1,066 articles · 43 videos found · page 31 of 37
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Zodiac releases a new colorway of the Super Sea Wolf GMT that looks good enough to eat. The 24 hour bezel is a 50/50 split of sherbet orange and cream resembling an iconic frozen treat.
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First revealed a year ago as a prototype with a dial that was a work in progress, the Petermann Bédat 1967 wristwatch with an unusual deadbeat seconds mechanism has just been launched in its final form. Mechanically identical to the prototype – it’s equipped a secondary escapement for the jumping seconds – the refined 1967 now has a partially-open dial that shows off the finely-finished keyless works. Initial thoughts The prototype 1967 deadbeat seconds was let down by an uninspiring faux-classical dial, which was a shame, because the movement was executed to an impressively high level. Fortunately, Messrs Petermann and Bedat embarked on a total redesign of the dial. Independent watchmakers don’t often make drastic changes to designs in response to criticism, but the two did so, and the result is a success. The new 1967 is a handsome watch that manages to look modern while evoking classical dial design. In fact, the new dial is essentially a “sector” dial with a sapphire chapter ring, a novel combination that has not been done before. And it is matched with Petermann Bédat’s take on classical lance-shaped hands, which complete the contemporary feel. The new 1967 in rose gold. Photo – Petermann Bédat Dial aside, the rest of the watch is largely identical to the prototype. The movement was already excellent and will be almost unchanged in the production versions, although Mr Petermann says that the engraved lettering on the three-quarter plate will be im...
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Now five years old, Montblanc’s 1858 collection has proven to be both on the nose and on the money – and the line-up now includes an unusual single-handed, 24-hour wristwatch that doubles as a solar compass. From the entry-level automatic to the top-of-the-line split-seconds chronograph, the 1858 watches offer respectable value in their respective price categories, while possessing a pleasing balance of retro details reliant on clever use of tone, font, and finish. At Watches & Wonders 2020, Montblanc continued the theme, but with a twist, when it introduced the 1858 Automatic 24H. Initial thoughts Mechanically simple but functionally and visually unusual, the Automatic 24H doesn’t cost very much more than the base-model, three-hand automatic. Admittedly it only tells the time approximately, but the look and feel is reminiscent of an oversized vintage instrument, rather than just a vintage-inspired wristwatch. In order words, it is probably the most interesting entry-level watch from Montblanc. In fact, it’s a compelling proposition in the broader sub-US$5,000 category, being more interesting than the usual fare in this price segment. 24 hours and uncommon While not new, watches with a 24-hour time display where hour hand makes one revolution a day are uncommon, especially outside of specialised timers for professionals who operate on a 24-hour time such as pilots and astronauts. As a result, 24-hour watches are often no-nonsense instruments. Such watches typic...
Time+Tide
Never been to Baselworld? We can fix that. Just give us half an hour. In our first of three episodes re-creating the Baselworld experience – with all the things you expect, i.e lots and lots of watches and lots of things you don’t – we run through all the new releases from brands that show … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Baselworld is not dead! It’s on YouTube, including a smoking hot new khaki Longines live on wrist appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Regulators are all about their characteristic dial where the hour, minute and seconds hands are each located on separate axes – with the minute hand being the largest and longest – a layout originally designed for maximum legibility on clock faces in the mid-18th century. The Louis Erard Excellence Regulator revisits this classical design, but now with a fashionable smoked dial – and an eminently affordable price tag. Initial thoughts Regulator watches are simple, but are not common at this price point – the Excellence Regulator costs just 2490 Swiss francs, or about US$2600. Louis Erard, however, has made something of a specialty of affordable regulator watches, most notably with the whimsical Alain Silberstein Regulator launched last year that was styled by the eponymous watch designer for Louis Erard. The value proposition is good, though the dials are definitely reminiscent the fumé dials of H. Moser & Cie, which didn’t invent such graduated-colour dials, but have made them almost synonymous with the brand. Based on the photos, the graduated finish of the Excellence Regulator dials are not quite as not as complex or refined as that on Moser’s watches – understandable and acceptable given the substantively lower price. Smoked dials While the regulator layout is unusual, the smoked dials are the highlight. Offered in vibrant and saturated hues of grey, blue or green, the colour gradually tapers off in intensity, turning almost black towards the edges...
Revolution
In episode three of Ross Povey’s Zoom video interview series, “Desert Island Dials, where we ask some of our friends from the community what watch they would bring along with them, if they were on a desert island, we have our latest US editor (@steviewatches) speaking with us today. He tells us about his Gerald Genta Automatic Jump Hour Retrograde Mickey Mouse watch and other unexpected pieces in his collection.
