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Results for AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants)

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Three Young Watch Designers To Keep An Eye On Fratello
Feb 20, 2024

Three Young Watch Designers To Keep An Eye On

As watch enthusiasts, we love to look back. We point at history’s legendary watch designers as the high priests of our shared passion. We are so focused on history that we may sometimes overlook today’s talents. Luckily, there still are gifted young professionals coming through the ranks. Today, I would like to put a little […] Visit Three Young Watch Designers To Keep An Eye On to read the full article.

Up Close: Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Feb 20, 2024

Up Close: Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription

Announced a year ago as only a computer-generated rendering, the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription finally arrived in tangible form earlier this year with a finished prototype that was exhibited at LVMH Watch Week. At a distance the Tourbillon Souscription is practically indistinguishable from the originals that inspired it. But up close it stands out for the high quality of execution, which in many respects is superior to the originals, as well as the subtle tweaks to the design. The Tourbillon Souscription certainly bodes well for the revival of the brand, though its future will hinge on novel and original creations. Like all future Daniel Roth watches, this was produced by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the Geneva manufacture owned by Louis Vuitton that has vertically integrated itself at a rapid pace in recent years. Initial thoughts I was surprised when I first examined the Tourbillon Souscription prototype. It manages to capture the feel of the originals, but even surpasses them in some aspects, most notably the guilloche dial. It’s worth noting the dial is done in-house by LFT’s recently-acquired guilloche workshop, though the production examples will have a dial made by Voutilainen. This level of quality certainly raises exceptions for future watches from Daniel Roth and the wider LFT stable, which includes Gerald Genta. Amongst the other visible upgrades are the decoration on the base plate visible below the tourbillon. This reflects the new calibre within that...

Vero Debuts a Collection of Officially Licensed USDA Forest Service Watches on the Workhorse Platform Worn & Wound
Feb 19, 2024

Vero Debuts a Collection of Officially Licensed USDA Forest Service Watches on the Workhorse Platform

Hot on the heels of a pair of well received watches paying tribute to Smokey Bear, Vero is back with a new collection made in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. Vero has really dug into a niche with these recent releases, bolstering their image as an authentically outdoors focused brand. I really like it when brands fully embrace something that’s obviously important to them, and Vero’s release strategy is a great example of the best example of this idea. The coolest thing about these watches, though, is that they aren’t merely exercises in licensing – they have a distinct design language in conversation with Vero’s other watches.  The Forest Service collection is made up of four watches, with each colorway inspired by Forest Service teams charged with protecting US forests and grasslands. The Airtanker has a red/orange dial that matches the color of the fire retardants used in fighting forest fires, the Ranger has a black dial with green and khaki accents meant to evoke the iconic Forest Service uniforms, the Hotshot features bright yellow accents that match the uniforms of the teams who go by the same name and have a particular expertise in forest fire behavior, and the Service Green watch has a bright green tone that matches Forest Service utility vehicles. Looking at the collection as a whole, it’s clear that Vero is having fun with color here, something we always appreciate in a space still dominated by conservative choices and monotone design decis...

Chiming Watches: 12 Exceptional Minute Repeaters, Alarms, Sonneries, a Teddy Baldassarre
Feb 19, 2024

Chiming Watches: 12 Exceptional Minute Repeaters, Alarms, Sonneries, a

Chiming watches represent one of the most coveted types of complicated watches in the world - despite the fact that they are also one of the most archaic and, in practical terms, obsolete. The most popular type is the minute repeater, which chimes the time audibly on demand; it was invented for pocket watches in the 18th and 19th Century as a practical method of alerting its wearer of the current time in the dark, in the era before electric lighting and luminous details on watch dials. Definitively regarded as more a luxury today than a tool, a minute repeater has an independent chiming mechanism with two small hammers striking coiled metal gongs, generally activated by a slide on the side of the case, to produce different tones for the hour, quarter hour, and minute. The most sophisticated of these chiming watches might also include a grande sonnerie, and/or petite sonnerie: the former perpetually strikes the hour every hour and the hour plus the quarter-hour at every quarter, without any need for the wearer to activate it with a slide; the latter strikes the hour every hour, and the quarter-hour (but not the hour) every quarter, also independently of any activation by the wearer. Sometimes the chiming functions are even coordinated with moving, elaborate dial animations called automata. Watches with chiming functions tend to be rather rare and almost always prodigiously expensive, but a handful of watchmakers have managed to create examples that are slightly less compl...

