Latest watch news · Page 1143

Christie’s Education, the learning division of the auction house, has just launched Behind the Curtain: Watchmaking Houses, a series of virtual classes catered to beginner enthusiasts that profile the most important watch brands – essentially the names that are typically the most sought after at watch auctions. Conducted by Geneva-based watch expert Antoine Géraud, the weekly courses cover the history, important watches, and key personalities at Patek Phillipe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Cartier. Each lecture is 75 minutes, and recordings of each session will be available for seven days after the class should participants wish to revisit. The programme is essentially a crash course, making it ideal for beginners who want to learn more about key brands. And the length of the lectures seems ideal – punchy and brief, but enough to convey the necessary knowledge. The Patek Philippe ref. 5101P 10 Day Tourbillon Alongside the watch history classes is a separate programme covering the biggest names in jewellery, taught by historian Vanessa Cron. Just like the watch classes, these will go into the stories behind names like Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, and Cartier. With jewellers often being watchmakers as well, burgeoning watch enthusiasts might find the jewellery classes useful too. An Audemars Piguet Grand Complication pocket watch that sold at Christie’s in 2019 The price of a single class is HK$1,200, or about US$150. The ...

We deep dive into the new Citizen Series 8 Model 830 Mechanical with a unique 3 layer metal and mother of pearl dial, as we get our hands on a loan sample for possibly the world’s first hands-on and in-depth review of this new release. Is this a game changer in the prestige mechanical watchRead More

The Grande Seconde is an iconic Jaquet Droz model. It’s a wristwatch interpretation of a historic Jaquet Droz pocket watch from 1748 featuring two overlapping dials forming a graceful figure eight. The Grande Seconde is as classic a Jaquet Droz as they come, but the Skelet-One, while retaining the same dial layout, is anything but classic. Ian Skellern takes a closer look at three new models from this surprising line for 2021.

Audemars Piguet just announced many of the year’s new launches during Inside AP, a virtual presentation anchored by chief executive François-Henry Bennahmias and head of complications Michael Friedman, which also included something more intriguing – a partnership with Marvel and its band of superheroes. Hinted at when I interviewed Mr Bennahmias in 2019 – the announcement originally slated for a June 2020 – the tie up was decades in the making. According to Mr Bennahmias, he had envisioned a tie up with Marvel, the film studio and comic-book publisher that owns characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, as well as the Avengers and X-Men, some 15 years ago. He only managed to set it in motion in 2017, thanks to American actor Don Cheadle, best known for playing War Machine in the Iron Man and Avengers film series. Friends with Mr Bennahmias for a decade, Mr Cheadle set up a meeting with Marvel executives that year, and also took part in today’s Inside AP presentation. Francois-Henry Bennahmias (left) and Don Cheadle Coming soon to a watch near you. Image – Marvel Studios Mr Bennahmias noted the Marvel partnership was inspired in part by the Fantasy watches of Gerald Genta that featured Disney characters like Mickey Mouse. Coincidentally, Marvel is now owned by The Walt Disney Company, making it a realisation of his ambition in more ways than one. More details about this tie up will be revealed in April during an event in Los Angeles. Stay tuned.  

Audemars Piguet is coming in hot for 2021, and AP is not pulling any punches. It is clear the plan is to usher in a new era of timepieces, and in particular the Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Offshore collection is home to two brand new innovations: an all new in-house caliber and the first-ever … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Audemars Piguet 2021 Royal Oak Offshore 42mm Collection with a new movement and interchangeable strap system appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A stunning split-seconds chronograph based on an historic military model, the new 1858 Split-Second Chronograph is a limited edition of 18 pieces crafted out of a new alloy called Lime Gold.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak models are among the most coveted watches in the entire world. Owners of the various references already make other collectors green with envy, but the new 2021 Royal Oak Collection will make onlookers envy the green. Somewhere Conor McGregor’s #NewWatchAlert spidey sense just started tingling, because this new collection of five … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Audemars Piguet goes all-in on green for the 2021 Royal Oak collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Bell & Ross introduces the latest colour way in its Diver Bronze range. This time it’s in vibrant red.

