Time+Tide
The ArtyA Tiny Purity Tourbillon NanoSaphir Chameleon shifts between brown and green, with the sapphire case specially treated to achieve this effectThe post ArtyA Tiny Purity Tourbillon NanoSaphir Chameleon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
SJX Watches
Since its debut in 2021, the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar has been the brand’s flagship pure-play perpetual calendar that combines the trademark Lange 1 design with a sophisticated movement, while doing away with the tourbillon of its bigger brother. The model now gets a new of platinum with a black dial, a combination nicknamed “Darth”, and remains powered by the L021.3. Initial thoughts The Lange 1 perpetual calendar has consistently impressed with its thoughtful design. The asymmetrical yet streamlined dial effortlessly communicates essential information. And because doesn’t have the tourbillon of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, it is relatively affordable, at least as such things go. As for the new version, it does look good. Lange watches tend to look good with white metal cases and black dials, think Datograph or Zeitwerk, and this is no exception. This is especially considering the model was available only with light coloured dials like salmon or grey. The rest of the watch remains unchanged, so it has all the pros (and cons) of the earlier iterations. While the movement is impressively executed, it is a large watch, particularly since it only has the calendar complication. At almost 42 mm wide and just over 12 mm high, it has dimensions comparable to a sports chronograph. That said, most complicated Lange watches feel over-engineered, so this is typical Lange in many ways. “Darth” The new model retains the dial layout that i...
SJX Watches
Abraham-Louis Breguet: The English Connection opens today at the Clockmakers Museum, part of The Science Museum in South Kensington, displaying an array of vintage Breguet clocks that illustrate the master watchmaker’s connection to the United Kingdom. Marking the 200th anniversary of Breguet’s death, the display cases are full of pieces brought together from private and public collections, with some pieces being shown in a museum setting for the very first time. The poster for the exhibition. Image – The Clockmakers’ Museum. The headline exhibit is the four-minute tourbillon, no. 1297, made for King George III that sold at Sotheby’s in 2020 for £1.6 million (roughly $2 million) that many thought would never be seen in the country again after it crossed the auction block. However, thanks to the efforts of those at the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and the Clockmaking Museum, it will be on display for an entire year alongside other rarely seen creations from Breguet. The story behind this watch is worth digging into a bit, as it was bought at a time when England and France were at war with each other and so there was a ban on French goods entering the country. This is why you won’t see the name Breguet anywhere visible on the watch. Instead you have the name of the retailer the King went through inscribed in large lettering on the movement bridge. But if you pay close attention, Breguet signed his name in small letters on the tourbillon carriage, in the...
Revolution
Join Wei and Nicholas Rudaz, CEO of Franck Muller as they explore the new Curvex CX Flash Grand Central Tourbillon. A flashy new take on the Curvex CX that was introduced in 2021, the watch is now equipped with a Central Tourbillon with PVD coating parts to make it stealthy, all housed inside a forged […]
Quill & Pad
The H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton has a cylindrical tourbillon reminiscent of an exploded image. The fact that it's in motion makes it all the better. But that's not all, as Martin Green discovers.
Deployant
The Concept Watch from CORUM is a new timepiece that combines technology, design, and sustainability. Made from recycled materials and featuring a flying tourbillon movement, this watch is a testament to CORUM’s commitment to innovation and excellence. Available in limited quantities.
SJX Watches
Corum’s latest creation is the Concept Watch, a one-off timepiece that departs from the brand’s current offerings in its futuristic style. For a brand better known for the Golden Bridge and Admiral’s Cup, the Concept Watch is bold, different, and not for everyone. Made of recycled titanium, the case contains a movement with a flying tourbillon and sapphire crystal bridges set against an aventurine base. The movement, however, is a La Joux-Perret calibre that’s been found in Corum watches for several years. Initial thoughts With most of its sports watches being large and ostentatious, it’s good to see the brand shifting towards something more elegant. The Concept Watch is compact at under 40 mm in diameter and relatively restrained in design. While it is more appealing than most of Corum’s recent watches, there are caveats. I am not fond of the case design, which is too reminiscent of the Patek Philippe Nautilus. A round case with apertures that maximises the view of the movement, one similar to that of the Franc Villa FVF1 C2 Tourbillon Superligero, would have made this less derivative. Also, the strap attachment appears awkward, and will probably not make its way into other ways. At the same time, even though the design is a break from the past, the CO374 movement has been employed by Corum for more than a decade now. It is a La Joux-Perret calibre found in various forms across several brands, including the Arnold & Son TES Tourbillon. Notably, Corum debuted a...
