654 articles · 56 videos found · page 24 of 24
Fratello
When I was asked to compile my list of favorite Watches and Wonders 2025 releases, the Angelus Chronographe Télémètre Steel Rose was the first that sprang to mind. So, when I got the opportunity to spend some decent time with it, I jumped on it. I spent a couple of days with this beauty on […] Visit Hands-On With The Lovely Angelus Chronographe Télémètre Steel Rose to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Out to replicate the success of the Bel Canto and prove it’s not a one-hit wonder, Christopher Ward has introduced the C12 Loco. While the integrated bracelet look is now commonplace, the Loco breaks new ground for the British brand in terms of its differentiated movement architecture, and features an inverted free-sprung balance on the dial side of the watch. Spiritual successor to the Bel Canto, the C12 Loco paints a picture of Christopher Ward’s ambitions as a brand. Like Louis Erard, which is on a similar mission to make traditional craft and independent design more accessible, Christopher Ward is looking to redefine what collectors should expect from entry level watchmaking. Initial thoughts The Twelve is Christopher Ward’s foray into integrated bracelet sport watches. Its launch in 2023 was not without some controversy, being seen as too similar to the Czapek Antarctique; it turned out both designs came from the mind of designer Adrian Buchmann. Despite the rocky start, the collection has been a commercial success and the brand has done a commendable job developing the line-up and keeping prices in check. The Loco is the most ambitious Twelve to-date, with an off-center time display that opens up space at six o’clock for an exposed balance wheel and escapement. Like the Bel Canto, the watch does not feature the Christopher Ward brand name on the dial. In an era when attention is the name of the game, it’s nice to see a small brand with the confidence to let...
Fratello
Independent watchmakers can apply for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize until April 15th. It will be the second edition of this competition that takes place every other year. For the last edition, more than 1,000 artisans submitted their creative projects. In the end, the jury selected the Régulateur à Détente RP1 watch from the Swiss […] Visit Only A Few Days Left To Apply For The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize to read the full article.
SJX Watches
A mechanical watch is not always spot on; less-than-perfect timekeeping can happen, often due to an unruly oscillator. The solution is direct adjustments to the hairspring and balance assembly, either slowing down or speeding up the oscillator, a practice known as regulation. Watchmakers have devised multiple innovations to achieve this, including the free-sprung balance, exemplified by the Gyromax of Patek Philippe and Microstella of Rolex. While a simple concept in principle, the mechanics and practice of regulation are nuanced. Here we’ll delve into the theory of regulation and the primary regulating systems: the curb-pin regulator and the free-sprung (or variable inertia) balance. The Lange L043.4 with a screwed balance inspired by pocket watches Basic concepts In order to better understand watch regulation, we need to first cover some of the basic physics behind the watch oscillator: The component responsible for the running rate of a movement is its regulating organ. The regulating organ is made up of a hairspring paired to a balance, which together are also known as a harmonic oscillator. The natural oscillation period is the time it takes the balance to make a full swing, back and forth. The period is made up of two vibrations, one for each direction of the balance motion, with the escapement being unlocked at each vibration. Notably, the natural period of a balance wheel is intrinsic to itself and does not depend on the escapement type or the going train ratio. ...
SJX Watches
Now returning for the second year, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives is a biennial contest that offers recognition, mentorship, and financial support for independent watchmakers. Announced in 2023, the first edition of the prize drew more than 1,000 submissions from all around the world. In January 2024, Raúl Pagès (pictured above) was awarded the inaugural prize for his Régulateur à détente RP1. The RP1 movement The contest was conceived to recognise and support emerging talents in the independent watchmaking space, and is open to any independent watchmaker, regardless of age, location, or background. The content continues into its second edition with the same rules and format. Judging will be done according to five criteria, “Design & Aesthetics, Creativity & Audacity, Technical Innovation, Details & Finishings, and Complexity”. The judging process takes place over several months, in stages. The applications will be first be reviewed by a team at La Fabrique du Temps that includes Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the manufacture’s founders. The candidates will then be whittled down by a committee of experts to a shortlist of 20 semi-finalists that will be revealed in July 2025. And in November 2025 the committee will select five finalists, as well as nominate a number from its own ranks to serve as jury members. The finalists will present their work to the jury in February 2026, where the winner will be decided. The actual prize is ...
