cal. 7135 a landmark, especially since it will be produced at scale. While Rolex has traditionally been associated with incremental innovation, the cal. 7135 is a revolution. The Land-Dweller is the subject of 32 filed patents, 18 of which are unique to the watch. Moreover, 16 of the patents unique to the watch are ...

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Glashütte Original Reveals New "Frosted" Dials for Senator Excellence Teddy Baldassarre
Glashutte Original Mar 20, 2025

Glashütte Original Reveals New "Frosted" Dials for Senator Excellence

German luxury watchmaker Glashütte Original has been on a streak of masterful moon-phase creations in recent years, releasing some absolutely exquisite dial colors in its PanoMaticLunar model (including the green-dial model I review here) and unveiling the first PanoLunarInverse model toward the end of 2024. Today, the brand continues shooting for the moon, in a visual and horological sense, with the launch of two new versions of its Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase family boasting two eye-catching - and historically inspired - new dial colors. Both of the watches’ dials - one in frosted silver, the other in frosted copper, achieved in a galvanic process - are created in homage to the rich mineral deposits once mined in the Ore Mountains, near the state of Saxony and the watchmaking town of Glashütte. Their finely grained surfaces, meant to evoke the thin layers of ice on the mountain rock, play host to the familiar and elegant details of the Senator Excellence family - including hand-applied, blued Roman numeral markers in gold and blued, polished poire hands complemented by a central seconds hand with the brand’s “double G” symbol as counterweight. The watches’ signature functions occupy carefully chosen spots on the dial without disrupting its overall clean, harmonious look. The large “Panorama” date display settles snugly in a double window at 4 o’clock, while the moon-phase elegantly balances it in the opposite corner above, its ...

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Louis Vuitton Introduces A Trio Of Tambour Watches Fratello
Louis Vuitton Introduces Feb 17, 2025

Louis Vuitton Introduces A Trio Of Tambour Watches

Since its launch in 2023, the redesigned Louis Vuitton Tambour has led a watchmaking renaissance for a marque best known for its handbags and trunks. The iconic Parisian fashion house isn’t new to watches, but the focus on upscale pieces that compete with traditional watchmakers began in 2011 with the purchase of La Fabrique du […] Visit Louis Vuitton Introduces A Trio Of Tambour Watches to read the full article.

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Editorial: LVMH Reveals Movement Strategy with Bulgari Serpenti Automatic SJX Watches
Bulgari Serpenti Automatic Bulgari’s flagship Jan 24, 2025

Editorial: LVMH Reveals Movement Strategy with Bulgari Serpenti Automatic

Bulgari’s flagship launch at the recent LVMH Watch Week was the mechanical version of its signature watch, the Serpenti Automatic. Available as a Seduttori with a conventional bracelet and a Tubogas multi-loop bracelet version, the Serpenti Automatic is stays faithful to the model in terms of design. But the new Serpenti is notable for what’s inside: the newly developed Lady Solotempo BVS100 movement, which reveals LVMH’s plans for its watch division, which is now led by Frédéric Arnault. Conceived as a compact workhorse with a useful 50-hour power reserve, the BVS100 is an industrial calibre created by Bulgari, but it will be produced by sister brand Zenith, creating an “ecosystem” for the LVMH watch brands. The Serpenti Tubogas Automatic with its distinctive flexible, looped bracelet Initial thoughts The Serpenti is iconic Bulgari, and the BVS100 is an interesting, albeit industrial and cost-efficient, movement. But the most interesting section in the announcement of the Serpenti Automatic wasn’t about the watches themselves, but the background of the calibre: “The BVS100… developed and currently produced by Bvlgari in Le Sentier, is expected to be included in the future catalog of in-house movements available to other LVMH group Maisons and to be manufactured by Zenith… Bvlgari is proud to contribute to the manufacturing ecosystem established by LVMH in support of Watchmaking excellence and craftsmanship in Switzerland.” The “catalog of in-house ...

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Watches, Stories, & Gear: A Cool Alarm Clock from Nanu, GTA 6 Hype, and Niche Bumper Stickers Worn & Wound
Jan 4, 2025

Watches, Stories, & Gear: A Cool Alarm Clock from Nanu, GTA 6 Hype, and Niche Bumper Stickers

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing info@wornandwound.com. The GTA 6 Hype is Getting Real  Has there ever been a video game more hotly anticipated than the upcoming GTA 6? The latest entry in the Grant Theft Auto franchise doesn’t have an official release date yet, but developer Rockstar Games has indicated a late 2025 launch date. Beyond that, however, those in the know have been exceedingly tight lipped, which, as argued in this editorial in Screen Rant, has only served to bolster interest. Only a single trailer for the game has been released, and we’re now over a year removed from it, which has given fans plenty of time to speculate and hypothesize about what’s to come. It’s been reported that analysts expect GTA 6 could gross over $3 billion in its first year, with $1 billion coming from pre-orders alone, which would make it, by just about any measure, one of the highest grossing entertainment projects ever, not just in the realm of gaming, but in movies, music, etc. It’s too early to say for sure, but it wouldn’t be surprising if GTA 6 winds up being the piece of pop culture that 2025 is most remembered for.  The Strange W...

