Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeikoIWCTAG HeuerBreitlingJaeger-LeCoultreA. Lange & SohneZenith

Results for Besançon (France)

195 articles found · page 3 of 7

Hands On: Richard Mille RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Le Locle formerly known Aug 19, 2026

Hands On: Richard Mille RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago

Launched just a few weeks ago, the RM 64-01 Tourbillon Colnago is modelled on the Colnago C68, the same road bike used by Tadej Pogacar, the current Tour de France champion who has long worn a Richard Mille while racing. Though new, the RM 64-01 is still quintessential Richard Mille in form, substance, and price. The watch is large, lightweight, and exceptionally, satisfyingly ergonomic. As is tradition, the RM64-01 movement is the work of Audemars Piguet Le Locle, formerly known as Renaud Papi. The case material is made by longtime partner NTPT, a Swiss carbon composites specialist. And in the great tradition of Richard Mille, the RM 64-01 is very expensive. Tadej Pogacar with the RM 64-01. Image – Richard Mille Initial thoughts The RM 64-01 is the typical large format tonneau-shaped case shared with most current Richard Mille models. At about 43 mm wide, almost 50 mm long, and over 14 mm tall, the case is big, but sits perfectly on the wrist thanks to its curvature and lightness. And while thick, integrated rubber straps normally detract from wearability, the strap adds to the ergonomics of the RM 64-01. The watch is almost entirely in bright white, with accents of bright blue and rose gold — it makes a statement, even from a distance, as most Richard Mille watches do. But zoom in past the over-the-top aesthetics and the movement reveals fine detailing. The blue and white bridges are all titanium, but painted by hand to mimic the Colnago C68 bike frame. The tradition...

Yema Pays Tribute To The French Navy’s Submarine Forces With The Navygraf Barracuda CMM.20 Limited Edition Fratello
Ming Jul 14, 2026

Yema Pays Tribute To The French Navy’s Submarine Forces With The Navygraf Barracuda CMM.20 Limited Edition

Today, the 14th of July, is France’s National Day. Every year, the country celebrates the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789, which was a major event of the French Revolution. Additionally, it commemorates the Fête de la Fédération, which celebrated the unity of the French people on July 14th, 1790. […] Visit Yema Pays Tribute To The French Navy’s Submarine Forces With The Navygraf Barracuda CMM.20 Limited Edition to read the full article.

Hands On Horology 2026 Hosted By Oracle Time Magazine - Photo Report Fratello
Jul 3, 2026

Hands On Horology 2026 Hosted By Oracle Time Magazine - Photo Report

Last month, I attended the second — and soon-to-be annual — Hands On Horology event. Hosted by Oracle Time at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, London, the show brought together watch brands from around the world. Representatives from Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, China, Japan, Britain, Norway, the United States, and many other nations filled the venue. With […] Visit Hands On Horology 2026 Hosted By Oracle Time Magazine — Photo Report to read the full article.

Cartier Watchmaking Prize Winners Announced SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Watch Prize Jun 26, 2026

Cartier Watchmaking Prize Winners Announced

The 28th edition of the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow has announced the winners of the annual competition, which seeks to recognise and nurture promising young watchmakers and technicians. In total, six prizes were awarded to students from France and Belgium. Aymeric Peters won first prize in the Apprentice Watchmakers category for “Silence Choisi” Understanding the Cartier Prize The watchmaking industry faces a well-known shortage of young talent, and awards like the Cartier Prize, the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition, and the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives enhance the appeal and visibility of the profession in a meaningful way. The theme of the 28th edition of the Cartier Prize was “Shifting the Balance: Reading and Perceiving Time Differently”. This theme explains why almost all entries featured heavily abstracted time displays. Layla Sluysmans tied for second prize in the Apprentice Watchmakers category with her creation “Nymphéa” The format of the Cartier Prize differs from that of other similar awards. Finalists were chosen based on sketches and presentations, and were given just 80 hours (over three months) to complete their creations with the help of dedicated mentors. To ensure a level playing field, each candidate is provided with a Cartier cal. 012 alarm clock movement and a CHF500 budget cap. Eléonor Picciotto presided over the ceremony, and the prizes were awarded by a jury comprised of Roy Davidoff, P...

