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Quill & Pad
Here our panel members discuss the watches they've seen launched in the first half of 2020 thus far and pick their favorites. So sit down, grab a glass of your favorite tipple, and settle in for a rich feast of new watches.
SJX Watches
Revolutionary for its construction and use of silicon, the Ulysse Nardin Freak is still a unique watch almost two decades after its introduction. And the full-featured Freak is still a relatively costly watch, until the Freak X came along last year. The most affordable version of a watch that helped kickstart the age of high-tech mechanical watchmaking, the Freak X retains the essence of its bigger brother while simplifying the rest of the movement. Several iterations of the Freak X have been rolled out since then, including one that ironically takes silicon out of the movement – the Freak X Silicium Marquetry. The watch has a dial decorated with inlaid tiles of iridescent silicon, using the material for its aesthetic potential, rather than the usual functional purposes in the escapement. The Freak X Silicium Marquetry Initial thoughts The Freak X Silicium Marquetry is an aesthetic variant of the standard model, so it’s identical in all respects except the dial finish. A combination of metallic and glassy, the silicon dial is different from any other dial material and suits the look of the watch well. That means the case is compact, so it wears quite well. And more importantly, the watch has a cutting-edge balance wheel amounted on the minute hand, making one revolution an hour. It’s a surprisingly advanced regulator in a watch at this price point, and probably the most advanced of all watches in the price segment. But the Freak X Silicium Marquetry is substantiall...
SJX Watches
Though he runs one of the world’s most high-profile watch brands, Ricardo Guadalupe is less flamboyant than many of his peers. But the 30-year veteran of the watch industry has grown the brand into one of the world’s ten biggest watchmakers measured by revenue, making him one of the most successful leaders in the industry. A longtime deputy to the larger-than-life Jean-Claude Biver – though he is now the boss, Mr Guadalupe still acknowledges his mentor often – he took charge of Hublot in 2012 after his former boss was tapped to run the watch division of LVMH. During his tenure, Mr Guadalupe not only continued Hublot’s sales growth, but also substantially expanded its manufacturing capability – a feat that is often overlooked and underrated. That was made possible in part by a career that has taken him from product development to manufacturing, allowing him to develop an all-encompassing grasp of the business, explaining how Hublot manages to produce both its own movements – and its own proprietary, bright-red ceramic. I spoke to Mr Guadalupe during LVMH Watch Week earlier this year, where he discussed his measured and practical approach to delivering consistently excellent performance and product, exemplified by the years-long evolution of Hublot’s signature Big Bang into the Integral. The interview was edited for length and clarity. You guys did a really good job with the new Big Bang Integral. It’s difficult doing a nice bracelet, but you managed it. ...
Quill & Pad
In Joshua Munchow's opinion, British brand Garrick and its latest watch, the S3, are a perfect reference point for growth. The S3 is not only a great example of the unique style of the boutique brand, but as an evolution from the S1 and S2 it highlights the brand’s growth as it pursues better and better creations.
Time+Tide
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 2020 Collection is their best in years Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Control collection has long been a benchmark for subtlety in the execution of style, with each movement, from simple three handers to chronograph calendars, being the definition of art meets mechanics. In 2020’s online edition of the Watches & Wonders fair, the Swiss maestros unveiled … ContinuedThe post A deep dive on why the new 2020 Jaeger-LeCoultre collection has excited us so much appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Shinola's Detrola collection is geared more toward color, materials, and fun than serious watchmaking. It balances style with affordability much the same way Swatch does. And the brand's new Detrola The Champ has one more thing going for it: it has turned a setback into a strength to benefit COVID-19 relief in the Detroit area.
