3,476 articles · 11 videos found · page 35 of 117
Deployant
Breguet’s 2010 novelties include a WG version of the La Tradition Tourbillon with fusee chain. As usual, clicking on the image will bring up a 1920 x 1080 screensaver. Detail of the fusee. Detail of the tourbillon Closeup of the movement
Worn & Wound
When shopping for a new watch, the movement is often a point of consideration for many enthusiasts. But what does it do? Simply put, the movement, often referred to as a “caliber,” is the engine powering the watch and regulating the rotation of its hands. While some may feature additional features called complications, their primary duty is accurate time-telling. Today, we’ll walk through the basic differences between manual, automatic, and quartz movements. When shopping for a new watch, the movement is often a point of consideration for many enthusiasts. But what does it do? Simply put, the movement, often referred to as a “caliber,” is the engine powering the watch and regulating the rotation of its hands. While some may feature additional features called complications, their primary duty is accurate time-telling. Today, we’ll walk through the basic differences between manual, automatic, and quartz movements. The post The Difference Between Quartz, Manual, and Automatic Movements appeared first on Worn & Wound.
SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux (GP) has just taken the covers off a new in-house movement that will serve as a versatile platform for the brand, the Girard-Perregaux GP4800. Historically a significant producer of automatic movements, GP marks a milestone with the new, high-performance base movement that will gradually replace the 3000 family of movements that was once a workhorse employed by several high-end brands. Initial thoughts GP’s most famous creations are undoubtedly the historical Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges and the more recent Constant Escapement. Significant as they may be, neither illustrates the brand’s past strength as a manufacture in the early decades of contemporary watchmaking post-Quartz Crisis, in particular GP’s position as a leading supplier of automatic movements. It all began with the 3000 family of calibres introduced in 1994. Desirable for its slimness and high performance – the 3000 series was sub-3 mm thick while ticking at 4 Hz – this versatile platform served not only as a base for many of the brand’s own timepieces, but also powered well-known watches made by a number of prominent brands, including Cartier, Daniel Roth, Vacheron Constantin, and even MB&F;. A GP3000 found in the MB&F; HM2 And then inverted in the MB&F; HM8 Mark 2 The new GP4800 is clearly meant to replace the venerable-yet-aging 3000-series. Boasting a modern architecture and fine technical chops, the GP4800 is a step towards reclaiming GP’s past success as a movement ma...
Monochrome
Horage, the independent Swiss brand based in Bienne, has achieved quite a lot since in-house movement development began in 2009 – four movements that include the K1 automatic, K2 micro-rotor, K-TOU tourbillon and K-TMR micro-rotor tourbillon. And now a fifth movement is being introduced, the modular, COSC-certified K3 automatic that’s debuting in the new DecaFlux […]
Monochrome
The ETA 2824 movement was a groundbreaking invention that left a lasting impact on the watchmaking industry. Introduced in the 1970s, the ETA 2824 quickly set the standard with its efficient mass production and reliable performance. It retained its popularity for over fifty years until the circumstances and demand for innovation led to the creation […]
Monochrome
Even though its development started during the 1970s, it took some years for Seiko and Grand Seiko to finally present their first movement equipped with the Spring Drive technology (the very first was a Seiko in 1999). In 2004, after more than 2 decades of research, the first generation of Grand Seiko Spring Drive was […]
SJX Watches
With Daniel Roth’s revival having become official last year, the brand has just taken the covers off the prototype of the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription at LVMH Watch Week 2024. Retaining the style and dimensions of its 1990s inspiration, the Tourbillon Souscription is, however, an entirely new creation in mechanical terms, with the DR001 movement inside having been developed specifically for it by Geneva complications specialist La Fabrique du Temps (LFT). Initial thoughts The prototype of the Tourbillon Souscription arrives with subtle refinements compared to the images released last year. The aesthetics largely replicate the design of the 1990s originals, which was the brand’s goal from the beginning, at least for this opening act in its revival. Where the Tourbillon Souscription does better than the original is in the execution and mechanics. The guilloche dial is evidently top quality and also on a solid-gold base. More notably, the recessed area around the tourbillon, which is the actually the base plate, is finished with Côtes de Genève. On the originals this area was unfinished except for a rudimentary micro-blasting. But the calibre within is a more substantive achievement. The DR001 movement was conceived for this watch (though perhaps borrowing elements from LFT’s existing constructions) with aesthetics and traditional detailing in mind, explaining elements like the black-polished steel cock and linear winding click. In contrast, the originals relie...