Quill & Pad
The reissue concept is relatively simple: classically correct on the outside and up to date on the inside, thereby quenching the owner’s thirst for nostalgia while sparing them maintenance issues. But Tamim Almousa isn't a fan of re-editions and he explains why here.
Monochrome
For obvious reasons, the watch world tends to glorify complexity and the accumulation of functions into a single watch. We, at MONOCHROME, are no better than the rest of the crowd and we can spend days contemplating a Grande Complication watch, or a timepiece with a novel, ultra-complex escapment. However, we also tend to forget […]
SJX Watches
An outlandish concept that originally sprang from the mind of Carole Forestier Kasapi, the Ulysse Nardin Freak of 2001 was perfected by Dr Ludwig Oechslin and then made reality thanks to the advent of silicon in watchmaking. Lightweight and magnetism resistant, silicon was used for the escape wheels but that was only the beginning of the story. [This story, the third and final instalment in the series, details the history of silicium, the proprietary Ulysse Nardin silicium hairspring, and the patented Grinder rotor. The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part I covers the origins of the Freak, from its conception to realisation, as well as its distinguishing characteristics, namely the inventive movement construction and unique escapement. Part II deals with the evolution of the unique, high-performance escapement.] Silicon, Silicium, Silinvar Now used interchangeably with silicon, silicium is actually French for “silicon”, but now it is also used as the trade name for the proprietary form of silicon used by Ulysse Nardin for movement components, namely silicon with a hard oxide outer layer that gives the material thermocompensating properties. Silicium was developed by Swiss scientific institute Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) in collaboration with Ulysse Nardin. Notably, the material is also known as Silinvar, which resulted from a separated but related CSEM project backed by a consortium made up of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Swatch Group. As a ...
Time+Tide
Raúl Pagès' deceptively simple RP1 - Régulateur à détente wins the inaugural edition of this prestigious watchmaking prize. The post Raúl Pagès wins the first-ever Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
In its first year, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has been awarded to Raúl Pagès and his RP1 Régulateur à Détente. Selected by a five-person jury, the RP1 triumphed over five finalists, including Andreas Strehler with his Tischkalender Sympathique and Petermann Bedat and its Reference 2941 split-seconds chronograph. A watchmaker, restorer, and automaton maker, Mr Pagès’ winning entry is a time-only wristwatch with a regulator-style display, and more importantly, a movement of his own design with a detent escapement. Historically found in precision marine chronometers, detent escapements are highly accurate but typically not shock resistant, a problem Mr Pagès solved by taking inspiration from a 19th century escapement design. As a result, his escapement is shock resistant enough for everyday use in a wristwatch. Besides technical features, the RP1 movement also boasts a high level of decoration that is artisanal in nature and accomplished by hand. The finishing, architecture, and construction are all classical in style, reflecting Mr Pagès experience as a restorer, most notably at Parmigiani, perhaps the most respected restoration workshop in Switzerland. A drawing a traditional detent escapement (left), and the RP1 detent escapement Tearing up as he gave his acceptance speech, Mr Pagès’ win is a milestone in a career that actually started over a decade ago. His skill and dedication were recognised by the jury, made up of Carole Forest...
