804 articles · 13 videos found · page 9 of 28
Revolution
Before the “A Journey Through Time” symposium session at Cartier’s flagship boutique in ION Singapore, Wei had the opportunity to catch up with Shary Rahman, an esteemed collector and a friend of Revolution. They discussed his Cartier collecting journey, during which we had an exclusive chance to look at Shary’s Cartier New Special Order Tank […]
SJX Watches
Documenting the origins and evolution of the jeweller’s best-known timepieces, A Journey Through Time is now taking place at Cartier’s flagship boutique in Singapore located in the ION Orchard mall. Continuing until February 2, 2024, the exhibition explores the brand’s history through a curated display of historical timepieces, ranging from classic, early-20th century examples to quintessential Cartier London designs of the Swinging Sixties. The watches on show trace the development of form cases, from rectangles to ovals and everything in between, which came to symbolise the brand. These case shapes, as well as the familiar Roman numerals and blued hands, are now integral elements of Cartier’s design lexicon. Some of the earliest watches on display including a Santos (1926), Tonneau (1911), and Tortue monopoussoir chronograph (1936) Signature Cartier London examples (from left), JJC (1974), Maxi Oval (1969), and Pebble (1972) According to Cartier, the inspiration for this exhibition came from Time Project, a collection of 12 short films directed by the Norwegian fashion photographer and filmmaker Sølve Sundsbø. Starring American actor Jake Gyllenhaal, the films captured the brand’s relationship with time and are playing on screens in the exhibition area showing the brand’s current models. However, enthusiasts will be there primarily for the 23 timepieces from the Cartier Collection, the brand’s treasure trove of vintage watches, clocks, jewellery, and ot...
Time+Tide
Back in 2014, I wrote my first article for Time & Tide. It was a review of the Rolex GMT Master II, reference 116710BLNR which unfortunately came to be well known as the “Batman GMT”. This nickname is all well and good, except I don’t like Batman. You’d be forgiven for wondering why anyone named … ContinuedThe post Ruminations on my Rolex GMT journey that took me from Batman to Root Beer with a few diversions along the way appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
For Only Watch 2019, F. P. Journe debuts a prototype timepiece with a suite of astronomical complications, and more.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A journey of epic proportions is taken by Kaz as he sojorns to the Seiko Miami Boutique to make one of the coolest limited edition Seiko divers ever released his. He catalogs his experience buying the watch - plus he gets to try some real japanese whiskey while stressing the important of developing a positive partnership with a brand that's special to him. In other news, Mike's wrist still longs for that sweet horological caress post watchfast.
Time+Tide
If Bell & Ross’s Skull Bronze implicitly referenced the golden age of exploration with its nautical case material, the BR 01 Instrument de Marine is far more explicit in its influence. This distinctive watch is inspired by marine chronometres, naval timekeeping devices that were crucial for navigation in a pre-electronic age – the eighteenth century … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Bell & Ross BR 01 Instrument de Marine – an eighteenth century take on their classic square pilot appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
The two most important examples of independent watchmaking in Only Watch 2024 are arguably the stealthy F.P. Journe Chronomètre Furtif Bleu and the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique, each a significant creation of a leading watchmaker of his generation (and interesting enough, both are sports watches). Inspired by mid-20th century explorer’s watches that were magnetism-resistant, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique (RRCA) is an elegant but robust watch with a stainless steel case and an entirely new calibre equipped with an indirectly-driven centre seconds with a hacking, zero-reset mechanism. In its Only Watch form, the RRCA is a unique watch but also a prototype for a new line of elegant sports watches. NB: The watch pictured is a work in progress that is not entirely finished so the dial is a prototype and the movement is not perfectly clean. It will be delivered in a perfect state to the eventual owner. Initial thoughts Many of the RRCA’s details bring to mind mid-20th century “sports” watches. Not the sports watches we know of today, but rather the water-resistant Patek Philippe watches made in the 1940s and 1950s for gentlemen sportsmen and adventurers. This reflects with Rexhep Rexhepi’s respect for traditional Geneva watchmaking, which is also expressed in the RRCC but in a different manner. The RRCA subtly marks a new direction for Rexhep Rexhepi’s aesthetics. It’s clearly a thoughtful evolution of the RRCC. While the RRCC is a dress watch, ...