SJX Watches
Since its debut in 2008, the Cartier Fine Watchmaking (FWM) collection has been the jeweller-watchmaker’s flagship range of timepieces, incorporating highly complicated movements into watches designed in traditional Cartier style, albeit in very large cases. This year’s Fine Watchmaking line-up is made up of four watches – led by the uber-complex Grand Complication Skeleton – all presented in the round Rotonde de Cartier case. Initial thoughts I have held the Cartier FWM collection in high regard – it is testimony to the brand’s haute horlogerie prowess, which most tend to underestimate or are unaware of. So it was a bit disappointing to see FWM recede slightly starting in 2018 as Cartier focused instead on its historical, time-only watches – such as this year’s Tank Asymétrique – which have been resurrected as the Cartier Privé collection. The debut of this quartet of watches is a pleasing return to form for FWM, though it should be pointed out none of the are entirely new in terms of movements. The “mystery” complication of Cartier has been found in several FWM models in the past, but it never fails to astound. The mystery hours, for instance, are simple, time-only watches but have a great deal of visual allure. And the Rotonde de Cartier Grande Complication Skeleton revives one of the most complicated movements ever developed by Cartier, while being visually stimulating with its open-worked dial that exposes the intricate and complex move...
WatchAdvice
Introduction Clipping shut the deployant buckle of the just-refreshed IWC Portugieser Chronograph; it’s easy to see why this is one of the brand’s most popular watches, in Australia at least. It’s dressy, but still offers a healthy dose of sports functionality. What makes this new reference, announced back in February, even better the movement beating away inside. For the first time, it’s an IWC-manufactured calibre, and while it can’t be seen on the wrist, or make much of a difference to daily wear, it still feels like a significant step up. The Dial and Hands The face of the Portugieser Chronograph is refreshingly familiar, thanks to that iconic combination of applied Arabic numerals and leaf (or feuille) shaped hands. The chronograph layout puts a minutes register at the top and a running seconds display at six. I’m more familiar with the white-dialled version of the Portugieser so was happy to give the black a try. And boy, is this dial black. The colour is incredibly deep and dynamic; if you catch it on the right angle, it takes on a blue-ish sheen around the edges. I must say that, because of the dark dial and the slender, highly polished hands and hour markers, legibility was a bit of an issue at times. Still, the overall beauty made me forget about that fact almost immediately. IWC Portugieser Chronograph Reference 371609 The Case and Strap At 41mm, this watch is sized just right. The steel case sits well on the wrist, flush and, even though it is...
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: There are more micro and independent watchmakers out there than you could possibly ever discover in one lifetime – literally thousands upon thousands of different brands, all vying for your hard-earned. Ascertaining which makers are the successful ones is pretty simple. If they’ve been established for anything more than two years and they’re still … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: 5 almost instantly sold out collaborations that have consolidated the cult of Unimatic appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
The very first case designed by Michel Parmigiani when he founded his eponymous brand, the elegant Toric is now primarily used for haute horlogerie watches. The latest to join the line up is the Toric Tourbillon Red Gold Slate, an extra-thin wristwatch with a flying tourbillon. Initial thoughts Though Parmigiani has tried its hand at contemporary case designs, its true strength is still classical style that references Breguet and other past century greats that Mr Parmigiani is familiar with thanks to his background in watch restoration. So it is with the Toric Tourbillon. Despite being relatively simple in style, the watch is immediately recognisable as a Parmigiani. It has a strongly balanced aesthetic between the guilloché dial, knurled bezel and flying tourbillon. But the prominent “Tourbillon 60 Secondes” label on the dial detracts from the clean style of the dial. Also, the 42.8mm case, though slim, might be a point of contention as it is on the large side for a slightly formal watch. Styling aside, Parmigiani quality is impeccable, for both the internal and external components. In that respect, there’s little to criticise. Toric tradition The very first watch designed by Mr Parmigiani when he launched his brand in 1996 was the Toric Memory Time, a slim, dual time zone watch. Though slightly tweaked, the current Toric case sticks closely to the design of the original, particularly with the prominent knurled bezel that is decorated by a hand-operated machine...
