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5,488 articles · 178 videos found · page 182 of 189

Panerai Introduces the Luminor Marina Carbotech PAM 1661 SJX Watches
Panerai Introduces Feb 3, 2020

Panerai Introduces the Luminor Marina Carbotech PAM 1661

Three years ago, Panerai introduced the LAB-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech 3 Days PAM 700, an experimental watch boasting carbon-based innovations inside and out, including ceramic bridges and plates that do away with jewelled bearings as well as a dial coated in carbon nanotubes giving it an absolute black finish. But the LAB-ID was truly experimental, and word has it that only a handful were sold and the planned 50-piece run was never completed. But no doubt due to the popularity of the LAB-ID’s design – and unpopularity of the €50,000 price tag – Panerai has just announced the Luminor Marina Carbotech 44 mm (PAM01661). It’s essentially a smaller, simpler LAB-ID, featuring a case in the same material, as well as blue lume on the dial and hands, but with a straightforward automatic movement without any of the bells and whistles found in the LAB-ID. The Luminor Marina Carbotech 44 mm Depth rated to 300 m, the case is made of Carbotech, a carbon fibre-reinforced polymer produced by compressing thin sheets of carbon fibres at high pressure with a high-end polymer (PEEK), explaining the wave-like appearance of the material. The result is a material that is light and strong, explaining why the large, 44 mm case weighs just 96 grammes, less than half the same case in steel. The LAB-ID of 2017 The watch has a standard Panerai dial, but in the colours of the LAB-ID. Like most Panerai dials, it has a “sandwich” construction, where the hour markers are cut-outs that r...

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Hands-On: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Jan 31, 2020

Hands-On: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste

Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled a trio of grand complications last year, a substantial number given how complex each watch is, although two of the three are powered by existing movements. The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle (the only one equipped with a new calibre) and the Gyrotourbillon 3 Meteorite were launched first, and late in the year came the Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste to mark 15 years of partnership with the Venice International Film Festival. Among the brand’s grand complications, the Tourbillon Celeste is one of the most interesting, boasting a quirky combinations of functions – an orbital, flying tourbillon calibrated for sidereal time as well as a star chart, and sidereal annual calendar. And it is also unusually high tech for a Jaeger-LeCoultre, with the movement being equipped with a silicon escape wheel and pallet fork. A simpler complication As with most of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s recent grand complications, the movement in the Tourbillon Céleste is an iteration of an earlier calibre – something the brand has made a habit of in recent years, which is a bit of a shame given its rich history in movement development. Specifically, the movement inside is a streamlined and simplified version of the more complicated Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication, which was launched in 2010 and also included a minute repeater. Being a separate module mounted on the case-back side of the movement, the repeater was s...

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Business News: Swatch Group Annual Profit Falls with Hong Kong Slowdown SJX Watches
Longines just announced Jan 30, 2020

Business News: Swatch Group Annual Profit Falls with Hong Kong Slowdown

Hong Kong’s political unrest has resulted in the first fall in annual profits at the Swatch Group since 2018. The world’s biggest watchmaking group, which owns brands like Omega and Longines, just announced its 2019 results, showing declines in both sales and profits. Net profit fell 13.7%, while sales declined 1.8% at constant exchange rates, or 2.7% at current rates, to 8.24 billion francs. The drops in profit and sales were primarily due to a drastic contraction of its business in Hong Kong – a city with a population of just 7.4 million – where Swatch Group owns over 90 retail stores, largely catering to shoppers from the China. Sales in Hong Kong for the second half of 2019 fell by 200 million francs. While Hong Kong was the key driver of the decline, it was not the only one. The luxury watch business in general is suffering from anaemic growth, which is also evidenced by the watch division results at diversified luxury groups like LVMH and Kering. On a more positive note, Swatch Group has managed to fulfil its stated aims of reducing operating expenditure and thinning inventory. Operating expenses dipped about 6%, while operating cash flow rose 30% in 2019. And after several consecutive years of growth, the group’s inventories declined by 1% in 2019, to a still-substantial 6.85 billion francs at cost. It’ll be a slow 2020… With Swatch Group predicting the situation in Hong Kong will continue to be “challenging” in 2020, it is in a weaker positio...

