Results for La Chaux-de-Fonds

Chanel Monsieur de Chanel Chronosphere Clock

New Release: Girard-Perregaux Cat’s Eye La Fenice and Sparkle

What happens when you combine diamonds and mother-of-pearl into a the shape of a watch? You get the Cat's Eye series from Girard Perregaux.

De Bethune: The Greatest Watch Brand You’ve Never Heard Of

SIHH 2016: De Bethune

Baselworld 2014: Blancpain Carrousel Phases de Lune - The Sophistication Of Signature Complications United In Elegance

Ever since the resurrection of Blancpain by Biver and Piguet in the 1980’s, the moon has played an important part in the history of the brand. Their first full calendar model with moon phase was a classical beauty, whose legacy lives on until today. The same can be said for the carrousel (karrussel) that Blancpain […]

A Visit To The De Rijke & Co. Atelier, Where The New Capri Was Crafted

You might know De Rijke & Co. from its Amalfi Series. Those watches feature a driver’s case that can be rotated 90 degrees for better legibility while your hands are on the steering wheel. We wouldn’t call it a sports watch, but it’s certainly not a dress watch either. Right at the end of last […] Visit A Visit To The De Rijke & Co. Atelier, Where The New Capri Was Crafted to read the full article.

Down to the Wire: De Bethune’s In-House Hairsprings

De Bethune plans to bring hairspring production in house, aiming to become one of the very few firms able to process alloy wire into a finished balance hairspring. This requires De Bethune’s new hairspring workshop to master wire drawing, rolling, cutting, heat treatment, and assembly. The rationale? “Externally produced hairsprings meet standards based on averages that do not enable fine adjustment of the dimensions to suit a particular balance wheel or its specific positioning in a calibre,” according to De Bethune. De Bethune’s “flat end curve” mated to a hairspring sourced from a supplier. Initial thoughts As De Bethune explains it, making its own hairsprings will allow the brand to tailor its hairspring to a specific balance or movement. Since its founding in 2002, De Bethune has presented itself as being on the cutting edge of chronometry, debuting a new balance design every year from 2004 to 2010. The brand was also quick to embrace silicon, and even briefly attempted a kilohertz magnetic oscillator system, Résonique. A new year, a new balance. Sometimes two new balances. Given De Bethune’s focus on chronometry, making its own hairsprings seems like a natural next step. However, there is a reason so few brands make their own hairsprings: the process is a difficult and demanding one that benefits greatly from economies of scale. For example, H. Moser & Cie. makes less than 4,000 watches per year, however, its sister company Precision Engineering claims...

How Do You Top The Sensational De Bethune DB28 Maxichrono? By Customizing It, Of Course - Reprise

What Makes Me Tick loves watches made by small independent artisans because they fully embody the visions of their makers, who have put blood, sweat, and tears into creating them. Among the independent brands, De Bethune is most probably his favorite. In fact, no "probably" about it: De Bethune is his favorite. Here's how his customized DB28 Maxichrono came to be.

How Do You Achieve Chronometric Perfection?

Wei and Jeremiah geek out over the different approaches taken by two independent watchmakers in their pursuit of chronometric perfection: Montres KF’s Karsten Frässdorf and De Bethune’s Denis Flageollet. Frässdorf’s EI8HT Evolution Meteorite is the latest iteration of the bespoke only EI8HT released in 2020 – a modern interpretation of centuries old inventions. Flageollet’s approach […]

Chopard Introduces the L.U.C Skull One

Chopard has loosened up its strictly formal, ultra-thin dress watch with recent launches like the collaboration with tailor Kiton. Launched during Mexican watch fair Salón Internacional Alta Relojería México (SIAR), the L.U.C Skull One continues the theme – a slim, black-coated case and the dial decorated with a motif inspired by Día de Muertos, the Mexican festival that celebrates the dearly departed. Initial thoughts The Skull One is not the first Chopard dressed in a calavera, a decorated depiction of the skull used during Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Two years ago, once again for SIAR, Chopard decked out its top-of-the-line L.U.C perpetual calendar with tourbillon in Day of the Dead decor that was hand engraved on the dial and case. But compared to that one-off creation (and also the similarly-themed De Bethune DW5), the Skull One is most pared back in style and also in price. Priced just shy of US$10,000, the Skull One is well priced for a wristwatch powered by a sophisticated, in-house movement that has an elaborately printed dial. And just as importantly, the watch is well designed – the skull motif works well with everything else. The look is coherently put together, with most of the elements done in shades of black and grey – even the case back crystal is tinted grey – but accented with rose gold markers and hands. Simple yet effective While obvious at a glance, the dial is thoughtful in its details. The motif is set apart from the b...

