1,041 articles · 90 videos found · page 35 of 38
Revolution
Patek Philippe’s Sky Moon Tourbillon is the most complicated watch in the 174 year old Genevan firm’s repertoire. First introduced as the ref. 5002, its 686 components add up to a unique combination of high complications. It starts with a tourbillon, adjusted to run within a very close rate of -2/+1 seconds maxiumum variation per […]
Revolution
Among all the technical complications, an astronomical star chart wristwatch must be one of the most appreciated complications by the truly sophisticated watch collectors. At the SIHH 2013 exhibition, Jaeger-LeCoultre pleasantly surprised us with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial. With the beautiful sky chart as seen from the Northern Hemisphere rotating at 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds […]
Deployant
Following up on my walkabout impressions of the quite remarkable Leica S2, here are some photographs I made in L’Atelier by The Hour Glass using my usual set-up. I have featured the Db25T before, it is a remarkable watch. I particularly love the jumping seconds hand, and the beautiful Caliber 2109 with the magnificent bridgeRead More
Deployant
The Richard Lange Referenzuhr…reference time. A simple complication to the Richard Lange series of chronometers. Two significant changes to the regular Richard Lange: move from central seconds hand to a large subsidiary seconds hand. And the provision of the ability to reset this seconds hand at will, without having to stop the movement. This featureRead More
Hodinkee
What We Know Now in its sixth decade as one of the most famous movements in the industry, the El Primero remains at the heart of Zenith's offerings. To kick off Geneva Watch Days, Zenith is doing something slightly different, launching a Chronomaster Sport without a chronograph—the Chronomaster Solo Sport. The watch arrives in four variations: three with ceramic dials and bezels in black, white, and brown, plus a no-date option also in black. All four come in a 40mm stainless steel case with a ceramic unidirectional rotating bezel. The dial features hours, minutes, and seconds, with date added on three of the four references. Despite losing the chronograph, there's still a lot going on up top. The words "36,000 VpH" and "high frequency" alone take up two lines of the dial, and the subtle "shark tooth" minute track gives a nod to vintage Zenith references. The dial itself is ceramic, built around a repeated 45° Z motif meant to evoke the rhythm and vibration of the movement underneath—rendered as a sunray finish on the white version and a polished surface on the black and brown versions. That same pattern carries over to the counterweight on the seconds hand. The El Primero 3620 powers the watch, derived from the El Primero 3600 chronograph movement and operating at 5 Hz, or 36,000 VpH, while retaining the star-shaped rotor. It's equipped with a silicon escapement and a stop-second mechanism for precise time-setting, and it offers a 60-hour power reserve. Also featur...
Hodinkee
What We Know Tudor's North Flag has always been something of an outlier. It was originally launched in 2015 at Baselworld and was the first Tudor to feature one of the brand's in-house movements. Only ever available in two specs, on a bracelet or on a leather strap, the North Flag (91210N) was discontinued in 2021. Today, the Northflag (now one word) returns, evolving the 2015 offering with a single reference that sports a 24-hour hand for a second time zone. The new Northflag, ref. 9140G1A0U, uses 316L stainless steel for its 40mm case and integrated bracelet. The case is 12.7mm thick and 48.8mm lug-to-lug. Compared with the 40 x 13.3 x 50mm of the original North Flag, this new model should be more compatible with smaller wrists thanks to its more compact dimensions. The water resistance is 100 meters, and it has a domed sapphire crystal up front and a display caseback. Inside, and viewable via that display caseback, is Tudor's MT5652-U automatic movement. It's a 4Hz METAS-certified Master Chronometer with a stated accuracy of -0 to +5 seconds/day. For those keeping track, this is the same second time zone-equipped movement found in the Pelagos FXD GMT. Both the date and the GMT function are set via the crown, and adjusting the second time zone is done by jumping the local hour hand to a new time zone (such as when you land at your destination) in standard "flyer" GMT functionality. Like its predecessor, the second-gen Northflag's dial is black, with minimal text an...
WristBuzz
Round subdials are back. A no-date black-dial variant reads as a shrunk Moonwatch. Seven references, cal. 3330 / 3332 with silicon hairspring, prices from €6,400 to €12,900. This is the Speedmaster Reduced successor the community has been asking Omega for since 2014.
