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

Results for Dead Seconds (Seconde Morte)

951 articles · 1,612 videos found · page 38 of 86

Gerd R. Lang Returns with the Lang 1943 Field Watch SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Jun 29, 2022

Gerd R. Lang Returns with the Lang 1943 Field Watch

Once synonymous with Chronoswiss which he founded in 1983, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang is now almost 80 but returns with an all-new brand, Lang 1943. Created in partnership with entrepreneur Georg Bartkowiak, the brand’s inaugural watch is the Lang 1943 Field Watch Edition One. Modelled on the wristwatches issued by the British army during the Second World War, the Field Watch is a modern watch with a vintage flavour that’s powered by a restored 1960s movement. Initial thoughts A military-inspired time-only watch is not a novel concept, and the Field Watch sticks to the traditional design, resulting in a watch that is recognisably similar to the Second World War watches made by the likes of Cyma, IWC, and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Lang 1943 isn’t the only brand offering such a watch at the moment; the revived Vertex brand has a similar offering with the M100A and it has the added advantage of being one of the original suppliers during the war. But the Lang 1943 Field Watch is attractively detailed, which is likely due to its founders’ decades of experience, both as horological entrepreneurs and watch collectors. The smoked dial is appealing and sets this apart as a modern watch as oppose to an exact remake. Oddly enough the smoked finish does well with the faux-vintage Super-Luminova and together they give the dial a pleasing palette. One detail worth pointing out is the crosshair on the subsidiary seconds, which was not found on the Second World War originals but is a perfect fit ...

Read article
English Independent Garrick Introduces the S5 SJX Watches
Garrick Jun 17, 2022

English Independent Garrick Introduces the S5

Having debuted an elaborately open-worked watch in 2014 and then applied its trademark style to something more basic, Garrick has just unveiled its fifth model to date, the S5. Retaining the quintessential elements of Garrick, namely a guilloche dial with Roman numerals and hands with an uncommonly large counterweight, the S5 is essentially a smaller and simpler iteration of Garrick’s earlier models, but it’s an all-new watch in a technical sense. Equipped with a new, in-house movement, the S5 sets itself apart from its predecessors with compact dimensions that make it Garrick’s smallest to date. Initial thoughts The proportions of the S5 are its primary point of appeal. It’s only 39 mm wide and 8 mm tall, making it substantially smaller than the brand’s previous offerings. Those were all 42 mm in diameter, making them too large for the largely elegant and traditional aesthetic. And the large case size also brought to mind similarly styled but less expensive watches equipped with Unitas movements. Along with the reduced size, the S5 is also the brand’s most minimalist watch so far and the first with centre seconds. Given that Garrick’s earlier models all had subsidiary seconds, the centre seconds (and the smaller diameter) makes it clear that the movement within the S5 is different. It is indeed a new calibre, albeit one that wasn’t originally constructed with a centre seconds, which requires means a secondary train was required to reposition the second...

Read article
Seiko Introduces the Presage Arita Porcelain SJX Watches
Breguet Classique 7147, which has May 13, 2022

Seiko Introduces the Presage Arita Porcelain

A modern-day specialty of Seiko, artisanal crafts such as enamel and porcelain are found in several of the brand’s collections across the price spectrum, although they are perhaps most associated with Seiko’s line of affordable, mechanical dress watches, the Presage. While past Presage offerings with artisanal dials were typically paired with simple complications such as a power reserve indicator or date, the latest arrival keeps the dial clean. The Presage Craftsmanship Series Arita Porcelain is made up of a pair of time-only wristwatches, the SPB239 with a white dial and the SPB319 with a light blue dial.  The SPB239 is accompanied with a metal bracelet Initial thoughts The latest Presage demonstrates a progressive evolution in the watchmaker’s aesthetics. Traditionally its automatic three-handers have always had a date, but the date window usually looked out of place. That was especially so for the artisanal dials, where date distracts from the beautiful, hand-made dials. In short, the fact the new Presage moves away from the date is a good thing. Also notable is the gently sunken dial. It’s executed almost seamlessly with a clean, gentle transition between the two levels. This contrasts with past Presage models that had complications, resulting in sunken indicators. In fact, the porcelain dial brings to mind another time-only watch with an enamel dial, the Breguet Classique 7147, which has an elegantly sunken seconds. The only thing I would change about ...

