Dress Watches · Page 50

In-Depth: Petermann Bédat Reference 2941 Split-Seconds Chronograph

Having made its debut in 2020 with the 1967 deadbeat seconds, Petermann Bédat recently unveiled its second watch, the Reference 2941 Split-Seconds Chronograph. The 2941 lives up to the benchmark established by its predecessor with a traditionally-styled movement that is decorated to an impressive degree, albeit one that reflects constraints in its development. The brand’s founders, Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, are both watchmakers in their early 30s who studied watchmaking in Geneva before a stint at A. Lange & Söhne. The pair also spent time carrying out restorations of vintage watches. Their shared experience is illustrated in the 2941, most notably in the traditional decoration and styling of the movement. Initial thoughts When Petermann Bédat made its debut in 2020 with the 1967, a time-only with deadbeat seconds, independent watchmaking was a much less crowded space. As a result, the 1967 stood out for both its intrinsic qualities, namely excellent finishing and traditional mechanics, but also the fact that it was fairly novel. Now time-only watches with seemingly good finishing seem to be everywhere, most of which are even similar to the Petermann Bédat profile in having founders in the their 30s and 40s. So Petermann Bédat did well in introducing a following up with something more complicated for its second model. The 2941 continues with the aesthetics of the 1967, essentially a modernised “sector” dial, and also the movement finishing. The quality...

The new A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar and Lange 1 Time Zone

Two modern classics of A. Lange & Söhne designs have been given fresh case materials. The 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is cased in 18k white gold with a pink gold dial. The Lange 1 Time Zone is cased in 950 platinum with a rhodium dial. It’s well established by now that the Swiss aren’t the … ContinuedThe post The new A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar and Lange 1 Time Zone appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing: The Lange 1 Time Zone, Now In Platinum

A stealthy, platinum take on the Time Zone that stays true to Lange.

Tutima Patria Small Second Admiral Blue: Perfection in Pink – Reprise

Not many brands first present a complex minute repeater only to then distill it back to its essentials to power a three-handed, time-only watch. But that's what Tutima has done with the charming Patria Small Second.

New: A. Lange & Söhne releases a new Lange 1 Time Zone and a new 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar

Two additions to the Lange collections - a new Lange 1 Time Zone platinum, & a new 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar in a white gold case/pink gold dial.

Longines Returns to the Flagship and Adds a Moonphase

As watch names go, I’ve always thought “Flagship” was a pretty good one. Every brand, I think, strives to have a watch they can comfortably refer to as a flagship model, and Longines, beginning in the late 1950s, went ahead and took a clever shortcut by naming their line of elegant dress watches the Flagship. It makes a lot of sense if you step back and think about it. A brand’s flagship model should be something that defines them – the type of watch that you conjure in your mind’s eye when you think about the brand. Longines of course has a heritage with a ton of variety, making watches in every conceivable genre over the years, but I think it’s fair to say a watch with a certain casual elegance and is really their sweet spot, and the Flagship Heritage models (first introduced in 2017) do a great job of reminding us of what the brand has always excelled at. For their latest release, they’ve returned to the Flagship Heritage concept with three new watches that build on the previous executions, this time with a classic complication included.  The original Flagship Heritage releases of six years ago were lessons in classic understatement – watches that were well considered, beautiful, and completely competent, but not flashy, attention seeking, or attempting to jump on any particular trend. The new Flagship Heritage models are very much made with that same sensibility, but include a moonphase complication, further tying them to watches they’re based on f...

