The Oris Artelier Calibre 112 features the brand’s third in-house movement following the introduction of the Calibre 110 in 2014, their first in-house movement after a break of about 35 years. Calibre 110 (named because it was introduced in the brand’s 110th anniversary year) was a time-only movement with power reserve indicator, Calibre 111 introduced…
The 857 UTC VFR by Sinn is a pilot’s watch, certified by the newly-instituted German standard DIN 8330, specially devised for watches used in aviation, where they may be subjected to magnetic fields, positive and negative variations in pressure and temperature, and G-forces. In addition to these qualities, this watch has a dial of superb…
The Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon by Jaeger-LeCoultre is an object of extraordinary beauty. Even though at 51.1 mm by 31 mm it’s a large piece, it is slim at 12.4 mm thickness. The contrast between the simple Art Deco lines of the platinum case and the complexity of the movement and its decoration makes the watch…
2016 marks the 85th anniversary of Jaeger-LeCoultre‘s Reverso, with several models celebrating the occasion, including this piece, the Reverso Tribute Calendar. It’s very easy to take a brand like Jaeger-LeCoultre for granted: they have a discreet, laid-back attitude. They don’t boast a lot about their achievements. They have many qualities: they have been a true…
Peter-Carl Fabergé, son of the founder of the jewellery company that specialized in the fabulous eggs that won him fame and fortune with the Tsars of Russia, always looked for the finest masters in any craft. The maison continues this policy still today, with its watch movements entrusted to Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, founder of Geneva watch…
The Admiral’s Cup Legend 47 Worldtimer by Corum is made in two versions, one in titanium, and one in titanium with a rose gold bezel. It’s a large piece at 47 mm diameter, 17.2 mm thickness, and it is hallmarked by Corum’s characteristic nautical flags in the place of numbers, and the 12-sided bezel. It…
Theatrical balance With the 1770 Haute Voltige, Manufacture Royale transforms time into performance art. It selects the most significant parts of the movement – the 14mm-diameter balance wheel and the escapement – and puts them above the dial, in isolation from the rest of the movement which is hidden below. The geometry is beautiful, with…
The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M GoodPlanet GMT has a fresh, marine look about it, with its white dial and blue highlights. The case is in titanium, 43 mm in diameter, and quite chunky at 14.15 mm thickness. Its finish is mainly brushed, with polished details and bezel. The water resistance of 15 bar, 150…
Bi-ceramic bezel. Er… Rolex, right? Two-colour Cerachrom ceramic bezels introduced into the Rolex GMT-Master II in blue and black in 2013, and red and blue in 2014? Made using a patented system? Well, in the new Omega Planet Ocean 600M GMT, there is a black and white ceramic bezel used for the first time by…
Everyone loved the MB&F LM1 released in 2010, with its large, theatrical balance wheel suspended over the dial and under the dome-shaped watch glass. This year, MB&F presents a collaboration with French watch designer Alain Silberstein, whose liking for primary colours and shapes produced the engaging MB&F LM1 Silberstein. This piece follows another collaboration, the…
The 2016 version of the Cellini Dual Time by Rolex has a brown guilloché dial, and a subdial at 6 o’clock showing the time for a second time-zone. (Of course, you can still purchase the Cellini Dual Time in its previous silver-colour and black dial versions). Though the subdial has hour and minute hands, it…
What colour do you paint an aircraft cockpit? For many years, Boeing chose brown, presumably because according to their research this colour was the most relaxing for crews. More recently they have returned to grey cockpits, like most other Western-made aircraft, while Soviet-era Russian and Eastern European aircraft had blueish-green cockpits. In any case, “Boeing…
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…
Montblanc has reacted fast to the advent of smart watches. The e-Strap is a small, discreet device that slides onto a standard watchstrap and pairs to a smartphone. It offers functions that include an activity tracker, notifications for incoming communications, remote controls for the phone’s camera and music player, and a system that allows you…
With respect to the previous version of this watch, Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum, this piece is much more attractive, with its colourful globe, and more expensive, €5,890 as compared to €4,990. The case has also been increased in size from 41 to 43 mm, and the caseband has a stepped profile. The world-time function…
This watch by Panerai had already been presented in 2015 in a red gold case, and in 2016 the same concept has been given a 47 mm titanium case designed to make the watch lighter. You could say that the middle case is 3D-printed, and this enables it to be made hollowed out internally, like…
These four Panerai watches, PAM00627, 628, 657 and 658, retain the brand’s classic DNA but they embrace modernity in a more consciously designer appearance. They have the functions that are most practical for a contemporary executive: power reserve indicator, and second time zone, with quick-setting hour hand. The cushion-shaped case has a lenticular profile when…
The first timepieces in history were the earth and the moon. Our prehistoric ancestors observed the sequences of day and night, the seasons and the phases of the moon, and used them to devise the earliest forms of measuring time. In this watch by Bovet 1822, the case, 46 mm in diameter and 18 mm…
This is a watch that was presented back in 2010, but I’m writing it about it today just because it is a good illustration of the fact that, even in a mature industry such as watchmaking, real innovation is still possible, and when you see it, it brightens the day of any watch lover. There…
Ulysse Nardin have an impressive ability to make watches that look very different to most and that incorporate a lot of design thought. The Executive Lady, a model first introduced in 1996, is a watch for women in three stylish colours with a lot of diamond glitter on bezel and dial, but nonetheless it has…