Read article
Parmigiani Introduces the Tonda PF Collection SJX Watches
Breguet inspired Aug 30, 2021

Parmigiani Introduces the Tonda PF Collection

When I spoke with Parmigiani chief executive Guido Terreni earlier this year, he described his plans for the brand’s product as having a “new direction for design, which is less ostentatious”, adding that Parmigiani will ” go back to the craft and excellence of the early days… with an eye on the world of today.” With the new Tonda PF collection launched to mark Parmigiani’s 25th anniversary, Mr Terreni appears to have pulled it off. Made up of four watches – ranging from a time-only to a pricey split-seconds – the Tonda PF is a synthesis of Parmigiani’s recent integrated-bracelet sports watch and its earlier Toric timepieces that were classical and Breguet inspired. The result is a sleek case and integrated bracelet matched with a refined yet minimalist guilloche dial featuring solid-gold hands and indices. Initial thoughts In a review two months ago, I wrote that liked the Tonda GT sports watch, though I thought the dial could be done better in several ways. The new Tonda PF does exactly that. It keeps everything that was good with the Tonda GT and enhances the rest. The dial has been stripped of superfluous elements while gaining a barleycorn engine turning. In fact, the dial is almost Moser-ish in its restraint, with the only marking being a small “PF” logo, which is made of solid 18k gold. And the upgrades in materials continue with the case, with all the steel model getting a knurled platinum bezel. And the movements have been enhanced. The...

Read article
Harry Winston Unveils the Project Z15 SJX Watches
Jul 20, 2021

Harry Winston Unveils the Project Z15

Launched in 2004, the Project Z is Harry Winston’s flagship series within its Ocean line of sports watches, defined by the aluminium-zirconium alloy used for the cases known as Zalium. Traditionally dominated by chronographs and dual time zones, as is typical for a sports watch, the Project Z collection now is now joined by one of the most unusual models to date, the Project Z15. The new model boasts a gently upgraded design and novel mechanics, especially for a sports watch – a regulator-style time display with retrograde seconds, set against a skeletonised dial inspired by New York City’s Art Deco architecture. Initial thoghts Like its elder siblings, the Project Z15 is masculine in style but muted in colour, all about symmetry and clean, geometric lines, which results in a techno-industrial look that’ll appeal to someone who wants an interesting but understated sports watch. The new Z15 is a first for the brand in having a regulator-style display, which means the hours, minutes, and seconds hand indicated on separate axes arranged in a vertical line. The layout is not only vertically symmetrical, it improves readability, as much as possible for an open-worked, regulator dial. Most notable is the retrograde 30-second display, which means the seconds hand returns to zero twice a minute, creating near-constant action on the dial. Interestingly, the skeletonised bridges on the dial finished with a simple, linear graining, giving the face a look that brings to min...

Read article
In-Depth: The Rolex Chronergy System SJX Watches
Rolex Chronergy System Rolex launched May 14, 2021

In-Depth: The Rolex Chronergy System

Rolex launched Chronergy – essentially a mechanical ecosystem for optimal mechanical performance – with the cal. 3255 in the top-of-the-line Day-Date 40 that made its debut in 2015. Six years on, Rolex has upgraded practically its entire line up with latest-generation, Chronergy-equipped cal. 32XX family, including its most affordable offerings. Chronergy movements are found in the Datejust (cal. 3235) and Oyster Perpetual (cal. 3230), and also the entry-level sports watches, like last year’s Submariner ref. 124060 (cal. 3230). Chronergy is made up of 14 patents covering every aspect of a movement from power source to regulator, but a fundamental element is its escapement. And the Chronergy escapement actually continues a long-forgotten journey that began some fifty years ago on the other side of the world. Still sound at 300 years old Invented in the mid 1750s by Thomas Mudge (1715-1794), the lever escapement was arguably the necessary iteration of the deadbeat escapement once it was miniaturised for a watch. Having been conceived by George Graham (1673-1751) as a refinement of the anchor escapement in pendulum clocks, the deadbeat escapement was unsuited to the delicacy of watch proportions. In the lever escapement, impulse is provided to the balance via a lever, which is in turn propelled by the force of the escape wheel teeth contacting the pallet jewels of the lever. And the lever escapement is a detached escapement, meaning the escape wheel locks free of ...

