4,866 articles · 40 videos found · page 163 of 164
Deployant
AP Limited Editions is a very unique company offering handmade pens in the Japanese lacquer method. A couple of years ago, they decided to offer a special watch, skeletonized. Based on the Unitas movement, the skeleton works is rather unexpectedly good, especially so for a company specializing in pens and not watches. I did theseRead 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
Mechanical oscillators like the pendulum and balance wheel are what actually tell time - and today’s latest experiments by some of watchmaking’s most daring researchers are paving the way for the watches of tomorrow At their most basic, any time-measuring device - whether it’s a longcase pendulum clock, or the most sophisticated cesium fountain […]
Revolution
It’s the queen of complications and really understanding it is a lifetime study - but you gotta start somewhere. REVOLUTION brings you a brief introduction to some of the inside secrets of watchmaking’s most romantic complication The minute repeater is both the most sophisticated of complications and the most atavistic - sophisticated, in that it requires enormous […]
Deployant
Watchmaking companies do not often make interesting mechanical watches for ladies. Precious few do. Amongst them some do justice for the ladies…I count Lange, JLC, and Parmigiani amongst the few. I show today, a beautiful piece in the current Parmigiani collection…the Kalpa Donna The bezel is still studded with diamonds, for some bling…we gotta haveRead More
Deployant
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
Deployant
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
Deployant
Parmigiani Fleurier Pershing Tourbillon One of the watches which caught my jaded eyes last year (2011) was the Parmigiani Fleurier Pershing Tourbillon with open work dial. Beautifully finished, fully in-house production (movement, dial, case, finishing all done within the company) Parmigiani is an amazing company. Started by watchmaking genius Michel Parmigiani some 30 years agoRead More
Deployant
Independent Watchmaking Salon in Hong Kong March of the Independents It is no secret that I am an ardent admirer of independent watchmakers. I was one of the first to invest in Philippe Dufour, by purchasing and writing about him. As early as 1999, I wrote an early article which appeared in The Business TimesRead More
Deployant
Urwerk – their principals Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, is one of the independent watchmakers to watch (pun intended). Their creations are always interesting…pieces of contemporary horology: with interesting techniques, pushing the envelope with the use and adaptation of industrial coatings on watchmaking. And Felix and Martin, and their PR Supremo Yasine have always beenRead More
Deployant
Max Bussser is an unusual talent in watchmaking. Not a watchmaker by trade, but makes watches for a living…His imagination is wonderful…almost child like, but always totally rooted in true business sense, however fantastical the idea. MB&F; HM4 Flying Panda for Only Watch 2011 In support of Only Watch 2011, he came up with theRead More
Deployant
I am quite fascinated by the world of the Grand Seiko. Here is a real atypical watch manufacturer. Hard core to the bone…and yet not manufacturing at the traditional heart of watchmaking in Switzerland. Their superb factory and workshops, especially the Micro Artisans Studio in Shiojiri, where I visited some years ago, make wonderful products.Read More
Deployant
The Hamilton Watch Company is one with an illustrious history. Founded in Lancaster, Pensylvania in the US in 1892, nearly 120 years ago, it stood right at the forefront of high precision watchmaking. They focussed in those days principally in the production of railroad watches. Pocket watches which often with two timezones though sometimes onlyRead More
Deployant
Vacheron Constantin is one of the three Grande Dames of watchmaking…the othe two being Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. Interestingly, it is currently the only one which is within a large group, in this case Groupe Richemont, which count amongst the members of its stable luminaries like A. Lange & Sohne, IWC, Jaeger LeCoultre, Cartier,Read More
Deployant
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
Deployant
Laurent Ferrier…the first offering from this doyen of traditional watchmaking. Laurent used to work within the studios of Patek Philippe, and this year, he introduced a landmark piece bearing his name on the dial. The Gallet Tourbillon is a masterpiece of watchmaking. Totally traditional, fully classical in design, layout and finish. Available as an enamelRead More
Deployant
Imagine if you will…a designer…talented, no doubt. But who has worked designing cars, and electric guitars. Imagine that this same designer took his thoughts on a watch, discarding all the normal ideas on watch design…like having hands, like the way you show time. Imagine if he was unlimited by traditional watchmaking…and the movement is mechanical,Read More
Deployant
Exclusive pictures of the Journeyman pocket watch Walter Lange is the grand old man of the house of A. Lange & Sohne. Some 88 years of age, this gentleman is still strong, and enthusiastic about watchmaking and the affairs of the old firm. Though I speak little German, and he no English, we get alongRead More
