3,326 articles · 339 videos found · page 64 of 123
Monochrome
As we’ve recently seen, colours are everywhere. From accessible to high-end timepieces, watchmakers dare to explore the entire colour spectrum, bringing boldness and fun to all sorts of watches. With summer right around the corner, it is the perfect time for Hamilton to add a splash of colours to one of its classics, a go-anywhere-do-anything […]
Fratello
Formula 1’s rising star Charles Leclerc has proven himself a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack. But beyond the high-g world of Grand Prix, Leclerc harbors another passion - timepieces. This passion recently took a surprising turn with the announcement of his investment in Chrono24, the world’s leading online marketplace for luxury watches. […] Visit Charles Leclerc Makes A Power Move - The F1 Star Invests In Chrono24 to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
This year, Oris is celebrating its 120th anniversary with the release of a special edition timepiece, the Hölstein Edition 2024. Founded in the small village of Hölstein in 1904, Oris has built a legacy of creating high-quality mechanical watches with a devoted fan base that has been steadily growing over the last few years. This new release, a black-on-black Divers Sixty-Five, is an anniversary present Oris is giving itself, showing the subtlety and sophistication of the Swiss brand. The Hölstein Edition 2024 stands out with its distinctive design, marking the first time Oris has ventured into a full black-on-black aesthetic. The watch features a 40mm stainless steel case, bezel, and crown, all plated in black DLC. The hands, hour markers, dial text, date wheel, and lume are also rendered in black, complementing the overall monochromatic theme. The modern design is completed with a black rubber strap and a black-DLC-plated buckle. In terms of functionality and specifications, the Hölstein Edition 2024 is powered by the Oris Calibre 400. This in-house automatic movement boasts a five-day power reserve and superior anti-magnetic properties, ensuring reliable performance. As with previous Hölstein Edition releases, the caseback features an image of the Oris Bear, this time clad in swim trunks. The watch is water-resistant up to 10 bar (100 meters), making it suitable for various aquatic activities. Limited to just 250 pieces on a first-come-first-serve basis, the Höl...
Monochrome
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s dream of mechanical independence materialised in 1996 with the presentation of Chopard‘s first in-house movement known as calibre 1.96. Produced in Chopard’s Fleurier manufacture, the calibre was fitted inside the first L.U.C 1860 watch, writing a new chapter in the brand’s high-end watchmaking journey. Recognised as one of the finest ultra-thin micro-rotor automatic […]
SJX Watches
A patrician banker who gained posthumous fame in the 21st century for his watch collection, Henry Graves Jr. (1868–1953) is most famous for having owned the Graves Supercomplication, once the most complicated watch in the world, and also the most expensive watch ever when it sold at auction ten years ago. His reputation means the watches he once owned – there were not all that many of them but all were high quality – carry cachet. One such example is coming up for sale at Phillips New York auction. It’s a Patek Philippe “Extra Special” pocket watch that is top-quality chronometer, classical in style and functional, and bearing the all-important Graves family crest on the hinged back. Now a horological symbol Not rivals but great collectors Graves’ modern-day fame as a watch collector was due in part to the ostensible rivalry between him and James Ward Packard (1863-1928), the engineer who founded the eponymous automobile company and an equally accomplished collector of great watches. Though both were active during the same decades, more or less, the famous competition between the two was a story made up in the 1990s to market the Supercomplication. Graves outlived Packard by 25 years, and the latter was quite ill when Graves was at his collecting peak. Graves bought the “Extra Special” pocket watch here in 1925, the year Ward fell ill with cancer before dying just three years later. An example of Packard’s impeccable taste: he commissioned this Patek Ph...
Video
Watch prices have been creeping upward for years, but recently, it feels like something more fundamental is happening. It’s no longer just about incremental increases, as entire segments seem to be shifting. Brands...
