6,171 articles · 2,434 videos found · page 137 of 287
Monochrome
Founded in 1934, Airain was one of the original suppliers of the iconic Type 20 chronograph issued to French military pilots in the 1950s and 60s. The brand was dormant until its resurrection in 2020 by Dutch entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick, who also spearheaded the 2014 relaunch of Lebois & Co, which brought back the […]
Teddy Baldassarre
In 2022, Longines marked 190 years in operation, which means that the Swiss watchmaker’s bicentennial year is just around the corner. In nearly two centuries of continuous operation, Longines has not only been a reliable producer of watches in all kinds of styles for both men and ladies; it has also been responsible for more watchmaking milestones than you probably know. Here we take a look at the remarkable history of Longines watches. Foundations (1832-1908) Longines was founded in 1832, originally as Raiguel Jeune et Cie., in the Swiss Jura town of Saint-Imier by Auguste Agassiz and two partners. Agassiz (above, left) became the sole proprietor in 1846 after both partners, attorneys by trade, retired from the watch business, and shortly thereafter, he brought his nephew, an enterprising economist named Ernest Françillon (above, right), into the company. It was Françillon, in 1867, who moved all of the firm’s various watchmaking disciplines - which were scattered throughout dozens of independent workshops called établisseurs - under one roof, to a factory that was situated in a scenic area called “Les Longines” or “The Long Meadows,” thus giving the company its now-familiar name. In 1889, Francillon registered the famous Longines logo with a winged hourglass - today the world’s oldest unchanged, active logo according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Among Longines’ many milestones under Françillon’s management were the c...
Quill & Pad
De Bethune has blended their Kind of Blue and DB28 case with their fast ultra-light rotating 30-second tourbillon/5 Hz escapement and a Starry Sky. The result is one of the best looking watches on the market and certainly one of the most comfortable.
Monochrome
Founded in 2016 by Sébastien Muller in the Swiss Jura, Brellum is a niche independent brand that uses a direct distribution model. Specializing in crafting vintage-inspired chronographs at attainable prices, Brellum produces only a few hundred watches annually, with no more than 299 pieces a year, including limited editions. The brand now proudly introduces its […]
Revolution
Cartier remains a remarkable success story, especially with the brand achieving a turnover of 3.1 billion CHF in 2023, according to the Swiss watch industry’s top 50 companies report by Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult. We spoke with Cyrille Vigneron, CEO of Cartier, to explore the brand’s enduring appeal and core values that make it one […]
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Worn & Wound
ochs und junior has released the latest in their line of celestial-inspired watches, this time with a movement and complication ten years in the making. To look at it, the luna sole couldn’t be anything besides an ochs und junior and uses a series of rotating discs to convey the relative position of the moon, sun, and earth. When I was first getting into watches in the early 2010s, the watch industry - in particular the Swiss watch industry - was experiencing a very real bout of homogeneity. Coming out of the recession, and with the real boom times still ahead of them, it felt like brands were (mostly) looking to play it safe and ride out the stormy weather. ochs und junior was one of the first brands I came across that was, in a big way, playing their own game. While the luna sole is a pure expression of that approach, it’s also the thinnest and lightest ochs und junior we’ve seen yet, and demonstrates a clear evolution from the early days of the brand without sacrificing any of the brutalist industrial design the brand is known for. The luna sole measures in at 40mm across and 9mm thick, with a lug-to-lug barely longer than the diameter of the watch. More to the point, the grade 5 titanium case is light - the watch head without the strap is only 40 grams, about the equivalent of a handful of quarters. Inside the luna sole, you’ll find a modified version of the ETA 2892, initially conceptualized and designed by ochs und junior founder Ludwig Oechslin a decad...
