Revolution
Golden Flyer: The New Breitling Navitimer Chronograph Rattrapante 45
The new Navitimer shows the technical prowess of the Grenchen brand, by means of a split-seconds chronograph that is rich both in functionality and looks.
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Revolution
The new Navitimer shows the technical prowess of the Grenchen brand, by means of a split-seconds chronograph that is rich both in functionality and looks.
Revolution
It’s a leap year, and in the run-up to that special day Feb 29, Revolution takes a look at some of the Perpetual Calendars that mattered.
SJX Watches
Unveiled in 1998, the original IWC Portugieser Chronograph ref. 3714 had a surprisingly long life, managing to be a bestseller for 22 years – and a lucrative franchise for IWC – thanks to its distinctive yet classical styling and relatively affordable price. Now it has finally been replaced by the new Portugieser Chronograph ref. 3716 that looks almost identical, but is powered by a proprietary movement – and only a little bit more expensive. The ref. 3716 actually made its debut two years ago as a 150th anniversary limited edition, available only with a glossy, lacquered dial in white or blue. Now the ref. 3716 joins the regular collection, with a steel or 18k rose gold case, as well as all of the dial variants that were offered for the outgoing ref. 3714. That means the quintessential Portugieser Chronograph in steel matched a silver dial, gold numerals and gold hands is still available. The new Portugieser Chronograph is slightly larger than the original, but the differences are so slight that they are not apparent at all. The new model is 41 mm in diameter and 13.1 mm high, compared to 40.9 mm by 12.6 mm for the original. The new movement, and new price The increase in size is due to the cal. 69355, which replaces the cal. 79350 (derived from the Valjoux 7750) inside the original Portugieser Chronograph. The cal. 69355 is an in-house movement that’s part of the 69000 family. Amongst the upgrades are the column wheel, as well as the escape wheel and pallet for...
SJX Watches
A mechanical watch movement is a tiny-but-complex system made up of components in equilibrium, operating flawlessly. But because the those components are delicate – especially the parts that make up the escapement – its operation can be influenced by external factors, including shock, moisture, and more commonly, the position of the watch, whether on the wrist or off. The position of a watch determines how gravity affects the moving parts of the movement. In other words, the timekeeping of a watch can vary according to whether it is laid on its back or on its side. That resulting variation is known as positional error, and it is largely because of gravity’s effect on the balance wheel – the oscillator in the regulating organ of the movement. Beyond the position of a watch, positional error is also shaped by factors like the amplitude of the balance wheel, the type of hairspring, and the poise of the balance. All are inextricably linked and must be adjusted just right – properly regulated in watchmaking parlance – in order for a watch to have minimal positional error and thus keep good time. [Editor’s note: In this article we’ll just deal with movements constructed traditionally with conventional materials, leaving out silicon-equipped movements, which are still relatively niche.] The Microstella adjustable-mass balance of the Rolex cal. 4030, which is based on the Zenith El Primero A matter of position The position of a watch significantly affects its ac...
Time+Tide
Blue - that was certainly the colour of this weekend just past. Whether it was Rod Laver’s packed tennis court, the fleeting moments of sky that Melburnians witnessed on Sunday … for about 30 minutes, or indeed the watches that people were wearing - the vogue colour was definitely a recurring theme. Anyway, here are three of … ContinuedThe post Weekend watch spotting with JR: The Sunday Blues appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
At the beginning of last year, the famed Le Brassus-based watchmaker Audemars Piguet released their first totally new collection in decades, the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59. It is safe to say that the release got people talking, with an outpouring of expression on social media articulating many people’s disappointment with the collection, blaming it for … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED WATCHING: The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 explained appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Bond girls often dazzle us with their brains and beauty, but for the upcoming twenty-fifth James Bond movie, 'No Time to Die,' Chopard jewels are also set to do some dazzling. The Swiss brand will have some of its most stunning creations worn in the movie by Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas playing Paloma, this film’s Bond girl. Martin Green fills us in on which diamonds will grace her character.
Quill & Pad
If a friend dropped by for a chat and a drink and pulled out a couple of these whopper Romeo & Julieta Maravillas 8 Cuban cigars, Ken Gargett thinks you would have an enjoyable afternoon, but probably not think a lot about the cigars. He thought the one he smoked was fine, pleasant and consistent, but no fireworks. And then there's the elephant in the room: the price.