Strap Review: RSM’s Luxurious Silk Straps (and a More Rugged Camo Option) Worn & Wound
Feb 19, 2024

Strap Review: RSM’s Luxurious Silk Straps (and a More Rugged Camo Option)

There comes a time when we must find the right shoes to strap our favorite watches onto our wrists. And let’s face it, we live in a time where there are many options to choose from at many price points. Besides the popular NATO-style straps and Tropic-style rubber straps, we all sorta need a good leather one in our arsenal. Or perhaps a soft perlon for these hotter days of the year. At the risk of generalizing a tad too much, I’d say that we more or less see the same straps being offered on the market everyday. And thus shopping for straps becomes a little bit overwhelming and boring just the same. Sometimes, however, a brand creates something new or proposes a fresh take on a popular style. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.  Based in Singapore, RSM has been offering unique collections of well-made straps at competitive prices since 2019. The brand started with a single-pass Herringbone Twill strap and has evolved quite a bit since. While it offers poly-cotton and various types of robust polyester straps, today we’re going to focus on two of RSM’s most recent creations: 2-piece and reversible silk straps as well as a 2-piece and one-piece Camo that has more than a few tricks up its sleeves. What will perhaps become immediately apparent is that RSM goes the extra mile to make their straps look and feel special. Whether it is how it came about finding an artisanal silk maker or new ways to weave polyester fibers together.  While most straps we se...

Tudor Discreetly Drops Black Bay Ceramic Formula 1 Special Edition SJX Watches
Tudor Discreetly Drops Black Bay Feb 19, 2024

Tudor Discreetly Drops Black Bay Ceramic Formula 1 Special Edition

Having just announced its first-ever Formula 1 sponsorship, Tudor also quietly revealed a Black Bay Ceramic for the Visa Cash App RB Formula One (VCARB) racing team. As with the standard model, the case is black ceramic, but instead of the usual black, the dial is in a striking blue that matches the livery of the team’s car (and the Visa logo). Like almost all of its special edition watches, the new Black Bay Ceramic is not for public sale but instead meant for members of VCARB team. The brand hasn’t released any official statement regarding the watch, and all that is known for now are two portraits of VCARB driver Daniel Ricciardo wearing it. The VCARB car for the 2024 season. Image – Visa Cash App RB Initial thoughts Tudor has grown imaginative and adventurous in its products and marketing in recent years, especially compared to a decade ago, which stands in contrast to its still conservative sister brand Rolex. In that regard, Tudor has become something of a platform for the Rolex group to experiment with new ideas and concepts, which was what Rolex once was decades ago, before it became the world’s biggest and most valuable watchmaker. Daniel Ricciardo. Image – Visa Cash App RB Tudor has been particularly active in collaborations with notable organisations, ranging from elite military units to America’s Cup competitors. Each collaboration, in turn, results in a watch. Even though Tudor has made a good number of collaborative special edition watches to date...

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Abandoned Golf Courses, a Huge Watch Auction in the UK, and Tactile Turn’s Latest Seasonal Pen Release Worn & Wound
Omega Rancheros Feb 17, 2024

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Abandoned Golf Courses, a Huge Watch Auction in the UK, and Tactile Turn’s Latest Seasonal Pen Release

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds by emailing us at info@wornandwound.com A Massive Watch Auction in the UK If you’re interested in picking up an interesting vintage (or modern) watch at a screaming value, regional auction houses are sometimes a great place to shop. UK based auction house Gardiner Houlgate is about to auction nearly 500 lots in a massive auction, and there’s almost certainly something for everyone. Scrolling through the selection is a dizzying experience as there are just so many watches to sift through, but some highlights, at a glance, include vintage Omega Rancheros, a Seiko Coutura solar chrono from the 90s, and a solid gold Chronoswiss jump hour with retrograde minutes display. Like we said, there’s a ton of variety. You can check out the catalog for yourself here before bidding opens next week.  When Golf Courses Go Wild  There’s something inherently peaceful about a golf course. Golf is a quiet game and a perfectly manicured course provides for a zen-like, meditative atmosphere. It’s rare, though, to see a course in anything but tip-top shape. The New York Times has an interesting story this week about golf courses that hav...

