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Results for Manufacture vs Etablisseur

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Manufacture vs Etablisseur

The structural difference between brands that make their own movements (manufactures) and those that buy them (etablisseurs).

Introducing the Latest Collaboration Between Maurice Lacroix and Label Noir Worn & Wound
Maurice Lacroix Dec 25, 2025

Introducing the Latest Collaboration Between Maurice Lacroix and Label Noir

While not my style, I can see the appeal of a skeleton-style watch–it’s admittedly engrossing to watch the internals of your timepiece tick away, and an exhibition caseback can only show so much when it’s plastered to your wrist. So, I am not the target audience for watches like the new Maurice Lacroix Label Noir Aikon Manufacture Skeleton, but if you are, I’ll do my best to give you all the juicy details.  Founded in Zurich in 1975, Swiss watch brand Maurice Lacroix is known for stylistically brash and boundary-pushing watches; even their tamer models tend to feature bright colors or adventurous materials, and they have quite a few creative skeleton pieces in their catalogue, particularly in their Aikon line. The new Aikon Manufacture Skeleton, in collaboration with Geneva-based Label Noir, pushes that ethos ever-forward. Measuring in at a large-and-loud 45mm in diameter and 12mm in height, the black DLC-plated stainless steel case bears dual-segments at every other hour, framing the sapphire skeleton dial. A screw-down crown ensures 100 meters of water resistance, and two provided straps shake up the aesthetic profile of the watch: the gray leather strap gives it a much more subdued look, while the turquoise rubber alternative lends it a much louder persona.  Translucent black varnish on the sapphire dial gives the watch an almost smoky look at the edges, and creates a highlight point of clarity in the middle of the dial, where the turquoise-plated hands meet. ...

Year in Review: Our Best Stories of 2025 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe ref 1518 Dec 24, 2025

Year in Review: Our Best Stories of 2025

Our 2025 coverage included original research and in-depth stories including CEO interviews, engineering explainers, behind-the-scenes manufacture visits, and hands-on features exploring the latest developments in modern horology. We’d like to thank our readers for their engagement and support, which continue to shape and sustain our work. Our founder SJX provided an in-depth study of the Breguet Sympathique No. 1, with exclusive insights from its creator François-Paul Journe. The story is notable not only for its technical reconstruction of the mechanism but also for clarifying how the Sympathique informed Journe’s earliest thinking as a constructor before launching his namesake brand. SJX also spent time with the people leading the industry. Interviews with Kari Voutilainen, Gregory Kissling, Ilaria Resta, and Marc Michel-Amadry offered unusually direct insight into how each manufacture is approaching product development, heritage, and shifting collector behaviour. That research-driven approach continued across several technical features, including his hands-on review of the Rolex Land-Dweller, the most consequential mainstream release of 2025. His analysis unpacked both the engineering decisions behind the cal. 7135 and the strategic implications of Rolex introducing a new collection. Finally his analysis of the record-breaking Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in steel and reporting from the major auctions traced the evolving tastes and appetites of a tightening pool of top...

Atelier Wen Review: Artisanal Chinese Watchmaking Teddy Baldassarre
Atelier Wen Review Artisanal Chinese Watchmaking Dec 11, 2025

Atelier Wen Review: Artisanal Chinese Watchmaking

Within the burgeoning small independent watch brand scene we find creative inspiration that takes many forms. Oftentimes, this is focused on a specific moment in time or place in history. With Atelier Wen, a young Hong Kong based manufacture, that inspiration is the celebration of culture and craftsmanship of a nation. The name is a combination of the French word for workshop, and the Chinese word for culture, and serves as a fitting description of not only the brand’s founders, but also the driving force behind their creative vision. Since their founding in 2018, Atelier Wen has become a showcase of Chinese culture and craftsmanship within a world of high-end horology generally dominated by European centric attitudes.  [toc-section heading="Some Brand History"] Atelier Wen was founded by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, two Frenchmen with a shared passion for, and deep connection to Chinese culture and watchmaking. Through their time living and working in China (Robin an advisor and expert in the China Horologe Association; Wilfried a graduate of Peking University and Tsinghua University), the pair developed a deep reverence for the watchmaking scene as represented through the community of collectors and watchmakers. Upon their return to Europe, the two quickly found that their experiences did not align with the general perceptions found in the west. Together, the founders sought to take advantage of the opportunity to put a spotlight on the true nature of Chinese...