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Great ‘Grams: MLK Day, Joshua Trees, and a very special AP Time+Tide
Casio n Jan 23, 2020

Great ‘Grams: MLK Day, Joshua Trees, and a very special AP

This week the US celebrated Martin Luther King Day, a reminder of Mr King’s work as a civil rights leader campaigning against segregation, and also a reminder that our efforts to build a more equal world mustn’t subside as we move forward. To mark the occasion, the watch collecting community was offered a post of … ContinuedThe post Great ‘Grams: MLK Day, Joshua Trees, and a very special AP appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Black Titanium SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Jan 20, 2020

Up Close: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon Black Titanium

The eight years Vacheron Constantin spent on developing the most complicated watch ever – the Reference 57260 pocket watch – spawned not just the timepiece itself, but various complications incorporated within its movement. A handful of its complications have been translated into wristwatch form, including the multi-axis tourbillon, resulting in the Les Cabinotiers Armillary Tourbillon. Originally launched in 2016 in a white gold case, and later iterated with cases in other precious metals, the Armillary Tourbillon recently made its debut with a black-coated titanium case, giving it a radically different look and feel from the earlier versions. The watch is big, lightweight, and mechanical looking, setting it apart from the typical Vacheron Constantin. Though its colours are stealthy, the size of the case and intricacy of the dial mean it is hard to miss. The case is huge – 45 mm in diameter and over 20mm high – and it looks the part on the wrist. Part of the thickness is due to the highly-domed crystal, a necessity because of the relatively thick movement and bi-axial tourbillon. In fact, the tourbillon sits so high that a bubble is integrated into the already-high crystal to accommodate the cage. The pointed tips of the lugs are inspired by the Maltese cross, which is also the logo of Vacheron Constantin But this particular version of the Armillary Tourbillon is satisfyingly light because of the case material. As a result it wears relatively well for a watch ...

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Zenith Introduces the Pilot Type 20 Rescue SJX Watches
Zenith Introduces Jan 14, 2020

Zenith Introduces the Pilot Type 20 Rescue

Inspired by early 20th century aviator’s watches, Zenith’s Pilot Type 20 collection gets new two versions at LVMH Watch Week. Available mostly in heavily retro guises, including in bronze or aged steel, the new pilot watches take a different tack. The Pilot Type 20 Rescue and Type 20 Rescue Chronograph are devoid of retro affectations, and are kept simple with steel cases and dark grey dials. Measuring 45 mm wide, both watches feature a brushed case band with a polished bezel as well as a polished, onion-shaped crown. Instead of the usual grained dials, they have slate-grey, sun ray-brushed dials that are accented with bolts of yellow, giving them a more modern look. As with the rest of the collection, the dials are characterised by cathedral-style hands and large applied Gothic numerals that are moulded from SuperLuminova. Powering the Pilot Type 20 Rescue is the Elite 679, an in-house, workhorse automatic movement with a 50 hour-power reserve, while the Pilot Type 20 Rescue Chronograph is equipped with the El Primero 4069, which is a variant of the El Primero 400 that lacks a date and an hour totaliser. The only element that’s “faux” patina is the distressed calfskin leather strap that was inspired by shearling flight jackets and helmets. Key facts and price Pilot Type 20 Rescue Ref. 03.2434.679/20.I010 Case diameter: 45mm Material: Stainless steel Water resistance: 100m Movement: Elite 679 Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds Frequency: 28,800 beats p...