Breitling Collaborates with Victoria Beckham on the Compact Chronomat 36 SJX Watches
Breitling Collaborates Feb 16, 2024

Breitling Collaborates with Victoria Beckham on the Compact Chronomat 36

Breitling has just launched the Chronomat 36 Victoria Beckham, a limited-edition variant of its 36 mm sports watch that was conceived together with footballer David Beckham’s wife. The Victoria Beckham edition is essentially the standard model with new dials that feature the “VB” logo as the second hand counterweight, and also engraved on the case back and clasp. Notably, the model range includes a (very) pricey yellow gold model, a first for the current Chronomat. Initial Thoughts Breitling relaunched the Chronomat with the retro Rouleaux bracelet, giving it something of an integrated bracelet design. Though the fad for such sports has faded, but the Chronomat remains an attractive option among its competitors, particularly the chronograph version with the in-house B01 movement. The Victoria Beckham edition doesn’t change much of the standard model, other than dial colours and the use of yellow gold. Rather than a watch catered to enthusiasts, it is clearly is more of an effort to enlarge Breitling’s audience, which is clearly mostly male and oriented towards larger watches. This new launch instead tries to target fashion-forward women and Victoria Beckham fans. That said, it does look quite stunning in yellow gold, especially with the peppermint dial. Granted, all iterations would look better without the Victoria Beckham logo, which are fortunately subtle for the most part, but the emblems are a necessary evil in a collaboration. The steels versions start at US...

Hands-on – The Accomplished Vintage Design of the Raymond Weil Millesime Central Seconds Monochrome
Raymond Weil Feb 12, 2024

Hands-on – The Accomplished Vintage Design of the Raymond Weil Millesime Central Seconds

Furniture that looks old but is made today is usually classified as reproduction furniture, models that take design cues from the past but are crafted with contemporary materials. This very same phenomenon also applies to the watch world, especially for brands that don’t have reams of historical catalogues to dip into and select the next […]

Zenith Adds a Titanium Chronomaster Sport to the Collection Worn & Wound
Zenith Adds Feb 8, 2024

Zenith Adds a Titanium Chronomaster Sport to the Collection

The last two weeks have been big for Zenith’s El Primero line. First an El Primero Triple Calendar, then two new Chronomaster Sport references, one in green the other in rose gold with a gem set bezel. Now Zenith is dropping another entirely iteration, in a new metal: the Chronomaster Sport Titanium. The watch was announced as a part of Zenith’s partnership with famed tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown league, which kicks off its season this month. (Mouratoglou is well-known to tennis fans, but to give outsiders a sense of his stature, this guy coached Serena Williams for her last decade on tour, arguably her most dominant era.) Zenith has been the official timekeeper for the league since it launched in 2020, and the new Chronomaster Sport seems designed with that relationship and serious athletic activity in mind. The Chronomaster Sport Titanium features a 41mm grade 5 titanium case, bezel, and bracelet–though a strap option is also available for $500 less–making the watch 30% lighter than the steel models. (Surprisingly, the titanium model is also not that much more expensive than comparable steel models, coming in at $11,800 on the bracelet, versus $11,300 for a stainless steel Chronomaster Sport on the bracelet.) Titanium is also highly-resistant to corrosion, making it an ideal metal for a watch that’s meant to be worn in sweat-inducing environments. A signature of the Chronomaster Sport is its use of color, particularly on the thr...

Patek Philippe’s Price Increases And Discontinuations For 2024 - What Is Next For The Genevan Brand? Fratello
Patek Philippe s Price Increases Feb 7, 2024

Patek Philippe’s Price Increases And Discontinuations For 2024 - What Is Next For The Genevan Brand?