SJX Watches
Capping several months of rumours, Richemont has just announced the appointment of Louis Ferla as the chief executive of Cartier. Having been in charge of Vacheron Constantin since 2017 – during which its annual sales tripled to about €1 billion – Mr Ferla succeeds Cyrille Vigneron, who is retiring after eight years at the top of the jewel in Richemont’s crown. This news comes just weeks after Nicolas Bos was named chief executive of Richemont, the Swiss luxury group that also owns brands like Van Cleef & Arpels and IWC. Mr Bos was the longtime chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels and will be replaced by Catherine Rénier, who’s been running Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2018. Elevating VC Officially assuming the coveted top job at Cartier on September 1, Mr Ferla has been with Richemont since 2001 when he joined Alfred Dunhill, before moving to Cartier in 2006 where he rose to International Director of Clients and Business. His tenure at Vacheron Constantin saw the brand increase both its sales and margins as the brand trimmed its retail network to focus on in-house boutiques, while also boosting its offerings of high-end, one-off Les Cabinotiers timepieces. Vacheron Constantin has yet to announce Mr Ferla’s replacement, but his deputy, chief commercial officer Laurent Perves, will step up as the interim chief executive. Mr Ferla’s name became the subject of conversations in the industry at end 2022, when it emerged he was one of the candidates to succeed Francois...
Fratello
Quintessential, exclusive watchmaking is more than Swiss. Garrick is a brand we’ve covered before and one that has carved its path. With the new S3 MK2, Garrick offers, along with other European brands like Grönefeld, a studied alternative to timepieces from the Alpine valleys. With a range spanning three-handers like the S6 to the Regulator […] Visit Introducing: The Garrick S3 MK2 - Open-Worked Complexities With A Personalizable Twist to read the full article.
Fratello
The Frederique Constant Highlife Chronograph debuted about two years ago. To set it on the right track, the watch came in black and blue panda versions in stainless steel. Now the Dutch-led brand of Swiss-made watches is introducing two new versions. One is a limited edition of 1,888 pieces in stainless steel with an opaline […] Visit Hands-On With Two New Versions Of Frederique Constant’s Highlife Chronograph to read the full article.
Hodinkee
We have collaborated with the historic Swiss brand Carl F. Bucherer to bring the best of the jet-setting age into the modern era.
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Worn & Wound
The last time we brought you news of a Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein collaboration, it was one of their most ambitious efforts to date, a Swiss tourbillon coming in under CHF 16,000, which brings a different angle to Louis Erard’s stated goal of making luxury watchmaking accessible. When that watch was released, Louis Erard promised additional collaborations to follow, and today we see the next step in their partnership. The Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Smile-Day adds a new colorway to a fan favorite format, and shows that there’s still gas left in the collaboration tank. The Smile-Day is a stand-alone version of the “La Semaine” concept that we’ve seen Louis Erard and Silberstein experiment with a few times now. This watch essentially takes a day-date complication and replaces the “day” with a series of smiling emojis. It doesn’t actually help you keep track of the calendar, but it’s a fun and whimsical idea, and has always felt like a great match to Silberstein’s playful use of color and shape. The wearer is invited to adjust the “day” to the emoji that most fits their mood, or perhaps the emoji that most fits the mood they want to be in. Previous versions of this watch have appeared with black and drab green dials, but this has a very different personality with a light gray dial. It’s complemented by light blue hour markers and a matching oversized minute hand, with a red hour hand and bright yellow seconds hand. As with earlier exampl...