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Czapek has lifted the curtain on a new limited-edition addition to its Promenade line of everyday dress watches. The Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" expands on a design motif first introduced with the Fratello x Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Veridian Green," this time applying the Transparency concept to a wholly in-house-devised model. Here, the "Veridian Green" sapphire-gradient dial has been swapped for a similar "Aqua Blue" variant, with the fumé effect achieved through a special metallization process in which small dots of metallic coating are applied to a sapphire disc. The dots themselves — which measure just eight microns each — are laid out in varying density to achieve the gradient effect, which radiates out from the small seconds subdial at 4:30. Unlike the Fratello limited edition, which had applied markers, the Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" uses light blue 3D Super-LumiNova markers, which match the lume on the handset. Visible through the translucent dial is the SXH7, a skeletonized take on Czapek's in-house SXH5 micro-rotor automatic caliber. The SXH5 was first launched by the brand in 2020, and now finds itself at the heart of a number of watches in the Czapek lineup, including the Antarctique and, as the SXH5.1, in the solid dial Promenade. The SXH7, which is visible from both directions, is handsome, with plenty of modern, somewhat industrial touches (like sandblasted plates) and enough handcraft to keep tradi...
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Glashütte Original introduces two new flyback chronographs, replacing the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date models currently in the collection. While both models fall under the brand's Senator line, the new Senator Chronograph and Senator Chronograph Navigator could not be more opposed in aesthetics and spirit. First is the new Senator Chronograph Navigator, which departs significantly from the Senator line's overarching classical design language. With only a few exceptions, you're most likely expecting to see at least a few Roman numerals on any Senator dial. But the Navigator takes the chronograph down a much more utilitarian route, with what I believe is the brand's only conventional tool-watch design outside the SeaQ dive watch lineup. The matte black dial features three-dimensional, solid, luminescent applied Arabic hour numerals, while the rest of the dial text is printed in white to provide sharp contrast and improve legibility. The large subdials for the running seconds and elapsed minutes are snailed in texture, while a recessed faceting frames the oversized Panorama Date at six o'clock. The sword hands here are filled with a generous proportion of Super-LumiNova, and the remaining hands are all finished in white lacquer. The Senator Chronograph, sans Navigator, streamlines the layout of the outgoing Senator Chronograph Panorama Date for a more conventional look while still feeling familiar. A galvanic silver dial in soft white holds solid-gol...
Hodinkee
What We Know Swiss brand Albishorn, carving out a niche with "imaginary vintage" designs, just released a simplified version of its regatta chronograph with the Marinagraph Classic. I first covered this complication in my hands-on review two years ago with the Albishorn Maxigraph, the brand's debut model and a collaboration with Massena LAB. Since then, the regatta chronograph has lived on under Albishorn's "Water" collection as the Marinagraph, combining the complication with a tide bezel. Today's Marinagraph Classic isn't all that different from the Marinagraph Classic Racing. Visually, the biggest difference is the swap from that colorful aluminum insert tide bezel to a large bidirectional sapphire bezel with more traditional, lumed markings. And yes, there are new dials too. While the sunray-brushed black dial remains, the new dial comes in the form of a white fumé color, with what could have been misconstrued as a shadow in the brand photography actually a subtle dark fade around the edges of the white dial. The black dial sports contrasting silver hands and markers, while the ones on the white fumé dial offer a stark black contrast. On both dials, the ten-minute retrograde regatta countdown scale at 7 o'clock is colored in blue and red, while the chronograph and regatta seconds hands are matched on each dial in either red for the black dial or blue for the white. My favorite feature since the first Maxigraph has been the aperture at 3 o'clock, serving as a running ...
WatchRider
Mido has added a full-black version to the Multifort 8 One Crown range for summer 2026. Reference M055.507.37.051.00 takes the angular case and simple three-hand layout of the existing model and gives almost every exterior part a black finish. The result is much darker than the steel versions, but the polished hands, raised hour markers and white date display keep it easy to read. This is not just a new dial colour. Mido has applied black PVD to the 316L stainless-steel case, bezel, crown and pin buckle, then paired the watch with a fitted black rubber strap. It changes the character of the Multifort 8 One Crown without changing the practical dimensions or the Caliber 80 automatic movement that made the original model interesting. The black PVD coating still allows the brushed and polished case surfaces to stand apart. From two crowns to one The Multifort name dates back to 1934, when Mido used it for a watch designed around automatic winding, water resistance, resistance to magnetism and protection against shocks. The current Multifort 8 family carries that practical idea into a much more modern shape. The first Multifort 8 design used two crowns, including one to operate an internal rotating bezel. The One Crown removes that extra control and the internal timing scale. That gives the dial more room, reduces visual clutter and makes the case slimmer. It also turns the watch into a straightforward hours-minutes-seconds model with a date window, which will make more sense f...