On February 1st, as usual, Patek Philippe communicated the new list prices to its authorized dealers. We also got the yearly list of discontinued models, which, not shockingly, includes more Nautilus references. On top of that, Patek Philippe decided to discontinue the popular Aquanaut Travel Time in stainless steel (ref. 5164A). While price increases are […] Visit Patek Philippe’s Price Increases And Discontinuations For 2024 - What Is Next For The Genevan Brand? to read the full article.

The Most Audacious TAG Heuer Releases from LVMH Watch Week Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Releases from LVMH Watch Feb 5, 2024

The Most Audacious TAG Heuer Releases from LVMH Watch Week

TAG Heuer marked LVMH Watch Week with some high-end experimental pieces. With fancy watch complications and highly scientific lasers and lab work, the watches represent impressive steps forward in technology in general. They’re also just really cool to look at. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Glassbox uses the same circular brushed finish as the Carrera Chronograph we told you about last week, and the same eye-catching teal green, which TAG Heuer says is meant to pay tribute to vintage racing colors. But the rest of its dial’s details diverge radically from that of the Chronograph. Two registers, one at the 9 o’clock and the other at the 3 o’clock, and an aperture at the 6 o’clock that lets you look into the tourbillon give the watch a very balanced and maximalist look. TAG Heuer knows they’ve got something with the Glassbox crystal design and decided not to mess with a good thing. The Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon has the same domed sapphire crystal that TAG fans have loved in other releases since this form factor debuted a year ago. The exhibition caseback is also sapphire, giving you a good look at the Heuer 02–TH20-09 movement inside. Tourbillon movements are incredibly complex, with a rotating cage surrounding the movement that offsets the effect of gravity on the accuracy of the watch. As a result, the movement is a bit bigger than the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph’s automatic movement, necessitating a 42mm dial with a 48.6mm lug to lug ...

The Schofield Watch Company Introduces a New Case Shape and Size with their Field GMT Worn & Wound
Seiko NH34 GMT They also Feb 5, 2024

The Schofield Watch Company Introduces a New Case Shape and Size with their Field GMT

For the past 15 years, UK based Schofield Watch Company has been making watches using the same case shape and dimensions, with various color and finishing details. For 2024 they are launching a brand-new case and size, as well as a new complication. Introducing the Light, a field watch with a GMT function, which retains Schofield’s design esthetics, but at a size that should appeal to today’s sensibilities.  There are two models within the Light collection. Both feature a two-piece 40mm media-blasted case with a vertically brushed bezel, and the movement powering them is the relatively new Seiko NH34 GMT. They also have domed box sapphire crystals and case backs that feature lighthouse artwork printed on a mineral glass, through which you can see parts of the movement.   The aptly named The Light One, has a light gray step dial that features a cream outer ring with black printed numerals. The hour and minute hands are painted dark for contrast, with a light colored 24hr GMT lollipop hand turning within the inner stepped portion. The Dark One, in contrast, has a darker gray center dial, with a black stepped ring and white numerals. The main hands are light gray, the lollipop GMT hand is dark gray, and the case is entirely coated in black PVD. The text, branding and logo on the dials are very discreetly printed and there is no 24hr track, which makes reading the second time zone a little challenging. Therefore, a little commitment to understanding how to read the GMT ...

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Breaking Down Sartory Billard’s New Movement, Tracking the Northern Lights, and Unboxing the Apple Vision Pro Worn & Wound
Feb 3, 2024

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Breaking Down Sartory Billard’s New Movement, Tracking the Northern Lights, and Unboxing the Apple Vision Pro

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds by emailing us at info@wornandwound.com Sartory Billard’s SB08 Movement Gets Broken Down at Revolution  Our friends at Revolution have what is easily the most interesting technical watchmaking article we’ve seen in quite some time this week. In part 2 of their examination of Sartory Billard’s SB08 caliber, Cheryl Chia takes a deep dive into the ongoing work in developing this complicated, unique, and frankly quite exciting movement that features jumping hours and jumping minutes and a tourbillon. Part 1 of the three-part series was published in October, and serves as a higher level overview of the idea behind the SB08, and a little background on the Sartory Billard brand, while this latest article digs a bit more into the weeds of the mechanics, and some of the inherent challenges in developing a movement that requires so much power. We don’t often get a view into movement design in what amounts to real time, so this is a must read for anyone with an interest in the highly complicated mechanical calibers. Chia takes us through some fairly complex watchmaking problem solving, and provides a taste of what finished watc...