Worn & Wound
With a history that dates back to the founding of the Shokosha Watch Research Institute in 1918, Citizen Watch Co. was formally established in 1930 with the goal of creating high-quality yet accessible timepieces for the Japanese market. Headquartered in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan, Citizen is one of the world’s largest and most vertically-integrated watch manufacturers. With a history that dates back to the founding of the Shokosha Watch Research Institute in 1918, Citizen Watch Co. was formally established in 1930 with the goal of creating high-quality yet accessible timepieces for the Japanese market. Headquartered in Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan, Citizen is one of the world’s largest and most vertically-integrated watch manufacturers. The post Just A Minute With The Citizen Series8 890 appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
The Frederique Constant Highlife collection launched in 1999 with an interchangeable, integrated strap/bracelet at an affordable price, making the desirable “luxury Swiss sports watch” accessible to many. The collection ultimately went dormant but was relaunched in 2020 to great fanfare with musician, producer and brand ambassador The Avener. In 2022, the brand introduced the Highlife […]
Monochrome
I’ve been saying it for years now; watchmaking is a universal trade. Gone are the days when it was for the Swiss only, or even Europe for that matter. These days, with virtually no boundaries thanks to the online world, there’s surprising and exciting watchmaking to be found all over the globe. Take China for […]
Monochrome
On its own, a Laurent Ferrier Classic Micro-Rotor is already a true thing of beauty. The ultra-smooth, almost pebble-like case, the refined architecture of the dial and of course that superbly finished micro-rotor movement with natural escapement. There’s genuinely nothing we would change. However, Laurent Ferrier’s latest iteration of the Classic Micro-Rotor shows it can […]
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Worn & Wound
So far 2024 is a year where brands have been belting out bombastic bangers of watches one after another. So, when a different take on a beloved complication is dropped, we naturally crane our necks to peek at what’s new. The first Swiss chronograph in New Zealand based Beaufort’s lineup highlights the old school idea of a doctor/medic’s watch with a pulsometer as the primary complication. It takes this complication and sets it inside a case and dial that are elegant, yet industrial, but some of the changes made to the chronograph functionality caused me to ask some questions. The Beaufort Pulsatimer, upon quick inspection, might look like your average chrono, but the longer you linger over its construction, the more you’ll start to notice its unique styling. The case is almost totally brushed, with the exception of thinly polished chamfered edges and a polished inner bezel ring. The polished ring steps up from a brushed base bezel ring like the watch is laying its own foundation. And rising once more from the step bezel is a significantly raised box sapphire crystal. All this architecture pulls your eye into a dial that dramatically drops from the crystal with the sloped pulsometer chapter ring. Then we find a beautiful, vertically brushed copper-colored dial that Beaufort calls “Salmon.” They also have an all black, DLC coated version, a reverse panda black and silver dial, and an all silver dial version of the Pulsatimer. The architectural nuances of the ca...
Time+Tide
Seven sapphire crystals, a slim Swiss automatic, and a hand-polished case make up the Minase Seven Windows.The post A clearer look at Minase, and the quirky proposition that is the Seven Windows appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Longines has certainly mastered the skill of downsizing. I’m not talking about getting rid of any of its personnel; it’s more about shaving some millimeters off its watches. We saw it happen with the Legend Diver and the Spirit. Both were first introduced in bigger sizes. Later, the legendary Swiss brand also introduced sub-40mm options. […] Visit Hands-On With The New 38mm Longines Conquest to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Citizen Watch Co. of Japan has been making watches for 100 years, and a glance at the brand’s current portfolio reveals that quite a few of those watches are dive watches. It’s not surprising, since Citizen has been in the business of supplying watches for divers since the early 1980s, and has been extending the variety of styles, functionalities, and even movement types available in the various collections ever since. So how do you decide on whether you want your first (or next) Citizen dive watch to be an Eco-Drive or an automatic? An everyday-wear Fugu, a multipurpose Aqualand, or a deep-diving Eco-Zilla? Our comprehensive guide is here to help you, with a brief history of Citizen dive watches and a rundown of all the styles available today. Swiss watchmakers began embracing purpose-built, water-resistant divers’ watches in the early 1950s, while their contemporaries in Japan came aboard a decade or so later. As many history-minded watch enthusiasts are aware, it was Citizen’s competitor, Seiko, that released the first Japanese-made divers’ watch, in 1965. However, Citizen’s Parawater, regarded as the first “water-resistant” Japanese watch, preceded it to market six years earlier, in 1959. The Parawater watches (as above) were waterproof to 50 meters of depth, an impressive feat for the era, and they were the forerunners of Citizen’s contemporary line of dive watches, which began in the 1960s but really kicked into gear with the release of the Promast...
