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Results for Westminster Chime

110 articles · 8 videos found · page 3 of 4

Crime or Sublime: Wearing jewellery with watches Time+Tide
Feb 19, 2020

Crime or Sublime: Wearing jewellery with watches

In this week’s head-to-head battle of words, James Robinson squares off against Editor Luke Benedictus, as Nicholas Kenyon is still recovering from Robinson’s knockout blow in last week’s Crime or Sublime. This may well be Benedictus’s first time in the figurative ring, but he’s come out swinging. And the topic for this week’s literary battle? … ContinuedThe post Crime or Sublime: Wearing jewellery with watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Crime or Sublime: Double Wristing with a mechanical and Apple Watch – the results Time+Tide
Feb 17, 2020

Crime or Sublime: Double Wristing with a mechanical and Apple Watch – the results

A few weeks ago, Nicholas Kenyon and I got into a bit of a row over whether it was a crime or indeed sublime to double wrist a mechanical wristwatch and an Apple Watch. Kenyon was firmly in the sublime camp, whereas I was, well … you can read my thoughts on the matter right … ContinuedThe post Crime or Sublime: Double Wristing with a mechanical and Apple Watch – the results appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Crime or Sublime: Pocket watches in 2020 Time+Tide
Feb 12, 2020

Crime or Sublime: Pocket watches in 2020

The gauntlet has well and truly been thrown down on the polished concrete floors of Time+Tide’s headquarters in this week’s office row, as a truculent James Robinson asseverated that pocket watches in 2020 are about as useful as a solar powered watch in a sensory deprivation tank … that is to say, completely pointless. Deputy … ContinuedThe post Crime or Sublime: Pocket watches in 2020 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Crime or Sublime: Dive watches on leather straps Time+Tide
Jan 29, 2020

Crime or Sublime: Dive watches on leather straps

It’s Thursday, and that can mean only one thing - it’s time for Nicholas Kenyon & James Robinson to engage in another jousting of words over a watch-related point of contention. In this week’s office argument, the two pontificate whether or not it’s OK to wear dive watches on leather straps. James Robinson – The For … ContinuedThe post Crime or Sublime: Dive watches on leather straps appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Customised Watches: Watchmaking Crime or Horologically Sublime? Time+Tide
Jan 14, 2020

Customised Watches: Watchmaking Crime or Horologically Sublime?

The debate about customised watches after they have left the factory is one that has been raging for generations. Is personalising your watch a laudable expression of individuality? Or is it a crass bastardisation of the very art of watchmaking? Here, Nick Kenyon and James Robinson tackle the debate head on. Nick Kenyon – The … ContinuedThe post Customised Watches: Watchmaking Crime or Horologically Sublime? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Tritium Watches: How They Work, And How They're Still Being Made Teddy Baldassarre
Oct 10, 2025

Tritium Watches: How They Work, And How They're Still Being Made

The need to read the time in the dark has been a challenge for the makers of timepieces for hundreds of years. The first solution was not a visual but an audible one: watches that could chime the current hour and minute on demand. These types of watches, aka minute repeaters and sonneries, are quite rare and expensive today and regarded as luxuries rather than the utilitarian inventions they initially were. In the 1900s, a more practical option presented itself: treating a watch’s dial with luminous paint that made its time display visible in darkness. And while this approach proved to be much more cost-effective and practical, it also brought a new set of challenges, as the earliest substances used on the dials were discovered to be unsafe, for the people who made the watches and, to a lesser extent, those who wore them. Let There Be Light The first material applied to watch dials for nighttime luminescence was radium paint, which, thanks to radium’s half-life of 1,600 years, offered a long-lasting glow during that period before dimming - the catch being that, as its name implies, radium (specifically Radium-226, which was used as the base of the “Radiomir” substance registered by Guido Panerai ) is radioactive. In the 1920s, the mostly female factory workers who painted the watch dials with radium compounds started falling ill and dying at alarming rates, leading to lawsuits against the companies that produced the material and eventually, safer working conditio...

