Hodinkee
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon GMT
Grey matter.
2,257 articles · 4 videos found · page 6 of 76
Breguet's 1801 rotating-cage escapement, explained.
Alfred Helwig's 1920 tourbillon variant with no upper bridge; the entire cage is visible.
42.8 mm × 11.4 mm, lug 22 mm, Cal. R 27 HU
41 mm × 10.6 mm, lug integrated, Cal. 2950
Hodinkee
Grey matter.
Louis Vuitton, the brand that we know and love from the world of Luggage, Leather Goods and Fashion has been making astounding watches for some time, yet today they have kicked things up a notch, with a watch that certainly marks a new era of intent and vision from the brand. We at Revolution are […]
Revolution
Today, recently appointed General Manager of TAG Heuer, Guy Semon dropped a bombshell on the Revolution team with news of an upcoming watch that certainly is a provocative statement of intent. We at Revolution love our watches, and the passing parade of the best that the Swiss watch industry has to offer is by no means something […]
Revolution
In the rarified world of fine skeleton tourbillions, Roger Dubuis stands at the forefront. At SIHH, the Manufacture will introduce a timepiece that takes the art form to new heights: the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillion. The Spider name is, of course, inspired by the creators of the complex, gossamer sculptures found in nature. The […]
Hodinkee
Serena Williams has been playing professional tennis since 1995. In the decades since, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, but perhaps more importantly, she has broken through barriers of race, age, and background while upending tennis's traditional dress codes. Clothes, and by extension accessories, have always been part of that story. In 2022, New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman called Williams "the game-changing tennis player" who used her clothes "as a statement of self and a weapon of change." Williams understood early on that what she wore on court could be another form of expression: sometimes provocative, sometimes playful. At the 2002 US Open, she broke conservative norms in a skin-tight black Puma catsuit, accessorized with a Harry Winston diamond bracelet. Seventeen years later, at the 2019 French Open, she wore a Nike look designed by Virgil Abloh for Off-White printed with the words "Mother, Champion, Queen, Goddess" in French, an especially pointed choice given that, just a year earlier, the tournament had taken issue with the black Nike catsuit she wore on court. Serena Williams at the 2024 Met Gala, wearing an Audemars Piguet Sandgold Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked . That influence has extended far beyond the baseline. A Vogue cover star, Met Gala co-chairwoman, perennial tennis-court style-setter, and personal friend of Anna Wintour, Williams occupied the increasingly porous space between sport and fashion long before the res...
SJX Watches
In exactly a week, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will stage Important Watches, an impressive, two-day auction that includes a selection of outstanding pocket watches from Switzerland and Great Britain, namely timepieces by Patek Philippe and Charles Frodsham, with most of the latter made by Nicole Nielsen. Three watches stand out from this already elite herd, built by the best of London and Geneva – a modern grand complication, one of the first-ever flying tourbillon watches, and a minute-repeating pocket chronometer. Despite a recent uptick in interest, pocket watches still offer phenomenal value, and are often the most interesting lots in auction catalogues for movement nerds. The pocket watches in Sotheby’s upcoming sale exemplify this. Lot 2293 – Patek Philippe ref. 942/2 “Grande Complication” This is a relatively recent example of a historical Patek Philippe genre, the grande complication pocket watch, one that dates back over a century now. The common watch complications fall into three categories: chiming, timing, and calendars. Chiming watches include repeaters in all their resolutions, plus clock watches, alarms, and hour strikers. Chronographs, rattrapantes, dédoublantes and independent seconds functions are timing complications. Calendar complications, besides the obvious, include moon phase, time of sunrise and sunset, and equation of time. A triple complicated watch combines complications from all three families. For Patek Philippe this traditionally meant ...
WristBuzz
An inclined flying tourbillon, carbon construction, and a flame-kissed dial that makes this DC6 variant unlike anything else on the market right now.
Hodinkee
What We Know In January of 2025, I covered Louis Vuitton's major evolution of its distinctive Spin Time series, debuting as the Tambour Taiko Spin Time series in a set of six limited-edition watches, all set in a single "Dolphin Grey" color scheme across several different takes on the complication, from the classic jumping hour to a flying tourbillon and even a world timer. It introduced a cohesive set of new in-house movements to power the complications and marked the first time every element of the Spin Time was produced in-house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton—cases, dials, movements, and more. It's been a while since we've heard anything about this collection, but this week Louis Vuitton introduced a new set of Tambour Spin Time watches into the brand's permanent collection. The main update to the permanent collection is a few fresh coats of paint, but the set of five references covers quite a bit of the Spin Time concept. All of these are set in the latest generation of Japanese drum-inspired Tambour case from the brand, with a sloped midcase complemented by screwed-in, sculpted lugs with laser-frosted interiors. On top is a sloped, predominantly sandblasted bezel ring with "LOUIS VUITTON" adorned on its periphery. All five of these new references are set in precious metal cases. Two 39.5mm Tambour Spin Times offer two very different wearing experiences (and price points). The simplest reference comes in the form of the Tambour Spin Time Green in White Gold,...