SJX Watches
RGM Watch Co. recently bestowed an artisanal touch on its time-only Model 25 with the “Birds of America (Glossy Ibis)” with a mother-of-pearl dial featuring a miniature painting that reproduces a drawing from John James Audubon’s famous book of the same name. Notably, the Birds of America is also equipped with an ETA calibre upgraded by RGM to have a power reserve that’s 30% longer. Initial thoughts RGM was historically a guilloche specialist – notably the brand does traditional engine turning in house – so the Birds of America is a logical diversification that continues the brand’s speciality. Though the artisan responsible for the miniature painting is unnamed, the dial is impressively rendered with a skilful depiction of the bird. The details of the ibis are practically as vivid as in Audubon’s illustration. Interestingly, the Birds of America is not merely a stylistic exercise. A significant feature is the upgraded ETA 2892 inside that has a 53-56 hour power reserve, a significant enhancement over the standard 44 hours, which was achieved with in-house upgrades according to RGM. This release is priced at U$17,900, and comparable commissions depicting others birds from Audubon’s book will cost similar. It’s more affordable than comparable watches from established Swiss brands, making it a relatively good value proposition. After Audubon The latest release is based on a plate depicting the glossy ibis in The Birds of America, the landmark work by...
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Monochrome
The legendary Italian Mille Miglia vintage car race, from Brescia to Rome and back, is just around the corner, drawing crowds of car lovers and drivers from around the world. As the sponsor and official timekeeper of this race since 1988, Chopard enjoys one of the longest-standing alliances in classic motorsports. The brand’s co-president, Karl-Friedrich […]
Fratello
Forget about the edgy Big Bang. Here’s the fluid shape of water that tells time by Hublot. The brand from the Swiss town of Nyon worked together with the New York-based contemporary artist Daniel Arsham to come up with an object that is a pocket watch, a pendant, and a table clock. No, it’s not […] Visit Is It A Pocket Watch, A Pendant, Or A Table Clock? No, It’s All Of The Above! - It’s The Hublot Arsham Droplet to read the full article.
Monochrome
Birthday celebrations are fast becoming a tradition at Oris. Known as the Hölstein Editions, after the town in the Swiss Jura mountains where the brand was founded on June 1, 1904, the watches are generally modified variants of existing pieces. Coinciding with the brand’s 120th anniversary, the brand issues a special version of its Divers […]
Fratello
Oris Hölstein Editions are an annual celebration for the independent Swiss watch brand. This year marks a rather special occasion - Oris’s 120th anniversary. To celebrate this impressive birthday, the house is releasing a special Divers Sixty-Five, fully dipped in black paint. Okay, technically speaking, it’s not really black paint. But we do get a […] Visit The Oris Hölstein Edition 2024: An All-Blacked-Out Divers Sixty-Five to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
If you’re involved in the watch industry to any degree, even as a collector, you’ve definitely heard of seconde/seconde/, or at least seen his work. Timex, Bausele, Lima, Squale, Atelier Wen, Bamford Watch Co., Spinnaker, Furlan Marri, Maen, Sequent, Isotope, Louis Erard, Vulcain, Nivada Grenchen - high end, entry level, micro brand, independent, and large established companies. Romaric André (seconde/seconde/) has vandalized the world of watches at every level. He makes us smile, and causes many of us to view this large and serious industry with a bit of levity and added consideration. I connected with Romaric via Instagram. During the month of January my hand was broken, so instead of posting my own wrist shots I thought it would be fun to highlight friends in the Instagram watch community. One such friend had a Timex x seconde/seconde/ Polar collaboration with a wonderful whirling penguin rotating for a seconds hand. I made a comment in the caption stating that I wish I had jumped on the Timex x seconde/seconde/ collaboration, and moments later Romaric popped into my DM’s to let me know where I could get one at retail price. It brought me such joy to connect with him and get the watch, but it also opened the door for me to conduct an interview and get to know a bit about the man behind all the fun. Although it might seem like seconde/seconde/ has been part of our community only recently, he’s actually been involved with watches for some time. After going ...
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