Hands On: Chopard L.U.C. Grand Strike SJX Watches
Chopard L.U.C Grand Strike Dec 11, 2025

Hands On: Chopard L.U.C. Grand Strike

The 30th anniversary of the Chopard L.U.C. manufacture was one anniversary among many this year, but it will likely be remembered thanks to the Grand Strike, the most complicated watch in Chopard’s history and its first grande sonnerie. Building on the successful Full Strike minute repeater architecture and making full use of the brand’s patented sapphire gongs, the Grand Strike is a chronometer-certified two-train clock watch with a push-button minute repeater. In this context, the presence of the tourbillon is almost a footnote. Initial thoughts I can count on one hand the number of brands that have created their own grande sonnerie wristwatch. It’s one of the few things in watchmaking that’s proven challenging enough to still be rare, even in the days of computer-aided design (CAD) and advanced manufacturing technology like wire erosion. For this reason, the grande sonnerie has a towering cultural presence among watchmakers and collectors, looming above all other complications. For Chopard, the Grand Strike represents the culmination of 30 years of the L.U.C. manufacture, the brand’s haute horlogerie division. The first impression of the Grand Strike is one of extraordinary depth. There’s not much of a dial, save for the minutes scale etched on the inside of the sapphire crystal, and the small concentric sub-dials for the dual power reserve displays. This depth shrinks the watch visually, and it feels dense and compact despite its rather large 43 mm size and...

First Look - The New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Classic 36mm, The Return of a 1995 Timeless Watch Monochrome
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Classic 36mm Dec 3, 2025

First Look - The New Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Classic 36mm, The Return of a 1995 Timeless Watch

Since its debut in 1992, the Master Control collection by Jaeger-LeCoultre has embodied the brand’s refined approach to timeless design and precision. The line was introduced as the first to undergo the Manufacture’s 1000-Hour Control testing, a rigorous in-house certification of accuracy and reliability applied to the complete watch, not just the movement. Decades later, […]

Breguet Celebrates Striking Heritage with Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe rather than scavenging ebauches Dec 1, 2025

Breguet Celebrates Striking Heritage with Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905

The penultimate entry in Breguet’s 250th celebration is the Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905, a complicated pocket watch that unites several of Breguet’s creations, along with the métiers d’art know-how and high-technology of the modern Breguet manufacture. The 1905 features hand engraving and flinqué enamel, as well as using Breguet’s magnetic strike governor and gold gongs. As with all of the brand’s 250th anniversary creations, the nearly 60 mm case is made of Breguet Gold, with Bleu de France for an additional pop of colour. Initial thoughts During the 2000s, Breguet launched the Montre de Poche 1907, a minute repeating tourbillon pocket clock watch with grande et petite sonnerie. At the time, several of the best brands were building new complicated pocket watches, most notably Patek Philippe, rather than scavenging ebauches. In the 20 years since, new production complicated pocket watches have disappeared from nearly every brand’s catalogue – except for Breguet’s. The Montre de poche 1907BA/12. Image – Breguet Officially the 1907 has only been offered in yellow gold – though white and rose gold examples probably exist as well. Now, to celebrate 250 years of the house of Breguet, the 1907 gets a new look and technical overhaul with the striking Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905 in an 18k “Breguet Gold” case. The 1905 is not completely novel, mechanically speaking, as none of Breguet’s launches this year have been...

