Results for IWC Mark XX

Louis Erard’s Latest is a Regulator with a Traditional Grand Feu Enamel Dial

Swiss watchmaker Louis Erard has recently collaborated with Donzé Cadrans, a veteran in the enamel dials field since 1972. As a first for Erard, the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel model is adorned for the first time with a traditional grand feu enamel dial. This partnership shows an expansion for the Swiss brand into new territory – and done with impeccable taste.  The use of grand feu enamel here marries technical precision and artisan craftsmanship. Each dial has to be made by hand, involving a meticulous process where layers of enamel are applied and fired at temperatures exceeding 800°C. This technique not only ensures vibrant and long-lasting colors but also demands an exceptional level of skill and patience, as even the slightest imperfection can require the entire piece to be redone. The result is a unique and exquisite timepiece, where no two dials are exactly alike, showcasing the harmony between tradition and innovation in watchmaking. The Le Régulateur model has an ivory-colored grand feu dial against the polished stainless steel case, giving a classic look for just about any occasion. The dial also features an hour and seconds counter subdials stacked at both the 12 and 6 o’clock mark. The colors are offset with a vibrant blue that both contrasts and marries the look together. With an automatic movement running on a Sellita SW266-1 calibre, you’ll have no trouble keeping time with this watch. The Régulateur is pulled together with a grey grained cal...

Interview: A Conversation with Benoit de Clerck, Zenith’s New CEO

A few years ago, I bought my first luxury watch on eBay, an Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300m ref. 2220.80.00. It was a watch I had first noticed on the wrist of Daniel Craig in Casino Royale over a decade earlier, and one which I had coveted. I spent way too much money on it, and accidentally (eBay defaulted to the wrong payment method) used my parents’ credit card to buy the watch. It was a boneheaded move, compounded by eBay’s then-nascent authentication program taking over two months to actually get the watch to me. But don’t worry, I did pay my parents back in relatively short order and eventually got the watch. And I got a fun story out of it that I am unlikely to soon forget. I would posit that many of us have similar stories about how we wound up making our first big watch purchase. Benoit de Clerck, who introduced himself to me as Ben, certainly does. “My first salary was a camera, a Nikon - you know, these old cameras and all that - but my second salary was an IWC Pilot’s Watch, 3706, and the story is, I did not have enough money to pay for it.” “So I paid it part on my credit card; part on cash; borrowed money from friends, brothers, sister, and friends; and post-dated checks,” he told me, “And the guy had never seen someone who wanted to do that for a watch, and of course, I wanted that watch now, obviously.” You might be amazed to know that Ben walked out of the boutique that day with his watch. “The owner of that store took a r...

A Favorite Complication Returns to the El Primero Family with Zenith’s New Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar

This week marks the unofficial (but also kind of official) beginning of a busy season of new watch releases with LVMH Watch Week. In recent years, LVMH Watch Week has served as an initial showcase for new novelties from the big brands that fall under the LVMH umbrella, and sets the stage for a period that culminates with Watches & Wonders in April. The timeline is a holdover from an era when trade shows were truly trade shows and watch brands would lock in their sales to worldwide dealer networks for the year. These days, that still happens, but it’s also full of very public launches and an all out media blitz by the brands. If the past is any indication, we’re likely to see splashy new release announcements from brands in the other big luxury groups as well as many independents in the coming months, but it kicks off with LVMH, and specifically Zenith, today.  Zenith’s big new LVMH Watch Week announcement this year is the return of the El Primero Triple Calendar, a favorite reference among collectors going back decades for its mix of sportiness and old-school refinement. The triple calendar has faded in popularity as a complication over the course of time, largely due to movement availability, but also simply thanks to a trend toward cleaner and less complicated designs. But the El Primero execution of the triple calendar has always been particularly well balanced in the way it conserves dial space and makes use of the chronograph subdials to draw the eye where it n...

In-Depth: Girard-Perregaux’s True Constant-Force Escapement

Ten years after it arrived on market, Girard-Perregaux revived its most notable modern-day invention with the Neo Constant Escapement. Operating on the same principles as the original, the Neo Constant Escapement (NCE) features an upgraded movement inside a more compact case. A combination of a historical concept originating with Abraham-Louis Breguet and cutting edge horology, the NCE retains the defining invention of the original – a true constant-force escapement. “True” because the constant-force mechanism, comprising a lozenge-shaped silicon spring, is integrated with the pallet lever, which in turn interacts with a “natural” escapement of twin escape wheels. While the key concept has been retained, the rest of the NCE, however, has been improved over the original, with wearability in particular having been enhanced. Initial thoughts The fundamental concept of the NCE is appealing because it successfully combines a significant historical invention, Breguet’s double-wheel escapement, with an innovation that is entirely 21st century, a compliant mechanism in silicon. Both are brought together in an elegant yet ingenious manner. The basis of the movement is Breguet’s échappement naturel, the “natural” escapement with two wheels that has been adopted in the modern day, in a variety of modified forms, by Voutilainen, F.P. Journe, and Charles Frodsham. But the natural escapement here has been enhanced with a constant force mechanism made up of a single pi...

Introducing: IWC's Pilot Chronograph 41 Goes Full Sport Mode With Racing-Inspired ‘Performance AMG’ Releases

Is it a pilot's watch? Is it cool? We dig into the details.

30th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver’s Editions: Was Gérald Genta’s Diving Inspiration Finally Realized?

2023 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore collection. Here Alexey Kutkovoy look at the ROO Diver watches, perhaps the most impressive and important non-chronograph design in the Offshore collection.

