Results for Le Brassus

Basel 2018: MB&F; & L’Epée 1839 Introduce The Fifth Element

Playing Secret Santa: Sophie Furley to Revolution’s Hong Kong Editorial Director, Sean Li

Revolution’s editors pick holiday watches for each other - in secret.

The Lengths Of Time: La Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud

Extraordinary moment. A watch that transmits all the achievements of Berthoud as the father of French marine chronometer in a brilliantly contemporary timepiece. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has revived the mythology of one of horology’s most mythical names with beautiful modern eloquence. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is better known as the head honcho of Chopard timepieces, but he has […]

Video: New York’s Frick Collection Takes You Inside A Masterpiece By A. L. Breguet

“Precision and Splendor: Clocks and Watches at the Frick Collection” is an exhibit at New York’s Frick Collection of a stunning group of priceless clocks and watches, many from the collection of Winthrop K. Edey, who bequeathed his collection of clocks and watches –which includes remarkable timepieces dating all the way back to the Renaissance […]

Zenith Sets Sights on Higher Ground with Layoffs

After several years in the red and challenging market conditions predicted, Zenith is seeking higher ground by focusing on high-end watchmaking, eliminating about 200 jobs in the process. As reported by Swiss newspaper Le Temps, chief executive Benoit de Clerk broke the news to employees on Thursday, citing the strong Franc, US tariffs, and weak demand from the Middle East and Asia. Zenith’s pivot was foreshadowed by the excellent GFJ line launched last year, and comes in the wake of Jean Arnault taking charge of the LVMH’s watch brands, namely Zenith, TAG Heuer, and Hublot, after having engineered Louis Vuitton’s ascent into fine watchmaking. The middle market, which Zenith flees, is particularly brutal – expensive to play in and competitive. Zenith is not the only one to abandon it, Mr de Clerk also referenced the closure of Montblanc’s Le Locle factory, as that brand too shifts focus upmarket. Zenith’s greatest strengths, its mature, capable manufacturing base and wide distribution, are oversized for the brand’s production volume. Unable to feed this beast or put it to work, Zenith will be cutting about a hundred jobs, roughly half of its workforce, in Le Locle, and a further hundred in retail and distribution. In 2024, LVMH announced plans to grow Zenith’s Le Locle manufacture to supply other group brands with movements. Hublot had been using Zenith movements for a decade already, and LVMH envisioned an entire catalog of Zenith-made “in-house” move...

Introducing: Clemence Photic MKII Swiss Edition (Live Pics)

What We Know Clemence, the English microbrand, has launched a new limited-edition take on its incredibly good (and deservedly popular) Photic dive watch. The main difference between the new LE and the standard Photic MKII diver (which Jason Heaton spent time with earlier this year) is that it uses a Swiss Soprod M100 movement instead of the Miyota movements Clemence has used previously. While the new Clemence is largely identical to its non-limited-edition sibling, other changes include a fully luminous bezel with a numbered layout and a new color Clemence calls “Atoll Blue.” Clemence is deservedly known for its excellent use of color, and the addition of a new color to that palette is notable for a brand that has been deliberate in its rollout of new models. Like the Photic MKII, this new watch measures 38.5mm across (though the overhanging bezel measures closer to 39mm) and is about 46.5mm lug-to-lug. It’s also thin, at just 10.5mm thick (the switch to the Soprod movement hasn’t led to any dimensional changes). The watch comes on a three-link bracelet, features a micro-adjust in the clasp, and the Soprod M100 movement is regulated to tremendous accuracy (+/- 4 seconds a day). The Photic MKII Swiss Edition is priced at £949—or about $1,275—so it commands a slight premium of £599 (about £350) over the standard Photic. The Photic MKII Swiss Edition is limited to 25 pieces. What We Think Do I even have to say it? I absolutely adore this watch. The Clemence Pho...