Read article
Seiko Introduces the Presage Sharp Edged GMT SJX Watches
Grand Seiko but Mar 22, 2021

Seiko Introduces the Presage Sharp Edged GMT

Named after the planar, angular case, the Sharp Edged series is one of the most striking lines in the affordable Presage collection. The latest addition to the range is the Presage Sharp Edged GMT, the first models that go beyond time-only. With a larger case and new movement, the new GMT references – SPB217, SPB219, SPB221, and SPB225 – retain the asanoha dial pattern and case design of current models, while incorporating a second time zone function and power reserve indicator. Initial thoughts It’s pretty clear that the Sharp Edges models were conceive to offer some of the Grand Seiko, but in a less elaborate watch at a more accessible price. So it’s not surprising the new Sharp Edged GMT watches resemble the Grand Seiko Spring Drive GMT released last year. The dial layout is similar, as is the styling of the angular, faceted case. In many ways, the Sharp Edged GMT is the smaller brother of its Grand Seiko counterpart and one sharp-looking watch – no pun intended. Importantly, the Sharp Edged GMT is identical to the Grand Seiko GMT in terms of function. It is a true GMT watch – the second time zone hand can be set independently whilst the seconds hand is running. Majority of GMT watches in its price range are conventional movement with an added 24-hour hand, which makes setting the two time zones more tedious. Ultimately, the main attraction of the Sharp Edged GMT is its affordability. With a retail of US$1,380, the watch doesn’t have much competition ...

Read article
Women’s History Month: 4 Fascinating Horological Stories About Women In Watchmaking Quill & Pad
Mar 4, 2021

Women’s History Month: 4 Fascinating Horological Stories About Women In Watchmaking

"The watch industry today would be nothing without women," Elizabeth Doerr notes as the majority of watchmaker benches in watch factories are “manned” by women. Women were also responsible for the very first wristwatches; the world's first doctorate in horology went to a woman (Dr. Rebecca Struthers); and the now-safe lume glowing on your watch came about thanks to the dangerous (and deadly) work of both Marie Curie and the Radium Girls.

Read article
Garrick Debuts an Affordable, Contemporary Take on English Watchmaking SJX Watches
Garrick Jan 27, 2021

Garrick Debuts an Affordable, Contemporary Take on English Watchmaking

Garrick is a newish independent watch brand based in Norfolk, England. Founded in 2014, it specialises in watches inspired by historical English watchmaking, exemplified by the S1, an elaborately-conceived, but pricey, timepiece. Now the brand has launched its most compelling buy to date, the Garrick S4. Like its earlier model, the S4 still possesses many elements drawn from English watches of yore, but is executed more simply. The S4 still boasts an unusual level of hand-finished details – including a barrel and crown wheel cover decorated with floral engraving and hand-finished bevelling – but is priced far more accessibly, with a retail price that starts under US$6,000 before taxes. Initial thoughts While independent-watchmaking startups are proliferating, most don’t diverge too far from each other; many focus on dial and case designs that are modern looking, think Ming and Sartory Billard. The Garrick S4 is unusual, particularly in two attributes that set it apart – traditional, pocket watch-inspired design and hand-finished details – which bring to mind an earlier generation of independent watchmakers like D. Dornblüth & Sohn. The most discernible feature of the S4 is the dial, which is unabashedly classical in style. But like the pocket watches that inspire it, the dial has depth, thanks to a multiple-part construction and varied surface finishes, including an engine-turned seconds register. Over on the back, the view is necessarily simpler than that ...

Read article
RECOMMENDED READING: How this 27-year-old beat a deadly virus, opiate addiction and depression to build a mechanical watch by hand Time+Tide
Jan 17, 2021

RECOMMENDED READING: How this 27-year-old beat a deadly virus, opiate addiction and depression to build a mechanical watch by hand

If you are a regular reader of Time+Tide you might be familiar with Australian watchmaker Reuben Schoots. Reuben and I are the same age at 27 years old, but whereas I have yet to finish my copy of Watchmaking by George Daniels, Reuben is on the precipice of finishing his very own watch – built … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: How this 27-year-old beat a deadly virus, opiate addiction and depression to build a mechanical watch by hand appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
In-Depth: A History of the Pulsations Chronograph SJX Watches
Aug 3, 2020

