379 articles · 63 videos found · page 11 of 15
Hodinkee
At Dubai Watch Week, Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour reveals how much Rolex spends each year upgrading its machinery and why it has more than 500 apprenticeships.
Monochrome
In a press release issued just a few hours ago, the LVMH Watches Division announced having acquired a minority stake in yet another key player in the Swiss watch industry. As a reminder, the LVMH Watches Division comprises brands Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith and is under the direction of Jean-Christophe Babin, also CEO of […]
SJX Watches
On episode 11 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the monumental La Quête Du Temps astronomical clock that Vacheron Constantin just unveiled in Paris alongside the companion Quest of Time wristwatch. We also tackle Tudor’s first moon phase complication and what it means for the brand’s collection of dress watches. SJX also shares his views on the news that Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour will be giving the keynote at Dubai Watch Week, a move that’s largely unprecedented for the industry’s most impenetrable brand. We also chat about the other big news in the world of watch fairs, Audemars Piguet’s return to Watches & Wonders in 2026. Last but not least, we discuss what Girard-Perregaux’s new movement platform might reveal about the future of the brand. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
SJX Watches
In a surprising move from the conservative watchmaker, Rolex has quietly set up Rolex Quantum SA, a new entity dedicated to atomic timekeeping, the most precise form of timekeeping ever invented by man. Rolex chief executive Jean-Frederic Dufour will sit on the board of Rolex Quantum, with engineer Fabien Droz serving as director of the venture. With Rolex Quantum, the watchmaker plans to develop and sell atomic clocks, conceivably for industrial or scientific purposes. Being somewhat removed from the core Rolex offering of wristwatches, the atomic clocks will be developed separate from the main Rolex brand. The new venture strengthens the brand’s ties with CSEM (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology), the Swiss technical institute most famous in watchmaking for having developing silicon component for watch movements. The venture will benefit from Rolex’ broad industrial research and development capabilities, while also leveraging CSEM’s experience with atomic timekeeping. The establishment of Rolex Quantum was first reported by Swiss newspaper Arcinfo. Neuchâtel timing Despite the cutting edge nature of its work, Rolex Quantum will be located on historic grounds, namely on the same street as the Neuchâtel Observatory, which is current home to CSEM’s atomic timekeeping laboratory. The location also has historical resonance as the city has long played a role in watchmaking and chronometry over the years. Abraham-Louis Breguet was born there and the obs...
SJX Watches
The second edition of biennial Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives is now well underway, and the 20 semi-finalists have been announced. The candidate pool is exceptionally diverse, with makers hailing from eight different countries and espousing a variety of different product philosophies. The watch prize is the brainchild of Jean Arnault, who leads Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking initiatives. A passionate supporter of independent watchmaking, Mr Arnault created the watch prize in 2023 to recognise talented watchmakers and designers and give one lucky winner a helping hand. Raúl Pagès won the first edition of the watch prize. Image – Louis Vuitton Initial thoughts I try not to put too much stock in the various prizes that are handed out in the watch industry. Many such contests suffer from a lack of participation, a problem that makes it difficult to take the results seriously. That said, it’s worth paying attention to the Louis Vuitton watch prize for a few reasons. First, it’s unusually inclusive, welcoming entrants from all over the world, ranging from journeymen watchmakers like Bernhard Zwinz and David Candaux to emergent Chinese brands like Behrens and Fam Al Hut. Second, the candidate pool is not sub-divided into arbitrary categories, meaning there’s plenty of competition to keep things interesting. Finally, the outcome is meaningful – the winner gets a €150,000 cash prize and a one-year mentorship at La Fabrique du Temps with Michel Nava...
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Monochrome
When Serge Michel and Claude Greisler acquired Armin Strom, they took the bull by the horns. Without abandoning Mr Strom’s famous hand-skeletonised movements, the pair developed a full-scale vertical manufacture and successfully addressed the phenomenon of Mirrored Force Resonance in a wristwatch format. Another horological success story was the brand’s Gravity Equal Force watch of […]
Fratello
We’ve visited with Armin Strom since the Baselworld days. Indeed, the brand was founded in 2009 by Serge Michel and Claude Greisler in Biel, Switzerland. This makes the company, comparatively speaking, one of the “old guard” in haute horlogerie. Admittedly, my interest in this style of open-worked watch has only recently begun, and I now […] Visit A Closer Look At The Latest Releases From Armin Strom to read the full article.
