Right at the top of the great Ancient Egyptian pyramids, at the top of millions of ton of stone, there was originally a pyramidion, a miniature version of the entire pyramid forming the very apex, a single piece of granite or limestone a metre or two high covered in gold leaf. And, in the most…
A split-seconds chronograph, or a “Chronographe à rattrapante,” makes it possible to take intermediate chronograph readings while continuing to time a longer event. In a watch with the conventional arrangement of pushers, you start the chronograph by pressing the pusher at 2 o’clock, and the two chronograph seconds hands start moving around the dial, perfectly…
The Patek Philippe 5372 split-seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar, presented in 2017, follows on from the 2015 Patek Philippe 5370, a split-seconds chronograph with two conventional chronograph pushers. Like that model, the 5372 has a circular platinum case. The dial is completely different, with simple Arabic numerals applied onto a gold dial with blue sunburst…
This complication watch, Tourbograph Perpetual Pour le Mérite, by A. Lange & Söhne has a fusée-and-chain constant force transmission, a tourbillon, a split-second chronograph, and a perpetual calendar. It completes the Pour le Mérite line of development: the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite was launched in 1994, the first wristwatch with both tourbillon and fusée-and-chain transmission, and…
Breitling’s Navitimer Rattrapante is an exceptional watch. It has a new in-house split-seconds chronograph movement that incorporates two patents, it is COSC chronometer-certified, and it operates using the most prestigious chronograph layout, column wheel and vertical clutch. It comes in two versions, steel and gold, and the gold version has a display caseback. The dial…
This is the first watch presented by Richard Mille in 2017, and it reflects the partnership that he signed with McLaren in 2016, a ten-year agreement. It is based on Richard’s authentic passion for McLaren: he watched the McLaren team’s debut in Monaco in 1966. The watch incorporates high-tech materials such as titanium and Carbon…
All of the watches by Angelus have a high content of originality, from the U10 launched in 2015 that marked the company’s return to business, to this year’s three models. It is above all with the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante that Angelus and its new owners are saying “We are here.” The U30 is a show…
Helmut Sinn founded his company in 1961, and so this year marks its 55th anniversary. He himself would have been 100 on 3 September 2016, but he died three years ago. I’m sure he would have been pleased by this anniversary watch, because his motto was “as perfectly as possible, but only as expensive as…
The Tonda Chronor Anniversaire by Parmigiani Fleurier celebrates the brand’s 20th anniversary, from its creation in 1996 by Michel Parmigiani with the Sandoz Family Foundation. It’s a very technical piece, with a clear and functional dial. Its utility is further enhanced by the big date. It is also exceptional in that the movement is entirely…
At SIHH in Geneva this year, there were some brands that surprised for how few new watches they presented, and others who surprised for the richness of their product launches. Vacheron Constantin definitely came in the second category, with five new calibres making 2015 a milestone year for the brand. 2015 is Vacheron Constantin’s 260th…
For its watches, Montblanc operates from two manufacturing units, one in Le Locle, and one in Villeret, near Neuchatel. The second is a traditional building, filled with traditional machinery, in which watchmakers still make timepieces by hand, performing just about all operations, including construction of the balance springs, by hand. Montblanc’s racier and more youthful…