2,119 articles · 130 videos found · page 61 of 75
Breguet's 1801 rotating-cage escapement, explained.
Alfred Helwig's 1920 tourbillon variant with no upper bridge; the entire cage is visible.
Monochrome
François-Paul Journe, a talented watchmaker and the founder of the brand F.P. Journe, is mostly known for his Tourbillon Remontoire d’Egalité – it was his first watch – and his take on the resonance phenomenon. We can also mention the Octa, his automatic watch introduced in 2001, and, of course, the fantastic Chronomètre Bleu. But […]
Fratello
Breguet continues to surprise us in its 250th year. In the spirit of the brand’s name-giver, it now presents a world first. Breguet has utilized magnets to create the first 10Hz tourbillon with a magnetic escapement, which delivers constant force to the balance, and has incorporated it into the Expérimentale 1. This fast-beating tourbillon in […] Visit Breaking News: Breguet Creates The First Contact-Free Escapement By Using Magnets to read the full article.
Monochrome
The De Bethune Kind of Two concept, a pivoting, double-faced case that literally gives you two watches in one, has proven to be one of the brand´s most successful design experiments. The 2021 DB Kind of Two Tourbillon and the 2022 DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT established the format as both an engineering exercise […]
SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux (GP) unveils the second chapter of the Laureato’s 50th anniversary with the Laureato Three Gold Bridges Tourbillon. First launched as part of the earlier generation Laureato in the 1990s, the tourbillon has been reimagined with a monochromatic palette in a limited edition of 50 pieces that evokes GP’s golden age as a modern-day manufacture. Initial thoughts Few tourbillon movements are as iconic as the GP Three Gold Bridges. The concept debuted in a tourbillon pocket watch in 1867 and the manufacture has since adopted the signature arrow-shaped bridge as its logo and even employed the motif in movements without a tourbillon. Fortunately, the new Laureato is very much a tourbillon; this combination of two icons should please both fans of the brand and enthusiasts alike. The GP9620 tourbillon movement is good example of high-quality, in-house watchmaking, and is evidently constructed and finished to a high standard. Derived from the GP9400 series of movements, the GP9620 features improved finishing and a new monochromatic palette. Remaining true to the original three bridges design, the proprietary calibre retains the visual identity of early GP pocket watch tourbillon movements, including the brand’s iconic tourbillon cage immortalised as its own design by Reinhard Meis in his book Das Tourbillon; very few brands have a tourbillon they can truly call their own. But the movement also incorporates modern amenities like automatic winding – thanks...
Monochrome
On the occasion of Dubai Watch Week 2025, Chopard unveils the L.U.C Grand Strike, the brand’s most complex watch to date, with a Grande Sonnerie, a Petite Sonnerie, a Minute Repeater and a tourbillon regulator. Just like the brand’s Full Strike minute repeater, its acoustic merits are nothing short of extraordinary, in particular thanks to […]
Monochrome
The collaboration between the indie brand Louis Erard and the master watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin has already given birth to several limited-edition watches based on the Time Eater concept – such as this tourbillon with regulator display. As Dubai Watch Week 2025 open its doors tomorrow, we get a different concept, yet still inspired by Chaykin’s […]
SJX Watches
The upcoming Phillips Hong Kong auction includes a diverse and spectacular selection of pocket watches spanning two centuries. From early 19th‑century enamel masterpieces crafted for the Chinese market to 20th‑century tourbillon chronometers that triumphed at observatory trials, the lots on offer demonstrate the technical and aesthetic evolution of the watch over the last two hundred years. Lot 1086 – S. Smith and Son No. 1899-1 Tourbillon Chronometer with Kew Class A Certificate Albert Pellaton-Favre constructed the first of two tourbillons in the auction, which was later retailed by S. Smith & Son. The other, by Patek Philippe, is the work of his son, Jämes-César Pellaton. Both are depicted in Reinhard Meis’s famous Das Tourbillon. The English and Swiss disagreed on what constitutes a chronometer. The English argued that a chronometer must use a chronometer (detent) escapement, while the Swiss considered any watch a chronometer if performed well enough – which the English would call a “Half-Chronometer”. As the Willis enamel dial boasts, the first is a chronometer by both English and Swiss reckoning, with a spring detent escapement and “Especially Good” certificate from the Kew Observatory. While S. Smith and Son retailed quite a number of tourbillons, including others with detent escapements, most were sourced locally, while the present lot uses a Swiss movement. The London branch of Baume Frères ordered six tourbillon chronometers from Albert Pella...