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Bulgari Introduces the Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon SJX Watches
Bulgari Introduces Jan 13, 2020

Bulgari Introduces the Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon

The flagship launch for Bulgari at LVMH Watch Week is a compact tourbillon for ladies that’s technically interesting because it is powered by a newly-developed form movement. The Serpenti Seduttori Tourbillon is a moderately large ladies’ watch, with a case measuring 34 mm in diameter and a slim 8.9 mm high. Because it is a Serpenti – which is Italian for “serpent” – the case is shaped like a snake’s head, giving it an ovoid form that has quite a presence on the wrist. Available in white gold or rose gold, the case is set with diamonds, as is the dial (and there’s also a version in white gold with a matching bracelet, set in diamonds from end to end). Inside is the BVL150, a hand-wound movement constructed specifically for this watch. It’s a small movement, measuring 22 mm at its longest and 3.65 mm high, but still manages to accommodate a tourbillon and a 40-hour power reserve. More notably, the movement is a form movement; its shape traces the case, with the tourbillon taking centre stage at six o’clock. Unusually, the tourbillon looks like a flying tourbillon, but is a conventional tourbillon secured by a bridge. But the bridge is a piece of clear sapphire, with the pivot jewel in its centre, making it almost invisible. Another unconventional feature is the crown, which is positioned just between two and three o’clock – inclined at six degrees from the horizontal according to Bulgari – a necessity due to the compact size of the movement. Key fa...

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Up Close: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Jan 3, 2020

Up Close: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle

Chiming movements – as in a minute repeater or grande sonnerie – have been fairly consistent in construction, being both rare and difficult to master, let alone be improved upon. But over the past two decades, Jaeger-LeCoultre has developed an impressive number of engineering improvements for its repeating movements, from “trebuchet” hammers that are hinged like the medieval catapult for enhanced striking power, to “crystal” gongs that are welded to the sapphire crystal to boost volume. This year, the brand has added to its list of striking innovations with revamped, ultra-long gongs in the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle, which was designed to raise both the quality and quantity of the chimes. The Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle with a grained, silver dial An elaborate case Available with the dial in either a blue flinqué enamel or a simpler, silvered and grained finish, the Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle (MGTRMP) combines a minute repeater with one of the most user-friendly perpetual calendar mechanisms on the market, plus automatic winding. The self-winding capability is important and practical, because the movement has a short 38-hour power reserve. The two dial variants. Image – Jaeger-LeCoultre All of that is naturally voluminous, and packed into a large white gold case measuring 43mm wide and 13.72mm high. Though by no means a small watch, it is surprisingly thin for such a grand...

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Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities SJX Watches
Dec 19, 2019

Breaking News: ETA Movement Sales Halted by Swiss Authorities

News last weekend that Switzerland’s competition regulator, COMCO, also widely known by its German acronym Weko, was weighing a ban on ETA movement sales to third-party brands caused a major stir in the watch industry – and a terse, lengthy response from Swatch Group, ETA’s parent and Switzerland’s biggest watchmaking conglomerate. The move was ostensibly to allow alternatives to ETA – once Switzerland’s dominant supplier of mechanical movements – to develop. According to the Swatch Group, the ban was entirely without merit, especially given the fact that ETA was no longer the biggest supplier of movements to the industry. That title now belongs to Sellita, which supplied a million movements in 2019, compared to half the number for ETA. Now COMCO has formalised the year-long ban in an announcement that puts in place a “temporary suspension of the supply of [ETA] mechanical movements to customers”. The ban will be in force until COMCO makes its final decision by the summer of 2020. The ban, however, allows ETA to sell its movements to existing clients that are small- and medium-sized watch brands, defined as having less than 250 employees, which will probably be of little consolation to ETA. According to a Swatch Group spokesman quoted by Reuters, the majority of ETA’s movement sales are to companies with more than 250 employees, and as a result, ETA foresees it won’t be able to sell any movements next year. According to the statement, the ban is foun...

