Results for Swiss Lever Escapement

Frederique Constant spins tracks and escapements at Dubai Watch Week

Deep house and tourbillons mark Frederique Constant's DWW releases.The post Frederique Constant spins tracks and escapements at Dubai Watch Week appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Science of Steel: The Stuff of Cases, Mainsprings, Hairsprings, Pinions, Escapements and the Backbone of Watchmaking

Joshua Munchow talks about steel here, the metal that made the world! Watch cases and other movement components are commonly made from certain stainless steels, 304 and 316L being the most frequent. It also happens that some brands hold exclusive rights to use specific alloys in the production of its watches. Here's what you should know about steel.

Oris Goes Deeper than Ever with the All New AquisPro 4000m

The recent history of dive watches is all about going deeper and deeper beneath the ocean’s surface. Recent releases (and major technological advancements) from Rolex and Omega underscore the continuing interest on the part of brands, collectors, and, we assume, pro divers in maximizing depth ratings, whether for practical purposes or bragging rights. The watches that come out of the research and development around extreme depth resistance have a certain appeal even if you don’t have a particular desire to even get them wet – they are technological marvels, and often compelling design objects with an offbeat aesthetic appeal. Now, Oris is getting in on the act, with a new member of the Aquis family that goes deeper than any before it, the AquisPro 4000m. The headline here is right in the name of the watch: this is an Aquis that is rated to an impressive 4,000 meters of water resistance. While not as robust as Omega’s Ultra Deep which is rated to 6,000 meters, or the truly incomprehensible Deepsea Challenge diver by Rolex that goes to 11,000 meters, this Aquis handily beats other divers in the Aquis family, which are typically rated to 300 meters. It does so with an oversized, multi piece titanium case measuring 49.5mm in diameter and a little over 23mm thick.  I don’t know if there’s an obscure Swiss law that says any dive watch rated over a certain depth rating needs to have some kind of ocean themed dial design, but we get one with the AquisPro 4000m in the ...

Maurice Lacroix Takes their Urban Tribe Design to a New Level with a Limited Skeleton Version

One of my favorite things about working in the watch industry is the capacity this strange little world still has to surprise. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, you’re reminded that you most definitely have not, and in fact you might just be scratching the surface. I love getting press releases about watches I don’t expect, particularly when they come from brands that I thought I knew and understood. Enter: Maurice Lacroix. If you know Maurice Lacroix at all, you probably know them as the brand behind the Aikon, an integrated bracelet sports watch that bears a certain resemblance to another much more sought after and much more expensive watch with a similar footprint. The Aikon, though, has proven to be a worthy blank canvas for many of Maurice Lacroix’s most interesting ideas over the years, and a new version, an update of a design first seen in 2021, takes that to a new level.  The Aikon Urban Tribe Skeleton is lie no other Aikon before it, except the Aikon Urban Tribe, which featured a similar series of engravings along the case walls and throughout the bracelet. The Urban Tribe’s calling card (for both the 2021 version and this new reference) is the elaborate case engraving. It’s unusual enough to see a well known Swiss brand dabble in engraved cases to begin with, and it’s even more unusual for those engravings to seemingly live in the world of tribal tattoos and similar motifs. But that’s not all – these designs are inspired by urban arch...

Mr. Jones Continues to Expand their Mechanical Collection with the Release of The Accurate, A Clever Take on the Memento Mori

Mr. Jones, the brand whose slogan is “The Most Unique British Watches,” continues to update their eclectic collection with mechanical versions of their most popular and talked about quartz watches. Back in April, we told you about the mechanical release of “A Perfectly Useless Afternoon,” a watch that told time via a display that brings one of the laziest activities imaginable – floating aimlessly in a pool – into fluid motion on the wrist. That design is a perfect example of the Mr. Jones ethos, which is to use a watch dial as a blank canvas to tell a story in a highly specific way, and to get people talking. Their watches, while certainly not to every taste, are undeniably full of ideas, and remarkably creative in a way that most watches simply aren’t, as the brand isn’t inspired by traditional watchmaking. The newest watch in their mechanical collection actually does take an idea that has existed in watchmaking for just about as long as the practice has existed, the memento mori, and puts a uniquely Mr. Jones spin on it. “The Accurate” doesn’t use traditional memento mori iconography, but it is, as the brand says, the most accurate watch ever made.  The Mr. Jones collection is full of visual puns, and The Accurate is a good example. The words “remember you will die” appear spread across the hour and minute hands, such that whenever you read the time, you get a not-so-subtle reminder of your own mortality. This, of course, is the point of a mem...