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Watchmaking combines technical achievement and aesthetic expression, and sometimes the two are inextricably linked. In a handful of instances, the technical achievement transforms the artistic value, as in the jumping seconds. The complication is perhaps the most abrupt expression of time. Is there any value in having a mechanical jumping seconds? In exploring that, we first have to understand how the seconds as a unit of time came to be. Time in antiquity In today’s world where no one bats an eyelid when a satellite is sent into orbit, time and space are perceived to be intimately linked as one. Before Einstein hit upon the theory of relativity, the link between space and time was nebulous, but the definition of time was well established. For the ancient Egyptians, daytime was based on the apparent movement of the Sun, and the night sky was segmented into smaller divisions based on the position and motion of stars. Over the subsequent millennia, the Sumerians and Babylonians further refined the time measurement to better account for stellar motion. The Babylonians, inspired by the Egyptians, approximated the movement of the Sun’s apparent revolution into 360 divisions, due to the number of days required for the Sun to trace its path on the ecliptic and their predilection for a base-60 (or sexagesimal) system. This is also the origin of 360 degrees required for a complete revolution, which was explained by Malcolm Correll in the volume 15 of scientific journal The Phy...
Deployant
Montblanc is building up its identity as the adventurer brand, heritage sports. In particular, there is, as with many other brands, the obsession with navigation and the reminiscence of European adventurism. Of the models this year, the brand has mostly stuck to its guns with the Geosphere, and Monopusher. The 24 hour single hand watch is also rather unique. The case dimensions for the watches remain on the more hefty side of things, as expected especially with the thicker movement Monopusher automatic.
Time+Tide
It was all a bit mad, really. Trying to film an hour-long video that recaps 30-ish new watches, with research consisting of poring over various screens to take in the details of each watch ahead of the shoot. Then wrangling assets, and ringing in friends on Zoom (thank you Sandra, Nick and Christoph!), and achieving … ContinuedThe post Andrew’s 5 early favourites from Watches & Wonders 2020, inc. Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and a watch named for us! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Following the Navitimer 1 Airline Editions and the Aviator 8 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Breitling has now introduced its next limited-production capsule collection, the Superocean Heritage ’57. Modelled on the brand’s first dive watch, the SuperOcean ref. 1004, the new range also includes a lively rainbow limited edition with multi-coloured hour markers. As scuba diving and other aquatic sports became popular in the early 1950s, dive watches being a thing, with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster 300 all making their debut that decade. Breitling’s entry into the dive watch stakes as the SuperOcean. While the watch is now less known than its contemporaries, the SuperOcean had a strikingly bold and unusual design despite being some six decades old. It was characterised by a wide bezel with a concave surface intended to protect the domed acrylic crystal, and a dial featuring dagger-shaped indices with additional oversized spheres at the quarters. The quirky, retro style has been reintroduced in full with the Superocean Heritage ’57. Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection The capsule collection consists of three iterations: in stainless steel with a blue or black dial, and a steel case with a rose-gold bezel paired with a black dial. All are powered by the COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 10, which is an ETA 2892-A2. Entirely polished, the case measures 42 mm wide and 9.99 mm high, making it 4 mm thinner than the standard Superocean He...
Time+Tide
It started with an invitation to join Watchonista’s ‘Home Time Live’, a new series on Instagram that takes followers into the homes of the industry’s leaders and luminaries for an intimate interview. Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari. Max Büsser of MB&F;. And now, a Happy Hour version of the usual … ContinuedThe post Andrew reveals five of his own watches in a Media Watch Death Match against Josh from Watchonista (and gets a slapping) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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A young French horologist who specialises in automaton clocks – his most recent work was a retro-automobile that tells time – John-Mikaël Flaux has just unveiled his most elaborate work to date, Le Guépard. Translating as “The Cheetah”, Le Guépard is an elegantly-conceived, hour-striking clock with its movement forming an automaton of a big cat. Made of brass and steel, Le Guépard tells the time on an open-worked dial on its right, but it is also a sonnerie en passant, chiming out the time as it passes. Mr Flaux, who attended the same watchmaking school as independent watchmakers Cyril Brivet-Naudot and Theo Auffret, describes Le Guépard as a “poetic take” on the hour-striking clock. At the top of every hour, the clock chimes the number of hours via a hammer striking the large bell on its rear. Triggered by a snail cam and front paw of the cheetah, the strike work propels the limbs of the cheetah, which moves in slow motion as the rack of the strike work “counts” the number of hours being struck. The clock can also strikes the hours on demand – a feature activated by pressing on the tail of the cheetah. Located behind the decorative panel are the hammer and bell that sound the hours Made up of 205 parts, most of the clock is produced by Mr Flaux using traditional methods, like turning wheels on a manual lathe. The movement is mounted on a steel platform, but sits against a background of an abstract starry night on the African plains. Executed in a...
