Hodinkee
LVMH Names Jean-Christophe Babin As New Head Of Watches Unit
Bulgari CEO takes over LVMH Watches role from Frédéric Arnault.
645 articles · 100 videos found · page 24 of 25
Hodinkee
Bulgari CEO takes over LVMH Watches role from Frédéric Arnault.
Teddy Baldassarre
Back in 2023, LVMH and its high watchmaking workshop La Fabrique du Temps revived the Daniel Roth brand, which had been owned by Bulgari since 2000. Roth was a towering name in independent watchmaking, having been a peer of Philippe Dufour and Francois-Paul Journe. Though the brand only lasted from 1988 to 1995, its resurrection in 2023 was only made more glorious due to the long gap. The resurrected brand debuted with the Tourbillon Souscription, which has been followed up with the new Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription, a faithful remake of the original from the 1990s that was released at LVMH Watch Week 2025. The “Neo-vintage” craze has only gotten more popular in recent years, with the generation of watches sandwiched between vintage and modern gaining the respect and appreciation of collectors and newcomers alike. The Chopard L.U.C 1860 reissue from 2023 was one of the most celebrated neo-vintage reissues in recent years and I’d venture to say that this Roth will join the ranks. Staying true to the original aesthetics — with contemporary concessions for things like movement development — is a recipe for success in these small-batch, high-visibility watches. Small production numbers for relative rarity are helping to keep neo-vintage from becoming overexposed, but for how long? We’ll have to wait and see on that end, but for now let’s get back to the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription. The simple, two-hand dress watch comes in that recognizable double-e...
SJX Watches
With the Geneva sales over, the auction season now moves to Hong Kong, where Phillips is staging a pair of sales: Toki, a theme sale dedicated to watches related to Japan, and the traditional The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIX. Taking place over three days from November 22-24, the sales total 346 lots, including a notable line-up of metiers d’art timepieces decorated with artisanal techniques. They range from an enamelled Bulgari Serpenti to a Vacheron Constantin Les Masques quartet. We round up metiers d’art highlights from the two sales. The catalogues with online bidding for Toki and HKWA XIX. TOKI Lot 65 – Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts “Kimono” Ref. 5077P-097 Patek Philippe’s annual Rare Handcrafts offerings are often centred on several themes, and in 2013, resulting in several models with Japanese motifs, including this Calatrava ref. 5077P with a cloisonné enamel dial. The technique of enamelling is well known: a mixture of silica sand, metal oxides for colour, and oil is painted on a surface before being baked in an oven at temperatures exceeding 800°C. to melt the paste to form enamel. Cloisonné adds an additional layer of complexity by employing gold wires to form the motif, with the enamel painted into the cells form by the wires. Here the wires form a cherry blossom motif typical of traditional kimono fabric. According to Phillips, only four examples were produced with this dial, with the present watch being the first to emerge at auction. This wat...
Monochrome
We’ve talked about the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin on multiple occasions already, and for obvious reasons. When first presented as a prototype watch named RD#2, it was the world’s thinnest perpetual calendar wristwatch, with an impressive 6.2mm thickness. Despite Bulgari re-gaining the title a year later, this Audemars Piguet remains truly impressive and is […]
SJX Watches
The race towards nothingness in ultra-thin watches has picked up in the last years, with brands like Bulgari and Richard Mille outdoing each other in the thinnest-watch stakes. Now Konstantin Chaykin wins the race with his ThinKing, a prototype that comes in at a staggering 1.65 mm in back-to-back thickness - making it the thinnest mechanical timepiece today. Currently the ThinKing is a concept watch in its second prototype stage, constructed and executed by the Moscow-based independent watchmaker, with three pending patents linked to its development. Initial thoughts While the technical merits are impressive, the watch seems bland on its face, or at least face-on. It appears to be a large, flat piece of steel with a dull finish, sporting twin eye-like registers for the hours and minutes. The ThinKing doesn’t have the visual flair of Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari or Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra. But it is easily recognisable as a Wristmon, the brand’s signature collection of “rolling eye” watches. Since it is only a prototype and the aesthetics are not yet refined for commercial production, the ThinKing’s appearance can be overlooked. The brand name engraved in an arc resembling a smile The ThinKing is absurdly thin at 1.65 mm. This makes it 0.05 mm thinner than the previous record holder for the thinnest mechanical watch, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Mark II. Although imperceptible to the naked eye, the minute reduction is amazing from a technical point...