In-Depth: A History of the Pulsations Chronograph

In 1816, Louis Moinet accomplished a first in watchmaking: a timepiece that could precisely track elapsed time. Measuring periodicity on demand had been accomplished before, but the French watchmaker’s invention gave it the functionality and exactness that we expect today. In assessing prototypes, we often tend to forgive their shortcomings and rosily reminisce, rewriting flaws as charms. Moinet’s timepiece, however, was a prescient opus. The layout of the dial had the now-familiar large central hand and elapsed time in subdials. Two pushers controlled the start, stop and reset functions, the power reserve lasted over 30 hours, and the mainspring could be wound while the timing mechanism was engaged to allow for longer timing runs. Most impressive, though, was its precision. Louis Moinet’s compteur de tierces of 1816. Image – Louis Moinet Named the compteur de tierces, or “timer of thirds”, Moinet’s invention ran at 216,000 beats per hour, measuring time down to one-sixtieth of a second. To allow for this ambitious exactitude to be utilised, the central chronograph hand completed revolutions once per second – such that the user could easily see which sixtieth of a second the period in question ended on - and the watch had an extra sub-dial for tracking elapsed seconds in addition to those for the minutes and hours. Whys and wherefores An impressive story, except that it’s missing something. Why did Moinet build it? And what did he use it to measure? A...

Read article
8 deadly new Sinns from 2020, including dress watches (yes, really), refined pilots and divers Time+Tide
Sinn s from 2020 including May 17, 2020

8 deadly new Sinns from 2020, including dress watches (yes, really), refined pilots and divers

Sinn is a brand that is stealthily emerging from the shadows. The Frankfurt-based manufacturer favours slow incremental changes to their product line, making their watches better every year, but never reinventing the wheel as they go about it. This year, the new collection has looked to improve on a few older references, as well as … ContinuedThe post 8 deadly new Sinns from 2020, including dress watches (yes, really), refined pilots and divers appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Celebrity Watch Death Match – John Mayer Vs. Ed Sheeran … the rematch! Time+Tide
Apr 7, 2020

Celebrity Watch Death Match – John Mayer Vs. Ed Sheeran … the rematch!

Last week’s Celebrity Watch Death Match pushed it to the limit, as John Mayer and Ed Sheeran, according to you guys, ended in a white-knuckle draw. I called it 3-1 for Mayer, but you begged to differ. We had ourselves a 2-2 deadlock. So we were forced to clarify the rules. What happens when it’s a hung … ContinuedThe post Celebrity Watch Death Match – John Mayer Vs. Ed Sheeran … the rematch! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Read article
Breitling Introduces the Navitimer Automatic 41 Southeast Asia Edition SJX Watches
Breitling Introduces Dec 12, 2019

Breitling Introduces the Navitimer Automatic 41 Southeast Asia Edition

The entry-level model in Breitling’s Navitimer line, the Navitimer 41 is a three-hander with date – plus the Navitimer’s trademark circular slide rule bezel. Already available in a variety of guises, it’s now available in a small, 36-piece run for Breitling’s Southeast Asian boutiques, with a blue dial and red gold bezel. The Navitimer Automatic 41 Southeast Asia Boutique Edition has a 41mm steel case, but dressed up with the rotating bezel in 18k red gold. As with all current Navitimers, the bezel has a “beads of rice” rim, a detail taken from the first generation Navitimer of the 1950s that was later replaced by a more functional knurled edge. To match the bezel, the hands and hour markers are plated in red gold, while the dial is a deep metallic blue. Though not available on the Navitimer prior to this, the combination is a familiar, having been used by numerous brands in recent years, especially with blue dials being fashionable now. And the movement inside the Breitling 17, which is a rebadged ETA 2824, a robust, no-frills movement, here with a COSC chronometer certification. The SE Asia edition is limited to 36 pieces, and not 50 as engraved on the case back of the prototype above Key facts and price Navitimer Automatic 41 Southeast Asia Boutique Edition Diameter: 41mm Height: 10mm Material: Steel with 18k red gold bezel Water resistance: 30m Movement: Breitling 17 (ETA 2824) Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, and date Winding: Automatic Freque...