Monochrome
Earlier this year, alongside multiple new watches such as the RO Perpetual with John Mayer and the Sand Gold alloy applied to an RO Openworked Tourbillon, Audemars Piguet also presented an unexpected and entirely novel multi-coloured ceramic called chroma ceramic featuring a polarising but cool camouflage pattern. In the same vein, Audemars Piguet now applies […]
SJX Watches
After having designed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972), IWC Ingenieur (1974), and Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976), Gerald Genta also penned the Seiko Credor Locomotive in 1978. Now Seiko has revived the Credor Locomotive, preserving much of the original’s aesthetics but executing it in the brand’s proprietary “high-intensity” titanium and installing the new Credor CR01 automatic movement. The 1978 sketch of the Locomotive Initial thoughts Probably the last of the 1970s integrated bracelet sports watches Genta designed, the Locomotive is typical of his work of the period. In fact, the design is arguably an amalgamation of his better-known creations. Though it brings to mind his other work, the Locomotive is distinctive and definitely polarising. The Locomotive isn’t Genta’s best creation, but for some reason I like it. I’m familiar with the original and it has charm, despite being a little weird. I am sure the new limited edition will have far superior fit and finish, which will boost the intrinsic appeal. At the same time, the retail price of US$12,000 is competitive, especially when set against the Swiss competition like the IWC Ingenieur. Forward motion Named locomotive in the hope that it would propel Seiko forward, the Locomotive was designed by Genta at the request of Reijiro Hattori, a grandson of Seiko’s founder and uncle of current Seiko Group chairman Shinji Hattori. Genta’s original sketch for the Locomotive is dated 1978, and the watch was l...
Monochrome
Beyond their cultural and aesthetic value, luxury and high-end watches have increasingly become recognised as a viable investment asset class, offering the potential for both financial returns and personal enrichment. Indeed, watches can be a way to invest while enjoying the passion for beautiful objects. But the topic can be controversial. Just like any investment, […]
SJX Watches
Though Louis Erard is best known for its high-profile collaborations with independent watchmakers like Konstantin Chaykin and Cédric Johner, the brand’s specialty is making interesting watchmaking accessible. Its signature complication is the regulator display complication, which has served as the foundation for several limited editions. The brand continues to do that with the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel, a regulator wristwatch featuring a two-part fired enamel dial in striking ivory. Initial thoughts The new release has a subtle ivory dial produced in a traditional manner, resulting in a glossy, nuanced finish feel evocative of dials usually found on pricier timepieces. Its contemporary typeface and numerals complements minimalist style. Dial aside, the latest regulator is identical to the standard model and contains the same Sellita calibre. As a result, despite the elegant styling, it’s a chunky watch that’s almost 14 mm thick. Nevertheless, this keeps the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel affordable at CHF4,400, which is strong value considering that most watches with such dials cost at least twice as much. Ivory enamel Louis Erard once again turned to Donzé Cadrans, the enamel dial specialist owned by Ulysse Nardin, for this grand feu enamel dial. Unsurprisingly Donzé was also the supplier for the ivory enamel dial in Excellence Email Grand Feu in 2021. The time-only Excellence Email Grand Feu The production of grand feu enamel dials has a high rejection...
Deployant
The HYT Conical Tourbillon Panda is HYT's exclusive high complication creation. Limited to just eight pieces, the HYT Conical Tourbillon Panda is a collector's dream, priced at CHF 355,000. It represents the pinnacle of HYT's horological achievements and is a bold statement piece for any aficionado.
Video
It's taken nearly a decade, but it's finally here! Bulova have listened to watch enthusiasts and delivered the smallest Lunar Pilot yet in a 41mm size. But why has it taken so long? And what are the differences compar...
Quill & Pad
Since taking over as CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier in 2021, Guido Terreni has leaned into the brand’s legacy as a maker of classic dress watches at the level of high watchmaking. Not by making a dramatic statement piece but by doubling down on refinement. Having reintroduced the Tonda, and picking up a GPHG award for it in 2022, Terreni turned his attention to the Toric, the golden-ratio proportioned flagship dress watch that was Michel Parmigiani’s first design.