Zenith Updates the Chronomaster Sport with Two New References, One of which Looks Familiar, the Other…Not So Much Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Feb 1, 2024

Zenith Updates the Chronomaster Sport with Two New References, One of which Looks Familiar, the Other…Not So Much

It’s been a big week for Frédéric Arnault and LVMH Watches. Arnault took charge of LVMH Watches earlier this month, so this is his first LVMH Watch Week at the broader helm (he has spent the last few years as CEO of TAG Heuer), and I would say it has been a strong kickoff to his tenure. Wild Hublot Masterpieces, El Primero Triple Calendars from Zenith, and yellow gold Octo Finissimos are all worthy of celebration, but it wouldn’t be LVMH Watch Week without some new additions to the Chronomaster Sport lineup. The Chronomaster Sport was first introduced back in 2021, and initial reactions were very clear that it was built as a sort of “Daytona-killer.” In the now three years since, it has proven to be so much more. Built on more history than just about any chronograph on the market, the Chronomaster Sport has proven to be a fantastic modern interpretation of the longstanding El Primero. Zenith has trickled out new variants of the Chronomaster Sport since its introduction, and despite the signature multi-colored subdials that have been both a hallmark of El Primero watches across the decades and the Chronomaster Sport, these variants have been mostly sedate. Today that changes, and in a big way. Zenith has dropped two new iterations of the Chronomaster Sport, one steel, one decidedly not. Starting with the steel release, we have what essentially amounts to a steel Chronomaster Sport with a green ceramic bezel and matching dial. While the watch is striking, this isn...

First Look – The Speake Marin One & Two Openworked Sandblasted Red Gold And Titanium Monochrome
Speake-Marin Feb 1, 2024

First Look – The Speake Marin One & Two Openworked Sandblasted Red Gold And Titanium

If Speake Marin has recently made waves with its sport-chic Ripples line, its Piccadilly case remains a brand signature Inherently Speake Marin. Watches featuring the Piccadilly case embody British elegance, controlled eccentricity, and classic Swiss Haute Horlogerie. The One & Two collection underwent a tasteful revamping in 2017 in collaboration with watch designer Eric Giroud. […]

Louis Erard’s Latest Limited Edition is a Collaboration with a Swiss Abstract Artist, and their Most Challenging Work Yet Worn & Wound
Louis Erard s Latest Limited Edition Feb 1, 2024

Louis Erard’s Latest Limited Edition is a Collaboration with a Swiss Abstract Artist, and their Most Challenging Work Yet

There’s a whole category of watches that I have come to genuinely love that I think can be fairly described as highly impractical art objects that also tell time. I wrote about one quite extensively here, and if you follow me on Instagram or have chatted with me in real life or in the Worn & Wound+ Slack community (which, to be fair, is technically “real life”) you know that I gravitate more and more toward the avant-garde, and love challenging designs that try to break what a watch even is. The new limited edition regulator from Louis Erard fits into this category nicely, and indeed was made in partnership with a Swiss abstract artist with a reputation for this type of challenging work. The new Le Régulateur Louis Erard x Olivier Mosset is perhaps the brand’s most purely abstract creation yet.  Let’s start with the obvious question: how do you tell the time on this thing? This is not an unreasonable query – many who have encountered this watch on Louis Erard’s Instagram feed since its unveiling on Tuesday morning have been confused enough to send their question into the void. I won’t say it’s “simple” because even I have to admit that telling the time on this thing is probably difficult in a pinch, but the idea is straightforward. It’s a regulator, with the top hand reading the hours, the middle the minutes, and the bottom the seconds. But the task of actually reading the time is intentionally (I’m assuming) made more challenging for a few reas...