WristBuzz
Girard-Perregaux turns last year's 50th-anniversary limited edition into a four-watch core collection. New 36mm sizes, two enamel dials, and the in-house GP4800.
Revolution
Hodinkee
Boom goes the dynamite.
Hodinkee
Five of our favorites in the HODINKEE Shop this week.
Hodinkee
This is rare air for independent watchmaking.
Revolution
Quill & Pad
The Ferdinand Berthoud Chronométre FB 3SPC represents an entirely new collection and a core part of the Ferdinand Berthoud ideology, impeccable horology based on the history of the brand’s namesake, all built to the highest modern standards. The FB 3SPC is a stunning journey into horological history.
SJX Watches
What can one infer from a drawing of a new timepiece? As it turns out, a fair bit. The below sketch is the only bit of information revealed by Akrivia for its contribution to Only Watch 2021, the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II (RRCCII). Despite the paucity of information, much can still be deduced from the single image. Initial impressions The most apparent fact that can be gleaned the sketch is a deadbeat seconds – a seconds hand that jumps discretely once a second. We can infer this from the star and flirt mechanism. The star is mounted on the escape wheel, which is located at six o’clock and completes a revolution once every five seconds. The star blocks the rotation of a flirt, a long lever that presses against the face of the star’s teeth. After each second, the star rotates far enough that the tooth provides enough clearance to release the flirt, allowing the star to rotate until the flirt contacts the next tooth of the star. This sudden release of the flirt is what controls the burst of rotational energy that drives the deadbeat second geartrain. Further inferences can be made from our May 2020 chat with Rexhep, where he hinted the RRCCII will have twin barrels powering separate going trains. In retrospect, that now makes sense in the context of the deadbeat seconds. One barrel drives the going train for timekeeping, including the escape wheel and the star. The other barrel drives a secondary gear train for the deadbeat seconds hand and the flirt...
SJX Watches
On a recent trip to Geneva I dropped by the Akrivia workshops in the city’s Old Town and spotted the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch”, still in its constituent parts and almost ready for assembly. The dial, however, was finished and gorgeous. It’s a serene grey-blue, made of translucent enamel over a hand-hammered dial plate. Produced with lots of careful effort and a tiny hammer, the hammered finish is usually only applied to Akrivia’s gold dials found on the AK series watches, and is being combined with enamel for the first, and probably only, time. It was a tedious process to get right, which is why the Akrivia is one of the last to be completed amongst the Only Watch line-up. Produced by the same Geneva enamel artisan that does the fired enamel, or grand feu, dials of the standard watch, this dial for the Only Watch example is the second one made, hence “version 2” on its packaging. Rexhep felt the first dial made was not up to scratch – it had too much variation in colour – and had a second one produced. And the first dial was finished only after a handful of trial runs, where it was established that the thinning effect of the hammered surface meant it could not be counter-enamelled on the back as the standard dials are. Aside from the hammered surface, the dial is also unique because the markings are painted in fired enamel, rather than printed. This makes the numbers, lines and text more substantial. And because the ena...
SJX Watches
Akrivia’s entry for Only Watch 2019 is a unique variant of its critically acclaimed Chronomètre Contemporain but with an added bonus – the platinum case is made by storied case specialist Jean-Pierre Hagmann. The first outing at Only Watch for Akrivia and its founder Rexhep Rexhepi, the unique Chronomètre Contemporain is equipped with a dial made of grey-blue fired enamel featuring white enamel markings. But the dial is unusual for having a hand-hammered finish, a decoration typically only applied to gold dials, giving it a granular surface. The view from the back of the 38mm platinum case is identical to that of the standard model, save for the “JHP” hallmark on the lower right lug. It’s short for Jean-Pierre Hagmann, a semiretired case maker who was responsible for some of the most exquisite watch cases of the 1980s and 1990s. Amongst his work is the incredibly complex case of the Patek Philippe Star Calibre 2000 pocket watch. The Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch” is the first watch to emerge from the recently inked collaboration between Akrivia and Mr Hagmann. Stay tuned for more on this. The Chronomètre Contemporain “Only Watch” has an estimate of 40,000-60,000 Swiss francs, and will go under the hammer on November 9, 2019 at Christie’s in Geneva. The complete Only Watch 2019 collection can be seen on onlywatch.com.
