3,803 articles · 48 videos found · page 125 of 129
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Montblanc is a brand made famous by the wonderful writing instruments with the stylized snow cap. But they do make interesting watches too. Expecially since they took over the remainder of what was Minerva, and incorporated the movement manufacturing capability with the marketing juggernaut of Richmont. Two tourbillons caught my eye in this year’s cropRead More
Revolution
This year 2012 makes it 100 years ago that Cartier introduced the Model A Mystery clock, a small table clock with 8 days movement. so perfect timing for the King of Mystery timepieces, to release some new and exiting developments. Since the time that the first Mystery clock was made, by clock maker Maurice Coüet […]
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Jaeger LeCoultre’s offerings this SIHH produced some of the interesting highlights of the show for me. The latest Gyrotourbillon 2 was unveilled…but only 2 pieces were made…one on the showcase, and the other on CEO Jerome Lambert’s wrists. SIHH 2013: JLC Perpetual Calendar with Cylindrical Tourbillon So, its a series of facelifts which drew theRead More
Revolution
In an anticipated announcement made by Chairwoman Jasmine Audemars on behalf of the Board of Directors, François-Henry Bennahmias was nominated Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Audemars Piguet Group. He was previously heading up Audemars Piguet (North America) in New Work since 1999 and was promoted General Manager ad interim end May 2012. The 48 year […]
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Being a seasoned watch collector means that nothing much takes my breath away these days…but today’s post is one such watch…so unusual, but without being overtly so. So beautiful, but yet, retains some of the charm of being slightly quirky. So refined and well finished, yet a bit garage-home made feel. Bravo David Zanetta andRead More
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Arnold & Son was once a venerable name in English watchmaking. Perhaps with these new watches, they are coming back? Read on to find out more. Arnold & Son in London circa 1787-1790. An old firm indeed…very little is published about their early works. But the name is now owned by a Swiss based company,Read More
Revolution
Despite the hyperbole that sometimes accompanies news from the watch world, the truth is this: the hairspring and balance got together in 1660, Mudge made his first lever-escapement watch in 1755, and, with respect to repeaters, Barlow and Quare (both Englishmen) applied for patents for repeating watches in the late 17th century. Breguet developed the […]
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A quick place marker for next week’s post. Possibly the most beautifully made mechanical ladies watch in production…the Lange Arkade. This specimen is in yellow gold case, champagne dial. Personal timepiece of my wife’s. Photographed simply in a restaurant, while we were having lunch, perched on a plate. One of the original watches introduced byRead More
Revolution
Hidden in plain sight” might be more appropriate. It’s news to no one who loves fine watchmaking that, thanks to many factors, the prices of mechanical watches have been steadily climbing over the last few years, with - apparently - no end in sight. That’s made things a little tougher for die-hard horological enthusiasts who […]
Revolution
A Conversation with Vartan Sirmakes, Co-founder of Franck Muller It is impossible to examine the rise of Franck Muller Watchland as one of the most technically creative, fully integrated and totally verticalized manufactures in Swiss watchmaking without tapping into the brilliant mind of the brand’s co-founder, Vartan Sirmakes. Sirmakes got his start with a case-manufacturing […]
Revolution
Vacheron Constantin’s tonneau-shaped watch, the Malte, celebrates 100 years with two new models It’s been a century since Vacheron Constantin introduced its first tonneau-shaped wristwatch - which was probably among the first series-produced wristwatches ever made, as 100 years ago, in 1912, the wristwatch was still very much a novelty, tonneau or otherwise. The tonneau shape […]
Revolution
FOUR DECADES OF THE REMARKABLE ROYAL OAK FROM AUDEMARS PIGUET There are certainly watches made in larger numbers, but there are few more instantly recognizable than the Royal Oak, from Audemars Piguet. Forty years since its 1972 introduction, the Royal Oak has become not only the watch associated by enthusiasts with the small Le Brassus-based […]
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Francois Paul Journe. A talented watchmaker. I had the pleasure of meeting with FP way back when he was yet a nobody…and had just made his first tourbillon remontoir d’egalité. The original looked like it was made in his garage, and indeed it was. But recently, I had the pleasure of spending a week withRead More
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Omega recently added some watches to their collection which are homages to the watches that made the brand in the early years. Today’s watch is the Museum collection no 10, issued in 2010 as a replica of the 1938 chronograph. I am not so sure about the name Omega has chosen for this watch…replica soundsRead More
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The Vietnamese market is a slippery one, for many foreign businesses. I have personal experiences of mis-adventures, but particularly so for the high end horology business. One of the few independent watchmakers who have made inroads into this former Communist market is Peter Speake-Marin. I continue focussing on Peter today, with his interesting, and quiteRead More
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Exclusive pictures of the Stainless Steel Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Merite” In the early days of the manufacture, the leadership of the company, principally Mr Gunter Blumlein made some difficult decisions to make special edition watches for special customers…he subsequently stopped this practice, as it creates considerable headaches for the company to dedicate resources toRead More
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My portfolio featured in Heure Suisse I was greatly honoured to be given several pages of the permier industry magazine Heure Suisse. This is the leading Swiss magazine read by almost everyone in the industry. The magazine is published in both French and German editions So instead of the regular blog post, please allow meRead More
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One of my favourite watch making house is the often overlooked Seiko. They have a long history and tradition of making fine timepieces as well as of innovation. But most collectors focus too much on Swiss timepieces. But yes, Virginia, excellent watches do come from outside Switzerland. Germany, and increasingly England, and of course Japan.Read More
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Following up on my walkabout impressions of the quite remarkable Leica S2, here are some photographs I made in L’Atelier by The Hour Glass using my usual set-up. I have featured the Db25T before, it is a remarkable watch. I particularly love the jumping seconds hand, and the beautiful Caliber 2109 with the magnificent bridgeRead More
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I’d like to present some of the watches made by Moser. The Perpetual 1, which I have covered before in a bit detail is still one of the most outstanding perpetual calendars in production. Seen on here on the wrist of my good friend Eddie Also available with a fancy dial…rose gold case Also, aRead More
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Kari Voutilainen’s simple time only watch…a la Dufour’s Simplicity is the Observertoire. I had the oppportunity to photograph this masterpiece in Motiers in January, after the SIHH when I visited with some good friends. The dial shows great restraint, and looks extremely handsome. The rose engine turned dial is made onsite at Kari’s premises. IRead More
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Some portraits of Grandmaster of Watchmaking – Philippe Dufour. Photographed in his workshop in Le Soliat, in the Swiss Jura. January 2011.