WristBuzz
Four new calibers in 12 months. The latest drops a flying tourbillon and a micro-rotor into a 39mm Laureato case, and it looks the part.
WristBuzz
Moser's wildest Streamliner yet pairs a flying tourbillon skeleton with a ceramic case, all under the Alpine F1 banner
Hodinkee
What We Know If H. Moser is guaranteed to do anything, it's to surprise us. A watch made out of cheese. A watch inspired by the Reebok "Pump." Those are easier to process because they're fun and a bit silly. But when Moser signed a deal to be a sponsor of Alpine's Formula 1 team, it was even more surprising to me. That's a serious sponsorship for a brand that makes far fewer than 5,000 watches a year and doesn't charge Richard Mille prices. But Moser is taking full advantage of the platform and turning out very sporty watches, including this new collaboration. This isn't the first collaboration between the brands; it began with a surprising smartwatch for the pit crew, paired with a skeletonized chronograph. Pierre Gasly (one of Alpine's drivers) also got his own limited edition. But this one takes the automotive inspiration in a different direction: lightweight and with all the Alcantara you could want (maybe even more). While Moser has done a Streamliner tourbillon in ceramic before, that watch came with a full dial and a ceramic bracelet. The 40mm by 12.8mm case is made of anthracite grey ceramic, but now it comes with an integrated light blue Alcantara strap, a synthetic microfiber material with a soft, suede-like texture. If you're into cars, you've run into this material a lot. Unlike the previous release, this is the first skeleton-flying tourbillon version of the Streamliner, made in ceramic. Powered by the HMC 814, the watch has blue-toned plates with diamond...
Time+Tide
L.Leroy introduces the Vox Temporis, an exclusive minute repeater and flying tourbillon. It features an unconventional single fixed hand with a rotating dial, inspired by a historic 1810 tact watch. Produced in titanium, red gold, and platinum, the watch is limited to just 15 pieces across all three case materials. For modern collectors, the appeal … Continued
SJX Watches
For it’s third M.A.D. Edition, MB&F; has reimagined Vincent Calabrese’s signature jumping hours complication. While still allocated via raffle, the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese represents a significant departure for MB&F;’s entry level sub-brand, being the first to fully conceal the winding rotor and the first to be based on a historical design from a notable watchmaker. Initial thoughts Vincent Calabrese is a pioneering independent watchmaker who co-founded the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) alongside Svend Andersen in 1985. Mr Calabrese is perhaps most well known for developing highly original movements for other brands including the Corum Golden Bridge and the first-ever flying tourbillon wristwatch movement for Blancpain in 1989. But Mr Calabrese also produced watches under his own name, including the Baladin that served as the inspiration for M.A.D.3. Maximilian Büsser and Mr Calabrese have been friends for years and discussed collaborating on a watch project many times, but the M.A.D.3 is their first joint effort. The M.A.D.3 is affordable as such things go, at CHF2,900. That’s roughly equivalent to where original Baladins trade on the secondary market, depending on the specifics. But the M.A.D.3 is a worthy remake in a more contemporary size and should prove more reliable and easier to service when the time comes. For better or worse, the solid value proposition almost dictates a mechanism to manage demand, so buying a M.A.D.3 isn’t a...
Monochrome
Named after the illustrious 18th-century watchmaker Charles Leroy, L.Leroy made its return over the past couple of years with high-end complications such as the Osmior Bal du Temps Tourbillon Minute Repeater or the Elyor Flying Tourbillon. Yet, the first watch heralding this renaissance was a unique piece combining a minute repeater and a tourbillon that was presented […]
SJX Watches
Now beginning its second decade under the leadership of Chopard Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Ferdinand Berthoud (FB) has introduced the Chronomètre FB 2TV.1, the first model in the new Mesure du Temps 1787 collection. The FB 2TV represents an evolution of the brand’s long-running chain-and-fusee architecture, adding zero-reset seconds and a flying tourbillon, and inverting the calibre to exhibit its key functional elements on the dial side. Initial thoughts It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since the debut of Ferdinand Berthoud as a contemporary brand. It was clear from the outset that FB had big ambitions, launching its first model with a chain and fusee mechanism. Since then, FB has maintained admirably high standards for itself, and while not all of the designs appeal to me, the obvious effort that goes into every watch — each FB 2TV receives more than 300 hours of decoration — has won the brand a durable position near the top of the industry. Now beginning its second decade, FB has released the first watch in a new collection that portends a more mechanically expressive style, with features like the chain and fusee inverted to the dial side. This approach isn’t original, but the success of other ‘inverted’ movements from independents like Kari Voutilainen demonstrate demand for the format. Quirky designs Ferdinand Berthoud, an 18th-century pioneer of the spring detent escapement among other breakthroughs, approached watchmaking fr...
