Hodinkee
In-Depth: Why Patek Philippe's Thierry Stern Is Stubborn About Steel
Consumers, jewelers, and even some of his staff want Patek Philippe's boss to produce more steel watches. He won't. Here's why.
Results for Atelier Wen
3,964 articles · 173 videos found · page 122 of 138
Hodinkee
SJX Watches
In-Depth: Montblanc Manufactures Le Locle and Villeret
Over the past two decades, Montblanc has evolved from a pure-play luxury pen maker into a serious contender in watchmaking. The company’s venture into watches began quite modestly in 1997, when it rolled out a line of watches powered by outsourced movements. But it was the 2007 integration of Minerva, a fabled maker of chronographs and stopwatches, that gave Montblanc bona fide watchmaking prowess. And by virtue of its own heritage, Minerva also bestowed a degree of legitimacy on Montblanc, along with an extensive archive of historical designs ready to be mined. Watchmaking prowess Le Locle, and then Villeret Earlier in the year I got to explore all facets of Montblanc’s watchmaking with a visit to Montblanc’s twin watchmaking facilities in Le Locle and Villeret. Both sit in the Vallee de Joux, the historical heart of Swiss watchmaking, and are about a 45-minute drive from each other. Each factory is dedicated to a distinct class of watchmaking – simpler and entry-level watches at Le Locle, and haute horlogerie at Villeret. Together, the two factories give Montblanc a unique diversity that has translated into three price categories of watches. Le Locle is responsible for both the first category, entry-level watches powered by Sellita-based movements, and the second, those equipped with mass-produced, in-house movements. Unsurprisingly, the facility produces tens of thousands of watches annually, all manufactured and assembled on an industrial ...
Time+Tide
A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date – the digital watch with no battery
When you think digital watch, the first thing that comes to mind might be a Casio, with a clear digital display, a couple of functions and a light. You don’t think mechanical watch, and you certainly don’t imagine a watch that has its place in the upper echelons of haute horology. But this is exactly … ContinuedThe post A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date – the digital watch with no battery appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Tudor in Australia for almost 100 years? Here’s why
Editor’s note: Not many know it, but Australia was one of the most important markets for Hans Wilsdorf as he built the businesses of Rolex and Tudor in the early part of the 20th century. Tudor watches have been in Australia for the best part of 100 years, proving that Australians know great value when … ContinuedThe post Tudor in Australia for almost 100 years? Here’s why appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The 11 most exciting chronographs of 2018
For some, money is no object. For most, this is far from the case, but still an enjoyable intellectual exercise of “what if”. So, what if you win the lottery, and after taking care of the dull administrative duties (mortgage, student loan, etc), you decide to treat yourself to a couple of nice watches and, … ContinuedThe post The 11 most exciting chronographs of 2018 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
INTRODUCING: The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition
I can only imagine the joy that must have been felt in Omega’s design department when it was announced that Tokyo would be hosting the 2020 Olympic Games. Not only has Japan had an incredible influence on design, but their flag - a simple red sun in a white field - lends itself to some interesting … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Review
The 21st of July 1969 at 02:56:15 GMT marks a momentous step in world history, as this was when the Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off the Apollo 11 Lunar Module “Eagle” to become the first human to stand on another planet. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin accompanied Neil Armstrong in achieving this incredible feat when he also joined his compatriot on the lunar surface. Buzz Aldrin who has been an Omega ambassador since 2009, wore the Omega Speedmaster Professional on the Apollo 11 space mission, which is when it became the first watch to be worn on the moon. The Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary limited edition not only celebrates the historic occasion of celebrating the 50 years since the first Speedmaster on the moon, but is also the first watch in history to use Omega’s new patent-pending alloy; 18k Moonshine Gold. This pioneering new Gold alloy offers a lighter tone than a normal yellow Gold alloy would, while also having a much higher resistance to colour fading. This 18k Moonshine Gold alloy has been used on the dial and the casing which helps accentuate the colour from the darker tones used throughout these parts. The bezel along with the Omega logo, diamond polished indexes and the highlighted 11 on the 11-hour mark are all done in the 18k Moonshine Gold alloy. Omega has cleverly made the 11 o’clock hour marker in Arabic Numeral instead of the beveled indexes as a tribute to the Apollo 11 Lunar module “Eagle”. The hour and minute hands are designed...