Hodinkee
The latest releases from 50+ brands, including Breitling, Bulgari, MB&F;, Oris, and more.
SJX Watches
Known for its three-dimensional clocks ranging from the Batmobile to a Chanel sculpture, L’Epee 1839 has carved out a niche for itself as the clockmaker to leading watch and luxury brands. Now it becomes part of LVMH, the luxury conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, and TAG Heuer. The acquisition expands the portfolio of the LVMH Watches Division to encompass an entirely new product category that is small but lucrative and also high profile. Clocks are increasingly a must-have offering for major luxury brands. One of L’Epee’s most recent creations was the Louis Vuitton Montgolfière Aéro clock (pictured above). Another of L’Epee’s creations, the Tiffany Taxi. Image – Tiffany & Co. Business as usual LVMH has acquired the parent of L’Epee, Swiza, which also makes clocks under the Swiza and Matthew Norman brands. Arnaud Nicolas, who has been chief executive and creative director of L’Epee since 2009, will continue leading the company. Despite the change in ownership, the clockmaker’s work for other brands, which have included MB&F; and Ulysse Nardin, will continue after the acquisition. However, L’Epee will certainly work with more brands in the LVMH stable, having already created clocks for Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., and Hublot. “L’Epée has initiated a number of watchmaking partnerships that we will maintain and develop with Arnaud Nicolas [chief executive and creative director of L’Epee],” says Frédéric Arnault, the chairman of LV...
Monochrome
Known as the largest luxury group in the world, owned by the Arnault family, LVMH continues its development in all fields related to rare and artistic crafts. Already the owner, through its Watches Division, of TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith (as well as jewellery brands Bulgari and Tiffany, not included in this division), the group […]
Hodinkee
Plus, a cutting-edge and impressively thin offering from Bulgari along with a lovely and classic Carrera from Tag Heuer.
Hodinkee
Reflecting on last year's releases from the Bulgari Octo Roma to the reimagined Zenith Pilot.
Time+Tide
During our visit to Geneva Watch Days 2023, we got to experience some of the craziest watches of the year. Carbon cases, constant force escapements, fluid displays and more from brands like Bulgari, Czapek and Girard-Perregaux all make the list, serving as a total opposite to the numerous stealth wealth pieces that featured during the … ContinuedThe post The craziest watches from Geneva Watch Days 2023 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Plus, a Bulgari Serpenti fit for daily wear, and a quietly classic Spring Drive from Grand Seiko.
Worn & Wound
The trend toward ultra-thin highly complicated watches has reached a fever pitch in recent years, and there’s no sign of that trend slowing anytime soon. Piaget has been at the forefront of ultra-thin watches for many decades, most recently claiming the world’s thinnest mechanical watch with their Altiplano Ultimate Concept in 2020 (which was subsequently broken by Bulgari, and then Richard Mille). This year, they’re returning to the ultra-thin game with a new Polo Perpetual Calendar that measures a mere 8.56mm in thickness. This marks the first appearance of the perpetual calendar complication within the current generation of the Polo, and it should come as no surprise that it works rather well. The Piaget Polo was redesigned in 2016 with a more refined presentation of their sports watch language. The round case features a slightly squared, TV shaped dial opening creating just enough tension to set it apart in a crowd. This was a notable departure from earlier Polo designs, which have never been shy about embracing their era. The newest Polo design feels timeless to my eye, but history will be the judge there. The design has shown flexibility, with the openworked Skeleton Automatic, and even on the very high end housing the brand’s ornate minute repeater in this Polo Emperador. The Polo Perpetual Calendar is the most complex Polo to date, and effectively uses the 42mm case to showcase their take on the QP. The information is presented in a clear and easy to unde...