Time+Tide
This flying saucer-like watch sports a newly designed calibre with jumping hours and dragging minutes, accessible via a hinged cover.The post Czapek’s Time Jumper goes fully funky for the manufacture’s 10-year revival anniversary appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
For many years, you’ve probably known Roger Dubuis for its bold, angular watches with openworked movements and tourbillon(s), most of them under the Excalibur collection. And while most are technically very impressive, this isn’t exactly the style that Mister Dubuis defined when he created the brand in the mid-1990s. The earliest watches, known as the […]
SJX Watches
The just-concluded Geneva auction season was mostly a plateau with several striking peaks and a few lows. The peaks were marked by desirable timepieces that outperformed by far, yet shared little in common with one another in terms of style or period. The peaks ranged from multiple F.P. Journe watches to a diamond-set Patek Philippe ref. 3424/1 “Gilbert Albert” to the Breguet four-minute tourbillon pocket watch from 1809 to the Instagram-ready Patek Philippe ref. 3970 in “salmon” with Breguet numerals. Despite such diverse taste, the small pool of bidders seemed to have one thing in common: they were all focused on a “trophy” watch. The Christie’s saleroom in the Four Seasons. Image – Christie’s With few exceptions, contemporary watches from mainstream brands were cold, while vintage watches were mostly lukewarm – but as always there were exceptions. An Patek Philippe ref. 570 with a black dial signed “E. Gubelin” sold for an impressive CHF419,100 including fees, or US$523,000, at Christie’s, while Phillips sold a Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 “RCO” (or “Oyster Sotto”) for an equally impressive CHF1.39 million, or US$1.73 million – close to the historical peak for the model. A vintage watch that surprised on the downside was the 1927 Rolex Oyster worn by Mercedes Gleitze when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1927 – a landmark in Rolex lore. Though it sold for CHF1.39 million, or US$1.74 million, there was just one bi...
Fratello
Let me ask you a simple question: if you had to choose between a tourbillon and a Gravity Control System, which would you pick? Well, then again, you might require more information before answering my question since the system I mentioned might not be a household name. Therefore, let me introduce the gravity-defying Zenith Defy […] Visit Introducing: The Gravity-Defying Zenith Defy Zero G Sapphire - 46mm Of Transparent Or Blue Sapphire Goodness to read the full article.
Monochrome
Czapek unveils the second special series created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brand’s rebirth in 2015. Following the Antarctique Tourbillon introduced in April, this new release presents an exceptional interpretation of the maison’s integrated-bracelet sports watch, distinguished by a plique-à-jour enamel dial. Plique-à-jour is an intricate and delicate enamelling technique distinguished by its […]
Monochrome
The Carrera Extreme Sport series by TAG Heuer returns for 2025 with three new references: a travel-ready Twin-Time chronograph that merges a true GMT into the openworked Extreme Sport template; a rose-gold chronograph that disrupts the collection’s tool aesthetic using precious metal; and a Tourbillon Extreme Sport F1 75th Anniversary limited edition that celebrates seven-and-a-half […]
Time+Tide
The 2025 Carrera Extreme Sport collection sees TAG Heuer introduce chronograph, GMT, and tourbillon novelties.The post TAG Heuer tributes 75 years of Formula 1 with a triple Carrera Extreme threat appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
The name Santos at Cartier carries a lot of weight. One of Cartier’s oldest collections, named after Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, who commissioned a watch from his friend Louis Cartier in 1904 to be worn while piloting his flying machines, it took on a slightly different vocation in recent years, becoming the brand’s vision of […]
Hodinkee
The New Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles Limited Edition celebrates the famous French castle with a unique Swiss timepiece.
SJX Watches
After a few quiet years, David Candaux has introduced the DC12 MaveriK – the brand’s fourth model and its first without a tourbillon. A deceptively complicated time-only watch, the DC12 features twin escapements linked by a differential, a mechanism deeply rooted in the twentieth century history of the Vallée de Joux. Housed in an organic 39.5 mm titanium case, the DC12 is the most affordable watch yet from the Le Solliat-based watchmaker, but retains the brand’s signature push-button crown below the dial. Initial thoughts An experienced constructor who can count the MB&F; HM6 and Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie among his credits, David Candaux launched his eponymous brand in 2017. But he would be the first to tell you it was not an easy start, managing to sell just 14 watches during his first four years in business. This is not uncommon in the world of independent watchmaking; look around at some of the most popular independent brands today and you’ll hear a similar story about their early days. Mr Candaux’s business subsequently picked up some momentum, and in the past four years the brand claims to have made an additional 42 pieces. If true, it’s an encouraging sign for a watchmaker with something of a chequered past as an independent constructor, who is said to have had difficulty meeting obligations to client brands. In some ways, the DC12 is the embodiment of this journey, being simpler and cheaper than Mr Candaux’s previous models....
