Results for Konstantin Chaykin Joker

Reminder from Vacheron Constantin: SIHH 2017 Just 3 Months Away

The Vacheron Constantin Maître Cabinotier Retrograde Armillary Tourbillon

A Visit to Vacheron Constantin

The oldest continuously operating house of haute horlogerie in the world has all the old-school, high-touch craftsmanship you’d expect - with some surprising new tricks up its sleeve.   Visiting any watch manufacturer is an education. So it was with both eager anticipation and a touch of anxiety that I accepted an invitation from Vacheron […]

SIHH 2016: Vacheron Constantin Novelties

A Love Letter to the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes De Vache 1955

I cannot shut up about this watch. Is that bad? I feel like I ought to be at least slightly embarrassed about talking the way I do about this watch - insistently, passionately, with a level of intense affection that doesn’t seem creepy until you realise that the subject of my volubility is not actually […]

Exclusive New Complication Revealed For Vacheron Constantin Grand Oeuvre

There are about one and a half billion ethnic Chinese on this planet. I didn’t take a census or anything, I just Googled it. Out of these one and a half billion Chinese people, I’d say that less than a few hundred of them really understand how the Chinese calendar works. Once again, this is […]

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon: Watches and Wonders 2014

The front of the watch showcases a Slate-Coloured Opaline dial with power reserve at 12 o'clock and a tourbillon cage at 6.

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731: review and the tale of the short lived crown of thinnest minute repeater

The VC Patrimony Comtemporaine Minute Repeater, measuring a mere 8.09mm thick held the crown for the thinnest minute repeater from Sep 2013 to Jan 2014. Introduced in Watches & Wonders in Hong Kong, this slim, hand wound repeater was surpassed by the Jaeger LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica 11, by a tiny sliver of just 0.19mm. SuchRead More

Bring a Loupe: A Cornavin Diver, A Patek 1593 "Hour Glass," An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Square, And More

Given that May 1st is celebrated as International Workers Day, it seems almost compulsory to reward yourself with a little mid-day Mayday watch ogling, right? Congrats, Baller, you've done it again. Happy Friday. Scorekeeping last week's picks: the Certina Argonaut chrono went for £1,620, the Vacheron Constantin 6394 for £7,400, the IWC Mark XII for £2,400, and the Cartier Coussin for CHF 42,000. Strays Everyone's encouraged to take a closer look at this, described as an "18k Vintage Vacheron Constantin Geneve Quartz Watch," and let's take a moment to collectively register the fact that, in the pictures, the second hand has clearly moved, so either a) the battery's still got some life in it after all (impressive!), or b) maybe it's not quartz. Mr. Hoffman wrote earlier this week about the Patek 5322G, "[a] chiming alarm in a mechanical watch today is a purely romantic complication that recalls an earlier era." While he presumably wasn't specifically referencing the LeCoultre Memovox, it's certainly what springs to mind when I think of the alarm watches from an earlier era, and if you've made it this far in life without one, here's a pricey way to address that lack.  Photo courtesy Precious Collections. Yes, the dial is imperfect, but look, if you're going to scare the bejesus out of yourself with an old mechanical alarm that sounds like a tattoo machine suddenly buzzing to life on your wrist, don't you owe it to yourself to do so with lots of gold? Finally, if you've w...

Introducing: Three New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grand Complications

Just as Stevie Wonder is the musician’s musician, Jaeger-LeCoultre is the watchmaker’s watchmaker. But what is meant by this? Well, for starters, Jaeger-LeCoultre is a prolific movement manufacturer that supplies other high-end brands. Famously, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ultra-thin caliber 920 powered the big three ’70s sports watches - Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, AP’s Royal Oak, and Vacheron Constantin’s […] Visit Introducing: Three New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grand Complications to read the full article.