Auctions: French Soccer Legend Zinédine Zidane Talks Watches And Why He's Offering His First Cartier To A Special Charity Sale Hodinkee
Cartier Jun 24, 2026

Auctions: French Soccer Legend Zinédine Zidane Talks Watches And Why He's Offering His First Cartier To A Special Charity Sale

Zinédine Zidane is football (soccer) royalty in France. Having played for his home country in the World Cup three times, he led Les Bleus to victory in 1998 and made the final in 2006, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.  Photo credit: Alex Teuscher Before becoming a manager coach at Real Madrid, Zidane, known as 'Zizou', also had a prestigious career in professional soccer as an attacking midfielder at a host of European clubs, including Juventus. Widely regarded as one of the best players in history, he rose to prominence early in his career in the French Ligue 1 at FC Girondins de Bordeaux. And it was in Bordeaux that Zidane bought his first proper watch, a Cartier Pasha. Now that watch will be sold at a charity auction for ELA International as part of the Watches For ELA auction by Christie's on November 9 in Geneva. Zidane has been a supporter of ELA International - the European Leukodystrophies Association - for a quarter century. The non-profit organization is dedicated to defeating leukodystrophies—rare, genetic diseases that destroy the central nervous system. They fund medical research, support affected families, raise public awareness, and advocate for universal newborn screening. With the 2026 World Cup in full swing and on North American soil, we asked Zidane about his passion for watches, his support for ELA International, and why this Cartier has special meaning for the French soccer legend.   Zidane's Cartier Pasha.Photo credit: Al...

The Best Summer Watches: Daan’s Picks From Tissot, Sinn, Tudor, Grand Seiko, And Daniel Roth Fratello
Grand Seiko Jun 20, 2026

The Best Summer Watches: Daan’s Picks From Tissot, Sinn, Tudor, Grand Seiko, And Daniel Roth

This article comes right on time, as tomorrow marks the official start of summer here in Amsterdam. Besides, temperatures are already rising well above 30° Celcius here these days, so it’s the perfect moment to think about which watches I’d like to take with me on my family’s summer vacation to the southwest of France […] Visit The Best Summer Watches: Daan’s Picks From Tissot, Sinn, Tudor, Grand Seiko, And Daniel Roth to read the full article.

Auctions: The Last Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco From Le Mans Is Coming Up For Sale At Sotheby's Hodinkee
Breitling built around Jun 12, 2026

Auctions: The Last Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco From Le Mans Is Coming Up For Sale At Sotheby's

When lot 71 hammers at Sotheby's New York Auction this weekend, it will punctuate a story that was started nearly sixty years ago in France—the lot number surely a nod to the year Le Mans debuted, 1971. The story of Steve McQueen and the film has been well told over the past half century, immortalizing a man and bolstering two industries in the process. It's essentially canon at this point, yet the story was never complete—until now. A cache of documents from the film's property master, held onto for decades after production closed, has finally set the record straight. And the last watch is coming up for sale this weekend. The Heuer Reference 1133B Monaco Screenworn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, Circa 1969, up for auction at Sotheby's this weekend. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's. The 1960s were a formative decade for Heuer. The Autavia launched in 1962, the Carrera in 1963, and the Monaco in 1969—the latter completing a trio of Heuer chronographs all released that year with the Calibre 11, a movement developed jointly by Heuer and Breitling, built around a Buren micro-rotor with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module layered on top, creating the first commercially available automatic Swiss-made chronograph. The Autavia and Carrera received redesigned cases for the occasion. The Monaco was something else entirely: a completely new watch, built around a patented square case sourced from EPSA, creating the world's first water-resistant square chronograph. With its angular form,...

In-Depth: Patek Philippe Calibre 89 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Calibre 89 Jun 12, 2026

In-Depth: Patek Philippe Calibre 89

In 1989, Geneva’s storied watchmaker unveiled the most complicated watch ever made – the Patek Philippe Calibre 89. The genesis of the Calibre 89 arguably started almost a century before with a watch made in Besançon, the historical heart of French watchmaking. In 1977, the Association Française des Amateurs d’Horlogerie Ancienne (AFAHA) published the first issue of its journal Horlogerie Ancienne. The watch on the cover was the Leroy 01. The caption on the inside front page read, “Montre Leroy 01, la plus compliquée du monde” – “The most complicated watch in the world”. Inside, on page 15, a short article made the case: the Leroy 01, completed in 1904 by the Parisian firm of Louis Leroy for the Portuguese collector António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro, held a title that no other timepiece had successfully disputed. In Geneva, the claim was noted. The first issue of Horlogerie Ancienne of 1977. Image – SJX composite/AFAHA Two years later, in early June 1979, Philippe Stern was at his desk in Patek Philippe’s offices on the rue du Rhône when Max Studer, the firm’s technical director, came in for what the records describe as a routine meeting. The 150th anniversary of the manufacture was a decade away. Among the ideas being considered to celebrate the occasion was a reproduction of the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication, the watch Patek had built in 1932, with its twenty-four complications, that had served as the benchmark of mechanical ambition ev...