Singer Reimagined Streamlines the Clever Central Chronograph

The watchmaking arm of vintage Porsche rebuilder Singer, Singer Reimagined has just taken the covers off the 1969 collection, a pair of watches that reimagine (no pun intended) the brand’s trademark central chronograph, the 1969 Chronograph and the simpler 1969 Timer. Like the brand’s prior models, the 1969 duo are vintage inspired and share the familiar cushion-shaped case and inventive Agenhor movement. But they are now smaller and more wearable, and in a first for the brand, are fitted to a matching bracelet. Initial thoughts In choosing 1969 as the inspiration for the brand’s latest series of watches, founder Marco Borraccino has selected a platform that allowed him both a historical connection to the past and an aesthetic palette from which to draw. The idea is particularly clever for a young brand with no heritage of its own. Choosing instead to focus on the industry-wide heritage for the brand’s most central complication is something of a sideways masterstroke. Pleasingly, the brand communication has refrained from laying it on too thick in this regard, so we can enjoy the pieces for what they are without the story getting in the way of the facts. To me, these two pieces are a welcome addition to the catalogue. I’m never one to ignore an uptick in wearability and this certainly offers it. Achieving this without sacrificing any of the brand’s aesthetic cues is a job well done. While there is a massive drop-off in functionality from the Chronograph to the ...

Boxing clever: New report shows the market for fancy watch packaging is set to boom

“Full set: box and papers.” If you’re buying a pre-owned watch, the inclusion of these extras that came with the original purchase will usually mean you have to pay more. The box and papers are a sign of the watch’s legitimacy. So when you buy a watch (new or second-hand), you make an effort to … ContinuedThe post Boxing clever: New report shows the market for fancy watch packaging is set to boom appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Habring² Chrono-Felix Top-Second: Maestro of Clever Complications

Introducing: The Arken Alterum Is A Clever Titanium Travel Timer

Evolving the brand's original design to create an affordable, lightweight, and distinctive take on the GMT.

The Science of Steel, The Stuff Of Cases, Mainsprings, Hairsprings, Pinions, Escapements And The Backbone Of Watchmaking - Reprise

Joshua Munchow talks about steel here, the metal that made the world! Watch cases and other movement components are commonly made from certain stainless steels, 304 and 316L being the most frequent. It also happens that some brands hold exclusive rights to use specific alloys in the production of its watches. Here's what you should know about steel.

How They Made It: A Clever Way To Tell Time By Color

The futurists at Ressence find an ingenious use for tiny ceramic balls.

F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance 20th Anniversary Featuring One Mainspring, One Differential, Two Geartrains, And Two Remontoire d’Egalité Escapements

Launched in 2000, the Chronomètre à Résonance was the first wristwatch with a resonance mechanism and it catapulted F.P. Journe into the major leagues. This latest model in celebration of its 20th anniversary is an entirely new piece based on the resonance phenomenon that now incorporates a larger single mainspring (the original had two mainsprings) with a differential driving the two going trains and a pair of remontoire d’égalité escapements.

Focus On Materials: Primer On The Science of Steel, The Stuff Of Cases, Mainsprings, Hairsprings, Pinions, Escapements And The Backbone Of Watchmaking - Reprise

Joshua Munchow talks about steel here, the metal that made the world! Watch cases and other movement components are commonly made from certain stainless steels, 304 and 316L being the most frequent. It also happens that some brands hold exclusive rights to use specific alloys in the production of its watches. Here's what you should know about steel.

High Speed Escapements, Part 3: Different Approaches

High Speed Escapements, Part 2: A Field Survey

High Speed Escapements, Part 1: History and Future

Hands-On: The Arnold & Son DSTB Stop-Seconds

One of the brands we don’t talk about all that often here is Arnold & Son. It’s a brand that offers an interesting heritage story—Swiss watchmaking with English roots, as the brand proudly headlines on its website in homage to eighteenth-century watchmaker John Arnold. It sits within the Citizen Group as one of the brand’s prestige properties, along with Angelus, and both are led by Pascal Béchu. Many people may be surprised to find out that the Citizen Group’s portfolio extends quite a bit out of Japan, with other familiar names like Bulova, Frederique Constant, Alpina, and La-Joux Perret as key properties, but Arnold & Son stands out mostly due to its price point and complicated high horology offerings.  A little over two weeks ago, in time for WatchTime NY, Arnold & Son introduced a new update to the brand’s DSTB models—the new DSTB Stop-Seconds limited editions in Cliff Grey and Kingsand. Both are limited to 18 pieces each. On the surface, they might look just like new dial and metal combinations for the pre-existing DSTB (Dial-Side True Beat) references, but these new editions get a pretty major upgrade—hacking functionality for the deadbeat seconds. Hacking seconds might not seem like an update worthy of celebration, but for a watch that puts so much emphasis on the seconds hand, it is a welcome sight.  The deadbeat (or true-seconds) complication is, unsurprisingly, the focus of the architecture here, thanks to the mechanism of the complication iso...