Audemars Piguet Expands Geneva Bracelet Manufacture

Audemars Piguet (AP) is increasing its presence in what’s historically been the territory of Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Not only is AP returning to Watches & Wonders, the industry’s flagship event held each year in Geneva, the brand is also expanding its footprint in the city’s suburb of Meyrin with an expanded case and bracelet manufacture. What and where Meyrin was already the home of AP’s case and bracelet manufacture, but the brand has been bulking up on industrial capacity and took over a U-shaped building, completed in 1965 for a pharmaceutical company, in 2023. The new facility increases its Geneva footprint almost four-fold, to 9,000 square metres, with room for 350 staff. While the brand has built new structures closer to home, the choice to renovate an existing historical building is notable. Fortunately AP’s employees won’t be stuck in the past, as the building has been modernised for energy management and to accommodate modern machines. The building is a short jaunt from Les Boîtiers de Genève, F.P. Journe’s case and bracelet manufacture, in what’s already a hotbed of horological activity, home to brands like Roger Dubuis and Chopard. In addition, the new facility will be home to what the brand is calling its New Technologies hub, presumably part of the brand’s new approach to research and development, known internally as the ‘Fab Lab.’ Industrial excellence We recently had the chance to hear directly from AP’s chief indu...

Girard-Perregaux Introduces the New Minute Repeater Flying Bridges

And just like that, it’s Super Watch Season. Every year we see a handful of watches that come to market that exist for the purpose of displaying the absolute pinnacle of what a brand can accomplish. Think of ultra complicated watches from Vacheron Constantin released in recent years, or pieces from Greubel Forsey focused on extravagant hand finishing and machining. The new release from Girard-Perregaux feels like a member of this rare category.  The new Minute Repeater Flying Bridges combines a tourbillon and a minute repeater with GP’s famous “Three Bridges” movement architecture. The highlight here, beyond the rarity of a repeater, is that the new Calibre GP9530 is a self-winding movement (via a micro-rotor), which is exceedingly rare among chiming watches and, to a lesser extent, tourbillons.  Girard-Perregaux has a long history in chiming watches that dates back to the 1820s, and the Minute Repeater Flying Bridges is fashioned as a tribute to those earliest repeaters, while being unapologetically contemporary in its design. Certainly part of that tribute is in the craftsmanship itself, and in the use of the most modern technology available to create the best chiming mechanism possible. To that end, the movement has been radically skeletonized not only for aesthetic reasons but to prioritize resonance. According to the brand, every technical choice made in the development of the new watch was made in the name of optimizing the sound of the chime. For a repeat...

First Look – The New Niton Prima Revives a Historic Name

The revival of a long-dormant watchmaking name always sparks our curiosity at MONOCHROME. Born in 1919, the Manufacture des Montres Niton S.A. became known for its watches and movements featuring jumping hours. Niton supplied movements to Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, Gubelin and many more… Today, the brand returns with the Niton Prima, an elaborate […]

Industry News – Richemont Sells Baume & Mercier to Italian Jeweler Damiani

Swiss-based conglomerate Richemont, owner of multiple jewellery and watch brands such as Cartier, IWC, Piaget, A. Lange & Söhne or Vacheron Constantin, to name a few, has agreed to sell Swiss watch brand Baume & Mercier, which it acquired in 1988, to the Italian, family-run Damiani Group, concluding a strategic review of the long-time Richemont […]

SJX Podcast: Indie Investments and Odysseus Face-Off

The SJX Podcast kicks off 2026 with an analysis of the latest industry news, including Chanel’s 30% stake in Kross Manufacture and Vacheron Constantin’s initiative to apply the concours d’elegance format to watches. We also discuss the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus in Honeygold ahead of an upcoming review, and compare its merits with its titanium sibling. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