Worn & Wound
The new releases from LVMH Watch Week came to New York City last week, and of course the Worn & Wound team was there to check them out. It was the first big batch of new releases in 2023, and Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith all brought a variety of watches to display. Here are initial impressions from Blake Buettner, Kat Shoulders, and Zach Kazan. Kat Shoulders My favorite watch from the LVMH Preview was the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph. There were no doubt higher end horology pieces at the preview, but as far as watches I’d be ready to buy on the spot, this one won the day for me. I’ve been known amongst the Worn and Wound crew to not be a huge titanium lover, and quite honestly, I’m perfectly OK with that. The metal typically isn’t my favorite to wear due to the lighter feel. However, the grade 2 titanium that TAG uses felt incredibly nice in person and high quality. Maybe it was the sand blasted finishing as well, but something just really struck me about this particular Aquaracer. The finishing, the feel, the bezel action…it all just comes together perfectly in my opinion. The older I get, the more comfortable I am in this hobby saying that quartz is actually really convenient. Add the ability to charge the movement via solar power, and you have a really great tool watch you literally never have to worry about. The grayed out Aquaracer shutter dial that we’ve become familiar with along with the ice blue hands and text is eye-catc...
Worn & Wound
Last week, we had the opportunity to go hands-on with many of the new releases from LVMH brands, who celebrated their LVMH Watch Week to kick off the new year. We saw new watches from Zenith, TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Bulgari, and even had the chance to sit with leadership from the brands to discuss their plans moving forward. Stay tuned for more impressions coming to the podcast and the site later this week, and in the meantime you’ll find a photo report from our time with the watches, along with a few takeaways from the experience. From lavish Hublots to perfectly understated TAG Heuers, there’s a little something for everyone here, including a surprise or two along the way. Zenith We’re kicking things off with Zenith, who showed us new additions to their Skyline collection, which includes a new skeletonized dial, as well as smaller 36mm variants. They also had their latest Defy Revival A3691 with brilliant red dial, and perhaps best of all, and original ‘Bank Vault’ example (courtesy of podcast alum, Romain Marietta). There was a bonus appearance by a new boutique exclusive Defy with a grey and gold dial that worked much better in person that any of the images we’d seen up to that point. First impression of the new Skyline Skeleton was just how well the slightly larger proportions of the case worked on the wrist. TAG Heuer TAG Heuer had no shortage of watches to show us, from a new case in their smart watch Connected range, to that stunning 60th anniversary ...
Hodinkee
Coming this week: new watches from Bulgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith. And we'll have full coverage right here.
Hodinkee
Kristen Shirley discusses her watch collection which includes bulgari, piaget, baume and mercier and jlc
SJX Watches
Watchmakers have long embarked on collaborations with artists, from Geneva jeweller Gilbert Albert and his Brâncuşi-inspired designs for Patek Philippe to the Zen creations by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando for Bulgari. Such collaborations are amongst the best ways for a watch brand to broaden its appeal. Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has been exploring such relationships with “Made of Makers”, an initiative made up of collaborations with varied designers and artisans from other disciplines, including mixologist Matthias Giroud and the Michelin-starred pastry chef Nina Métayer. Its latest partnership is with Spanish typographer and illustrator Alex Trochut, who has penned a font specifically for the brand, the 1931 Alphabet. Alex Trochut Initial thoughts On its face, this might sound like the typical artistic collaboration embarked upon by a watchmaker. But this has a subtle twist in engaging with watch enthusiasts as it’s all about personalisation of the watch. The 1931 Alphabet can transform a stock Reverso into something unique and something that would not be out of place Jay Gatsby’s wrist. It’s a prime example of typography as a decorative art in watchmaking. The attention to detail in the font design is evident in the kerning of the letters, which includes the use of negative space to create balance. The 1931 Alphabet Given this typeface’s strikingly bold design, it is a perfect pair for the Reverso. Since its introduction in 1931, the model has evolve...
Time+Tide
When people ask me what brand they should keep an eye on, without hesitation I say Parmigiani Fleurier. The manufacture, while less of a household name, has always created quality timepieces. But with the brand now helmed by CEO Guido Terreni, formerly head of watches at Bulgari, the Parmigiani catalogue is becoming stronger than ever … ContinuedThe post An NYC weekend with the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Mere months after Bulgari claimed the title, there's a new record-holder in town.
