950 articles · 321 videos found · page 34 of 43
Deployant
The new Hermès de la lune watch offers a unique vision of Earth’s satellite with the simultaneous display of moon phases in both northern and southern hemispheres. Two mobile counters gravitate on a lapis lazuli dial, revealing mother-of-pearl moons in step with an exclusive module, coupled with a Manufacture Hermès movement.
SJX Watches
Long focused on affordable mechanical watches, Frederique Constant continued with its specialty after its acquisition by Japanese watchmaking giant Citizen. Now the Swiss brand has just revived its bestseller from two decades ago, the Highlife collection, which has been redesigned extensively. It’s a new watch in all but name – the revamped Highlife harks back to the integrated-strap of the original, but it is a design very much catered to today’s taste. The Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture The new Highlife collection debuts with three models that share the same tonneau-shaped case and integrated bracelet with quick-release pins. The most interesting watch of the trio is the Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture, which is affordable despite its in-house movement and styling that’s reminiscent of more expensive watches. The other two models in the line up are simple automatics: one is time-only with an “Open Heart” dial revealing the balance wheel, and the other is a COSC-certified three-hander with date. Highlife Automatic COSC The Highlife Heart Beat Initial thoughts The Highlife manages to translate the look of high-end luxury-sports watches into an affordable watch by keeping a few design elements and simplifying everything. It is unavoidably derivative in style, but competently designed. So the 41 mm case is a simple affair with simple lines and surfaces, but dressed up with a polished, domed bezel. However, it avoids looking too plain even with t...
SJX Watches
A member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) since its founding in 1985, Bernhard Lederer is a veteran of independent watchmaking. Though known amongst collectors for having founded the brand BLU in 2002, Mr Lederer is more of a watchmaker’s watchmaker, supplying movements and complications via his company MHM (short for “Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie et Micromécanique”). Born in Germany but based in Switzerland for decades, Mr Lederer’s technical prowess is on full view with his latest creation – the Central Impulse Chronometer (CIC). Seemingly a mere three-hand wristwatch on the front, the CIC is a actually a significant accomplishment – and undoubtedly one of the most notable watches of 2020 from a technical perspective. The movement is equipped with a natural escapements as well as dual gear trains. The construction is familiar – Mr Lederer describes it as a tribute to the late George Daniels and his landmark Space Traveller pocket watch – but improved and refined with the addition a remontoir d’egalité constant force mechanism for each going train. Initial thoughts With seemingly everything already having been done in watchmaking, it is not often that we encounter a genuinely interesting – and improved – twist to an already uncommon escapement. Here Mr Lederer rejuvenates the centuries-old idea of the natural escapement, but elevated by the added complexity and performance gains of twin remontoir going tr...
Deployant
Panerai’s iconic watch, the Luminor Marina, is now presented in a Carbotech case with the P.9010 Manufacture automatic mechanical movement.
SJX Watches
A fountain-pen maker for most of its history, Montblanc ventured into watchmaking and found success with its entry-level watches produced in its Le Locle factory. But the brand’s high horology watches are made at the former Minerva manufacture in Villeret – Montblanc acquired the brand in 2007 – which produces only a few hundred timepieces each year. The latest model to emerge from Villeret is the Star Legacy Exo Tourbillon Skeleton, which boasts a skeleton movement that’s been hand-finished the traditional way. Though there is little movement left after the open working, there’s much left to decorate. According to Montblanc, the bridges include 420 inwards angles on their bevelled edges. Initial thoughts Measuring 44.8 mm by 15.01 mm, the Star Legacy Exo Tourbillion Skeleton is a surprisingly massive watch – a characteristic of many Montblanc watches powered by Minerva-derived movements. That’s because most of the calibres are descended from Minerva movements of the early 20th century that were originally built for pocket watches. The advantage is an appealing, old-school layout and aesthetic, but accompanied by the downside of extremely large size, making it impractical as an everyday watch. Priced at about US$160,000, the Exo Tourbillon Skeleton is priced similarly to comparable watches. In fact, it arguably has a finer movement finish than the competition, going by the average standard of movement decoration at Villeret. But at the same time, it is ext...
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Quill & Pad
Since its beginning, RGM has created dials and movement components to manufacture its watches. Over the years, the brand has expanded its capabilities bit by bit, adding machinery, technology, and personnel in an effort to have greater control over production and to expand its design and engineering options. Follow us on a tour of the RGM workshop in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.
Time+Tide
Patek Philippe’s first wristwatch of 2020 didn’t go down quite as well as the complicated models that have followed this week to practically unanimous praise. By contrast, the Calatrava Ref.6007A-001, limited to just 1000 pieces and made to celebrate the legacy brand’s new manufacture was met with many more brickbats than bouquets. Why? Well, according … ContinuedThe post A design that divides – the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref.6007A-001 meets its lookalikes head on appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Ref. 5205G-013 Patek Philippe is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious watchmaking firms today. This much deserved reputation is thanks – in no small part – to its rich, productive history. The manufacture not only boasts a long list of distinguished patrons, it is also responsible for numerous inventionsRead More
Quill & Pad
Glashütte Original dial factory manager Michael Baumann guided Bhanu Chropa through the complex process of manufacturing dials. He explained that depending on the complications of a given watch model, it takes 70 to 80 steps to manufacture a perfect dial. See for yourself in this interesting personal tour behind the scenes in Pforzheim, Germany.
