This watch was plastered over the trams in Basel during Baselworld 2015, but Michael Kors wasn’t exhibiting there, and since then there hasn’t been much information at all about the watch, either online or from the Michael Kors PR offices. As far as I can ascertain, the Jetmaster (MK9011) is Michael Kors’ first automatic watch,…
This selection presents twenty pilot’s watches, still in production, with the classic black dial, white Arabic numerals, and triangle marker at 12 o’clock, recalling the watches supplied to the Luftwaffe in the years before, during and after the Second Worlld War by A. Lange & Sohne, IWC, Wempe, Laco, and Stowa. Three of those historic…
Einstein stars in a new Omega campaign for their Seamaster Aqua Terra watch. Einstein is George Clooney’s spaniel cross, rescued from a kennel for strays. George says of his dog, “I think he’s concerned that I am in his shot and he thinks that perhaps you can airbrush me out of it. That’s his hope.”…
This was introduced in 1998 and soon became the most popular Portuguese (now Portugieser) model, with its functional chronograph function, reliable movement, and moderate case size at 40.9 mm diameter and 12.3 mm thickness making it accessible to most men and many women. Movement The calibre 79350 automatic movement runs at 28,800 vph (4 Hertz)…
The IWC Yacht Club was a three-hander watch until 2010, when the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph was presented. The 2015 version has been modified to a degree, above all in some design touches. Most importantly, the case diameter has been reduced from 45.4 to 43.5 millimetres. It is intended as a watch for yachtsmen and…
Like the original 1930s Portugieser, the Automatic IW5007 is large, simple and reliable. The design of the Portugieser Automatic was presented in 2000, and in comparison with the previous version, the IW5007 remains unchanged in terms of dial design. What changes is the movement, now the 52010 calibre, part of the 52000 family of movements…
This watch is one of the two new products in this year’s Portugieser collection by IWC Schaffhausen (the other is the Portugieser Annual Calendar). It is the outcome of a lot of design thought, with the most important information – time functions, date and month, chronograph time – displayed as clearly as possible in the…
This is a classic Portugieser in every way. A comparison with the 1942 Portugieser Reference 325 (on the left in the photo below) shows that while the design of the numerals, logo and chapter ring has changed, the overall layout is very similar. The 2015 Portugieser Minute Repeater, reference IW5449, is made in two versions,…
As you can see from a comparison (above, the 2015 version on the left, the 2010 version on the right), the new reference IW3776 presented at SIHH in January by IWC Schaffhausen is not all that different from the previous version. The movement is the same 79091 calibre used in the 2010 Reference IW3774. The…
One day, a manufacturer like IWC will make a watch that is truly double-sided, one that you can wear with either the dial side or the movement side upwards. This is a piece that looks superb from both sides, and it would just take an extra pair of hands on the movement side and swivelling…
Today, IWC can look back over 150 years of history, from its privileged position as a brand with a powerful image and identity. But, as often happens in watchmaking, the IWC story is long and complex, with several changes in ownership, economic crises and brilliant turnarounds. Company profile: IWC began with an American, a watchmaker…
This watch caught my eye at a recent presentation. It is made by Italian brand Mondia, based in Voghera, near Milan. Its name is “1946 Aviator,” and it has a lot of the classic pilot’s watch features, such as the very simple dial, the Arabic numerals vertical all way round, the anti-magnetic movement, and the…
Panerai’s watches reflect the brand’s maritime heritage, and also their Italian origins. One of the hallmarks of Italy and Italians is their design flair, and their brilliance at designing wide open spaces – vast cathedrals, gigantic piazzas – in which the real beauty comes from the sense of space and the way in which that…
This special edition watch of the Radiomir is named after the city of Florence, birthplace of Panerai, and the 99 pieces will be available exclusively at the historic boutique in Piazza San Giovanni, Florence. The watch encapsulates a lot of history, with the steel case 47 mm in diameter like the first Officine Panerai watch…