2,130 articles · 113 videos found · page 52 of 75
Alfred Helwig's 1920 tourbillon variant with no upper bridge; the entire cage is visible.
Breguet's 1801 rotating-cage escapement, explained.
Revolution
One of the most extraordinairy timepieces that Cartier presented this year was the Rotonde de Cartier, Earth and Moon and I have not even written a word about it. The reason for my negligence was not laziness, but more a matter of finding the right words to describe this very creative time piece. The Rotonde […]
Revolution
The first watch made by the Glashütte-based firm of Moritz Grossmann that I saw in person was the Benu wristwatch, which the company debuted –in one of the most low-key launches I can remember –in 2010. The Benu was a watch very much to my personal tastes: discreet, very precisely made, with a sober beauty […]
Revolution
There is no watchmaker, independent or otherwise, quite like Francois Paul Journe –a notable iconoclast; famously perfectionistic; famously idiosyncratic in approach; famously irascible; a man who sees himself as the spiritual heir to the great French watchmaking traditions and masters of the late 18th and early 19th century –Berthoud, Breguet, Janvier, Le Roy. F. P. […]
Revolution
Last week, Vianney Halter was in town to launch his new watch Deep Space. With this latest creation, Vianney has once again sealed his reputation as one of the geniuses in the watchmaking industry. Since we last met some five years ago, he is still the easy going, fun loving guy that he used to be […]
Revolution
Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947, better known as the AK-47, is easily the most recognizable and, unfortunately, most widely produced and distributed assault rifle in the world. Designed in Russia in the aftermath of World War II, it was meant to put the most firepower possible into the hands of as many Soviet soldiers as possible, as […]
Deployant
Continuing on small manufacturers showing at GTE, I met up with my old friend Martin Braun…now running and operating Antoine Martin. He showed me an incredible watch, with a gorgeous humongous balance wheel…but pictures and more details will have to wait, as he will show it at BaselWorld 2013. In the meantime, I will showRead More
Revolution
It’s an uncanny thing about every new Piaget creation, how they all instantly seem to just belong. Even when it comes to the most novel of novelties from the brand, look away for a scant minute and once you turn your attention back to them, it’s hard to imagine a time when they weren’t a […]
Deployant
Jaeger LeCoultre has been pushing the envelope of high horology for some time. With the Gyrotourbillon announced in 2004. The original series is produced in a platinum case, and I had the opportunity to photograph and view the final run of 30 pieces in rose gold. The Gyrotourbillon has grown more beautiful in its newRead More
Deployant
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
Deployant
Greubel Forsey is one of the independent watchmakers to watch…they are very innovative, and creates timepieces which are wonderful to the eye…like landscapes…and fully deserve what I call watchscapes…landscapes of watches. Started by two veterans from Renaud et Papi – the firm bears the name of the founders…Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. Robert is French,Read More
Deployant
We continue with the Homage series in honey gold. The 1815 Moonphase is a rehash of the original Emil Lange 1815 Moonphase which has been doing very well in the auction scene. The character of the 1815 dial design is apparent in the new watch. But the design shows a totally new watch…featuring the vapourRead More
Hodinkee
What We Know If there's a young brand that's certainly made an aggressive push in the realm of industrial-aesthetic haute horlogerie, it's Vanguart. Mark Kauzlarich told the brand's founding story last year, highlighting a team with an absolutely stacked resume in high-end watchmaking. So today, we're taking a look at the brand's newest take on its second watch, the Orb, with its newest treatment—pink ceramic. It's a unique offering in the space, certainly due to its all-pink livery, but also thanks to its collaboration with retailer Material Good for this 25-piece limited edition. The Vanguart Orb Pink Ceramic's exclusivity with the retailer is probably no surprise, given the large push by Material Goods' Yoni Ben-Yehuda to promote the upstart brand through its sales channels. Here, what was originally an aggressive machine in black and silver gets toned down in shades of powdery pink thanks to the inclusion of colored ceramic within the 41mm by 10.5mm titanium case, seen in both the side of the case as well as the function selector pusher in the crown (more on that in a little bit). The accent extends onto the openworked dial of the watch, which is more a three-dimensional city of components that puts the flying tourbillon on full display. The handset, skeletonized and filled with lume at the ends, sits above everything else. Though telling the time probably isn't the strict mission of the Orb, a nicely decorated minutes track sits between strips of pink, color and tex...