Time+Tide
Dive watches have come a very long way in 55 years. It was 1965 when Seiko first dipped their toe into the waters of serious dive watches when they released the Seiko automatic 6217 62MAS, water resistant to 150m. Featuring large luminous hands and hour markers, a rotating dive 60-minute bezel and a rubber strap, … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Seiko SPB149J appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Two years ago, Urwerk unveiled the UR-111C, inspired by the UR-CC1 King Cobra of 2009, which was itself based on an experimental watch built by watchmaker Louis Cottier and jeweller Gilbert Albert for Patek Philippe in 1959. Displaying the time in a linear fashion, the UR-111C marked a departure from the wandering-hour satellite indication that has become the hallmark of Urwerk’s aggressively futuristic watches. Having already presented four variants of the watch in various finishes, as well as an engraved unique piece, the brand has now unveiled the UR-111C Two-Tone, featuring a case that combines a black coating with brushed and polished steel. The central portion of the case is executed in brushed steel, flanked by black-coated ends that close off the tube-like central portion. The use of different finishes accentuates the architecture of the case, drawing attention to its centre, which contains the key functions, including the time display and roller-style crown. Cosmetics aside, the UR-111C Two-Tone is otherwise identical to the earlier versions. At 42 mm by 46 mm and 15 mm high at its thickest point, it is by no means a small watch but the curvature of the case ensures it sits flat and comfortably on the wrist. Despite its complex design, time is presented in a fairly straightforward manner with three rounded sapphire windows located at the front edge of the case to facilitate better readability while driving. The jumping hours and progressive minutes are displaye...
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Grand Seiko’s newest design style – the “Thin Dress” – combines a slightly retro case and dial with the signature hallmarks of the brand like diamond-cut hour markers, while being original in that is not obviously based on a vintage Grand Seiko model. Launched in early 2019 as part of the Elegance Collection, first with quartz and then mechanical models, the new design is used for the flagship Spring Drive SBGZ001 and SBGZ003 – magnificently-crafted watches that unfortunately start at US$57,000. Fortunately, the line-up is diverse enough that it includes an entry-level, mechanical model with a robust price-to-performance ratio, the Elegance Collection “Thin Dress” SBGK007. The SBGK007 is a compact, hand-wound wristwatch with a fairly minimalist design along with a handful of retro elements – in short, it is handsome and slightly vintage in feel. And the SBGK007, along with the rest of the Elegance Collection, was designed after Grand Seiko was spun off from Seiko to create an independent brand. As a result, the watch was designed from the ground up as a Grand Seiko, and perhaps for that reason the dial feels more visually balanced than earlier models that had “Seiko” removed from the dial. Elegant retro The SBGK007 is a compact watch, but sized very well, neither too big nor too small, measuring 39 mm in diameter and 11.6 mm high. Because of the case style and construction, it feels thinner than it measures, while also having a strong vintage vibe i...
Time+Tide
Franck Muller is known as the Master of Complications, and for good reason. Almost none of the watches produced by the Genevan watchmaker are straightforward, with watches that run backward, hour hands that jump around the dial, and a host of other marvels of mechanical engineering that both surprise and delight. This flair for the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The triple threat of the Franck Muller Master Banker in steel appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Hosted by The Hour Glass and Passion Fine Jewelry.
Time+Tide
Most brands enjoy celebrating anniversaries based around the centenary, but not Grand Seiko, and it actually makes sense. In watchmaking, the number 60 is significantly more important than 50, as it takes 60 seconds to make a minute, and 60 minutes to make an hour, as well as that in Japan the number 60 signifies … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The bold and blue Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Just over two weeks ago the annual George Daniels lecture took place at the City University of London, an institution supported by the late watchmaker’s charitable trust. This year’s speaker at the sold-out event was none other than Roger W. Smith, protege and successor to Daniels. Just over an hour long, including questions, the lecture is erudite, accessible and packed with nerdy trivia, like the fact that a movement running at 28,800 beats per hour will make 252,288,000 vibrations per year. Roger explained the history and rationale behind the mechanical watch, and how watchmakers are working to improve it even today. That naturally led into the lubrication-free co-axial escapement invented by Daniels (pictured above), which Roger delves into in a satisfyingly detailed manner, like comparing the sliding friction of a lever escapement against the tangential impulse of the co-axial. Fortunately, the entire proceedings were recorded and are now available online:
Revolution
MB&F; introduce their most ambitious Legacy Machine yet, the LM Thunderdome in platinum and 10 pieces in tantalum for The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary.
