The Archimede Pilot 250 is a 50-piece limited edition built to celebrate 250 years of watchmaking in Pforzheim: in 1787, the Markgraf Karl Friedrich of Baden gave watchmaker Jean François Autran permission to set up a watch factory in an orphanage in the town. The Pilot 250 has a 42 mm case in brushed stainless…
The new Tudor Heritage Black Bay Steel has a lot that is traditional Tudor, and some features that are innovative for the brand. The bezel is new, in stainless steel with circular brushed finish. For the first time on a Black Bay watch, it has a date window. This will make it popular with people…
The Royal Oak Chronograph by Audemars Piguet is undoubtedly one of the unique, hallmark chronograph designs, with the classic Royal Oak case given extra character by the shape of the pushers and crown. It’s been with us since 1997, for 20 years, and to celebrate this anniversary, 2017 sees the introduction of seven new models.…
In addition to its Chrono 4 models introduced in 2017, Eberhard & Co. has presented the Scafograf GMT. This follows on from Scafograf 300, launched last year, which won the Sports Watch Prize at the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Scafograf GMT has some sports watch features, such as a 100 metre water resistance,…
Fawaz Gruosi of de Grisogono launched the New Retro collection two years ago. These rectangular, 1950s style watches were inspired by the shape of his cigar case, and feature a watchcase consisting of two curving sapphire crystals united by a gold caseband. New Retro had a degree of resemblance to another period design, the East…
There are some brand owners that have a very hands-on approach, and Fawaz Gruosi is definitely one of them – others include Pascal Raffy of Bovet and of course Jean-Claude Biver. According to Fawaz of de Grisogono, “Creative design is about constantly reinventing oneself while remaining true to one’s identity. Preciously safeguarding the attributes of…
The Patrimony perpetual calendar that Vacheron Constantin presented in 2017 is a new version of an existing watch – last year it was presented in platinum with silvered dial. All the calendar information is shown on three subdials, day of the week at 9 o’clock, date at 3 o’clock, month and leap year cycle at…
When a watchmaker who has dedicated 16 years’ work to his own brand decides to leave and do something new, it comes as quite a surprise. This what occurred on 16 June 2017, when Christelle Rosnoblet, CEO of Speake-Marin, issued a press release saying that “After 16 years during which he shaped the image and…
The Les Cabinotiers Symphonia Grande Sonnerie 1860 byVacheron Constantin demonstrates that the brand is undoubtedly part of the top tier in the so-called watchmaking pyramid. The top tier comprises A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin, and it is defined principally by the price, prestige and complexity of their…
“It is not through doing what everyone else does that you become someone,” says Anura Rafael. He grew up in Switzerland’s watchmaking heartland, and for over 15 years he has worked for major watch brands. Now he has set up his own enterprise, Anura Rafael, and has launched his first product, Write Time. This is…
The Breitling Navitimer 01 is an absolute classic in the field of aviation watches. It was introduced in 1952, and since then it witnessed the arrival of civil jet planes, the quartz revolution, and the return of mechanical watches as luxury products. It also illustrates the progressive increase in watch size, starting at 40 mm,…
What is the connection between Iron Maiden and watchmaking? Heavy metal, I suppose, but the story of the chronograph Track1 by new watchmaking company Singer Reimagined goes a bit further. Singer is a company that was founded by Rob Dickinson from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, U.K., cousin of Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden’s lead singer, and it…
For their 20th participation at the Geneva watch show SIHH in January 2017, Panerai extensively updated their collection with five new Submersible models. The Panerai Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Titanio 47mm is a watchmaking classic, updated in detail design and movement. Its large size is counteracted by the use of titanium for the case…
There are some brands that make a few watch models that make me think, but do you really need to do that? Such as erotic watches – often made to commission with two people doing things with animation in a personalized position – for which apparently there is an incessant demand. And then there are…
The unusual thing about this watch is the fact that you can now see the tourbillon from the dial. Up until now, watches by Laurent Ferrier have had something of the 19th century discretion and functional logic that can be seen in brands like A. Lange & Söhne. In other words, the tourbillon is a…
The first Art Piece watches by Greubel Forsey contained a tiny sculpture, small enough to fit in the eye of a needle, and a magnifying sysem so that you could see it. In the new Art Piece 2 Edition 2, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey say, actually it’s the watch that is a work of…
This watch is interesting in several ways. It shows that Baume & Mercier, a brand that has dedicated a lot of effort to reducing the prices of its entry-level watches, is also committed to movement innovation in higher-end pieces. The Clifton Manual 1830 is in red gold and has a new movement with a hairspring…
Several brands do these super-modern skeletonized tourbillons, in which the architecture is reduced to the minimum. Roger Dubuis creates star-shaped bridges, Blancpain does sci-fi spiky, Cartier does its amazing Astrotourbillon. The Ulysse Nardin Executive Skeleton Tourbillon has a rectangular geometry for the bridge visible from the front, creating a watch of incredible simplicity, dominated by…
At watch fair SIHH in January this year, Ulysse Nardin presented three new movements. Plus the Innovision concept watch, and more recently the Executive Skeleton Tourbillon. An enormous creative effort. The Marine Annual Calendar Chronometer celebrates the days when marine chronometers were instrumental in determining a ship’s position. It has the looks of those classical…
The new Ulysse Nardin Classico Manufacture with Grand Feu blue dial has three unique selling points. An in-house self-winding movement. A blue dial also made in-house, by Ulysse Nardin group’s dial manufacturer Donzé Cadrans. And a competitive price, €8,900, $8,800. Not much more than last year’s limited edition Classico Manufacture. Guilloché enamel dial Donzé Cadrans…