Worn & Wound
Welcome to the first installment of a new monthly column called Spotted. Here, I’ll break down the latest themes I’m seeing in the horological landscape. While trends are inherently fleeting, the observations we’ll look at in this series may stay or go away – only time will tell if these are fads or in fact historical markers of this era of watchmaking. In addition to spying and identifying the overarching patterns taking shape in watch design, I’ll help us bring them down to earth in our own collections and on our wrists. For our inaugural edition of Spotted, it feels important to distill some key observations from Watches and Wonders. Here, we have one of the largest sample sizes of new releases all hitting the market at once, and there are a few themes that struck me across the whopping 66 brands who participated in this year’s event. The first concept I want to look at isn’t super straightforward to articulate, so stick with me here – I’m going to start by succinctly naming it “complex superlatives.” Complexity in watchmaking can take many forms from actual horological complications that allow watches to perform functions beyond basic timekeeping to more subtle complexities like intricate finishings, record breaking feats, or material innovations. The examples that stuck out of this somewhat amorphous idea come from Jaeger-LeCoultre and its Gyrotourbillon Stratosphere Triple-Axis Tourbillon in contrast with Ulysse Nardin’s new Super Freak. Jae...
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne has repeated last year’s bifurcated release format with the launch of the compact, value-oriented Saxonia Annual Calendar alongside the flagship Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen”. Available in both 18k white and pink gold, the Saxonia Annual Calendar is not a limited edition, but will be made in small numbers as a consequence of the brand’s diverse portfolio and limited output of about 5,000 watches per year. Initial thoughts The Saxonia Annual Calendar was one of the more talked-about watches of the fair, not because it’s particularly novel or exciting, but instead because it gets all the small things right. It looks good on the spec sheet, with nearly perfect dimensions, the brand’s signature big date complication, and an upgraded and well-dressed automatic base calibre. But as good as the Saxonia is on paper, it’s even better up close. The brand’s typical alpha-shaped hands — common to all Lange models — are brilliantly sharp, and the dial text is finely printed. A detail I especially like on the white gold model is the nearly tone-on-tone typography for the ‘Made in Germany’ text, which is something I’d like to see more of from the brand. A new aesthetic detail is an additional facet at the outer end of each hour marker, effectively creating a tiny pyramid, akin to Cote de Paris. This design appears to be a subtle nod to the previous generation of the Saxonia, which featured baton indexes punctuated with gold stu...
SJX Watches
A tourbillon within a tourbillon, itself within yet another tourbillon. The Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon à Stratosphère is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s sixth-generation multi-axis tourbillon, 22 years after the first Gyrotourbillon launched in 2004. The revised tourbillon architecture now covers close to 100% of possible positions in space to dilute the effects of gravity across nearly all possible orientations. But is it a genuine precision instrument, or an exploration of the limits of contemporary mechanics? Evolution or revolution? The calibre 178 that powers the Stratosphère builds on more than two decades of research into multi-axis tourbillons, during which Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has explored variables such as axis multiplication, different hairspring geometries, miniaturisation, and new forms of energy management. This logical evolution of the Gyrotourbillon concept remained theoretical until recently. “Its realisation has only been possible thanks to the current maturity of the Manufacture’s expertise and technologies – it would have been difficult to envisage just a few years ago,” notes Takahiro Hamaguchi, Product & Innovation Director at JLC. This capability also stems from the brand’s internal structure, which enables the conception and production of a movement from scratch, and is reflected in the new Hybris Inventiva line, which will grow into a showcase of watches that isolate a single innovative complication developed through multi-year inte...
SJX Watches
Shin Ohno is the winner of the 12th F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition. The young Japanese watchmaker clinched the prize with the Fuyu-Geshiki, a small grande et petite sonnerie tourbillon clock inspired by the winter landscape of Nagano, a northern prefecture of Japan. Made by one man with a watchmaker’s lathe, desktop CNC mill, and not a lot of sleep, the ebony-cased timepiece is one of the most impressive works produced by the competition yet. From Nagano Mr Ohno describes Nagano as “defined by the purity of its air, by the flow of spring water, and by melting snow”. It is also the heart of Japan’s watch industry, boasting the country’s largest movement assembly plant (Citizen’s Saku plant) and is home to Mr Ohno’s employer — Seiko Epson. Specifically, Mr Ohno works as an engineer within the company’s watch division, but it should be noted that this timepiece is entirely unrelated to the (now discontinued) Credor Spring Drive Sonnerie and Credor Minute Repeater. Mr Ohno designed the movement from the ground up, citing the creative works of past winner Norifumi Seki and Masahiro Kikuno as key inspirations. A closer look at the tourbillon cage. The teeth are polished to catch the light like slick stones. While he learned how to design watch parts at his day job, it was someone else’s job to manufacture them. With the Fuyu-Geshiki, Mr Ohno had to master production as well as design. He cites his colleague, master watchmaker Ikukiyo Komatsu, as a mento...