Deployant
The Opus project is one of the most interesting ventures in the field of watchmaking. The old jewellery firm of Harry Winston, bankrolling innovative, avant garde, often unique, and always interesting watches by independent watchmakers to showcase their skills and to provide a platform to market and commercialize the watches. Now in its 10th iteration,Read More
Deployant
The Japanese have a passion, when they often do, and will be prepared to be totally obsessed and fully committed to the task. Such is the wonderful story behind the extreme high end Credor series by Seiko. As many of us know, Seiko makes many low end watches…chances are, most of us have owned one,Read More
SJX Watches
Now beginning its second decade under the leadership of Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Ferdinand Berthoud (FB) has introduced the Chronomètre FB 2TV.1, the first model in the new Mesure du Temps 1787 collection. The FB 2TV represents an evolution of the brand’s long-running chain-and-fusee architecture, adding zero-reset seconds and a flying tourbillon, and inverting the calibre to exhibit its key functional elements on the dial side. Initial thoughts It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since the debut of Ferdinand Berthoud as a contemporary brand. It was clear from the outset that FB had big ambitions, launching its first model with a chain and fusee mechanism. Since then, FB has maintained admirably high standards for itself, and while not all of the designs appeal to me, the obvious effort that goes into every watch — each FB 2TV receives more than 300 hours of decoration — has won the brand a durable position near the top of the industry. Now beginning its second decade, FB has released the first watch in a new collection that portends a more mechanically expressive style, with features like the chain and fusee inverted to the dial side. This approach isn’t original, but the success of other ‘inverted’ movements from independents like Kari Voutilainen demonstrate demand for the format. Quirky designs Ferdinand Berthoud, an 18th-century pioneer of the spring detent escapement among other breakthroughs, approached watchmaking fr...
SJX Watches
Late last year, Rolex unveiled its accessories line, comprised of a range of cufflinks and the Submariner Date Desk Clock ref. 909010LN. In the typical Rolex fashion, the new accessories are conservatively styled; the desk clock is essentially a Submariner face enlarged to 80 mm. But in typical Rolex fashion, the clock is impressively made. The Submariner desk clock is an impressive piece of desk-bound timekeeping. Execution is top class with flawless fit and finish, while the mechanics (or more accurately, electronics) are advanced: the quartz movement incorporates a 400-year perpetual calendar, and surprisingly, decorative finishing. Initial thoughts The Submariner desk clock is an impressive object, sizeable, heavy, and clearly well made. It has to be seen – and held – in person to understand the quality of make. Elements like the brushed steel case (that’s ironically not water resistant), engraved bezel insert, and decorated movement speak to the precision manufacturing and finishing. This clock is a beautifully-made industrial creation. That said, the design is a boring. It’s basically a Submariner face blown up to 80 mm. Fans of the design will be pleased as Rolex did replicate the details of the wristwatch artfully, right down to the engraved flange around the dial and tiny crown within “Swiss made”. Fortunately, the insides of the clock are more advanced than the design. The cal. 8335 displays the time and date, but the date is actually a secular calend...
Hodinkee
What We Know The Aquaracer, first introduced in 2004, is the tough tool watch in the Tag Heuer lineup, and the Solargraph is one of the most recent extensions of the Aquaracer range, bringing quartz timekeeping and fuss-free solar power to the brand's generalist dive watch. Just in time for Summer (in this hemisphere), Tag Heuer has launched an extension of the Solargraph, offering new colorways and the option of a new, smaller case size. In 2022, Tag Heuer began using La Joux-Perret's new solar-powered movements in some models that it labeled 'Solargraph' as part of an exclusive deal with the Swiss movement maker that saw the brand's owner, LVMH, later take a minority stake in LJP. Today, Tag Heuer is updating the Aquaracer line with four new 40mm models (spanning steel or titanium), as well as four 28mm-diameter steel-case versions for the first time. All the new models are powered by the Solargraph movement, underscoring the brand's commitment to new solar tech, which is also used in its relaunched Formula 1 watches. The new 40mm Aquaracer comes in both steel and titanium models and features an updated bezel with 'rider' tabs and grain-textured elements, as well as a sharper, finely brushed case construction with added fluted elements at 9 o'clock to better balance the crown guards at 6 o'clock. TAG says the handset has also been updated, and the bracelets are now easily interchangeable, with quick-release spring bar tabs, allowing for easy swapping to rubber or othe...
