453 articles · 39 videos found · page 12 of 17
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.
SJX Watches
The second watch launched by Biver, the Automatique is a three-hand time-only, functionally simple but elaborately executed. Even the base model has a surprisingly complex dial, but the Automatique is really all about the JCB-003 movement, which is a micro-rotor calibre that ranks up there as one of most impressive recent self-winding movements. Established by Jean-Claude Biver and his son Pierre, Biver got its start with a far more complicated watch, but the Automatique is arguably more impressive because it’s a simple watch executed in a complicated yet cohesive manner. The JCB-003 Initial thoughts Yet another time-only watch with a dressed up movement and hefty price tag – the formula feels a little worn out now. So the Biver Automatique surprises on the upside. I like it. The design is appealing and cohesive, while the movement is impressive. In contrast, when Biver debuted with the Carillon Tourbillon minute repeater, I thought “the quality is unmistakeable, the aesthetics are lacking”. The Automatique lives up to the same levels of quality – and maybe even more – but it is instinctively appealing, even considering the price. The solid gold dial of the entry-level version in rose gold Even though Biver is not an artisanal independent brand in the conventional sense of the word since neither of its founders are watchmakers, the JCB-003 movement is executed to a standard that equals many artisanal independents. The construction is thoughtful and sophisticate...
Monochrome
Titoni is an independent family-owned watch brand founded in 1919 by Fritz Schluep in Grenchen, Switzerland, now in the hands of great-grandsons Marc and Olivier Schluep. With a variety of contemporary collections and even an in-house automatic powering its Line 1919 dress watch collection, the genuine interest in this brand resides in its remakes of […]
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 […]
Monochrome
Norqain’s Independence family is home to many of the brand’s most coveted models, including the recently released Independence Skeleton Chrono with a proprietary manufacture calibre developed with GMT. The Independence is also home to the robust carbon fibre Wild One, conceived with Jean-Claude Biver, as well as the brand’s first skeletonised model introduced in 2021. […]
Monochrome
Ikepod has had its fair share of ups and downs since it was founded in 1994 by Oliver Ike and designer Marc Newson. Soaring to fame with Marc Newson’s fabulous designs, Ikepod’s skyrocketing prices eventually forced the brand into a nosedive. Following several attempts to restrain its prices with Japanese quartz and mechanical movements, the […]
Monochrome
After retiring from his executive role at LVMH, industry veteran Jean-Claude Biver embarked on a new venture, creating a family-owned brand with his son Pierre – with a much-anticipated and commented launch in 2023, specifically given Biver’s aura. The Bivers’ vision to focus on high-end, high-grade, limited-production timepieces first took shape with the Biver Carillon […]
Hodinkee
Sitting next to Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour, this may be the unofficial "soft launch" of the watch in the wild.
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. […]
Time+Tide
The ID Genève Nisiar Circular 1 Grenat Dial displays its creative pursuit of sustainability with a strap derived from raw grape marc.The post Leonardo DiCaprio-backed ID Genève debuts vineyard-inspired limited edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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...
SJX Watches
Established two years ago by Jean-Claude Biver and his son Pierre, Biver has just named the first outsider to its management ranks with James Marks as chief executive officer. The longtime head of Phillips Perpetual, the auctioneer’s watch boutique headquartered in London, Mr Marks is now based in Zurich for his new role; he remains a consultant to Phillips. (Pictured above, from left: James Marks, Jean-Claude and Pierre Biver.) Now 74 years old, the inimitable Jean-Claude Biver is something of an industry legend for having resurrected Blancpain and Hublot, but his eponymous brand is the first venture that is his own. Or more specifically, a Biver family affair: his youngest son Pierre, who is turning 25 this year, was cofounder of the brand. Mr Marks, who is 44 years old, will both help lead the brand as well as manage the transition from one generation of Bivers to the next. The movement of the one-off Biver Catharsis Minute Repeater Carillon Mr Marks is a longtime watch enthusiast who was a fund manager before he joined the watch industry six years ago. Soon after he set up Perpetual, a then-novel concept for an auction house where watches were available for sale year-round and not only during auction season. One of his earliest hires was Pierre Biver as an intern. Both an industry insider and outsider, Mr Marks is expected to bring a new perspective to Biver. Although the brand has only sold a few dozen watches to date, it has garnered volumes of praise and criticism...
SJX Watches
Singapore retailer The Hour Glass is staging IAMWATCH over four days in October 2024. The event is conceived as a gathering for watch enthusiasts with notable independent watchmakers in attendance, including Felix Baumgartner of Urwerk, Florian Bédat and Gaël Petermann, Kari Voutilainen, Raúl Pagès, and Rexhep Rexhepi of Akrivia. IAMWATCH will serve as a platform for face-to-face engagement between watch enthusiasts and noted industry personalities like Aurel Bacs, Jean Arnault, Maximilian Büsser, and Pierre Biver, providing enthusiasts opportunities to connect and learn. The event includes presentations, lectures, and fireside chats with more than 40 industry insiders. IAMWATCH will be held at the Singapore Edition hotel. Admission is free and open to the public daily October 18-20, from 11 am-8 pm, however, registration is required and it can be done online at Iamwatch.com.
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.
Quill & Pad
The Louis Roederer Collection, current release being the 244 is one of the great buys in Champagne today, but it is also so much more. Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon is at the forefront of what can only be seen as a seismic change in the way champagne operates, especially regarding their non-vintage wines.
Revolution
Wei sit down with Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, as we discove their new 2024 novelties, including the superbly thin Octo Finissimo Ultra.