Fratello
Panerai unveils a 44mm stainless steel Luminor with automatic GMT caliber and a 10-day power reserve. As part of the Complicazioni collection, which includes chronographs and high-end complications, the GMT allows the tracking of dual time zones. With the polished cushion-shaped case, sandwich dial, and recognizable crown protector, this new PAM01482 includes many notable Panerai […] Visit Introducing: Panerai’s New Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Alongside its results for the year ended March 2024 – with revenue at an all-time high but marked by slowing growth – Richemont announced a major management revamp with Nicolas Bos promoted to chief executive officer of the group that owns brands like Cartier and Piaget. His predecessor (but not exactly), Jérôme Lambert, will be the group’s chief operating officer. Having led Van Cleef & Arpels (VC&A;) for just over a decade, Mr Bos skilfully grew the jeweller’s revenue more than sixfold during his tenure. At the same time, he managed to established a recognisable identity for VC&A;, one distinct from its bigger sibling, Cartier. He has spent practically his entire career at Richemont, having joined the group in 1992. Prior to taking the top job at VC&A;, he was its creative director, a role he retained even after becoming the jeweller’s chief executive. Effective June 1, the promotion of Mr Bos lends credence to talk of retirement for Cartier boss Cyrille Vigneron, who at 63 is nearing the group’s retirement age. Having led Cartier since 2015, Mr Vigneron has transformed it into a reliably profit generator that accounts for about half of the group’s revenue and a great deal of its profits. And next most profitable brand in Richemont is of course VC&A;. Jerome Lambert Some are more equal than others Mr Bos’ new job implies a demotion of sorts for Mr Lambert, who was appointed chief executive officer in 2018, after having led Jaeger-LeCoultre and then Montbla...
Quill & Pad
The Geneva Watch Auction: XIX held over the weekend by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, totaled 39,667,167, just a tad over its high estimate, and set five world records.
Worn & Wound
A micro-rotor dive watch? For under $2,000? At first blush, the concept may seem outrageous. After all, micro-rotor movements are typically reserved for high-end dress watches and complicated Indies. They’re hardly at home in the sort of accessible dive watches so many of us like, but Yema has - for the second time this year - dropped a svelte micro-rotor-powered dive watch, and they certainly have my attention. Yema is not a new name in the watch space. The brand has been around in some form or another since 1948 and, since its return to French ownership in 2008, the brand has been working hard to build itself into a leading French watchmaker. While they are best known today for their vintage-inspired dive watches like the Superman, over the last few years, Yema has slowly been building up a quiver of French-made manufacture movements produced in France’s own version of the Vallée de Joux, the watchmaking hub of Morteau. To date, they have introduced three movements in this series of French-designed calibers, with more surely to come. Though still reliant on Switzerland for regulating organs and some movement parts (not a bad thing on any level, even Roger Smith uses Swiss-made mainsprings), these movements have been a big step for the brand, and are far from being simple ETA or Sellita clones, like we so often see. The first of these was the CMM.20, a slim 3.7mm ultra-thin micro-rotor movement, with near-COSC accuracy, an anti-magnetic construction, a 70-hour po...
Video
For an independent brand like Raymond Weil to reach the historic milestone of their 50th anniversary, it is a big deal. As a company, they have doggedly protected their independence and continually followed their own...
Monochrome
Some brands want a global presence, while others are perfectly happy to focus on a much smaller part of the world. Such is the case for Jiro Katayama, a Japanese watchmaker who produces watches under the name of Otsuka Lotec. This low-key but high-impact independent watchmaking atelier has been making the rounds online despite selling […]
Quill & Pad
With Watches & Wonders and the associated speculation around discontinuations and new releases firmly in the rearview mirror, the secondary watch market in April 2024 has continued to follow the longer term trend of decline. In this report, we summarize the high level trends from last month, give an update on the Rolex Pepsi, and cover some of the best and worst performing collections in April.