Read article
Hands-On: Longines Heritage Classic “Sector” Dial SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Dec 5, 2019

Hands-On: Longines Heritage Classic “Sector” Dial

Longines ended the year with two spot-on vintage remakes, the just-launched Heritage Military 1938 and the earlier Heritage Classic “sector” dial that’s just arrived in stores. The Heritage Classic is based on a 1934 Longines wristwatch with dial style known as “sector” or “scientific”. Fashionable today because of its distinctive yet retro look, the sector dial was fairly common in the early 20th century, being found on both pocket- and wristwatches made by a variety of brands, ranging from Patek Philippe to Zenith. So Longines doesn’t have any special claim to the design, but with a retail of just over US$2000, its sector-dial remake is arguably the bang for the buck. At 38.5mm in diameter the Heritage Classic is compact and wears well. It’s slightly larger than the vintage originals – typically 35mm or so, while rarely and expensively 37mm or larger – but not by much. Because the case diameter has been kept smallish by modern standards, the sub-seconds at six is correctly positioned, unlike on most remakes that match large cases with small movements. While the seconds sits closer to the centre of the dial than on the vintage original, the dial still looks correctly laid out with good balance. The remake (left), and the original from 1934 that’s in the Longines museum. Image – Longines Besides the diameter, the case profile is also well done. At 10mm, the height is proportional to the diameter, with a fairly high, single-step bezel and a slim c...

Read article
Longines Introduces the Heritage Military 1938 SJX Watches
Longines Introduces Nov 14, 2019

Longines Introduces the Heritage Military 1938

Following the recent Heritage Classic with a “sector” dial, Longines continues to churn out compellingly-priced, well-conceived remakes with the Heritage Military 1938. Limited to 1938 pieces, the watch is modelled on the ref. 4092, an oversized military watch produced by Longines just before the Second World War. Such watches were often made for the firm’s agents in Eastern Europe, most prominently Zipper in Poland. The original watch from 1938 (left) and the modern reissue (right) Like the original, the Heritage Military 1938 has a 43mm stainless-steel case topped by a domed sapphire crystal, which is pretty much the only obviously modern element of the watch.  The rest is pretty much faithful to the original, right down to the typeface of the logo and numerals, even on the sub-dial. Crucially – traditionalists will surely approve – the remake is hand-wound like the original, in contrast to most other Longines remakes that are self-winding. The case has a polished top surface on the lugs and bezel, with a contrasting brushed case band. And the matte black dial features a railway minutes track, along with sans-serif Arabic numerals and baton-shaped hands filled with cream-coloured Super-Luminova to mimic the aged appearance of the radium “lume” on the original. And because the watch is powered by the suitably large ETA Unitas 6498-1 that fills the case, the small seconds is correctly positioned, sitting a distance from the central axis and close to the bot...

Read article
MIDO OCEAN STAR TRIBUTE SPECIAL EDITION REVIEW WatchAdvice
Mido OCEAN STAR TRIBUTE SPECIAL Oct 29, 2019

MIDO OCEAN STAR TRIBUTE SPECIAL EDITION REVIEW

INTRO Recently, we had the opportunity to spend several weeks with the Mido Ocean Star Tribute Special Edition. Released to mark the brand’s 75th anniversary, Mido launched two variations of this vintage-inspired dive watch, which is available in either a Mediterranean Blue or a Deep Black model. Today though, we’re going hands-on with the Deep Black variant. FIRST IMPRESSIONS This is a lot of watch for the money, the package you’re getting for under $1,500 is substantial – and a reminder that you don’t have to spend big bucks to get a capable and attractive tool watch. THE DIAL & HANDS Legibility is no issue on the Ocean Star Tribute thanks to the use of Super-LumiNova on the hour-markers, baton-style hands and bezel. Keeping in line with the heavily vintage-inspired design, both the applied indices and hands are an off-white cream colour, imitating the patina’d look often seen on vintage dive watches. The lollipop-style orange seconds hand offers a pop of colour and compliments the custardy indices. At 3 o’clock you’ll also find an unobtrusive day/date function, which blends into the rest of the dial thanks to a matching date wheel.  THE CRYSTAL At first glance, you might mistake the Ocean Star Tribute’s boxed Sapphire crystal for acrylic. However, tougher and less prone to scratches, the use of sapphire crystal blends modern materials with vintage design, ensuring legibility. The curved edges of the crystal offer up some intriguing reflections and dis...