Time+Tide
The HYT Conical Tourbillon Infinity Sapphires is a limited edition of 8 pieces Its tourbillon calibre, with a spiral balance inclined at 30 degrees, was developed with master watchmaker Eric Coudray Framing the tourbillon, distinctly coloured gems – fuchsia, blue-grey and yellow – rotate at different speeds around the dial I am rather comfortable in … ContinuedThe post The new HYT Conical Tourbillon Infinity Sapphires is a high complication fit for Thanos appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
HYT releases a new 8 piece limited edition watch combining a conical tourbillon with animation: HYT Conical Tourbillon Infinity Sapphires.
Hodinkee
Vantablack is back.
Time+Tide
Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers bespoke department has collaborated with Rolls-Royce on a luxurious dashboard clock piece unique upon a client’s request Styled after a dashboard-mounted gauge, it features a bi-axial tourbillon and double retrograde display The car it was designed for, the Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail, is the world’s most expensive new car When it comes … ContinuedThe post Vacheron Constantin design a unique clock for the world’s most expensive car appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
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Today, Vacheron Constantin has announced a specially commissioned piece by the Les Cabinotiers workshop, the Armillary Tourbillon conceived for the coach-built Rolls-Royce Amethyst Droptail. Designed in collaboration with a client of both the watch brand and carmaker, the double-axis tourbillon pocket watch is mounted on the wood-panelled dash of the one-of-a-kind coupe that reputedly cost about €25 million. The Amethyst Droptail. Image – Rolls-Royce. Initial thoughts While the watch itself is interesting considering the movement (though it existed in wristwatch form already), perhaps the most noteworthy part of this watch is the collaboration between two establishment brands. Obviously, such a coming-together would never have been possible if it wasn’t for the owner who is known to be the biggest client of Rolls-Royce. In fact, it is also believed that the very same client just completed a very similar project with Rolls-Royce and Audemars Piguet, which created a removable Royal Oak Concept Chronograph mounted in the dash the La Rose Noire Droptail (and word has it that there are two more Droptails on the way for the same owner). The Audemars Piguet unique piece that was created for the owner’s other coach-built Droptail. Image- Rolls-Royce. La Rose Noire Droptail. Image – Rolls-Royce It is great to see commissions such as this being carried out by companies like Vacheron Constantin, which given its success and size could easily pass on such requests. The brand...
Teddy Baldassarre
It says a lot about the cultural impact of wristwatches that it seems to many of us as if they’ve been around forever, and in fact, there are watchmaking brands that can trace their history back two centuries or more; a handful are even older than the United States. Watches worn on the wrist, however, are a more recent phenomenon, at least for the general public, and while men make up the majority of serious wristwatch collectors and aficionados these days, women were the trendsetters of the style, wearing timepieces on their wrists nearly 100 years before gentlemen adopted them into their wardrobe. So who made the first wristwatch (for men and for women) and how did the wristwatch win over a male populace that at first considered them hopelessly effete? Our story begins in early 19th-Century France, with one of horological history's leading luminaries. First wristwatch (1810): Breguet No. 2639 for Queen Caroline Murat of Naples Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747 - 1823, above) was a native of Neuchâtel, Switzerland who plied his trade as a watchmaker in Paris and who today is regarded as one the most important figures in the history of timekeeping. Among Breguet’s many innovations were the first self-winding movement, the first repeater movement with a gong, one of the earliest constant-force escapements, and the device that he famously patented in 1801, the tourbillon escapement. But perhaps the most influential contribution Breguet made to the evolution of timekeeping wa...
SJX Watches
Long the most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch until it was superseded by the Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300 (and ref. 6175), the Sky Moon Tourbillon was arguably the brand’s first uber-complication. It was certainly the brand’s first double-faced wristwatch, continuing a lineage of two-sided grand complications that included the famous watches made for Henry Graves Jr. and James Ward Packard and the more recent Calibre 89. Boasting 12 complications, it debuted as the ref. 5002 in 2001 and then evolved into the ref. 6002 in 2014. The ref. 6002 has a more elaborately decorated 44 mm case, along with a revamped calendar display, but is otherwise unchanged in functional and mechanical terms from its predecessor, the ref. 5002 that was slightly smaller at 42.8 mm. The Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002P, the very first variant of the model The ref. 5002 featured a relief decoration on the case band done by machine Despite their comparable sizes, the ref. 6002 is far and away the more striking watch because the fully engraved case and enamelled dial. In fact, the ref. 6002 is probably as over the top as a classically-inclined grand complication can get. Both references are powered by the R TO 27 QR SID LU CL, a multi-layered movement made up of 705 parts. In a world first, we’ll take you inside the movement and show you each of the layers. The Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 6002R that remains in the current catalogue The ref. 6002 is engraved on almost every surface, even the minu...