The Best Watches I Saw At The British Watchmakers’ Day Fratello
Mar 30, 2025

The Best Watches I Saw At The British Watchmakers’ Day

Early in March, I attended the second British Watchmakers’ Day at Lindley Hall (Royal Horticultural Halls) in Westminster. The sophomore effort had another fantastic turnout and cemented the show as a bona fide addition to the watch-event calendar. With 45 British-based watch brands presenting, there was plenty for everyone to enjoy. All brands have a […] Visit The Best Watches I Saw At The British Watchmakers’ Day to read the full article.

Get Your €100K+ Speedy Now! Omega Offers The Speedmaster Calibre 321 With A New Platinum Flat-Link Bracelet Fratello
Omega Offers Feb 13, 2025

Get Your €100K+ Speedy Now! Omega Offers The Speedmaster Calibre 321 With A New Platinum Flat-Link Bracelet

The first Speedmaster to hit retail with a six-figure price is here! Well, that’s if you don’t count the complicated Speedmaster Chrono Chime. Omega introduces the platinum Speedmaster Calibre 321  with a material-matching flat-link bracelet, and at our local AD in The Hague, the price of that most prestigious Speedy is €107,500. If you’re in […] Visit Get Your €100K+ Speedy Now! Omega Offers The Speedmaster Calibre 321 With A New Platinum Flat-Link Bracelet to read the full article.

Beaucroft Teams with Bristol Based Artist Penfold on a Limited Edition for British Watchmakers’ Day Worn & Wound
Christopher Ward Elliot Brown Isotope Jan 27, 2025

Beaucroft Teams with Bristol Based Artist Penfold on a Limited Edition for British Watchmakers’ Day

On March 9th, 2024, the inaugural British Watchmakers’ Day occurred in Westminster, London, England. Organized by the Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers, this event was celebrated as the premier watch gathering in the U.K. More than 40 brands participated, including Christopher Ward, Elliot Brown, Isotope, and even Roger W. Smith. The event was by all accounts a success, so it’s no surprise that a second event has been scheduled for Saturday, March 8th. One of the 2024  exhibitors was Beaucroft, based in Cambridge. Our very own Garrett Jones had a hands-on experience with their Forest Green Element watch in December 2024, and he enjoyed it. For this year’s British Watchmakers’ Day event, Beaucroft has collaborated with Bristol-based artist Tim Gresham, known as Penfold, to create the Penfold Special Edition watch. Penfold’s portfolio includes abstract paintings, screen printing, large-scale murals, and immersive installations. He has exhibited in galleries worldwide and collaborated with iconic brands. His influences range from skateboard graphics and Memphis-style furniture to artists like Tom Wesselmann and Eduardo Paolozzi from the Pop Art movement and contemporary figures like MOMO and KAWS. Based on their Element platform, the matte-finished white dial provided a blank canvas for Penfold to showcase his artwork. Apart from the rehaut and hands, the rest of the design is Penfold’s creation. From the supplied images, the airbrushed design elements app...

Insight: Governors of Minute Repeaters, Sonneries, and Other Striking Watches SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin cal 1731 Jul 17, 2024

Insight: Governors of Minute Repeaters, Sonneries, and Other Striking Watches

Repeaters are one of the most complicated mechanisms in watches and over the years the complication has been refined by successive generations of watchmakers. Now, perhaps more than ever, watchmakers dedicate absolute attention to perfecting the quality, speed, accuracy, and durability of the striking works. Various components are required to chime the tunes of time with hammers and gongs. Paradoxically, amongst the most crucial parts of a chiming watch are those that work quietly, or silently, in the background – the governor. One of the most recent new repeater calibres, the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Minute Repeater What is a governor? The governor regulates the speed of the striking pattern, in other words the pace of the individual chimes. A repeater movement contains a separate gear train for the repeating works, which are powered by their own smaller, auxiliary spring. The last component of this train consists of the governor. The governor’s task is to introduce resistance in the repeater train, allowing it to be regulated. Therefore, less resistance accelerates the striking speed, while more resistance slows down the repeater chimes. The Vacheron Constantin cal. 1731 with the secondary spring visible between the hammers The fine-tuning of the repeater’s speed is prized as an essential factor in ensuring a perfect series of chimes. If the pace is too fast, the vibrations of the gongs produce jarring overtones that cancel each other out. If too slow, not o...

Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - Mike’s Picks From Seiko, Ming, Oak & Oscar, And Longines Fratello
Longines It’s time May 28, 2024

Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - Mike’s Picks From Seiko, Ming, Oak & Oscar, And Longines

It’s time to chime in on the best watches under €2,500. It’s a tough subject for a couple of reasons. First, many of my colleagues have already opined and used up some great picks. Second, this price level now feels like a no man’s land because most brands prefer to play above or below it. […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €2,500 - Mike’s Picks From Seiko, Ming, Oak & Oscar, And Longines to read the full article.

Roger W. Smith and His Unique Series 1 Made for British Watchmakers’ Day Worn & Wound
Roger W. Smith Mar 8, 2024

Roger W. Smith and His Unique Series 1 Made for British Watchmakers’ Day

British Watchmakers’ Day is nearly upon us. Tomorrow, March 9, watch lovers from across the UK (and across the world – our own Zach Weiss and Blake Malin will be in attendance) will descend on Lindley Hall in Westminster to celebrate all that British watchmaking has to offer. The event is run by the Alliance of British Watch and Clockmakers, and was conceived to raise awareness and money for the Alliance, which works to support watchmaking in the UK by fostering ties between its trade members.  Roger W. Smith, the famed independent watchmaker who famously apprenticed for George Daniels, was an early Alliance member and one of the group’s most vocal supporters. He’s taking part in British Watchmakers’ Day this year alongside many of his colleagues in the Alliance, and he’s particularly excited about the diversity and the representation from a new generation of watch brands that will be present. “The vast majority of our trade members are outside of traditional horology,” Smith told me in an interview. “That’s very exciting to me, it means we’re going to have lots of innovation, lots of ideas, and new stories taking place.”  One of those new stories is a watch Smith himself will be presenting at British Watchmakers’ Day, which is loosely organized around participating brands bringing limited edition pieces to sell for one day and one day only at the fair. For Smith, this presents a challenge and an opportunity. His watches are largely made by hand...

Everything You Need To Know About The British Watchmakers’ Day Fratello
Mar 7, 2024

Everything You Need To Know About The British Watchmakers’ Day

With the revival of watchmaking in the British Isles, the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers announces its first exhibition. The British Watchmakers’ Day will take place on Saturday, March 9th, 2024, at Lindley Hall (Royal Horticultural Halls) in Westminster. The event is dedicated to showcasing over 30 new and old member brands within […] Visit Everything You Need To Know About The British Watchmakers’ Day to read the full article.

In Depth: Inside the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Refs. 5002 and 6002 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Refs Aug 22, 2023

In Depth: Inside the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Refs. 5002 and 6002

Long the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch until it was superseded by the Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300 (and ref. 6175), the Sky Moon Tourbillon was arguably the brand’s first uber-complication. It was certainly the brand’s first double-faced wristwatch, continuing a lineage of two-sided grand complications that included the famous watches made for Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard and the more recent Calibre 89. Boasting 12 complications, it debuted as the ref. 5002 in 2001 and then evolved into the ref. 6002 in 2014. The ref. 6002 has a more elaborately decorated 44 mm case, along with a revamped calendar display, but is otherwise unchanged in functional and mechanical terms from its predecessor, the ref. 5002 that was slightly smaller at 42.8 mm. The Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002P, the very first variant of the model The ref. 5002 featured a relief decoration on the case band done by machine Despite their comparable sizes, the ref. 6002 is far and away the more striking watch because the fully engraved case and enamelled dial. In fact, the ref. 6002 is probably as over the top as a classically-inclined grand complication can get. Both references are powered by the R TO 27 QR SID LU CL, a multi-layered movement made up of 705 parts. In a world first, we’ll take you inside the movement and show you each of the layers. The Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 6002R that remains in the current catalogue The ref. 6002 is engraved on almost every surface, even the minu...