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...
Hodinkee
Indie (and previously affordable) star Jiro Katayama's brand announced the unexpected, with a tourbillon, sonnerie au passage, jump hour watch in a surprisingly compact shape.
Monochrome
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition collection is the repository of the brand’s most complicated timepieces, featuring multi-component calibres and incredible levels of decoration and finishing. Bringing almost 200 years of expertise to the table, the Master Grande Tradition is home to emblematic complications like the tourbillon, the minute repeater and the perpetual calendar, often combined and […]
SJX Watches
On episode 10 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the highlights and hands-on impressions from Geneva Watch Days, including the Greubel Forsey QP Balancier, Lange 1815 Tourbillon Black Enamel, Gérald Genta’s new Minute Repeater, and the latest perpetual calendars from Audemars Piguet. We also discuss the significance of Tag Heuer’s carbon hairsprings; after a short-lived launch in 2019, the brand has taken a mulligan and relaunched this technology with a key difference that might make carbon hairsprings a real alternative to silicon. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
Fratello
From the record-breaking thinnest-ever tourbillon in the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon to the genre-defying Christopher Ward Twelve 660, thin is in! It seems manufacturers are heeding our outcries for slim watches across (almost) all categories and segments. This is a trend we can get behind at Fratello! It seems like only yesterday when almost […] Visit Thin Is In! - The Return Of Slim Watches Across (Almost) All Categories to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Leroy returns to high-end watchmaking, reviving the Osmior collection with a tourbillon and a minute repeater all in one.The post L.Leroy is staging another comeback with the complicated Osmior Bal du Temps appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Unveiled at Geneva Watch Days 2025, the Ulysse Nardin Freak X Crystalium marks a new chapter in the brand’s ongoing exploration of mechanical and material innovation. Limited to just 50 pieces, this 43mm timepiece features a ruthenium-based Crystalium hour disc-each one uniquely formed through a vapor-deposition crystallization process. Priced at CHF 40,000, the watch pairs its shimmering dial with a black DLC-coated titanium case and the automatic UN-230 flying carousel movement.
Monochrome
Dragons have become a recurring motif for Jacob & Co., appearing in elaborate Astronomia models such as the 50mm Astronomia Dragon with its double-axis tourbillon or a Mystery Tourbillon Twin Dragons. In 2025, Jacob & Co. refines this formula in a more wearable format, unveiling the Astronomia Solar Dragon. The Astronomia Solar Dragon case measures […]
SJX Watches
TAG Heuer is marking the rollout of its new-and-improved, and in-house, carbon hairsprings – timed to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the hairspring’s invention – with a pair of chronographs: the Monaco Flyback Chronograph TH-Carbonspring and Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring. More than just two new watches, the TH-Carbonspring is a notable technical achievement that might promise an entirely new generation of TAG Heuer movements equipped with oscillators that boast all of the advantages of silicon, but with added robustness. Protected by several patents, TH-Carbonspring is also the result of a fascinating process of research and development to overcome a surprising problem. Kitted out in carbon composite dials and cases, the two watches are centred on TAG Heuer’s latest-generation carbon-nanocomposite balance springs, with each being a limited edition of just 50 pieces Initial thoughts Both models serve as a launch platform for TAG Heuer’s improved and industrialisation-ready carbon hairspring. While the brand has been flirting with carbon hairsprings since 2019, its use of the technology has been intermittent and on limited scale. TAG Heuer explains previous attempts at carbon springs were not up to the brand’s standards, which is to say the hairsprings did not perform as expected and could not be produced at scale. The new TH-Carbonspring indicates TAG Heuer has perfected the technology to make reliable hairsprings, which m...
Hodinkee
A natural onyx dial and lab-grown diamonds combines with a modernized take on the Disco Volante for an attractive-and limited-release. We look at the history of precious stone indices and historical takes on the "flying saucer" design.
Monochrome
It might seem like aeons ago, but MB&F;’s Legacy Machine dynasty is still a teenager in watchmaking terms. Launched in 2011, the LM family turned our perceptions of MB&F;’s galactic design language inside out and upside down. Flying back to 19th-century watchmaking for inspiration, Max Büsser’s vision of a monumental balance wheel suspended on the […]
Monochrome
Bianchet is a relatively young high-end brand founded by Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa-Bianchet, and based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Since 2021, the brand has been offering modern tonneau-shaped watches powered by architectural openworked tourbillon movements. Early 2025 marked the launch of an important model for the brand, the UltraFino, its first ultra-thin model, its first […]
Deployant
Piaget releases two new in Kaki Green. The first is the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon and the second is the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic.
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