Latest watch news · Page 1311

Stefan Kudoke’s time has arrived. All the long years of learning, obsessing, wondering, and hard work are now paying off for the German watchmaker and engraver, whose gorgeous Kudoke 2 won the Petite Aiguille award at the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). And Elizabeth Doerr finds the brand-new Kudoke 2 Nocturne just as enchanting; she explains why here.

This week on Micro Mondays, we are looking at a brand that is a little older than most of the watch manufacturers we feature in this column - Ollech & Wajs. And what a story the company has … This might be one of the best-kept secrets in the watch industry, with the Zurich-based company … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: Ollech & Wajs are the tool watch company you should check out if utilitarian is your thing appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Bovet Récital 26 Brainstorm Chapter Two: the story continues. Indications include hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve, moon phase, and a world time/second time zone display. All of which is powered by an entirely new double-sided flying tourbillon movement with totally new architecture. Warning: it may blow your mind!

We recommend six watches with seconde morte: from F. P. Journe, A. Lange & Söhne, Petermann Bedat, Habring², Jaeger-LeCoultre and Arnold & Son.

Francois-Paul Journe tells the story of his tourbillons.

Longines has had quite the 2020. First came the excellent Khaki Green addition to the HydroConquest collection, and then we scored an entirely new and very exciting collection in the Longines Spirit. And now, to round out something new and something updated, comes something from the past –  but, we think you’ll agree, very much … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Jay Gatsby of the class of 2020 is in the (Art Deco) house, meet the Longines Heritage Classic ‘Tuxedo’ and ‘Tuxedo Chronograph’ appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Rebellion takes on many forms – like jazz music, which at one time represented an extreme deviation from musical tables and conventional styles of music, perhaps as much or even more so than rock and roll. What timekeepers did these musical giants prefer to wear? And which brands pay tribute to them today?

For anybody missing the fantastic views in Yosemite National Park during this era of non-travel, RGM has something special for just two lucky owners: a watch with a beautiful stone marquetry dial offering one of the most iconic views of this national treasure that features three of its most prominent landmarks.

Well, one of 2020’s worst-kept secrets is out of the bag – Tudor has gone and released a brand new iteration of the best watch it makes. Ladies and gents, introducing the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Ref.M79030b-0001. Now, we’ll skip all the conjecture and polarisation that this watch has already managed to conjure up in … ContinuedThe post What kind of blue is the new Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight actually? 4 side-by-side shots with the Pelagos, Patek, Lange and more… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The HM Perpetual Moon Aventurine offers a spectacular solid gold moon phase sitting above the sparkling blue aventurine quartz dial and paired with an in-house Arnold & Son mechanical calibre. Demonstrating its British history and Swiss savoir-faire, Arnold & Son presents the HM Perpetual Moon with a beautifully decorative blue aventurine quartz dial, limited toRead More

When it comes to tool watches, there are few brands out there as dedicated to instrument aesthetics as Bell & Ross. Although they may lack centuries of heritage, starting off in the early ’90s with Sinn making their watches, they’ve endeavoured not to be left behind in the everlasting race for technological advancement in watchmaking. … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The B&R; BR03-92 DIVER FULL LUM has a proper party trick when the lights go out appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The time is now, according to GaryG, for large watch brands to seize the opportunity to make a real difference to the health of the mechanical watch industry and the prosperity of their brands. He thinks that 2020 is the year for CEOs to commit to entering their best new pieces in the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

The latest Récital from Bovet is a further evolution of its award-winning design language.

There’s very little that hasn’t been done in watchmaking. That’s part of what makes vintage-inspired new releases so popular among watch enthusiasts, especially for diving styles. Mido’s Ocean Star range has sat in this bracket, earning a good reputation for solidly built and classically handsome dive watches for their affordable cost; however, they toed the … ContinuedThe post The Mido Ocean Star Decompression Timer 1961 brings the colour we all need in a dark year at a budget-friendly price appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Why we think Micro Four Thirds (MFT) is one of the best systems to photograph watches. With samples and experiences from Peter Chong & Peter Nievaart.

Variety is the theme in this week's round-up of vintage watches from around the web.