WatchRider
The Commonwealth Games return to Glasgow today, 23 July 2026, and Longines is marking the opening with a watch that looks as if it has borrowed its colour palette directly from the host city’s celebrations. The HydroConquest Commonwealth Games 2026 Edition combines the familiar toughness of Longines’ modern dive-watch family with teal, violet and pink details, then offers the result in two wearable case sizes. This is not merely a standard HydroConquest with a commemorative engraving. Longines has coordinated the dial, bezel and seconds hand around the visual identity of Glasgow 2026, while keeping the practical specifications collectors expect: 300-metre water resistance, a ceramic bezel, a silicon-equipped automatic movement and a properly adjustable rubber strap. There are also two distinct limited editions—39 mm and 42 mm—each restricted to 2,026 pieces. Glasgow 2026 begins today The 23rd Commonwealth Games run from 23 July to 2 August 2026. The compact programme brings up to 3,000 athletes from 74 nations and territories to Glasgow for 11 days of competition, supported by around 3,000 volunteers and roughly 500,000 available tickets. More than 200 gold medals will be awarded across ten sports, six of which include integrated Para competition. Those sports are athletics and Para athletics, artistic gymnastics, swimming and Para swimming, track cycling and Para track cycling, bowls and Para bowls, boxing, judo, netball, weightlifting and Para powerlifting, plus ...
SJX Watches
In the run-up to the 57th anniversary of mankind’s first steps on the moon, Swatch has launched the Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969, a watch that follows the proven MoonSwatch formula but enhances the value proposition with a substantial amount of 18k MoonShine gold. In fact, the 11 g of 18k gold contained in the dial, crown, and pushers is worth nearly twice the retail price of the watch at today’s spot price. In addition to the historical “OM” designation found at six o’clock, the dial is also engraved “Au 750” denoting its solid gold construction. Initial thoughts The anniversary of the moon landing, which took place July 21, 1969, is an annual reminder of the Omega Speedmaster’s legendary status as ‘the moon watch’. It’s an old story, but it remains a good one. The MoonSwatch leans heavily on this heritage, and the latest iteration is arguably the greatest, borrowing several aesthetic motifs from the so-called “Nixon” Speedmasters that were gifted to American astronauts and government officials — namely the gold dial and black inlay for the hands and dial markers. Substantively, the Mission to the Moon 1969 is much like any other MoonSwatch, with a plastic case that’s a dead ringer for that of the Speedmaster Professional. An ETA quartz chronograph ticks inside, and the battery — now protected by a scratch-resistant cover — is accessible from the case back. That said, the Mission to the Moon 1969 is an atypical Moon...
Hodinkee
What We Know It's summertime, which means it's perfect weather to spend some time near, in, or under the water. While I love a good hyper-overbuilt mechanical watch (and definitely want this one), I've come to realize that the best dive watches are probably the no-fuss, affordable ones. If I'm flying to the Bahamas and want to go on a quick dive, I'm going to grab a Citizen (oh wait, I did). With a bunch of new Citizen Eco-Drive divers (more like Eco-Dive, am I right?) rated to 200m, I figured it was time to share some great new picks. While four watches were just launched in Japan, the U.S. is getting three of them. There's a blue gradient dial with a dark blue stainless steel unidirectional bezel (my personal pick), a black dial with a black bezel, and a white dial with a black bezel and an orange seconds hand (and black printing, of course). That last one feels very James Stacey, if I had to guess. The watches are cased in a super-reasonable 40.6mm by 11.5mm stainless steel case with brushed surfaces and polished chamfers. Inside is the Eco-Drive Caliber E118, which has an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month and 12 months of power on a full light-powered charge. The watches are delivered on BENEBiOL straps, a plant-derived biomass urethane. All three options will be available on the Citizen website in the coming days and weeks as deliveries arrive in their US stock. The retail price is $450, so keep checking their shop to make sure you stay on top of when it's availabl...
