With about ten weeks to go until SIHH (19-23 January 2015) and a few months before Baselworld (19-26 March), some brands are already presenting their previews of watches that will be highlighted at these events. SIHH is restricted to just the Richemont Group brands (A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Greubel…
1. Origin of the California dial. The watch shown here, the Radiomir 1940 Chronograph Oro Rosso PAM 519, has an unusual layout with Roman numerals at the top and Arabic numerals below, an arrangement now known as the California dial (apparently because some companies in California, such as Kirk Rich, specializing in restoring dials, provided…
Many of Breitling’s models are seriously technical, usually with chronometer movements and lots of indications on the dial. This piece is large at 44 mm diameter, and more relaxed, in line with other models in the Galactic collection. It has two features that immediately appeal to me: a date window with good legibility, and a…