Hodinkee
Business News: Chanel Takes A 25% Stake In MB&F;
After nearly 20 years, MB&F; finds a new friend in the famed French fashion brand.
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Hodinkee
After nearly 20 years, MB&F; finds a new friend in the famed French fashion brand.
Deployant
One of the most popular model that Longines have launched in the recent years is back with a fancier duo tone case. The Longines Spirit Flyback comes either in Steel and 18-Carat Yellow Gold or Steel and 18-Carat Pink Gold!
Monochrome
Independent and creative high-end watchmaking is more than ever at the centre stage of the watch industry. The interest of collectors in such rare and exclusive watches, produced by small-scale companies and infused with the soul of their creators, has been on the rise for several years now. And as a consequence, large luxury groups […]
Time+Tide
The large, French, luxury house has taken a minority ownership stake in MB&F; which turns 20 years old next year. The post Chanel takes 25% ownership stake in MB&F; appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Proving recent rumours to be true, MB&F; has just announced that Chanel now owns 25% of the company. The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it is likely that the valuation of the independent watchmaker not far from the CHF120 million mark. Though meaningful in the context of independent watchmaker, it is a small investment for Chanel, which had 2023 revenues of almost US$20 billion. MB&F; will continue to be controlled by founder Maximilian Büsser (above left), who pares his stake down to 60% stake, while his longtime deputy, Serge Kriknoff, continues with a 15% share in the brand best known for its sculptural, sci-fi creations. The pair were the only shareholders in the brand prior to the Chanel investment. The MB&F; HM11 A major player behind the scenes With its MB&F; investment, Chanel continues to grow its presence in watchmaking, particularly independent watchmaking. The stake in MB&F; follows on Chanel’s investment in F.P. Journe (believed to be about a quarter), and about a half share in Romain Gauthier. Chanel has also long owned a substantial stake in Bell & Ross, as well as a quarter of movement maker Kenissi. Add to those Chanel’s holdings in the watchmaking supply chain, and the result is a luxury group that has a substantial and growing player in watchmaking. Chanel’s watch and jewellery chief, Frédéric Grangié, said the investment in MB&F; “is part of our long-term strategy to continue to preserve, develop and invest in specialist know-how and...
Teddy Baldassarre
Like so many of the modern breed of start-up, independent watchmaking companies, Unimatic traces its origin to a pair of friends with a shared passion for timepieces and an entrepreneurial spirit. Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato met as industrial design students at Politecnico di Milano, Italy’s largest technical university. Moro’s father had been a watch collector, and after designing his first watch as a lark while working at a furniture company, Moro connected with Nunziato to collaborate on the watch that became the Modello Uno U1-A, which launched in 2015 and essentially became the foundation of the Unimatic brand, its name a portmanteau of the Latin “unico” for unique, and “matic,” for willing or able. The Unimatic U1-A from 2015 The U1-A, which quickly sold out, was a classical dive watch with a 40mm round case, a flat, black dial; simple shaped indexes; a black bezel insert with a 60-minute scale and a lumed dot; and a Seiko movement. Its follow-up, the U1-B, was even more streamlined, dropping the minute scale from the bezel. Both the original models set the parameters for every one that followed: each Unimatic watch is pressure-tested to 300 meters of water resistance and designed and cased in Italy; each watch is individually numbered, and the design ethos driving them all is a function-forward, tool-oriented aesthetic. Today, Unimatic watches comprise dozens of models and include not only the divers that brought the brand to the table but also fie...
Time+Tide
IWC is set to explore space through the Polaris Dawn mission, and all for the sake of charity.The post Four spacefaring IWC Polaris Dawn watches to be auctioned off for charity upon their return to Earth appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Rolex surprised us all when the brand launched a Submariner with a green bezel in 2003. The stainless steel Sub was steadily monochromatic during the five preceding decades, so this was a bit of a shocker. The model was soon nicknamed “Kermit.” More than two decades later, it seems green is here to stay. We […] Visit Comparing Green-Bezel, Black-Dial Subs: 16610LV “Kermit” Vs. 126610LV “Starbucks” to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Pilot-style watches represent one of the most popular segments within the industry. Introduced at the dawn of aviation in the early twentieth century, pilot’s watches are the original tool watches. They range from simple, time-only designs to complication-filled behemoths with altimeters and slide rules. From heritage-inspired reissues to cutting-edge technology, there’s a pilot watch to suit every style and budget. They inspire a sense of adventure into the unknown, their function-over-form nature, and often rugged good looks, making them ideal for daily wear. Without further ado, here are fifteen of our favorite pilot-style watches under $5,000. The post Our Favorite Pilot And Aviation Style Watches Under For $5,000 appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Quill & Pad
The latest addition to join the Ming family as part of the brand’s Special Projects Cave is the 20.01 Series 3. If you’re partial to one-off dials, this could be your ticket. Its USP is a dial made entirely from borosilicate crystal.