Worn & Wound
The industrial designs of ochs und junior watches have an immense impact allowed by their near brutalistic design codes, but the sheer simplicity of their approach to complications is what really draws us in. Their perpetual calendar being the penultimate example, requiring just 9 new components within the movement to operate. Ochs und junior are bringing this level of thinking to their line collection, which we’ve covered since its inception, with the introduction of a new moonphase capable of remaining accurate for 3,478.27 years before being off by a single day. In true ochs und junior fashion, they’ve accomplished this with the addition of just 5 additional parts to the ETA 2824-2 movement. The new line watch is called the moon phase / selene, and it brings the moon to the dial in a unique manner, as you may have guessed when it comes to ochs und junior. There is a large moon phase aperture cut through through the bottom portion of the dial, with a monochromatic representation of the moon at opposing ends of a rotating disc. Dots underneath the dial represent each day, and each phase that the moon passes through. The remainder of the dial is rendered almost entirely in ochs blue, creating a rather serene experience of the romantic complication, save for the silver hour markers at each even hour. The total aesthetic here is classic ochs und junior, with minimal representation of the core components, and an untouched, raw experience of the materials at use. The two...
SJX Watches
One of TAG Heuer’s most distinctive watches because of its angular, square case, the Monaco turned 50 last year and the brand marked the occasion with a variety of limited edition watches as well as a hand-finished, one-off watch that was sold to benefit charity. At the same time, the regular-production Monaco in blue – arguably the quintessential Monaco design – received a substantial upgrade, with the ETA movement replaced with the in-house cal. Heuer 02. The Monaco Calibre Heuer 02 is now also available with a black dial, and a new, retro-inspired Monaco bracelet is also making its debut. Initial thoughts The Monaco is an intrinsically interesting watch because of its case. But TAG Heuer has produced many iterations that unfortunately look similar – despite having different movements – making it difficult to distinguish between them. The latest variant still looks similar, but manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to the bracelet, which has not been part of TAG Heuer’s offerings in a long time. The new bracelet is modelled on the 1970s original, but has been made more robust while being finished better. The result is a bracelet looks original and sporty. There have been numerous Monaco variations, but most were solidly constructed and well priced. The same appears to be true here. While the Monaco Heuer 02 has a new movement and bracelet, it retains the well finished case that’s a wearable 39 mm, along with the symmetrical, “Compax” dial layou...
Deployant
The evergreen and ever popular TAG Heuer Carrara gets a refresh with a new design and now equipped with the Caliber Heuer 02 Automatic.
Hodinkee
Clean, round chronographs with an in-house movement and a contemporary vibe.
Time+Tide
The heart of any watch is the calibre inside of it. This engine, which we refer to as a movement, is aptly named considering it is often what horological nerds find the most moving thing about a watch. In honour of this key component of a watch, below are ten prompts which will require you … ContinuedThe post Time+Tide Weekend Watch Crossword: #12 “Legendary Movements” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Van Cleef & Arpels approaches watchmaking as a medium for storytelling. The brand’s Poetic Complications line, launched in 2006, unites its high jewellery and artistic expertise with sophisticated mechanical movements to bring these stories to life. Expanding its Jour Nuit collection, Van Cleef adds a moon phase complication with on-demand animation inside the majestic Midnight […]
SJX Watches
The fusee and chain system is one of those terms in high horology parlance that instantly elevates the status of a given watch. And yet few appreciate the elegance and subtle complexities of this horological contraption that surprisingly predates the invention of the hairspring itself. The need for constant torque A high-performance oscillating system requires a somewhat constant power source in order to keep it swinging consistently. This issue relates to isochronism and the insufficiencies of real-world oscillators. For a watch, this means that its precision is, to a degree, dependent on how constant the torque reaching the escapement is. This is not as easy as one might think. The mainspring stores potential energy in its wound coils, which it then slowly feeds into the gear train as the barrel unwinds. Because of how the system is built, and due to physics-related constraints, the power coming from the mainspring barrel is all but constant. Ideally, the torque would be linearly decreasing — meaning that the slope of the barrel torque is directly proportional to the arming angle. Coiled mainspring inside a barrel. When a mainspring barrel is fully wound, the torque it feeds into the going train is maximal, sometimes causing the balance wheel to swing too wide and over-bank. As the mainspring unwinds, the torque stabilises to a steadily declining rate. But as the movement enters its last hours of power reserve, the torque from the barrel decreases considerably and more...
