A watch with a genuine period flavour can look impressive and has the advantage that it can never go out of style… it’s already out of style by definition. This sort of operation can produce excellent results in terms of sales, as demonstrated by watches such as the IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days edition, launched…
This pilot’s watch by German brand Junghans has a world of character. It’s totally pilot’s in its looks, but it’s different from any other pilot’s watch. It incorporates a lot of the brand’s history, with the movement named after its own in-house J88 chronograph movement designed in 1949, and the unusual twelve-sided bezel derived directly…
The ALT1-Z chronograph with GMT function has been part of the Bremont collection since 2007. This year, the design of the piece has been revised, with applied hour indices, and the 24-hour scale moved to the inner bezel. As the bezel has Bremont’s Roto-Click bi-directional inner bezel, operated using the crown at 8 o’clock, the…
The Bremont ALT1-C/PB is an extension of Bremont’s core range, and in particular its ALT1-C range of chronograph watches, which were the first that the company designed after its foundation in 2002. The dial layout is classic, with two subdials, one on the left for continuous seconds, one on the right for 30 chronograph minutes. On its…
The Solo family represents the entry-level for Bremont pilot’s watches. It has now been extended with these two classic pilot’s watches, with black or white dial. The difference with respect to the existing Solo pieces is the case and bezel, now available in polished steel. The Solo case is in steel that is specially hardened…
These watches were born from popular request. Bremont received feedback that women liked their classic pilots watches and so they have now introduced three 32mm models specifically for the female audience. As is customary for the British brand, no compromise: mechanical movements, COSC chronometer certification that guarantees precision, hardened steel case with excellent toughness and…
Bremont and Martin-Baker are both British companies, and both have close links to aviation. Martin-Baker make ejector seats used in fighter jets, and in 2016 they will reach the figure of 7,500 lives saved using their technology (two short as at February 2016). They asked Bremont to make a “definitive aviation watch” in 2007, tough…
Company profile: Bremont is a British brand with a clear ambition: to revive British watchmaking. Their dials are not marked “Swiss made” but “London”, and they are endeavouring to gradually increase the proportion of the watchmaking processes performed in the UK. At the moment, cases, straps and leather packaging are made in England, watches are…
Like the Bremont Regatta Otusa, the Bremont Regatta AC is a chronograph that has been modified, the chronograph minutes counter adapted to create a 5-minute countdown function in an arc window at 12 o’clock. The Regatta AC by Bremont is available in two versions, in rose gold and hardened polished steel. Its dial design is more classical…
Bremont’s new chronograph regatta watches were developed as part of their role as Official Timing Partner to the 35th America’s Cup and to the defending team Oracle Team USA, an agreement that began in 2015 and will continue to the final races in Bermuda in 2017. They all feature the countdown function, which is important…
This is the production version of the Grandmaster Chime 5175 that Patek Philippe presented for its 175th anniversary in 2014. That piece was a limited edition of seven pieces, six sold to collectors, and one that will one day be on show at the Patek Philippe Museum. The version presented this year is not a…
This watch by Patek Philippe has all the timeless simplicity of the Calatrava case, coupled with a modern minimalism that makes it contemporary. It has a mechanical movement, manually-wound. The lugs are designed so that they extend visually across the bezel, which adds complexity to the diamond-setting. The diamonds are differently-sized as they reach the…
In their communications for the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar reference 5396, the company say that it was Philippe Stern, owner and president of Patek Philippe, who in 1992 asked his engineers to develop a watch bridging the gap between the so-called “complete calendar” (also known as “full calendar” or “quantième complet”) which indicates day of…
Patek Philippe’s World Time watch 5230 has been around for almost 80 years, and this year the brand is presenting a new version that replaces all previous models. It incorporates some changes in the cities used to designate the various time zones, such as Moscow that has moved from UTC+4 to UTC+3. At the same…
With the World Time Chronograph ref. 5930, Patek Philippe presents a watch with two complications that are not usually found in the same watch: chronograph and world time. As is usual for Patek Philippe, the watch is like an iceberg: the easy-to-use simplicity of the interior hides a ferociously complex mechanism within. Most so-called GMT…
The Zenith Elite 6150 was released in 2015 as a steel dress watch. It is now also available in rose gold. The cambered dial has a sort of Bauhaus purity, with engraved baton hour markers and narrow leaf-shaped hands, and nothing (not even a date window, a commendable and courageous move) disturbing the classical elegance.…
Zenith works in a number of vintage territories, such as motorbikes, but more importantly classic cars. The El Primero 36.000 VpH Classic Car fits the image perfectly, with its high-speed column-wheel chronograph movement, the classic three counters in different colours, a “brushed engine” finish on the dial, and the perforated leather strap that recalls driving…
It looks like a classic pilot’s watch, but the Zenith Heritage Pilot Café Racer has a marketing campaign designed to connect with a different set of clients: classic motorbikes. The Café Racer movement was born in England in the 1920s, when riders customized their motorbikes and souped up their engines. The watch has all the…
This is a limited edition of Zenith’s El Primero chronograph, with an open dial revealing parts of the movement. Colours have been given a minimalist treatment, with everything in shades of grey except for the touches of red on the chronograph hands. The sense of depth on the dial is enhanced by the moulded letters…
The DS Podium Lady by Certina is an attractive women’s watch, 29 mm in diameter, with mother-of-pearl dial, Roman numerals, and an ETA 2671 self-winding mechanical movement. It is available in several versions, and in the variant with PVD rose gold trim on the bezel, crown and bracelet, it has a classical beauty that stands…