Time+Tide
The Benrus Ultra-Deep is a faithful twin-crown diver homage looks like it sprung straight out of the 1960s.The post The Benrus Ultra-Deep copies a page from the history books appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Tyson Fury has always had an eye for a nice watch. As Anthony Joshua once recalled, back when he was an amateur, Fury would go around London gyms looking for sparring partners and offering anyone his Rolex if they managed to knock him out. It’s a passion that has endured as he’s become one of … ContinuedThe post Tyson Fury’s new reality TV series looks set to be a watchspotter’s delight appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
There are easier ways of making a living than becoming a professional boxer. To win a world title requires almost pathological commitment with boxers typically training three times a day, doing roadwork first thing, strength and conditioning at midday, before honing their ringcraft with sparring, pads and bags in the afternoon. Throw in the dietary … ContinuedThe post How a Rolex Sky-Dweller inspired this boxer to go from working in McDonalds to become World Champion appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Despite being only 18 years old, De Bethune has managed to create a surprisingly large number of unique and emblematic case designs, along with a slew of complications and movement innovations. But its signature case design is probably the DB28, a large, thin watch with a pair of sprung, pivoted lugs. For the 10th anniversary of the DB28, De Bethune has slimmed it down to create the DB28XP. Significantly thinner and slightly more wearable, the DB28XP is still instantly recognisable for what it is. Dial detail of the DB28XP Starry Sky Initial thoughts The DB28XP is a smartly conceived watch because it manages to capture everything that made the DB28 special, except in a thinner case that feels more refined and is clearly more elegant. The original DB28 wasn’t excessively thick, but the DB28XP is substantially thinner, thin enough it feels a little like a sci-fi dress watch. The DB28XP wears sleek and light, with the “floating” lugs hugging the wrist comfortably, while the aesthetic is clearly quintessential De Bethune, which means polished or heat-blued titanium. And though it’s slimmer than the original, the DB28XP is still executed to the same level of quality, down to the smallest of details. The teeth of the barrel ratchet wheel of the movement are polished, for instance, while the hands are either polished titanium or pink gold, depending in the version. The original DB28 (top) and the DB28XP But the DB28XP is a little fancier than the original in design, with...
SJX Watches
De Bethune is the latest amongst a number of watchmakers to take the covers off a commemorative edition to mark the 40th anniversary of Singapore watch retail powerhouse The Hour Glass. For the occasion, De Bethune has put together a variant of its signature DB28 with sprung lugs that’s entirely clad in brilliant, blued titanium. First unveiled in polished titanium in 2018, the Steel Wheels is essentially a DB28 wearing a little less. A partially open-worked dial – which is actually the delta-shaped barrel bridge – reveals its pair of skeletonised barrels and gears. While the original Steel Wheels captures the essence of De Bethune, combining its trademark design with the brand’s fundamental technical innovations, it was lacking a generous dose of blued titanium, a gorgeous, heat-treated alloy that is synonymous with the brand. Colour consistency That has now been rectified with the DB28 Steel Wheels Blue, arguably the purest – and bluest – distillation of the brand’s core values and technical achievements. It features an intense, mirror-polished, blued titanium case and dial that form a striking contrast against the exposed inner mechanics. Though blued titanium is also used by other brands today, De Bethune was amongst the first to mirror-polish its titanium cases and more crucially, started using heat treatment to blue titanium way back in 2006. An example of an early De Bethune using blued titanium, a DB25L from 2010 with a blued dial...
Time+Tide
Louis Vuitton, the watchmaker. As time goes on, this statement is gaining credibility and intrigue. And intrigue is certainly the word I would use to describe this shoot, which involved the Time+Tide team flying to Queenstown in New Zealand with Louis Vuitton to explore the brand’s high watch collection 2019. The setting was, sparing all … ContinuedThe post If you’re interested in Geneva Seal standard watchmaking, this Louis Vuitton ‘high watch collection’ wants to meet you appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The story in a second: Behind the ultra-hyped trilogy models lays this cool, calm and not-in-any-way limited take on the Railmaster. Odd as it may seem today, but many of the enduring designs of mid-twentieth century watchmaking sprang from a very specific purpose: scientific exploration and the quest for accuracy. The Omega Railmaster, one of … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The Omega Seamaster Railmaster appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
When our good friend Justin Mastine-Frost was assembling his lists of last year’s best watches at various budgets, one entry in the 3-4k category sprung out – the Hyperchrome 1616. And no, not just because of how huge it is. The reason it stood out is because it challenges many of the stereotypes and preconceptions about Rado watches. … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Retro Rado – the funkadelic HyperChrome 1616 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
The design of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor is the most interesting thing about it. This statement is not as disparaging as it sounds. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. What I’m saying is - despite the intriguing premise of a watch equipped with four sprung balances of identical frequency linked by differentials to form what […]
Revolution
The year of the Nautilus was 1976. Out in the wider world, the space race had recently culminated in the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission that saw a US Apollo craft dock with the Soviet Soyuz 19 in space - an extended act of diplomacy. The Cold War was at the uneasy stage of hiatus known as détente. The Concorde took its […]
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