SJX Watches
The Tourbillon Sidéral debuted last year to mark Breguet’s 250th anniversary. This year, the brand is celebrating the 225th anniversary of its founder’s best-known achievement: the tourbillon. For this occasion, Breguet released a quartet of new references, among them the Classique Tourbillon Sidéral ref. 7255PT, a 50-piece limited edition in platinum, once again featuring an in-house aventurine enamel dial. Initial thoughts Despite being the brand’s first-ever flying tourbillon, the Tourbillon Sidéral feels somewhat familiar. That’s because its cal. 187M1 is derived from the brand’s original wristwatch tourbillon movement, the cal. 558, released in 1989. That explains the familiar off-centre dial arrangement and full-plate architecture visible through the case back. Within this lineage, the Tourbillon Sidéral can be considered the spiritual heir and technical successor to the Classique Tourbillon Messidor 5335 released 2007, a watch that seemed to suspend its tourbillon in mid-air. In fact, this mystery tourbillon was driven by a sapphire crystal drive wheel, and its upper pivot was supported by a sapphire crystal bridge. The Tourbillon Sidéral elevates this concept to its natural conclusion, dispensing with the upper support bridge entirely, resulting in a true flying tourbillon. Unfortunately, the two-armed tourbillon cage itself spans almost the entire width of the opening, and at times resembles an upper support bridge, at least until the eye registers ...
Monochrome
Earlier this year, independent Swiss brand Bianchet expanded beyond its signature tonneau-shaped watches with the launch of the Rotondo UltraFino, a sleek round interpretation of its distinctive designs. With an ultra-thin profile, an integrated bracelet and a flying tourbillon movement, the titanium and carbon models introduced a more versatile side to the young brand while […]
SJX Watches
Enjoying a new lease of life under chief executive Gregory Kissling, Breguet is continuing with the revamp and revival of its product range, this time marking the 225th anniversary of Abraham-Louis Breguet invention of the tourbillon. Breguet is rolling out a quartet of models for the occasion, starting with the compact and enthusiast-oriented Classique Tourbillon ref. 7357 that’s an old school 35 mm in diameter. That’s followed by variants of existing models. The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral ref. 7255PT takes things up a notch with a “mysterious” flying tourbillon and aventurine enamel dial, while the Tradition Tourbillon ref. 7047PT is a new look for the long-tenured model featuring a chain-and-fusee transmission. Lastly the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887PT gains a translucent, luminous grand feu enamel dial. The enamel dial of the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887PT features a Super-Luminova star chart Initial thoughts Breguet has steadily refreshed its current line up since Mr Kissling took over, while releasing a handful of all new models, like the innovative Experimentale 1. The new tourbillons mostly fall into the former category; all are based on existing models to varying degrees. Ironically, of the four new models, it’s the entry-level piece that’s arguably the most novel. The Classique Tourbillon 7357 is clearly based on the ref. 3350 of 1989, but it has a new case and dial (but retaining the small case size). The mov...
Hodinkee
The year was 7 Messidor Year IX—or for those who don't follow the French Republican Calendar, June 26, 1801. After years of intense study and experimentation and some correspondence with his friend John Arnold (who similarly experimented with the concept before his death in 1799), Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted a 10-year patent for the "tourbillon." By 1829, Breguet and his workshop would only make 40 watches with the regulating organ, which was designed to eliminate positional errors and distribute oil (which often thickened in place), thereby lubricating parts more evenly. A Breguet four-minute tourbillon watch with échappement naturel, which sold at Sotheby's last year for CHF 1,880,000. Photo courtesy Sotheby's. Well, Abraham-Louis Breguet (and John Arnold) would be proud of how far the concept of the tourbillon has come—he may even be spinning himself if he saw some of the things that have happened with the tourbillon, like Alfred Helwig's invention of the flying tourbillon, let alone the first tourbillon wristwatch—and how many of those concepts have been integrated into watches made under his name. Add to that the fact that Breguet annually makes multiple times the number of his lifetime production, and it's just pretty cool how far things have come in 225 years. The Breguet Experimentale 1, which was launched late last year. The 10Hz, 1-minute tourbillon was one of the most extreme tourbillons ever made. Exposition out of the way, Breguet is celebrating t...
