Hodinkee
Just Because: Five Under-The-Radar Watchmakers To Follow On Instagram
Look outside the big brands and give these guys a follow.
42,093 articles · 280 videos found · page 720 of 1413
Hodinkee
Look outside the big brands and give these guys a follow.
SJX Watches
Many great human endeavours that Rolex has been part of have a distinctly earthly ring to them. From Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summiting the world’s tallest mountain to Jacques Piccard reaching the deepest point in the oceans, or even Fidel Castro journeying through Cuba’s rainforests, a great deal of the planet has been covered with a Rolex keeping time. While Geneva watchmaking giant has sponsored various explorers over the decades, its focus has now shifted subtly, but substantially. Rolex will support ecologically minded explorers of the natural world, specifically to help them learn how to preserve it. Named Perpetual Planet, this doubtlessly well funded initiative consolidates three of the company’s key partnerships – the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, its longterm association with the National Geographic Society, and Mission Blue, led by American oceanographer Sylvia Earle. The Wilsdorf legacy While it is easy to be cynical about a maker of luxury watches claiming to do good, charity is not merely a box to be ticked at Rolex. The founder of Rolex, Hans Wilsdorf, had no children and upon his death in 1960, gifted his ownership of the watch brand to an eponymous foundation that’s one of the largest charitable foundations in Europe. Though it operates discreetly, the foundation does so on an immense scale, especially in relation to its home country, which is wealthy but small. From saving the Geneva’s football club to bankrolling the...
Deployant
Following the release of the Ref. 5230 in 2016, Patek Philippe introduces the new World Time Ref. 5231J with a cloisonné enamel center.
Hodinkee
A closer look at one of the latest complete calendar wristwatches from Vacheron Constantin.
Revolution
Bart and Tim Gronefeld - affably known as The Grönefeld Brothers get together with REVOLUTION to talk about their 10th Anniversary and the 1941 Remontoire.
Deployant
Mankind have often been fascinated with aviation and the idea of flying. Since eons ago, Man have devised ways to keep themselves airborne. Of course, the idea had progressed even further with technological and engineering capabilities – notably with the space program that various countries and corporations have partaken, or are currently partaking. As theRead More
SJX Watches
Originally a no-nonsense dive watch made for the frogmen of the Italian navy during the Second World War, Panerai has been moving towards more civilian-friendly sports watches. The evolution is best illustrated by the Luminor Due, which is smaller and thinner, and as far removed from a traditional Panerai as possible while still retaining the signature crown locking mechanism. At the same time, Panerai has also rolled out watches that are oversized like the military originals, but with an increasingly variety of dial colours, like the quartet with blue dials in 2016. Such metallic blue dials are currently fashionable, so it’s no surprise Panerai has continued with the same colour. The recent Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT PAM01033 is essentially an upsized, 44mm version of the PAM 688 from 2016. I had one on the wrist for a few days – here’s how the test drive went. Compared with the earlier PAM 688, size is not the only difference with the new Luminor PAM 1033. A small but significant design tweak is the colour of the hands: instead of gold hands as as before, the hands now match the case. Though the change is seemingly minor, it gives the watch a different look, one that’s more contemporary, because the hands, though small, are the focal point on the dial. But the beige Super-Luminova on the dial and hands is faux-vintage, which does not quite match the newness of the blue dial. The dial is a “sandwich” construction, a signature feature of Paner...
Hodinkee
Omega is gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics, which are just a year away.
Revolution
In Part 2 of our series on the watch industry’s greatest leaders, we look at three individuals who have transformed the landscape of Swiss watchmaking.
Hodinkee
A new Grand Lange 1 celebrates a quarter-century of the Lange 1 with 25 examples.
Revolution
The Lange 1’s 25th anniversary family of watches gets a grand addition: introducing the Grand Lange 1 “25th Anniversary”.
