Deployant
The Portugieser Chronograph (Ref. 3716), one of IWC’s most popular models, is newly equipped in the standard version with the IWC in-house 69355 calibre and a see-through sapphire-glass back. This year's new colors include a green sunburst and red sunburst dial.
SJX Watches
A direct descendant of the first waterproof wristwatch that debuted in 1926, the Oyster Perpetual has long been the most straightforward offering from Rolex, a fuss-free, time-only watch that still retains the brand’s quintessential technology and design. Rolex has revamped the Oyster Perpetual – now available in in 41 mm, 36 mm, 34 mm, 31 mm, and 28 mm – giving it new dials, including colourful lacquer in candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red, and green, as well as the latest generation movements for the largest sizes. But not that all colours are available in every size; candy pink for instance is available only for the 36 mm and 31 mm models. The Oyster Perpetual 36 in the new colours Initial thoughts It is heartening to see the return of fun, brightly-coloured dials on affordable models, especially in solid colours instead of being combined with quirky patterns such as the concentric decoration found on earlier generations. The bright-colour dials on the largest 41 mm model in particular make for a lively look that is very different from the usual conservative style of the Oyster. More sedate dial colours – namely metallic silver, blue, and black – are also available, but it’s the silver the stands out. In fact, the silver dial is as interesting as its colourful counterparts. The use of gilded hands and indices on silver dial in a steel watch is unusual. Add to that the pale champagne wash over the silver finish, the result is a warm look that is...
Deployant
Following updates to the Lange 1 and the Lange 1 Moon Phase, A. Lange & Söhne now rejuvenates the Lange 1 Time Zone, 15 years after its debut.
SJX Watches
A year after the debut of the Erwin LAB01 in bronze, which sold out swiftly, Massena Lab has discreetly launched the followup. Announced only to “friends and family” via email, the Erwin LAB02 retains the familiar “sector” dial, but in a two-tone rose gold and silver finish. As with the first instalment, the LAB02 is made by Habring2 and designed by Massena Lab, a watch-creation studio founded by industry insider William Rohr. Initial thoughts Habring2 are always excellent value, and the Erwin LAB02 has the added appeal of having been designed by Mr Rohr, a veteran watch collector. Though the design is not novel – it is based on a vintage Patek Philippe – the look is extremely appealing, and it has been executed with a careful attention to detail, as evidenced by the textures of the dial for instance. While the original edition sold out in an instant, the LAB02 is a low-key launch, with the watches being delivered over a period of months, which makes it easier to land one. So it is accessible not just in price – a bit under US$6,500 – but availability, a useful thing when it comes to small-run limited editions. Vintage inspiration The new Erwin models itself on a 1930s Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 96 that had a similar, dual-colour dial. Illustrated Mr Rohr’s well-honed eye for detail, the dial of the Erwin is not just made up of twin colours, but also two surface finishes. The rose gold-plated chapter ring has a fine, concentric pattern, while the si...
SJX Watches
I love the Tank Cintrée, and that was the starting point for the Tank Cintrée “Eminence Grise” NSO. Cartier’s simple, unchanging designs are unique in watchmaking, despite being made up of classical elements like Breguet hands and Roman numerals. In fact, the Cartier can be distilled into a few key elements iterated across different case forms, which together make up a family of distinctive designs. My favourite Cartier design has long been the Tank Asymetrique – which Cartier just reissued this year – but it is not an especially ergonomic watch due to the case shape and the fact that the crown sits fairly low such that it touches the wrist. Though known as a Tank today, the Asymetrique is not strictly a Tank, since the vintage originals were a distinct model sometimes known as the Parallélogramme. A 1927 Tank Cintrée that sold for US$350,000 at Phillips in 2017 The Tank Cintrée, on the other hand, is an eminently wearable watch that is wonderfully elegant on the wrist. It just wears well. And the Cintrée is also an important design. Though it was not the first Tank design, the Cintrée – the word is French for “curved” – is perhaps the quintessential case shape. And partly for those reasons, it is arguable the most desirable, going by the six-figure results at auction for vintage specimens. Familiar yet different The Eminence Grise was my third special-dial Cartier, sometimes known as NSO, short for “new special order”. The first was also a Ta...
Hodinkee
A new limited-edition version of the brand's innovative tourbillon dress watch.
Revolution
H. Moser & Cie. CEO, Edouard Meylan talks to us about their Streamliner line of watches, launched earlier in 2020 as a chronograph, powered by the incredible Agengraph. And now the newest addition to the line, the time-only Streamliner Centre Seconds with a Matrix Green dial.