First Look - The Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB 3SPC for Seddiqi’s 75th Anniversary Monochrome
Ferdinand Berthoud Nov 22, 2025

First Look - The Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB 3SPC for Seddiqi’s 75th Anniversary

Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud marks a significant moment in its modern history, with the release of the Chronomètre FB 3SPC Seddiqi 75th Anniversary. A three-piece platinum edition created for the 75th anniversary of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the influential Dubai retailer and one of the manufacture’s first partners when the brand was revived in 2015. The […]

Introducing - Frederique Constant Celebrates its 37th Anniversary with The Elements Collection Monochrome
Frederique Constant Celebrates Nov 21, 2025

Introducing - Frederique Constant Celebrates its 37th Anniversary with The Elements Collection

Frederique Constant turns 37 this year and celebrates with 37 sets containing the manufacture’s emblematic complications. Founded in 1988, Frederique Constant’s reputation for mechanical watches at accessible prices is firmly entrenched in the brand’s DNA. The top five complications are now available for collectors to enjoy in the 37 sets comprising The Elements Collection, featuring […]

Introducing - The Armin Strom One Week Skeleton in Rose Gold Monochrome
Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Nov 20, 2025

Introducing - The Armin Strom One Week Skeleton in Rose Gold

The Armin Strom One Week is an expression of the manufacture’s priorities: visible mechanics, measured proportions and an insistence on hand finishing. Where the recent Titanium Skeleton emphasised lightness and a contemporary tool-watch stance, the new One Week Skeleton edition reframes the same openworked architecture in rose gold, retaining the mechanics as the object of […]

A Haute Horlogerie Makeover for the Girard-Perregaux Laureato SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Girard-Perregaux GP unveils Nov 19, 2025

A Haute Horlogerie Makeover for the Girard-Perregaux Laureato

Girard-Perregaux (GP) unveils the second chapter of the Laureato’s 50th anniversary with the Laureato Three Gold Bridges Tourbillon. First launched as part of the earlier generation Laureato in the 1990s, the tourbillon has been reimagined with a monochromatic palette in a limited edition of 50 pieces that evokes GP’s golden age as a modern-day manufacture.   Initial thoughts Few tourbillon movements are as iconic as the GP Three Gold Bridges. The concept debuted in a tourbillon pocket watch in 1867 and the manufacture has since adopted the signature arrow-shaped bridge as its logo and even employed the motif in movements without a tourbillon.  Fortunately, the new Laureato is very much a tourbillon; this combination of two icons should please both fans of the brand and enthusiasts alike. The GP9620 tourbillon movement is good example of high-quality, in-house watchmaking, and is evidently constructed and finished to a high standard. Derived from the GP9400 series of movements, the GP9620 features improved finishing and a new monochromatic palette. Remaining true to the original three bridges design, the proprietary calibre retains the visual identity of early GP pocket watch tourbillon movements, including the brand’s iconic tourbillon cage immortalised as its own design by Reinhard Meis in his book Das Tourbillon; very few brands have a tourbillon they can truly call their own. But the movement also incorporates modern amenities like automatic winding – thanks...

Chopard’s Striking Vision Fully Realised - L.U.C Grand Strike SJX Watches
Chopard s Striking Vision Fully Nov 19, 2025

