Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeikoIWCTAG HeuerBreitlingJaeger-LeCoultreA. Lange & SohneZenith

Results for Microbrand Watches

18,988 articles · 2,653 videos found · page 627 of 722

Cartier Introduces the Santos de Cartier ADLC SJX Watches
Cartier Introduces Apr 24, 2020

Cartier Introduces the Santos de Cartier ADLC

After unveiling the glow-in-the-dark Santos Skeleton ADLC “Noctambule” last year, Cartier debuts the similar, but simpler, Santos de Cartier ADLC at Watches & Wonders 2020. The new Santos actually revives a look the brand first rolled out in 2009 with the Santos 100 ADLC, which was the brand’s first use of amorphous diamond-like carbon (ADLC) as a case coating. A nano-composite coating, ADLC possesses diamond-like properties, including high corrosion and scratch resistance, improving the robustness of the watch case. But like all coatings it can detach if the material below is dented or scratched deeply. All-black (left), or a combination of natural-finish steel and ADLC-coating Shades of black Like the Skeleton ADLC “Noctambule”, the Santos ADLC is available only in the largest LM case that’s 47.5 mm by 39.8 mm on the face and a height of 9.38 mm, making it a big but relatively slim watch. It is available in two iterations: all-black ADLC-coated steel, or two-tone steel with an ADLC bezel. While the case dimensions are identical to the standard Santos, the new models have a low-key matte finish. The bezel is brushed, instead of the mirror polish found on the standard model, with only the bevels along the edge of the case being polished. The steel model features a dark grey dial which matches the shade of the ADLC coating on the bezel. Though the dial is a single colour, it appears two-tone due to the surface finishing – vertical brushing on the inner dia...

Read article
Cartier Introduces the Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique SJX Watches
Cartier Introduces Apr 24, 2020

Cartier Introduces the Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique

Cartier has made it an annual tradition to revive one of its iconic case shapes as part of the compact and focused Cartier Privé line, having started with the Tank Cintrée in 2018, followed by the Tonneau last year. Now at Watches & Wonders 2020, the jeweller has recreated one of its most divergent Tank models with the Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique, in the classic time-only format as well as a contemporary skeleton version. The Tank Asymetrique Skeleton Introduced in 1936, the Asymétrique was not conceived as a Tank wristwatch at the time of its launch, and was known as the Parallélogramme or Losange after its case shape. It deviated from a conventional rectangular case literally, with the case brancards offset in opposite directions, transforming the rectangle into a diamond, while the dial was rotated by 30 degrees to the right. A distinctive feature of the dial on the vintage Parallélogramme watches were the alternating Arabic numeral and baton hour markers, probably conceived to improve legibility of the skewed dial. In the modern day, the Asymétrique was incorporated into the Tank wristwatch line-up when it was reproduced as a limited edition. That happened first in 1996 with a limited edition with a small case size, with 300 examples in yellow gold and another 100 in platinum, both having the same dial style as the vintage originals. (And in 1999 a tiny run of watches was made to commemorate the handover of Macau to China.) The CPCP Tank Asymetrique of ...

Read article
Cartier Introduces the Santos-Dumont Limited Editions SJX Watches
Cartier Introduces Apr 24, 2020

Cartier Introduces the Santos-Dumont Limited Editions

Hot on the heels of the Santos-Dumont XL hand-wind, Cartier has dropped four limited edition variants of the same at Watches & Wonders 2020, each dedicated to one of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s most significant aircraft. Within just a decade, the pioneering Franco-Brazilian aviator designed and piloted diverse methods of conquering the skies, from balloons and dirigibles to heavier-than-air aircraft. The four flying machines commemorated by the new limited edition Santos-Dumont watches each represent a different milestone in his career, starting with his first balloon, the Brésil of 1898, to his greatest feat, the La Demoiselle plane of 1908.   Increasing in edition size as the price decreases with the preciousness of the case, all four editions are mechanical, powered by the ultra-thin 430 MC found in the Santos-Dumont XL, which is actually a Piaget 430P. Though they share the same movement, the editions are not all the same size. The first three are in the large Santos-Dumont case, with dimensions of 43.5 mm by 31.4 mm, perfectly appropriate for a modern-day dress watch, offering just the right balance between elegance and presence. The last and most expensive edition, on the other hand, is platinum and XL size, meaning it is 46.6 mm by 33.9 mm. Santos-Dumont XL in platinum (extreme left), and the trio of large-size editions Santos-Dumont “Le Brésil” Limited to 100 pieces, “Le Bresil” is named after Santos-Dumont’s first flying machine, a hot-air balloon not...