Revolution
After 21 years steering Officine Panerai to worldwide success, Angelo Bonati is handing the helm over to Jean-Marc Pontrue (previously of Roger Dubuis).
Monochrome
The One Week is, together with the impressively complex and innovative Resonance concept, one of the most important watches by the Biel-based independent watchmaker. Indeed, it was the first watch to come from Armin Strom after Serge Michel and Claude Greisler took the reins of the company in 2010. It launched the brand’s first manufacture […]
Monochrome
Trilobe is a young, independent watch brand founded by Gautier Massonneau in 2013. The brand debuted its first timepiece, Les Matinaux – French for The Morning Ones and a tribute to René Char’s poetry collection – in 2018. Distinguished by its unconventional time display, Les Matinaux introduced an original system developed by Jean-François Mojon of […]
Video
Thinking about getting a Pepsi? Here's all you need to know about one of Rolex's biggest Icons in the upcoming year of 2026 - how it wears, the hard facts, what it's actually good for and most importantly : PRICES.
Deployant
Breva Geneve is reborn this year and unveils a new collection: the Segreto di Lario with a movement created by Jean-François Mojon.
Teddy Baldassarre
Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest watch brands in the world, founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron and François Constantin, and also one of the very few firms tracing their origins back to the 18th Century that can boast an uninterrupted history of watchmaking - a history now well into its third century. Like other brands we’ve covered previously in our "Price of Admission" series, particularly Breguet, Vacheron Constantin is inarguably an elite-level watchmaker, with a level of pricing commensurate with its historical and technical renown. Finding the entry-level pieces in the Vacheron Constantin collection - and even defining what "entry-level" means for this brand - is a challenging proposition, but here is a rundown, family by family, of the most attainable timepieces from the Genevan manufacture that are available today. OVERSEAS The Overseas collection, launched in 1996 and given a high-profile revamp and relaunch in 2016, traces its origin to an unusual and now highly collectible watch released during Vacheron Constantin’s 220th anniversary in 1977. That watch, called the 222 and recently re-released as part of Vacheron’s Historiques collection, was short-lived in its original incarnation but established many of the codes now evident in the Overseas: a six-sided bezel inspired by the maison’s Maltese cross emblem; an integrated bracelet with a similar aesthetic, and an overall bold and sport-oriented character. In its contemporary version, ...
Hodinkee
The Technical Director and Movement Constructor at Biver will discuss the processes that transform raw materials into exceptional mechanical timepieces.
Monochrome
Since the arrival of Jean Arnault as the head of the watchmaking division of Louis Vuitton, things have changed quickly, with the launch of the new Tambour in 2023, the Escale dress watch in 2024, and multiple automata and métiers d’art watches too. Today, we’ll be talking about what’s possibly the most recognisable high-end watch […]
Monochrome
Fifteen years of Armin Strom… witnessing how far they have come in one-and-a-half decade is more than impressive. Claude Greisler and Serge Michel took over the watch business from Mr. Armin Strom, who had made a name for himself as a specialist in hand-skeletonizing. Claude and Serge had a different ambition: to put their own […]
Video
In today’s video, we’re breaking down five watches that absolutely nobody buys— even though some of them should be getting more attention. From luxury brands like Rolex to lesser loved brands such as Parmigiani...
Hodinkee
Three years after our last check-in, it felt right to revisit Auffret's story and how he's expanded his role in watchmaking. But first, we go back to his start, and that includes a name you probably don't know: Jean-Batiste Viot.
Deployant
Jean-Marie Schaller continues to romance the stars with his latest creation for Louis Moinet - the Starman. A piece featuring hand painting and meteorite.
