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Review: Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin - A Romantic Note
We take a look at the new Vacheron Constantin “La Musique du Temps” Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin - A Romantic Note.
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We take a look at the new Vacheron Constantin “La Musique du Temps” Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin - A Romantic Note.
Time+Tide
NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry to validate … ContinuedThe post The Enabler: How To Justify Buying Another Watch. (#4: “The Milestone Celebration”) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
As Martin Green piloted the McLaren 720S Spider the first few meters through the busy streets of Munich, he was instantly surprised. Not about its powerful engine, which puts out an impressive 710 bhp, or the retractable hardtop and great-sounding engine notes, but at the ease with which this car drives at low speeds. And that's not all. Find out what else it can do here.
Quill & Pad
Back in 2018, Ian Skellern published a provocative article taking issue with the current state of online watch journalism. Specifically, he criticized what in his view is the low quality and repetitive nature of what we see online. But are things really uniform and uniformly bad or are there distinct types of online sources and content? GaryG wonders how we think about the different business models and value propositions of watch sites, and what it tells us about how the future may unfold.
SJX Watches
Originally set up by Vacheron Constantin to build custom or bespoke watches upon client commission – like this minimalist grand complication – Les Cabinotiers has undergone a subtle evolution since chief executive Louis Ferla took over in 2017. Les Cabinotiers now creates a small collection of one-off timepieces each year. Most are marketed to the firm’s top clients, typically at a luxe but low-key annual event, but a selection is launched at SIHH. This year’s Les Cabinotiers presentation is now taking place in Singapore, and amongst the watches unveiled is the graceful Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘Romantic Note’. The watch has a largish 41mm pink gold case in the style of the Traditionnelle line, which means straight, simple lines, giving it a fairly modern look. But the dial is eminently classical: eggshell-coloured fired enamel with all the markings, namely the railway minute track and numerals, done in black enamel, matched with Breguet-style hands. Reminiscent of the asymmetrical Historiques 1921, the dial is unusual in its typography – the numerals look like Breguet numerals but are not quite, instead they are slightly more italicised, with less line variation, and heavier in weight. The movement inside is the cal. 1731, the slim, hand-wound movement that’s also found in the regular-production Patrimony minute repeater. It features a centrifugal governor for the repeater. Key facts and price Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ...
Time+Tide
NOTE: We understand that you’ve found a new watch to add to your collection (congratulations!). But rationalising this fact – coupled with the fact that it’ll cost a bucket-load of cash – may not always sit well with the less horologically minded. That’s where we come in … Use The Enabler’s advanced levels of sophistry … ContinuedThe post The Enabler: How To Justify Buying Another Watch #3 … “It’s A Symbol Of Moral Resistance Against The Spiritual Decay Of Modern Life” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
I recently had the privilege of attending an event with Seiko that focused on their Save the Ocean collection, and the work that can be done with the funds raised. While the event itself was an interesting blend of experience and information, I’ll explain exactly what the Seiko Save the Ocean collection is first. If … ContinuedThe post Saving the Ocean with Seiko Prospex appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Anyone looking for a capable and exceedingly handsome dress watch on a relatively low budget needs to sit up and pay attention now, because this Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic is unquestionably one of the bargains of the moment. Here is a wristwatch that retails for a mere $4600 AUD, and yet it’s powered by … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Is this Baume & Mercier the best dress watch you can buy for under $5K? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
We’ve said it before, but if you ask a watch geek their thoughts on the humble G-Shock, chances are they’ll give it the tick of approval. Because when it comes to the G-Shock, not only are they incredibly robust watches that are basically bulletproof, but they also exist beyond the horizon of haute horology and … ContinuedThe post What Sealed The Deal – Albert’s rainbow G-Shock appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The story in a second: The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 blue dial is a familiar face, which has been sleekly refined. If you know TAG Heuer, you’ll know the Carrera chronograph, a wristwatch that has been trackside at motorsport events for decades, offering those behind the wheel a functional timing tool. While some of … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16 blue dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
It'll be out of this world.