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Vianney Halter is a very interesting watchmaker. Intensely passionate about his craft, and insanely loyal to producing everything inhouse in his little farmhouse in St.Croix – a little village up in the mountains in the Swiss Jura. Visiting his workshops are like visiting a toystore for a man who still loves to play with everythingRead More
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The JLC Triptyque Grand Complication…announced in SIHH 2007. This is a magnificent watch. I recently managed to have the opportunity to photograph this piece at a local dealer’s where it was on its way to being delivered to its owner. One of the more complicated watches made by JLC, the watch is based on theRead More
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This year’s novelties at SIHH 2010 finally made it to our shores. I attended an evening hosted by Vacheron Constantin…great food, wonderful company, and of course, fine watches. The Historique Ultra-Fine 1968 in a square case, and the Historique Ultra-fine 1955 in the round case. The watches are truly thin, the 1956’s hand wound movementRead More
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Its Singapore’s National Day! To celebrate, I am showing my personal Datograph, owned for almost 10 years, and gone back to the factory for a full service about a year ago. The dial side… The movement side is mesmerising…I think this is bar none the best chronograph movement ever made: Detail showing the movement.
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The MB&F;’s latest creation the Horological Machine No. 4 is an imposing watch…quite large, though it sits well on the wrist. MB&F; HM4 Thunderbolt Made from titanium and sapphire crystal, the watch is a rather interesting piece of sculpture…reminiscent of a rocket ship or a jet engine. Two engine like scuptures, I guess that isRead More
Hodinkee
What We Know Matteo Violet Vianello found the idea for his newest watch while standing in a room full of prehistoric tools. At the Centre Pompidou's Brancusi exhibition in Paris a couple of years back, Vianello, the man behind Anoma, saw the sculptor's collection of primitive tools and artifacts, which stopped him—and stayed with him. That visit became the starting point for the A1 Prehistoric, the latest limited run built on Anoma's signature triangular case. The case itself is hand-chiseled 316L stainless steel, a five-hour process undertaken by Steven Brunel, a French engraver whose work has been exhibited at the Louvre. Brunel works out of a workshop in Mornand-en-Forez, a village of about 500 people in the Loire region. The buckle receives the same treatment. Because the chiseling is done entirely by hand, Anoma says no two pieces will be identical. The dial carries the process further. Roughly 600 individual lines are cut by hand into a brass base in a sunburst pattern, then finished in a dark anthracite color meant to recall the look of worked stone or flint. Specs remain close to the standard A1: the case measures 39mm by 38mm, wearing closer to 37mm thanks to its lugless, triangular shape, with a 9.45mm thickness. Inside is the Swiss automatic Sellita SW100, the same movement Anoma has used across its lineup, running in a case rated to 50 meters of water resistance. The watch comes on a grey-grained Italian leather strap. Anoma will build 100 examples of the A1 ...
WristBuzz
Mid-May the Swatch x AP launch turned into chairs flying in Milan, pepper spray in New York, and a Utrecht shop owner finding poop on his doorstep. A month later you barely hear about it. Here's how Swatch killed the chaos without ever announcing it.
SJX Watches
First launched in 2019, the Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar remains one of the most fascinating watches in its category. Thanks to a movement with a secondary, low-power mode, the Twin Beat has an extended power reserve measured in months – all contained in a reasonably sized, 41 mm case. The original version of the Twin Beat was complex and finicky. Now Vacheron Constantin (VC) has refined and upgraded the movement, resulting in a second generation model with an extra five days of power reserve in Standby mode – which means the watch will run for 70 days. Initial thoughts I described the original Twin Beat as a “genuinely interesting, albeit pricey, watch”. Even though several years have passed, the Twin Beat remains genuinely interesting. It is a novel concept executed in a sophisticated manner. In contrast to majority of ultra-long power reserve watches, the Twin Beat is ordinarily sized. I am certainly glad VC has revived the concept and made it better. The original probably had a few kinks in the movement that made production difficult so the first generation never really made it to market in significant numbers. The kinks have been resolved with the new version, which is probably also more robust from a usability point of view. The same holds true today of the price, though given the overall price index of the market, the new Twin Beat is arguably less expensive in relative terms. The first generation model Two running modes On ...
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