The ABCs of Time - The History of German Watchmaking

The miniaturisation of clock towers to portable time wasn’t a Swiss innovation – it all started in Germany thanks to locksmith and clockmaker Peter Henlein in Nuremberg at the start of the 16th century. These first “pocket watches” were soon referred to as Nuremberg Eggs, as many had round, bulbous shapes like an egg. They […]

Recapping Fossil Signature’s Launch at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026

Fossil’s new Signature Collection made its debut at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026, with a behind-the-scenes film, a Q&A; with Senior Creative Director Ryan White, and the first chance to get the watches on the wrist in the Fossil Signature Lounge. Fossil is taking a fresh swing at enthusiast watchmaking with Signature CS-1, a new collection built around thoughtful design, elevated materials, and Swiss craftsmanship. Launched at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026, the collection brings Fossil’s distinctive design sensibility to a new premium watch platform. And we got to kick things off with a morning dedicated to the people who matter most: the watch enthusiasts who showed up ready to see what it was all about. A week before the fair, we shared a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Fossil Signature Collection, filmed at Fossil’s Dallas headquarters with Ryan. We also extended an invitation: come watch the film with us, here from Ryan directly, and get your hands on the watches before the rest of the fair got underway. The Screening Before Windup opened its doors on Saturday and Sunday, we gathered for the premiere of our short documentary, tracing the collection from its first spark of inspiration to the finished pieces. Seeing it on a big screen is one thing. Seeing it in a room full of people who care about how watches get made is something else entirely. The Q&A; Next, our Head of Partnerships, Kyle Snarr, sat down with Ryan for a conversation that picked up right wh...

Introducing: The Sicura Hexa 400 Sea Green, A Vintage-Inspired Dive Watch With A Dial Like The Ocean

That subtitle sounds a bit rich, right? Still, there’s some unexpected truth in that statement. Under the leadership of the famous Ernest “Teddy” Schneider in the late 1960s and 1970s, Sicura thrived and introduced a series of watches featuring pin-lever movements and bold designs. Among them were dive watches with patented multi-bezel systems and dual-crown […] Visit Introducing: The Sicura Hexa 400 Sea Green, A Vintage-Inspired Dive Watch With A Dial Like The Ocean to read the full article.

First Look - Elka Watch Co. Launches a Vintage-Looking Series with the “Tour des Chavannes”

Despite reviving a defunct Dutch name, the young microbrand Elka Watch Co., Hakim El Kadiri’s project, is now firmly rooted in Swiss heritage. El Kadiri went to the point of creating a surprising pair, combining a Neuchâtel-based single malt whisky and a special edition of his minimalist watch with an amber-toned dial to match. And […]

Business News: Audemars Piguet Unveils 'The Watch Keepers' - A Digital Platform Offering Certified Pre-Owned Watches

Audemars Piguet, best known for its Royal Oak model, is starting its long-anticipated certified pre-owned watch service program, launching a digital platform called 'The Watch Keepers' that will bring together buyers and sellers of the Swiss brand's watches inspected and guaranteed by the company's in-house experts.  Images courtesy Audemars Piguet Designed as a digital marketplace, the program will roll out in Switzerland and Europe starting today and will facilitate sales of pre-owned Audemars Piguet watches at least two years old. Approved sellers will securely ship watches to the brand, where Audemars Piguet will examine and certify them as genuine and authentic. The brand will then photograph the watches, document them with listing details, and list them for sale at a set price or via bidding on The Watch Keepers platform, offering them to potential approved buyers using the service. Audemars Piguet will hold and store the watches until they sell and will facilitate delivery to buyers, who will receive a two-year functioning service guarantee on timepieces purchased on the platform. However, the seller will remain the owner of the watches until they are sold and delivered to a new owner. The launch of the Audemars Piguet CPO program marks a significant expansion of the brand's sales channels, as it already sells most of its new watches through company-owned boutiques. It also further legitimizes the secondary, or pre-owned, watch market and follows Rolex's entry into...

Does TheHive from PANOM finally put Luxembourg on the watchmaking map?

Luxembourg’s PANOM makes its watchmaking debut with TheHive, a 150-piece edition featuring a striking honeycomb dial and Swiss movement.