Up Close: Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time Ref. 5224R

Because it has a strongly defined identity and direction, Patek Philippe rarely surprises. The limited editions created for the recent Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Tokyo, for instance, were interesting and occasionally exceptionally complicated but predictable. However, Patek Philippe did surprise, albeit subtly, at Watches & Wonders earlier this year with the Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time Ref. 5224R. Though the ref. 5224R is typical Patek Philippe in every aspect, from the slim case to the vintage-meets-modern design, it is distinctly different from the brand’s other offerings in both look and feel. Besides the 24-hour dial, a first for the brand in the modern day, the 42 mm case is also oversized by Patek Philippe standards. Despite being novel amongst current Patek Philippe offerings, the ref. 5224R is rooted in the brand’s history, being almost a direct descendent of the 24-hour-dial Chronometro Gondolo pocket watches of the early 20th century. Initial thoughts The ref. 5224R was instantly appealing when I saw it at Watches & Wonders. It is a large watch, but still elegant. And despite being a relatively simple watch – it’s essentially a two-time zone watch – the ref. 5224R has several interesting features both in terms of design and mechanics. The most obvious is the 24-hour dial. At a glance, it’s a peculiar feature for a modern Patek Philippe wristwatch, but it looks good and actually makes sense. Though it takes some getting used to when readin...

Introducing: How Vintage Bulovas Engraved With Messages From Frank Sinatra Inspired This New Watch

The Bulova Rat Pack is a modern dress watch with a backstory.

Highlights: Sotheby’s Hong Kong Fine Watches Online

The summer tends to be a quiet period in the watch world since most of Switzerland goes on holiday. However, Sotheby’s Hong Kong is staging one major event before the summer lull with an online sale running for just over a week. Fine Watches opens on July 5th and runs until the 14th featuring 272 lots ranging from Patek Philippe complications to simple time-only Cartier. We cover highlights from the sale below – the catalogue can be seen here – but before that we look at something special. Happening alongside the online auction is a sealed auction for an Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002P-013 with a custom-order black dial that runs online from July 13-21. The ref. 5002P once held the title of most complicated wristwatch Patek Philippe ever produced and remains a landmark in Patek Philippe watchmaking. Not only is this ref. 5002P possibly unique thanks to the striking black dial, it is also double sealed – in other words brand new. Since 2017 Patek Philippe has banned its retailers from selling sealed watches and so an double-sealed example of a special-order grand complication on the secondary market is rare. This double-dial complication offers an incredible opportunity to collectors, since the last time we saw this a sealed example of this reference at auction was back in 2018 at Antiquorum where it sold for just under US$1.2 million, and that was just single sealed. Prices have naturally climbed since then. In fact, this example mirrors the one that ...

T3 Special Watches Introduces Dague Time Dragon and Dague Guilloché

T3 Special Watches made its debut in 2021 with the Dague, a watch designed to embody the aesthetic preferences of its Italian founders, vintage watch dealer Andrea Marzari and watch aficionado Alessandro Poggi. Inspired by the Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 96 and livened up with colourful, “Stella” style dials, the Dague has now been given an artisanal touch with the Dague Time Dragon and the Dague Guilloché. The newest iterations illustrate the brand’s ambitious attempts at fine enamelling and guilloché – the brand recruited noted enameller Vanessa Lecci for the cloisonné dial – techniques typically seen on pieces from more established brands.  Initial thoughts In the realm of micro-brands, it is uncommon to find traditional and artisanal guilloché and enamelling due to their high cost. Therefore, it was surprising to see T3 partnering with enameller Vanessa Lecci, renowned for her exceptional work for establishment brands like Cartier, Parmigiani Fleurier, Vacheron Constantin, and Voutilainen. The initial Dague series had a pleasant design that was not truly captivating for anyone not inclined towards a retro, Italian style. However, the new series showcases a significantly more compelling aesthetic. The enamelled dial of the Time Dragon, juxtaposed with the sector-styled outer disc, creates a visually striking contrast highly reminiscent of vintage watches with cloisonné dials made by Patek Philippe and Rolex. It would be exciting to witness the brand’...