Monochrome
Audemars Piguet has long embraced new materials and continues to expand its ceramics expertise, revealing a striking new version of the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon. While the base of this 41mm model itself is familiar, the news is its material: the entire watch, case, bezel, crown and integrated bracelet are executed in “Bleu Nuit, […]
Deployant
Ferdinand Berthoud FB 3SPC.2-1 brings the COSC-certified Chronometre FB 3SPC into 18-carat rose gold with a sandblasted nickel silver movement.
Monochrome
Following the resurrection of the name Ferdinand Berthoud by Chopard’s co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in 2015, with the introduction of the Chronomètre FB1, a superb tourbillon watch with fusée-and-chain device, followed by the no less spectacular Chronomètre FB2, the brand presented another award-winning watch, a superb wrist chronometer with cylindrical balance-spring named the Chronomètre FB 3SPC – […]
SJX Watches
The most talked-about release from Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) at Watches & Wonders was the refreshed Master Control collection, which debuted on a surprising integrated bracelet. Available with or without perpetual calendar or power reserve complications, the Master Control Chronometre is powered by the latest version of the brand’s long-running cal. 899, which is now certified by both COSC and a new internal standard called the High Performance Guarantee (HPG). Initial thoughts Since the Master Control Chronometre debuted at Watches & Wonders, I have been asked multiple times whether it is a dress watch or a sport watch. Setting aside the issue of the false dichotomy that exists between these categories, the Master Control Chronometre presents itself primarily as a dress watch on a bracelet. While the bracelet’s angular facets evoke those of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas, the staid Master Control dial is what defines the look. The simple sunray finish and slim hands — not to mention the lack of any lume — firmly root the Master Control Chronometre in the dress watch category. The soft blue and brown dials are each attractive in their own right, with colour-matched date wheels to avoid any harsh transitions. While the text is arguably superfluous, the ‘Chronometre’ label is more interesting than the typical ‘Automatique’ text that mars most Master Control dials. In terms of the value proposition, it’s a tale of two metals. The stainless steel model isn’t...
Monochrome
Following the enamel-dialled Coquille d’œuf, Dutch brand Lebois & Co expands its Atelier sub-collection with the Heritage Chronograph Bleu-sur-Blanc. The concept remains: take the established Heritage Chronograph format and upgrade it through traditional dial-making techniques. The case is identical to previous Lebois & Co Atelier models. Made of stainless steel, it measures 39mm in diameter, […]
SJX Watches
Ferdinand Berthoud (FB), Chopard’s haut de gamme sub-brand, introduces its first flying tourbillon just weeks before Watches & Wonders. The Mesure du Temps 1787 Chronomètre FB 2TV.1 is exceptional in both quality and price, presenting almost everything of interest on the dial side - chain and fusee included - along with hacking and zero-reset seconds. The dial-side spectacle will be the calling card of the new Mesure du Temps 1787 collection. Initial thoughts The revival of long-dead masters’ names to sell unrelated watches is a practice that invites scepticism - and often deserves it. The Ferdinand Berthoud brand, however, is a different matter. There is nothing cynical about it, and one suspects the man himself wouldn’t mind being associated with some of the finest mechanical watches being made today - in his home town, no less. A different name on the dial, Scheufele perhaps, might still feel more authentic, but that’s a minor quibble with what is otherwise an overwhelmingly high quality watch. The latest take on the brand’s chronometer-inspired formula adds one of my favourite features: a zero-reset seconds hand. Though I prefer the designs of the brand’s past projects, the FB 2TV.1 suggests the team at FB understands what the market wants, and the movement-as-a-dial aesthetic is hot right now. The flying tourbillon is new for the brand, in both technique and aesthetics. Until now the brand’s massive revolving regulators were secreted away on the...