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Zenith introduces a new "Double Signed" program for its Calibre 135-powered G.F.J. collection, and its first entry in this series is a collaboration with a Japanese independent that might not require all that much introduction around these parts—Naoya Hida. The evolution of the G.F.J. line has not taken all that long, with its origins starting in 2022 with the Zenith Caliber 135 Observatoire Limited Edition, where ten Calibre 135 movements from the 50s were restored by Kari Voutilainen and introduced in watches done as a triple collaboration between Zenith, Voutilainen, and auction house Phillips. Just three years later, the Calibre 135 was revived as a modern caliber for a line called the G.F.J. (after Zenith's founder Georges Favre Jacot). In just a little over a year, we've seen three small runs of this watch introduced in different stone-dial and metal combinations—platinum with a lapis lazuli dial, tantalum with an onyx dial, and an upcoming yellow-gold GFJ with a bloodstone dial. In the meantime, this new Double Signed concept with Naoya Hida takes the G.F.J. in a very different visual direction. The hefty 39.15mm platinum case, with a thickness of 10.5mm and a compact lug-to-lug of 45.75mm, remains the same as other G.F.J. models. But that dial is unabashedly Naoya Hida, constructed out of solid silver with the distinctive hand engraving coming from the hand of master engraver Keisuke Kano, the man responsible for the hand engraving across al...
Monochrome
When Zenith brought back the legendary Calibre 135 last year in the G.F.J. collection, it was a tribute to its 160-year history. Also, it signalled the return of one of the most celebrated chronometer movements. Now, the brand expands the collection with two new G.F.J interpretations: a tantalum edition with an onyx dial and diamonds, […]
SJX Watches
The Orient Star M45 F8 Mechanical Moon Phase Hand Winding is the brand’s first manual-wind moon phase, and also the first in years with a solid dial, making it a refreshing change of pace from the brand’s usual fare that leans towards open-worked and occasionally over-designed styling. Initial Thoughts Excepting the vintage inspired Diver 1964, the M45 F8 moon phase is the most attractive watch in the Orient catalog to my eye. Most of the brand’s designs are too busy for my tastes, so these entries are a welcome departure that will certainly appeal to enthusiasts with more classical tastes. The moon phase disk itself, with mother-of-pearl inlay, is a highlight. And the absence of a seconds hand is a pleasant surprise, though the moon phase sub-dial feels naked without the traditional co-axial small seconds hand. Since the small seconds version of this calibre is not compatible with the moon phase module, Orient could have moved the Orient Star logo onto the sub-dial for more visual balance. Most importantly, this is a manually wound watch – with a competent movement – in a price segment where such things are hard to find. Looking at Japanese watches in particular, manual wind options from Grand Seiko and Credor are significantly more expensive, while Seiko, Orient, and Citizen dropped their entry-level manual watches years ago. Pleiades About two years ago, Orient Star reorganised its catalog by launching M Collections, a family of watches each named after astron...
Monochrome
Oris has long defined itself as a maker of mechanical watches for “today’s world citizens”, with a clear commitment to function, value, robust engineering, supported by original looks. The new Big Crown Calibre 113 extends that philosophy by combining the brand’s historic pilot’s watch design with one of its most advanced hand-wound movements. Initially introduced […]
Monochrome
How do a pair of manually wound, time-only, pocket watch-sized, potentially outdated movements introduced in the 1950s earn a place in our series on significant calibres, alongside the well-known El Primero and Valjoux 7750 chronograph calibre and the omnipresent automatic ETA 2824 and 2892? Several factors contribute to their importance. Despite seeming unusual today, the […]
SJX Watches
Twenty twenty-four marks the 100th anniversary of the first-ever Citizen watch – a pocket watch powered by the hand-wound cal. 16. To celebrate the centenary, Citizen looks towards the next century with an all-new calibre making its debut in the 100th Anniversary of the First Citizen Watch Special Limited Edition, a pocket watch with a pleasing vintage aesthetic but one that’s entirely modern in materials and manufacturing. Initial thoughts Pocket watches are uncommon today, which is perhaps why they are difficult to get right in terms of look and feel. Contemporary pocket watches often try to replicate the look and feel of their vintage counterparts, but usually end up seeming artificial and lacking in authenticity. As a result, the Citizen anniversary pocket watch is certainly an interesting proposition. The Citizen cal. 0270 At first sight, the watch is convincingly vintage in appearance. It is evidently carefully designed, with classical styling on both sides and well-chosen details in the movement, which lends it a genuine sense of timelessness. The dial design is evocative of railway pocket watches (which Citizen did supply to Japanese railway companies), while the movement has the elegant bridges and proportions characteristics of old-school calibres. But on closer examination, many details in the dial and case reveal themselves to be modern, like the fact that the case is titanium or the balance wheel has Gyromax-style regulating weights. Even the seemingly a...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
To kick off 2023, Oris officially revealed the Oris Big Crown Calibre 473-a watch showcasing the latest evolution of their in-house Caliber 400.
Deployant
A new and unprecedented collaboration between Philips and Voutilainen and Zenith to restore and hand decorate a batch of Zenith Calibre 135-O movements.