Quill & Pad
Phillips Game Changers is a compact auction featuring 74 lots, among them the usual array of rare, fine, and attractive Rolex and Patek Philippe models. But there are a few watches in this auction that are notable for reasons outside of the fact that they fine, rare, attractive, and made by certain brands. And it is these watches that Elizabeth Doerr highlights here. Oh, and spoiler: there are indeed two Rolex models among them, but you’ll see why.
SJX Watches
Here’s part II of highlights at Phillips’ Double Signed auction – you’ll find the first part here – including a lovely Audemars Piguet “Gobbi” chronograph with a green gold dial, as well as a gorgeous Patek Philippe Ref. 1463 “pink on pink” that’s more affordable than usual, for a reason. Lot 35 – Patek Philippe ref. 2499 in pink gold “Trucchi” The most valuable lot in the sale, with an estimate over 1.2m francs, is the Patek Philippe ref. 2499 third series in pink gold. It’s one of only six pink gold third series watches known; in fact, the total number of ref. 2499s in pink gold across all four series totals just 23. And this is the only one with the “Trucchi” signature on the dial, having been sold by the retailer in Naples that’s still in operation today. According to Phillips, it was sold by Trucchi to an Italian-American doctor in 1972, who then sold it to the consignor who sold the watch at auction in 1999 at Antiquorum in Geneva. It sold for almost 700,000 francs then, making it one of the most expensive watches in the world at the time. The watch is in exemplary condition, albeit with one quirk: the crystal is sapphire instead of PlexiGlas as is standard for the third series. Found only on fourth series ref. 2499s, the sapphire crystal and accompanying bezel was presumable installed by Patek Philippe in the 1980s according to Phillips, since the watch already had a sapphire crystal when it was sold in 1999. Lot 50 – Patek Phili...
Time+Tide
Boutique British watchmaker Farer have just released what many in the horological community are calling their best watch to date – the Farer Roché World Timer. Hewn from 316L stainless steel, the svelte 39mm case of the Roché World Timer is a mere 11mm thick, ensuring that the timepiece offers a great amount of bandwidth … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Farer Roché World Timer appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
If you are into watches and in the New York area, you'll want to check out WatchTime New York held in Manhattan’s stylish Gotham Hall on Saturday and Sunday, 25-26 October, 2019. Here Sabine Zwettler highlights a few of her favorite pieces on show there.
Time+Tide
Omega has just opened their latest Museum in the heart of the “La Cité du Temps” in Biel, Switzerland. The museum, which has a decidedly modern aesthetic, was designed by the award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who is famed for his groundbreaking work with paper and recycled cardboard. Housed inside the contemporary institution is a … ContinuedThe post Omega’s contemporary new museum offers a unique glimpse into its past appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
From 2020 onwards, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) will be known as Watches & Wonders Geneva, adopting the name of an event that first started in Hong Kong before migrating to Miami in the wake of the slowdown in the Chinese territory. Last year’s shock announcement by industry giant Swatch Group that it would depart Baselworld permanently set up off chain of events: a botched response that led to the resignation of the chief executive of the fair’s organiser MCH Group, and then a full-year loss for MCH. Some prominent brands like Breitling also decided to leave Baselworld, though the giants, like LVMH and Rolex, have opted to stay. Since then Baselworld’s new management has announced a flurry of new initiatives and programmes, starting with Baselworld announcing it would unite with SIHH after a decade’s separation. It’s also revealed an unimpressive hotel deal and more recently, a concierge service for visitors. All of that seems to have compelled the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), the organiser of SIHH – a watch fair in healthy condition compared to Baselworld – to do something as well. And so they have, with the goal of making the event more consumer centric. Rebranded but pretty much unchanged Palexpo forever Despite the name change, the format of the event appears pretty much the same. The Salon with its 30 exhibiting brands will take place as it always has, at the Palexpo conventional hall beside Geneva airport, loca...