Deployant
Detailed, hands-on review with Live Photo's of the Tulloch T-01 First Edition Regulator - interesting collab project with Voutilainen and Giroud.
Revolution
As far as racing and watchmaking goes, no one has ventured further in this association than Richard Mille.
SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled a trio of grand complications last year, a substantial number given how complex each watch is, although two of the three are powered by existing movements. The Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle (the only one equipped with a new calibre) and the Gyrotourbillon 3 Meteorite were launched first, and late in the year came the Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Céleste to mark 15 years of partnership with the Venice International Film Festival. Among the brand’s grand complications, the Tourbillon Celeste is one of the most interesting, boasting a quirky combinations of functions – an orbital, flying tourbillon calibrated for sidereal time as well as a star chart, and sidereal annual calendar. And it is also unusually high tech for a Jaeger-LeCoultre, with the movement being equipped with a silicon escape wheel and pallet fork. A simpler complication As with most of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s recent grand complications, the movement in the Tourbillon Céleste is an iteration of an earlier calibre – something the brand has made a habit of in recent years, which is a bit of a shame given its rich history in movement development. Specifically, the movement inside is a streamlined and simplified version of the more complicated Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication, which was launched in 2010 and also included a minute repeater. Being a separate module mounted on the case-back side of the movement, the repeater was s...
SJX Watches
Hong Kong’s political unrest has resulted in the first fall in annual profits at the Swatch Group since 2018. The world’s biggest watchmaking group, which owns brands like Omega and Longines, just announced its 2019 results, showing declines in both sales and profits. Net profit fell 13.7%, while sales declined 1.8% at constant exchange rates, or 2.7% at current rates, to 8.24 billion francs. The drops in profit and sales were primarily due to a drastic contraction of its business in Hong Kong – a city with a population of just 7.4 million – where Swatch Group owns over 90 retail stores, largely catering to shoppers from the China. Sales in Hong Kong for the second half of 2019 fell by 200 million francs. While Hong Kong was the key driver of the decline, it was not the only one. The luxury watch business in general is suffering from anaemic growth, which is also evidenced by the watch division results at diversified luxury groups like LVMH and Kering. On a more positive note, Swatch Group has managed to fulfil its stated aims of reducing operating expenditure and thinning inventory. Operating expenses dipped about 6%, while operating cash flow rose 30% in 2019. And after several consecutive years of growth, the group’s inventories declined by 1% in 2019, to a still-substantial 6.85 billion francs at cost. It’ll be a slow 2020… With Swatch Group predicting the situation in Hong Kong will continue to be “challenging” in 2020, it is in a weaker positio...
Quill & Pad
Many of the great marques in the history of watchmaking were driven by prominent figures who ended up with a watch named after them. Such was the case for both Louis Cartier and Pierre Arpels. Both were born into jewelry and watch dynasties and both made prominent marks on the histories of their respective houses. How else are they intertwined? Martin Green explains here.
Time+Tide
Most of you reading this will have already heard of Gary Getz, or, as he goes by on his Instagram nom de guerre, GaryG (@garyg_1). But if for some reason you haven’t stumbled across his ’gram page or heard of him at a horological gathering, believe me when I say, the man hath some nice … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: First impressions from an A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus owner appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Last year Urwerk launched the UR-100 SpaceTime, a watch that installed the brand’s signature wandering hours satellite display in newly designed watch case. Unsurprisingly the UR-100 SpaceTime became a brisk seller, not only because it is the most affordable model in the catalogue, but also because its case is compact and relatively conventional in shape, making it the most wearable Urwerk watch by far. And so Urwerk has followed up with the UR-100 Gunmetal, a new variant that arrives just four months after four months after the model was launched. It feels a little bit too soon for another edition, but the Gunmetal is different enough – and the original versions are almost sold out – that it can be forgiven. Steel in disguise While the case of the new UR-100 remains the same design, the finish is unusual. The material looks like titanium, even up close it resembles titanium, but in the hand it is obviously too heavy to be titanium. The case is actually steel, which has been sandblasted to give it a smooth, matte finish and then coated with a dark grey coating. That’s a bit of a surprise, because watch cases that look like titanium are almost always titanium. But Urwerk’s rationale for using steel is practical: hard-coated steel is more resistant to scratches than titanium, which is generally quite soft. The result is watch that has a strong sci-fi military look, like a piece of kit used by the Marines in Aliens, which is very much Urwerk’s original house styl...
