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Results for AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants)

3,508 articles · 33 videos found · page 4 of 119

Top 10 Watch Brands In India Teddy Baldassarre
Montblanc are as popular as Jul 22, 2025

Top 10 Watch Brands In India

Before I get into the top 10 watch brands in India, it’s worth talking about the Indian watch market overall. This is because even in the face of some regional slowdown, India has become one of the fastest growing markets for Swiss watch exports with an astounding 25% increase in 2025, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry. Brands like Rado, Longines, and Montblanc are as popular as ever in India, but what about the state of watchmaking in India? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, and there are a few things we need to understand before getting into the my selections for the top 10 watch brands in India. First, India is not yet at the level of having a watchmaking infrastructure like that of China. The basic history of Indian watchmaking begins with the nationalized HMT in the 1960s and '70s, but the quartz revolution had a big, negative impact on mechanical watchmaking in the country. I’d say 2015 marked a change in the landscape of Indian watches, when microbrands for enthusiasts began to pick up in popularity. Again, while the infrastructure to manufacture movement components and parts in India is still not there, the passion for history and design has propelled some brands as hometown enthusiast darlings. I spent quite a bit of time researching this topic, and I do want to shout out YouTubers  WatchgyanHindi  and Watch and More India who are making some compelling Hindi content for the South Asian watch enthusiast community. In this list of the ...

Andersen Genève Marks Anniversary with Communication 45 World Time SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Jun 27, 2025

Andersen Genève Marks Anniversary with Communication 45 World Time

Twenty twenty-five marks Andersen Genève’s 45th anniversary, although founder Svend Andersen’s career as an independent watchmaker has spanned far more than 45 years. For the anniversary, the brand has revived the Communication 45, the tenth world timer wristwatch in its catalogue since Andersen Genève was established in 1990.  Initial thoughts Danish horologist Svend Andersen is an important name in independent watchmaking. The 83-year-old was one of the founders of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants AHCI, along with Vincent Calabrese. One of the earliest models he introduced after setting up his brand was a world time wristwatch – powered by a mechanism of his own design – that was inspired by his tenure working at Patek Philippe. Appropriately the brand is marking its anniversary with the very same complication. The new Communication 45 (left) and its predecessor from 1990 With the Communication 45, Andersen Genève seeks to reinvent its original world timer, without being disruptive. The new model sports a refined case with prominent teardrop lugs and a textured dial in cognac-shaded Blue Gold. Notably, the case employs two peculiar crowns that are flush with the case band, a design which seeks to preserve the symmetry of the case - although it all ends up looking slightly odd. The dial is well made and evokes the stylistic lavishness of 1990s luxury watchmaking, yet there is one element that doesn’t fit: the hands. Executed in the sha...

Amida Introduces the Digitrend Open Sapphire Worn & Wound
Holthinrichs as comps either Jun 17, 2025

Amida Introduces the Digitrend Open Sapphire

When the Amida Digitrend arrived last summer, it was part of a crop of new releases from independent brands making interesting designs and complications accessible to a wider audience, and it really won me over. In my review last year I cited watches from Toledano & Chan, SpaceOne, and Holthinrichs as comps, either in spirit, technical features, or both. Those brands of course are still very much in the mix, and a year later there are even more examples of watches that offer unique value at competitive price points by introducing enthusiasts to new ways of thinking about what a watch can be. This is a long-winded way of saying that the market for these types of watches is more competitive than ever, so a follow up release becomes that much more important. Amida, for their part, is seeking to keep the momentum going by introducing a new version of the Digitrend that sheds some literal light on how they achieve their unique complication.  The Amida Digitrend Open Sapphire is essentially exactly what it says it is – a Digitrend with a large sapphire window affixed to the case that allows the wearer to see the jump hour mechanism inside. Previously, this area was covered by a solid sheet of metal, an aesthetic drawn from the brand’s interest in automotive design. They are applying similar principles to the new version that leaves the “engine” (their terminology) exposed, referencing removable Targa tops as a point of inspiration.  The Digitrend, for those who need a ...