Time+Tide
RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Chrono24 CEO on the Secondary Watch Market
There are a lot of great podcasts out there on the world of watches, but the guys over at Worn & Wound do a particularly good job. One of the things they are great at is finding interesting people to speak with, which they did when they interviewed Tim Stracke, the C0-CEO and Founder of … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Chrono24 CEO on the Secondary Watch Market appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
T+T Team List: Which watch marketed at a different gender?
Here at Time+Tide HQ, the banter is fast, free-flowing and deeply uninteresting for anyone who doesn’t love watches. Sometimes this spitballing makes it beyond our four humble walls, such as when the team built a fantasy $20K watch collection, and this is another one of those occasions. The question posed to the team this time: … ContinuedThe post T+T Team List: Which watch marketed at a different gender? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Spending a month with the Tudor Black Bay GMT
Editor’s note: Bruce doesn’t write for us too much, but when he does, it’s absolute gold. From his classic Batman review to this extended wear of the Tudor Black Bay GMT. A great, insightful take on one of the hottest pieces in the market right now. When the Tudor Black Bay GMT debuted this year … ContinuedThe post Spending a month with the Tudor Black Bay GMT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Chronograph Review
The Omega Speedmaster is one of Omega’s most iconic watches to date. It has a rich history with roots tied to space travel. Not many people may be aware but the speedmaster models that we have come to admire in this day and age weren’t originally thought of as a watch for space travel. When it was first released in 1957, it was portrayed as a sports and racing chronograph watch as Omega were the official timekeeper of the Olympic games. Things changed however, when NASA decided that it wanted to use the Omega Speedmaster for its manned missions into space, while also being included in the Apollo program. So how exactly did Omega’s Speedmaster go from being a watch used to time sporting events, to being the watch Astronauts used for space travel? It all starts with a story about a man named Walter Schirra. Being an aviator and military pilot himself, he was about to embark on the Mercury-Atlas 8 Mission. As a way to possibly mark the momentous occasion, he went watch hunting (as any of us would without a doubt). Omega had established a position for itself and with the release of the eye-catching Speedmaster Chronograph, it would be safe to say that it more than caught Schirra’s attention. This would be the turning point in Speedmaster’s history as from this point forward, it would go onto do numerous space travel missions. The “Professional” name was added to the Speedmaster during the 1964-1965 period. The Speedmaster would further cement its legacy as NA...
Time+Tide
Everything you need, nothing you don’t – the best two-handed watches of 2018
There comes a time in the journey of every watch collector when the pursuit of the most complicated watch loses its shine, as you start to wonder if there is real meaning to be found by having a ninth tourbillon in your watch. You stop stressing if your chronograph has a vertical clutch, and wonder … ContinuedThe post Everything you need, nothing you don’t – the best two-handed watches of 2018 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Hublot’s Sang Bleu II, as explained by the man who designed it
When it comes to creative collaborations, few brands have the level of panache or skill that Hublot does. They have a few on the burner at the moment: their Orlinski watches and the one we’re looking at today – the Sang Bleu. To be a little more specific, we’re looking at the Hublot Sang Bleu … ContinuedThe post Hublot’s Sang Bleu II, as explained by the man who designed it appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
EVENT: Celebrating the slender wonders of Piaget in Melbourne
Piaget is a brand that exudes class, and has style to spare. This was something that Time+Tide and our guests got an up-close lesson in on Wednesday night, when the brand showcased their ultra-thin masterpieces for us. For watches that look so slight, the Piaget Altiplano packs a punch - I had the pleasure of … ContinuedThe post EVENT: Celebrating the slender wonders of Piaget in Melbourne appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
That time we got into a fight over Hermès
Editor’s note: OK, so ‘fight’ might be a touch hyperbolic, but back when the Hermès Slim d’Hermès was first released it caused quite a stir. The most ardent fans were Ceri and Felix, and this is an account of their slightly tête-à-tête over this elegant, well-designed watch … The story in a second With a slender … ContinuedThe post That time we got into a fight over Hermès appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic Heritage Review
Founded in 1992 as a university project, Bell & Ross was formed by two friends; Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo. These two young entrepreneurs had a joint vision of creating a watch that embodied the idea of combining functionality and robustness into one timepiece. When the manufacturing for Bell & Ross watches started, they had to get them made by a third-party manufacturer in Germany by who we know today as SINN. As the first models of Bell & Ross watches were released, they came with the inscription “by SINN” on the dial. SINN’s partnership with Bell & Ross lasted until 2002, when Bell & Ross were able to acquire their own manufacturing plant in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. After the acquisition of the manufacturing plant is when Bell & Ross wanted to expand their range of watch models and create a timepiece that carried their ideologies while keeping the aesthetics of the watch as simple as possible. To do this, they looked towards the military forces, diving commandos and air-forces to draw inspiration from. Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo knew that the military forces and their counterparts used instruments that have easy readability while having toughness to endure the rough situations. This was the inspiration behind the first model the BR – 01 and also the start of their most iconic BR Instrument range, released in 2005. This watch became one of the most recognisable timepieces in the the watch industry and gave the brand the international exposu...