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VIDEO: The timelessly elegant Grand Seiko SBGY002 Time+Tide
Grand Seiko SBGY002 Created Dec 18, 2019

VIDEO: The timelessly elegant Grand Seiko SBGY002

Created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Grand Seiko’s prolific Spring Drive movement, SBGY002 is a limited edition dress watch for discerning fans of the Japanese watchmaker’s signature snowflake dial. Hewn from solid 18k yellow gold, the case of the rarified timepiece is signature SBGY and, as a result, measures in at just 38.5mm and … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The timelessly elegant Grand Seiko SBGY002 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Recommended Watching: Roger W. Smith Explains History of the Mechanical Watch SJX Watches
Roger W. Smith Dec 18, 2019

Recommended Watching: Roger W. Smith Explains History of the Mechanical Watch

Just over two weeks ago the annual George Daniels lecture took place at the City University of London, an institution supported by the late watchmaker’s charitable trust. This year’s speaker at the sold-out event was none other than Roger W. Smith, protege and successor to Daniels. Just over an hour long, including questions, the lecture is erudite, accessible and packed with nerdy trivia, like the fact that a movement running at 28,800 beats per hour will make 252,288,000 vibrations per year. Roger explained the history and rationale behind the mechanical watch, and how watchmakers are working to improve it even today. That naturally led into the lubrication-free co-axial escapement invented by Daniels (pictured above), which Roger delves into in a satisfyingly detailed manner, like comparing the sliding friction of a lever escapement against the tangential impulse of the co-axial. Fortunately, the entire proceedings were recorded and are now available online:  

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Parmigiani Introduces the Hijri Perpetual Calendar SJX Watches
Parmigiani Fleurier has created Dec 17, 2019

Parmigiani Introduces the Hijri Perpetual Calendar

The conventional calendar used in most of the world is the Gregorian calendar, which has 365 days and an extra day in February every leap year. Consequently, and quite sensibly, almost all calendar watches display the Gregorian calendar. But there are other calendars used by various cultures and countries, like the Japanese calendar used for its Imperial eras, and also the Islamic, or Hijri, calendar. And now for the very first time, Parmigiani Fleurier has created a wristwatch with a Hijri perpetual calendar. Founded in 1996 by watchmaker Michel Parmigiani, the brand has long been synonymous with inventive and complex watches, most notably the supercar-inspired Bugatti timepieces. In 2011, the brand unveiled the Hijri calendar table clock, a US$2.5 million creation elaborately constructed in silver, rock crystal and semiprecious stone. Now Parmigiani has refined the concept and miniaturised it for the wrist with the Tonda Hijri Perpetual Calendar. A lunar calendar Made up of 12 lunar months and used to track important dates and events in Islam, the Hijri calendar differs from the common Gregorian Calendar in being a lunar calendar, one based on the cycles of the moon, and not Earth’s revolution around the sun. Its 12 months have either 29 or 30 days, resulting in a year that’s between 10 and 12 days shorter than the conventional 365-day year. The Islamic calendar began in 622 AD when the Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina, both in present-day Saudi Arabia, ...

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Marnaut Introduces the Seascape 200 “Super Compressor” Diver SJX Watches
Longines unveiled Dec 16, 2019

Marnaut Introduces the Seascape 200 “Super Compressor” Diver

A retro-inspired dive watch that’s been popular since Longines unveiled the first Legend Diver in 2007, the “Super Compressor” is characterised by two crowns, one for the winding and setting, and the other to rotate the inner bezel. The latest brand to get on the “Super Compressor” bandwagon is Marnaut, which just launched the Seascape 200 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. Founded by a Croatian watch enthusiast with an eye for detail, Marnaut’s design is centred on a simple but distinctive feature – circular, applied markers radiating outwards on the dial – 34 markers in total – inspired by the shell of a sea urchin. The rest of the dial is typical of retro-style dive watches, with large hands and an inner elapsed time bezel with a vintage-inspired serif font. And that is complemented by the perforated rubber strap modelled on vintage “tropic” bands. The steel case is a compact 40mm in diameter, but somewhat thick at 13mm high. As is convention for a “Super Compressor” the crown at four is for winding and setting, while the crown at two rotates the bezel. But the “Super Compressor” nickname has nothing to do with the crowns – Super-Compressor (as well as Compressor) was a type of water-resistant watch case patented by defunct case maker E. Piquerez SA (EPSA), which had a unique sprung, screw-down case back that sealed tighter against the watch case with growing atmospheric pressure as depth increased. Like all crowdfunded watches at thi...