Fratello
This week, Fratello On Air returns with our favorite watches from the ’90s and early ’00s. It’s hard to believe that this period is roughly 30 years old! This was a key era for watches and saw the birth of models that still exist or are highly revered today. Join us as we take a […] Visit Fratello On Air: Our Favorite ’90s And Early ’00s Watches to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Nomos Worldtimer is an interesting watch in the German Watchmaker’s catalog. It’s Nomos’ most complicated watch and their second most expensive, underneath the precious metal Lambda collection. The Zurich is called a worldtimer in name, but in reality it serves more as a GMT watch than a true worldtimer. Worldtimer’s tell time across time zones at a glance whereas the Zurich has the ability to advance the local time in 1hr increments while the sub-dial maintains 24-hr time in a set time zone. Nomos has made this watch for a long time. I found articles and blog posts referencing it going back to 2011. This is remarkable, on one hand, because it mean that Nomos’ has resisted the urge to build increasingly complicated watches and focused on truly honing their craft on the existing catalog.
Worn & Wound
Once again, Glashütte Original is using this relatively slow late summer period in the watch industry to bring us some 1970s inspired funk by way of their extremely underrated Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date. You might recall that each of the last three years saw new references for the chronograph in colors that are seasonally appropriate, and also harken back to a period of watch design when brands were less afraid to experiment. That’s a fitting way to introduce this particular watch to new audiences, since the design itself is very much an ode to 70s sports watches. But it’s also a pretty unique watch in its functionality, and we’ll take any excuse we can find to make sure more people know about it. First things first: the colors. The “Swimming Pool” dial is a vibrant turquoise color inspired by a location where you’re hopefully still spending a lot of time as August draws to a close. “Watermelon” is a shade of coral that’s a bit less intense than the bright red that probably normally associate with the fruit. If you look back at previous summertime editions of the Seventies Chronograph, these colors might look somewhat familiar (Glashütte Original previously released dials in similar tones that they classified as blue and orange). But it appears that these dials have a more uniform finish than the sunburst treatment seen in earlier editions, and they also add a black ring around each subdial adding what I think is some welcome contrast. That...
SJX Watches
Earlier this year Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the refreshed Duometre line, with the entry into the new collection being the Duometre Quantieme Lunaire, the only steel model in the line-up so far. The dual train movement is used to power two separate sets of indications, one is the time with hours, minutes, and seconds, and the other a combination of the date, moon phase, and lightning seconds. Made up of several models sporting an all-new look, this year’s Duometre collection is the first substantial facelift of the model line since its launch in 2007. While the original models had an aesthetic that brought to mind A. Lange & Söhne, the redesigned Duometre models have a more vintage-ish look that incorporates elements that are popular today, including a domed crystal and decorative recesses on the lugs. In terms of mechanical function, however, the new Duometre models are fundamentally the same. The “duo” barrels of the Duometre Initial thoughts The new look is a good one. It’s attractive and still fairly original; although it is vintage inspired, the design avoids looking generic, thanks in part to the distinctive Duometre dial layout. The domed crystal and dial result in the new model looking slightly bigger than the original, but at the same time it feels thinner. The dial layout is essentially the same as on the earlier generation Quantieme Lunaire as the movement is essentially identical. The recognisable double barrels-and-trains construction is evident, wh...
On episode 87 of A Week in Watches, we take a look at a couple of new releases and then talk a bit about the state of the watch industry. First up are some sexy new Grand Seiko US exclusives with Kirazuri dials. After, we have the newest offering from TAG Heuer x Hodinkee, which revives a very cool old complication. Lastly, Zach Weiss gives his two cents on all of the gloomy news about the watch industry and whether or not it should matter to enthusiasts. Next week, the Windup Watch Shop is celebrating National Aviation Week with a focus on pilot watches of all types. From traditional fliegers to modern ana-digis, very affordable quartz to aspirational chronos, simple designs to complex functions, there’s something for everyone. So head over to Windupwatchshop.com starting August 19th and embrace your inner aviator! The post A Week in Watches Ep. 87 – TAG Heuer Actually Made a Cool Watch and More! appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
It’s common knowledge that the vast majority of watches use centrally mounted hands continuously rotating 360 degrees in a clockwise direction to tell time down to the hours and minutes, and most often the seconds. Often the seconds indication is moved to 6′ or 9′ and has its own separate sub-dial, but that pretty much […]
Fratello
It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for another Sunday Morning Showdown! So make yourself a nice cup of coffee and let our writers make their cases before you get to decide which of the two watches is your favorite pick. This week, it’s the battle of the luxury travel watches. Jorg will make a case […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time VS. Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time Gold/Green to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
For many people, anchovies are one of those foods to be avoided like the plague. But for Ken Gargett anchovies are not a love-it-or-hate it food. Rather, they are a love-it-or-you-have-not-discovered-how-good-they-can-be food. A lunch of a freshly baked loaf of hot, crusty bread smothered in good quality anchovies is just magic. Here he takes you on an aquatic journey through the culinary aspects of this small fish.