First Look - The New Yema Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 Refines the French Brand’s Architectural Dress Watch Monochrome
Yema Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 Refines Jun 9, 2026

First Look - The New Yema Granvelle Renaissance CMM.29 Refines the French Brand’s Architectural Dress Watch

Named after the historic Granvelle Palace in Besançon, home to the city’s Museum of Time, the Yema Granvelle collection (2025) embraced a more architectural and elegant approach, stepping away from the brand’s familiar world of dive watches and tool-oriented sports models, and offering a model with a distinctive cushion-shaped case and powered by one of […]

Introducing: The Tissot Pinarello Special Edition - An Asymmetric, Race-Bike-Inspired, Carbon-Cased Watch Fratello
Tissot Pinarello Special Edition - Apr 10, 2026

Introducing: The Tissot Pinarello Special Edition - An Asymmetric, Race-Bike-Inspired, Carbon-Cased Watch

Le Locle is a special watchmaking town in Switzerland. Treviso in Italy is special too. It’s the home of Pinarello, a manufacturer of high-performance race bikes. And that’s a very successful brand. No fewer than 15 Tour de France titles were won on a Pinarello, for instance. The Tissot Pinarello Special Edition is a watch […] Visit Introducing: The Tissot Pinarello Special Edition - An Asymmetric, Race-Bike-Inspired, Carbon-Cased Watch to read the full article.

Baltic Aquascaphe Review: The Microbrand's Cult-Classic Diver Teddy Baldassarre
Baltic Aquascaphe Review Mar 17, 2026

Baltic Aquascaphe Review: The Microbrand's Cult-Classic Diver

A forerunner of both the rise of microbrands and the ongoing revival of France’s watchmaking industry here in the 21st Century, Baltic Watches emerged on the scene in 2017, originally as a Kickstarter project. Founder Étienne Malec discovered the inspiration for his watchmaking enterprise in his father’s watch collection and named the company in honor of his father’s Polish roots, after the sea off the country’s northern coast. The goal from the start, according to Malec, was to produce “timeless pieces, of the highest quality, for fair prices,” and most would agree that Baltic has delivered on this mission statement. Baltic watches are all assembled in a workshop in Besançon, France, the nation’s historical cradle of watchmaking, and evoke vintage timepieces like the ones Malec’s father collected and extensively catalogued in his journals. Here we will look at the Baltic Aquascaphe, one of their most recognizable watches. The first Baltic watches were the three-hand HMS 001 model, with a Japanese Miyota caliber, and the hand-wound Bicompax 001 chronograph, with the Chinese Seagull ST19 movement. While both these watches were successful, and put Baltic on its path to fan-favorite microbrand status, the small company has since become best known for its Aquascaphe series of dive watches. The Aquascaphe, which was launched in 2018, takes its design inspiration from early “skin diver” watches of the 1950s and ‘60s, with no small amount of influence from...

Meet The Third Iteration Of The BND Dive Watch Fratello
Rolex ambassador Mar 11, 2026

Meet The Third Iteration Of The BND Dive Watch

We’ve been following the horological adventures of Vincent Bonnaud (1991, France) since 2021, when he introduced his first BND dive watch. What caught my attention was that Vincent received a lot of praise for his BND watch from former Rolex ambassador and COMEX diver Théo Mavrostomos. Someone who worked for COMEX for two decades and […] Visit Meet The Third Iteration Of The BND Dive Watch to read the full article.

First Look - The New Yema Wristmaster Slim Small Seconds, Including a Surpising Camo Version Monochrome
Seiko until Feb 19, 2026

First Look - The New Yema Wristmaster Slim Small Seconds, Including a Surpising Camo Version

Founded in 1948 by Henry Belmont, Yema was France’s top producer and exporter by the 1960s. Renowned for legendary models such as the Superman, which appealed to professional and amateur divers alike, Yema went the way of many other mechanical watch brands during the quartz crisis and changed hands, including a stint with Seiko, until a French […]

Breguet Reimagines the Classic Répétition Minutes SJX Watches
Breguet Reimagines Dec 1, 2025