Dumoreau Follows Up their Debut with an Attractive Contemporary Dress Watch

The DM02 is the sophomore release from California-based micro brand Dumoreau, following the DM01 we touched on here. Designed by architect and designer Carlo Aiello, this dress watch takes his expertise in architecture and product design into the realm of the dress watch, while drawing on basic principles of proportion to create a compelling new release that slots in nicely with his debut. The dial features a two-piece construction with recessed concentric circles at the center, complemented by a brushed circular section for numerals and minute track. The indexes maintain their orientation as they encircle the dial, while the only branding present is the hand-applied Dumoreau name, seamlessly integrated into the concentric circles. The curvaceous all-polished 39mm case directs works to draw the eye to the dial, with lyre lugs providing additional visual interest. The stated goal of the design was to create a “dynamic organic geometry,” and the end result is a case with both gentle and dramatic curves that cohere nicely with the details of the dial. The screw-in sapphire caseback exposes the manually wound Sellita SW 210-1 movement, decorated with Geneva stripes and circular graining. With dimensions of 39mm wide, 46mm lug to lug, and a slim profile of 9.5mm thanks to the hand wound caliber, the DM02 is designed to fit comfortably on wrists of all sizes. Conveniently, it boasts a water resistance rating of 100 meters, uncommon for a manually wound dress watch. The DM02 ...

A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater and its Large Digits: Does it Cause Hyperdigitalia? – Reprise

Joshua Munchow has a strong affinity for A. Lange & Söhne, for one because beginning with the Lange 1 and the later Zeitwerk, and now with the new Odysseus, the brand has created a very specific aesthetic around large digital displays. Here he explains why and how Lange's large numerals and letters work (and not only for him!).

VERSUS: Is the Rolex Perpetual 1908 a Calatrava-killing value proposition?

Everyone was expecting Rolex to finally show some love to the Cellini line which, although by no means weak, just lost appeal as time went on. Not many expected the crown to show up to Watches & Wonders 2023 with a brand new collection however, which the Perpetual 1908 is the founding member of. As … ContinuedThe post VERSUS: Is the Rolex Perpetual 1908 a Calatrava-killing value proposition? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

In Focus: Voutilainen Decimal Repeater GMT “L’Esprit du Bois”

Now best known for the Vingt-8 chronometer, particularly when combined with its exemplary and versatile guilloche work, Voutilainen also produces high complicated watches. Though the brand now largely focuses on the time-only Vingt-8, it once completed striking watches on a fairly regular basis. One of the best examples of such a chiming masterpiece is the Decimal Repeater GMT “L’Esprit du Bois” that was delivered a decade ago, when Voutilainen was a far smaller operation centred on its founder, Kari Voutilainen. This unique repeater is now available at Phillips Perpetual in London. Quintessential Voutilainen Before he found the success that led to the current three-year waitlist for the Vingt-8, Mr Voutilainen made perhaps two dozen repeaters (compared to hundreds of time-only watches), all equipped with refinished vintage ebauches. Most were decimal repeaters that struck the time in ten-minute blocks, as opposed to the quarter strikes of convention repeaters, making time telling more intuitive. “L’Esprit du Bois” is one of the most elaborate of Mr Voutilainen’s chiming watches. Delivered in 2013, the watch combines a decimal repeater and second time zone display, all presented in the quintessential Voutilainen manner with a case featuring teardrop lugs and a dial finished with a variety of guilloche patterns. But it is distinguished by something special: the hinged case back is entirely relief engraved and enamelled with a motif drawn from Greek mythology. ...

Tudor Introduces the Pelagos FXD & Pelagos FXD Chrono “Alinghi Red Bull Racing”

Having signed on as a sponsor of America’s Cup contender Alinghi last year, Tudor now reveals a pair of watches created especially for the sailing team. The Pelagos FXD “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” and Pelagos FXD Chrono “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition” both feature a carbon composite case – a first for Tudor – along with the functional design derived from the military-issue FXD dive watch. Initial thoughts I’m a fan of Tudor – its products are amongst the best value propositions across the entire industry – but its offerings have historically been limited in terms of design. In recent years the brand has gotten bolder in both styling and materials – the new pair demonstrate this. And if anything, they are probably the first of many more adventurous products from Tudor, something that is a natural evolution of the brand given the capacity of its big new manufacture. Although both stick to the design established by the original Pelagos FXD, they make it more interesting in terms of colour and a lot more interesting in terms of materials with the carbon composite case. The use of the lightweight composite will give both of them a featherweight presence on the wrist, despite the large case diameters of each. Despite the novelty in terms of materials, the new Pelagos FXD models remain squarely in Tudor’s favourite price segment. The time-only FXD costs a bit under US$3,700 while the chronograph is a little over US$5,000, making both strong value p...

