195 articles found · page 4 of 7
Monochrome
There is something happening in terms of watchmaking in France at the moment… Something quite interesting, if I must be honest, and I’m not saying this only because I’m French. We’re witnessing a resurgence of French watchmaking, with brands such as Yema delivering accessible watches equipped with made-in-France manufacture movements, or Trilobe recently unveiling an […]
SJX Watches
Now in its 28th year, the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow is open for candidates. This year’s theme is “Shifting the Balance: Reading and Perceiving Time Differently” and encourages applicants to propose novel or unusual time displays, inspired by the recently revived Tank à Guichets. The prize is open to third and fourth year apprentice watchmakers and techniciens ES en Microtechniques in Switzerland, or young people in any equivalently rigorous program in France, Germany, Belgium, or employed at Cartier (which unsurprisingly is one of the largest employees in the Vallee de Joux). The brand will also consider applicants outside this scope on a case-by-case basis. Cartier accepts applications in French, English, and German, which must include an introduction video, project pitch, and sketch of the creation. This portal closes on October 31 2025. A five member jury, which includes Kari Voutilainen, will select six technicians and six apprentices, to be announced in December. The 12 chosen candidates will pair up with a mentor and have only 80 hours over three months to construct their respective vision using a Cartier cal. 012 alarm clock movement and a budget of CHF500. The application includes normally proprietary technical documentation on this movement to help the prospects plan their projects. Candidates will document the build in a digital logbook, recording and explaining each step, and keeping track of the 80 hour time budget. The reconvened...
Hodinkee
Big news out of France, with Trilobe's signature design meeting a new, sportier form.
Monochrome
Founded in Paris in 1785 by Charles Leroy, L.Leroy was once one of France’s illustrious watchmaking houses, known for its marine chronometers, high complications and commissions for European royalty. After years of dormancy, the brand, acquired in 2004 by Miguel Rodríguez of the Festina Group, is staging a comeback. Following its first step with a […]
Fratello
Breitling announces two new Endurance Pro models for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship triathlon for 2025. The events occur in Nice, France, and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with the championship finale in Marbella, Spain. To coincide with the upcoming races, the Endurance Pro uses new color combos to freshen up for the exotic locales. Specifically celebrating the […] Visit Introducing: Two New Breitling Endurance Pro Watches For The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship 2025 Edition to read the full article.
SJX Watches
In the world of independent watchmaking, Phimphrachanh – pronounced “fin-fra-chan” – is a name worth learning. Born in France, Dann Phimphrachanh is a Portuguese citizen with Laotian heritage who produces watches in Switzerland. That multicultural heritage that informs his approach to horology, personified by the Seconde Vive, his first wristwatch. The Phimphrachanh surname, inherited from his Laotian grandfather, a political figure in Laos, speaks to this lineage, but Dann’s professional and personal identity is firmly rooted in Portugal. After training in Lisbon’s watchmaking school and working at traditional Swiss watch brands, Dann set out to build his first watch on his own terms: by hand, with minimal industrial tools, and a commitment to preserving classical methods in a modern context. In a world where “independent watchmaking” can sometimes feel like just another label, Dann reminds us what it really means. The Seconde Vive, the result of years of solitary work, is both a technical achievement and a reflection of a deeper pursuit, a journey shaped by tradition, silence, and the slow mastery of time itself. The Seconde Vive Origins When Dann first left for Switzerland, he carried with him an image shaped by the glossy pages of watchmaking magazines, a world where the watchmaker was portrayed as a solitary figure, pursuing perfection in a quiet, idyllic workshop. “It was that image I went looking for,” he recalls. Reality, of course, was more co...
Time+Tide
This is proving to be a summer of very hot watch releases, with highlights including a Tissot Tour de France edition and a new round RM.The post New releases from Breitling, Richard Mille, Tissot and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
The Sun is shining, temperatures are rising, and my kids are finishing their classes. At last, our summer vacation is just around the corner. It’s time to go through the watch box and pick my watches for a road trip through France and Spain. I’ll probably end up with the Rolex Explorer 114270 as my […] Visit Fratello Summer Watch Picks 2025: Daan’s Choices From Longines, Girard-Perregaux, And Ressence to read the full article.
Monochrome
France’s golden age of horology during the 17th and 18th centuries produced notable figures like Julien Le Roy, Ferdinand Berthoud and Abraham-Louis Breguet. And it’s fair to say that had it not been for the expulsion of French Protestants following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 by King Louis XIV, Swiss watchmaking […]
Deployant
For the 2025 season of the Tour de France Tudor sponsored team will be racing. And to celebrate, Tudor releases the Pelagos FXD Yellow.
Fratello
Fabian “Spartacus” Cancellara is a Swiss cycling legend who not only won multiple world and Olympic championships but also wore the Tour de France’s yellow leader’s jersey for 29 days and won eight stages. The last time Cancellara raced in France was in 2016, and this year, he returns to the biggest bike race in […] Visit Introducing: The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono “Yellow” to read the full article.