Chopard’s Striking Vision Fully Realised - L.U.C Grand Strike

Chopard marks 30 years of the Chopard Manufacture with the L.U.C Grand Strike – its most ambitious complication to date, a minute repeating clock watch with grande et petite sonnerie striking on a pair of sapphire gongs. This comes on the heels of Chopard’s sister brand, Ferdinand Berthoud’s Naissance d’une Montre 3, making 2025 arguably the most significant year for Chopard, product wise, since the 1997 launch of L.U.C. Initial Thoughts For hundreds of years the sound of clocks coordinated human society. In fact, the very word “clock” comes from the Latin word clocca, meaning bell. Before the noise pollution of the modern day, the bells of clock towers could disseminate accurate time over several miles. It is only that many first complicated the first watches, which were made by clock makers during the 16th century, were equipped with strikes. In 2016 Chopard launched its first self-developed chiming watch, the L.U.C Full Strike, a two-train trip repeater with sapphire gongs. It is not much of a surprise, I’ve multiple people speculate that a grande sonnerie was the next step given the design depictions Chopard made with the Full Strike. Even the name, “Full Strike” sounds like the name of a grande sonnerie, not just a repeater. The Grand Strike is class leading technically, it’s only weakness, the middling strike work power reserve is easily forgiven when considering its size. Aesthetically, however, the watch struggles, at least for me, though the si...

Hands On: Vacheron Constantin Celestia Astronomer Duo SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Celestia Astronomer Duo Marking Nov 17, 2025

Hands On: Vacheron Constantin Celestia Astronomer Duo

Marking its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin has approached the milestone with uncommon ambition. The anniversary programme continues with a duo of one-of-a-kind Les Cabinotiers pieces - Celestia Homage to Ptolemy and Celestia Homage to Copernicus - developed under the brand’s ongoing “The Quest” theme. These one-off creations showcase the manufacture’s dual mastery of horology and métiers d’art. Presented here is a rare hands-on look at both before they disappear into private collections. The pair follows an already packed year that opened with the debut of the Solaria, a landmark wristwatch that claims the title of the most complicated ever made thanks to its 41 functions. Soon after came La Quête du Temps, a monumental astronomical clock that recently wrapped up its exhibition at the Louvre in Paris. Taken together, these creations underscore not only the scale of VC’s technical reach but also the brand’s talent for blending engineering, artistry, and traditional craft. Initial thoughts Each of the new Les Cabinotiers watches expresses a different facet of VC’s watchmaking identity. The new Celestia references utilise the brand’s earlier cal. 3600, but elevate it through intricate case engraving that links science with art. As a pair, these watches reinforce the idea that VC’s greatest strength lies in synthesis. Few manufactures can move so fluidly between engineering precision and artistic refinement. As unique pieces, pricing is largel...

Bi-Retrograde’s Back: Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide SJX Watches
Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide Celebrating Nov 12, 2025

Bi-Retrograde’s Back: Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Roger Dubuis (RD) revisits its earliest triumph with the Hommage La Placide, a 28-piece limited edition that reimagines the brand’s signature bi-retrograde perpetual calendar. Named for the late Dubuis’ childhood Boy Scouts nickname, the Placide celebrates the classical roots of the Geneva-based manufacture while honouring the design codes that first put RD on the map three decades ago. Faithful to the originals yet refined in execution, the Placide reaffirms the brand’s ability to merge mechanical ingenuity with expressive design - a reminder that beneath its modern flamboyance lies genuine horological pedigree. Initial thoughts Roger Dubuis today is best known for its over-the-top, modern design - skeletonised movements, sharp case lines, and a visual language that often borders on the theatrical. It’s a far cry from the brand’s origins three decades ago, when Dubuis himself was focused on classical watchmaking rooted in Genevan tradition. Paying tribute to those early creations, the Placide reimagines the bi-retrograde perpetual calendar that first established the horloger genevois 30 years ago. The bi-retrograde perpetual calendar was first conceived in the late 1980s, when Dubuis collaborated with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht to develop a novel perpetual calendar mechanism featuring twin retrograde indicators for Harry Winston. It was only in 1995, upon founding his own brand, that Dubuis introduced the complication ...