SJX Watches
After more than 20 years, avante garde independent MB&F; returns to its roots and looks to its future with HM12 The Guardian. It combines a Horological Machine with a high-end shaped movement, flying tourbillon the most elaborate – and coolest – watch stand imaginable: a nearly 400 mm tall, 15 kg robot. Better yet, The Guardian can shift into battle mode at a moments notice, deploying armor to protect its weak points. Initial Thoughts MB&F; marks its 20th anniversary with HM12 The Guardian, or would have, had it been ready in time. Instead HM12 celebrates MB&F;’s future, as the first project led solely by the brand’s creative director (and Max Büsser’s heir), Max Maertens. Mr Büsser kicked the project off about four years ago by pitching a robot with a watch for a face, following up on the brand’s robot Melchior and Balthazar desk clocks. After that, Max 2.0 was left to his own devices, with this as the result. It is a very reassuring result for those concerned about the brand’s future after Maximilian Büsser’s eventual retirement, which isn’t yet imminent, but something the brand is clearly preparing for. Interestingly, Eric Giroud, who has designed just about every MB&F; watch, was not involved in the project either. Max (left) and Max (right). Image – MB&F; While discussing the project, Mr Büsser told me that Mr Maertens actually modelled the robot himself in SolidWorks, which goes well beyond the normal duties of a designer. That Maertens did the har...
SJX Watches
After more than 20 years, avant-garde independent MB&F; returns to its roots and looks to its future with HM12 The Guardian. The HM12 is a Horological Machine containing a high-end shaped movement featuring a flying tourbillon, nestled in the most elaborate – and coolest – watch stand imaginable: a nearly 400 mm tall, 15 kg robot. Better yet, The Guardian can shift into battle mode at a moments notice, deploying armor to protect its weak points. Initial Thoughts MB&F; marks its 20th anniversary with HM12 The Guardian, or would have, had it been ready in time. Instead HM12 celebrates MB&F;’s future, as the first project led solely by the brand’s creative director (and founder Max Büsser’s heir), Max Maertens. Mr Büsser kicked the project off about four years ago by pitching a robot with a watch for a face, following up on the brand’s robot Melchior and Balthazar desk clocks. After that, Max 2.0 was left to his own devices, with this as the result. It is a very reassuring result for those concerned about the brand’s future after Maximilian Büsser’s eventual retirement, which isn’t yet imminent, but something the brand is clearly preparing for. Interestingly, Eric Giroud, who has designed just about every MB&F; watch, was not involved in the project either. Max (left) and Max (right). Image – MB&F; While discussing the project, Mr Büsser told me that Mr Maertens actually modelled the robot himself in SolidWorks, which goes well beyond the normal duties of a...
Hodinkee
The Schaffhausen-based H. Moser & Cie. made quite an unconventional splash this year at Watches & Wonders, with its completely out-of-left-field collaboration with Reebok for the Streamliner "Pump," a watch-and-sneaker release that only this brand could somehow manage to pull off. But there was a release that kind of slipped under the radar earlier in the year that I think offers a really excellent combination of Moser's strengths in one watch, which warrants a closer look. I'm talking about the Endeavour Tourbillon Skeleton launched at the end of January, and it's been a watch I've wanted to see in person since the announcement went live. On paper, it seems like a simple enough concept: take the skeletonized flying tourbillon movement Caliber HMC-814 introduced back in 2024 for the integrated bracelet Streamliner collection, and pair it with one of Moser's more classic and conservative Endeavour silhouettes. For me, that skeletonized flying tourbillon caliber has remained one of my favorite architectures that the brand has ever come out with, and I think the extra bit of elegance gained with the Endeavour case makes it stand out on its own. That 40mm Endeavour case, in 5N red gold, should feel very familiar to those who like Moser's designs. It is a twist on a dressier silhouette that looks simple from the top down, but at any other angle, the Endeavour has many interesting little design touches, from the concave bezel to the distinctive sculpting of the case flanks. They...