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Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers La Musique Du Temps Minute Repeater Tourbillon Four Seasons: Chime, Chime, Chime For Every Season Quill & Pad
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers La Musique Dec 8, 2019

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers La Musique Du Temps Minute Repeater Tourbillon Four Seasons: Chime, Chime, Chime For Every Season

The Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Tourbillon Four Seasons is an ode to the journey we all must take, the journey that even our great big planet takes every year as it grows, dies, and is reborn. We can celebrate the mechanics and ingenuity behind the watches, but this limited edition celebrates the fleeting nature of life itself.

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Frosted gold is very, very underrated Time+Tide
Dec 7, 2019

Frosted gold is very, very underrated

Editor’s note: There are lots of ways that watchmakers like to decorate their micromechanical marvels, such as engraving, polishing, brushing or even Côtes de Genève inside the case. While all of these techniques are wonderfully effective when done well, one of the most visually impressive (and generally underrated) techniques to finish a watch is hammering … ContinuedThe post Frosted gold is very, very underrated appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Hands-On: Greubel Forsey GMT Sport SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey GMT Sport Even within Dec 5, 2019

Hands-On: Greubel Forsey GMT Sport

Even within the rarefied realm of haute horlogerie, Greubel Forsey has taken watchmaking to a level of craft few others can match – not just in terms of finishing, but innovation in chronometry while also establishing its own inimitable, three-dimensional aesthetic. And now, the brand has combined all of that onto its first sports watch – the GMT Sport. While nearly identical to the existing GMT in terms of function, combining a world time with an inclined tourbillon, the GMT Sport looks nothing like any other Greubel Forsey. And its movement is mostly made of titanium, having been reconstructed to fit into the new ovoid case. Despite being strikingly different, the watch is tremendously impressive on many fronts, especially in its finishing and construction. The new look Depth rated to 100m, the GMT Sport is a large watch that is organic in shape, with no right angles, a handful of edges, and only few flat surfaces. But it has a mechanical-looking style, with lugs secured to the case by visible screws and prominent pushers. The construction is complex and masterful, with the most unusual feature being the crystal and bezel, which are curved on multiple planes. When viewed from the top, the case appears circular, but it is in fact, tonneau-shaped with an oval bezel that is curved vertically from 12 to six o’clock. To fit the curvature of the case, the crystal is also oval-shaped and curved, which further highlights the architectural depth of the movement. The circ...

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In-Depth: MB&F; LM Thunderdome Triple-Axis Tourbillon SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled Dec 3, 2019

In-Depth: MB&F; LM Thunderdome Triple-Axis Tourbillon

The flying tourbillon wristwatch for women – the Legacy Machine FlyingT – that MB&F; launched last year foreshadowed its latest watch – the Legacy Machine Thunderdome, boasting the fastest ever triple-axis tourbillon developed by independent watchmaker Eric Coudray. No doubt multi-axis tourbillons are hardly new, especially after Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its first Gyrotourbillon in 2005 – which was also developed by Mr Coudray – but the LM Thunderdome takes the concept further by every metric, primarily by building on past ideas to achieve higher cage velocities than ever before. Most intriguingly, the Thunderdome movement incorporates a tourbillon lever escapement first devised by Albert H. Potter – a talented American watchmaker who worked in Geneva in the late 19th century – as well as an unusual multi-axis tourbillon that utilises a carrousel for its outermost cage, christened the TriAx. The ingenious construction of the tourbillon is thanks to Mr Coudray, who now runs complications workshop TEC Ebauches and is best known for the numerous exotic tourbillon movements he has developed. After his two-decades at Jaeger-LeCoultre where he became the resident technical genius, Mr Coudray worked for several brands of varying levels of credibility, including at Cabestan where he perfected its vertical tourbillon, and more recently at Cecil Purnell, where he created the Spherion tri-axial tourbillon, which has a similar construction to the Thunderdome. Besides...