Hodinkee
Settle in and get comfortable for a long and enjoyable read.
Time+Tide
This year might be one of the most unusual ever when it comes to new watches being released. While brands were already seeking different ways to share their new releases with the watch-loving community, the global pandemic that we are still watching unfold has put a stop to almost any plans that brands might have … ContinuedThe post Watches you shouldn’t miss, from Omega, Bulgari, Casio and Jaquet Droz appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
The two decades or so after the end of the Quartz Crisis was a fruitful one for the mechanical watch industry as it revived itself. IWC was one of the stars of that revival, a highly technical yet niche brand that appealed to true watch nerds. Everything it did then became the foundations for its modern day success – literally, with the brand still relying on the complications invented then. One of the most interesting, yet little-known IWC watches from that era is the Da Vinci Tourbillon Four Seasons. A limited edition of 20 watches that debuted in 1999, the Four Seasons (or Quattro Stagioni as it was known at the launch) has a hand-engraved, solid-gold dial – the Da Vinci Tourbillon represents the only instance IWC has bestowed such elaborate dials on its watches. A year after the launch of the Four Seasons, IWC was acquired by Swiss luxury group Richemont, making it perhaps the major complication the brand unveiled before the change of ownership. Intriguingly, the combination of an engraved dial and complicated movement, as well as the style of engraving, brings to mind some of the Handwerkskunst watches by A. Lange & Söhne, then as now, a sister company of IWC. But perhaps more important is the movement, which is the only hand-wound calibre in this generation of Da Vinci. Not only is the manual-wind calibre better looking – by a massive margin – but the movement is descended from the Il Destriero Scafusia, the grand complication made for the brand’s 125th ...
Deployant
Bell & Ross extends the BR 03 square instrument line of watches with the new BR 03-92 HUD, with a dial style modeled after the Heads Up Display in aircraft.
SJX Watches
The quintessential Junghans is arguably any Max Bill wristwatch, which are all slightly different but share an instantly recognisable style that’s modern, mid-20th century, and still appealing five decades on. The German watchmaker now offers the Max Bill designs in a variety of watches from quartz to automatic chronograph, and the new Max Bill Mega Solar is the most extreme in its design and technological disparity – high-tech dressed in retro style, which makes for a pretty cool watch. Initial thoughts Junghans has solid timekeeping tech in its Mega radio-control watches, but for the most part they are unattractive, at least for someone who likes mechanical watches. Many look like gadgets trying to be an analogue wristwatch. As a result, the Max Bill Mega Solar is a blessing. A Swiss architect and designer whose style was spare and Bauhaus-inspired, Bill designed a series of clocks for Junghans in the late 1950s, followed by wristwatches in 1961. Today’s Max Bill watches are essentially identical to the originals of the 1960s. And now the delightfully concise styling has been combined with a solar-powered, radio-controlled movement. For someone who likes gadgets – and also values good design – this is hard to beat. Radio-control, now worldwide The Max Bill Mega Solar is an upgrade over the earlier Max Bill Mega, which has a quartz movement in a steel case. The new Max Bill Mega Solar has a titanium case, and is solar-powered. It’ll run for up to three ye...
Time+Tide
Watch customisation is now a field you can get into at high and low price points, but it’s still fair to say that going bespoke with a quality watch fit for the Ministry of Defence for example, is generally reserved for the upper echelons of independent watchmaking. And up at a price point where you … ContinuedThe post Bespoke, baby! You can now build your own custom Bremont Martin-Baker appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
I still get lost in the details of the Rolex Submariner that was my first serious watch. The proportions of its features seem divinely inspired, everything ideally sized and placed. Its glossy black dial is startling to look at, somehow bottled essence of the pure void. When I put it on, the oyster bracelet, in … ContinuedThe post In defence of obvious watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Hamilton revives a memorable icon 50 years later. The PSR flawlessly combines retro-futuristic style and modern technology.