Having moved house last year, I finally got around to collecting the last remaining items from our storage facility last weekend. All that was left was a forlorn collection of those random bits and pieces that you barely use, but can’t quite stomach throwing out. There was a box of bedraggled Christmas decorations, a tennis … ContinuedThe post OPINION: Will COVID hammer the final nail into the coffin of the dress watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Richard Mille adds a sixth chapter to their widely beloved family of chronographs with the RM 11-05 Automatic Flyback Chronograph GMT that has its bezel made of Cermet

Hailing from Ireland’s most famous watchmaking family, John McGonigle is best known for being one half of the two brothers behind McGonigle Watches (and another brother is the chief instructor at the world-class watch school in Cambodia). Having decided to strike out on his own last year – an amicable parting resulting from logistical challenges of working with his brother who is based in Switzerland – Mr McGonigle has just launched his own brand, Oileán, Gaelic for “island”, a nod to his home of Ireland. Pronounced “ill-awn”, the brand is making its debut with the Oileán H-B1, a triple-calendar chronograph powered by a new-old-stock Valjoux 88 movement. John McGonigle Initial thoughts Well regarded by collectors and peers, Mr McGonigle’s first watch under his new brand has a vintage movement inside a titanium case. It’s a manageable 40 mm in diameter, but slightly thick at 14.2 mm high, an inevitable consequence of the Valjoux 88. While the Valjoux 88 is not novel – it was widely used in the past – the calibre has been reworked a high standard. That includes several bridges and steel parts made from scratch, as well as hand finishing of all components. Because it is a triple-calendar chronograph “I’ve tried to apply the same rigour to this watch as I used to for the high complications I worked on in the past,” says Mr McGonigle. Going by Mr McGonigle’s past work it is no doubt done very well. The look is modern – the dial is smoked sa...

Starting slightly later than usual, the auction season in Hong Kong starts in the second week of July, with Phillips’ The Hong Kong Watch Auction: X happening on July 10 at the JW Marriott. The situation makes attending the sale in person difficult for most of us, so you’re invite to join myself and Thomas Perazzi, Phillips’ head of watches in Asia, for a webinar on July 6. We will discuss the highlights of the 269-lot sale, which is led by a Patek Philippe ref. 2499/100 and a possibly-unique ref. 3448 in white gold. Schedule The webinar will take place on July 6, 2020 at 04:00 pm GMT+8 (Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing). And for other time zones: 06:00 pm GMT+10 (Sydney) 10:00 am GMT+2 (Berlin, Frankfurt, Milan, Geneva, Zurich) 09:00 am GMT+1 (London) 04:00 am GMT-4 (New York, Boston) 01:00 am GMT-7 (Vancouver) Registration is required to attend, and you can register right here.  

Ross Povey tracks the lineage of Rolex’s most regal Oyster, the Air King, and discovers its reign has been nothing short of remarkable.

Bell & Ross CEO, Carlo Rosillo tells us all about the new BR 03-92 Diver Full Lume.

Matthias Breschan, CEO of RADO brings Revolution through all of the brand’s 2020 novelties.

When it was launched in 2019, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet became the most-talked-about new releases of the year, and also of the most panned, largely for the way it was hyped before launch and the perceived plainness of the design. But Audemars Piguet is undeterred and affirmed its commitment to the new collection with the launch of a face-lifted Code 11.59 Selfwinding and Chronograph, featuring new dials with a smoked, graduated-colour finish, along with a variant in a two-colour gold case. The new Code 11.59 Selfwinding Initial thoughts The most frequent criticism against the Code 11.59 had to do with the rather bland dials of the base models. In contrast, the pricey, complicated models were the standouts of the collection, having fired enamel dials with a smoked finish (for the minute repeater and the flying tourbillon) or aventurine glass (for the perpetual calendar). Audemars Piguet doubtlessly realised the appeal of the smoked enamel dial, and followed up with the Code 11.59 Bolshoi Limited Edition, which featured the same graduated, dark blue dial in enamel, but on a time-only watch. The downside of the enamel dial on the base model is a massive price premium of over 55%, or a bit over US$14,000. Evidence that Audemars Piguet is receptive to feedback, the new dials for the Code 11.59 show how a slight tweak can completely change the visual impact of a watch. It’s highly probable that if the Code 11.59 had been launched with smoked dials in the first plac...

Purnell’s latest model, Escape II, features two spherical tourbillons developed by Eric Coudray, the definitive expert in the field of three-dimensional multi-axis tourbillons. This is just one example of how the independent brand works with the best of the best in the watch industry to achieve such monumental timepieces. Martin Green reports after visiting the Swiss workshops.

If we’re honest with ourselves, luxury sports watches aren’t actually designed to be used during sport. Sure, they are more robust than your typical dress watch, but the most adventurous situation they are designed to find themselves in might be diving into glittering Capri waters from the deck of a sailboat, maybe suffering a small … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition can actually improve your golf game appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The world has kept spinning through the ongoing horrors of COVID-19 that continue to unfold day to day. And, excluding a brief golfing ban in Australia - that also stretched, quite bizarrely, to kayaking and stand up paddle boarding - plenty of people have sought respite from cabin fever on the course. Me, on the other … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: 5 varied reactions to the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue and one ecstatic review of the TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.