SJX Watches
Launched earlier this year after much teasing, the Streamliner chronograph was the first sports watch – with an integrated bracelet – from H. Moser & Cie. The Streamliner design accomplished an unusual feature: bringing to the table a unique case and bracelet style that manages to look at home with other luxury-sports watches, while being distinctive enough to avoid being derivative. With Moser chief executive Edouard Meylan having revealed additional Streamliner models were in the pipeline, the latest is not a surprise. The Steamliner Centre Second retains the same case and bracelet style of the chronograph, but as a more affordable, time-only watch. Initial thoughts Slightly smaller than the chronograph, the time-only Streamliner is 40 mm wide and 11.8 mm high, so it is fairly classical in its proportions. That also means it probably wears slightly better than the chronograph, which was already quite compact despite its measurements. And the striking green fume dial doubtlessly gives the Streamliner Centre Second a good deal of wrist presence. Priced at a little under US$22,000, the new watch is markedly more affordable, costing half as much as the chronograph. That said, the Streamliner Centre Second is pricey compared to Moser’s other steel watches. While the chronograph was well priced and compelling, mainly because it is powered by the ingenious Agenhor movement, the time-only Streamliner isn’t quite as strong a value proposition. Streamliner style Havin...
Hodinkee
Another world record set by the reigning king of ultra-thin watchmaking.
Quill & Pad
A collector got in touch with Martin Green about an engraving project on a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classique that he was planning. What caught Martin's attention was that the collector was collaborating with an engraver very close to his home, so he seized the opportunity to follow the project as it unfolded. He shares his experiences and photos here.
Quill & Pad
We are living in the modern race to the thinnest, and as records are set we have a bumper crop of incredibly thin watches that prove this competition may not be over yet. To celebrate the awesomazingness of these watches, Joshua Munchow has compiled a list of the top 10 thinnest mechanical watches, including a pair of historical pieces.
Deployant
In this week's Throwback Sundays column, we take a look at some of our favourite thin watches - from brand such as Piaget, Patek Philippe, and JLC.
SJX Watches
Schwarz Etienne is best known for its interesting, in-house movements that are diverse but built on the same basic platform. The brand’s watches, on the other hand, do not possess the same level of appeal as its movements. With a newly-announced tie up with Voutilainen – the highly-regarded independent watchmaker founded by the eponymous Finn – Schwarz Etienne is attempting to inject a little of the artisanal look and feel that distinguishes Voutilainen’s creations. The fruit of the collaboration is the Roma Synergy, a time-only automatic wristwatch featuring a guilloche dial made by Voutilainen, which is also responsible for some decorative touches on the movement. Initial thoughts The look of the watch is immediately reminiscent of the Philippe Dufour Simplicity and first-generation Chopard L.U.C (the Chopard was introduced in 1996, while the Simplicity in 2000). It’s a classical, mid-20th century look, so the resemblance is not a bad thing. But unlike the other two, the dial makes full use of Voutilainen’s engine-turning capabilities. It’s ambitiously decorated with three different guilloche patterns, giving it a slightly frantic look. Voutilainen also adds its finesse to the back, most obviously on the barrel ratchet wheel, but the result is a bit of a mismatch. The rest of the movement, which includes an Etachron regulator for the balance, does not live up to the finely-finished ratchet wheel. And the Roma Synergy costs just over US$30,000 – three ...
Deployant
We go hands-on with the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept - the world's thinnest mechanical watch and tell you how it feels like on the wrist.
Hodinkee
What does "dress watch" mean when no one's dressing?
SJX Watches
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of its first extra-thin wristwatch that was launched in 1957, Piaget launched a series of anniversary watches in 2017, including the flagship Altiplano Tourbillon High Jewelry watch, powered by the cal. 670P caliber that’s a mere 4.6mm tall. Piaget has since continued the series with additional variants featuring exotic dial materials, such as last year’s Altiplano Thin Meteorite. And now Piaget unveils the Altiplano Tourbillon Infinite Blue, a trio of limited-edition, high jewellery tourbillon wristwatches decorated with the infinity symbol rendered in diamonds. Initial Thoughts The race to produce the thinnest wristwatch ever reached its zenith in the 1970s and 1980s, after which tastes shifted in the new century towards ever-larger watches, particularly with the rise of luxury-sports watches. But some watchmakers, notably Bulgari and Piaget, have continued to slim their watches. In that context, the Tourbillon Infinite Blue does not do anything revolutionary, but take takes a tried-and-true formula and elaborates on it with a high level of execution. Baguette diamonds on the bezel and dial, brilliant-cut diamonds on the case band and lugs of the Ref. G0A45044 Like many other modern-day extra-thin watches, the largish diameter of 41 mm is necessitated by the movement’s architecture, which sees the components are spread out, instead of stacked up as in a conventional movement. The size and thinness of the bezel means that the w...
Quill & Pad
The time-only Romain Gauthier Micro-Rotor already seemed like it was built around the concept of 'simplify, then add lightness' as it was pared back to the essentials while still maintaining the Gauthier flair. Now the Insight Micro-Rotor Squelette doubles down on the concept and continues to add even more lightness everywhere thanks in great part to open architecture that has been skeletonized, laying the inner workings bare. But there's more to it, and Joshua Munchow explains all of it here.