WristBuzz
Bell & Ross just dropped a helicopter-yellow ceramic BR-03, Breitling did a Tour de France Top Time in Merckx yellow, Tudor scaled the Bumblebee Chrono down to 39mm. Yellow dials, yellow bezels, yellow rubber. Here's why summer belongs to yellow watches this year.
WristBuzz
A quartet of new releases, one returning collector favorite, and a date that matters more than most anniversaries in watchmaking.
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Grand Seiko introduces nine new variants to the three-hander, time-and-date models in its Evolution 9 collection. If you're feeling overwhelmed by that already, don't worry. Yes, there's quite a bit of nuance to unpack here among all these references, but not all nine are really new watches, per se. Many of them are existing models, just slightly modified. If you've read the title of this article, you'll already know that the biggest updates to these Evolution 9 models are things that collectors have long clamored for— tapered bracelets and clasps with tool-free microadjustment. Yes, for those who weren't able to achieve a perfect fit with previous Evolution 9 models, they will be able to now and can adjust accordingly, especially in hotter months with more wrist swelling. The clasp design comes from the original Evolution UFA SLGB003 model introduced last year, but now has spread to the rest of the collection, in both steel and titanium versions, and both 37mm and 40mm. Gone are the 5-day Spring Drive 9RA2 calibers used in the collection, replaced entirely with the U.F.A caliber 9RB2. This means that for those who found the 37mm U.F.A models too small, the more classic 40mm versions now get the ultra-accurate caliber that features an annual rated accuracy of +/- 20 seconds (timing per month is quoted at +/- 3 seconds). This is a big deal, and I think it suggests that Grand Seiko could be making a move to replace all of its Spring Drive calibers down ...
Hodinkee
What We Know Since Vulcain's revival in 2022 under the helm of Guillaume Laidet, a name familiar to most here thanks to his hand in brands like Nivada Grenchen and SpaceOne, it's steadily cranked out watches under a few collections, from skin divers to chronographs, and most importantly, its iconic design that is the Cricket alarm watch. While these modern Crickets have largely remained faithful in spirit to their predecessors, today marks a new limited edition from Vulcain with a contemporary twist: the Vulcain Cricket Titanium. The name kind of gives everything away here, with titanium being the main focus of this new run of 100 pieces. The 39mm case, in its slightly upsized modern form, is made this time in grade 5 titanium, polished throughout. The dial is also in titanium, with a stamped guilloché effect paired with white printing for a minutes track and applied indices. The handset comes in a variety of colors, with the skeletonized dauphine minute and hour hands paired with a black seconds hand, and a metallic nickel-plated alarm hand with a blackened arrow tip that points to the printed track to better set your alarm time. But that's not where the titaniumification (I'm going to pretend that's a real word) ends. Here, the Le Locle-assembled and manually-wound Vulcain Cricket Calibre V14 is also produced from titanium movement blanks, meaning that the titanium theme translates all the way to the inside of the watch and can be seen through the exhibition caseback. S...
![The New Ulysse Nardin Freak [X] Is Smaller, Thinner, and Easier to Live With Than Ever](https://revolutionwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/01-Ulysse-Nardin-Freak-X.jpg)
WristBuzz
The second-generation Freak [X] gets a new micro-rotor movement, a 41 mm case, and an interchangeable strap system, making Ludwig Oechslin's wild idea more wearable than it's ever been
WristBuzz
Ronaldo brought a Rainbow Daytona. Messi pulled out an off-catalog Day-Date with a turquoise dial. Casemiro is the surprise of the bunch with an F.P. Journe. Here's every wrist worth talking about from the tournament so far.
Worn & Wound
Nothing beats the bold and brash hand-painted liveries of motorsports in the 1960s and 1970s, especially compared to the overstimulating and overcorporatized wraps of today’s racecars. No, liveries of old were meant to invoke speed and evoke a sense of romance and adventure—and yes, also to occasionally advertise a sponsor. In celebration of those iconic liveries of the golden years of motorsport, British watchmaker Farer has unveiled a new trilogy of colorful chronographs. Each of the new models takes on a colorway seen on racetracks of yesteryear, while maintaining the motorsport-inspired design of their chronograph lineup. The new Racing Chronographs measure in at a slim 38.5mm in diameter and 13.4mm in thickness, making the stainless steel case comfortable on the wrist for long sessions behind the wheel. Each model features three subdials at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, with hours, minutes, small seconds, and 30-minute and 12-hour counters. A bidirectional bezel with a ceramic insert wears a 12-hour scale and along with the hands and indexes, is filled with Super-LumiNova for legibility and visibility. Inside, and visible through a flat sapphire crystal exhibition caseback, is a Sellita SW510M b Elaboré grade movement. Decorations include skeleton framework, perlage finishing, blued screws, and a custom engraved bridge with the Farer monogram just below center. A 63-hour power reserve ensures that setting the watch down between race days won’t be an issue. I’ve ...