Limited editions of Blancpain divers are hot commodities in today’s marketplace, so when they are announced it’s best to act fast if you’re looking to secure one for your collection. They also have the added benefit of speaking to a wider spectrum of wrists, taking on a smaller 40.3mm case diameter reserved for limited editions. … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Cohiba has that mythical aura about it, but is that always a good thing? For many, Cohiba Robustos are the ultimate robusto and among the very best from the Cohiba stable. As with every cigar, this is not necessarily a unanimous opinion, but they have been described as the benchmark against which all other cigars must be judged. Ken Gargett enlists some unexpected help in Cuba to track down a box of the best and shares the story and how they taste here.

Over the last decade, the watch media has played an increasingly important, and intertwined, part in the watch industry. From increased coverage of newly released watches to publications becoming authorised retailers for brands, the landscape has shifted forever. And out of this paradigm shift, one of the coolest things to be born is the watch … ContinuedThe post BATTLE ROYALE: The best watch media collaborations according to the T+T Team appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introduced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of De Bethune’s signature watch, the DB28XP is a pared-back, slimmer and more wearable take on the original model, though still instantly recognisable with its trademark pivoted lugs. Now De Bethune unveils the most exotic variant of the watch to date, the DB28XP Meteorite. It retains many of the elements the brand is known for, but the highlight is a brilliantly blued meteorite dial. Meteorite dials are common, even on inexpensive watches, but De Bethune’s meteorite is unlike any other in watchmaking. Though the material is just like any other meteorite, it has been heat-treated, creating a blue oxidisation that gives it a special blue sheen. Initial thoughts De Bethune is one of my favourite independent watchmakers – I love the Kind of Two Tourbillon from earlier in the year. Innovation is its raison d’etre, and the new DB28XP Meteorite exemplifies that, both technically and aesthetically. While heat-blued titanium is a De Bethune hallmark, heat-blued meteorite takes the look to a whole new level. The gold-studded “starry sky” dial captures the cosmos on the wrist. Though the look is very different, the DB28XP Meteorite has all of the wearability of the standard model. It has sprung, pivoted lugs that allow it to cling to the wrist, while also being more compact than the original, full-size DB28. The brand has previously utilised the blued meteorite in the Dream Watch 5 and Kind of Blue Meteorite – both sp...

The DOXA Sub 300 is a strong diver’s watch with vintage leanings. But the Sub 300 Aqualung US Divers Limited Edition in carbon fibre offers a completely different proposition. Essentially, it refashions the piece with a modern edge – the sharp and moody presence of the industrial carbon fibre turning up the emphasis on the … ContinuedThe post HANDS ON: The DOXA Sub 300 Carbon range delivers 6 eye-popping dials in future-proof carbon fibre appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

TAG adds to their successful chronograph tourbillon line with a new Heuer 02T model with a solid blue dial. blue ceramic bezel in titanium case and bracelet.

An architect turned watch designer, Alain Silberstein was a star of the 1990s, being perhaps the most avant-garde watch brand of the decade. The Frenchman’s quirky and geometrical designs were the diametrical opposite of the classical style that was then the industry norm. Though his eponymous brand shut down a few years ago, Mr Silberstein is still active as a designer, most recently collaborating with Louis Erard on an affordable, regulator-style watch. Now he is making a comeback in a big way – literally. With the help from French clockmaker Utinam, Mr Silberstein has taken the cover off the Kontwaz Bauhaus 2, KB2 for short. A monumental skeleton clock, the KB2 is available in two versions: a 2 m high standing timekeeper, or in a compact, wall-mounted form. The KB2 wall clock Alain Silberstein Initial thoughts The KB2 is not Mr Silberstein’s first foray into clocks. He designed several other versions of the Kontwaz Bauhaus in the 1990s, which were produced by a French clockmaker and occasionally pop up on the secondary market today. That makes the new KB2 is a pleasant surprise that harks back to his earlier career. As with most Silberstein creations, the appeal of the KB2 lies in the design, which is complex and distinctive, yet composed of simple shapes. The geometrical forms and colours are lightly arranged in harmonious whole – an impressive feat, for a lesser designer would have just created a mishmash of elements. The standing KB2 The key for winding ...