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In-Depth Retrospective: A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk “Luminous” SJX Watches
Casio ns I was already Jan 3, 2025

In-Depth Retrospective: A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk “Luminous”

I was there when the Zeitwerk “Luminous” was launched at SIHH in January 2010, just a few months after the launch of the original Zeitwerk in May 2009. To say that I was impressed with the Zeitwerk “Luminous” when I first saw it that year is an understatement. Already the original Zeitwerk was, and is, a landmark in contemporary watchmaking. A luminous version, well, what could be better? Even though the most complicated Lange debuted that year was the Tourbograph Honeygold “Homage to F. A. Lange” for the 165th anniversary (an odd milestone to celebrate but that’s another story), the glow-in-the-dark Zeitwerk was the star. Enough of a star that Johann Rupert, the controlling shareholder of Richemont, has been spotted wearing one on several occasions. I was already a longtime fan of the brand, but that Zeitwerk “Luminous” was astonishing. Even though it was, strictly speaking, merely a cosmetic variation, the Zeitwerk “Luminous” was cool – and that was a big deal for a brand like Lange. I wrote this about the watch at SIHH 2010: “[It] is absolutely unconventional… even avant-garde… During the day this has a dark, almost brooding look, but at night it glows tenaciously… This avant-garde PVD Lange is utterly cool (yes, “Lange” and “cool” in the same sentence). It is a tad gimmicky, but the lesson is this: gimmicks are forgiven if a watch is truly high quality and innovative.” I wasn’t the only one who thought that way, because thoug...

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Why I Bought It: Rolex Stella-Inspired Oyster Perpetual 41 with Turquoise Blue Dial Quill & Pad
Rolex Stella-Inspired Oyster Perpetual 41 Dec 9, 2024

Why I Bought It: Rolex Stella-Inspired Oyster Perpetual 41 with Turquoise Blue Dial

There aren’t that many rules that GaryG applies to watch collecting, but one rule that he has found critically important is that it’s crucial to handle a watch before buying it. This story however is about how Gary completely violated that rule and nonetheless came away happy with a watch that few people would have guessed he would buy: the 2020-launched Oyster Perpetual 41 from Rolex with a bright turquoise blue dial.

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Available Now: Czapek × Fratello Promenade Transparencies “Viridian Green” Fratello
Czapek × Fratello Promenade Transparencies Dec 6, 2024

Available Now: Czapek × Fratello Promenade Transparencies “Viridian Green”

After proudly introducing you to our latest Czapek × Fratello Promenade Transparencies “Viridian Green” edition, we are now thrilled to launch it in the Fratello Shop. This watch is our second collaboration with Czapek, and we couldn’t be more excited thanks to the overwhelmingly positive feedback you all have given us already. The great news […] Visit Available Now: Czapek × Fratello Promenade Transparencies “Viridian Green” to read the full article.

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Fratelli Stories: Retrieving NASA Rocket Boosters While Wearing A Seiko Fratello
Seiko Our Fratelli Stories series Dec 4, 2024

Fratelli Stories: Retrieving NASA Rocket Boosters While Wearing A Seiko

Our Fratelli Stories series shares some of the wonderful and interesting backstories of our readers around the world. Today, we speak with Robert Eames, who is an enthusiast for all sorts of watches and has a fascinating backstory. One vintage Seiko has particular resonance with him. Fratello reader Robert Eames wrote in after a story […] Visit Fratelli Stories: Retrieving NASA Rocket Boosters While Wearing A Seiko to read the full article.