W Worn & Wound
Worn & Wound
Ming aboard as May 15, 2025

Windup in a Bay 2025: Campfires, Cold Water, Watches, and Gear with Marathon Watch Company and Prometheus Design Werx

The second annual Windup in a Bay expedition brought the Windup spirit straight to the Monterey Bay Area, running in tandem with the Windup Watch Fair San Francisco. This year’s adventure wasn’t just about diving-it was about building a full-circle experience, starting with a scenic campout at Elkhorn Ranch, and culminating in an open-water dive off the dramatic coast of Carmel. Returning as the dive watch sponsor was Marathon, whose reputation for hard-use, no-nonsense dive watches is second to none. New to the mix: Prometheus Design Werx, coming aboard as the official gear sponsor and loading out the crew with equipment designed to meet every challenge, whether by land or by sea. The post Windup in a Bay 2025: Campfires, Cold Water, Watches, and Gear with Marathon Watch Company and Prometheus Design Werx appeared first on Worn & Wound.

ochs und junior’s two timezones + date Gets the “Ochs Line” Treatment Worn & Wound
Ming press releases as they Apr 22, 2025

ochs und junior’s two timezones + date Gets the “Ochs Line” Treatment

It’s easy in this job to get into the habit of casually skimming press releases as they hit our inbox. We get a lot of new release announcements, and most of them, for one reason or another, never make it to the website. There’s a certain formula to these press releases that makes it easy for us to identify the key features and attributes of a new watch with a cursory glance, but there are certain releases where it really pays to slow down and drink it all in. For example, any new release from ochs und junior really demands your full attention simply because their creations are so deeply unusual and require a rethinking of watches and timetelling itself actually work. Such is the case with the new two time zones + date, the latest watch to be featured in the brand’s “ochs line” of series produced watches (as opposed to the fully customized watches that put them on the map).  Besides a commitment to stylizing their brand with entirely lower case letters, the thing that has always set ochs und junior apart is their commitment to creating complications that are as mechanically simple as possible. You see a lot of high end watch brands proudly announce that their ultra-complicated grand complications, for example, have untold hundreds of components and jewels under the hood. These stats are worn like a badge of honor. I can imagine Ludwig Oechslin and his team looking at these announcements and shrugging their shoulders – they simply have a completely different ph...

Hands On: Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion SJX Watches
Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion As Urwerk Dec 18, 2024

Hands On: Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion

As Urwerk has matured as a brand, its products have evolved to become more wearable. The recently launched UR-150 Scorpion embodies this evolution. The UR-150 incorporates the familiar Urwerk time display – but with a retrograde twist – but in a sleeker, curved case that hugs the wrist. Initial thoughts The UR-150 continues the emphasis on wearability established by the compact UR-100. The UR-150 is bigger and bolder, but despite its size, the curved case profile allows it to sit well on the wrist. This contrasts with many of Urwerk’s past models, which tended to have wide, flat case backs that were less ergonomic. The curved case also looks good, especially since it continues the line of the domed sapphire crystal. This design moderates the hyper-mechanical aesthetic of many Urwerk models, leaving the UR-150 a little more elegant, albeit in a war machine-like way. In some ways, the UR-150 seems descended from the UR-100. It has a similar tonneau shape, but more streamlined. And it has the signature satellite disc wandering hours, but enhanced with a retrograde minute hand (that’s no doubt borrowed from the UR-210/220/230). The combination of the retrograde minutes with the satellite disc display is notable for Urwerk as the brand historically kept this time display on its simpler watches, while the top-of-the-line satellite cube display was accompanied by the retrograde indicator. This leaves the UR-150 as something of a bridge between two distinct lines of the br...

Business News: Laurent Perves Appointed CEO of Vacheron Constantin SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin As Vacheron Constantin gears Nov 29, 2024

Business News: Laurent Perves Appointed CEO of Vacheron Constantin

As Vacheron Constantin gears up to mark its 270th anniversary in 2025, the brand has just announced Laurent Perves will assume the top job at the start of the new year. Having been the Chief Commercial Officer since 2022, Mr Perves succeeds Louis Ferla, who is now in charge of Cartier. Mr Perves is well positioned to lead the storied Geneva brand into its next chapter, having held management roles in the key departments of the manufacture, namely marketing, communications, and commercial. Although he began his career in fragrances, where he rose to senior roles in Proctor & Gamble, Mr Perves started in the watch industry a decade ago. He joined Audemars Piguet in 2014 as head of communications, before being tapped to become the chief marketing officer at Vacheron Constantin in 2016. Since 2022 he was the number two at Vacheron Constantin as chief commercial officer, where he oversaw the brand’s commercial strategy but also built relationships with key clients and collectors in general. Despite the high bar set by the Berkley pocket watch – the most complicated watch ever – Mr Perves and his team have put together an impressive lineup of products for the brand’s 270th anniversary, which will be debuted progressively over the next year.  