If you’re like GaryG, you’ve been spending some time during the current pandemic-driven lockdown monitoring online watch publications, including Quill & Pad, and you’ve likely seen at least a few comments in response to posts that go something like this, “How in the world can you possibly be focused on something like watches at such a terrible time?” Well, Gary is here to tell you.

You’ll have heard this about vintage watches before: tread carefully when you have these pieces serviced and who you allow to work on them. With Rolex, in particular, you’ll be aware of the dangers of having the factory service their vintage watches and the horror stories of these coveted watches losing the elements that make … ContinuedThe post Why servicing a vintage Rolex will only get harder and more expensive appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Martin Green always had a profound preference for the color green: a touch of this color is a sure way to attract his attention and interest! Here he shares four of his favorite recent watches with green dials and explains why he thinks they stand out from the crowd.

The heritage trend has definitely saturated the marketplace with virtually every manufacturer looking to their past to create interest in their products. Some do this better than others. With the current ubiquity of the faux-patinated aesthetic, designs have to be pushed even further to stand out. Re-interpretations of heritage designs typically signal that the design … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The 2021 Longines Legend Divers freshen up heritage looks with modern notes appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

We take a detailed, hands-on look at the just released Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad diver watch, with many detailed photographs.

A legendary watch long known to the market – and widely expected to reemerge – is finally coming to market. The one-off Patek Philippe ref. 3448 without a moon phase will be offered by Christie’s during its upcoming Hong Kong watch auction on May 22, 2021. This unique ref. 3448 was custom made for Alan Banbery, and is distinguished by the red leap-year indicator that replaces the conventional moon phase display. Though there are a few other known examples of the ref. 3448 without a moon phase – nicknamed “Senza Luna”, Italian for “without moon” – the Banbery watch is the only one with robust provenance, detailed documentation, and crucially, the under-dial mechanism for the leap-year display. An Englishman who was the longtime head of sales at Patek Philippe until his retirement in 2001. Still living near Geneva, Mr Banbery is probably best known as having helped Philippe Stern assemble the magnificent collection of clocks and watches that make up the Patek Philippe Museum, while also being one of the coauthors of the Patek Philippe, Geneve reference books alongside the late Munich watch retailer Martin Huber. During a 2017 meeting with Mr Banbery at the La Reserve hotel in Geneva, he recounted the origins of his ref. 3448. According to Mr Banbery, he had the idea of a ref. 3448 without a moon phase and took it to Patek Philippe watchmaker Max Berney, who then modified a standard ref. 3448, replacing the moon phase with a leap year display. He was gifted...

Blancpain’s iconic dive watch introduced in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms was named after the maximum depth then considered to be safe for divers, about 91 m. The Fifty Fathoms also claims the title of being the first purpose-built dive watch, though Rolex contends that its Submariner came first. Produced in a great many iterations, the Fifty Fathoms has become highly collectible in good number of variations, including those bearing the “No Radiations” logo – used in the early 1960s to indicate that radioactive radium was no longer used for the luminescence of the dial. That watch has now been revived by Blancpain as the Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad, a limited edition that channels the spirit of the 1960s original, but executed in modern-day Blancpain quality. An example of the vintage Fifty Fathoms “No Radiations” Initial thoughts A staple of Blancpain’s line up, the Fifty Fathoms has been revived in various guises over the last few years, with the latest “No Rad” being the latest of several vintage remakes. The abundance of Fifty Fathoms limited editions – all similar but slightly different – have diminished its uniqueness somewhat, but the “No Rad” is nonetheless compelling. For one, the design has some provenance: the vintage “No Radiations” is a rare watch that’s exploded in value on the secondary market. And the “No Radiations” dial is quaint and quirky, but also historically significant in the transition from radium to tritium, c...