Time+Tide
The case, the dial, the Patek Philippe ref. 5320G Perpetual Calendar
Editor’s note: You know heritage has moved from ‘trend’ to ‘the new normal’ when Patek Philippe (that most conservative of Swiss mavens) release what is, essentially, a heritage re-release, back in 2017 … Heritage is here to stay. What started as a trend intended to appeal to the hardcore collectors has slipped into the mainstream, … ContinuedThe post The case, the dial, the Patek Philippe ref. 5320G Perpetual Calendar appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Editorial: The Pursuit of Greatness in Vintage Complications
There is no real point in collecting anything unless for the sake of beauty. The moment I see a watch for the first time is always the most crucial. The pieces that ended up entering the collection always touched me viscerally when I first saw them. Over time, almost unconsciously, as the collection took shape, the watches not only have a uniformity of standard and taste, but also reflect an intuition distinctly my own. Taste is the developed perception of aesthetics unique to every collector, while standard pertains to quality and rarity. In the big picture, “beauty” – in both tangible and abstract terms – has come to encompass all three: aesthetics, quality, and rarity. The watches I crave and seek, be it the best examples of the most important references of the most important manufactures, or unique “time-only” examples of incredible quality and design, must be eternal in their beauty. In this article we delve into a few complicated watches close to my heart. Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful. Just look at two of the most important Patek Philippe landmark complicated references: ref. 1518, the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch in the world, and ref. 3448, the first self-winding, perpetual calendar wristwatch. Their designs are perfectly balanced, timeless, as fresh today as when they were first introduced – in the early 1940s and the early 1960s, respectively. For years, the daunting challenge had been in ...
Time+Tide
Sparkling in all the right places – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Dazzling Rendez-Vous
A decade ago, overtly feminine watches that combined beauty and proper horology were a rare thing indeed. (There are more of them today – although still far from enough.) And when Jaeger-LeCoultre launched the Rendez-Vous collection in 2012 it really struck a chord. Here was a watchmaker taking women seriously, with good mechanical movements, elegant, … ContinuedThe post Sparkling in all the right places – Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Dazzling Rendez-Vous appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Speedmaster 2998 & Bulova Accutron: Space Race Double Team
In Omega and Bulova, the exceptional and the revolutionary double-teamed to help America win the Space Race.