About two hours away from Geneva, heading north and a touch east, just along the border with France, you’ll find the Jura region of Switzerland. One of the fabled centers of Swiss watch production, the scenery is idyllic, and the towns are old, small, and quiet. Compared to the urban centers of Geneva, Basel, Zurich, and Biel/Bienne, it would be considered rural, even if it is only a short distance away. And yet, this pastoral scene belies what is happening in many of the buildings dotted along the landscape. Inside, raw metals are transformed into incredible mechanisms and luxury goods through processes that are both coarse and delicate. In short, it’s where watches get made. On the tail end of my trip to Watches & Wonders 2025, rather than heading straight home, tired and needing a watch detox, I took a short trip to Jura to visit not a watch company, but a movement manufacturer: Soprod. Founded in 1966, as of 2008, Soprod has been part of the Festina group, and is one of a small handful of third-party, Swiss-made movement suppliers. Although the company undertakes behind-the-scenes development for large luxury brands, including module design, it is known among watch enthusiasts as an alternative to ETA and Sellita, one that is becoming increasingly prevalent among indie brands. The post Inside Soprod: Where Mechanical Movements are Made appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Time+Tide
This design-forward piece from France's master of square watches feels very Star Wars.The post The Bell & Ross BR-03 Skeleton Lum Ceramic glows with form-first design appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Breguet Type XX, originally produced for France’s military pilots in the 1950s, is one of the most significant and influential watches with aviation ties, and represents the historical and, to many watch enthusiasts, largely unknown link between the Breguet family’s two areas of multigenerational savoir faire: watchmaking and aeronautical technology. The new Type XX Chronographe 2075, unveiled last week as part of Montres Breguet’s ongoing celebration of its 250th anniversary, stylishly pays tribute to this shared history in two distinctive iterations based on one of the very first civilian-marketed models. Origin of the Type XX A bit of history and background: Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of the eponymous watchmaking maison, is known to many of us as one of the world’s most important watchmaking pioneers, whose many accomplishments include the invention of the tourbillon, keyless winding of watch movements, and the ubiquitous Breguet hands. Several generations of his family continued the horological tradition, but one great grandson, Louis-Charles Breguet, found another calling, in the burgeoning field of manned flight, founding Breguet Aviation in 1911. The company, today a part of Dassault Aviation, developed cutting-edge aircraft for the military units of Louis’ native France, including the famed Breguet 19 bomber used during World War I. Despite the ownership change in the watch business, both branches of the Breguet families kept close ties both to e...
Fratello
Yema’s current catalog mainly consists of sports watches, so it’s nice to see a new dressier option, especially because it has quite an original design. The inspiration for the all-new Yema Granvelle’s cushion shape came from the arches in the courtyard of the Granvelle Palace in Besançon. The building also houses the Museum of Time, […] Visit Hands-On Introduction: The Yema Granvelle CMM.20 - Inspired By 16th-Century Architecture to read the full article.
Monochrome
Except if you’re a hardcore dive watch enthusiast, ZRC might not immediately ring a bell. And yet, it is a rather important name for divers, particularly in France. An old company that once created a watch for the French Navy and delivered them for a good 35 years, the whole concept was brought back to […]
Fratello
Next weekend, on May 17th and 18th, TimeFest will once again take place in Bordeaux, France. This is the second year for the event, and it promises to be even bigger and better than last time. The number of exhibiting brands went up from almost 50 to 65, and because the event moved to the […] Visit Only One More Week To Go Before TimeFest Opens Its Doors Again In Bordeaux to read the full article.
Fratello
What’s the best cycling stage race in the world? Don’t say it’s the Tour de France because, I’m sorry, that’s wrong. The correct answer is the Giro d’Italia, or “the world’s most beautiful bike race.” Never was a nickname so accurate. It all started in 1909, and the coming weekend sees the start of the […] Visit Introducing: The Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono “Pink” - Pretty In Pink With A Cycling Twist to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Being the cradle of watchmaking, France is bound to have some good watchmakers - and it does.The post 19 of the best French watch brands keeping the historic craft alive appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Baltic returns as the official timekeeper of The Tour de France Automobile, along with a new limited edition chronograph in honor of the long-standing rally.
Worn & Wound
I really don’t know anything about cycling. Beyond a childhood penchant for Livestrong bracelets and about 20 minutes a year spent watching either the Tour de France or the Olympics, the world of competitive cycling is a mystery to me. I don’t even own a bicycle right now. So on some level, the watches produced by Bravur, the Swedish watch brand whose watches often celebrate the fastest sport on two wheels without an engine, shouldn’t really be my thing. And yet, each and every time I encounter the brand, I come away impressed and intrigued. That was definitely my response when I first saw the brand’s Team Heritage watch last year, and it remains my response in seeing their latest addition to that collection: The Team Heritage STR, inspired by the livery of the St. Raphaël team. I’ll have to take Bravur’s word for the long-dormant St. Raphaël team’s “legendary” status, one thing is absolutely for sure, their colors make for a hell of an addition to the Bravur lineup. The Team Heritage model was first released last year and stood out to me not only for its unique colorways inspired by the liveries of some of cycling’s most significant and historic teams but also for the model’s unique architecture, interesting dial executions, and downright fantastic feel on the wrist. Each of the model’s distinct looks stood out to such an extent that it’d have been hard for me to pick a favorite. Not so much anymore. This red, white, and blue bullseye pattern...