WristBuzz
Glashütte Original's fifteenth limited Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date keeps things deliberately quiet. 100 pieces, German-speaking markets only, the in-house Calibre 37-02. Here's what actually changes for the XV.
Monochrome
Just a stone’s throw north of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and crossing the border into France, you will stumble upon a town called Morteau. Much like Le Locle and the Vallée de Joux are for the Swiss, Morteau is the heart of French mechanical watchmaking. It is here that you will find the Pequignet manufacture, a company […]
Hodinkee
What We Know When Ming, Fleming, and J.N. Shapiro teamed up in 2024 to launch the Alternative Horological Alliance, they did so with a product: a "universal" tantalum bracelet. But I've been waiting to see if the AHA (now including Fears and Massena LAB) would team up in other ways. Today, Ming and J.N. Shapiro announce the 37.06 "Lightning," which blends the dial work Shapiro's team is known for with Ming's signature design language into something that's both new yet familiar. It's not a trick of the light. The dial is really that striking (no pun intended, I promise). Each dial is made from grade-2 titanium and hand-guillochéd in Los Angeles through engine-turning on a traditional rose-engine lathe to create a pattern called "Lightning guilloché." It's a pattern J.N. Shapiro hasn't used on a wristwatch before. The dials are then shipped to Kuala Lumpur, where Ming Thein himself hand-colors each dial by heat-staining it with a butane torch. It's not as easy as just sticking a torch on a dial. A time too long or too short by even a few seconds, and the color might be uneven. Even if you do it right, the final result might still fail because the guilloché process exposes variations in titanium's crystalline structure. Only one in three dials works out. The dial is still very Ming, as is the rest of the watch, with the flared lugs and engraved crystal that's filled with HyCeram luminous indices. The hands have Super-LumiNova X1. The case is 38mm in diameter, 10.9mm in t...
Worn & Wound
It’s been a few years since we last saw A. Lange & Söhne fold one of its lesser-known collections back into its catalog: the Cabaret. Making a comeback, the newest addition marks the only rectangular model among the brand’s current offerings. It also puts the maison’s proprietary alloy, Honeygold, on full display across the case as well as the dial for only the second time, with the first being the Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold “Homage to F.A. Lange” from 2020. The rectangular case shape of the Cabaret is certainly unique for A. Lange & Söhne, who’s become synonymous with more traditional round designs like its instantly recognizable Lange 1. However, for me, despite the highly wearable 29.5mm x 39.2mm x 10.3mm proportions, the material composition and finishings of this model are really the star of the show. Here, you have the pleasing alloy – not quite yellow gold, not quite white gold, not quite pink gold but a soft and beautiful shade all its own – featured in its original form across the case and dial accents. The material is also used for the dial but has received a black-rhodium treatment. At first glance, this looks like just another handsomely executed A. Lange & Söhne dial, but upon closer inspection, there are more layers to unpack (literally). The result is four subtle elevations on the dial giving it interest and depth. This dial composition consists of three parts: the main dial plus two auxiliary dials for the seconds and the power-...
Hodinkee
There's no shortage of watches this auction season—more than 1,200 lots across the major houses—but volume isn't really the story. At Christie's and Sotheby's, the focus feels different this time around, moving past the hype-driven pieces of the early 2020s and back to some genuinely compelling and surprising watches. Last week, we published part one of our preview—today, we're finishing it up with part two. Christie’s I would argue that Christie's always has one of the more subtle and yet impressive catalogs. There are some truly fantastic pieces here and, as always, we'll start at the top. Lot 134, a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. Photo courtesy Christie's. If you're looking for a watch that my friend and current "Bring a Loupe" writer Weston Cutter called an "immediate knee-weakener," you need to sit down for this one. Lot 134 is a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. The watch is powered by a 13-ligne 13VZAS movement that was highly modified for precision as a time-only watch, with a large subsidiary seconds at 9 o'clock and a blank subdial at 3 o'clock. Bold numerals, bold design, it's the kind of thing you dream about if you collect early watches, and the estimate is a hilarious CHF 50,000 to 100,000. It should go for way m...