Time+Tide
A look back at the Longines Heritage Military COSD
Editor’s note: As evidenced by the release of the popular Heritage Military watch, Longines have a long history in manufacturing reliable tool watches for the world’s armed forces. One that is sometimes overlooked today, but got people talking when it was first released, is the Longines Heritage Military COSD. A considered nod to the watches … ContinuedThe post A look back at the Longines Heritage Military COSD appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Hands-On: Genus GNS 1 Wristwatch
While it’s a new brand that just made its debut, Genus is founded on the watchmaking talent of an industry insider who has spent a lifetime working on complications. Its first watch is the GNS 1 that tells the time with an ultra-exotic complication with the minutes travelling across the dial like a train. Conceptually the GNS 1 harks back to the burst of creativity that started in the early 2000s, when watchmakers went all out with imaginative complications to display the hours and minutes. This was the heyday of the Harry Winston Opus series and the birth of brands like MB&F; and Urwerk. The brand Genus was founded by entrepreneur Catherine Henry and Sébastien Billières, founder of GMTI, a specialist watchmaking workshop. The son of a watchmaker, Mr Billières started his career at Roger Dubuis in 1999, followed by a stint at Urwerk. In 2011, he set up GMTI, which specialises in primarily in assembly and servicing of complicated movements for major watch brands. Now staffed by 25 watchmakers, GMTI’s repertoire is diverse, ranging from tourbillon movements bearing the Poinçon de Genève, or Geneva Seal, to time-only movements produced on an industrial scale. Telling the time According to Mr Billières, the GNS 1 is the realisation of his long-held ambition of creating his own watch, after spending his career doing it for others. The GNS 1 is essentially an exceptionally avant-garde display of the hours and minutes. Even when static the face is impressive...
Time+Tide
Original sin – the Bulgari Octo L’Originale in black and gold
Regular readers will register precisely zero surprise when I state that the entirety of Time+Tide are raging fans of Bulgari’s distinctive Octo - but, if we’re being completely real (and when are we not?), then it’s the Octo Finissimo that attracts the lion’s share of our ardour. But it’s not the only arrow in that … ContinuedThe post Original sin – the Bulgari Octo L’Originale in black and gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Gin in the game – 3 of the best Australian gins
It used to be that a bottle of Tanqueray 10, Bombay Sapphire or Plymouth Dry London Gin marked the pinnacle of class and sophistication at your local bottle shop. Now, if you stumble into any national, mega-mart boozer, it’s the Aussie gins that receive top nods. So when did Australian gins become so cool and … ContinuedThe post Gin in the game – 3 of the best Australian gins appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
The history of the Zenith El Primero – 6 moments that defined one of the most important movements in watchmaking
It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Zenith El Primero. The movement, an elegant, high-beat column-wheel chronograph, is impressive enough. It’s even more impressive when you factor in that this miniature engineering feat was the first automatic chronograph to be presented as a working prototype - after seven long years of development. Just as … ContinuedThe post The history of the Zenith El Primero – 6 moments that defined one of the most important movements in watchmaking appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Old is the new black, 8 of the best heritage watches of 2018
While orange might be the new black, another obvious trend in the contemporary watch market is the lean towards heritage styling. This has been a consistent motif across the industry for a number of years now, but 2018 was a year when the number of heritage watches almost eclipsed those with more contemporary design. In … ContinuedThe post Old is the new black, 8 of the best heritage watches of 2018 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
RECOMMENDED READING: Christie’s return champion yachtsman’s stolen Rolex
OK, so on the surface this story is nice and simple. Philip McColl, a sailor who had his engraved Rolex Submariner (a commemoration of his 1988 World Championship win) stolen in 1998 returned to him by Christie’s auction house. Good news story, right? Well, the actual story is a little more complex. Turns out that Christie’s … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Christie’s return champion yachtsman’s stolen Rolex appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: The Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton
Architectural is a word that gets thrown around a lot in watch writing, and when you look at a watch like this Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton you can see why. The clear, expansive view provided allows the wearer to look down at a tiny, and industrious city, busily whirring away. And if we continue the … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Franck Muller Gravity Skeleton appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
HANDS-ON: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque
When you look at Jaeger-LeCoultre’s core offerings from their Reverso and Master Collection lines it’s easy to see why the brand has something of a reputation for straight, sober watchmaking. But don’t forget that Jaeger-LeCoultre is also capable of absolute top-shelf high-complication, high-jewellery pieces like this (frankly astonishing) Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque. So what … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Zodiaque appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
VIDEO: The 2019 Montblanc 1858 releases go back to nature
When Montblanc’s 1858 collection burst onto the scene back in 2015 it heralded a bold new direction for the brand, adding a no-nonsense, outdoorsy sensibility to what had, until that point, been a fairly buttoned-up collection of watches. Since that initial drop, the 1858 has gone from strength to strength, and their 2019 slate of … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The 2019 Montblanc 1858 releases go back to nature appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.