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Hands-On: Seiko's Best GMT Just Got More Colorful Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko Nov 29, 2024

Hands-On: Seiko's Best GMT Just Got More Colorful

The Seiko SSK GMT line has slowly taken the watch world by storm, and Seiko took the SKX-style format this year and updated it with a trio of new dial formats. Earlier this year, I wrote a story on what – at the time – was every single existing SKX-style Seiko SSK GMT on the market, but that story is officially out of date. Before I get any further into this, it makes sense to establish a few things about these watches. First, they were released in 2022, creating a new wave of GMT affordability in the watch world. Why do I keep calling them SKX-style watches? Well, because the case profile is nearly identical to that of the now-discontinued icon, the Seiko SKX. The Seiko SSK001 and 003 models (the blue- and black-dial versions) are watches that I often suggest to anyone looking for a true "everyday" attainable watch. I even chose it in a video I did with Teddy where we both were tasked with building a collection under $7,000 ( let me know if you think I won). But enough lede-burying. Let’s get to the newness. In total there were three new variations released: The SSK033 with a blue and black bezel, the SSK035 with a green dial and bezel format, and the SSK036, which brings a black/brown aesthetic to the mix with a leather strap (the other two come on Jubilee-style bracelets). So let’s start with the SSK033. As an owner of the Rolex GMT-Master II with the blue-and-black bezel, I immediately zeroed in on this one. But where this clearly differs from the Rolex in term...

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Watches, Stories, & Gear: Malört is Having a Moment, a Very Expensive Banana, and Ridley Scott’s Historical Epics Worn & Wound
Nov 23, 2024

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Malört is Having a Moment, a Very Expensive Banana, and Ridley Scott’s Historical Epics

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing info@wornandwound.com. The New York Times on Malört Every year, the Worn & Wound team descends upon Chicago for the Windup Watch Fair, and every year, locals tell us that we need to try Malört while we are there. Well, that’s not true: some of them beg us to stay away. As spirits go, Malört is one that has one of the more complex regional reputations, both reviled and revered, and even in our age of contraction, still fairly limited to Chicago and its surroundings. But the popularity of Malört is growing, if slowly. Enough so that the New York Times has waded into the scene, with a fairly exhaustive feature on the liquor. Worth a read for sure if you’ve ever tried the stuff, although we can’t guarantee you’ll want to imbibe after reading this piece. Apple TV+ Releases Trailer for The Studio  Whether you enjoy the output of television from Apple TV+ or not, one thing is clear: they have a ton of money to spend. The production values and star studded casts of their original programming is basically unmatched, and that trend appears to be continuing with the trailer for their new series The Studi...

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Hands On: Ulysse Nardin Freak One Navy Blue SJX Watches
Ulysse Nardin Freak One Navy Blue Nov 20, 2024

Hands On: Ulysse Nardin Freak One Navy Blue

Ulysse Nardin has been breathing new life into its flagship Freak collection for the past several years, and the latest model to benefit from this focus is the Freak One Navy Blue, featuring a blue dial that pays homage to the original Freak from 2001. And that’s fitting, because the Freak One collection is a retelling of the story, imagining what the Freak would look like if it were to debut in the present day. Initial thoughts I’ve always had a great deal of respect for the Freak, though I admit I have not always been attracted to the aesthetic. That started to change for me when the design language started evolving to its current, more futuristic form. The Freak Vision of 2018 was the first step in this direction, but the model that really convinced me was the Freak S Nomad launched earlier this year. What makes these watches so satisfying is the way the mechanics have been reimagined to become the central design element; the time is revealed as the movement walks its way around the dial. In many ways, the One can be seen as the little brother to the Freak S. At 44 mm, the One is a fraction smaller than its more complicated sibling, but shares much of the same construction and materials. The case is titanium and finished with a black DLC coating, while the bezel is made of recycled carbon fibre composite. Like the Freak S, the One wears smaller than its dimensions suggest, thanks in part to its muted colours and the way the central carrousel draws the eye. The mater...

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Editorial: Geneva Auctions Fall 2024 SJX Watches
Rolex GMT-Master II “SARU” Nov 12, 2024

Editorial: Geneva Auctions Fall 2024

Perhaps the most surprising moment of the fall auction season in Geneva was when the hammer came down on an MoonSwatch at Christie’s for CHF69,300 including fees – exactly the same as a Rolex GMT-Master II “SARU” that sold later in the day. But as is almost always the case with record prices at auction, there was a story behind the price and a method to the madness. The MoonSwatch was the unique “millionth” example conceived specifically for this auction, where all proceeds went to ELA, a French medical charity. The ELA sale was spearheaded by Francois-Henri Pinault, the chief of Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns Christie’s, and certainly one of the most influential people in the luxury goods business. Sitting in the room and opening the sale was Mr Pinault’s fellow trustee at ELA, Zinedine Zidane, the French footballer better known as Zizou who’s regarded as one of the all-time best players and coaches. Christie’s auctioneer Rahul Kadakia with Zizou. Image – Christie’s Bidding via phone, the winning bidder of the MoonSwatch – which sold for over 150 times the retail price – announced to the room via a Christie’s rep that his winning bid was for “ELA and Zizou”. It was clearly a statement that he or she would have paid up for whatever watch was on sale, regardless if it was plastic or precious metal. It was a good deed done that was no bearing on the MoonSwatch or watches in general. To the moon MoonSwatch aside, the season was pos...