SJX Watches
It is somewhat counterintuitive to think that New York-based jeweller Jacob & Co. is one of the fastest growing brands in the mostly stagnant Swiss watch industry. In fact, Jacob & Co. is now a watchmaker first and a jeweller second by turnover – watches account for 75% of the brand’s revenue today. This success is party due to the brand’s open-minded approach to movement making and the surprising (and often risky) projects it has produced, from the first 31-day wristwatch in 2006 to the world’s fastest tourbillon in 2026. One of Jacob & Co.’s specialties is dial-side automata - micro-mechanical sculptures that that can be activated on demand. Alongside the launch of the flagship Godfather II, Jacob & Co. expanded its range of automata watches with new sapphire editions of the Bugatti Tourbillon, a malachite-dialled Casino, and new editions of the provocative Oil Pump. The Bugatti Tourbillon Sapphire Jacob & Co. is not the first watch brand to collaborate with celebrated carmaker Bugatti, but the collaboration is more than a mere commercial tie-up. In fact, the two companies share a manufacturing partner - Concepto - a La Chaux-de-Fonds-based specialist in components and white-label movements. Bugatti enlisted Concepto to produce the fully analogue instrument cluster of its latest hypercar - the aptly named Tourbillon. This was a delightful return to tactility in a world of digital displays and ubiquitous touchscreens. This three-way collaboration contin...
Quill & Pad
We all know that watchmakers love complications. Throughout history, the quest for ever greater chronometric precision has produced a wide range of mechanisms, like the tourbillon, which has been mastered by many and improved. The post Good Vibrations: Armin Strom reveals the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition appeared first on Quill & Pad.
SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) has introduced its next-generation multi-axis tourbillon as part of its new Hybris Inventiva collection, introduced purely to explore complications previously thought to be ”impossible” to achieve. The collection opens with the Master Hybris Inventiva Gyrotourbillon À Stratosphère, which improves upon prior Gyrotourbillon models by taking the oscillator through 98% of possible positions. Initial thoughts The impressive movement of the Stratosphere was ostensibly developed to improve accuracy, and on a theoretical basis the multi-axis design should go a long way to eliminate positional errors. Of course, in reality it’s difficult to outperform simplicity. That said, the new cal. 178 is a thoughtfully engineered and impressively constructed mechanical sculpture that does credit to its maker, showcasing JLC’s breadth of capabilities. It’s also quite wearable by the standards of its category. Some past Gyrotourbillon models suffered from excessive size - namely the ungainly Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2. Fortunately, the Stratosphère is comparatively sleek at just 42 mm, though the movement uses every bit of its 16.15 mm thickness. Understanding the Inventiva The new Hybris Inventiva collection has a different mandate than the existing Hybris Mechanica and Hybris Artistica collections. Specifically, each Inventiva will features just one complication, albeit one taken to new heights. The Inventiva collection will feature ideas born from blue-sky...
Monochrome
When it was unveiled in 2014, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Calibre 362 stunned the horological world as the slimmest automatic minute repeater with a tourbillon regulator. For 2026, Jaeger revisits its high-complication masterpiece with the new Master Hybris Mechanica Ultra Thin Minute Repeater, a ten-piece limited edition with an openworked dial reaffirming the Maison’s dominance in chiming mechanisms, […]
Deployant
DEPLOYANT - The watch magazine for collectors, by collectors Lange continues their refresh path with two new releases (3 references) for WWG26 for Lange. We covered the press releases with commentary earlier. Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Lumen is the star of their show this year. This watch is not new but, with the first released in 2016. The movement is now new with [...] The post Live from WWG26: new releases from A. Lange & Söhne appeared first on DEPLOYANT.
Worn & Wound
IWC is not a brand that quickly moves on from a release. Rather, any new watch is also the launch of a platform that will, for several years at least, see new models in terms of colors, sizes, materials, and complications. In doing so, their catalog is vast yet focused, as each line is thematic yet deeply explored. Since relaunching in 2023, the Genta-derived, integrated bracelet, luxury tool watch that is the Ingenieur has steadily expanded to now cover three sizes, multiple materials, many colors, and one complication, totaling 12 SKUs (before Watches & Wonders releases). For 2026, the expansion continues with several new references, including a tourbillon, and two models that kind of blew me away. I had the fortune of getting to spend some time with IWC’s 2026 novelties before the big show, and while several are striking (I mean, that full Ceralume perpetual is one of the most bonkers watches I’ve seen in a while), the two that I have kept thinking about are the Ingenieur automatic in green ceramic, and the full titanium perpetual. Starting with the former, IWC is no stranger to ceramic. In fact, they debuted the first ceramic watch in 1986. While many brands have adopted the material since, IWC’s earthy palette of green, khaki, and blue retains a certain understated charm. The 42mm Ingenieur has existed in black ceramic for at least a year now. While sleek, stealthy, and a logical edition, it wasn’t all too surprising. The full green ceramic, however, is a bit....