Hands-On With The Charming Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT Fratello
Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT As Nov 16, 2024

Hands-On With The Charming Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT

As a fan of GMTs, I will take every opportunity to check out watches that feature my favorite complication. When the Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT landed on my desk, I was intrigued. This remake of a rare 1970s watch combines a Super Compressor-styled case with a rotating internal 24-hour GMT bezel. Combined with the charming […] Visit Hands-On With The Charming Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT to read the full article.

Introducing - The new Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche, a.k.a the Sensu NOS Monochrome
Kurono Tokyo was defined as his Oct 2, 2024

Introducing - The new Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche, a.k.a the Sensu NOS

The brainchild of Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka (also behind the return of Takano), Kurono Tokyo was defined as his vision of a more accessible take on his design language, with watches merging traditional Japanese cues and classic vintage flair. Recent introductions of the brand focused on compact, retro-inspired watches with a bit less of […]

Introducing - An Overview of all the New Watches for the Comeback of Favre Leuba Monochrome
Favre Leuba As we recently discussed Aug 29, 2024

Introducing - An Overview of all the New Watches for the Comeback of Favre Leuba

As we recently discussed with Patrik Hoffmann, long-established brand Favre-Leuba is making a comeback with ambitious plans. To revive one of the oldest names in the watch industry, Hoffmann aims to position the brand within its historical price segment (between CHF 2,000 and 4,500), offering affordable yet high-value watches with a strong vintage inspiration – […]

Independent Watchmaking - The Anton Suhanov Chronotope, An Unconventional Yet Captivating Weekday Watch Monochrome
Ming Aug 6, 2024

Independent Watchmaking - The Anton Suhanov Chronotope, An Unconventional Yet Captivating Weekday Watch

As a platform dedicated to fine watchmaking and a deeply rooted passion for independent watchmaking, the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (or AHCI) is very close to our hearts. This institution, preserving the traditions of watchmaking by forming a community of watchmakers, was founded by Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese. It has brought forth many illustrious […]

Interview - A Business-Oriented Conversation with Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie Monochrome
H. Moser & Cie MELB does Jul 3, 2024

Interview - A Business-Oriented Conversation with Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie

MELB, does that mean anything to you? The acronym hides a discreet family group, active in various high-added-value fields including, of course, watchmaking. However, one of its components is well-known, through its collections: Endeavour, Streamliner, and Pioneer to name just three. We are talking about H. Moser & Cie and MeylanEdouardLeonoreBertrand (MELB), founded by the […]

LOOKING BACK: Reviewing The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M - Owner’s Perspective WatchAdvice
Tissot PRS 200 as Jan 27, 2024

LOOKING BACK: Reviewing The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M - Owner’s Perspective

What’s it like to own the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M? In our Owner’s Perspective, we find out! This article was originally published as The Owners Perspective: Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Why I Bought It A love of James BondLove the dive watch lookWas a grail piece when I was young The Ownership Reality Bracelet a little outdated and chunky claspWore it on the rubber more than notPolished Ceramic dial can be glary Overall Rating: 8.875/10 Value for money: 9/10Wearability: 9/10Design: 8.5/10Build quality: 9/10 This isn’t the first time that I’ve owned a Seamaster. I had a 2005 quartz version almost 20 years ago. At that point I’d only owned a Tissot PRS 200 as a “good” Swiss watch. As a fan of James Bond, (and what young male isn’t?), I always wanted his watch. I mean how cool was the wave dial, the deep blue bezel and at the time, that unmistakable bracelet. It looked great in the office and on weekends at the beach. I loved it. Financial issues meant I had to sell it about 7 months after buying it, and that hurt. About 15 years and many watches later, I decided it was time to purchase another, this time the latest iteration of the SMP 300. I chose the black polished ceramic dial with the laser etched waves, date at 6 o’clock, glossy, almost silky polished ceramic bezel with white inset dive indicators. And this time, on the steel and opting to add the rubber strap too. Very versatile and with the steel bracelet and rubber strap, two very diff...

Hands-On: The Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB Worn & Wound
Massena Lab Massena LAB takes another Aug 30, 2023

Hands-On: The Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena LAB

Massena LAB takes another big step this week with the introduction of a new collaboration with independent watchmaker, Sylvain Pinaud. The watch, a monopusher chronograph, is immensely impressive, shifting expectations around the collaborative space as a whole. We had the chance to meet Sylvain Pinaud in Geneva during Watches & Wonders 2022 at a space dedicated to the AHCI (The Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants), where his Origine watch made one of the strongest impressions of the entire week. The watch would go on to nab a GPHG award for Horological Revelation later that year. If you weren’t familiar with that watch, this latest effort should place him firmly on your radar. This project, done in collaboration with Massena LAB, uses Pinaud’s existing Monopoussoir Chronograph movement, and places it into a new platform with a slightly more classically designed 42mm titanium case. That case is how the collaboration began, with the new design coming at the request of William Massena himself. The process resulted in enough interest to create a limited run of 10 pieces. The watch itself makes an immediate impression, with an open dial revealing the beautifully finished chronograph works below. The movement, crafted by Pinaud, is hand wound, and features an integrated column wheel and horizontal clutch, which can be started, stopped, and rest all via the single button nestled discreetly within the crown at 3 o’clock. Turning the watch on its side reveals an...