Read article
Cartier Introduces the Pasha de Cartier SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Apr 24, 2020

Cartier Introduces the Pasha de Cartier

As it does every couple of years, or decades, Cartier reintroduces one of its iconic wristwatches, this time the Pasha de Cartier. Launched in 1985 and a big hit in the decade after, the Pasha was Cartier’s original round-case bestseller, long before the Ballon Bleu. Three decades on, the new Pasha makes its debut once again at Watches & Wonders 2020 as a full-fledged collection with models for both men and women, from time-only to skeleton tourbillon, as well as diamond-set versions. Variants of the new Pasha 41 mm for men Mysterious origins Despite having a round case – Cartier is most famous for its shaped watches like the Tank and Santos – the Pasha is amongst the most historically-important Cartier timepieces, apparently. Legend has it that Cartier first created a water-resistant watch in 1934 for the fabulously wealthy Pasha of Marrakesh, Thami El Glaoui, who wanted a watch he could wear while swimming. The result was one of the first-ever luxury-sports watches. While the Parisian jeweller no doubt made a watch to fulfil the Pasha’s request, it was most likely a rectangular Tank Etanche, rather than anything resembling today’s Pasha watch. Inspired by that tale, the modern-day Pasha was born in 1985, penned by the hand of Gerald Genta, the prolific designer whose heyday in the 1970s and 1980s saw him create a string of hits, ranging from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak to the Bulgari Bulgari. Genta’s creations were often avant-garde in their day, and his...

Read article
Everything you need to know about the Cartier 2020 collection Time+Tide
Cartier 2020 collection Make no Apr 23, 2020

Everything you need to know about the Cartier 2020 collection

Make no mistake, the Cartier 2020 collection is a cracker. Last year we were offered a smaller collection of watches that focused on the Santos and Tonneau shapes, but this year we get most of that and much, much more. The latest releases from Cartier are broken down into five distinct collections, but there’s also … ContinuedThe post Everything you need to know about the Cartier 2020 collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
ANNOUNCING: You can now buy our favourite H. Moser & Cie models in the Time+Tide Shop Time+Tide
H. Moser & Cie models Apr 23, 2020

ANNOUNCING: You can now buy our favourite H. Moser & Cie models in the Time+Tide Shop

We have been fans of H. Moser & Cie. for precisely as long as we have known about them. Which is why we are so proud and excited to announce that, from today, a capsule collection of our favourite H. Moser & Cie. models is available in the Time+Tide Shop. The backstory of Time+Tide and … ContinuedThe post ANNOUNCING: You can now buy our favourite H. Moser & Cie models in the Time+Tide Shop appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Pandemic Truths – Rexhep Rexhepi SJX Watches
Rexhep Rexhepi Apr 23, 2020

Pandemic Truths – Rexhep Rexhepi

Amongst independent watchmakers, Rexhep Rexhepi has found swift and significant success since he founded Akrivia, now one of the hottest niche brands. After his Chronomètre Contemporain took the prize of best men’s watch at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), collectors have been eagerly anticipating his next creation – which is on track despite the pandemic-induced disruptions. How has the COVID-19 coronavirus affected Akrivia? Now still crafting watches in his workshop at the heart of Geneva’s Old Town, Rexhep answers. Rexhep, still at the workshop in Geneva’s Old Town. Photo – Rexhep Rexhepi What impact has the crisis has on your business? The first impact was human. A month ago, when social distancing was first implemented in Switzerland, the atmosphere was grim. I could feel employees’ morale was affected; their motivation was low. I offered them the choice to stay home with partial unemployment or keep coming to the atelier, while respecting all health and hygiene measures, of course. Most of them opted to keep working, so we are still open at the moment and working almost normally. Even my partner [Jean-Pierre] Hagmann is back now. Production-wise, we feared for some of our subcontractors, like the [specialist that does] rhodium plating for example, but they are also working, even if only part time, for one week out of every two. But since we have [vertically] integrated a lot of our production, like making our own cases, and we have...

