851 articles · 104 videos found · page 2 of 32
Monochrome
With the addition of the Free Bridge models to the Bridges family in 2020, Girard-Perregaux articulated its vision, stating that “with these models, our master watchmakers have reimagined the company’s famous Bridges, first seen in the 1860s“. The goal was to create a seamless connection between tradition and modernity, tradition being the prominent movement bridges […]
Time+Tide
Ulysse Nardin do not always get the credit they are due as a watch manufacture. I bet most of you watching this video were not aware that Ulysse Nardin is an independently owned, vertically integrated manufacture – among the rare few who are able to build their watches fully in house. While certainly versed in … ContinuedThe post The Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Marquetry is the ultimate tribute to silicon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
A watch that combines the famous octagonal case with an innovative movement, the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked is unquestionably the most technically interesting time-only Audemars Piguet (AP) Royal Oak. And then there’s this bejewelled version that’s certainly a lot more extravagant, but at the same time shows off the details and finishing of the movement better. Initial thoughts This watch is the ultimate black-tie watch – time-only and eminently classical in size at just 37 mm. In fact, it’s quite a bit smaller than the 41 mm standard model, making it a discreet fit under a cuff that will probably be secured by diamond-set cufflinks. It’s also dressed up with a glossy crocodile strap and a lot of generously sized, baguette-cut diamonds – a technically-inclined watch that takes its bling seriously. But this is not just another octagonal watch with diamonds. The movement relies on a novel technical concept for better timekeeping, but its technical merits are usually overlooked because it is installed inside a “hot” watch. And this particular version of the movement is more attractively executed here than on the standard models. Because movement here is plated in silvery rhodium – no doubt to match the dazzling whiteness of the diamonds – it’s more appealing than on the non-jewelled versions that have a dark grey ruthenium finish that’s almost black. While the finishing of the two is essentially identical, the dark finish obscures much ...
Revolution
In this limited edition of 8 pieces, Ulysse Nardin’s technical Free Wheel receives a fresh blast of opulence and artisanship.
Deployant
Girard-Perregaux releases two new watches, the Free Bridge and Free Bridge Infinity. The Infinity Edition features black DLC case and limited to 88 pieces.
Video
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SJX Watches
With the Freak being the undisputed flagship complication of Ulysse Nardin – as well as a historically important watch – many of the brand’s other technical accomplishments often go under the radar. One intriguing offering that hasn’t gotten much attention: the Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel. Despite the somewhat dull name, the Tourbillon Free Wheel is a compelling reinterpretation of a mystery clock – where the mechanics are artfully hidden and exposed for visual effect – that is both fascinating and exotic. The Executive Tourbillon Free Wheel with an aventurine dial While the base model of the Executive collection features a largely conventional, open-worked movement, the Tourbillon Free Wheel takes things a step further by elevating the crucial parts of the movement like the barrel, tourbillon regulator, and gear train for the power reserve. In fact, most of the components are “floating” – the movement boasts a flying tourbillon, a “flying” gear train and power reserve indicator, as well as a “floating” barrel. At the same time, the construction is inverted, with parts that are usually hidden sitting exposed, and vice versa. As a result, the tourbillon and power reserve display appear to operate in isolation, with no obvious connection to the rest of the movement. Floating and flying minimalism While much of the gearing is hidden underneath the dial – which doubles up as the base plate – most of the moving parts are “floating” –...
Deployant
Audemars Piguet revealed the new Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked at SIHH earlier this year. While retaining the classic Royal Oak case design, the Openworked movement hosts a new concept that is said to improve the accuracy of timekeeping. Two balance wheels are positioned parallel to each other and connected via a central staff. This design is oneRead More
Fratello
IFL Watches keeps surprising us with creative new dial variations for its releases. This time, the Stockhlom-based brand delves into the Disney archives and celebrates the joyous spirit of Mickey Mouse. To be more exact, the brand celebrates the Disney classic Steamboat Willie coming into the public domain. This animated short film is known as […] Visit IFL Watches Introduces The Limited Edition Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic Free Willie to read the full article.
Revolution
Revolution
Video
On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
Quill & Pad
The Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Fire has captivated everybody with the mesmerizing appearance of its twin balances and the unusual, long, sinuous, grey spring gently oscillating along the middle of the watch. 'The Horological Journal' editor and watchmaker Justin Koullapis asks the question, "Does it live up to the hyperbole?"