SJX Watches
The story of the A. Lange & Söhne 25th anniversary set is now well known: slated for October launch, the set will comprise 10 different Lange 1 watches, all clad in the same blue and silver livery. One watch has been announced a month since the start of the year, and the latest addition is the Grand Lange 1 “25th Anniversary”. First introduced in 2003, the Grand Lange 1 was initially criticised for meddling with an iconic design. It has since matured well, helped by several redesigns as well as a movement conceived specifically for the watch. Grand Lange 1 25th Anniversary Bigger and better It’s the larger brother of the Lange 1, with a case diameter that’s 2.5mm larger; making it 41mm compared to 38.5mm for the classic Lange 1. But because the movement inside was designed to fit the watch, it scales up the design while adhering strictly to the proportions and geometry of the original Lange 1. The new movement was required to accommodate the signature, off-centre displays of the Lange 1, which sit on a neat grid. The cal. L095.1 is 34.1mm, compared to the 30.4mm of the first generation Lange 1 movement, the L901.0. An upside of the larger movement is the consolidation of the twin barrels of the smaller Lange 1 into a single, larger barrel, while still maintaining the 72-hour power reserve. That leads to a small but crucial difference on the dial of the Grand Lange 1: the lettering at seven o’clock reads “Gangreserve 72 Stunden”, German for ...
Revolution
URWERK creates the UR-105 The Hour Glass to mark the Singapore based retailer’s 40th anniversary.
Hodinkee
One of the world's most elegant superwatches.
Revolution
De Bethune creates the DB 28 Steel Wheels Blue to mark The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary.
SJX Watches
Singapore retailer The Hour Glass kicked off its 40th anniversary limited editions with the all-platinum Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph, now followed by a pair of watches from leading independent watchmakers, De Bethune and Urwerk. The Singapore retailer is getting a three-piece limited edition based on the current UR-105, but one that’s also a throwback to the brand’s early creations. In aged bronze and titanium, The UR-105 “The Hour Glass” similar to the UR-105 CT Bronze unveiled earlier this year, but streamlined and sans the sprung lid over the front – a simplification of the design that’s also an improvement. Appropriate enough for a retailer that’s been selling Urwerk for 15 years, the commemorative edition features elements borrowed from Urwerk models over the years, creating a watch that’s a nostalgic reminder of the brand’s foundational watches from the early 2000s. UR-103 reborn The UR-105 was launched in 2014 as the successor to the UR-103, first launched in 2003. The bestselling Urwerk to date and arguably the brand’s signature watch, the UR-103 was the watch that made Urwerk a champion of avant-garde mechanical watchmaking. A nod to that milestone watch, the commemorative UR-105 features a U-shaped sapphire crystal, just as it was on the UR-103.03. While the very first version of the watch, the UR-103.01, featuring a narrow, curved window for the time, the UR-103.03 of 2005 expanded the view with a far larger cry...
SJX Watches
De Bethune is the latest amongst a number of watchmakers to take the covers off a commemorative edition to mark the 40th anniversary of Singapore watch retail powerhouse The Hour Glass. For the occasion, De Bethune has put together a variant of its signature DB28 with sprung lugs that’s entirely clad in brilliant, blued titanium. First unveiled in polished titanium in 2018, the Steel Wheels is essentially a DB28 wearing a little less. A partially open-worked dial – which is actually the delta-shaped barrel bridge – reveals its pair of skeletonised barrels and gears. While the original Steel Wheels captures the essence of De Bethune, combining its trademark design with the brand’s fundamental technical innovations, it was lacking a generous dose of blued titanium, a gorgeous, heat-treated alloy that is synonymous with the brand. Colour consistency That has now been rectified with the DB28 Steel Wheels Blue, arguably the purest – and bluest – distillation of the brand’s core values and technical achievements. It features an intense, mirror-polished, blued titanium case and dial that form a striking contrast against the exposed inner mechanics. Though blued titanium is also used by other brands today, De Bethune was amongst the first to mirror-polish its titanium cases and more crucially, started using heat treatment to blue titanium way back in 2006. An example of an early De Bethune using blued titanium, a DB25L from 2010 with a blued dial...