SJX Watches
Located around the corner from its old premises, the Omega Museum has just reopened within La Cité du Temps – “The City of Time” – an impressive glass and wood building designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who has worked with the brand on several projects, including its new factory. Connected to the new Swatch brand headquarters via an aerial bridge, La Cité du Temps sits just behind Omega’s main building in Biel, a city about 90 minutes from Zurich by train. Appropriately, it is on a street named after Nicolas G. Hayek, founder of the Swatch Group, the Swiss watchmaking conglomerate that’s Omega’s parent company. La Cite du Temps, the horizontal building in the middle La Cite du Temps at right While the original museum was opened in 1983, making it the oldest watch brand museum in the world, the new museum sits on the second level of the five-story La Cité du Temps, with the Swatch Museum one floor above and another floor dedicated to temporary exhibitions. The new premises give the Omega Museum an expansive space to detail the watchmaker’s long and diverse history on a scale that was impossible in the museum’s former home, which it shared with the company canteen. The 64-window display that’s built like the links of a steel watch bracelet Each of the key themes in Omega history are captured in comprehensive exhibits, including being the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, the Speedmaster Professional and the Moon landing – ...
SJX Watches
Designer of some of the most striking wristwatches of the 1960s, jeweller Gilbert Albert (1930-2019), passed away in his hometown of Geneva on October 1 , 2019. He was 90. Son of a newspaper deliveryman, Albert trained as a jeweller at Geneva’s l’Ecole des Arts Industriels and was only in his mid 20s when he joined Patek Philippe in 1955 as a designer. In his seven years at the watchmaker, which was then led by Henri Stern, himself a trained jeweller, Albert was responsible for some of the most radical watch cases of the era. These strikingly asymmetrical timepieces, like the Asymétrie wristwatches and Ricochet pocket watches, are still incredible designs six decades on. Gilbert Albert. Photo – lenouvelliste.ch He then set up his own workshop in 1962, where he became known for the use of unusual materials like coral and meteorite, all installed in quirky, unique jewellery desirable enough that frequent fakes eventually emerged. Albert also designed watches and jewellery for other watchmakers, most notably Omega, where he created several collections, including the Maille d’Or and Arabesque d’Or, all characterised by a distinctive, almost organic style. With his success, Albert built a small but highly regarded jewellery business. He opened his first store in his hometown in 1973, sited on rue de la Corraterie, a street just outside the walls of Geneva’s Old Town. Ten years later that was followed by a boutique in Zurich. Albert’s boutique in Gen...
Revolution
A young team headed by a 24-year-old movement specialist pulled off a technological coup that resulted in the robust, low-cost, ubiquitous Valjoux/ETA 7750.
Hodinkee
You'll never look at a watch dial the same way again.
SJX Watches
Having created a number of appealing and accessibly priced “tool” watches over the years including the Seastrong Diver Heritage and the KM-710, Alpina now unveils the Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph, powered by a single-button chronograph movement supplied by its sister company, La Joux-Perret. The Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph is the second mechanical chronograph in the Alpina catalogue; the first was the Alpiner 4 Manufacture Flyback, which had a Valjoux 7750, likewise modified by La Joux-Perret to include a flyback function. The brand Alpina was actually founded over 130 years ago but fell victim to the quartz crisis in the 1970s. Then in 2002, it was acquired by Frederique Constant, which was itself then acquired by Citizen of Japan in 2016. Now, like its sister company Frederique Constant, it specialises in accessibly priced watches, made possible in part by the movement making expertise of La Joux-Perret. As with most Alpina watches, the Startimer Pilot Heritage chronograph combines retro design with modern dimensions and build. Its styling is recognisably 1970s, and evokes the experimental spirit of the era without being overtly flashy or eccentric. Measuring 42mm by 40.7mm, the Startimer Pilot Heritage Chronograph features a cushion case with the chronograph pusher located at two o’clock. Like all cushion-cased watches of the 1970s, it has a radially brushed top surface and case band that are separated by a wide polished bevel, which enha...
Time+Tide
OK, we’ll skip the whole “shaken, not stirred” routine and skip to the salient facts. Omega has just released its latest Bond-themed timepiece, the Omega Seamaster 50th Anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – and it’s pretty awesome. Limited to just 7007 pieces (see what they did there?), the Bond watch pays homage to, … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Omega Seamaster 50th Anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
The Watch – A Twentieth Century Style History serves both the newbie and the seasoned enthusiast; a book you’ll keep at hand for constant referral.