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Patek Philippe Cubitus Teddy Baldassarre
Patek Philippe Oct 17, 2024

Patek Philippe Cubitus

The Stern family has been at the helm of Patek Philippe since the 1930s, and for all intents and purposes the family has been responsible for – or, at the very least, overseen – just about every notable iconic release from the brand in the modern wristwatch age. Sure, split-seconds chronographs and the first Patek perpetual calendar wristwatch pre-date the Stern legacy, but when it comes to pure iconography across known collections spanning the Calatrava, the Nautilus, the Ellipse, and the Aquanaut – names that make boutiques quiver at the notion of adding yet another name to a medieval scroll’s worth of a waitlist – we can all thank generations of the Stern family. And now we can add the Patek Philippe Cubitus to that list. Brothers Jean and Charles Henri Stern invested in Patek in 1932 and were tangentially a part of the brand when the first Calatrava launched. Henri Stern oversaw the development and release of the Ellipse, followed by a watch that has come to define the brand by the general salivating public: the Nautilus (though the ultra-thin Ref. 3940 is just as deserving of praise). Philippe Stern took over in 1993, and it was under his stewardship that Patek followed up on the Gérald Genta-designed Nautilus with a new take on the format: The Aquanaut. Patek loves to delight and surprise, and so, for a deeper look at Patek launches over the years, read Mark Bernardo’s piece here. You might be thinking to yourself that a whole host of watches are missin...

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Review: Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref. 5821 and Ref. 5822P SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref 5821 Oct 17, 2024

Review: Patek Philippe Cubitus Ref. 5821 and Ref. 5822P

Patek Philippe has finally debuted the long-awaited Cubitus, a collection of “elegant sporty” watches. The Cubitus is an oversized square watch with an unexpectedly elegant profile – and some echoes of the Nautilus. While that might seem like an odd recipe, the Cubitus is a successful new creation. The collection is led by the flagship Cubitus ref. 5822P Instantaneous Grand Date (pictured above) in platinum powered by an all-new calibre. The Cubitus ref. 5822P in profile The bestseller, however, will be the entry-level model, the Cubitus ref. 5821/1A, a time-and-date in steel with an olive-green dial. The Cubitus ref. 5821/1AR is also a three-hander with date, but in two-tone steel and 18k rose gold with a blue dial. The Cubitus ref. 5821/1A Initial thoughts The most discussed new launch of the year, the Cubitus is many things – “elegant sporty”, a relative of the Nautilus, and controversial – but it also surprises on the upside. I like the Cubitus, especially the base model in steel. The large square bezel complements the “ears” on either side of the case, and the bracelet integrates unexpectedly well into the design. The Cubitus has obviously inherited genes from the Nautilus – Thierry Stern himself acknowledges that – but the result is more natural than the angular bezel suggests. And Cubitus doesn’t merely transplant cosmetics, but also employs the unique one-piece case construction of the Nautilus. Importantly, the Cubitus has good ergonomics....

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IWC Reveals Details of Ceramic Matrix Composite SJX Watches
IWC Reveals Details Oct 15, 2024

IWC Reveals Details of Ceramic Matrix Composite

Having made its debut with the Big Pilot AMG G 63 a year ago, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) is an innovative material currently unique to IWC in watchmaking. Little was disclosed about the material at launch, but IWC has just released additional detail on CMC. Notably, the material was developed in collaboration with the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), or German Aerospace Center, a national research institute specialising in aerospace, travel, energy, and even quantum computing. While novel materials are common in watchmaking, brands rarely reveal the origin of the materials, making this collaboration notable. Moreover, the DLR is a highly regarded, independent technical institute, which arguably gives CMC more credibility (and cachet) than most composites employed in watchmaking. Utilising a space-qualified like CMC in a watch tied to a high-performance SUV, however, seems to be a missed opportunity, though it’s a certainty IWC has plans for the the material. Blocks of CMC Staying true to size Fibre ceramic composites are a new class of materials, which combine the surface hardness of conventional ceramics with high tolerance to mechanical and thermal shocks. DLR’s previous work with ceramic composites revolved around making large components for aerospace applications, namely rockets or satellites. The institute was looking to adapt its short-fibre pressing technology for making smaller, near-net-shape parts – not unlike a watch case. Near-net-sha...

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