Hodinkee
What We Know Ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, Tudor has announced the Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 26," a follow-up to last year's Carbon 25. While Tudor's ties to motorsport date back to the late 1960s with the Tudor Watches Racing Team, its current partnership with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team began in 2024, and they have been quick to make the most of it, with two limited editions in two consecutive seasons. The Carbon 25 marked the first limited-edition release from that relationship, with the Carbon 26 continuing the same approach in 2026. At its core, the update centers on a revised color scheme reflecting the livery of the VCARB 03 car. The watch retains a 42mm carbon fiber case with a fixed tachymeter bezel, along with a titanium caseback, crown, and pushers with a black PVD finish. The dial remains "racing white," now with yellow accents and carbon fiber subdials. The carbon fiber case, introduced last year, carries over unchanged. It replaces the steel case used in standard Black Bay Chronographs, while keeping the same 42mm diameter, fixed tachymeter bezel, screw-down crown, chronograph pushers, and overall case profile. Inside is the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, an automatic chronograph with a column wheel, vertical clutch, silicon balance spring, and a 70-hour power reserve. It is COSC-certified, and it also meets Tudor's more rigorous standards of -2/+4 seconds per day. The Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 26" is priced at $8,625, produced in a...
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Zenith adds another variation of its modern revival of the unique A384 chronograph to its catalog, with the Chronomaster Revival A384 Tropical. This is, at a high level, just a new dial that's been added to the collection, and one that's done in a familiar Zenith way at that. Here, the inspiration is very much around tropical dials, with a base dial in a softly grained white, contrasted by brown accents in the subdials and tachymeter scale. Zenith calls it a "chocolate panda" configuration, and I think that's a pretty apt name. Text on the white portion of the dial is printed in black, including the "El Primero" script under the Zenith logo, while printing on the brown portions of the dial, such as the tachymeter and sundial markings, is all done in white. The aged, tropical theme continues with lume on the applied markers and handset executed in Old Radium Super-LumiNova, which certainly complements the warmth of the overall look. A bright red chronograph seconds hand sits front and center, and a date window sits between the four and five o'clock hour markers. The dial sits in that distinctive A384 case, with a compact, angular tonneau silhouette measuring 37mm. Pump pushers and a Zenith star-signed crown sit on the right flank of the case. Finishing is interesting throughout the watch, with radial brushing on the front slab of the case, polished facets, and horizontal brushing on the sides. It's complemented by Zenith's revival of the Gay Frères ladd...
Monochrome
Founded in 1973 in Morteau, French brand Pequignet’s watchmaking history takes an interesting turn in the 2000s with the creation of an integrated manufacture and the release of the Calibre Royal, the brand’s first in-house movement, in 2011. Following a period of fluctuating fortunes, Pequignet was acquired by Enowe in 2021 and hasn’t looked back since. […]
SJX Watches
Alongside the launch of the Omega Constellation Observatory, we were among the first members of the public granted access to the Swatch Group’s Laboratoire de Précision (LP), a new independent chronometer testing institute with facilities in Omega’s native Biel/Bienne and Villeret. The new organisation does not redefine chronometer norms, but it has developed a new acoustic certification process that is more automated and provides client brands with a richer performance data set - a unique capability that has implications beyond mere certification. Laboratoire de Précision. Image – Omega Initial thoughts The debut of the Constellation Observatory, the first watch certified by LP and the first-ever two-handed Master Chronometer, was greeted with a mixed feedback from both collectors and the press. Some found the choice to launch a chronometer without a seconds hand heretical, viewing it as a gimmick to promote LP’s new testing process. The Omega Constellation Observatory is the first watch to complete chronometer certification at LP. Regardless of how one feels about the two-handed aspect of the watch - I found the design balanced and appealing, even if the concept is a bit quirky - the launch placed a renewed focus on the way official chronometers are tested and certified. Many were confused by the claimed novelty of acoustic testing, given the universal presence of Witschi machines on watchmakers’ benches. Indeed, the method is not new. What is new is t...
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