Read article
Longines Introduces the Heritage Classic “Sector” Dial SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Oct 11, 2019

Longines Introduces the Heritage Classic “Sector” Dial

Longines continues its streak of solidly made and eminently affordable vintage remakes with the Heritage Classic featuring a “sector” dial. The segmented dial design revisits a style, sometimes known as a “scientific” dial, that’s currently popular, one that has been done by brands as diverse as Habring2, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Laurent Ferrier. The sector dial was fairly common in the first half of the 20th century, and unlike most other companies doing remakes, Longines actually did produce such watches back in the day. According to Longines, the Heritage Classic is modelled on a watch from 1934 that’s in the company museum. As with the original, the sector dial on the remake is two-tone, with the chapter ring for the hour markers having a concentric brushed finish, while the central portion is finely grained. The markings are all printed, while the hands are blued steel. The Heritage Classic (left) and its 1934 inspiration The modern day remake is a faithful approximation of the original, right down to the typography for the Longines logo. It’s correctly proportioned as well, with a steel case that’s larger than the original but not too large, measuring 38.5mm in diameter and 10mm high, including the domed, “box glass” sapphire crystal. And because the case is matched with an appropriately sized movement that’s 25.6mm (or 11 1/1”’) wide, the subsidiary seconds does not sit too close to the centre of the dial, as is the case with large cases an...

Read article
Patek Philippe Introduces the World Time Chronograph Singapore 2019 Ref. 5930G (With Price) SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Introduces Sep 27, 2019

Patek Philippe Introduces the World Time Chronograph Singapore 2019 Ref. 5930G (With Price)

To mark the Singapore Grand Exhibition, which is now into its second day, Patek Philippe has unveiled a special-edition World Time Chronograph ref. 5930G-011 for the Southeast Asian market. Limited to 300 pieces, the watch has a white gold case paired with a smoked, red guilloche dial that darkens towards the edges. It features a dark grey city disc, on which “Singapore” replaces “Beijing” for the time zone of GMT+8. The rest of the watch is identical to that of the standard version that was first unveiled in 2016 with a white gold case paired with a blue dial. It measures 39.5mm wide and 12.8mm in height, which is rather impressive considering it houses a full-rotor movement, with a vertical-clutch, column-wheel flyback chronograph as well as a world time module. A corrector pusher at 10 o’clock advances the cities disc, hour hand and 24-hour scale in one-hour increments. All that needs to be done is to set the city corresponding to the local time zone to the 12 o’clock position. The local time will be indicated by the hands while the time in all other time zones can be read off the 24-hour scale. The 30-minute counter for the chronograph is located at six o’clock, while the seconds scale for the chronograph is located between the cities and 24-hour discs. Visible through the sapphire case back, the CH 28-520 HU movement is based on the CH 28-520 chronograph caliber, controlled by a vertical clutch, with the addition of a world time module based on the co...

Read article
First Look: Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 Limited Editions (With Prices) SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 Sep 26, 2019

First Look: Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 Limited Editions (With Prices)

The Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 opened today for a sneak preview of the monumental showcase of watchmaking and horology. It includes everything from watchmaker demonstrations to a look into the art of enamelling, explained by no other than master artisan Anita Porchet herself; more on those in upcoming stories (or you can also buy the hardbound catalogue with proceeds going to charity). For now, here’s a peek at the highly anticipated limited edition watches produced for the event. The outline of the Singapore 2019 collection is simple: four relatively accessible watches, two grand complications, and a variety of unique Rare Handcrafts clocks, pocket- and wristwatches. All of the limited edition watches bear “Patek Philippe Singapore 2019” on the case back, printed if the back is sapphire, and engraved if the back is solid. The first is the Aquanaut Singapore 2019 ref. 5167A-012 in steel, a variation of the standard model. It has a dial with the minute track and seconds hand in red, matched with a red strap. This is limited to 500 pieces, and priced at 22,400 Swiss francs, or 33,500 Singapore dollars. (Full details on the Aquanaut here.) It’s accompanied by the Aquanaut Luce Singapore 2019 ref. 5067A-027 in steel for ladies that has a red dial and strap, also a variation of the standard model. Only 300 will be made, with a retail of 19,900 Swiss francs, or 29,800 Singapore dollars. Also for ladies is the Calatrava Pilot Travel Ti...