Rexhep Rexhepi Introduces the Chronomètre Antimagnétique

One of the most anticipated creations by an independent watchmaker at Only Watch 2023 is the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique. Almost certainly amongst the most valuable watches in the sale, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique (RRCA) is a time-only wristwatch in stainless steel containing a Faraday cage to protect the against magnetism. It is the third timepiece created by Rexhep Rexhepi, founder of Akrivia, for the biennial charity auction. Though the specifics of the watch remain under wraps, a few facts have been revealed in the announcement. The dial will be “sector” or “scientific” style, while the case is stainless steel and made by the workshop of Jean-Pierre Hagmann. Classically proportioned in the typical Rexhep Rexhepi style, the case measures 38 mm by 9.95 mm. Interestingly, the case features a double back comprised of an inner sapphire back and an outer back that can be unscrewed by the wearer. And most importantly, the movement is a new construction. While the Chronomètre Contemporain I and Chronomètre Contemporain II that Rexhep Rexhepi created for past instalments of Only Watch were variants of standard models, the RRCA is equipped with a calibre developed from the ground up for the model. The RRCCII calibre inside the timepiece made for Only Watch 2021 While I can’t say any more about the watch, I can state that the RRCA deftly combines historical inspiration drawn from the magnetism-resistant watches made by the great watchmakers of Gen...

Tudor Reveals Set of New FXD Watches For Alinghi Red Bull Racing

In a surprise move this week Tudor has revealed a pair of new FXD watches in honor of their partnership with the two time America’s Cup winning Alinghi Red Bull Racing team. To date, we’ve made due with the single FXD reference which was released in late 2020, and it’s a platform we’ve been thoroughly impressed with for reasons you can read about in our in-depth review right here. Today, the FXD gets a pair of stablemates in the form of the Pelagos FXD and Pelagos FXD Chrono “Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition”, which introduce a new material to the mix, along with, for the first time ever for the collection, complications.  The Alinghi Red Bull Racing Edition FXD watches continue to make use of the defining feature eluded to in the FXD name, which is a fixed lug bar design, meaning passthrough straps only. Tudor have made a new hook and loop, or “self-gripping fastening system”-equipped Julien Faure strap in blue and red for these new references in a nod to the red accents found in the racing team’s colors. Along the same lines, the bezel of each of these FXD watches has been rendered in matte black. The time-only reference is of course familiar, sharing the same dimensions as the original FXD with a trim 42mm case that wears quite flat. The black bezel is a handsome addition to the matte blue dial, which gains red accents in the seconds hand, as well as the Pelagos label at the bottom of the dial, similar to what we see in the Pelagos 39. This watch uses ...

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Duetto Jewelry, a precious take on the iconic case

Hervé Schlüchter Debuts with L’Essentiel Regulator

The latest watchmaker to launch a time-only watch with a finely finished movement is Hervé Schlüchter, who makes his debut with the L’Essentiel. A watchmaker who spent most of his recent career as a movement constructor at Bovet, Mr Schlüchter’s entry into the progressively more crowded segment features a regulator-style display with a day-and-night indicator and on the reverse, a hand-finished movement. Initial thoughts Having worked at Bovet and then spent time studying with Philippe Dufour, Mr Schlüchter has the background for a fine watch. Notably, Mr Schlüchter is an actual watchmaker, having trained as a watchmaker and repairer. As a result, the L’Essentiel is arguably purer in concept since it was developed and then produced by a watch-maker, rather than being drawn by a designer or engineer and then outsourced to specialists. The L’Essentiel lives up to expectations in terms of decoration and construction. It has impressively high quality in most respects: the dial is engine turned by hand, and includes fired enamel, and aventurine. The movement shows off lots of black-polished steel, chamfered edges, and polished countersinks. At CHF78,000 before taxes, the L’Essentiel has a decent price-to-quality ratio. But while watch is titled “The Essential”, it is ironically a lot, maybe too much, both stylistically and tangibly. As is increasingly the case with independent watchmaking, the product feels contrived because it wants to be everything that is ...