Deployant
Bianchet updates their flying tourbillon with a new model with grande date. Introducing the Bianchet Flying Tourbillon Grande Date B1.618.
Deployant
Hajime Asaoka released yet another of his piece unique tourbillons. This time in 37mm with the same Art Deco aesthetic with a black lacquer dial.
Quill & Pad
In early 2023, Hublot introduced the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon Saxem, featuring a case made of a mysterious and rather impressive-looking crystal called Saxem. It looked like an addition to the brand's extensive line of sapphire watches. But as a retired laser physicist, I wondered: what material was behind that name? Perhaps a special kind of synthetic sapphire?
Time+Tide
David Lindon is a micro artist who makes artworks so small they can fit inside the eye of a needle. They’re so tiny that he once breathed too hard and an artwork disappeared up his nose. “I inhaled it by accident, and poof. It was gone,” the British artist told The Washington Post. “To do … ContinuedThe post Ear goes: Artist recreates three microscopic Van Gogh masterpieces inside tourbillon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Ba111od releases a new model combining their super-value tourbillon with a GMT feature, bringing travel functionality to the watch to the Chapter 4.6.
SJX Watches
Historically known for its over-the-top jewelled watches and oversized complications, Jacob & Co. recently debuted a watch that is very much quintessential Jacob, but surprisingly novel in mechanical terms. The Astronomia Revolution sticks to the distinctive, extra-large styling that defines the model, but contains an all-new movement that combines several complex assemblies into an even more complex movement, all in the name of a dynamic, fast-rotating display. Carrying the tourbillon and time display, the carousel is impressively quick and completes one revolution a minute, a feat made possible by a one-sixth-of-a-second constant-force mechanism and a differential for the time display. The kinetic nature of the dial means this is unlike any other mechanical watch. Initial thoughts The Astronomia Revolution made it into my list of notable complications unveiled at Watches & Wonders earlier this year: “[The] Revolution seems like yet another variant of the New York jeweller’s bestselling and bulbous timepiece… Except that it is not… While past versions of the Astronomia required between ten to 20 minutes or more for the carousel to complete one rotation, the Revolution does it in one minute [and] functions as a minute hand. To move a component that large at such a speed is unprecedented…” Which pretty much sums it up. It looks like a typical Jacob & Co. watch, but is much more interesting mechanically. That is because the movement goes against the prevailing co...
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Shortly after the release of their initial timepiece, the Carillon Tourbillon, Jean-Claude Biver and his son Pierre are making their debut at Only Watch with the Catharsis. A bold take on the chiming watch, this unique piece has no hands on the dial, but indicates the time with the carillon minute repeater. The dial is instead decorated with a mixture of gemstones, semi-precious stone marquetry, and guilloché to create an abstract scene depicting the Moon over a seascape. Inside is a variant of the movement as Biver’s first watch, but with an hour hand on the reverse. Initial thoughts The father-and-son duo behind Biver have to be commended for a daring debut at Only Watch, even though the watch will no doubt be polarising. They have gone extremely conceptual with the Catharsis. The idea of creating a watch with no visible way of telling the time is nothing new, having been done recently by H. Moser & Cie. in 2019 and earlier by Haldimann and Romain Jerome. However, the Catharsis aims to make a statement and chart a course for this newly minted independent brand. The aesthetics of original Biver repeater model were mixed, so this watch actually addresses that issue in a weird yet logical manner. The visual focus of the watch is the dial, which is not really a dial but a canvas for elaborate decoration. The 89 sapphires that make up the waves have been invisibly set and create a pleasing effect alongside the meteorite moon, silver obsidian sky and mother of pearl stars...
SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey has revealed plans for a significant expansion of its manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Set to nearly triple the current size of the distinctive, sloping building, the CHF20 million project signals a broader strategic move for the brand as it seeks a larger share of the high-end sports watch sector. The expansion, scheduled to commence next year, will not only increase Greubel Forsey’s research and development capacity and provide additional amenities for guests and staff, but it will also enable the brand to increase production. This move aligns with the brand’s recent shift from producing mainly complex tourbillon watches to introducing simpler, sportier watches that target the segment dominated by Richard Mille. In addition to the expansion, the brand is poised to launch its eighth “Fundamental Invention” this year. Nearly tripling in size The manufacture expansion is a key pillar of chief executive Antonio Calce’s ten-year vision for growing the brand and professionalising its operations. According to Mr Calce, the expansion will enable Greubel Forsey to pursue “ever greater creativity and excellence in hand finishing.” Antonio Calce The planned expansion of the manufacture is ambitious; the floorplan is set to nearly triple in size, from 2,000 m2 to 5,460 m2. Fortunately, the expansion will not alter the current building’s recognisable architecture of a glass box rising out of the grass. Instead, the expansion will build on and around...
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