Hands-On: The New Louis Vuitton Monterey In Green And Black Ceramic

Names of Swiss watch brands and models can be tricky to pronounce, especially the French ones. Does the name Jay-Jay Le Coot ring a bell? I will let you figure it out and bring up another name. It’s now an official name, but it stems from the trouble some had in pronouncing the original. In […] Visit Hands-On: The New Louis Vuitton Monterey In Green And Black Ceramic to read the full article.

First Look - Hanhart Officially Puts Steve McQueen’s Name on the 417 ES Chronograph

Two watches are often associated with Steve McQueen: the Heuer Monaco worn during the Le Mans movie and a Rolex Submariner that became part of his off-screen image. But “the King of Cool” had a much broader relationship with watches, and among the less celebrated pieces was a Hanhart 417 ES, a chronograph he wore […]

First Look - The Favre Leuba Harpoon Revival Series Expands With New Colours

One of the oldest Swiss watchmaking brands (Founded in 1737 in Le Locle), Favre Leuba underwent a global relaunch in 2024 under the leadership of CEO Patrik P. Hoffmann and has since been pretty busy relaunching timepieces that honour the brand’s extensive archives while meeting contemporary mechanical expectations, all with relatively fair prices. Next to […]

In-Depth - The new Rolex Perpetual Padellone, The Return of an Icon now with Annual Calendar and Dynapulse (Incl. Video)

It is not often that Rolex introduces a new watch outside of the industry’s main exhibition, Watches and Wonders (or Baselworld before it). In fact, in recent years, it has only happened on very rare occasions, such as the release of the Daytona Le Mans, the record-breaking Deepsea Challenge in titanium or the Deepsea D-Blue […]

First Look - The New David Candaux DC6 Wildfire, When Carbon Meets Sunlight

Since the launch of his eponymous Le Solliat-based brand in 2017, David Candaux has developed his own visual and mechanical language, offering highly technical movements and an unusual case construction and display. The DC6, introduced after his first creation, the DC1, established many of the elements that have become signatures of the brand: a basin-shaped […]

Introducing - Akhor Brings Rare Stones on its AK-10 Stromatolite and AK-10 Maw Sit Sit

Akhor, an independent Swiss watch brand spearheaded by Anissa Bader, made its debut one year ago at Geneva Watch Days. Unlike many newcomers to the scene, Akhor benefits from Bader’s ties to Clamax, a watch component and micromechanics manufacturer based in Geneva. The inaugural watch was the poetic Le Temps en Equilibre, based on a […]

Beyond the Familiar: A History of A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Collection

Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born in Dresden on February 18th, 1815. Thirty years later he’d found his eponymous company, and 145 years after that a new A. Lange & Söhne would rise from the proverbial ashes of East Germany. The A. Lange & Söhne we know today debuted in 1994 when the brand launched four watches: the Arkade, Saxonia, Lange 1, and the flagship Tourbillon Pour le Mérite, which established a set of visual codes that would later define the 1815 collection. Today, the 1815 family is primarily known for its many time-only variants, the 1815 Up/Down, and, of course, the 1815 Chronograph. However, the 1815 collection also includes some of the brand’s most extraordinary, unusual, and rarely seen models. Lange 1815 Emil Lange Moon Phase (1999) The Tourbillon Pour le Mérite of 1994 defined the 1815 collection’s design codes, specifically the printed Arabic dial that is vaguely reminiscent of a pocket watch despite being an almost from-scratch design. However, it was not officially badged as an 1815. That designation arrived the following year with the refs. 206.021 in yellow gold and 206.025 in white gold. These introductions saw the rectangular movement inside the Arkade and Saxonia reformatted to make it presentable through a display case back. The extra space was put to use in the followup 1815 Up/Down, which added the namesake power reserve indicator and recreated the running seconds. In 1999, Lange launched the 1815 Moonphase Emil Lange (1849-1921) to mark...