Monochrome
The Tour Auto is the historic reincarnation of the Tour de France Automobile, a race created in 1899 by the Automobile Club de France, and French brand Baltic is the official timer of the event this year again. As with previous year’s events and ahead of the 2025 edition of this vintage car rally, which […]
Time+Tide
France's best-known luxury brand and Finland's master watchmaker collaborate on a 5-piece limited edition.The post Louis Vuitton teams up with Kari Voutilainen on an ultra-elevated tantalum take on the Escale appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
“Through constant emails, face-to-face requests at events, and in the comments of our social posts, it has been impossible to ignore the requests for this ‘Goldilocks’ case size. We are a brand that listens to our customers––you asked and we delivered.” –Christopher Ward’s CEO and Co-Founder Mike France It’s always refreshing when the feedback of the watch community is recognized by at least one company or representative within the watchmaking industry. To hear Mike France and Christopher Ward directly address their customer’s concerns is exactly what makes the microbrand/indie sphere so great. Whether you believe they’ve expanded beyond their microbrand status to “legacy micro,” “independent,” or some other higher level of categorization, the brand’s acknowledgement of customer input speaks volumes about their character and ability to take and utilize constructive criticism––perhaps a result of their humble beginnings as a true microbrand. After the critical acclaim the 36mm and 40mm Twelve models received, Christopher Ward is set to release a fresh take on their popular design with the new Twelve 38. The stainless-steel case, which made its limited edition debut last year in the “Ice Cream” collection, measures 38mm across, 43.3mm lug-to-lug, and 9.95mm thick, thanks to its ultra-slim Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 movement. With 26 jewels, a smooth 4Hz beat rate, and a 38-hour power reserve, these reliable and durable automatic move...
Monochrome
A relatively young brand founded in 2014 and based in Paris, France, the brainchild of childhood friends Ambroise and Adrien, Charlie Paris aims at delivering nice designs and solid watch content at fair prices. And the brand already carries quite a solid portfolio of models, such as the sporty Concordia we’ve covered already. But today, […]
Worn & Wound
Today, if you ask nearly anyone, “What’s the epicenter of watchmaking?” the answer will resoundingly be, “Switzerland,” but you might be surprised to learn its neighbor to the west is largely responsible for the birth of modern watchmaking as we know it. In France, the earliest clocks date back to the Middle Ages, primarily used by clergymen. Fast forward a few hundred years, you’ll find the first “wearable clocks” emerging in France by the end of the 1400s. Over the next couple hundred years, watchmaking became an increasingly thriving industry in France. However, the horological community experienced its first disruption in 1685. That year, King Louis XIV revoked of the Edict of Nantes, which had granted the minority Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic at the time. As a result of the revocation, there was a mass exodus of Huguenots from France across the border to Switzerland, many of whom were-you guessed it-watchmakers. King Louis XIV Still, the real golden age of French watchmaking came in the 1700s in conjunction with another major moment for the country: the Age of Enlightenment. During this time, Paris became the heart of the watchmaking industry. Here, in the Île de la Cité (one of two natural islands in the Seine River right in the center of the City of Light), is the Place Dauphone, a public square on the western end of the island opposite the ico...
Monochrome
Abraham-Louis Breguet was the leading watchmaker of his day and enjoyed the patronage of France’s royalty and aristocracy. Among the names on his VIP list was Caroline Murat, aka the Reine de Naples, Napoleon Bonaparte’s youngest sister, who was a keen collector of Breguet’s horological marvels. The Reine de Naples collection is a free interpretation […]
Fratello
Rugby fans worldwide are looking forward to the annual Six Nations Championship that kicks off on January 31st in Paris, France. This year’s tournament will end with a trio of matches on March 15th. It will be interesting to see whether Ireland can defend its title or if we will witness the crowning of a […] Visit Breitling Introduces New Six Nations Chronomat Limited Editions For Men And Women to read the full article.
Monochrome
One of France’s oldest family-owned and run luxury companies, Hermès started life in 1837 as a producer of harnesses and saddles in Paris. Renowned for its impeccable artisanal craftsmanship and intrepid artistic flair, Hermès manages to endow its watches with a singular dash of poetry. The equestrian-inspired profile of the Arceau, which has hosted poetic […]
Monochrome
Founded just eight years ago by Etienne Malec, Baltic has gone from strength to strength with its attractive designs. Relying on outsourced movements assembled in France, Baltic sells its watches directly online at genuinely competitive prices. Baltic’s neo-vintage models are particularly successful, including the Hermétique Tourer, a field watch with compact dimensions and a surprising […]
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