SJX Watches
One of Switzerland’s most important timepiece museums, the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH), is raising funds with a limited edition, rising hours wristwatch that’s both cleanly styled and affordable. Arriving some 14 years after the first, minimalist MIH watch created by independent watchmakers Ludwig Oechslin and Paul Gerber, the MIH Gaïa watch, named after the annual Gaïa Prize given out by the MIH, is the result of a collaboration between watch industry suppliers located in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the hometown of the MIH. The MIH Gaïa watch will be crowdfunded, and a minimum number of orders will be needed for it to enter production. Importantly, the MIH Gaïa watch is priced at about US$2400, half what the original MIH watch with an annual calendar cost about a decade ago, making it a compelling value proposition. A local collaboration Each aspect of the watch, from design to the case, was the work of a local supplier. Some are little known outside the industry, like buckle maker Cornu & Cie, while others are famous – the dial was made by Jean Singer & Cie, best known for the dials it made for Rolex and Patek Philippe in the mid 20th century. Slightly bowl-shaped, the case of the watch is inspired by the MIH building, while the domed dial is inspired by the spherical Gaïa Prize trophy. Time is indicated on two discs: rising hours in a window at 12 o’clock, and the the minutes on a disc just below. It’s a classically sized timepiece...
Time+Tide
If you’ll pardon the pun, Moser pioneered the development of elegant, perpetual calendars with their subtle Endeavour, which saw the month displayed using a short hand, mounted on the central pinion, and using the 12-hour markers as surrogates for the months of the year. Well, this model, the Pioneer Dual Window Perpetual Calendar, sees the brand … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Dual Window Perpetual Calendar appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Not everything in the watch world has to be same-samey. And the Farer Aqua Compressor Hecla is a great example of that. It’s got two crowns, a big, cushiony case and style for days. If left-of-centre is your thing, you’ll want to have a read of Andy’s review … A parcel recently landed … ContinuedThe post Two crowns, great watch – the Farer Aqua Compressor Hecla appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Longines’ Master Collection excels at entry-level complications that are affordably priced – last year’s annual calendar is a great buy – and the latest in the range is a moon phase and date. The Master Collection Moonphase is a watch that’s clear in what it wants to to. Aside from the time, it has a pointer date and moon indicators in a sub-dial at six, for a clean and symmetrical dial. The Master Collection Moonphase ref. L2.919.4.78.3 It’s powered by the L899 movement, an automatic based on the ETA A31.L91, which is an upgraded version of the common ETA 2892. The most obvious functional upgrade is the extended 64-hour power reserve, achieved in part by reducing the beat rate of the balance wheel from 4Hz to 3.5Hz. Like many other models in the Master Collection, the new moon phase is offered in two cases sizes – 40mm and 42mm – both in stainless steel. Dial options are silvered barleycorn guilloche, black barleycorn, or sun-ray brushed metallic blue. The smaller, 40mm case is also offered with brilliant-cut diamond hour markers on all dial styles. The Master Collection Moonphase 42mm The ref. L2.909.4.97.0 with diamond markers Key facts Diameter: 40mm or 42mm Material: Stainless steel Water resistance: 30m Movement: L899 Functions: Hours, minutes, second, moon phase and date Winding: Automatic Frequency: 25,200bph, or 3.5Hz Power reserve: 64 hours Strap: Leather strap or steel bracelet Price: US$2,350 for all versions, US$2,750 for the 40...
Time+Tide
First uncovered in the tomb of a 17th century Genevan clockmaker, the words which are now passed into lore: “Every time someone says the GPHG is the Oscars of the watch world, a bunny dies.” So as to avoid the death of any more happy hoppers, I’ll describe the GPHG as the biggest prize in … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: The problem with the GPHG appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
If you’ve been reading what I’ve been reading over the last couple of weeks, you’ll have noticed I’m particularly interested in how the primary and secondary watch markets interact with each other, and what that looks like in specific contexts like an auction room. All that leads to is a question: does the collectible watch … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Does the collectible watch change over time? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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