Breguet Reimagines the Classic Répétition Minutes

Along with the flagship Classique Grande Sonnerie Métiers d’Art 1905 pocket watch, Breguet just announced its first water-resistant minute repeater, the Classique Répétition Minutes 7365. While this 250th anniversary edition with a Breguet gold case and Bleu de France grand feu enamel dial is limited to 25 examples, it likely represents the future of the brand’s chiming watches: smaller and more robust. Initial Thoughts Despite the strong popularity chiming watches have seen at the high end for many years, it has felt like something of a weak point for Breguet, reliant on rather old movements that didn’t always sound the best. The ambitious and wild Tradition Répétition Minutes Tourbillon 7087 promised to fix this in 2018, but for unknown reasons that watch never made it to market. However, acoustically Breguet’s repeaters have become quite good despite the old bones, proving how key gongs and case construction are to repeaters. The 7087 doubles down on this approach, not even introducing a silent centrifugal governor which has become ubiquitous in modern chiming watches, even at the high end – the sound of which I’ve come to find quaint. The move to smaller sizes, 42 mm to 39 might be more dictated by market trends rather than any specific vision from the brand, but is one I appreciate either way, and while water resistance isn’t strictly necessary in a chiming watch, the peace of mind is reassuring. In the end, this watch comes down to how much you lik...

The Eight Best Italian Watch Brands in 2026 Teddy Baldassarre
Panerai Nov 1, 2025

The Eight Best Italian Watch Brands in 2026

Watchmaking is a trade that draws artisans and enthusiasts from around the globe, though as an industry it has taken root in only a relative handful of nations. Switzerland, of course, is widely recognized as the world leader in the horological arts, but nations including Japan and Germany have also made a name for themselves on the world watchmaking stage. As watch connoisseurship grows in the 21st century, former watchmaking powers like Great Britain, the United States, and France have started increasing their footprint in the industry. Italy, another country historically renowned for its meticulous craftsmanship and bold, stylish design language, has exerted its own small but impactful influence on the world of watches: it’s the birthplace of Panerai, for example, a brand that essentially opened the door for old-school military tool watches to enter the rarefied air of luxury. It’s also the ancestral home of Bulgari, which, despite being more famous for its jewelry, has earned awestruck respect in the watch world for its record-breaking, boundary-pushing ultra-thin complications. Even Italy’s world-famous luxury sports-car marques - Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati - have exerted a muse-like influence on watchmakers worldwide, in both design and technology, often through direct partnerships. Watches actually made in Italy, however, are relatively few - Panerai and Bulgari are far too rooted in Switzerland nowadays to be considered for this list - but each co...

Introducing: Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles Fratello
Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Oct 17, 2025

Introducing: Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles

You should have been there. The Yew Tree Ball (Le Bal des Ifs) was a masquerade ball held in 1745 by King Louis XV of France after the wedding between his son - the Dauphin Louis - and Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain. The ball took place in the gilded Hall of Mirrors (Galerie […] Visit Introducing: Montblanc Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon Château de Versailles to read the full article.

Venezianico Honors The Legendary Concorde With The New Bucintoro 1976 Chronograph Fratello
Venezianico Honors Oct 4, 2025

Venezianico Honors The Legendary Concorde With The New Bucintoro 1976 Chronograph

Some watches come with great stories. The new Venezianico Bucintoro 1976 is one of those. It is the second model in the brand’s Legacy of Time series. So, what is the story? If you’re over 40, you’re probably familiar with the Concorde. British Airways and Air France used the supersonic jet to fly from Paris […] Visit Venezianico Honors The Legendary Concorde With The New Bucintoro 1976 Chronograph to read the full article.

Introducing: The Kiwame Tokyo Kurotsuki And Usuki Models Fratello
Kurono Tokyo Hajime Asaoka Kikuchi […] Sep 27, 2025

Introducing: The Kiwame Tokyo Kurotsuki And Usuki Models

Switzerland, Germany, and Japan make up my “big three” of the watchmaking world, with France on the rise. Yet, of all these hubs, Japan has been slow to embrace the microbrand trend. Big brands, including Seiko, Grand Seiko, Citizen, Orient, and Casio, dominate the market. Recently, however, independents such as Kurono Tokyo, Hajime Asaoka, Kikuchi […] Visit Introducing: The Kiwame Tokyo Kurotsuki And Usuki Models to read the full article.

Introducing - Yema Goes Back to Accessible Watches, with Sellita Movements and 4 different Models Monochrome
Yema Goes Back Sep 23, 2025

Introducing - Yema Goes Back to Accessible Watches, with Sellita Movements and 4 different Models

In recent years, French brand Yema has demonstrated its wish to move upward in quality and watchmaking credentials, while still offering classic, historically-inspired designs based on its icons, such as the Superman. This has been done through the development of manufacture movements, conceived and produced in France, including the CMM.10 Central Rotor, the CMM.20 Micro-Rotor, […]