eBay Finds: Vintage Divers and Mystery Dials

eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion! Vintage Oris Diver To start this week we have a cool and funky vintage Oris diver. The oval/cushion style chrome plated case is in great shape, with nice sharp edges and factory brushed finish intact. Seller doesn’t state the size but it looks to be on the larger size judging by the placement of the date window. The black dial is super clean, with nicely aged lume hour markers. It has an aluminum elapsed time divers bezel that is also in great shape. The crown is original and is signed with the Oris name. No movement picture, but the seller states it runs well. View auction here. Waltham Ultra-Thin Next up is a stylin’ vintage Waltham in yellow gold fill, complete with box and extras. The gold fill case looks nice and sharp, and has a nifty engine turned bezel similar to the classic Rolex Thunderbird and thin simple lugs. The simple crosshair gold dial has Arabic numerals at 12 and 6, along with a sub-seconds dial just above the 6. No date and gold dauphine hands complete the look. Nice, thin, classy dress watch. Best of all it comes in the original box with some little tags and a hangtag. Again, no movement picture but the seller states it runs well. View auction here. Vintage Bu...

Introducing: The Archiwatch Classic Two-Tone, Inspired By The Calatrava 96 (With Live Pics)

Two-tone dial, Breguet numerals, and details done right, all in a modern package, make for a fun homage to the classic Calatrava.

Tissot Puts a Powermatic 80 Movement in their Smallest PRX

It’s not exactly breaking news, but it seems that integrated bracelet sports watches hold just as dominant a place in the market as they did a year ago, and a year before that. They are coming at us from every angle: the entry level, the high end, and somewhere in between, and with each new release, it feels more and more like this isn’t a “trend,” as so many (including myself) have described it in the past. It’s becoming increasingly clear that what we’re looking at is a product category as broad as “dive watches” or “dress watches.” That means integrated bracelet sports watches are just going to keep coming, not just at every price point, but in every size.  And that brings us to the newest release from Tissot, a PRX in a 35mm case and equipped with an automatic movement. The PRX has been available in 35mm for about a year, but only with a quartz movement. An integrated bracelet sports watch in a smaller than normal case size makes a ton of sense, and by all accounts the 35mm PRX was a big hit. The very nature of an integrated bracelet sports watch means that, most of the time, it’s going to wear a bit larger than a watch with a strap or traditional bracelet. The cases for these watches, often somewhat architectural and heavily faceted, have a ton of wrist presence. And the silkiness and drape of the bracelets (when they’re done right) makes comfort a truly defining feature in this category – a watch that’s too big can spoil the whole experie...

24 Perpetual Calendar Watches from The World's Leading Luxury Watchmak

The most sophisticated type of calendar watch, a perpetual calendar is endowed with a mechanical “memory” that enables it to record and display the time, day, date, month, and often the moon-phase, accurately for many years. The complex movement in a perpetual calendar compensates for the length of every month, including February in both leap years and non-leap-years, meaning that it should not need adjusting until the year 2100, which is the next annum in which the Gregorian calendar’s leap-year cycle is disrupted (it will be the first year since 1900 that is exactly divisible by 100 but not by 400, and thus not a leap year). As you'd expect, perpetual calendar watches (called "quantième perpétuel" in French) are extremely complicated in their mechanics and design, representing one of the highest pinnacles of high horology and priced accordingly. Throughout the modern wristwatch industry, only a relative handful of brands have mastered the art of the perpetual calendar: we showcase some of them, and their most impressive perpetual calendar timepieces, here.  A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Introduced in 2021, the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar adopts the new approach taken to perpetual calendar design that the Saxon maison established in 2012 with the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. In typical Lange fashion, the technical approach taken is complex in the service of user-friendly practicality. Its in-house, self-winding movement, Caliber L021.3, ...

Review: The New Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon in Rose Gold

You’ve heard the story before; the story of a wristwatch designed in 1931 that could survive a game of polo. That wristwatch was the original Reverso. For the longest time, the Reverso was time-only – no complications. In fact, it wasn’t until 1990 – as the 60th anniversary coincided with a renewed interest in mechanicalRead More