Time+Tide
I’m sure that all of us have seen our fair share of integrated-bracelet sports watches, but if any of them were worth another look, the Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante certainly is. With a new “Ice Blue” colourway, it offers better contrast than its predecessor, and offers fierce competition against the likes of Parmigiani Fleurier and Bulgari. … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING – The new Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante Ice Blue is cool… really cool appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
This week was action-packed, with tons of new novelties for watch fans to explore. LVMH Watch Week debuted new collections across all four brands: Bulgari, Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith. You can check out our novelty overviews by clicking on those aforementioned brand names, or search “LVMH Watch Week” to discover what we have covered … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: LVMH Watch Week, Oris unVAILings, Royal Oak revolution and Grand Seiko strikes again appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Bulgari, Zenith, Louis Vuitton, Piaget, Grand Seiko, and MB&F; walk out of Geneva as this year's big winners.
Hodinkee
Bulgari, Breitling and more.
Hodinkee
How the The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Tantalum was made.
Hodinkee
Bulgari, Zenith, and Hublot are all launching new timepieces, with TAG Heuer notably absent.
SJX Watches
Having rounded up some of the interesting and probably overlooked at Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong watch auction, we now take a look at some of the independent watchmaking highlights in the sale. The auction includes big ticket headline lots like a F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain, and of course the F.P. Journe tourbillon disguised as Harry Winston. But it also encompasses the less obvious, including a Alain Silberstein Tourbillon Marine, Singer Reimagined Track 1, a Bulgari-era Gerald Genta perpetual calendar in gold and tantalum, and an early-generation H. Moser & Cie. Perpetual 1 that’s excellent value. The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XII takes place in the evening of June 5 (lots 801-852), and on June 6 (lots 853-1112). The full catalogue and registration for bidding are available online. Lot 809 – Alain Silberstein Tourbillon Marine Black Sea Cheerful and eminently affordable, the Tourbillon Marine is typical Alain Silberstein. Mr Silberstein’s once explained his approach was to create unique, personalised wristwatches that arouse the emotion. By that measure, the Tourbillon Marine succeeds – it sets itself apart from every diving watch. In his 1990s heyday, Alain Silberstein was rebellious and avant-garde, standing in stark contrast to the strictly conservative style that dominated high horology at the time. This watch is from the early 2000s, but still very much a quintessential Alain Silberstein creation. The dial is quirky and playful – the deep sea ren...
Time+Tide
This week at Time+Tide has been pretty diverse when I look back. We considered the latest Bulgari collaboration with Steve Aoki, the price of Picasso’s these days and the state of domestic Cambodian politics. We also received word that the very first pieces of the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 collection are hitting Australian shores soon … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: A Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Aussie presale, an emo Antiques Roadshow and the best Patek Philippe models of 2021 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
In spite of some not inconsiderable distractions, there were some pretty decent watches released in 2020. Quite a few of them actually. Omega relaunched their serially produced caliber 321, Bulgari executed the Octo Finissimo in steel, Grand Seiko launched an entirely new escapement in their SLGH002 and DOXA brought their most iconic design into the … ContinuedThe post Nick’s 3 favourite watches of 2020, including Cartier, Seiko and Hamilton appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having recently ditched its takeover of Tiffany & Co. – citing looming US tariffs on French goods – LVMH has now done what many industry insiders long expected – clinching the deal at a lower price. The owner of Louis Vuitton and Bulgari will pay US$131.50 a share for the American jeweller, instead of the US$135 originally agreed. The discount is more modest than expected, slightly over 2%, which translates into savings of about US$400m, against a total deal value of about US$15.8 billion. The deal is expected to close in early 2021. Regardless of the price, Tiffany is an important addition to LVMH’s expansive stable of luxury brands. Although LVMH is the world’s largest biggest group by a large margin – its 2019 sales were €53.7 billion – it has a comparatively small presence in “hard” luxury, namely watches and jewellery. That segment now makes up less than 10% of its sales, but Tiffany will bulk it up significantly. In fact, the deal’s completion will mean that LVMH owns two of the three largest makers of branded jewellery – Tiffany and Bulgari.
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