The subscription model – where customers pay for access, but not necessarily ownership – is familiar, and increasingly prevalent. Spotify and Netflix are amongst the best known examples, but subscriptions are now found in fashion – a new wardrobe weekly – and even automobiles, with Porsche Drive that offers a new car every month. And now also in watches: Breitling becomes the first major watch brand to offer a subscription with BreitlingSelect. More accurately, BreitlingSelect is a combination of a subscription and instalment payment plan. It starts with the wearer rotating amongst a handful of trial watches over a year, while paying a monthly fee. But at the end of the year, the total fee paid can be put towards buying one of the watches worn during the trial. Initial thoughts Watch subscription isn’t novel. New York-based ElevenJames launched with much fanfare in 2013, before shutting down quietly five years later. There have been plenty more similar services offered in several of the world’s major watch markets, but few have been sustainable. Consumers quickly realise it makes more sense to save for a watch, rather than paying subscription fees, which are by nature hefty since the timepieces being subscribed to are luxury watches. Breitling clearly believes that its subscription service can buck that trend. The crucial difference between BreitlingSelect and everything that has come before is the brand – BreitlingSelect is being offered by the watch manufa...

Having taken charge in A. Lange & Söhne at the end of 2010 – while the brand was still suffering from the effects of the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis – Wilhelm Schmid has now been the German watchmaker’s chief executive for a bit over a decade. He did not join Lange from within watchmaking, instead he was recruited from a German luxury brand of another sort, the carmaker BMW. But in the decade since Mr Schmid has carefully and steadily developed the brand, and in the process become one of the longest-tenured – and highly regarded – leaders in the watch industry. From its modern-day foundation in 1994, Lange made watches of first-class quality. That, along with the ethos of the brand, has been preserved, but at the same time, Mr Schmid has deftly evolved the brand’s image, in both product and communication – the Odysseus being an obvious example – bringing its peerless quality recognition amongst a broader audience. The brand’s success in recent years has translated into robust demand for its products – a good problem to have but one that Mr Schmid apologises for, as you’ll find out below. I spoke with Mr Schmid over Zoom last month, and enjoyed a wide ranging conversation that looked back on the last 10 years, as well as forward, where he notes e-commerce is now a certainty for Lange, but online exclusives are not. Zooming with the Odysseus The interview was edited for clarity and length. SJX: How has Lange been coping with the disruptions of 2020? Wil...

A longtime fan favourite, the modern-day Alpinist is synonymous with a forest-green dial and inner rotating bezel. But the origins of the model date to 1959, when Seiko introduced the first Alpinist as part of the Laurel brand. Today’s Alpinist has evolved a long way from the original, but now Seiko has returned the watch to its roots with a “re-creation” of the 1959 design. The 1959 Alpinist Re-creation is a somewhat faithful remake of the first Alpinist that was conceived as no-frills watch for mountaineers. At the same time, Seiko is also unveiling the simpler and more affordable The 1959 Alpinist Modern Re-interpretation. The vintage original of 1959 Initial thoughts Because it’s very much a mid-20th century design, the Alpinist reissues have a good blend of sportiness and elegance. The round cases are compact, giving them a slightly a dressy feel, but the dials are simple and legible, along with a more-than-capable watch case with substantial water resistance. The best thing about the watch is its design, which is minimalist but not plain. The markers are oversized and slightly decorative, and matched with a minute track that evokes a sector dial. Just 36.6 mm wide, the Re-creation is particularly good looking with its symmetrical layout and deep, glossy black finish. It also avoids the faux-vintage colour palette, resulting in a look that is retro but refreshingly modern. That said, its date window is squeezed between four and five o’clock, which is a l...

Vacheron Constantin’s vintage curation for 2021’s Les Collectionneurs particularly showcases their exemplary watch designs from the mid-20th century