Deployant
Highlights from Louis Moinet releases - chronographs. The first is a chronograph with champagne dial and the other is in grey chronograph tourbillon.
Monochrome
The Sport Traveller is a new model from Laurent Ferrier that adds a dual time function to the brand’s titanium Sport series. The Sport Traveller continues the aesthetic first introduced with the Grand Sport Tourbillon and later refined with the Sport Auto, and the new watch combines the same smooth case and integrated bracelet with a traveller-style complication […]
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne turns once again to its greatest hits for its flagship launch at Watches & Wonders 2026. The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” bestows the translucent, luminous treatment to the top-of-the-line Lange 1 in a 50-piece limited edition in platinum. Powered by the L225.1, an upgrade on the previous generation movement, the latest Lumen edition has a grey-tinted sapphire dial that reveals glow-in-the-dark elements, including the date discs and moon phase. Over the back, the edition is also set apart by a pair of steel cocks sporting engraving of stars. Initial thoughts The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” stands out as one of the most appealing Lumen models; I’d rank it up there along with the original Zeitwerk “Phantom” in terms of appeal. The Lumen treatment works best with lot of obvious luminous components, which is the case here. Flourishes like the luminous bases for each of the Roman hour numerals are a pleasing touch. The twin engraved steel cocks are especially noteworthy; the concept is classic Lange but the engraved star motif adds variety. That said, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” scores highly, maybe even perfectly, in terms of intrinsic and tactile appeal. The technical accomplishment is also top class: the calendar is instantaneous, movement construction is sophisticated, and decoration is outstanding. But this arguably scores less well in terms of originality or creativity. The moveme...
Time+Tide
Czapek & Cie releases a trio of Antarctique models with grade 5 titanium cases and bracelets, and Cosmic Blue dials The Dark Sector and Révélation models are available in both 40.5mm and 38.5mm, and the Tourbillon model is available in 40.5mm. Each model features Cosmic Blue as the main dial colour, with each model appearing … ContinuedThe post Cool blues and feather light, Czapek & Cie releases three new Antartique models in full titanium and blue dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
FVF Genève’s second model after the FVF1 skeleton tourbillon, the FVF2 Intrepido Time & Day is a more concise and accessible watch. It’s essentially a familiar formula – time (plus day) and a hand-finished manual wind movement – the FVF2 nonetheless manages to stand out thanks to brand founder Franc Vila’s eye for design. Pictured here with a black mother of pearl dial, part of a five-piece edition, the FVF2 has a pleasing asymmetry. The movement is composed of intriguing geometric forms and quirky details like the square winding click, while also being traditionally decorated with generous bevelling and black polishing. The case is an unusual “unibody” construction where the base plate and case middle are one and the same Initial thoughts The FVF2 might seem like yet another time-only watch with a fancily decorated movement, and it is just that, but not quite. Its creator, Franc Vila, is an industry veteran rather than a newcomer, and is now making a comeback after rising and falling with his original brand some two decades ago. Unlike many recent calibres that try to do more with more, the FVF2 movement is more minimalist but has a recognisable style and artful details. The calibre is characterised by geometric forms that encompass finer elements like the winding click, while also retaining a clear classical bent with the prominent going train and finishing. The treatment for the titanium base plate requires superheated gases to create an oxide layer on t...
Monochrome
Over the past few years, Qian GuoBiao, an independent watchmaker working in Dongguan, China, known as “the tourbillon doctor“, has established a quite disciplined design language, shaped by his background in the restoration and application of traditional hand-finishing. His earlier watches focused on clarity, proportion and the display of mechanics, incorporating visible balances without resorting […]
Deployant
Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein continue one of modern watchmaking’s most distinctive collaborations with the Smile‑Day Blue and the Tourbillon Régulateur Blue. These two new models open the brand’s newly introduced Hall of Fame collection and reaffirm a shared philosophy that blends technical seriousness with joy, color, and personality.
Monochrome
Independent watchmaker Anton Suhanov, member of the AHCI, presents the Flamingo, a debut of his “flaming balance” concept in a wristwatch equipped with a fully in-house calibre. Known for complex clocks, including multi-axis tourbillons and the award-winning St Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2025), but also experimenting with wristwatches with […]
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