Worn & Wound
As holiday shopping continues to ramp up and reach its fever pitch, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to find deals and discover even more value here at the Windup Watch Shop. To that end, we will be running additional promotions this week, December 18-22, on virtually every product category in the Shop. Furthermore, there are special sales running all three days: Purchase any Tissot and score a free Italian strap; Pick up a Paulin watch and receive a free Model 2 Premium strap; We’ll throw in a pair of Randolph glasses with any purchase of the new Benrus Ultra Deep. And lastly, Free Priority Domestic Shipping. We are excited to offer these, and all the specials highlighted below, as gifts to our Windup Watch Shop community. As holiday shopping continues to ramp up and reach its fever pitch, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to find deals and discover even more value here at the Windup Watch Shop. To that end, we will be running additional promotions this week, December 18-22, on virtually every product category in the Shop. Furthermore, there are special sales running all three days: Purchase any Tissot and score a free Italian strap; Pick up a Paulin watch and receive a free Model 2 Premium strap; We’ll throw in a pair of Randolph glasses with any purchase of the new Benrus Ultra Deep. And lastly, Free Priority Domestic Shipping. We are excited to offer these, and all the specials highlighted below, as gifts to our W...
Quill & Pad
The lockdowns of the pandemic allowed 78-year-old independent watchmaker and A.H.C.I. co-founder Vincent Calabrese a lot of free time to think out things he had been mulling over for years. Foremost among these, his Calasys system, an escapement without a balance spring. Find out much more in this video.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s Note: Today, we bring you the second part in the new series from Andrew Canter, the Greatest Horological Inventions of All Time. In this installment, Andrew examines the invention of the balance spring, a watchmaking advancement that not only charted a path for the watch industry, but can be said to have legitimately changed the world, enabling accurate, reliable, and portable timekeeping for the first time in human history. Who actually invented it, though, is still a matter of some debate, even after 350 years. You can find more of Andrew’s work at the Mr. Watchmaster website here. Prior to the Balance Spring Early watches were powered by a verge escapement which was the same type of movement used in the early clocks. The verge is the earliest known type of mechanical escapement that controlled its rate by allowing the gear train to advance at regular intervals or ‘ticks’. Verge escapements were used from the late 13th century until the mid-19th century in clocks and pocket watches. Drawing of a verge escapement (bottom) and balance wheel (top) from an early pocket watch from an encyclopaedia c.1820 In the earliest watches a plain wheel, known as the balance, was used to control the rate of going of the mechanism. There wasn’t a consistent restoring force (such as a fusee), so consequently, its period of oscillation and, hence, the rate of the timekeeper were dependent on the driving force. Oval verge escapement watch movement by William Petit, Londo...
Monochrome
An article by Rob Memel, antiquarian horologist, professional certified watchmaker since 1984, and author of the book The Development Towards Huygens’ Spiral Spring (1660-1676), from which this article is a summary. About two years ago, I embarked on an in-depth investigation into another watch-related invention by Christiaan Huygens: the spiral spring on a balance wheel. […]
Video
On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
Quill & Pad
The Omega Spirate is a new type of balance spring. It isn’t just a flashy concept piece, it is a practical advancement capable of improving horology.
SJX Watches
One of the most interesting lots in the second instalment of Masterworks of Time at Sotheby’s that just concluded was a seemingly unassuming pocket watch with an estimate of just 7,000-10,000 Swiss francs. But the pocket watch contains a movement with a single gear train driving double balance wheels linked by a differential, constructed to keep time according to the principles of resonance. This is one of the very movements that inspired Philippe Dufour to create the Duality. And its appearance at auction comes at an opportune time, with F.P. Journe going to launch an entirely new Resonance movement in 2020. The Philippe Dufour Duality Mr Piguet of Lemania The movement was made by Albert G. Piguet (1914-2000), a noted watchmaker who finished the movement in 1933, just before graduating from the École d’Horlogerie in Le Sentier, then the premiere watchmaking school in the Vallee de Joux. He joined movement maker Lemania after graduation, and eventually rose to technical director. Piguet stayed in that role from 1948 to 1980, during which he helped develop numerous calibres, including the important CH27 chronograph movement that later became the cal. 321 found in the early Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, and also the cal. 2310 used by the likes of Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Piguet’s 1933 pocket watch movement is just one of six produced between 1932 and 1934 by students at the watchmaking school, working under the tutelage of headmaster Marcel Builleumi...
Deployant
Some novelties from the Indies in Baselworld 2016: Laurent Ferrier Galet Classic Square Tourbillon Double Balance Spring Sector Dial.
Hodinkee
What We Know Last September, Girard-Perregaux released the Laureato Fifty, a 200-piece limited edition marking the collection's 50th anniversary. Continuing to build on that, the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture has announced four new Laureato references today, in 36mm and 39mm sizes. All four share the same octagonal case and GP4800 movement—the 39mm options are a rose gold-toned 18k dial with Clous de Paris motif and date display, and a deep blue in-house enamel dial over the same pattern. The 36mm gets the same rose gold-toned dial minus the date, and a silver-toned Clous de Paris dial with a gem-set bezel carrying 64 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling approximately 0.55 carats. Everything comes on a steel integrated bracelet with a triple-folding clasp and 4mm micro-adjustment. Water resistance is 150 meters. The GP4800, first introduced last year, is an automatic movement running at 4 Hz with a 60-hour power reserve. Its architecture draws from GP's Three Bridges lineage, with the balance bridge crafted in rose gold. All four are available now, with pricing as follows: the 39mm blue enamel is $24,500; the 39mm rose gold-toned dial is $23,100; the 36mm rose gold-toned dial is $23,100; and the 36mm diamond-set is $24,200. What We Think When I covered the Laureato Fifty last October, my main critique was that GP had only offered a grey dial. That's now been addressed, with the brand offering a variety of options. Another improvement worth noting: the two-tone bracelet has be...