Read article
CELEBRITY WATCH DEATH MATCH: Kevin Hart Vs. Mark Wahlberg, a Patek and Rolex-only battle for the ages Time+Tide
Rolex only battle Apr 23, 2020

CELEBRITY WATCH DEATH MATCH: Kevin Hart Vs. Mark Wahlberg, a Patek and Rolex-only battle for the ages

This week’s CWDM is going to be controversial and it’s going to be subjective. There’s no way around it. These guys are Hollywood’s high-end horologists. Their collections are pure class. So get ready for some of the craziest watches on planet earth and prepare for opinions, because we all have them, and when it comes … ContinuedThe post CELEBRITY WATCH DEATH MATCH: Kevin Hart Vs. Mark Wahlberg, a Patek and Rolex-only battle for the ages appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Up Close: Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon SJX Watches
Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon One Apr 22, 2020

Up Close: Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon

One of the more interesting complicated watches launched in 2019 was a surprising one, the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon. While “Chronometer Tourbillon” might seem to be a pair of impressive words meaninglessly strung together as is often done for high-end watches, the Chronometer Tourbillon actually takes them seriously. Though the new watch doesn’t look particularly interesting – the design is handsome but conventional – it combines a particularly logical set of complications that were conceived for exact setting of the time, namely a hacking tourbillon with zero-reset carriage (and not just the seconds hand), and a minute hand that is set in discrete, one-minute steps. In fact, the Chronometer Tourbillon derived from the already sensible, but less fancy, Senator Chronometer that has many of the same time-setting functions. Though the Chronometer Tourbillon is an expensive watch by the standards of Glashütte Original, it is eminently sensible and smart from a technical perspective. And to prove that chronometric competence, Glashütte Original also tests the Chronometer Tourbillon to the German chronometer standard, DIN 8319, laid out by the country’s all-encompassing federal standards body. Testing takes place at the Sternwarte Glashütte, the town’s astronomical observatory, which was given a new lease of life by German watch retailer Wempe, which also has its own line of chronometer wristwatches. The process, however, is conduc...

Read article
INTRODUCING: The precious mineral Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock Time+Tide
Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock Apr 21, 2020

INTRODUCING: The precious mineral Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock

The more watches you see, the less likely it becomes that you see something you’ve never seen before. The Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock, however, is absolutely unlike anything I’ve seen before. While the case shape and dial layout has been seen, in different references within the Laureato collection, the eye-catching element of this watch is the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The precious mineral Girard-Perregaux Absolute Rock appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Pandemic Truths – Jean-Claude Biver SJX Watches
Apr 21, 2020

Pandemic Truths – Jean-Claude Biver

Who better than Jean-Claude Biver to reflect on the current crisis? He is an emblematic figure in watchmaking, with a career that’s spanned half a century, one that started in another, long-ago crisis caused by quartz watches. Always passionate and frank, Jean-Claude played a major role in the rise of mechanical watchmaking, contributing a large part to the boom of the 1990s. Working from his chalet in the ski town of Crans-Montana in Switzerland, Jean-Claude spoke to me over the phone. Here is our conversation. Jean-Claude’s selfie from his study This crisis sheds light on the weaknesses of our current economic systems. How has it impacted your business? Obviously it impacts us like everyone else, because no matter how good your sales team is, or how many stores you have, or how well situated they are – if there is nobody out there, it hurts your business. But we have developed a few ideas to keep business going. We are always trying to implement strategies to combat the situation. And all crisis create opportunities as well. When China was closed, we organised limousine services to bring one customer at a time to our boutiques that were open just for them. It created a sense of security, ease and comfort, so we actually managed to do some business, even during that time. This is going to be a long [crisis]. By the time it gets back to normal, we will have to be ready. Now is the time to bring in innovation again, in distribution and equally, in sales. How do you e...

Read article
MICRO MONDAYS: Introducing Marnaut, the sub-$1k 300m dive watch with the sea urchin dot-pattern dial Time+Tide
Apr 19, 2020

MICRO MONDAYS: Introducing Marnaut, the sub-$1k 300m dive watch with the sea urchin dot-pattern dial

Mario Jutronic’s marine-themed microbrand Marnaut is a breath of fresh ocean air. It was beginning to seem impossible that a retro-flavoured dive watch could bring anything new to the table, but one glimpse at a Marnaut dial and you must admit they’ve found a way. Having spent a large portion of his youth snorkelling around … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: Introducing Marnaut, the sub-$1k 300m dive watch with the sea urchin dot-pattern dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Sinn U1 Phantom Review WatchAdvice
Breitling during Apr 18, 2020

Sinn U1 Phantom Review

The German watch manufacturer Sinn is a well-known brand for creating aviation watches. Sinn was founded in 1961 by a flight instructor and pilot, Helmut Sinn. The brand has quite an aviation history, including securing the rights and design plans from Breitling during the Quartz era, to their iconic Navitimer timepiece. With these plans, Sinn produced an inexpensive and a reliable equivalent to the Navitimer – the Sinn 903.  What many people may not know is that Sinn has also got quite a reputable collection of diving watches, made from some of the highest tech materials. Sinn was also one of the first companies in the watchmaking industry to produce diving watches in compliance with European diving equipment standards, while also being the first to test and certify the watches for resistance to pressure and fogging.  We have our hands on Sinn’s U1 Phantom. The Phantom edition is part of Sinn’s diving watch U1 collection. These are robust timepieces made to endure some of the most extreme conditions. The U1 collection is known as the “diving watch made of German submarine steel” and can be taken diving to a depth of 1000m. The U1 does come in several limited edition and special versions, with the U1 Phantom being one of them.  The U1 Phantom is exclusive to Define Watches only, making it even more special . It features much of the same characteristics as the standard U1 model, with the variances coming in the form of materials and appearance changes.  Much l...