Editorial: Tudor at 100

Tudor turns 100 this year. The same age as Dick Van Dyke and American Airlines. Anniversaries like this are a big deal in the watch industry – we’ve just been through a year where both Vacheron Constantin and Breguet celebrated major milestones, each with a series of special releases. That’s the playbook for a watch brand: milk the year for as long as possible with new releases that feel special. It’s a sensible strategy given that it inherently leans into heritage and prestige, both ideas that have been proven to sell watches successfully for years. This isn’t meant to be a prediction of what might be in store for Tudor this year – plenty of outlets and watch media figures have already weighed in on that topic. We don’t have any inside information, of course, so any guesses as to what Tudor might do would be just that. My hunch, though, is that we won’t see obviously anniversary inflected pieces dropped throughout the year in the same way we saw from the likes of Vacheron and Breguet in 2025. It doesn’t feel like that’s part of the Rolex DNA that Tudor shares. I expect we’ll see some very subtle 100 year mentions in Tudor marketing, a special watch or two that is not explicitly tied to the anniversary but as recognized as honoring it just the same, and perhaps something a little more celebratory around Watches & Wonders or an athletic event that Tudor is involved in (there will of course be many of those throughout the year). What I’m much more int...

SJX Podcast: Best of 2025 – Surprises

Episode 24 of the SJX Podcast covers the surprises and unexpected developments of 2025, a year marked by significant material innovation and bold statements from established brands. In this final episode of 2025, SJX and Brandon discuss Rolex’s landmark Land-Dweller with its revolutionary Dynapulse escapement, Breguet’s experimental magnetic constant-force mechanism that achieved unprecedented precision, and TAG Heuer’s industrialization of carbon hairsprings. Vacheron Constantin also surprised with an extraordinary 150 kg astronomical clock created for its 270th anniversary, temporarily displayed at the Louvre alongside a companion wristwatch. Thank you to all our listeners for joining us throughout 2025 – happy new year! Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

SJX Podcast: Best of 2025 – Complications

Episode 22 of the SJX Podcast looks back at the complicated watches that emerged in 2025, a banner year that saw major brands deliver ambitious and record-setting complications. Several anniversaries, including Vacheron Constantin’s 270th and Audemars Piguet’s 150th, resulted in inspired releases. Big brands delivered big hits, from Lange’s black enamel minute repeater perpetual calendar to Blancpain’s Grande Double Sonnerie, which feature a four-note melody composed by Kiss drummer Eric Singer. For its part, Chopard finally gave its sapphire gongs the platform they always deserved with the Grand Strike, the brand’s first-ever grande sonnerie. And while Audemars Piguet’s big anniversary was headlined by the RD#5, the brand’s crown-operated perpetual calendar was another important addition to the field of complications this year. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

Best of 2025: Complications

After a slow year for complications last year, big brands showed up in force in 2025. Spurred by a number of major anniversaries celebrated by the likes of Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, the year witnessed a range of record-setting and never-before-seen complications. The breadth and ambition of new complicated watches, some from unexpected corners, proved to be one of the defining themes of the year. Within this crowded field, a few stood out. Vacheron Constantin Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – Brandon Moore For collectors who keep a close eye on the record books, the year ended almost as soon as it began. At Watches & Wonders 2025, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – La Première, a unique wristwatch that immediately became one of the most talked-about watches of the fair. The buzz was justified: the Solaria is the most complicated wristwatch ever made. Developed over eight years, the Solaria leverages 13 patents to bring together 41 complications across two dials. While the headline figure is the sheer number of functions, the Solaria’s true distinction lies in its astronomical indications. Four of its rare complications track the apparent path of the Sun, displaying its position, height, culmination, and declination – as observed from a specific location on Earth. Turning the watch over reveals another first: a celestial object tracker linked to a split-seconds chronograph. Twin rotating sapphire disc...

SJX Podcast: AP Reinvents the Chronograph, Big Brands vs. Indies, and VC CEO

On episode 12 of the SJX Podcast, SJX shares his hands-on impressions of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5, the fifth and final watch from the brand’s R&D; skunkworks. We also address listener questions about the (great) leadership at Vacheron Constantin, and whether brands like A. Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin can gain market share from independents – why not? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

SJX Podcast: Quest of Time

On episode 11 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the monumental La Quête Du Temps astronomical clock that Vacheron Constantin just unveiled in Paris alongside the companion Quest of Time wristwatch. We also tackle Tudor’s first moon phase complication and what it means for the brand’s collection of dress watches. SJX also shares his views on the news that Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour will be giving the keynote at Dubai Watch Week, a move that’s largely unprecedented for the industry’s most impenetrable brand. We also chat about the other big news in the world of watch fairs, Audemars Piguet’s return to Watches & Wonders in 2026. Last but not least, we discuss what Girard-Perregaux’s new movement platform might reveal about the future of the brand. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

First Look – The Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar Skeleton Blue of Dawn Limited Edition

About a decade and a half ago, I started to get a little bit more interested in watches. Not knowing the ins and outs yet, I started with what was familiar to me, the mainstream brands. But that quickly transformed when I learnt of brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre and the like. German high-end […]

SJX Podcast: Are Watches Too Expensive? And Discussing Bundling.