WatchAdvice
Introduction If there’s one thing that IWC has a handle on, it’s Pilot’s watches. Within the brands iconic Pilot’s collection is the popular Mark XVIII range, which serves as a charming entry point to the family. I recently had the pleasure of spending several weeks with the Mark XVIII (reference IW327009), which is the stainless steel, black dial model, on a leather strap. Having previously reviewed several other IWC Pilot’s pieces, including the Pilot’s Automatic Spitfire, I was curious to explore the brand’s entry-level offering further. The Dial & Hands Featuring a black dial with white luminescent markers, the Mark XVIII is simple and understated. The large white markers and numerals are easy to read at a glance, and perfectly contrast with the black dial. Even in full sun, it’s easy to read the dial, which under harsher light appears to turn matt. There’ll be no red-eyes come evening thanks to the generous luminescence and large markers. Since it’s release, the Mark XVIII’s date window has been a sticking point for some, primarily for its lack of symmetry, or it’s mere existence. Ultimately this comes down to personal taste, and after several weeks of wearing the Mark XVIII – I took no issue with it. The date window, admittedly a little out of place, blended in nicely with the rest of the dial, thanks to a matching date wheel. It’s also worth noting that this is an undeniable improvement on the it’s predecessor’s (the Mark XVII) date...
Quill & Pad
Jan Lidmaňský thinks that his white shirt and jacket went just fine with the Carl Suchy Waltz N°1, but that it's not for universal use. Forget t-shirts and jeans and don’t even think about shorts and flip-flops. It suits the elegant look of a businessman – so suit up when you wear it! What else did he learn?
SJX Watches
The left field of watchmaking has yielded many unusual and exotic time displays, but few have the same sense of function and purpose as Ressence. In fact, the essence of the brand is its name, which is short for the “Renaissance of the Essential”. Perhaps a key ingredient of the renaissance is the fact that its founder is not a watchmaker. Ressence was founded a decade ago by Benoît Mintiens, a Belgian industrial designer whose past work included trains, newsstands, and luggage. From the start, the identity of Ressence was crystal clear. The brand’s debut line of watches had dials that relied on a planetary gear mechanism to indicate the time (as well as a crown, which has since been removed from all its watches). Akin to a 21st century regulator-style display, it was an avant-garde way of displaying time, while still surprisingly intuitive. Benoit Mintiens Even more surprising was the longevity of the planetary time display, which has since spawned various iterations, often accompanied by novel innovations ranging from the oil-filled time display in the Type 3, to the more recent Type 2 that’s a mechanical watch that can set itself thanks to an electronic module. When Benoît visited Singapore in late 2019, I got a chance to explore his design philosophy, especially on how his background in industrial design helped inform his unique approach to watchmaking. He also delved into the subtleties of a Ressence wristwatch, and dropped a few hints about a new time ...
Revolution
Hublot gives the Big Bang a facelift and puts it on an integrated metal bracelet for the watch’s 15th anniversary with the Big Bang Integral
Time+Tide
If Zenith’s showing at LVMH’s Dubai Watch Week is anything to go by, 2020 could well be the year of the eccentric collaboration for the Swiss watchmaker. Not only were members of the press treated to the unveiling of the handsome, if slightly odd, Zenith DEFY El Primero 21 Land Rover Edition, but they were … ContinuedThe post Superstar DJ Carl Cox remixes Zenith; feat. Lume appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
De Bethune’s brand of watchmaking has spawned many avant-garde watches, ranging from the Urwerk collaboration for Only Watch to the East Asian-inspired Maestri Art. But its most outstanding sculptural creation is unquestionably the Dream Watch 5, an extraterrestrial seashell that tells the time. Originally launched in 2014 in mirror-polished titanium, the original Dream Watch 5 was extremely expensive, but also tiny, having the proportions of a lady’s watch. Fortunately, it was later enlarged to its current size of just under 60 mm at its widest, from crown to pointed tip, though it remains just as expensive. The Dream Watch was then iterated into several one-off examples, with the most incredible being the Dream Watch 5 in heat-blued meteorite; its extraordinary nature matched by the US$450,000 price tag. The Dream Watch 5 in meteorite More recently, a custom version of the Dream Watch 5 in 18k rose gold was delivered last year. Even though the design is exactly the same as the other variants, the rose gold specimen has a distinctly more classical look that dials back on the sci-fi feel. Like the other versions of the watch, the Dream Watch 5 in rose gold is entirely mirror polished, but also accented by an insert of polished, heat-blued titanium on the case back that extends to the crown, which is also made of the same material and then topped with a 1 carat ruby. Despite its aesthetics, the Dream Watch 5 is actually functionally simple: it indicates the hours and m...