WatchAdvice
Panerai take the Luminor from the beach to the boardroom with the 38mm Luminor Due, but does it work? No brand has contributed to the proliferation of the over sized watch trend of the 2000’s more than Panerai. Known for pushing the upper limits of wearability, Stallone excepted, the Firenze based manufacture has routinely pumped out watches with 47 and even 50mm cases. In fact, the standard Panerai case size is a meaty 44mm, and that’s not taking into account the brands most recognisable feature, the crown guard. It’s a well established fact that Panerai watches are big and hardy. So, what happens when the brand takes their famous Luminor case and scales down to 38mm? Surely that’s just not Panerai, or is it? Recently I acquired the 38mm Panerai Luminor Due Pam00926, Panerai’s answer to the industries shift towards smaller case sizes. For reference, I have a 17cm wrist or about 6.7 inches in old money. Panerai has been a brand that like many of my small wristed brethren, I have admired from afar. The story of a late 19th century jewelery store in Firenze Italy, taking the dive into making their own watches with the help of Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, has long captured my imagination. Panerai are a brand with significance in the watchmaking world at large, they developed radium paint which is the basis for all luminous materials used on dials today. Their signature Luminor crown guard was a big step in the road to true water resistance in wristwatches. W...
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Quill & Pad
Our friends at The Watches TV have published a beautiful three-part video series on manufacturing a watch fully by hand as demonstrated by Greubel Forsey’s recent Hand Made 1. In this series, Marc-André Deschoux and his team get deep into the manufacture and talk to all of the artisans involved, beginning with founders Stephen Forsey and Robert Greubel.
Deployant
Patek Philippe created a new Calatrava in stainless steel to celebrate the opening of their manufacture. Presenting the new Ref. 6007A-001. LE1000 pieces.
Time+Tide
Just a few short weeks ago, Time+Tide had the distinct pleasure of globally unveiling the last of the 50th anniversary special edition Zenith El Primeros. Called the Zenith Chronomaster Manufacture Edition, this gorgeous watch was the result of a surprise discovery that the team at Zenith had found in a dusty old cupboard in their … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The Zenith Chronomaster El Primero 38mm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Rexhep Rexhepi of Akrivia was the guest on our first-ever Instagram Live, where he spoke with our founder SJX. Lighthearted and insightful, the session centred on the growth of Akrivia’s in-house capabilities, as well as the future of the Chronomètre Contemporain series. Here’s a recap of the highlights from the session. Ambitions for integration Rexhep has big dreams for Akrivia as a true manufacture, from production to even testing. This stems from an explicit desire to control every element of production, and to ensure his high standards at met every step of the way. Much of the progress made in vertical integration will be reflected in the second series of the Chronomètre Contemporain. While the series one cases were produced by a Geneva specialist, the second series will have its cases made in-house by master case maker Jean-Pierre Hagmann, who joined Akrivia last year. At the same time, Rexhep said the movement will have a greater share of parts made in-house. While the exactly proportion was unsaid, he made clear that his goal was to eventually make all key parts – bridges, base plates, wheels and pinions – in the Akrivia workshop. Beyond production timepieces, such vertical integration will be advantageous as it would allow Akrivia to prototype ideas far more quickly. Rexhep Rexhepi with Jean-Pierre Hagmann. Photo – Akrivia Interestingly, Rexhep also touched on chronometer testing and certification. The first series Chronomètre Contemporain is te...
Hodinkee
An inside look at the modern manufacture of a watch icon.
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Revolution
Zenith CEO, Julien Tornare tells us how the Chronomaster Revival “Shadow” came about from a prototype uncovered at their manufacture’s famed attic.
Quill & Pad
These four new additions to the Jaeger-LeCoultre 2020 Master Control collection are powered by manufacture movements of the highest quality combined with refined aesthetics and an elegant, instrument-style allure. Sabine Zwettler takes a closer look at them here.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: This is part 2 of a long read from the second edition of NOW Magazine, which you can pick up here. If you missed Part 1, you can find it right here. The story so far is a space race between America, Switzerland and Japan as they sought to manufacture battery powered quartz watches at scale. … ContinuedThe post Quartz, the killer – A history of quartz watches, Part 2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Bold colours and textures. That’s how you could quickly sum up the Sixties collection that has been the vintage-inspired darling of the Glashütte Original lineup ever since they hit the scene. This year, the German-based manufacture has turned the volume down, opting for a much cooler and more restrained expression of the collection with glacier … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The glacial glory of the Glashütte Original Sixties blue Annual Edition for 2020 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
We had the opportunity to visit Girard-Perregaux Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds last November, and here is our account of the tour and photographs.
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Time+Tide
Last week, Zenith and Revolution magazine, as well as sister publication The Rake, dropped this – the El Primero A3818 Revival “Cover Girl”. This watch is a dead ringer for the original El Primero “Cover Girl”, so-called because it was the watch featured on the cover of Manfred Rössler’s book Zenith: Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865. … ContinuedThe post Three things we’re *really* digging about the Zenith X Revolution El Primero A3818 Revival appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
To celebrate its 65th anniversary, Corum invited a few people to its manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds to look at some lovely vintage pieces and talk about what the brand has meant to the history of watchmaking. Elizabeth Doerr shares her visit, and visuals, here.
Deployant
Zenith is the first manufacture to create an automatic integrated column wheel movement, and promptly christened it the El Primero.
Quill & Pad
Only a handful of producers are able to make hairsprings, most of which are large-scale industry suppliers. But a few watch brands manufacture their own using recipes and processes they keep close to their hearts. Bovet is one of these rare few manufacturers. Take a walk through the factory here thanks to The Watches TV, one in which cameras are usually not allowed.
Hodinkee
A classic IWC timepiece gets a manufacture motor.
Video
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