Patek Philippe Announces “Tribute to Philippe Stern” for Only Watch 2023 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Announces “Tribute Jun 29, 2023

Patek Philippe Announces “Tribute to Philippe Stern” for Only Watch 2023

Patek Philippe has a history at Only Watch of producing groundbreaking Grand Complications, displaying what it is capable of at the highest end of watchmaking. The table clock from 2021 or the Grandmaster Chime from 2019 both exemplify these virtues. And it would appear that it is going to continue down this road with this year’s instalment as it introduces a Grand Complication in tribute to Philippe Stern, Patek Phillippe Honorary President and father to the brand’s current President, Thierry Stern.  Philippe Stern (left) and Thierry Stern (right). While the details of this piece are currently lacking somewhat, the brand has announced that it has developed an entirely new movement for this watch and it features Philippe Stern’s favourite Grand Complication.  This will not just be a one off either, the first one made will be of a unique design and auctioned at Only Watch, but after that Patek will go on to produce 30 more, in a strictly limited run, after which the movement will never be used again.  This November Philippe Stern is set to turn 85, his son was quoted saying this about the upcoming watch, “this is a way of thanking him for everything he taught me and all the passion for excellence that he deployed in favour of Patek Philippe.” There will be more details about this watch to follow, with the auction being conducted by Christie’s at Palexpo in Geneva on November 5. 

Hands-On: Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock “Only Watch” Ref. 27001M-001 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock “Only Oct 30, 2021

Hands-On: Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock “Only Watch” Ref. 27001M-001

Having set the record for the most expensive watch ever when the Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A sold for CHF31 million at Only Watch 2019, Patek Philippe has created something entirely different for the 2021 instalment of the charity auction. The Geneva watchmaker’s entry for Only Watch 2021 is the Complicated Desk Clock ref. 27001M-001, a tabletop timepiece inspired by a pair of historical clocks made in the 1920s for prominent American collectors. The front of the clock opens to reveal the pushers for adjustment as well as winding and setting sockets Initial thoughts While Patek Philippe’s past creations for Only Watch were unique variants of existing models, the ref. 27001M desk clock is a unique model. It also claims several “firsts”. The ref. 27001M is the only example of this reference ever created to date – and the first timepiece to be equipped with this movement – and also the first clock Patek Philippe has contributed to Only Watch. This makes the ref. 27001M truly unique against all of Patek Philippe’s diverse repertoire. The inscription on the inside of the lid Very much classical luxury in style, the ref. 27001M is an appealing timepiece. A couple of details could have been done better or removed altogether, like “The Only One” on the lower edge, but it is still a good looking object. At the same time, it is mechanically interesting, since the movement is not only a 31-day calibre but also being used for the first time by Patek Philippe. Thoug...

INTRODUCING: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater Limited Edition Time+Tide
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater Sep 28, 2021

INTRODUCING: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater Limited Edition

If you were to ask me what my favorite complication in watchmaking is, my answer would undoubtedly be the minute repeater. For me, fine watchmaking is about looking into the past and, while a completely unnecessary functionality in the modern world, there is an everlasting charm about a watch that can chime the time. Born … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Vacheron Constantin Realises a Connoisseur’s Exquisite Vision SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Realises Sep 27, 2021

Vacheron Constantin Realises a Connoisseur’s Exquisite Vision

Eight years in the making, the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Westminster Sonnerie – Tribute to Johannes Vermeer is a masterpiece in the truest sense of the word. Reflecting the owner’s taste that is inclined towards the subtle, elegant, and artisanal, the watch is seemingly simple on the front, yet intricately decorated on its circumference and immensely complicated within. But the true art of the watch sits on the hinged case back, which bears a magnificent miniature enamel painting by Anita Porchet that reproduces Vermeer’s ethereal Girl with a Pearl Earring. The idea for this uber pocket watch was first mooted by the owner in 2012, before being formally commissioned in 2013 during the Watches & Wonders fair in Hong Kong. Asked about his motivation in commissioning the watch – and waiting nearly a decade – the owner says, “I wanted to have a watch made, cost-and-time-no-object, that incorporated the ultimate in art – miniature enamel by the greatest practicing enameller – with the most difficult and sublime complication, the true Westminster sonnerie – and that alone – not counting the tourbillon escapement, which to me isn’t a complication.” “No such watch existed prior in the history of watchmaking,” he adds, “The watch came out more magnificent and monumental than I had imagined.” And that pretty much sums up the Vermeer pocket watch, which is unquestionably one of the greatest creations ever to emerge from Les Cabinotiers, a wo...