Hodinkee
Continuing the search for the owners of watches worn by The Greatest Generation.
Time+Tide
“Forecasting future events is often like searching for a black cat in an unlit room, that may not even be there,” wrote Steve Davidson in The Crystal Ball. The art of predictions, in other words, tends to be an absolute mug’s game. When you’re trying to make forecasts about Rolex – a company that shrouds … ContinuedThe post Stunning video footage of a (fantasy) yellow gold Rolex ‘Hulk’ Submariner emerges, prompting Basel predictions appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Blink and you missed it, but Bulgari dropped another world's record at LVMH Dubai Watch Week.
Deployant
Here, we bring you the details, and our thoughts on the Voutilainen Vingt-8 with black enamel dial, first presented in SIHH 2019.
Time+Tide
Last year, fans were delighted with the release of the DOXA SUB 200 T.Graph, a steel cushion-cased chronograph with an iconic DOXA orange dial. Based on a historical reference from 1969, the SUB 200 T.Graph is part of the brand’s revitalisation over recent years, which included the release of the same chronograph, except in solid … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: The Modern DOXA with a vintage movement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: It’s certainly refreshing to witness a timepiece that breaks the archetypal aesthetic tendencies of a fit-for-purpose dive watch. Thing is though, new and innovative divers don’t come around too often … most watchmakers tend to play it pretty safe when it comes to making an amphibious timekeeping device. However, Bell & Ross certainly … ContinuedThe post It’s hip to be square: the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver video review appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
This unique piece, with a custom Australian-themed caseback and unique dial, has been conceived and created from scratch by the brilliant minds driving Zenith’s groundbreaking new era. It combines the slate grey dial of the brand new ‘Rescue’ series of Pilots, with a bronze case to dramatic effect. The blood-red crossed axe motif on the … ContinuedThe post “Watch & Act!” Auction Item – Lot 7: One of a kind with the Zenith Pilot Rescue ‘Australian Rescue’ Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: Oftentimes, it seems as though the annual calendar complication is all too easily overlooked in the horological hierarchy of complications. GMTs, Chronographs – these are the most popular sorts of watches at the moment. But the annual calendar shouldn’t be discounted … because it’s wonderful. A while ago, we went HANDS-ON with Longines’ … ContinuedThe post Why is this Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar so awesome? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Longines has been cranking out vintage remakes at a furious pace over the last year, most notably the Heritage Classic “sector” dial and Heritage Classic Chronograph 1946. All of them share the appealing qualities of being well-priced and fairly authentic remakes. The latest to be released is the Heritage Military 1938, a remake of an oversized watch Longines produced in the 1930s, often for Eastern European markets. It’s as good as the other remakes in terms of value – Longines excel at making value-for-money watches – but falls a bit flat with the dial. The ref. 4092 The inspiration for the new remake is the ref. 4092, a wristwatch that is exceptionally large for its time, with its steel case measuring 43 mm in diameter. Such extra-large watches with military-style dials appear to have mostly been sold to Eastern Europe; Zipper, the Longines agent in Poland at the time is often named as the recipient in archive extracts. A vintage ref. 4092 from the Longines Museum (left) next to the Heritage Military 1938 The rarity and remarkable size of the ref. 4092, along with its appealing military-style dial, makes it a fairly valuable watch today. Even an example with a severely-aged dial sold for 23,750 Swiss francs at Phillips in 2017. So unlike other modern-day remakes that are enlarged versions of vintage originals, the Heritage Military 1938 is just right; it is exactly the same size as the original, but priced at just a tenth of the auction result. The remake Th...
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