SJX Watches
A custom shop best known for its extensively reworking of popular sports watches – occasionally created in collaboration with celebrity sportsmen – Artisans de Genève has a diverse portfolio of work that range from the intriguing to the mystifying. Certainly one of its more intriguing timepieces is the Sea Shepherd Challenge, a Submariner with a moon phase display surrounded by much aventurine glass that was commissioned by the founder of the eponymous marine conservation group. Initial thoughts Aftermarket customisation of fashionable watches is common. It can often be merely opportunistic, with customisers taking advantage of the watchmaker’s well-established brand and design. Rarely are customised watches interesting in a technical sense. The Sea Shepherd Challenge is interesting, being a mechanical customisation rather than the change of colours that’s the usual formula applied to such watches. It incorporates an oversized moon phase display (driven by a mechanically simple, but elaborately-constructed mechanism going by this animation), along with an aventurine-glass dial and bezel insert. Add to that the added decoration to the movement, and the watch does have its appeal. The customisation alone costs about US$35,000 (and the client either provides the watch or purchases one), which is probably too much for the work done, but within reason given the benchmark prices of such customised watches. A mariner’s watch This customised Submariner was a request...
Revolution
The Lemania 2310, aka Calibre 321 in the original Omega Moonwatch, belongs to the pantheon of the world’s greatest chronograph movements. Beautifully made, it is also incredibly durable and adaptable.
WatchAdvice
The Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 is simply a watch that explains Oris’s true personality. The Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 goes back to the roots of what mechanical watches are all about. In today’s world, so many of us know what the things around us can do, but rarely actually know how they work. The same logic applies to mechanical watches too. We see brilliant timepieces made and know what they can do, yet rarely see or understand the inner workings behind them. This is the idea behind the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115, to show as much as possible how the true inner workings of a mechanical watch operate. Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 There is almost a natural connection between a mechanical watch and its owner. If we don’t wind it, or even yet move, we won’t drive enough power to turn the mainspring which ultimately powers the movement. This is what Oris is trying to show with the Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 Oris’s Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 was inspired by nature, in particular, a Valley named Waldenburg, which surrounds the village of Hölstein. This particular village is significant to Oris, as it is there where the brand originally began. Oris was founded in 1904, and since then the brand has been based in Hölstein. It’s no wonder then that they would go back there to find sources of inspiration for arguably the “most Oris watch” they have ever made. Oris Big Crown ProPi...
SJX Watches
With one watch unveiled each month since the start of the year, the A. Lange & Söhne “25th Anniversary” series is coming to a completion. The ninth watch has just been announced – the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase. Of the 10 piece anniversary set, this is arguably the most esoteric and least known Lange 1, being an elegantly conceived complication inside a case that was originally devised as a smaller men’s watch, but is now a ladies’ watch. Measuring a compact 36.8mm in width, the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase was first unveiled in 2009 – seven years after the launch of the full-size, 38.5mm Lange 1 Moon Phase. Subsequently in 2017, it evolved to incorporate a new caliber based on the second-generation Lange 1 movement. Though the original Little Lange 1 was introduced as a watch for men in the late 1990s, the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase was a ladies’ watch from the get-go and decorated as such, with mother-of-pearl dials, diamond bezels and most recently a guilloche dial. But with the subdued anniversary colours of blue and silver, the latest Little Lange 1 Moon Phase is the first instance where it could be for men wanting a smaller watch. The dial of the watch is solid silver, with blued steel hands and printed blue markings. As with the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase “25thAnniversary” unveiled earlier in the year, the white-gold lunar disc in the seconds sub-dial is hand-engraved with stars that vary in size and shape, creating a detailed depiction of the ni...
Monochrome
For those with a passion for mechanics, like surely many us have, there’s something magical about seeing a watch movement run. Seeing a whole bunch of minuscule parts working in perfect harmony to tell time, and well beyond just the passing of hours, minutes and seconds, just never gets old. With the vast majority of […]
Fratello
There is a particular type of movement inside almost every mechanical watch you own, and it does something so fundamental to how we experience watchmaking today that it has become entirely invisible. Of course, that is precisely the point: it winds itself. It harvests energy from your wrist as you move through your day, topping […] Visit A Century Of Automatic Watch Movements With Fortis And John Harwood to read the full article.
Fratello
Welcome back to another instalment of Back to Basics, our series aimed at newcomers to our lovely watch hobby. This time, we will look into ébauche movements. “What is an ébauche movement?” might be your first question. Well, this is the term used for third-party watch movements used by multiple watch brands. As a result, […] Visit Back To Basics: Making Sense Of Ébauche Time-Only And Time-And-Date Movements to read the full article.
Monochrome
We all love a good watch, that much is obvious. And what constitutes “good” is fairly straightforward in most watches, too. A solid, legible design, attractive details, fine ergonomics and a reliable mechanical movement. But sometimes, you want a bit more. Or a lot more, in the case of these six fine mechanical marvels. Each […]
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