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Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater ‘Dance of the Gemstones’ SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Introduces Dec 1, 2019

Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater ‘Dance of the Gemstones’

Another of the strikingly elegant, one-off minute repeaters that’s part of Vacheron Constantin’s 2019 Les Cabinotiers line-up is the Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘Dance of the Gemstones’. Well, it is actually two repeaters, a matched pair of his-and-hers watches (that are available separately nonetheless) with eggshell grand feu enamel dials and ruby hour markers. The dials are extravagant yet elegant, evoking prominent watches of many decades ago. They are inspired by high-end gentlemen’s wristwatches of the 1950s that combined silvered or enamel dials with ruby hour markers, with baguette-cut stones for the quarters and brilliant-cut in between. These were often special orders for royalty or as royal gifts, with the best known being the pocket- and wristwatches made for King Saud bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia that bore his portrait on the enamel dial. His and hers A Patek Philippe ref. 2481 from 1955 with a cream enamel dial bearing a portrait of King Saud bin Abdulaziz. Image – Christie’s Both the repeaters share a similar case design, but different diameters and decoration – the men’s version is 41mm while the ladies’ watch is 39mm with a diamond-set bezel and crown. The watches are otherwise identical, powered by the same cal. 1731, an extra-flat, hand-wound movement that was developed in-house. Key facts and price Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘The Dance of the Gemstones’ Men’s model – ref. 6630C/000R-B662 Ladies’ model – r...

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TAG Heuer Introduces the Carrera Heuer 02T Cortina Edition SJX Watches
TAG Heuer Introduces Nov 29, 2019

TAG Heuer Introduces the Carrera Heuer 02T Cortina Edition

Launched in 2016, the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T remains the most affordable Swiss-made chronograph with touribllon, starting at just US$17,000. Despite the price, the Calibre Heuer 02T is an in-house movement that’s automatic, COSC-certified, and equipped with a lightweight flying tourbillon that has a carbon composite upper carriage and titanium base. The latest variant of the affordable “grand” complication is a limited edition made for Singapore retailer Cortina Watch. Dressed in orange and back, the Carrera Heuer 02T Cortina Edition is being offered only online, via the retailer’s website. As with the standard model, the case measures 45mm wide and 16.4mm high. It features the modular construction that characterises the Carrera line. The case middle is black-coated titanium paired with a black ceramic bezel, while the lugs, pushers and crown are steel. The dial is semi-skeletonised to reveal the grey, sandblasted base plate of the movement. Orange accents are applied to the dial and bezel, including the chronograph hands, and even the carbon composite upper cage of the tourbillon, creating a striking contrast with the black components. Mechanically the movement is identical to the standard Heuer 02T. Based on the CH-80 chronograph movement, it’s equipped with a column wheel and vertical clutch for the chronograph. And it has a 65-hour power reserve, with the balance running at a frequency of 4Hz. Key facts and price TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02T Cortina Edi...

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Omega Introduces the James Bond Limited Edition Set SJX Watches
Omega Introduces Nov 25, 2019

Omega Introduces the James Bond Limited Edition Set

Omega is slowly counting down to the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, which is scheduled for April 2020, with a trickle of 007-themed watches. Just two months ago it debuted a Seamaster Diver 300M to mark half a century of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS),  and now it’s the release of a box set of two watches in steel and gold respectively, presented in a suitcase by British luggage maker Globe-Trotter. Limited to 257, the James Bond Limited Edition Set is made up of a pair of Seamaster dive watches almost identical to the earlier OHMSS edition but without the date. Both are essentially variants of the 42mm Seamaster Diver 300M but tweaked to incorporate several references to 007. The stainless-steel model features a black ceramic bezel insert with a white enamel scale, while the yellow gold version has a scale of Ceragold, which is ceramic with gold filling for the markings. Both have black ceramic dials engraved with the gun barrel motif taken from the title sequence of James Bond films. The hands and indices of both models are yellow gold, with the 12 o’clock marker inspired by the fictional Bond family coat of arms. A subtle detail is the “50” embedded within the luminous marker at ten o’clock, visible only in the dark, a nod to the 50th anniversary of OHMSS. And there’s also the tiny “007” that takes the place of the marker on the minute track. A commemorative plate bearing the set serial number is screwed into the side of the case, ...