This week’s podcast starts with two hot topics – retail prices of watches and “bundling”, or having to buy one watch (or several) in order to get something desirable. The episode also includes several watches we covered recently, including the Vacheron Constantin “Tribute to the Celestial” and the Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Spin Time. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

New releases from Daniel Roth, Hamilton, Breguet and more

Two of the oldest watchmakers in the world, Vacheron Constantin and Breguet, celebrate this milestone year in style, headlining this week.The post New releases from Daniel Roth, Hamilton, Breguet and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Hands On: Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 6196P-001

Patek Philippe came to Watches & Wonders 2025 with a deep bench of strong new releases, but for fans of the classic Calatrava, the standout was without question the Calatrava Ref. 6196P-001. It’s an easy watch to love, with good proportions, a hefty 38 mm platinum case, a lively “salmon” dial, and is powered by the brand’s latest generation movement. Though the brand was arguably overshadowed this year by its suburban Geneva neighbors Rolex and Vacheron Constantin, at lower and higher ends of the price spectrum, respectively, Patek Philippe demonstrated its ability to deliver in every category, from simple dress and sport watches to mid and high complications. Initial thoughts In February 2017 I was asked what I wished to see from Baselworld that year. I said I’d like to see a successor to the ref. 5196 with a case-filling movement and a large balance. Eight years later, Patek Philippe delivered more or less exactly what I imagined, keeping the proportions and details of the classic Calatrava with a more advanced movement than the outdated cal. 215 that was used at the time. So in a sense, this watch was made for me.  But I had not anticipated a “salmon” dial. Officially labelled “rose-gilt opaline” by Patek Philippe, such dials have become popular among collectors, and are now a staple across the Patek Philippe collection. Naturally, a vivid colour like this helps an otherwise simple watch stand out, but personally I look forward to more toned down iter...

SJX Podcast: Watches & Wonders 2025 Roundup

With Watches & Wonders 2025 having just concluded, we discuss the best watches seen at the fair, as well as developments and happenings at the year’s biggest watch fair. We cover the establishment brands – Rolex and Vacheron Constantin were standouts – and the independents. (For a written take on the fair, read my editorial.) Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

Armchair Picks: A collector’s favourite new releases from WWG25

The collector's view features Terence Chan's top picks from the new releases from WWG25. Terence also wrote his impressions and commentary on the Vacheron Constantin novelty release.

Fratello’s Top 5 Less Obvious Rolex GMT-Master Models

Another Friday, another list! In the lead-up to Watches and Wonders 2025, we have been highlighting brands that have an anniversary to celebrate. Last week, we focused on Vacheron Constantin, and in the weeks before, we put the spotlight on Zenith. Brands like Breguet, Blancpain, and Audemars Piguet have anniversaries this year too, but they […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Less Obvious Rolex GMT-Master Models to read the full article.

The Evergreens – An Interesting Case… The History of the Almost Century-Old Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

Today, there is only one Reverso, with Jaeger-LeCoultre printed on its dial, but this was not always the case. During the 1930s, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Cartier made watches that used the Reverso case for their timepieces. Moreover, the 1931 Reverso was not the first reversible case design. A few years earlier, Universal Geneve […]

Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar

Welcome to another episode of Sunday Morning Showdown. Last week, we put the vintage and modern steel versions of the Vacheron Constantin 222 up against each other. Even though there are quite a few years between those two watches, you’d probably be happy with either. This week, however, we expect the matchup to be more […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar to read the full article.