Worn & Wound
Farer has long been on my radar as a watch brand to trust not only for exceptional quality, but a distinct design language imbued into every new reference the British brand puts out. Take, for instance, the four new references from their latest Cushion Case collection. Already a favorite (or should I say favourite) of Farer fans, the cushion case is at once totally classic and modern. Because of this chameleon-like quailty, Farer has played with the coloring and design of each watch to make four distinct “personalities” to the series. Let’s explore each model here. The new lineup features four distinct models, each offering a different style while maintaining the signature cushion case silhouette that has become a hallmark of Farer’s design ethos. First up is the Benham, which stands out with its bold cherry red dial, accented by horizontal grooves and a playful baby blue seconds hand on the sub-dial. The brushed bezel adds a sporty touch, complementing the watch’s contemporary look. Inspired by Gertrude Benham, an English explorer and mountaineer, this watch embodies adventure and boldness without veering too much into ostentation. On the other hand, the Mansfield Midnight offers a more refined and sophisticated aesthetic. Its deep inky blue dial is highlighted by polished rose gold batons and numerals, further complemented by its rose gold dauphine hands, for a classic look. This watch balances metallic tones with polished rose gold accents, making it a sligh...
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On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
SJX Watches
In the coming weekend, one of the most important watches of this auction season will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s Breguet’s 250th anniversary thematic sale November 9 – Breguet no. 1890, a pocket watch with tourbillon and natural escapement made by the firm by Breguet while Abraham-Louis Breguet himself still helmed the company. The gilt dial with a regulator-style layout might seem familiar – the recent Classique 7225 reproduces this dial design. In fact, Breguet no. 1890 isn’t the only watch in this style; it belongs to a series of pocket watches all equipped with a four-minute tourbillon and échappement naturel from the early 19th century that were among the finest watches of the time. Breguet built just eight four-minute tourbillons with natural escapement, all of which thankfully survive, and only three with gold dials. King George III ordered the most famous example – almost identical to this watch – during the Napoleonic wars. For context, that would be like Churchhill (who owned a Breguet himself) ordering an A. Lange & Söhne watch during the Second World War. As such, it was signed Recordon, Breguet’s London agent, to disguise its French origins. Whirling About Regulator Almost 225 years ago, the French Ministry of the Interior granted A.-L. Breguet a patent for his most famous creation, the tourbillon – a clever exercise in lateral thinking. For a mechanical watch to keep the same time across all vertical positions the combined balance, st...
Hodinkee
European art and American technology in one watch.
Fratello
Breguet continues to surprise us in its 250th year. In the spirit of the brand’s name-giver, it now presents a world first. Breguet has utilized magnets to create the first 10Hz tourbillon with a magnetic escapement, which delivers constant force to the balance, and has incorporated it into the Expérimentale 1. This fast-beating tourbillon in […] Visit Breaking News: Breguet Creates The First Contact-Free Escapement By Using Magnets to read the full article.
SJX Watches
With its iconic complication being the Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges – albeit one that is somewhat forgotten today – Girard-Perregaux has created a variety of simpler watches centred on the same concept of prominent movement bridges. The newly-launched Free Bridge is the latest to join the line up, and while it is superficially similar, it boasts an exotic silicon balance wheel (that was probably created with help from its sister company). Initial thoughts The Free Bridge has a modern, technical-looking aesthetic that is currently popular, but it is more than a faddish watch. That’s because it’s equipped with an intricate, extra-large balance wheel made of silicon, one that is far more advanced than everything else at this price point – with the exception of the Ulysse Nardin Freak X. Though not identical, the balance wheel is similar enough to the one in the Freak X that it becomes obvious the Free Bridge balance is derived from that in the Freak X, which is unsurprising since both watch brands are owned by luxury group Kering. The balance wheel makes the movement special from a technical perspective, and also makes the US$17,000 price tag easier to swallow. That said, the Free Bridge seems to sit in no man’s land – it is neither entirely classical nor modern, in contrast to the Freak X which is an out and out contemporary watch. As a result, the Free Bridge isn’t particularly outstanding visually, unlike the Freak X. Upgraded with a new balance The F...
Monochrome
Independent watchmaker Anton Suhanov, member of the AHCI, presents the Flamingo, a debut of his “flaming balance” concept in a wristwatch equipped with a fully in-house calibre. Known for complex clocks, including multi-axis tourbillons and the award-winning St Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2025), but also experimenting with wristwatches with […]
Video
Tired of all the hype over Watches and Blunders? Join me for a different kind of horological adventure including iconic watches worn by movie stars, and one of the most impressive collections of timepieces ever assemb...
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