Beyond the Familiar: A. Lange & Söhne’s 1815 Retrospective

Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born in Dresden on February 18, 1815. Thirty years later he’d found the eponymous company, and 145 years after that a reborn A. Lange & Söhne would rise from the proverbial ashes of East Germany. The A. Lange & Söhne we know today debuted in 1994 when the brand launched four watches: Arkade, Saxonia, Lange 1, and the flagship Tourbillon Pour le Mérite, which established a set of visual codes that would later define the 1815 collection. Today, the 1815 family is primarily known for its many time-only variants, the 1815 Up/Down, and, of course, the 1815 Chronograph. However, the 1815 collection also includes some of the brand’s most extraordinary, unusual, and rarely seen models. Photo credits: @lelangelust and @scatteringphotons Lange 1815 Emil Lange Moon Phase, c. 1999 The Tourbillon Pour le Mérite of 1994 defined the 1815 collection’s design codes, specifically the printed Arabic dial that is vaguely reminiscent of a pocket watch despite being an almost from-scratch design. However, it was not officially badged as an 1815. That designation arrived the following year with the refs. 206.021 in yellow gold and 206.025 in white gold. These introductions saw the rectangular movement inside the Arkade and Saxonia reformatted to make it presentable through a display case back. The extra space was put to use in the followup 1815 Up/Down, which added the namesake power reserve indicator and recreated the running seconds. In 1999, Lange launched...

A Surprising Series Of Three-Handers: The New Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport

In 2021, Zenith introduced the Chronomaster Sport as its modern sports chronograph. The new series was widely discussed immediately after its release, and despite (or perhaps due to) its hotly debated Rolex Daytona-like aesthetic, it became a massive commercial success for the Le Locle-based brand. Over time, Zenith introduced several new versions that widened the […] Visit A Surprising Series Of Three-Handers: The New Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport to read the full article.

Introducing: The Maison Alcée x MB&F; Nostromo

What We Know Maison Alcée jumped headlong into the watch community consciousness in 2023, winning the GPHG 'Audacity Prize' in recognition of the brand's unique do-it-yourself, high horology, clock-building kits. Championed by Ben, who served on the GPHG jury that year, the French husband-and-wife team of Alcée and Benoit Montfort went on to craft a highly successful LE collaboration with Hodinkee (with lume!) that quickly sold out. Now Alcée and Benoit are back with another collaboration that takes their clock-making kit to the next level. Collaborating with MB&F;, who have long supported Maison Alcée by showcasing and selling their work at their Mad Gallery locations, the Maison Alcée x MB&F; Nostromo leans hard into the well-established alien aesthetic the Geneva-based creative force is known for.  Adding to the intrigue is that this clock was designed by MB&F;'s Creative Designer, Maximilian Maertens. He's the young German who is slowly and purposefully starting to take the lead on some of MB&F;'s pieces, as Max Büsser begins to step back and give up a bit of creative control over the collective brand project he founded more than two decades ago.  So what makes this Maison Alcée kit interesting and different? It's certainly expressive of the MB&F; design language, with the arched base legs or feet giving it an extraterrestrial personality. Maertens says he's a fan of and inspired by the late Swiss artist H.R. Giger (check out the wild Giger Museum in Gruyères if y...

Introducing - Henri Grandjean & Cie Unveils the Magician Atrivm Green Sapphire and Atrivm Red Sapphire

Henri Grandjean (1803-1879) was a master watchmaker from Le Locle, renowned for his precision marine chronometers and for his pioneering role in Swiss chronometry. The name was recently revived by entrepreneur and collector Sohail Aziz and positioned as an independent brand specialising in exquisite high-end contemporary haute horlogerie. Making an impressive debut, Henri Grandjean & […]

Dispatch: A Love Letter To "The Valley of Complications"