WatchAdvice
In a world of round watches, the Ballon Bleu de Cartier stands out thanks to its unique design, as only Cartier can! What We Love: The unique style that is very Cartier The great-looking dial that stands out on the wrist Ease of wearing at 36mm for a variety of wrist sizes What We Don’t: The double-folding friction clasp could be upgraded to a push button in this model While unisex, some with larger wrists will most probably need to upgrade to the 42mm The crown was slightly harder to access to change the time for me Overall Rating: 8.25 / 10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 8/10 Build Quality: 8/10 When people think of Cartier watches, the first thing that usually comes to mind is a maker of shapes. The brand has built much of its identity around distinctive case designs rather than traditional round watches, with icons such as the Santos, Tank, Tortue, Crash and Cloche, to name a few, all standing out as examples of Cartier doing things a little differently. That approach to design has long set the Maison apart from many other watchmakers who tend to lean more heavily on classic round cases. So when Cartier introduced the Cartier de Ballon Bleu in 2007, it represented something slightly different for the brand. On paper, it’s a round watch, which might sound straightforward enough, but as with most things Cartier, it’s not quite that simple. Rather than just producing a traditional circular case, Cartier added its own distinctive twist with the n...
Monochrome
Audemars Piguet continues to refine one of its most emblematic complications with the launch of a new Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar in 41mm, entirely crafted in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” ceramic. More than a new colourway, this release brings together two of the Manufacture’s most significant recent developments: the darker, historically rooted blue ceramic […]
Hodinkee
With a color-shifting dial and soon-to-be-revealed stainless steel bracelet, the Chronomètre Artistans looks like never before.
SJX Watches
Earlier this year F.P. Journe unveiled its most daring jewellery watch yet, the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie Rubis, set with the largest baguette rubies ever used in watchmaking. Despite the current popularity of high jewellery watches, the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie (TVJ) Rubis is an audacious undertaking that required eight years to accumulate the right gemstones – and the destruction of 61 carats of gem-quality rubies to make this single watch. Initial thoughts Haute joaillerie watches of this sort are not new; the 1980s and 1990s saw significant demand for gem-set complicated watches, especially in Asia. But Over the last decade such watches have shifted from niche offerings to an important (and resilient) pillar of the business for many brands. Coloured stones are seeing marked interest too, as a sort of trend within a trend, as exemplified by Rolex’s “Rainbow” Daytona, one of the brand’s hottest models. Patek Philippe’s 2022 launch of the gem-set Grandmaster Chime trio can also be seen as a milestone for the genre, with one of Geneva’s flagship fine watchmaking brands adorning its flagship watch with diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. A unique Piaguet minute repeating pocket watch that’s a fine example of 1990s gem-setting high horology But with the TVJ, it’s clear that F.P. Journe is not simply following industry trends – this watch is eight years in the making and belongs to a two-decade tradition of high jewellery tour...
Hodinkee
The confluence of watchmaking and cinematic history was the perfect recipe for a record, as the F.P. Journe market shows no sign of slowing.
SJX Watches
Exactly one auction season ago, the Breguet Sympathique no. 1 made by François-Paul Journe became the most expensive timepiece sold in 2025, though the upcoming sales include other F.P. Journe creations that might give the Sympathique a run for its money. Inspired by Abraham-Louis Breguet’s greatest invention, the Sympathique no. 1 sold in May 2025 at Phillips in Geneva for CHF5.51 million including fees, at the time equivalent to US$6.61 million, to none other than François-Paul Journe. The price was just shy of the US$6.8 million that the Duc d’Orleans Sympathique sold for in 2012 – the buyer of that was the Patek Philippe Museum. François-Paul was determined to have Breguet Sympathique no. 1 for his upcoming F.P. Journe museum that is slated to open in 2026. Despite bearing another name on the dial, the clock will take pride of place in the museum, underlining its importance to the history of F.P. Journe. The tale of F.P. Journe as a brand is naturally inseparable from the eponymous watchmaker. Like his inspiration, Abraham-Louis Breguet, François-Paul Journe is more than a watchmaker, he is an entrepreneur who has built a brand, a legacy, and more than likely, a place in history. From the very beginning, decades ago as a young watchmaker in Paris, François-Paul Journe already possessed the vision that has now come to pass. Inextricably intertwined with that vision and the story of François-Paul Journe is Breguet Sympathique no. 1, for its origins encapsulat...
Fratello
I have had the pleasure of covering releases from Louis Moinet for several years. By and large, most of the watches have featured wild complications and materials. They’ve been fun, limited, and expensive. Therefore, when the brand debuted the 1816 Chronograph at Watches and Wonders 2025, we took notice due to its more modern design. […] Visit Hands-On With The Louis Moinet 1806 Chronomètre d’Observatoire to read the full article.
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