News – H. Moser & Cie. Enters an Unexpected Global Partnership with Alpine Motorsports Monochrome
Girard-Perregaux Feb 1, 2024

News – H. Moser & Cie. Enters an Unexpected Global Partnership with Alpine Motorsports

The connection between watches and motorsport has been around for decades, specifically in Formula 1 where almost every team has signed a partnership with a prestigious watch brand. IWC and Mercedes AMG, Ferrari and Richard Mille, Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux… And all of them bringing to the table dedicated timepieces. As the 2024 Formula 1 […]

Christiaan van der Klaauw Unveils the “Amsterdam Star” SJX Watches
Christiaan van der Klaauw Unveils Feb 1, 2024

Christiaan van der Klaauw Unveils the “Amsterdam Star”

Best known for its astronomical complications, Christiaan van der Klaauw (CVDK) has created a special run of its chronograph with complete calendar and moon phase for its retailer in the Netherlands. The Ace x Christiaan van der Klaauw stAriadne Amsterdam Star is preserves the original design but adds a “fog grey” dial with star-shaped indices inspired by the “Stelline” dials found on 1950s Rolex watches. Initial thoughts The independent brand’s collaboration with Ace Jewelers is logical since both hail from the same country. The stAriadne stands out with its star indices that replaces the Arabic numerals of the standard model. A nod to the Rolex ref. 6062, star dials are relatively rare in contemporary timepieces, rendering this release quite distinctive. That being said, this is essentially an Ariadne with a new dial. Ideally, it would have been more interesting with mechanical tweaks to the largely standard Valjoux chronograph movement, a reliable but thick movement with shortish power reserve. But considering it is a limited edition of 50 pieces priced at €7,180 – about the same as the standard model – it is a reasonable proposition. A “star” dial  The stAriadne is the latest iteration of the Ariadne, one of the longstanding models in the CVDK line-up. Since its launch, the model has been powered by the Valjoux 7758, a variant of the familiar 7750 chronograph movement that has the addition of a complete calendar and moon phase. Last year, the Ari...

The Minimalist, 1970s Bulgari Bulgari Makes a Comeback SJX Watches
Bulgari Bulgari Makes Jan 31, 2024

The Minimalist, 1970s Bulgari Bulgari Makes a Comeback

Bulgari updates its signature Bulgari Bulgari wristwatch by reverting to the original format (almost). Debuted in 1977 as the brand’s first wristwatch, the model was designed by Gerald Genta, who conceived a flat bezel engraved with the brand name, reputedly inspired by ancient Roman coins. Though the model has remained in the collection size in a variety of styles, the latest version returns to the simplicity of the original, with a minimalist dial and compact, 38 mm case available only in either 18k yellow or rose gold for now. Initial thoughts The Bulgari Bulgari remains the Italian jeweller’s quintessential wristwatch, remaining recognisable despite having evolved into a multitude of iterations over the years. The appeal of the design is its distinctive style despite the simplicity, something that the latest version returns to. The new Bulgari Bulgari has a minimalist dial featuring a date at three (which purists might frown at), and rendered more wearable with a diameter of 38 mm. This scaled-down case no doubt reflects a trend found across other brands, many of which are moving towards cases in the range of 35 mm to 39 mm, often in a vintage-inspired style. Whilst the new case size is almost ideal, the date window gets in the way of the minimalist design. At the same time, an upgraded movement would have made it more appeal. While in-house, the long-in-tooth BVL 191 has a disappointingly short power reserve of 42 hours, as opposed to the norm of three days for n...