Read article
Recommended Reading: John Goldberger on Life, Collecting, and Home SJX Watches
Apr 18, 2020

Recommended Reading: John Goldberger on Life, Collecting, and Home

A tall man with a grave face who is always stylishly dressed, Auro Montanari is better known as John Goldberger, the pseudonym under which he has published over a dozen scholarly books dedicated to watches. Auro is best characterised as someone with diverse and deep interests, making him a truly interesting individual. So speaking with Auro is always a pleasure, which is something Phillips specialist Tiffany To recently managed to do. At home, stylishly. Photo – Auro Montanari Now at home in Bologna, a wealthy industrial hub that’s home to Lamborghini, Auro is putting the finishing touches to Time to Race, a near-500 page tome covering the watches worn by auto-racing champions of the mid-20th century, an era when drivers wore watches as a necessity, and not because they were brand ambassadors. Auro’s desktop with Time to Race in progress. Photo – Auro Montanari Highlights from Time to Race. Photo – Auro Montanari In a three-part interview, Auro discusses the upcoming book – “I love cars, I love watches, and I put them together and blend everything” – as well as his varied life. Though Auro is a industrial-control software entrepreneur by profession, his interests have taken him around the world in a hunt for watches, and he also lived the Californian dream for a spell in the 1980s. Auro, circa 1982. Photo – Auro Montanari The white gold ref. 3450. Photo – Auro Montanari He describes the years spent in Venice Beach, during which he chanced upon a whi...

Read article
Our 4 picks from the new IWC, Breitling, Bell & Ross and Montblanc 2020 releases Time+Tide
Bell & Ross Apr 16, 2020

Our 4 picks from the new IWC, Breitling, Bell & Ross and Montblanc 2020 releases

When it rains it drips. And in April 2020, at a time when we need it most – our kingdom for some new watches to write about! – it drips technicolour divers, classic chronos and two absolute blue beauties. Seriously. Like blue dialled watches? Prepare yourself. In a case of simply weird timing, just a … ContinuedThe post Our 4 picks from the new IWC, Breitling, Bell & Ross and Montblanc 2020 releases appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Zenith’s 2020 Collection for men, a flyover with CEO Julien Tornare Time+Tide
Zenith s 2020 Collection Apr 16, 2020

Zenith’s 2020 Collection for men, a flyover with CEO Julien Tornare

With the sell-out success of the Revolution ‘Cover Girl’ Limited Edition, and the astonishing Midnight Collection for women launched in January, Zenith are officially on a hot streak. When I put that to CEO Julien Tornare, just before we started rolling camera, he said something quite unforgettable. “When I took over [at Zenith] two and … ContinuedThe post Zenith’s 2020 Collection for men, a flyover with CEO Julien Tornare appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
HANDS-ON: The Monta Oceanking, a watch price-positioned between Seiko and Tudor Time+Tide
Tudor When Apr 16, 2020

HANDS-ON: The Monta Oceanking, a watch price-positioned between Seiko and Tudor

When the Monta Oceanking arrived one day, I didn’t quite know what to make of it. Luckily, I was able to secure a phone interview with Justin Kraudel, the president of Monta. Mr Kraudel is as enthusiastic about watches as any of us (perhaps more so) and was eager to school me on Monta in … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Monta Oceanking, a watch price-positioned between Seiko and Tudor appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Breitling Introduces the Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection SJX Watches
Breitling Introduces Apr 16, 2020

Breitling Introduces the Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection

Following the Navitimer 1 Airline Editions and the Aviator 8 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Breitling has now introduced its next limited-production capsule collection, the Superocean Heritage ’57. Modelled on the brand’s first dive watch, the SuperOcean ref. 1004, the new range also includes a lively rainbow limited edition with multi-coloured hour markers. As scuba diving and other aquatic sports became popular in the early 1950s, dive watches being a thing, with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster 300 all making their debut that decade. Breitling’s entry into the dive watch stakes as the SuperOcean. While the watch is now less known than its contemporaries, the SuperOcean had a strikingly bold and unusual design despite being some six decades old. It was characterised by a wide bezel with a concave surface intended to protect the domed acrylic crystal, and a dial featuring dagger-shaped indices with additional oversized spheres at the quarters. The quirky, retro style has been reintroduced in full with the Superocean Heritage ’57. Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection The capsule collection consists of three iterations: in stainless steel with a blue or black dial, and a steel case with a rose-gold bezel paired with a black dial. All are powered by the COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 10, which is an ETA 2892-A2. Entirely polished, the case measures 42 mm wide and 9.99 mm high, making it 4 mm thinner than the standard Superocean He...