SJX Watches
Daniel Roth’s latest addition to its time-only portfolio is the Extra Plat Platinum. A familiar face in a new colourway, the Extra Plat offers the Tourbillon Platinum‘s stealthy look in a more accessible two-hand format. Powered by the DR002 in-house calibre developed by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), this regular production model brings a decidedly subtle look to the brand’s simple dress watch. Initial thoughts It’s been interesting to observe Louis Vuitton’s confident foray into haute horlogerie through the revival of Daniel Roth. Despite the corporate structure, astute collectors continue to speak of Daniel Roth in the same breath as other leading independent watchmakers. To the independent-collecting cognoscenti, the platinum Extra Plat should prove a compelling option – rooted in the early history of the independent watchmaking movement but built to meet contemporary expectations. Following Daniel Roth’s launch of the Tourbillon Souscription, the time-only, manually wound Extra Plat — “extra flat” for non-French speakers — debuted in an 18k yellow gold souscription edition followed closely by regular production models in rose gold, with and without skeletonisation. The new platinum Extra Plat rounds out the set. Combined with the matching dial with contrasting finishes, it creates a rather stealthy profile for this otherwise opulently finished dress watch. Extra Plat-inum The platinum double-ellipse case shares the wrist-friendly d...
SJX Watches
Continuing with a practice that began last year, Tudor has announced a limited edition as this year’s Formula 1 season kicks off. As with last year’s edition, the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” is modelled on the livery of the racing car of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB). It’s otherwise identical to last year’s model, which means it is lightweight, well priced, and equipped with the high-spec MT5813 movement. Initial thoughts The Carbon 26 is essentially last year’s watch with a new dial, but I like the new yellow and white livery than last year’s white and blue. The colours are subjective, but the value proposition of the watch remains objectively excellent (though the price has risen largely due to the strength of the Swiss franc). The Carbon 26 is still competitively priced next to its rivals. As an aside, I hope Tudor will eventually incorporate more design elements from its historical motor racing chronographs, like the Monte Carlo, into its modern-day F1 editions like the Carbon 26. The Carbon 26 is clearly a Black Bay – the “snowflake” hands are a giveaway – but the Black Bay is a dive watch rather than one for the road. Carbon inside and out The Carbon 26 gets its name from the carbon fibre composite case and bezel, which have a patterned surface typical of the material. The type of composite employed here is more subtle appearance-wise compared to other composites used in watchmaking, so at a distance the case appears a flat black. Thoug...
Worn & Wound
Part of the fun of Watches & Wonders (in fact, most of the fun of Watches & Wonders) is discovering things you didn’t expect to find, or that slip through the cracks and don’t get nearly the attention you think they should once you see them in person. Let’s face it: the event is dominated by a handful of huge brands that save their absolute best for the show. But for every Tudor, Cartier, and Rolex, there’s a Chronoswiss, Behrens, and Hautlence releasing incredibly impressive watches we simply don’t talk about enough. Here, Zach Kazan and Zach Weiss recap some of their favorite watches at this year’s Watches & Wonders that slipped under the radar for one reason or another. If there’s a release you saw or read about from the show that you think isn’t getting its fair shake, let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear about it. Zach Weiss Hautlence Kubera Hautlence isn’t a brand that does half-measures. Their watches are all in, featuring wild complications executed in intricate fashion, housed in massive, equally exotic cases. I take a meeting with them at Watches + Wonders every year because, while maybe not a brand that is quite in our wheelhouse, I personally find them fun and inspiring. Plus, the brand has a very self-aware attitude that’s refreshing. Well, this year was different because, for the first time ever, Hautlence launched a watch that, while thoroughly strange and unconventional, was also wearable, and priced, for Hautlence, in a ...