Introducing - The All-New Moritz Grossmann Perpetual Calendar Monochrome
Moritz Grossmann Perpetual Calendar One Nov 11, 2025

Introducing - The All-New Moritz Grossmann Perpetual Calendar

One of the founding fathers of watchmaking in Glashütte, together with F.A. Lange, Moritz Grossmann also established the German School of Watchmaking. This important name returned in 2008, when trained watchmaker Christine Hutter founded a manufacture of classically German, high-end watches. For its 17th anniversary, the brand is about to release a first: a watch […]

In-Depth - 1.85mm… How Did Bulgari Create the World’s Thinnest Tourbillon Watch? Monochrome
Bulgari Create Nov 7, 2025

In-Depth - 1.85mm… How Did Bulgari Create the World’s Thinnest Tourbillon Watch?

At this point in watchmaking history, we can say, without taking too many risks, that Bulgari has become the undisputed master of ultra-thin horology. Breaking one record after another, the Italian/Swiss manufacture has been at the forefront of creativity and ingenuity, and while we are undoubtedly in a golden age of the ultra-thin watch, with […]

Book Review - The Book of Rolex, Accessible Knowledge about “The Crown” for Everyday Watch Fans Monochrome
Rolex Accessible Knowledge about “The Nov 2, 2025

Book Review - The Book of Rolex, Accessible Knowledge about “The Crown” for Everyday Watch Fans

With well over a century of watchmaking from the day the brand was founded until today, the world of Rolex can be a daunting one. As the most prolific and widely known brand, and with countless references, generations and innovations coming from the Swiss manufacture, it’s understandable some might get absolutely lost in the details. […]

Introducing - The Hermès H08 Chronograph, Now in Naples Yellow Monochrome
Hermes Oct 27, 2025

Introducing - The Hermès H08 Chronograph, Now in Naples Yellow

Since formalising its modern manufacture capabilities (including a long-standing stake in Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier), La Montre Hermès has developed a distinct vocabulary with typography that’s unmistakably Hermès. The H08 collection, launched in 2021, translated the approach into a daily-wear sports watch that felt designed rather than engineered. Its cushion case, graphic numerals, and mix of […]

In-Depth: The Technical Evolution of Patek Philippe SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Oct 23, 2025

In-Depth: The Technical Evolution of Patek Philippe

The Patek Philippe approach to watchmaking has developed through a steady accumulation of choices. Since 1839, the manufacture has refined its mechanical language through proportion, regulation, and clarity in construction. Each calibre reflects priorities shaped by experience, built for durability, and adjusted for lasting performance. Understanding the technical evolution of Patek Philippe requires attention to the principles that govern its construction: structural integrity, material stability, and a consistent focus on functional accuracy. Many manufacturers embraced modernity through visible transformation and stylistic experimentation, while Patek Philippe evolved through careful integration of innovation that served enduring mechanical aims. Its development follows a logic defined by proportion, restraint, and the pursuit of lasting technical harmony. The modern-day, expansive manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates in Geneva From Jean Adrien Philippe’s keyless winding system of the 1840s to the introduction of silicon components in the twenty-first century, progress has remained guided by internal reasoning and accumulated skill. Each movement expresses a study of mechanical relationships refined over time, where advances emerge from clarity of purpose and precision in design. The chapters that follow trace this progression through its historical sequence. Each period reflects a technical response to changing demands: the shift from pocket to wrist, the rise of automati...

First Look - The New, More Accessible Oris Aquis Pro 1000m with Sellita Movement Monochrome
Oris Aquis Pro 1000m Oct 21, 2025

First Look - The New, More Accessible Oris Aquis Pro 1000m with Sellita Movement

Dive watches span the spectrum: retro throwbacks that trade on romance, do-it-all desk divers that split time between meetings and marinas, and true instruments built for cold, dark water. This segmentation is very much in place at Oris, and the Aquis Pro 1000m belongs in the last category. Previously available with a manufacture Calibre 400 […]

Introducing - The New Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm Orange Monochrome
Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm Oct 16, 2025

Introducing - The New Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm Orange

Presented in late 2024, the Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm marked a significant milestone for Swiss brand Norqain, particularly with its new, exclusive 8k flyback chronograph calibre developed in partnership with AMT Manufacture. The young, independent, family-owned watch brand now introduces a new version of the model in bold orange and a stainless steel case. The […]