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Another of the strikingly elegant, one-off minute repeaters that’s part of Vacheron Constantin’s 2019 Les Cabinotiers line-up is the Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘Dance of the Gemstones’. Well, it is actually two repeaters, a matched pair of his-and-hers watches (that are available separately nonetheless) with eggshell grand feu enamel dials and ruby hour markers. The dials are extravagant yet elegant, evoking prominent watches of many decades ago. They are inspired by high-end gentlemen’s wristwatches of the 1950s that combined silvered or enamel dials with ruby hour markers, with baguette-cut stones for the quarters and brilliant-cut in between. These were often special orders for royalty or as royal gifts, with the best known being the pocket- and wristwatches made for King Saud bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia that bore his portrait on the enamel dial. His and hers A Patek Philippe ref. 2481 from 1955 with a cream enamel dial bearing a portrait of King Saud bin Abdulaziz. Image – Christie’s Both the repeaters share a similar case design, but different diameters and decoration – the men’s version is 41mm while the ladies’ watch is 39mm with a diamond-set bezel and crown. The watches are otherwise identical, powered by the same cal. 1731, an extra-flat, hand-wound movement that was developed in-house. Key facts and price Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Ultra-Thin ‘The Dance of the Gemstones’ Men’s model – ref. 6630C/000R-B662 Ladies’ model – r...
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Vault, a Swiss watch brand founded in 2013 by Mark Schwarz, has just unveiled the V2+ Red CC, a unique, left-handed variant of its unusual approach to time-telling. Inspired by a bank vault’s time lock mechanism – Mr Schwarz was both a police officer and banker earlier in his career – the brand’s watches feature a time display based on a planetary gear system, where each hour marker is actually a functioning planetary gear that travels around the dial. All of that ingenious mechanics is courtesy of UhrTeil, the complication and manufacturing outfit led by Andreas Strehler. Novel case material The new V2+ Red CC differs from earlier models with its left-handed crown and novel case material. The case is made of carbon-ceramic composite, which gives it the properties of both its constituent materials – the lightness and strength of carbon as well as the hardness of ceramic. Basically, ceramic is layered in between sheets of carbon, which is then submerged polymer and baked an autoclave to create the block of composite material. As a result, it retains the distinctive striped pattern of carbon composite. The tonneau-shaped case has a complex, multi-faceted design made up of five parts and is curved on two axis, allowing it to sit well on the wrist. It measures 39mm by 46.7mm and 15mm in height, which is thick but a necessity. That’s because the movement is essentially an automatic base calibre with a planetary display module on top. And as in the realm of such e...
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: There’s a lot of hype around steel sports watches these days, with seemingly every watchmaker and their proverbial dog jumping on the bandwagon. And we get it: steel sports watches are not only great looking, they tend to be a fair bit more practical and versatile than most other types of timepieces. But … ContinuedThe post Taking another look at the Breguet Classique 7147 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
New in JeweLuxe this year is the duo of Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, presenting a jumping second watch of their own development with Dominique Renaud.
SJX Watches
When IWC celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, it unveiled a large line-up of commemorative watches, including the clever and well-priced Tribute to Pallweber digital jump hour (and also opened an expansive new factory). But there was one more anniversary that has been pretty much a company secret until now: the Mark XVIII gifted to staff members at IWC headquarters in Schaffhausen. Over lunch yesterday, I spotted the Mark XVIII on the wrist of IWC museum curator David Seyffer. Given Dr Seyffer’s position – and access to some of the rarest and most desirable IWC watches – I was surprised that he was wearing the entry-level Pilot’s Watch. But when Dr Seyffer handed the watch over, he explained, with an evident amount of pride, this was no ordinary Mark XVIII. On the front, the watch has a 40mm steel case and metallic, dark blue dial that’s similar to a standard watch in the IWC Pilot’s Watch line-up. But on the back, it features the IWC 150th anniversary emblem, and just below that, the name of the employee who received the watch. According to Dr Seyffer, it was chief executive Chris Grainger-Herr’s idea to gift each employee at IWC headquarters a watch as a token of appreciation for their contribution to IWC’s 150 years of success. Male employees were given a Mark XVIII on a black Santoni leather strap, while female staff members were given a Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 on a steel bracelet. The total number produced is unknown, but IWC has about 700...