SJX Watches
FVF Genève founder Franc Vila has created a unique piece of his flagship tourbillon for a noted European collector of independent and complicated watches who goes by @thedeadwatchsociety on Instagram. The FVF1 Tourbillon “Seven Poets” is a romantic twist on the day complication that assigns a daily reading from one of seven historical poets. Initial thoughts Franc Vila is a man of many passions. His atelier in central Geneva is packed with art, and each piece has a story — I can’t think of anyone better to create a poetry-themed watch. Neither, it seems, could the lucky owner who commissioned the Seven Poets. The watch is fundamentally similar to the standard FVF1 C2 Tourbillon Superligero, with its 42.5 mm case, titanium monocoque construction, seven-sided day roller, and flying tourbillon architecture. Even in its basic configuration, the FVF1 is a distinctive offering that relaunched Mr Vila’s career after he parted ways with his eponymous brand. But the Seven Poets is anything but basic. Like the “Today” edition reviewed last year, the Seven Poets deviates from the norms of traditional watchmaking. Instead of indicating the day of the week, the day roller has been repurposed to feature the hand-engraved names of seven poets that are personally meaningful to the owner who commissioned the watch. I liked the conceptual, philosophical statement made by the “Today” edition, and the Seven Poets takes it one step further. This simple change to an indicat...
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...
Monochrome
H. Moser & Cie. fearlessly takes two of its most prestigious complications, strips away all superfluous elements, and reveals them up front in the Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton. Exposing its dial-side minute repeater and cylindrical hairspring flying tourbillon in a fully skeletonised form, Moser ascends to new heights on the complications ladder. Launched […]
Monochrome
A year after Piaget broke the record for the thinnest tourbillon with its 2mm Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, Bulgari, following its decade-long pursuit of ultra-thin watchmaking, unveiled the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon in titanium, now the world’s thinnest flying tourbillon at just 1.85mm. The new Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon Platinum edition does not aim to break […]
Deployant
Vanguart adds to their Orb Flying Tourbillon collection with a new release of two references in ceramic titanium and ceramic gold.
SJX Watches
The Tambour Taiko Arty Automata is the latest creation from Louis Vuitton to feature jacquemart, or mechanical animations. Like the Tambour Opera before it, the Arty Automata features a complex, multi-layer dial with multiple mechanisms that whir into motion at the press of a button, including spinning hearts and a swivelling eyeball. But this also incorporates a flying tourbillon at six, while the dial itself is grand feu enamel – and tiny bird feathers for the eyelashes. Initial thoughts The flamboyant, psychedelic Arty Automata is definitely not for everyone, but the mechanical and artisanal credentials of the watch are impressive (save for one detail, more on that later). To start with, the Arty Automata is a more manageable 42 mm by 13.6 mm, compared to earlier automata models that were several millimetres larger. Combined with the form of the new Tambour Taiko case, this makes the Art Automata more wearable than its predecessors. More than ergonomics, the scaled down case also underlines the movement development prowess of La Fabrique du Temps (LFT). The attention to detail in terms of the movement also shows in its aesthetics: the calibre adopts the house style of LFT with its relief bridges, but adopted to the “Arty” aesthetic with stars, clouds, and a lacquered rotor. That said, the Etachron-type regulator index for the balance is definitely out of place in a watch of this price. The watch also illustrates the capabilities of the metiers d’art workshop in ...
Deployant
Kerbedanz extends their Maxima GR8 collection with two new watches in ceramic cases, featuring their prominent centrally mounted flying tourbillon.
SJX Watches
Ferdinand Berthoud (FB), Chopard’s haut de gamme sub-brand, introduces its first flying tourbillon just weeks before Watches & Wonders. The Mesure du Temps 1787 Chronomètre FB 2TV.1 is exceptional in both quality and price, presenting almost everything of interest on the dial side - chain and fusee included - along with hacking and zero-reset seconds. The dial-side spectacle will be the calling card of the new Mesure du Temps 1787 collection. Initial thoughts The revival of long-dead masters’ names to sell unrelated watches is a practice that invites scepticism - and often deserves it. The Ferdinand Berthoud brand, however, is a different matter. There is nothing cynical about it, and one suspects the man himself wouldn’t mind being associated with some of the finest mechanical watches being made today - in his home town, no less. A different name on the dial, Scheufele perhaps, might still feel more authentic, but that’s a minor quibble with what is otherwise an overwhelmingly high quality watch. The latest take on the brand’s chronometer-inspired formula adds one of my favourite features: a zero-reset seconds hand. Though I prefer the designs of the brand’s past projects, the FB 2TV.1 suggests the team at FB understands what the market wants, and the movement-as-a-dial aesthetic is hot right now. The flying tourbillon is new for the brand, in both technique and aesthetics. Until now the brand’s massive revolving regulators were secreted away on the...
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