Fratello
I must admit that I’ve wanted to get my hands on the Hanhart 417 ES 1954 Flyback Reverse Panda 39 for a long time. Ever since Hanhart released its most iconic chronograph in a 39mm case size (just like the original watch from 1954), it has been high on my list of watches to try. […] Visit Hands-On With The Hanhart 417 ES 1954 Flyback Reverse Panda 39 to read the full article.
Fratello
In March 2022, the global watch market was at an all-time high. A stainless steel Rolex Daytona was worth just over €50,000, any new limited-edition watch would sell out in a matter of minutes, and sites like Fratello attracted a lot of new readers. Since then, things have cooled down substantially. According to Chrono24, that […] Visit Weekend Contemplation: The Watch Market Isn’t In Crisis, But How Should We Describe Its Current State? to read the full article.
Monochrome
Microbrands are reshaping today’s watchmaking landscape in remarkable ways. These small-scale ventures craft enticing timepieces, leveraging modern technology, marketing strategies, and the combined expertise, passion, vision, and business acumen. What’s particularly striking, at least for some, is their ability to deliver well-designed, high-quality watches at compelling prices, often packed with features typically associated with much […]
Video
I have a confession: I was struggling to make content about watches. The industry is flooded with hype, "mediocre product," and brands acting like a new dial color is groundbreaking news. My disenchantment has been no...
Time+Tide
A dress watch from a sports watch brand takes on a high-end, revitalised artisan. It's Rolex versus Parmigiani Fleurier.The post Can the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde challenge the Rolex 1908 at nearly double its price? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Vintage Rolex is a treasure trove for dedicated collectors. Within that little sub-universe, there are grail watches that stand out above the rest. Today, we are looking at one that is pretty high up on many aficionados’ lists. This is the Rolex Submariner ref. 6200, also known as the King Sub. My friends at Tempus […] Visit Servicing An Ultra-Rare Vintage Rolex Submariner Ref. 6200 “King Sub” to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Founded in 1839 in Geneva, Patek Philippe has long been the gold standard of high watchmaking, pioneering complications and design elements that are now found widely throughout the watch industry - from the first keyless winding system in 1845 to the first annual calendar wristwatch in 1996, with many other innovations and historic timepieces in between. Throughout the maison’s long and prestigious history, watches from Patek Philippe have proven to be among the most coveted and valuable on the watch-auction circuit, making up nine of the 10 most expensive watches ever sold and 14 of the top 20. What are these record-breaking Patek Philippe timepieces, what makes them so special, and exactly how much money did they fetch when the hammer came down? Below, we count down the top 10, ending with the most expensive watch ever sold at auction. Patek Philippe Gold Chronograph Ref. 1527 ($5.709 million, 2010, Christie’s) Sold at Christie’s in 2010 and still holding its spot in the top 10 most expensive Patek Philippe watches, this exceedingly rare perpetual calendar chronograph with a yellow-gold tonneau case more than doubled its pre-auction estimate. Its matte silver dial features applied Arabic numerals, a tachymeter scale, and three subdials for chronograph minutes, running seconds, date, and moon-phases. Its movement is stamped with the prestigious Geneva Seal, attesting to its elite level of finishing as well as its chronometric performance. 9. Patek Philippe Titaniu...
Fratello
This week, Fratello On Air returns to its normally scheduled slot with a look at some Haute Horlogerie that can be bought at a fair price. To be clear, we’re focusing more on high-end complications that usually cost an arm and a leg. This is the second half of an episode we recorded a week […] Visit Fratello On Air: Haute Horlogerie On A Budget - Relatively Speaking to read the full article.
Monochrome
Louis Erard has developed a close working relationship with contemporary artists, watchmakers, artisans, and designers to position itself as one of the most exciting and original brands on the watchmaking scene. To bring the delights of high-end watchmaking to a broader audience, Louis Erard sticks to its policy of accessible prices. What other brand can […]
Video
Is Watches & Wonders just a total "douche fest"?
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