Introducing - Two New Versions of the Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Straw Marquetry Monochrome
Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Oct 15, 2025

Introducing - Two New Versions of the Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 Straw Marquetry

Launched in 2021 for the Manufacture’s 25th anniversary, the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 was Chopard’s first in-house jumping hour watch, pairing a pure 40mm case with the long-autonomy L.U.C 98 calibre and a Grand Feu enamel dial. That model has since spawned further variants (including rose-gold reference with a gold-based dial graced with green straw […]

The Laureato Fifty is a Milestone for Girard-Perregaux SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre derived calibre found Oct 7, 2025

The Laureato Fifty is a Milestone for Girard-Perregaux

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its most enduring wristwatch design, Girard-Perregaux (GP) has just unveiled the Laureato Fifty, a watch that highlights the brand’s storied history, while asserting the manufacture‘s place in the current competitive market. As expected, the watch is powered by the brand’s new workhorse calibre GP4800, which makes its official debut here. A limited edition of just 200 pieces, the Laureato Fifty is dressed in a two-tone case of steel and yellow gold, echoing the 1975 original. Though this is a one-off limited edition, it is more than likely that this revised Laureato styling will be implemented across the Laureato line in the coming year. Initial thoughts To understand the Laureato Fifty, we must first consider the era to which it pays tribute. The original design of the Laureato, presented to the world in 1975, appeared right between Gerald Genta’s iconic duo of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus, launched in 1972 and 1976, respectively. Compared to these designs, which would come to define the category, the Laureato was different in a few respects.  First, the original design is credited to one of GP’s in-house designers, whose name has been lost to time. Second, the original Laureato was cutting edge at the time with its proprietary, chronometer-certified quartz movement, compared to the ultra-thin automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre-derived calibre found in the Royal Oak (and later, the Nautilus). Turning to...

Introducing - The New A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin Onyx Editions, in Honeygold or Platinum Monochrome
A. Lange & Sohne Oct 4, 2025

Introducing - The New A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin Onyx Editions, in Honeygold or Platinum

First introduced in 2011 and refreshed in 2016, the Saxonia Thin has always been the most distilled expression of A. Lange & Söhne’s philosophy of elegance, reducing watchmaking to its essentials with just two hands and a perfectly judged sense of proportion. This year, the manufacture presents two new special editions that bring a modern […]

Longines Makes Some Significant Updates to the Spirit Collection with a Pair of New Releases Worn & Wound
Longines Makes Some Significant Updates Oct 2, 2025

Longines Makes Some Significant Updates to the Spirit Collection with a Pair of New Releases

Longines has announced a pair of new watches in their Spirit collection today, and taken together it feels like a fairly significant shift and update for the five year old line. When the Spirit watches launched in 2020, it represented Longines making an attempt to develop watches that put more of a balance on contemporary vs. vintage inspired divide, having spent years carving out a niche as one of the most tasteful reinterpreters of their own back catalog. The Spirit watches were an entirely new invention but still leaned into the brand’s natural heritage appeal, and impressed from the start with excellent finishing and build quality. As the collection expanded over the years, it’s grown full of under the radar sleepers, but a handful of little issues are always mentioned by admittedly picky enthusiasts when new products drop. At least some of those seem to have been addressed between these new releases, updated versions of the Spirit Pilot and Spirit Pilot Flyback.  We’ll look at the Spirit Pilot Flyback first, as it’s a genuinely surprising and unexpected evolution of an ambitious watch that Longines debuted just two years ago. Longines has a long history with chronographs, and flyback chronographs specifically, so the introduction of a new flyback chrono at a competitive price point (at launch it came in under $5,000 in steel) was a big deal. Unfortunately, the case was just enormous, coming in at 42mm in diameter and around 17mm tall. The case height, in part...