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IWC’s latest limited edition is a surprisingly small run – 80 pieces to mark the 80th anniversary of the flight of the giant Latécoère 521 flying boat Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris from New York to Lac de Biscarrosse in Southwestern France. Starting on Bastille Day, July 14, in 1939, the flight was the first nonstop crossing of the North Atlantic by flying boat. A passenger on the 28-hour, 27-minute journey was French aviator Antoine de Saint Exupéry. And it happens that one of IWC’s most popular sub-collections of pilot’s watches watches is Le Petit Prince, named after the famous novel by de Saint Exupéry. So the Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition “80 Years Flight to New York” is an offshoot of the Le Petit Prince collection, with a few tweaks. It retains the vaguely retro flavour, with Gothic-esque numerals and lozenge hands, but instead of the standard blue dial of Le Petit Prince, the anniversary watch has a brown metallic dial, matched with brown ceramic bezel. The edition is based on the Timezoner Chronograph, usually available only in the standard black and white livery of IWC’s basic Pilot’s Watches. It’s an unusual watch that combines both a flyback chronograph and IWC’s proprietary “timezoner” mechanism. Originally developed by the defunct watch brand Vogard, the timezoner mechanism has a rotating world time bezel linked to the second time zone, so turning the bezel moves the 24-hour hand in one-hour ste...
SJX Watches
A simple yet unusual chiming complication, the hourstriker has been a fixture in the Ulysse Nardin line-up for almost three decades, starting with the San Marco Jacquemart developed by Christophe Claret. The hour striker complication has been paired with various automatons over the years, including tigers, horses, oil pumpjacks, and a copulating couple. Now Ulysse Nardin has stripped away the automaton, streamlined the design, and reworked the acoustics – with help from French speaker specialist Devialet – resulting in the Hourstriker Phantom. It’s the brand’s sleekest and most contemporary hour striker to date, and according to Ulysse Nardin, the loudest chiming wristwatch in the world. High-end audio help Founded in 2007 by a trio of Frenchmen, who named the company after 18th century French engineer Guillaume Vialet, Devialet is most famous for its white, egg-shaped Phantom Premier speaker that is compact, powerful and fairly expensive. Most notably, one of its founders, designers Emmanuel Nardin, is a member of the Nardin family that once owned Ulysse Nardin. The Devialet Gold Phantom Opéra de Paris speaker Devialet’s contribution to the Hourstriker Phantom was to boost its sound, accomplished in two ways. The first element being the attachment of the gongs to the movement. In an ordinary striking watch, the gongs are fixed with screws. On the other hand, the Hourstriker Phantom has its gongs secured by “torsion arms”, presumably small springs. A...
Hodinkee
The latest Ulysse Nardin hour striking watch: loud and proud.
Deployant
Four new special edition NOMOS Tangente neomatic 39 with special dials to celebrate 200 years of Singapore and The Hour Glass 40th Anniversary.
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Singapore watch retailer The Hour Glass has just unveiled yet another limited edition to mark the its 40th year – the Nomos Tangente Neomatik 39 Red Dot. It’s the most affordable anniversary edition yet, and also also the third in the annual “Red Dot” series of watches made for Singapore. Available in four iterations, each limited to just 50 pieces, the limited edition is based on the bestselling Tangente automatic, arguably the quintessential Nomos. It screams, or rather quietly declares, Nomos’ design philosophy of Deutscher Werkbund, the predecessor of Bauhaus, and is characterised by a clean dial with large, alternating hour numerals and a case with thin, angular lugs. While most limited-edition watches from Nomos vary in colour, with subtle, yet profound tweaks to the palette, the new Red Dot quartet departs from the norm in one drastic way: the first pair features Eastern Arabic numerals, while the second has its hours in Chinese oracle bone script. According to The Hour Glass, the use of both scripts is a nod to Singapore’s history as an entrepot where traders from both the Near East and Far East often stopped. All four watches also pay tribute to the country with a small in-joke, with a little red dot at six o’clock – a reference to the city state’s frequent depiction on maps. The Eastern Arabic duo Bone oracle script and the “little red dot” Essentialism First conceived in 1992 by Nomos founder Roland Schwertner, the Tangente...
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