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet is one of the most recognised brands in haute horlogerie, but since François-Henry Bennahmias took over as chief executive in 2012, it has enjoyed turbocharged growth, with turnover more than doubling to over a billion francs in 2019. As the crisis hit, Audemars Piguet was still in the midst of executing some drastic strategic changes in the brand’s distribution and marketing – eliminating all third-party retail as well as pulling out from the SIHH trade fair. Has the crisis changed its plans? François-Henry Bennahmias answers our questions from his home in Nyon, a town 40 minutes to Audemars Piguet’s headquarters in Le Brassus (which just opens its new museum shaped like a glass spiral). Francois-Henri at home in Nyon How has this crisis impacted your business? All our manufacturing sites are closed; 85% of our stores worldwide are closed. So we are drastically impacted as you can imagine. 2020 will be affected in a substantial way. But with what our team have achieved in the past eight years, Audemars Piguet can weather the storm. Our financial health is good. We are able to keep every single employee around the world on the payroll. That is mainly what we have been working on: taking care of our people, of their health and of their jobs. In this regard, I would say that all is good! Obviously, the situation calls for a deep reflection on the “after”. Anyone who believes that we will go back to the normal we once knew is completely mistaken. ...
Quill & Pad
These four new additions to the Jaeger-LeCoultre 2020 Master Control collection are powered by manufacture movements of the highest quality combined with refined aesthetics and an elegant, instrument-style allure. Sabine Zwettler takes a closer look at them here.
SJX Watches
Since its launch in 2000, the Chronomètre à Résonance has perhaps become the quintessential F.P. Journe wristwatch. Still the only wristwatch to rely on the principle of resonance – omitting any mechanical means of transmission – the Résonance has been revamped and improved for its 20th anniversary. While the Résonance was powered by essentially the same calibre (the cal. 1499 in several generations) for its first two decades, the new Chronomètre à Résonance is equipped with the brand-new cal. 1520. Several features set the new movement apart from its predecessor, most notably the use of a single barrel and a remontoir d’egalite constant force mechanism in each going train. Initial thoughts Having learnt a little about the new Résonance from hints dropped by Mr Journe in the past, I was looking forward to this – and the watch lives up to expectations. The basics of the new model are no surprise, since Mr Journe had let on that the movement will incorporate his signature remontoir. The upgrades to the new movement are sensible both in terms of function and timekeeping. Relying on a single barrel eliminates the finicky and occasionally unreliable double-barrel winding mechanism of the original movement. But the remontoir installed in each going train is the crucial upgrade as it optimises the going trains before and after the escapement. In the original Resonance movement, both balance wheels oscillate at an identical amplitude at any one time, but the am...
Revolution
Vacheron Constantin’s style and heritage director, Christian Selmoni brings Revolution through the maison’s 2020 novelties.
SJX Watches
A mainstay of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s catalogue for almost three decades, the Master Control made its debut in 1992 and has been facelifted every couple of years since. Fresh off the press at Watches & Wonders 2020, the latest Master Control collection forgets the facelifts and is instead throwback to the inaugural line-up of three decades ago. The new range reproduces the models and style of the originals, including the popular, entry-level Master Control Date, but it also includes an all-new model, the Master Control Chronograph Calendar. From left: Master Control Date, Master Control Calendar, and Master Control Geographic And the Master Control Chronograph Calendar New tech, classic style While retaining the look of the originals, the new Master Control models are ever-so-slightly larger, now measuring 40 mm (while the 1990s originals were mostly 37 mm). More importantly, the new watches have been fitted with newly-upgraded movements equipped with silicon escapements. The cal. 899AA of the Master Control Date Though JLC has used silicon escapements in the past, most notably in the Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 and the more recent Tourbillon Celeste, the movements in the new Master Control watches are the first affordable, regular-production models to feature such escapements. The use of silicon pallet levers and escape wheels, coupled with the use of new lubricants and a stronger and longer mainspring, means substantial improvements in operating efficiency, with power ...