World Watch Day 2026: Time as Living Heritage

Today marks the second annual World Watch Day, celebrated on October 10 in a clever nod to the familiar “10:10” depiction of watch hands. This year’s theme, “Time as Living Heritage”, puts the people of Sainte-Croix at the centre of the occasion. A training course at Association Mec-Art Marking the event, our founder SJX participated in a round-table discussion about preserving and passing on the skills of both watchmaking and mechanical art. The panel included De Bethune co-founder Denis Flageollet and automaton maker François Junod, who helped establish the Association Mec-Art, watchmaker Vianney Halter, The 1916 Company’s Tim Mosso, and Karin Alexandrian of the Musée des Arts et Métiers. Europa Star’s Pierre Maillard moderated the conversation. Denis Flageollet of De Bethune co-founded the Association Mec-Art in 2016 with automaton-makers François Junod and Nicolas Court The organisers, Association Mec-Art and the Musée de la Mécanique d’Art et du Patrimoine de Sainte-Croix (MuMAPS), work to safeguard the traditions explored in our earlier story on the unique skills being preserved in Sainte-Croix. These extend beyond watches to music boxes, mechanical singing birds, and automata. Mec-Art helps keep the skills alive through creative projects and practical courses, while MuMAPS is the local museum dedicated to mechanical art and the town’s heritage. The shared challenge is to ensure that future generations can still make and repair these objects, ...

Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils Le Chalet, a luxury rural retreat in the Vallée de Joux, for guests of the brand

Jaeger-LeCoultre has opened an exclusive alpine retreat in a beautifully restored 19th-century farmhouse, close to their manufacture.The post Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils Le Chalet, a luxury rural retreat in the Vallée de Joux, for guests of the brand appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Jumping Hours With The Monsieur De Chanel Superleggera Intense Black And Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25

You’ve probably seen all the Watches and Wonders 2024 recap articles and read how this year’s releases weren’t the most exciting ones. But, as I’ve already stated in my “favorites” article, that certainly doesn’t mean there weren’t any releases worth mentioning. Today, I’d like to highlight two watches we haven’t yet covered here on Fratello. […] Visit Jumping Hours With The Monsieur De Chanel Superleggera Intense Black And Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 to read the full article.

IN-DEPTH: The CODE41 ANOMALY-T4 further refines the collection and distinguishes the brand

Aside from their ANOMALY range of watches, CODE41 truely are an anomaly in the watchmaking world among established brands and microbrands alike. Plenty of companies arrive onto the scene with promises of making a difference, whether that be through revolutionary designs or environmental considerations, but CODE41 always delivers on all aspects. The CODE41 ANOMALY-T4 represents … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The CODE41 ANOMALY-T4 further refines the collection and distinguishes the brand appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Business News: Watchbox Forecasts 2021 Revenue to Cross US$300m

Having been founded in 2017 as a spinoff from authorised retailer Govberg Jewelers, Watchbox has swiftly grown into one of the biggest sellers of pre-owned watches globally. Having started life with a US$100m capital infusion from a Singapore-based private equity outfit, the company has just announced 2021 sales will cross US$300m, thanks to growth projected to top 40%. For comparison, that is approximately equivalent to the annual watch sales of the major auction houses, namely Christie’s, Phillips, and Sotheby’s. The announcement comes just weeks after Watchbox took a majority stake in De Bethune, a respected independent watchmaker that nonetheless struggling for most of its existence, but is now on a sounder financial footing. At the same time, the financial resources available to Watchbox indicate that its investment in De Bethune might be the first of several such acquisitions. At the same time, the Philadephia-based company announced an expansion of its store network, which currently includes outposts in Dubai (pictured above), Hong Kong, and Singapore. It plans eight new stores in 2022, with five located in the United States, followed by Zurich, Riyadh, and Tokyo.  