Patek Philippe Introduces the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002R SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Introduces Jun 16, 2021

Patek Philippe Introduces the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002R

At the opening of its annual Rare Handcrafts Exhibition in Geneva, Patek Philippe took the covers off a suite of watches and clocks decorated with artisanal techniques, including a new version of its ultra-fancy grand complication, the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002R. First offered in blue enamel, and then black, the Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 6002 was the most complicated wristwatch in Patek Philippe’s catalogue, until the Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300 and Grand Sonnerie ref. 6301. But the Sky Moon Tourbillon remains the most ornately decorated amongst its peers, with every surface of the case – and even the hands – engraved with arabesques and the dial in cloisonné enamel. Initial thoughts Enormous at 44 mm wide and over 17 mm high, the Sky Moon Tourbillon is an expensive, complex wristwatch that looks, well, expensive and complex. It’s often a statement piece for the segment of clients who find a Richard Mille affordable but unrefined, the new rose-gold variant makes sense. The metal is the most popular for high-end watches, globally but especially in Asia. It is warmer and richer, making the watch seem even more luxe – a useful characteristic in watch like this. The rationale for the Sky Moon Tourbillon in rose gold is clear. As a watch, I am certain it will be impressive, probably even more impressive than the earlier versions of the watch due to its brighter colours. It’s too baroque – and of course unaffordable – for most, but the target demographic w...

Patek Philippe Introduces the Ref. 6301P-001 Grande Sonnerie SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Introduces Nov 10, 2020

Patek Philippe Introduces the Ref. 6301P-001 Grande Sonnerie

Saving the best for last, Patek Philippe has just announced the Ref. 6301P-001 Grande Sonnerie. Powered by a movement derived from that in the Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300G uber-complication, the new Grande Sonnerie is impressively complicated – which is why Patek Philippe set up a dedicated workshop for its assembly – yet surprisingly thin. Unlike the Grandmaster Chime that was a multi-complication, the ref. 6301P is a focused mechanical masterpiece: a grande and petite sonnerie, striking the time en passant, or as it passes. But it is also a carillon, striking on three pairs of hammers and gongs, instead of the usual two. All its mechanical accomplishment is dressed in classical style, with an aesthetic reminiscent of the ref. 5370P split-seconds chronograph – a black enamel dial with Breguet numerals and a recessed case band. Initial thoughts With a movement derived from the Calibre 300 found in the Grandmaster Chime, the Grande Sonnerie is almost as large, a necessity due to the size of the movement. At 44.8 mm in diameter, the Grande Sonnerie is a large watch, but it is surprisingly thin at just 12 mm high, which is perhaps unsurprising given Patek Philippe’s traditional inclination towards thin watches. Unlike the brand’s other extra-large grand complications, like the Grandmaster Chime or Sky Moon Tourbillon, the Grande Sonnerie has a more restrained, traditional design. Though imposing, it looks reasonably elegant due to the pared-back styling and subtle ...

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 World Time Becomes Most Expensive Watch Sold in Asia SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Ref 2523 World Time Nov 25, 2019

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 World Time Becomes Most Expensive Watch Sold in Asia

Just two weeks after the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime in steel set the record for the most expensive watch ever when it sold for US$31m at Christie’s in Geneva, the auctioneer clinched the title of most expensive watch sold in Asia, toppling the former record holder. It sold a Patek Philippe ref. 2523 double-crown world time wristwatch – with a blue enamel dial signed by Milan retailer Gobbi – for HK$70.175m including fees, equivalent to US$8.97m. The result yields a tidy profit for the seller, a noted Asian collector who purchased the watch in 2010 at Christie’s in Geneva for 2.675m Swiss francs. One of two known with a blue enamel dial and extremely crisp, the ref. 2523 was offered for sale in an unusual manner. Though it was part of the Hong Kong watch auction, the watch was instead offered as the first lot during the 20th century and contemporary art sale a few days before, presumably to appeal to buyers who regularly spend much larger sums on art. The watch was extensively documented by Christie’s in its catalogues, both online and offline, though it did not do the typical presale marketing tour around the region due to its insured value. The presale estimate of HK$55m-110m, or about US$7m-14m, made the ref. 2523 the most expensive lot to be ever offered at a watch auction – leading to some mutterings that the watch might not sell – so anticipation was high when the sale started at 5:30pm, especially since ultra high-value vintage watches are usual...