8,414 articles · 324 videos found · page 291 of 292
Revolution
The Advanced Fighter Weapons School In the 1970s, the Swiss mechanical watch industry was almost wiped out by an electronic threat called quartz technology, which instantly democratized accuracy in the form of cheap, Japanese-made watches. But ultimately, in the clash between soulless battery-operated machines and those handcrafted by human artisans, the mechanical watch won out, […]
Revolution
The Louis Moinet Vertalis Tourbillon “Red Stromatolite” Whatever your spiritual beliefs, there is near-universal agreement that the spirit is but a brief tenant in the body, and even today, to live out one’s biblical assurance of threescore and ten years is to consider oneself relatively lucky. We unhappy mortals, therefore, are like to surround ourselves […]
Revolution
Many brands claim their minute repeaters sound the best. But who can tell the difference? Who has access to several such watches at the same time? We’ve gathered, recorded and ranked five of them, On paper, and also on video EDITOR’S NOTE: The judging of minute repeaters, as our intrepid contributor David Chokron states below, […]
Revolution
It’s an old story: boy meets dive watch, boy gets dive watch, boy gets a lot of snarky flak from people who ask him why he wears a dive watch when the deepest body of water he ever gets into comes in a porcelain tub, with spigots marked “Hot” and “Cold”. Oh, ye of little […]
Revolution
A new world-time watch from iwc, inspired by its highly coveted historical mark timepieces The enforced passivity of modern air travel has probably been responsible for more fantasies of actually sitting in the cockpit of a high-performance fighter jet than The Right Stuff, Top Gun and all of the Iron Eagle movies put together. But for […]
Revolution
It’s the queen of complications and really understanding it is a lifetime study - but you gotta start somewhere. REVOLUTION brings you a brief introduction to some of the inside secrets of watchmaking’s most romantic complication The minute repeater is both the most sophisticated of complications and the most atavistic - sophisticated, in that it requires enormous […]
Revolution
FOUR DECADES OF THE REMARKABLE ROYAL OAK FROM AUDEMARS PIGUET There are certainly watches made in larger numbers, but there are few more instantly recognizable than the Royal Oak, from Audemars Piguet. Forty years since its 1972 introduction, the Royal Oak has become not only the watch associated by enthusiasts with the small Le Brassus-based […]
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Words by owner of watch. Photograph taken by me, by a window table in a restaurant in Dempsey Hill, Singapore. I bought this a few years ago while I was visiting Europe and Curtis Thomson advised me to visit the watchmaker Jean Baptiste Viot since France was my last stop. I tried to read upRead More
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A. Lange & Sohne has been producing beautiful watches since 1845, with a 40+ year gap, when Glashutte was under GDR rule, where no luxury timepieces were manufactured. As many know, the company was revived in 1990, and started production in 1994. But sometimes, the old pieces are still as beautiful, and here is aRead More
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Francois Paul Journe. A talented watchmaker. I had the pleasure of meeting with FP way back when he was yet a nobody…and had just made his first tourbillon remontoir d’egalité. The original looked like it was made in his garage, and indeed it was. But recently, I had the pleasure of spending a week withRead More
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I have shown the amazing Urwerk UR-110 ST before…I have a piece in titanium on loan from the factory (thanks Yacine, Felix, Martin). And I thought to do some partial macros to show the beautifully sculputured watch. The watch is rather slim, as shown previously…see my SIHH report, but somehow Urwerk found enough space withinRead More
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I earlier featured the Gronefeld brothers and their amazing work here. But today, I dig a bit deeper, and show some extreme macros. All these images are magnified to the full frame size of the Hasselblad H3d-39, whose sensor is 48mmx36mm, and will stand upsizing to prints which can cover a wall 3m in widthRead More
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The Vietnamese market is a slippery one, for many foreign businesses. I have personal experiences of mis-adventures, but particularly so for the high end horology business. One of the few independent watchmakers who have made inroads into this former Communist market is Peter Speake-Marin. I continue focussing on Peter today, with his interesting, and quiteRead More
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When Breguet announced the Double Tourbillon in , I was skeptical. Skeptical because it sounded more like a showoff watch than one which has true horological significance and beauty. But recently, I was reacquainted with the 5347, and came away quite impressed. Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon Ref. 5347 The watch features a double tourbillon, eachRead More
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One of my favourite watch making house is the often overlooked Seiko. They have a long history and tradition of making fine timepieces as well as of innovation. But most collectors focus too much on Swiss timepieces. But yes, Virginia, excellent watches do come from outside Switzerland. Germany, and increasingly England, and of course Japan.Read More