SJX Watches
Piaget first introduced the Altiplano Ultimate Concept in 2018 as an exercise in pushing the limits of mechanical watchmaking – the thinnest mechanical wristwatch ever, at 2 mm in its entirety. Now the experimental creation has become reality at Watches & Wonders 2020, available as a wholly-customisable, special-order timepiece that’s still just 2 mm high – but accompanied by a staggering retail price. No stranger to ultra-thin watches – the brand debuted its first extra-thin movement, the 9P, in 1957 – Piaget already claimed the title of thinnest-mechanical-watch-on-the-market in 2013 with the 3.65 mm-high Altiplano 900P. Most of the tricks relied on to create that record-setting movement have been repeated in the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept and its cal. 900P-UC, but in more extreme form, with the new watch boasting five additional patents for features relating to the extra thinness. A sliver of cobalt alloy Notably, the case and main plate of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept are one and the same, a single piece machined out of cobalt-based alloy for strength – gold is too soft and might bend if strapped too tightly on the wrist. As in the 900P, the case functions as the main plate of the 900P-UC, revamping a layer from the movement and reducing the overall thickness of the watch. But despite being a single piece, the case and main plate can be specified with different finishes for contrast. For instance, the cobalt-alloy case can retain its natural colour wi...
SJX Watches
Amongst independent watchmakers, Rexhep Rexhepi has found swift and significant success since he founded Akrivia, now one of the hottest niche brands. After his Chronomètre Contemporain took the prize of best men’s watch at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), collectors have been eagerly anticipating his next creation – which is on track despite the pandemic-induced disruptions. How has the COVID-19 coronavirus affected Akrivia? Now still crafting watches in his workshop at the heart of Geneva’s Old Town, Rexhep answers. Rexhep, still at the workshop in Geneva’s Old Town. Photo – Rexhep Rexhepi What impact has the crisis has on your business? The first impact was human. A month ago, when social distancing was first implemented in Switzerland, the atmosphere was grim. I could feel employees’ morale was affected; their motivation was low. I offered them the choice to stay home with partial unemployment or keep coming to the atelier, while respecting all health and hygiene measures, of course. Most of them opted to keep working, so we are still open at the moment and working almost normally. Even my partner [Jean-Pierre] Hagmann is back now. Production-wise, we feared for some of our subcontractors, like the [specialist that does] rhodium plating for example, but they are also working, even if only part time, for one week out of every two. But since we have [vertically] integrated a lot of our production, like making our own cases, and we have...
Time+Tide
It’s a hard life being the watch of an action hero. For starters, you’re forced to put up with all the endless gunfights, speedboat chases and henchmen annihilation. Worse still, you’re always getting overlooked. The viewer’s eye rarely gets to appreciate the majesty of your Swiss-made dial, because it’s invariably yanked towards whatever kung-fu carnage … ContinuedThe post The new guard of action heroes and their watches, from Hobbs & Shaw to John Wick to Triple Frontier appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Despite strict government orders against large gatherings and travel restrictions, Watches and Wonders will still be taking place on April 25th. How? It's going digital!
Two Broke Watch Snobs
If you thought this ride was over, you were wrong. Today LVMH has announced that it will be pulling Tag Heuer, Hublot, Zenith, and Bulgari from Baselworld. Which begs the question, who is even still signed on not just for Baselworld 2020, but future Baselworlds?
Revolution
Breitling introduces the Navitimer in its smallest package ever, dedicated to women who want the perfect mix of style and tradition.
Quill & Pad
The point of the large watch fairs is (or was) the sheer scale of their visitor numbers. In no other venue can brands meet with so many clients, collectors and press, and vice versa. If a large fair is limited in visitor capacity by health restrictions, can it still dominate the launch cycles of big brands? Ian Skellern examines likely winners and losers of the brave new world of exhibitions in 2021.
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