Monochrome
Every timepiece crafted by Jean-Marie Schaller and his watchmaking team at Louis Moinet promises one sure thing – it will captivate, invite a closer look, and often spark curiosity about the stories behind it. The latest creation, the Starman, exemplifies this spirit; it is a luxurious, quintessentially Louis Moinet piece made with fragments from two […]
Hodinkee
A collector's guide to stone dials with Pierre Biver and two vintage dealers.
Monochrome
With Jean-Marie Schaller at the helm, Louis Moinet navigates the seas of haute horlogerie with a distinctive style marked by its impressively staged mechanical movements, exotic materials and flamboyant styling. Louis Moinet’s latest port of call will appeal to fans of the legendary Valjoux 88 calibre, brought back to life onboard the Speed of Sound. […]
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SJX Watches
Ahead of this month’s Homo Faber Biennial exhibition in Venice, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces the Reverso Tribute Enamel “Monet,” a collection of three watches, limited to 10 pieces each, adorned with miniature enamel reproductions of Claude Monet’s iconic Venice series of paintings. Each enamel painting is composed of 14 layers of enamel, including seven layers of translucent fondant glaze, each requiring its own firing at up to 800 degrees celsius. Initial thoughts Painted enamel case backs are nothing new for the Reverso, a watch that, given its hinged case, is uniquely suited to such decoration. That said, they are a joy to behold due to the skill of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house enamel artists. In this case, I also happen to personally appreciate the chosen subject matter; I find Monet’s Venice series deeply moving. While the case backs are the star attraction, the dials are decorated with hand guilloche, with a different pattern and colour for each piece. The ‘Grand Canal,’ for example, is paired with a guilloche pattern inspired by the ripples of the canal as depicted by Monet, and finished in translucent green enamel. ‘The Doges’ Palace’ features a modified basket weave pattern, while the ‘San Giorgio Maggiore’ features a herringbone pattern. Priced at €100,000, the Reverso Tribute Monet for collectors who value the rarity of this type of hand craftsmanship and artisanship. Like other forms of art, there’s an element of patronage that goes...
Monochrome
If Armin Strom was initially centred around Mister Armin Strom himself, the brand underwent a significant transformation in 2006 when it was acquired by Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, who aimed to turn Armin Strom into a full-fledged manufacture. The duo presented its first in-house movement in 2009, and today, to celebrate the 15th anniversary […]
Fratello
After talking to Serge Michel and Claude Greisler, the two co-founders of the watch brand Armin Strom, it became apparent that they do things differently at their manufacture in the Swiss watchmaking town of Biel/Bienne. Ask them anything, and the two childhood friends who started a watch brand inspired by the open-worked creations of famous […] Visit A Red Jaguar E-Type, One-Day Trips To New York On Concorde, And Other Fun Facts About Armin Strom to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Rumours started earlier this month that Rolex had “lost” its prime status as official timekeeper for Formula 1 to TAG Heuer. That, as it turns out, is not true – yet. According to a senior LVMH executive speaking off the record, a deal between F1 and the French luxury group – and not just one of its constituent brands – is close but not yet a done deal. This was also echoed by Jean-Jacques Guiony, LVMH chief financial officer, during a conference call with analysts to present the group’s second quarter financial results. In fact, any announcement of LVMH closing the deal will likely come after the Paris 2024 Olympics that counts LVMH as one of its lead sponsors. The situation is more than just Rolex “losing” the sponsorship to TAG Heuer. It’s not about the financial resources of Rolex, which for all intents and purposes are limitless, but about the breadth and depth of the LVMH portfolio, as well as Rolex’s growing emphasis on conservation as a key part of its brand. Three elements are crucial in understanding the sponsorship deal with F1, which is enjoying a revival in popularity with its hit Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive and new race locations like the Miami Grand Prix. The first is the matching clause that is common in such deals and will inevitably be part of the F1 sponsorship contract. This gives Rolex a matching right – it has the right to match a competing offer for the same sponsorship. In other words, if Rolex wanted to, it can...
Quill & Pad
To say that Jean-Marie Schaller, the founder of the modern Louis Moinet brand, is passionate about meteorites is an understatement: he has been studying and collecting them for more than 20 years. Now Louis Moinet take a darker look at the night sky with the Black Moon.
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