SJX Watches
The marketing history of Rolex shows a brand building its public face step by step through symbols, carefully chosen moments, and tightly controlled messages. From its beginnings in 1905, Rolex shaped a clear, recognisable image, with a strong emphasis on visibility, control and consistency. The company spent real effort defining what the name Rolex should evoke and how that image would appear in print, in shop windows and on people’s wrists. Where many watchmakers leaned on language around heritage and handcraft, Rolex developed a communication style rooted in achievement, trust and broad recognition. The brand favoured association: with pilots, swimmers, climbers, tennis players, orchestras, laboratories and prize-giving institutions. Sponsorships, endorsements and even model names formed a linked pattern, presenting the Rolex watch as the natural companion of records, frontiers and public success. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder, treated promotion and product as parts of the same task. He saw that a claim about performance gained weight when tied to a visible test or public event, and that reputation could grow through displays of endurance, accuracy and elegance under pressure. The waterproof Oyster case, observatory trials, Channel swims, aviation flights and Himalayan expeditions all served as stages on which the watch and the story moved together. Across the decades this approach produced one of the most coherent brand stories in modern watchmaking. Through long-standi...
Teddy Baldassarre
For many watch collectors, acquiring one's first tourbillon watch is a Holy Grail, a rite of passage into the upper echelons of horological connoisseurship. If you're new to the watch appreciation game, however, you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. What is so special about tourbillon watches, anyway, and what makes them so desirable to so many while still being so prohibitively expensive for most? The short answer is that a tourbillon is, in this day and age, less of a necessity and more of a badge of historical high-watchmaking excellence. For a more detailed explanation, read on. The First Tourbillons and Early Innovations The inventor of the tourbillon is a name that is likely familiar to watch connoisseurs. Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), a native of Switzerland who plied his trade as a watchmaker in Paris, was one of horology’s most significant historical figures, among whose many innovations was the first self-winding movement, the first repeater movement with a gong, one of the earliest constant-force escapements, and the device that he famously patented in 1801, the so-called tourbillon escapement. While the tourbillon is today considered by many to be a complication, like a chronograph or calendar mechanism, its original purpose was a fully practical one, to compensate for the ill effects of gravity on the movement of a pocket watch and thus improve its long-term accuracy. Remember, in Breguet’s time, watches were not worn on wrists, where ...
The 2025 Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco was one for the books. Thousands of attendees poured into the city’s vibrant Marina District for three days of hands-on horology, exclusive releases, and face time with the creators behind the brands we love. The energy was electric, and the programming only elevated what was already an unforgettable experience. Thanks to our sponsors, this year’s event reached new heights, with panels that brought depth, insight, and real-time connection to the forefront. Here are recordings of the full conversations that helped shape the weekend, plus some videos from our friends at Fortis and Bulova. Introducing the New Fortis Fliegers with the WERK 7 Manufacture Calibre The Fortis Flieger collection connects over 40 years of aviation heritage with the modern era. Redefined in collaboration with the Swiss Air Force, it stands as the most readable tool watch Fortis has ever crafted. This video goes into its new WERK 7 manufacture calibre with 70 hours of power reserve, as explained by Andreas Bentele, Marketing Manager at Fortis. Panel 1 – Making Watches for the Enthusiast vs. the Curious Worn & Wound’s Managing Editor Zach Kazan kicked off the programming with a lively conversation featuring Abingdon Mullin, CEO at Abingdon, Jonathan Ferrer, Designer & Founder at Brew, and Brandon Little, Founder & Designer at Artefkt. The panel explored how brands can speak to both hardcore collectors and casual newcomers-without diluting their voic...
Worn & Wound
One of the only bad things that came out of me getting rid of my Facebook account was that I have no idea when anyone’s birthdays are anymore. Now, I have just two options. I either have to awkwardly ask my friend of seventeen years if she’s the 15th or the 19th of June (only to be told it’s December 7th) or I cut them out of my life completely, not being able to face that embarrassment. The same goes for anniversaries. I only remember my parents’ anniversary because they honeymooned at Dollywood and I think that’s something worth remembering. And I’ve cheated a little to remember my own anniversary as it’s a bit mneumonical: my husband and I began dating on January 1 and we got married on November 11. I’m surely going to be in big trouble with my second husband. All the good dates have been taken. What I really need, I think, to remember an anniversary is a watch to commemorate it (or, at the very least, a press release sent to a bunch of journalists to write about). That is, in fact, what Casio did for their 50th anniversary in watchmaking with a new G-SHOCK earlier this month, a black and gold all-metal version of their GMC-B2100 series. Like others in the B2100 collection, the anniversary edition has the now-iconic octagonal shape, but rendered in stainless steel. Coming in a black and gold motif, one may think this colorway is a nod to my own Pittsburgh heritage; but you’d be mistaken. According to Casio, this particular color combination represents ...
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