Two months ago, I spent a Friday lunch eating a sandwich called the Crazy Poulet at Notos Bar Restaurant in Le Sentier with Mark Schmid, who is a sort of jack-of-all-trades in the marketing and communications department at Audemars Piguet. Schmid has quickly become someone I'd consider a friend, whom I appreciate for our candid conversations, his willingness (and frequency) to correct my confusion between l'accent aigu and l'accent grave in articles, and, more recently, his gastronomic suggestions. I'm sure this story will require a few more corrections from Mark, for which I apologize (mostly to him) in advance, but I wanted to share a recent experience that illustrates why I love Switzerland's Vallée de Joux, past and present. Le Sentier, pictured back in 2022 on the author's first trip to Switzerland. The town, now home to the headquarters of Jaeger-LeCoultre, was the hometown of Samuel-Olivier Meylan, the first watchmaker in the valley who began crafting timepieces around 1743 and set the stage for what is arguably the most important geographic location in watchmaking. "People ask me what I'd want to do if I didn't work at Hodinkee," I said. "Sometimes I say that I wish I could be the head of the tourism bureau for the Vallée de Joux." "Well, maybe you could be our advocate in New York," he said. "But if you came back here on a Thursday night at 4 o'clock, this place would be full. You'd hear watchmakers talking about all the things they were up to at AP, JLC, Blancp...

Introducing: The Doxa Sub 200 T-Graph II

What We Know Just in time for the hot and humid summer ahead, Doxa has just unveiled a new generation of its distinctive, cushion-cased dive-watch-slash-chronograph with the new Sub 200 T.Graph II. The best part? It's no longer a limited edition, but rather a permanent offering for the brand. Oh, and thankfully, it's priced less than that previous 300-piece LE. At a quick glance, nothing seems to have changed on Doxa's tribute to its 1969 design, and you'd be sort of correct. The dial layout, with two subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock, along with an oversized arrowhead chronograph seconds hand, remains the same in this new generation. But the main changes here are sure to make almost everyone happy: a slight reduction in diameter and case thickness. While the previous Sub 200 T.Graph measured at 43mm in diameter with a thickness of 15.15mm, the steel case on the Sub 200 T.Graph II measures 42mm in diameter and 14.6mm in thickness.  Rather than the new old stock Valjoux 7734 chronograph caliber that the limited edition housed, this new T.Graph II uses a contemporary automatic Sellita SW510 chronograph caliber, with a slightly higher 56-hour power reserve and a much higher beat rate of 28,800 VpH. New to the Sub 200 T.Graph II is also another dial color, Caribbean (Doxa's name for blue), which is a familiar livery within the brand's other models but never before offered on a T.Graph. The dark, slightly dusty navy dial joins the three other colorways found in the original design: ...

Introducing: The Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport Chronograph

What We Know It's been a while since we've heard from Autodromo. The motorsports-inspired boutique brand is a longtime favorite of many here at Hodinkee. Heck, we did a pretty cool LE with them back in 2023, featuring a special-edition series of Group B Chronographs. That same year, the brand unveiled its Group C, a watch that captured the spirit of digital '80s watches rather nicely.   Today, Autodromo is launching its first totally new model since then. Meet the Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport, a fresh take on the practical analog-digital (ana-digi) watches like the Tissot Two Timer, the Heuer Manhattan Chronosplit GMT, and, of course, Breitling's Aerospace and Pluton that once adorned wrists behind the wheel and at the track a couple of decades back.   The case is 38.5 millimeters in diameter and made from anodized aluminum – that's the alloy that your BMX bike parts used to be made from back in the day – or at least mine were. The new Group C Turbo comes in three anodized aluminum flavors, clear, grey, and gold. Each has a stainless steel caseback and features a grid dial that's meant to evoke the tachymeter instruments of the Group C Turbo racing era that ran from the early 1980s until about 1993, and was defined by European endurance events including the 24 hours of Le Mans. The Group C cars of the era that inspired these watches featured clean lines, ground effects that delivered high downforce, and turbochargers, offering outsized horsepower that demanded physi...