Monochrome
Norqain has its finger on the pulse and produces attractive, robust adventure watches that are remarkably popular among action-oriented watch buyers. Norqain CEO Ben Küffer has been able to count on some exceptional friends since he started his brand in 2018. One of these is Jean-Claude Biver, whose valuable input resulted in the Wild One. […]
Monochrome
Ben Küffer hit the ground running with the launch of his start-up watch brand Norqain in 2018. Thanks to a good network of family and friends associated with the watch industry, Ben counted on the support of his father, Marc Küffer, who owned and managed a prominent Swiss private label manufacturer, Ted Schneider, a member […]
SJX Watches
The spring sale season that kicks off in Geneva come mid May will no doubt include many top lots across the three major auction houses, but Christie’s will claim two of the most compelling watches to go on the block: an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph and F.P. Journe Vagabondage, both unique pieces made for Michael Schumacher. Gifts from longtime Scuderia Ferrari manager Jean Todt, each watch features a custom dial commemorating Mr Schumacher’s unprecedented streak of Formula 1 world championships, as well as commemorative engraving on the back. The pair come straight from the Schumacher collection, consigned by his family along with a handful of other watches. Mr Schumacher’s watches will be offered at Christie’s Rare Watches auction taking place on May 13, 2024 in Geneva. Initial thoughts I follow F1 casually and I usually don’t like watches with emblems on the dial – the Vagabondage has 11 logos on the hour scale – but these two watches are exceptionally desirable in my eyes, particularly the Vagabondage, which is incredible for its rarity and provenance. The watches capture Mr Schumacher’s remarkable racing career – his seven world championships tie him with Lewis Hamilton as the all-time record holders – evoking the glamour and prestige of Formula 1 but also the longstanding association between watchmakers and auto racing that arguably started with sports chronographs like the Daytona and Carrera in the 1960s. At the same time, the watches il...
Quill & Pad
Simon Brette is a young movement designer with a history of working with Jean-François Mojon’s Chronode, MCT, and MB&F;, who has now begun his own adventure of pushing the boundaries of traditional haute horlogerie. Brette launches his eponymous brand with the Chronomètre Artisans Subscription Edition, which sold out long before launch.
Worn & Wound
It’s hard to be in a big metropolis like New York City and not feel inspired to take photos. The sights you encounter day in and day out sometimes just need to be captured. We recently caught up with two photography enthusiasts for a photo walk through Lower Manhattan. Gabby and Jean are both creatives living in NYC who came to the hobby of photography at roughly the same time. They became pals through work connections and are both now doing more and more camera collecting and photography in their spare time, with more freelance opportunities as well. All of the sudden, what once was a hobby is quickly becoming a real passion and even a way to generate some additional income. Enter the new Luma Collection by NOMATIC x Peter McKinnon. NOMATIC has been developing high-quality, essential travel and carry solutions for content creators for a decade. Founded on the principle of enabling, innovating, and incorporating time-saving solutions right into each and every one of their products, they have refined their offerings into pro-level gear for life on the move. The Luma Collection by NOMATIC x Peter McKinnon is custom-designed specifically for hobbyists on the verge of turning pro. The post Level Up Your Daily Camera Carry Solution with the NOMATIC x Peter McKinnon Luma Camera Bag Collection appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
The pandemic has opened the door to countless opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. Thomas Fleming, an avid American watch collector, saw his dream of starting his own independent watch brand take shape during this time. To make this project a reality, Fleming brought together an impressive cast of Swiss partners, including renowned independent watchmaker Jean-François Mojon […]
Monochrome
Appointed director of Louis Vuitton Watches in 2021, Jean Arnault’s strategy to reposition the brand as an elite player involves a combination of technical audacity, refreshing design and an incredible devotion to traditional decorative techniques. Wielding the best tools, Arnault can count on the watchmaking wizardry of the brand’s in-house La Fabrique du Temps atelier […]
Time+Tide
Three new limited editions are relaunching the Escale line at Louis Vuitton. Inspired by highly decorated tsubas (katana sword guards) collected by Gaston-Louis Vuitton. Utilising a plethora of métiers d’art techniques to depict three evocative creatures. Louis Vuitton continues its overhaul of its watch lines under the leadership of Jean Arnault, where the brand has … ContinuedThe post Louis Vuitton travels the world through the new Escale Cabinet of Wonders appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Ikepod is a preeminent figure in unconventional and often contentious design-focused watchmaking icons. Revered by collectors and enthusiasts alike, the brand, founded in 1994 by designer Marc Newson and entrepreneur Oliver Ike, has left an indelible mark on the watchmaking scene. Despite its global success, Ikepod faced a challenging period, with production coming to a […]
Monochrome
Despite its modest production, Lang & Heyne is one of the most impressive German watch brands today. Founded in 2001 by Marco Lang and Mirko Heyne, even after Heyne’s departure in 2003 to join Nomos Glashütte (currently heading research and development at Nomos) and Marco Lang leaving in 2019, the manufacture continues to be active, […]
Monochrome
Ikepod was founded in 1994 by entrepreneur Oliver Ike and influential designer Marc Newson, the name behind three Atmos clocks for Jaeger-LeCoultre and Ikepod’s cult pod-shaped UFO watches that caught the eye of designers, artists and architects worldwide. Although Ikepod had a bumpy financial ride, it was revitalised in 2018 to attract a new generation […]
Time+Tide
Immersive exhibits and a guest appearance from Regé-Jean Page made this a night to remember.The post Longines celebrated the Mini DolceVita & their Otis Hope Carey collaboration with a star-studded Sydney party appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
In the early 1950s, Blancpain’s CEO Jean-Jacques Fiechter was diving off the coast of Cannes when he lost track of time. It almost proved a fatal mistake as Fiechter ran out of air and almost died. That near-death experience motivated him to try and create a reliable instrument that could enable divers to monitor their … ContinuedThe post Why Blancpain’s epic marketing flex didn’t involve a single watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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