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Bulgari Introduces the Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando Edition SJX Watches
Bulgari Introduces Nov 23, 2019

Bulgari Introduces the Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando Edition

Characterised by its sleek, modernist form, the Octo Finissimo Automatic was introduced only in 2017 but is arguably the most successful new design in the luxury sports watch category. Its architectural case and bracelet has now been melded with a dial conceived by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, resulting in the most intriguing iteration of the watch to date – the Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando Edition. Born in 1941, Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect whose minimalist yet monumental buildings demonstrate his mastery of concrete, geometry and light. Winner of the 1995 Pritzker Prize, Mr Ando’s notable works include the Church of the Light in Osaka; 21_21 Design Sight, a design museum in Tokyo; and most recently a lavender-planted hilltop shrine containing a giant Buddha in Hokkaido. While much of his work is located in his home country, he is also famed for several international projects, including the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas and 152 Elizabeth, a residential tower in New York City as well as the Cerro Pelon Ranch in New Mexico designed for designer Tom Ford. In the Octo Finissimo Automatic, he relies on simple geometry to create an unusually distinctive dial, with a spiral motif that emanates from the seconds hand, creating the effect of a wave rippling across the dial. Though the pattern is remarkably simple – it is printed in black lacquer on the dial – the effect is striking, especially when contrasted against the harsh, futuristic lines of the c...

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Ressence Introduces the Type 1DXB Dubai Edition SJX Watches
Ressence Introduces Nov 22, 2019

Ressence Introduces the Type 1DXB Dubai Edition

Created for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the largest watch retailer in the Middle East, to mark Dubai Watch Week 2019, the Type 1DXB is an unusual twist on the typically minimalist Ressence design. Though the watch retains the brand’s signature orbital disc time display, the dial has been skeletonised in a geometric motif inspired by traditional patterns found in Arabic and Islamic culture. Unlike most watches made for the Middle East that sport Eastern Arabic numerals, this is is literally an Arabic dial. The dial is sand-coloured and finishes with a matte, granular surface, matched with white Super-Luminova. Visible through the dial are the gears that drive the unusual time display, all contained within a proprietary Ressence module sitting on top of an ETA 2892 base moment. The 41mm case is square in form, identical to that of the Type 1 Squared. But it is made of titanium, instead of steel as is standard for the Type 1 Squared. And as is standard for Ressence, time setting and winding is done via the case back, hence the lack of a crown. The Type 1DXB is limited to 19 watches, available only at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. Key facts and price Type 1DXB Case diameter: 41mm Height: 11mm Material: Titanium Water resistance: 10m Movement: ROCS 1 (base ETA 2892) Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day of the week Frequency: 28,800 (4Hz) Winding: Automatic Power reserve: 36 hours Strap: Calfskin with titanium buckle Limited edition: 19 pieces Availability: Only at Ahmed Sedd...

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Chopard Alpine Eagle: A Cool - And Ethical - Sports Casual Watch Quill & Pad
Chopard Alpine Eagle Nov 21, 2019

Chopard Alpine Eagle: A Cool - And Ethical - Sports Casual Watch

Stainless steel case, integrated bracelet in the same material, manufacture movement, and a blue dial: these are the ingredients for today's watches that people are willing to spend a significant premium to obtain. For many, this was also the first thought that went through heads when Chopard recently launched its new blue-dial, stainless steel, sporty watch, the Alpine Eagle. Martin Green looks beyond that pretty blue face after wearing it for a week and gives us his thoughts.

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