Read article
Breitling (Re)Introduces the Chronomat with Rouleaux Bracelet SJX Watches
Breitling Re)Introduces Apr 16, 2020

Breitling (Re)Introduces the Chronomat with Rouleaux Bracelet

One of the most fashionable watches of the late 1980s and 1990s was the Breitling Chronomat with the distinctive Rouleaux bracelet, specifically the two-tone, steel-and-yellow-gold model with a dark blue dial. The watch of choice for assorted air force squadrons, the Chronomat was also spotted on major Hollywood stars of the era, most prominently Jerry Seinfeld and Bruce Willis. Breitling’s supercharged success after the Quartz Crisis – having been rescued by Swiss entrepreneur Ernest Schneider – was largely down to the Chronomat. Now the Chronomat on the Rouleaux bracelet is making its comeback, after having been discontinued several years ago. Abandoning the styling of recent, unsuccessful facelifts, the new Chronomat B01 42 returns with a tightly-executed design that incorporates several elements of the 1990s classic. A historic hit Launched to mark the 100th anniversary of Breitling in 1984, the Chronomat marked the brand’s return to mechanical watches. In 1979, the late Ernest Schneider took over an ailing Breitling, which until was then making mostly quartz watches with a military flavour. Having delivered the inaugural version of the Chronomat to members of Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatic team of the Italian air force, Schneider had a hit on his hands once the Chronomat was sold to the public. A page from the 1987 Breitling catalogue showing several versions of the Chronomat Though it had the same name as a vintage Breitling chronograph, the Chronomat l...

Read article
Tasneem’s Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch connects him to more people on earth than he knew before Time+Tide
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch connects him Apr 15, 2020

Tasneem’s Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch connects him to more people on earth than he knew before

This week’s gone full Speedmaster. On Saturday, it was the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission, deemed to be a “successful failure”, because there was indeed a major malfunction, but all astronauts on the mission lived to talk about it. I was very fortunate to have heard this story told by one of the … ContinuedThe post Tasneem’s Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch connects him to more people on earth than he knew before appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Bid now on a Russian cosmonaut’s Omega Speedmaster, worn in space for 14 hours Time+Tide
Omega Speedmaster worn Apr 15, 2020

Bid now on a Russian cosmonaut’s Omega Speedmaster, worn in space for 14 hours

Ever wanted to own an Omega Speedmaster that was actually worn in space? Is that the most rhetorical question you’ve ever heard? If so, a) get in line, and b) you’re in luck, because online auction house RR Auction are offering just that – an Omega Speedmaster that has slipped the bonds of terra firma … ContinuedThe post Bid now on a Russian cosmonaut’s Omega Speedmaster, worn in space for 14 hours appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Emile Chouriet Introduces the Héritier à Guichet SJX Watches
Apr 15, 2020

Emile Chouriet Introduces the Héritier à Guichet

A brand specialising in affordable watches priced under US$2,000, Emile Chouriet has a fairly generic line-up, but with one obvious exception, the Héritier à Guichets. Showing the time and calendar in windows, the watch is inspired by timepieces of the 1920s, while having a titanium case with fancy lugs. Named after a 17th century French watchmaker, the brand was founded in 1998 by a Swiss businessman but acquired a decade later by Fiyta, a Shenzhen-based watchmaker best known for producing the chronograph issued to Chinese astronauts. Consequently, Emile Chouriet now focuses its efforts on the Chinese market, but the Héritier à Guichet combines an Art Deco style and novel time display that doubtlessly has wider appeal. Digital time displays became fashionable during the Art Deco period, with pocket watches sporting jumping or wandering hours, or even full calendar displays in an elongated window. The Héritier à Guichet takes inspiration from that early 20th century style, reproducing it in an affordable manner. A pale metallic grey with a radial-brushed finish, the dial consists of four windows, with the two closest to the centre showing the hours and minutes, while the outer apertures with wider bevels displaying the day and date. The hours and minutes, however, are not instantaneously jumping displays, instead they are “dragging” indicators that continually move just as conventional hands would. Also unusual is the case: though it has a moderate 40 mm di...

Read article