The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Gets a Jade Dial SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Jan 31, 2024

The H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Gets a Jade Dial

H. Moser & Cie. is back with another Streamliner to kick off the year. The Streamliner Tourbillon Wyoming Jade sports a dial crafted from the mineral stone – mined in the American state – and a rose gold case, while retaining the other elements from the original Streamliner Tourbillon with a Vantablack dial released in 2022. Initial thoughts Like most mineral stones, jade has a natural pattern that varies across examples. As each piece of jade has a pattern that’s slightly different from the next, no two dials are exactly the same. This unique variance is one of the key attractions of natural stone dials. Here it is paired with rose gold, a combination that works particularly well. Because it is identical in size to the earlier Streamliner Tourbillon, it also wears well. The 40 mm case sits well on my 6.5 in wrist, being neither too big nor too small thanks to the lug-less case design. This is a pricey watch in absolute terms, with a retail of CHF 109,000. That said, the value proposition is actually decent. The comparable Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon in pink gold, for instance, costs almost double. While Moser is a niche brand compared to establishment names, it offers watches that are relatively more unusual, while being comparable in overall quality. The only downside of this is arguably the edition size, which at 100 is substantial for a watch of this nature. Moser has been steadily increasing the variety and quantity of its high-end Streamliner models...

Chronopassion: Watch Retail In Paris And What To Expect Next | Revolution Top Retailers | EP 4 Revolution
Jan 31, 2024

Chronopassion: Watch Retail In Paris And What To Expect Next | Revolution Top Retailers | EP 4

Chronopassion – Revolution Top Retailers 2024 Chronopassion is a single-boutique retailer based in Paris that was established more than 36 years ago by the famed Laurent Piciotto, has gained recognition and admiration in the luxury watch industry. Despite its small size, it has been placed on the same pedestal as industry giants. The retailer is […]

The Latest in the Hublot Masterpiece Series: the Hublot MP-10 Worn & Wound
Hublot Masterpiece Series Jan 30, 2024

The Latest in the Hublot Masterpiece Series: the Hublot MP-10

There are few brands that illicit divisive opinions quite as effectively as Hublot. The watches are big, expensive, aggressively designed, overwhelming, and unmistakable. Some, like Worn & Wound’s Zach Kazan, find themselves inexplicably drawn toward the boldness of Hublot, while others find the brand’s chosen path slightly more challenging. Whether you love or hate Hublot, there’s no denying that they have been remarkably consistent in their approach, even if the watches have evolved dramatically over the years. I find myself falling somewhere in between the two camps, appreciating the willingness to experiment and technical expertise Hublot demonstrates, even on the occasions I find myself unconvinced by their chosen aesthetic. But I always take notice of their big swings, and the release of the latest piece from the Hublot Masterpiece (or MP) collection is undoubtedly a big swing. Since the inaugural release way back in 2011, the MP collection has served as a platform for Hublot to push the bounds of their technical watchmaking, and it has resulted in some awesome watches over the years. Notable examples that spring to mind are the MP-05 LaFerrari, with its 50-day power reserve and a winding mechanism that required an included power drill to operate, and the MP-08 Antikythera SunMoon, which was inspired by the same ancient device as the MacGuffin in the latest Indiana Jones movie. Looking back at previous MP releases, there can be no doubt that this latest additio...

Creativity Takes Center Stage with the Seiko Power Design Project Worn & Wound
Seiko Power Design Project From Jan 30, 2024

Creativity Takes Center Stage with the Seiko Power Design Project

From creating the world’s first automatic chronograph to creating the first quartz watch, Seiko is known for its cutting edge and revolutionary timepieces. In 2001, Seiko decided to have some fun and further encourage a culture of experimentation by starting the Seiko Power Design Project, an annual opportunity for Seiko designers to, as Seiko puts it, “deeply explore the essence of watches in a style different from their regular work and to generate innovative outputs.” Each year, designers are given a different theme, with past years tackling things like the neighborhoods or districts of Tokyo or more abstract concepts, such as “rebirth” and “fascination.” After its discontinuation in 2009, Seiko relaunched the project in 2023. This year’s Power Design Project has delivered another crop of unique watches under the theme of “incredibly specialized watches.” The standout of the collection is the Ambidextrous, a watch that can be worn on the left hand or the right-with it appearing a different color depending on which way it’s facing. Designer Kento Ito accomplished the optical illusion with a steel case painted black on one half and a dial painted with black and white stripes that trick your eye into thinking the dial is white or black depending on the viewing perspective. Hour, minute, and second hands extend past the center of the dial, with one half black and the other white to complete the illusion. It’s the sort of fun trick that would have y...