Time+Tide
From Citizen roots to shutting down, HMT watches still offer plenty of value - but getting one is a different story.The post Why are HMT watches underrated outside of India? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
While Geneva Watch Days 2024 is not too far off, some very cool watches debuted this week.The post New releases from Atelier Wen, Vacheron Constantin, Longines and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Launched in 2008, the De Bethune Dream Watch series is a standalone collection offering just a single model at any given time. The Dream Watch 5 featured here was customized by Swizz Beatz.
Time+Tide
Andrew, Marcus, and Zach select what they believe to be the best watch under US$2,000.The post Andrew, Marcus, and Zach pick their favourite watch under US$2,000 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
"Swimming Pool" and "Watermelon" sound a lot like Glashütte Original's take on Tiffany blue and salmon... Just sayin'.The post Glashütte Original makes a summer splash with Swimming Pool and Watermelon Seventies Chrono limited editions appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
For a watch to qualify as a COSC certified chronometer, the movement not the cased watch) has to be precise to -4 sec to +6 sec per day and that’s more than precise enough for most brands. But Ferdinand Berthoud is not most brands.
Time+Tide
Seiko engineer Yoshikazu Akahane dreamt up the revolutionary Spring Drive movement technology in the late 1970s. But what is it?The post What is Seiko Spring Drive? Is it quartz? Is it mechanical? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
While everyone may be scrutinising Rachael "Raygun" Gunn's breaking routines, as watch geeks we just want to identify the watch on her wrist.The post Does viral breakdancer Raygun wear Casio as a go-to? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
In a move that amplifies its modern interpretation of classic pilot's watches, Stowa has introduced the Verus GMT Chrono Black Forest Limited, a watch that builds on the design DNA of the 2021 Verus GMT Chrono. This time, the watch has been given a stealthy makeover with a matte black DLC-coated case that stays true to the brand's ethos, while adding a layer of sophistication that will undoubtedly appeal to collectors. But when Stowa says "limited" here, they really mean it. There are only 10 of these! Sheesh.
Worn & Wound
Known for their deep expertise in making precision tool watches for pilots, professionals, and enthusiasts, Fortis has been a key fixture at the last several Windup Watch Fairs. Our media team was fortunate to capture some of the buzz surrounding the Fortis booth at the recent Windup Watch Fair in Chicago, along with some close-ups of some of their latest releases. Be sure to join Fortis at Center415 right on 5th Avenue in Manhattan on October 18th-20th as a Lead Sponsor of 2024’s Windup Watch Fair NYC! We can’t wait to see you there. The post [VIDEO] Fun with Fortis at Windup Watch Fair Chicago appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Worn & Wound
In its latest iteration of the Depthmaster, Swiss watch manufacturer Nivada Grenchen has just released their Purple Ghost limited edition. You may remember this model from last year’s review, but the new Purple Ghost has reimagined the classic diver of the past in a new colorway that’s as interesting as it is, frankly, cool. To begin with, we should mention that the Purple Ghost is a collaborative effort with Naples, Florida-based authorized retailer of some of the world’s most famous brands, Exquisite Timepieces. With its long relationship with Nivada Grenchen, this partnership highlights not only the best of both brands, but also the strengths of each – both separately and together. With Exquisite’s history in the luxury watch space and Nivada Grenchen’s 145 years in business, I’m sure each brand was able to compare notes and bring to market something that’s totally unique in the market today. So, enter the Purple Ghost. As with its previous iteration, you are going to get a lot of distinct personality from this watch. Before we get too far into what makes the Purple Ghost unique, we should take notes of the case. Ostensibly a cushion case, the oversized bezel adds a proportionality to this watch that belies its 39mm size. Like last year’s release of the Depthmaster, this LE comes with some funky Pac-Man-style numerical markings (don’t they kind of remind you of The Rugrats logo – in the best way possible?). Couple that with the vibrant purple Swiss...
Deployant
The Stowa Verus GMT Chrono Black Forest Limited Edition marks Stowa's commitment to craftsmanship and design. This timepiece, limited to only 10 pieces, features a modern and military aesthetic with a highly functional approach. It houses a Valjoux 7754 chronograph movement with an uncommon single minute subdial and GMT handstack.
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