First Look - The DUG Glashutte Purist Typ 2 Is Good-Old Honest Watchmaking

If there’s one epicentre of watchmaking outside of Switzerland that can measure itself with Le Locle or the Vallée du Joux, it’s Glashütte. This small region in the far east of Germany was once known for its rich iron ore deposits and very active mining culture. But as deposits ran dry and prosperity dwindled, people […]

First Look - The DUG Glashütte Purist Typ 1 Is Good-Old Honest Watchmaking

If there’s one epicentre of watchmaking outside of Switzerland that can measure itself with Le Locle or the Vallée du Joux, it’s Glashütte. This small region in the far east of Germany was once known for its rich iron ore deposits and very active mining culture. But as deposits ran dry and prosperity dwindled, people […]

Introducing - The New Hermès Arceau Cavalier en Formes

Designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the acclaimed artistic director of Hermès who defined le gout Hermès, the elegantly asymmetrical Arceau echoes the brand’s longstanding equestrian ties with its stirrup-shaped lugs. The latest Arceau Cavalier en Formes is an amalgamation of the collection’s strengths, combining a highly sophisticated tourbillon and minute repeater complication with a […]

Hands-on - The Pequignet Royale Paris Chronograph (Incl. Video Review)

Just a stone’s throw north of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and crossing the border into France, you will stumble upon a town called Morteau. Much like Le Locle and the Vallée de Joux are for the Swiss, Morteau is the heart of French mechanical watchmaking. It is here that you will find the Pequignet manufacture, a company […]

Zenith and Naoya Hida & Co. Team Up for a Double-Signed G.F.J. Calibre 135

The Le Locle manufacture launches a new collaboration program, and its first partner is the most talked-about independent in Japan

Dispatch: A Visit to Philippe Dufour's Workshop, Twelve Years Since Our Last

It's been some time since we visited Philippe Dufour's workshop—at least officially. I'm not sure if my colleagues have stopped in before, which wouldn't surprise me. Once you know Dufour, stopping by his workshop in Le Solliat becomes much more informal. But until two weeks ago, I actually hadn't stepped foot inside the old building that was once his kids' schoolhouse and that has become his workshop.  Back in 2013, Ben stopped by during the "Road to Basel" series, but a lot has changed since then. Or has it? Despite being a watchmaker for over 59 years now, all Philippe Dufour seems to want to do is make watches. And where better to do it than the famed "Valley of Complications"?  When we last left him, Ben noted that he had just delivered the last of his Simplicities, after about 200 watches. "He will never make another," said Ben, and that Dufour was working on a more complicated follow-up. Well, since then, he certainly has delivered more Simplicities, including one with an aventurine dial that was auctioned for charity, and there are still more watches on the bench. And it's not just him at the workshop; his daughter Danièla is also working away as well. Tools on the display cases inside Philippe Dufour's workshop and a selection of pocket watches  In 2022, I traveled to Switzerland and the Vallée de Joux for the first time to research and photograph a story on the watchmaker Charles-Henri Meylan. I immediately fell in love with the place. The three-dimensiona...

First Look - Louis Erard’s Integrated Sports Watch, the 2340, now in Mauve and Forest

Last year, Louis Erard entered the integrated sports watch segment with the 2340 collection, a sharply designed and relatively accessible proposition built in titanium and steel, with a nicely executed integrated bracelet. Named after the postal code of Le Noirmont, the brand’s home in the Swiss Jura, the 2340 marked a departure from the regulator […]

Introducing - The New David Candaux DC1 Platinum Art of the Tourbillon

David Candaux, born and raised in Le Solliat, in the Vallée de Joux, belongs to a lineage of watchmakers. Yet his work consistently merges classical craftsmanship with highly personal engineering and design solutions. After years at Jaeger-LeCoultre, where he contributed to some of the manufacture’s most ambitious projects, and later collaborations with some of the […]

Above the Date Window: Steve McQueen’s Monaco and What Sotheby’s Catalogues Really Tell You

Steve McQueen’s Le Mans Heuer Monaco 1133B crossed Sotheby’s block. The above-the-date-window detail collectors spotted, the hammer price, why it matters.

Detailed hands-on review with video: the new Candaux DC12 MaveriK

We were in Le Solliat, up in the Valée de Joux last November, and met up with David Candaux. Here is our hands on comprehensive review of the DC12 MaveriK.