Atelier Mephalie Makes A Comeback With Three In-House Minute Repeaters From Shanghai

If you were planning to revive a sleeping watchmaking brand from the late 19th century, where would you start? Most rational folks would probably source a batch of reliable off-the-shelf Swiss or Japanese automatic movements, drop them into a neatly polished case, and spend the rest of the quarter on marketing. But Lin Xiaolin isn’t […] Visit Atelier Mephalie Makes A Comeback With Three In-House Minute Repeaters From Shanghai to read the full article.

Zenith Sets Sights on Higher Ground with Layoffs

After several years in the red and challenging market conditions predicted, Zenith is seeking higher ground by focusing on high-end watchmaking, eliminating about 200 jobs in the process. As reported by Swiss newspaper Le Temps, chief executive Benoit de Clerk broke the news to employees on Thursday, citing the strong Franc, US tariffs, and weak demand from the Middle East and Asia. Zenith’s pivot was foreshadowed by the excellent GFJ line launched last year, and comes in the wake of Jean Arnault taking charge of the LVMH’s watch brands, namely Zenith, TAG Heuer, and Hublot, after having engineered Louis Vuitton’s ascent into fine watchmaking. The middle market, which Zenith flees, is particularly brutal – expensive to play in and competitive. Zenith is not the only one to abandon it, Mr de Clerk also referenced the closure of Montblanc’s Le Locle factory, as that brand too shifts focus upmarket. Zenith’s greatest strengths, its mature, capable manufacturing base and wide distribution, are oversized for the brand’s production volume. Unable to feed this beast or put it to work, Zenith will be cutting about a hundred jobs, roughly half of its workforce, in Le Locle, and a further hundred in retail and distribution. In 2024, LVMH announced plans to grow Zenith’s Le Locle manufacture to supply other group brands with movements. Hublot had been using Zenith movements for a decade already, and LVMH envisioned an entire catalog of Zenith-made “in-house” move...

Business News: LVMH-Owned Zenith Is Restructuring In Major Reset As Brand Plans Job Cuts And Production Drop In Shift To High-End Market

Zenith, the storied Swiss brand founded more than a century ago and known for its El Primero high-beat chronograph movement, will undergo major restructuring, forcing the LVMH-owned company to significantly reduce its workforce and scale back production and distribution, with plans to reposition the marque as a high-horology, low-volume watchmaker.  The Zenith overhaul follows years of financial losses by the brand, founded by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle, Switzerland, in 1865. Chief Executive Officer Benoit De Clerck addressed employees at the company's headquarters this week, announcing the restructuring and warning that the company could eliminate as many as 100 jobs, or about half the workforce at the manufacture. To complete the reorganization and reposition the brand by 2029, the company may also eliminate another 100 positions, including the watch brand's entire international team. A Zenith watchmaker.  Management and executives are now in a formal "consultation process" with employees over the next three weeks to negotiate the terms of the restructuring and job cuts. Unia, the Swiss employees' trade union representing workers at the manufacturer, will meet with employees next week and join management in the consultation process, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to comment publicly.  "We confirm that a staff consultation process was initiated today [Thursday] concerning a proposed ...

Introducing - Maurice Lacroix Refines the Aikon Automatic Chronograph for its Tenth Anniversary

Introduced in 2016, the Aikon collection has become a cornerstone of Maurice Lacroix’s catalogue, combining an integrated design with sporty details and accessible Swiss mechanics. Initially available with quartz movements, the collection added automatic versions in 2018, including the Automatic Chronograph. Now, ten years after the Aikon’s debut, Maurice Lacroix revisits its automatic chronograph with […]

Introducing - The Semi-Openworked Version Watches V0201-TH, now on Kickstarter

Version Watches is a young independent brand founded in 2024 founded by a feminine duo, Cybèle Vigneron and Carla Lafranchini. Version creates Swiss-made watches that are classic with a twist, exploring the idea of transparency and suggestion through its signature semi-openworked dials. The brand now comes with its second collection following the V01-LLC that reached […]

Formex Essence Ceramica Dark Matter Redshift: Full Black Ceramic, Meteorite Dial, and a Red Accent That Means Business

The Swiss micro-brand goes harder with its ceramic sports watch, adding motorsport-inspired red accents, a matte black case, and a COSC-certified movement to the mix.

Hands-On: The New Louis Vuitton Monterey In Green And Black Ceramic

Names of Swiss watch brands and models can be tricky to pronounce, especially the French ones. Does the name Jay-Jay Le Coot ring a bell? I will let you figure it out and bring up another name. It’s now an official name, but it stems from the trouble some had in pronouncing the original. In […] Visit Hands-On: The New Louis Vuitton Monterey In Green And Black Ceramic to read the full article.