Deployant
A gem from 2019's collection, the Cartier Santos-Dumont is everything we want in a modern dress watch. It is slim, iconic, and of sound watchmaking pedigree. Most importantly, its price point is relatively accessible at US$5,850 for a manual wind in steel and US$15,600 in rose gold.
SJX Watches
With Baselworld 2020 cancelled and then some, Patek Philippe has been progressively rolling out its new launches, including a trio of “Grand Complications” in mid July (and hints of a brand-new complication at the end of the year). All three new complications are variants of existing models, with the crowd favourite being the Ref. 5370P-011 Split-Seconds Chronograph. The new ref. 5370P-011 has a blue grand feu enamel dial and replaces the original, black-dial model that made its debut in 2015 as the ref. 5370P-001. The ref. 5370P-011 The cal. CHR 29-535 PS Initial thoughts The only thing new about this version of the ref. 5370 versus the first-generation model is the colour of the enamel dial. So everything that was good about the original model (classical design, dial and case quality, movement aesthetics), remain good. Needless to say, so do the weaknesses (mismatched finish on seconds hand, details of movement decoration). The balance assembly Though not a dress watch, the original ref. 5370 was dressed in black-tie colours of black and silver that gave it a stately bearing, but also a slightly old-fashioned feel. With the enamel dial in blue – it’s a gentle, muted blue – the new ref. 5370 looks more modern and casual, which is a good thing if you’re looking for something less formal. The outside Though a large 41 mm in diameter, the case of the ref. 5370 reproduces the proportions of the ref. 1436, a split-seconds chronograph that was in production from ...
Quill & Pad
Fifteen years after its original launch, the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone gets a mechanical upgrade in the form of a new caliber that includes a daylight savings time indication among other new features. Elizabeth Doerr looks at the Lange 1 Time Zone's evolution and what's so very special about this new model.
WatchAdvice
The modern gentleman is someone who tries to experience life to the fullest. For some, the glory is the destination, but for others who truly experience life, it’s about the journey reaching that destination and the many different experiences that come along the way. Always being open to trying new things, the modern man finds innovative ways to get the most out of his life. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Collection released in 2018 was created to complement this lifestyle by being an elegant yet sporty watch that can do it all. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Polaris Collection was inspired by their iconic Memovox Polaris watch from 1968. The Polaris Collection will join the brands’ exiting pillars which consist of; Reverso, Master Collection, Rendez-vous, Duometre and Hybris Mechanica. Jaeger-LeCoultre, however, didn’t only create one timepiece as a homage to the 1968 Memovox Polaris. They used the aesthetics, design cues and spirit of the 1968 timepiece to bring to life five new timepieces that form the overall Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Collection. These timepieces are the three-hand automatic, chronograph, chronograph world time and two models that have very close ties to the original Memovox Polaris; the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox. What we have on our hands is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph in steel. The Polaris Chronograph comes in three variants; black dial, blue dial and a pink gold version. The black and blue dials a...
Time+Tide
Since 1948, Omega have been perfecting their formula for conquering the sea. What began as a splash-proof dress watch, quickly spiralled into a race for innovation amongst Switzerland’s finest as to who could plunge the deepest depths and still tell the time. The Seamaster line is Omega’s crown jewel in technical achievement and design, with … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The Omega Planet Ocean Vs. the Omega Seamaster 300, is there a winner? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) teamed up with online menswear purveyor Mr Porter to create a wristwatch for the upcoming retro spy film The King’s Man, where the heroes are mainly sharply-dressed spies with canes and signet rings. Set in the years before the First World War, the film doubtlessly called for a watch that is seemingly period-correct – yet obviously one that would appeal to the today’s consumer. The result is the Master Ultra Thin Kingsman Knife Watch, a razor-thin, 4.25 mm wristwatch that takes inspiration from a vintage ultra-thin pocket watch. Initial thoughts At a glance, the watch might seem like a conventional but handsome dress watch. But the case design is outstanding – and compared to JLC’s recent creations, dramatically different. The case is round with a wide, double-stepped bezel, a feature that gives it an old-school, classic feel. And the stepped bezel also adds presence so that the case doesn’t look too flat. And more unusually, the crown is at 12 o’clock and protected by a triangular bow. And the reason for the crown position is the fact that the watch is essentially a pocket watch with lugs. The origins of the design lie in a 1907 Jaeger-LeCoultre pocket watch, nicknamed “couteau” – French for “knife” – after its thin case with a sharp edge. That said, the “couteau” pocket watch is arguably more widely associated with Cartier, which relied on LeCoultre movements for its watches, which were made by the European Watch & C...
Deployant
Parmigiani Fleurier refreshes its Tonda collection to create a sportier, everyday watch, and announces two new variants. An automatic time only watch called the Tonda GT and a chronograph known as the Tondagraph GT. Press Release Tonda GT Line – design cues Parmigiani Fleurier is proud to announce the new Tonda GT. The Maison’s dressRead More
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.