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Beauty of the DeBethune DB25T I had the opportunity to view and photograph the magnificent DB25T again… Truly a magnificent piece, beautifully conceived, finished. Jaw drapping beautiful. The dial, hand flamed titanium to achieve the deep blue…nothign short of amazing. And the second morte complication is nicely emphasized with the large sweep seconds making itsRead More
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Greubel Forsey’s continued exploration of the tourbillon is a fascinating one. Incline double tourbillons, quadruple tourbillons, inventions with tourbillons, secrets with tourbillon, and now a GMT with a 3 dimensional rotating globe with an incline double tourbillon. So they take their wonderful 24 incline tourbillon, moved things around a bit, so as to createRead More
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2012 might be the year of the re-issue. For JLC, the strategy is not different. They reissued and revised the Master Control series with aplomb. And reissued some Reversos…but do note that JLC might perhaps be seen as leading this trend, having started the 1931 Reverso re-edition in SIHH 2011. However, in addition toRead More
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What to get your significant other for Valentines? How about the magnificent Lange Saxonia? OK, so perhaps not possible for this Valentine’s as the watch is not yet available in the stores…but its a nice excuse to introduce this beautiful piece. Of course, I am assuming your Valentine is a lady…if it happens to beRead More
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This year’s SIHH lacks real horological punch. Yes, there were many beautiful timepieces being shown, but no horologically exciting developments. Many were revisions of golden oldies. Audemars Piguet celebrated their 40th anniversary of their Royal Oak and showed many new and very beautiful pieces. Vacheron Constantin revised their Malte line, making them even moreRead More
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Store Visit: Malmaison by The Hour Glass: Emporium Extronaire The Malmaison by The Hour Glass is not quite new…in fact, it opened its doors just after SIH 2011…almost a year ago. But the store continues to amaze me. This is a veritable temple of luxury, conceived and created by Hour Glass’s intrepid Executive Director MichaelRead More
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I’d like to present some of the watches made by Moser. The Perpetual 1, which I have covered before in a bit detail is still one of the most outstanding perpetual calendars in production. Seen on here on the wrist of my good friend Eddie Also available with a fancy dial…rose gold case Also, aRead More
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Glashutte Original’s factory is almost right next door to Lange’s at Altenberger Strasse in Glashutte. The brands do share some common origins, both pointing to Ferdinand Aldophe Lange. Amongst the watches GO produces, some are very nice, but none nicer to my eyes than the Pano Retro Graph…a beautiful movement… The movement is nicely laidRead More
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Max Bussser is an unusual talent in watchmaking. Not a watchmaker by trade, but makes watches for a living…His imagination is wonderful…almost child like, but always totally rooted in true business sense, however fantastical the idea. MB&F; HM4 Flying Panda for Only Watch 2011 In support of Only Watch 2011, he came up with theRead More
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Property of a good friend… The Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph. Inhouse chronograph after years of using Lemania, PP decided on their own. I quite like the grey dial and platinum case. But remain ambivalent on the red markers on the dial. The case is quite beautiful. Activating of the chrono seems a bit onRead More
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Apologies for falling slightly behind on my postings. I was in Dresden for the final review of my book last week, and some blip with blogger.com caused the Friday post to disappear. But today, I go back one of my favourites…the Spring Drive… The bezel is in sapphire. Long before Rolex or anyone else startedRead More
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The engraving department within A. Lange & Sohne is perhaps rather famous. Every watch produced carries a hand engraved balance cock. These bear the signatures of the engravers, and can be recognised by them with a quick examination. But equally interesting, and arguably perhaps more so, are the engraving and enameling work done for theRead More
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Hublot is an amazing company…in the early days, they pushed innovation with scented rubber straps…which even today, is an interesting concept. But since Jean Claude Biver, the marketing supermo who started Blancpain in the 80s started to helm the company, it took off. Literally. Jean Claude introduced the concept of fusion…the fusion of old andRead More
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Urwerk is always amazing. The watches they make are not strictly for telling the time, but avant garde sculptures which mesmerises because of the way it reminds one of science fiction creations. One can only imagine the designers at Urwerk: the talented Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner have spent (or mis-spent) their youth marvelling atRead More
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Lange had a bumper crop this year…in addition to the Richard Lange Pour le Merite Tourbillon announced last month…see this, they announced the Zeitwerk Striking Time, the new Saxonia Thin handwound, Saxonia World Time, and a refreshed Saxonia. And stay tuned for yet another big announcement slated for mid-year. But let’s go through the novelties…firstRead More
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