Read article
Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Cornes de Vache Chronograph in Steel SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Introduces Sep 4, 2019

Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Cornes de Vache Chronograph in Steel

Originally available in platinum and then rose gold, the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 is a well regarded vintage remake, being well executed and faithful to the original. It’s modelled on the ref. 6087 of the 1950s, which was characterised by pointy, horn-shaped lugs, hence the model name; cornes de vache translates as cow horns. Now it is available in stainless steel, making the Cornes de Vache the second Historiques model to be offered in the metal, after the Historiques 1942 and 1948 triple calendars. The steel case naturally makes it far more accessible, with a retail price that’s a third less than the same in platinum. Material aside, the specs of the new model are identical to the earlier precious metal versions. The case is 38.5mm in diameter, and contains the cal. 1142 movement. Now made in-house by Vacheron Constantin, the cal. 1142 is derived from the Lemania 2310. Vacheron Constantin has upgraded the movement in several ways, most notably with a free-sprung balance wheel. The dial is a pale grey with a fine “velvet” finish and red accents on the elapsed seconds track. All of the applied hour markers are 18k white gold, as are the hands. Notably, this is not the first Cornes de Vache in steel. In 2017 Vacheron Constantin produced a small run of 36 watches – with a steel case and dark grey dial – for American watch blog Hodinkee. Key facts and price Diameter: 38.5mm Height: 10.9mm Material: Stainless steel Water resist...

Read article
Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum SJX Watches
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum Jul 21, 2019

Introducing the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum

As it marks the 50th year of the Moon landing, Omega introduced a variety of Speedmaster Moonwatches in steel and in gold, but none with the revived cal. 321 movement, until now. The first watch to land the cal. 321 – a second will debut later in the year – is the ultra-luxe Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum that’s a special, as opposed to a limited, edition. Visually it’s pretty much a typical Speedmaster Professional, save for the use of expensive materials for all the external components. The case is the standard 42mm with twisted, “lyre” lugs, but rendered in a particular platinum alloy, Pt950Au20, that is 95% platinum along with a small amount of gold. The bezel is also platinum, with an insert in black ceramic with white enamel markings. The “stepped” dial, as it was on vintage Speedmasters, is made of polished black onyx, while the hour, minute and register hands, along with the hour markers, are 18k white gold (the central seconds hand is plated brass, a necessity because the reset function requires it to be lightweight). All the chronograph sub-dials are made of moon meteorite. The case back reveals the cal. 321, a remake of the Lemania CH27 of the mid 20th century. Found in the early Speedmaster models, where it was named the Omega cal. 321, the movement has been reproduced in great detail. And according to Omega, it is distinct from its distant relative, the modern day Lemania cal. 2310 that has been in continuous production for several d...

Read article
Introducing the Trilobe Les Matinaux SJX Watches
De Bethune Dream Watch 5 Affordable Jul 4, 2019

Introducing the Trilobe Les Matinaux

Jean-François Mojon, founder of complications specialist Chronode, has a client list that reads like a who’s who of independent watchmaking: from establishment names Hermès and MB&F; to revived brands like Urban Jurgensen. His latest creation, however, is one of the most affordable to date. Constructed for Trilobe, a start-up founded just three years ago by former banker Gautier Massonneau. The brand’s first collection, Les Matinaux – “The Morning” in English – derives its name from a poem written by French author René Char.  Novelty aside Built at Chronode’s Le Locle facility, Les Matinaux is designed to subvert traditional time-telling. Instead of conventional fixed indices and moving hands, the hands, or rather pointers, are fixed but the markers – on three separate chapter rings for the hours, minutes and seconds – are constantly in motion, and rotate counter-clockwise to boot. The concept is not entirely new, of course. This type of time display is most often used on digital-style dials with numerals shown either in a single line or within a window, as on the De Bethune Dream Watch 5. Affordable brands have done the same with quartz movements, including Klokers, which is sadly now defunct, as well as Lip with its Mythic Jump Hour Watch. In contrast, Les Matinaux does not have its indicators arranged in a linear manner. Instead, the trio of trefoils – trilobe is French for trefoil – seem casually scattered across the dial, so i...

Read article