Revolution
Famous for the invention of the tourbillon, REVOLUTION takes a look at another pillar for one of watchmaking’s oldest brands: Guilloché.
Deployant
In this 1-on-1, we compare the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph and the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955.
SJX Watches
As it marks the 50th year of the Moon landing, Omega introduced a variety of Speedmaster Moonwatches in steel and in gold, but none with the revived cal. 321 movement, until now. The first watch to land the cal. 321 – a second will debut later in the year – is the ultra-luxe Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum that’s a special, as opposed to a limited, edition. Visually it’s pretty much a typical Speedmaster Professional, save for the use of expensive materials for all the external components. The case is the standard 42mm with twisted, “lyre” lugs, but rendered in a particular platinum alloy, Pt950Au20, that is 95% platinum along with a small amount of gold. The bezel is also platinum, with an insert in black ceramic with white enamel markings. The “stepped” dial, as it was on vintage Speedmasters, is made of polished black onyx, while the hour, minute and register hands, along with the hour markers, are 18k white gold (the central seconds hand is plated brass, a necessity because the reset function requires it to be lightweight). All the chronograph sub-dials are made of moon meteorite. The case back reveals the cal. 321, a remake of the Lemania CH27 of the mid 20th century. Found in the early Speedmaster models, where it was named the Omega cal. 321, the movement has been reproduced in great detail. And according to Omega, it is distinct from its distant relative, the modern day Lemania cal. 2310 that has been in continuous production for several d...
Hodinkee
The latest Grand Seiko limited edition sports a dial inspired by a Japanese blizzard.
Revolution
Revolution pays tribute to the best chronograph movement there ever was, the Omega Calibre 321 (also known as the Lemania 2310).
Deployant
Chill out Thursday: Musings on the Haselblad X1D camera system. DEPLOYANT Chill Out TGIF: Musings over the Hasselblad X1D camera system
Revolution
How Omega first Commemorated the Apollo 11: The BA 145.022 – the astronauts who received them and where their watches are now.
Hodinkee
One Speedy for each year since mankind landed on the moon.
Hodinkee
The photographer and adventurer offers an inside look at climbing Everest, finding the motivation, and skirting death – all while rocking a unique Vacheron Constantin prototype.
SJX Watches
Kennsen Watches makes its debut with a notably clever and well-priced annual calendar chronograph powered by a patented calendar module on top of a Valjoux 7750. Though Kennsen is newly set-up, its founder David Lea specialises in constructing complications for other brands, explaining the surprising degree of technical innovation for a small start-up. Annual calendar chronographs are relatively uncommon on the market and most are fairly costly – Patek Philippe and Ulysse Nardin are amongst the handful of brands that offer one – making the new Kennsen the most affordable example today, with a retail price of just over US$5000. Despite its affordability, the Kennsen annual calendar chronograph is entirely Swiss-made. The case is produced by Victorinox, the famed maker of Swiss army knives and also watches, while the module was designed by Lea & Associé – Mr Lea’s design outfit – and manufactured by a firm in the Vallée de Joux. Made of stainless steel, the case is 42mm in diameter, with a polished bezel and case back, while the case band has a brushed finish. The dial, available in either black or champagne, has a clean and pleasant design. It features recessed sub-dials, applied indices and a telemeter scale in miles and kilometres on the outer rim. At one o’clock is a day and night indicator displayed in a small aperture, and nestled subtly next to the central axis of the dial is the month display, aligned on the same axis as the date at three. ...
Hodinkee
It's the end of Dive Month and we're finishing off strong.
Revolution
Meta: Bearing one of the rarest of horological complications, MB&F; releases another limited edition of its dual regulator Legacy Machine N°2.
Time+Tide
So it’s a little bit weird to be writing an intro blurb for my own ‘Every Watch Tells a Story’ video, but there you go. I’d also say that my own ‘story’, brief as it is, doesn’t stack up to some of the others we’ve got in terms of drama. But it is my story, … ContinuedThe post Felix’s first nice watch – an Archimede Pilot that’s still in the rotation 10 years on appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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