LONG READ: 12 life lessons with Black Badger, and a clapback to the “juvenile” response to his TAG Heuer coffee watch

If you haven’t heard of James Thompson, aka Black Badger, you’ve probably seen his brightly lit work online. He’s done collaborations with independent watchmakers such as MB&F;, De Bethune, and Sarpaneva, and has more recently been working with the King of Customisation himself, George Bamford. While much of what Black Badger is known for is … ContinuedThe post LONG READ: 12 life lessons with Black Badger, and a clapback to the “juvenile” response to his TAG Heuer coffee watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

“We want to take the top guys down,” says new TAG Heuer tennis ambassador Alex De Minaur

Few sports so frequently, and so intensely, show the individual under pressure as Grand Slam tennis singles. Take the case of Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece, who just two days ago defeated the GOAT (fact), Roger Federer. At the end of the first set, a grimly fought 13-11 tiebreak that went against him, he looked gone. … ContinuedThe post “We want to take the top guys down,” says new TAG Heuer tennis ambassador Alex De Minaur appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

HANDS ON: How to update an icon -  Cartier’s Santos de Cartier 

It’s a tricky task upgrading a storied and legendary watch such as the Santos - you must innovate while appearing to be unchanging. It’s a job that Cartier have pulled off with aplomb at SIHH 2018. The new Santos is the star in their masculine line-up, a sensitive update that brings the design very much … ContinuedThe post HANDS ON: How to update an icon – Cartier’s Santos de Cartier  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

HANDS-ON: Looking for a dressy daily wearer that’s a little left field? Try the Chopard L.U.C XP

I don’t want to sound like a jaded watch journalist because – let’s be honest – those guys are the worst. But having said that, there were not too many surprises at Baselworld 2017. I knew we’d be seeing Speedmasters from Omega, a Sea-Dweller from Rolex and some crazy-but-cool collabs from Hublot. I didn’t expect to be … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Looking for a dressy daily wearer that’s a little left field? Try the Chopard L.U.C XP appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A Love Letter to the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes De Vache 1955

I cannot shut up about this watch. Is that bad? I feel like I ought to be at least slightly embarrassed about talking the way I do about this watch - insistently, passionately, with a level of intense affection that doesn’t seem creepy until you realise that the subject of my volubility is not actually […]

Vintage Watches: A 1972 Rolex Day-Date In White Gold, A 1960s Movado M95 Chronograph, And A 1970s Zenith Defy De Luxe

Plus, an update on Vintage Watches here at Hodinkee!

“La Musique du Temps” Les Cabinotiers Astronomical Striking Grand Complication - Ode to Music

Vacheron Constantin finds musical inspiration from the heavens above.

Sainte-Croix: The Beating Heart of Mechanical Art

The Jura balcony awakens under the March sun. Between sky and mountains, the village of Sainte-Croix and the l’Institut de la Mécanique d’Art (IMA), seem suspended in silence. Yet behind this tranquillity lies one of the most remarkable centres of mechanical art, also known as the automata, for the institute is home to the Association Mec-Art pour la Mécanique d’Art, which is also open to the public to further its mission to promote the craft of automata. “Watchmaking mechanics is industry – serial production. Mechanical art is about unique pieces, for which we use entirely different methods. Some brands focus exclusively on one or the other, while others operate at the crossroads of both – like De Bethune,” explains Denis Flageollet, the cofounder of De Bethune who founded the Association Mec-Art in 2016 together with François Junod and Nicolas Court, both automaton makers. IMA occupies the building originally constructed by Reuge in 2016, which was acquired by De Bethune in 2023. The building now hosts mechanical art activities for Reuge, Van Cleef & Arpels and De Bethune, as well as the Association Mec-Art. “Mechanical art depends on an ecosystem of artisans,” he adds, pointing to the uniquely concentrated geography of Sainte-Croix, “the only town where all these skills coexist.” François Junod agrees, “We live in a natural incubator. Here, everyone talks about mechanical art.” It is precisely for this reason that when Junod was invited to ...

Who Was Jean-Adrien Philippe? The Story Of The Watchmaking Half Of Patek Philippe

La Bazoche-Gouët is a small town in the French Loire Valley. Today, roughly 1,215 people live there. In 1815, the number of inhabitants could have been a bit higher or a bit lower, but it’s safe to say that La Bazoche-Gouët was never a bustling hub of activity. It is a beautiful spot, though. The […] Visit Who Was Jean-Adrien Philippe? The Story Of The Watchmaking Half Of Patek Philippe to read the full article.

Buying Guide - Jumping For Joy, With Six Of The Coolest Jumping Hour Watches

Fresh off the avalanche of releases during Geneva Watch Days, we’re revisiting a Buying Guide topic from earlier this year. Sparked by watches like the De Bethune DB25 Digitale, one of this year’s absolute best of the fair, and the refreshingly cool M.A.D.3, we take another look at Jumping Hour watches. From brands high and […]