Rolex Milgauss Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Milgauss Guide Rolex as May 26, 2023

Rolex Milgauss Guide

Rolex, as always, made news at Watches & Wonders Geneva back in April with many of the new watches it will be releasing this year (we covered many of them here), but the Swiss luxury brand generated nearly as much buzz with an announcement about a watch that it won’t be making anymore. Back in March, Rolex announced that the Milgauss, a model it had been making continuously since 2007, with roots that go back even further, would cease production this year. The news was not necessarily a shock to everyone - the Milgauss was not on a par with Rolex’s most popular models, waiting-list mainstays like the Daytona, Submariner, and GMT-Master - but it was a disappointing splash of reality to the subgroup of Rolexistas who love the cult-classic antimagnetic watch, while also serving as a call to attention for watch-market speculators who rarely find a Rolex shortage that they aren’t eager to monetize. What makes the Milgauss such a niche favorite in the Rolex portfolio? Read on. Rolex founder Hans Wisdorf (above) could be described as many things: a visionary entrepreneur, a brilliant marketer, a founding father of the modern watch industry. But at his true core, Wilsdorf was essentially a problem solver. Just about every contribution that he and his company made to horological history sprang from a dedication to fixing or eliminating some issue that plagued watch wearers. Too tedious to wind your watch every day? Here’s the Perpetual movement (below). Your watch isn...

Kudoke Introduces the Kudoke 3 SJX Watches
Daniel Roth tourbillon recently reborn as Mar 27, 2023

Kudoke Introduces the Kudoke 3

German independent Kudoke has carved out its own niche with a distinctive blend of English-inspired movements and Germanic attention-to-detail in its Handwerk line of watches. The latest addition to the line is the Kudoke 3, which largely sticks to the successful formula of prior models, but offers a twist in the form of a split-level dial and triple-scale hour display. Once known primarily for ostentatiously skeletonised Unitas calibers, such as the watch worn by Dominic Monaghan’s character in Last Looks, Kudoke hit the reset button in 2019 with Handwerk line comprised of the Kudoke 1 and 2. The collection introduced a more restrained design aesthetic and importantly, brand’s first proprietary movement. The Kudoke 3 continues down this path, but goes further in terms of creative design. The Handwerk collection (from left): Kudoke 1, Kudoke 2, and Kudoke 3 Initial thoughts As a fan of modern German (and historical English) watchmaking, I’ve been impressed with the brand’s work since the launch of the Kudoke 1. Like Habring² and Laine, Kudoke offers a compelling alternative to mass-produced luxury watches. The Kudoke 3 is a thoughtful and unconventional addition to the Dresden-based brand’s growing collection, offering a novel time display with three scales for the hours along with a three-armed hour hand. This triple-scale calls to mind the distinctive seconds register of the 1990s Daniel Roth tourbillon (recently reborn as the Tourbillon Souscription), but ...

INTRODUCING: The Ball Engineer III Outlier collection is a watch built for adventure Time+Tide
Ball Watch as Oct 8, 2022

INTRODUCING: The Ball Engineer III Outlier collection is a watch built for adventure

The Outlier is a perfect name for a Ball watch, as the brand themselves have always been somewhat of an eccentric addition to the list of historic watchmakers, despite significant contributions to horological advancement. Their story is interwoven with risk and adversity, pioneering standards of accuracy and reliability through the American railways and now with … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Ball Engineer III Outlier collection is a watch built for adventure appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

HANDS-ON: Czapek unveils reworked SXH1 calibre in two new Quai des Bergues watches Time+Tide
Czapek unveils reworked SXH1 calibre Aug 30, 2022

HANDS-ON: Czapek unveils reworked SXH1 calibre in two new Quai des Bergues watches

While conglomerate brands from groups like Swatch and LVMH have a large presence, arguably the sector of watchmaking that is drawing the most interest from collectors these days are the independents. Therefore, these brands really have to standout with their products, and they typically do so with novelties that embody the best of horological craftsmanship. … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Czapek unveils reworked SXH1 calibre in two new Quai des Bergues watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.