Louis Erard’s Most Ambitious Collaboration Yet: a New Tourbillon with Old Friend Alain Silberstein

This week, Louis Erard caps a fruitful, multiyear relationship with Alain Silberstein that has had a profound impact on the stock of both parties in the larger watch space. Silberstein, after a period where his watches were all the rage, had faded somewhat from our collective memory by 2021, and Louis Erard, too, was adrift. They made very high quality and unique watches for the money, but weren’t really the focus of enthusiasts and collectors. Now, through a series of collaborations with Silberstein and others, Louis Erard occupies a very different niche in the collector arena, and we’ve seen a renewed interest in Silberstein’s work as well in the years since his design language has been put spotlighted by these collaborations. Now, in what feels like a culmination of the work they’ve done together, Louis Erard has released a limited edition box set that adds a new color option to a prior collaboration, and, oh yeah, a tourbillon. No big deal.  The Le Triptyque Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Khaki is a new spin on their second collaboration, a collection of three watches (available as a collector’s set) featuring a unique titanium case framed with brancards. The watches in that collection featured a regulator, a day-date complication, and a chronograph, all with the hallmark Silberstein combination of colorful shapes in lieu of traditional hands. For this set, the black dials have been swapped for a dark green khaki, and the chronograph is now a tourbillon. It...

Richard Mille’s Time Odyssey: Then and Now | Revo Talks

Join us on an educational journey alongside Constant, where we delve into the world of Richard Mille guided by none other than Wei Koh, the founder of Revolution and an extremely passionate Richard Mille enthusiast, and for good reason. We’ll explore the remarkable evolution of Richard Mille, tracing its trajectory from its inception of the […]

Seiko Announces Three New U.S. Market Exclusive Divers

A look at the new Seiko Prospex SPB419, SPB421, and SPB423 divers - all inspired by cold water diving locations across the United States.

Introducing: The First IWC Pilot's Watch With A Fully Luminous Dial

A part of its collaborations with U.S. Navy squadrons, the 41mm Black Aces watch is a new bright dial in the brand's lineup.

Introducing: The IWC Pilot's Watch Spitfire Collection (VIDEO)

CEO Chris Grainger-Herr tells us about the brand's latest crop of aviator's watches, complete with new materials and new movements.

Business News: Audemars Piguet Names Ilaria Resta CEO

Ending months of speculation, Audemars Piguet (AP) has finally filled the role of chief executive officer after outgoing boss Francois-Henry Bennahmias revealed his intention to depart last year. The Le Brassus watchmaker famous for the Royal Oak just announced that the top job will go to Ilaria Resta, formerly the president at a privately-held fragrances giant headquartered in Geneva. According to the announcement, Ms Resta joins AP in August this year and officially assumes the chief executive role on January 1, 2024. Mr Bennahmias will remain to assist with the transition until the end of 2023. A thirty-year veteran of the brand, the flamboyant Mr Bennahmias quadrupled AP’s annual revenue during his tenure, with its sales last year hitting the CHF2 billion mark. His successor’s résumé, however, suggests the board might be looking for someone who understands branding on a global and mass-market scale. With a long and accomplished career in fast-moving consumer goods, Ms Resta’s background is unusual for the leader of a major luxury watch brand. She was most recently President of Global Perfumery & Beauty President at Firmenich, a Swiss firm that is one of the world’s largest fragrances companies and, like AP, family controlled. For over two decades until 2020, Ms Resta held a range of roles at Procter & Gamble, covering sectors ranging from laundry to hair care. “Her proven record of delivering results through a clear strategic thinking based on deep consumer...

The Spec Sheet: An IWC Ingenieur Chronograph That's Ready For The Formula One Track

The Ingenieur's answer to the Big Pilot still has Genta's DNA.

Watch Of The Week: Tom Brady's Personal IWC

Before I was an ambassador, I was a fan of the brand. And here's the watch I love right now.

Hublot’s Remarkable Trio

A Week On The Wrist: The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition 'Tribute To 3705'

A cult classic from the '90s is back in black(er).

Hands-On: The IWC Pilot's Watch Automatic Spitfire

Thirty-nine millimeters of pure steel pilot's watch.

In-Depth: The Audacity of Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate Concept

A relentless pursuit of diminishing returns seems to be the norm in the world of high-end watchmaking. Better finishing, lightness, longer power reserve, or chronometric performance, refined and enhanced to the nth degree – there is always something to improve, but by tinier and tinier margins. Brands and watchmakers, in turn, often develop a specific niche, trying to best each other with ever-smaller improvements. In the niche of ultra-thin watches, there are only a handful of serious players. Piaget is one such player. The brand’s forte is thickness, or rather, thinness – Piaget has held the record for the thinnest production watch on multiple occasions, with only a handful of rivals able to best its various records. And now it’s the reigning champ once again with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept (AUC). Just 2 mm high in its entirety, the AUC is so thin it looks almost like an optical illusion in photos – and a prop in real life. But it is a perfectly functional – and water-resistant – mechanical wristwatch. So the question is, how did Piaget do it? And of course, do the diminishing marginal gains justify the retail price of approximately 400,000 Swiss francs? Altiplano evolution Prior to the AUC, Piaget’s best-known attempt at the crown was the Altiplano 900P. Released in 2013, the Altiplano 900P stands just 3.65 mm high. It held the record of the thinnest mechanical watch on the market until 2015, when the title taken by Piaget’s sister brand, Jaeg...

Introducing the Breguet Type XXI 3815

Complete Guide: Patek Philippe’s Modern Chronographs

Revolution explores the remarkable technical qualities of the manual-wind chronograph movements that have given life to some of the most stunning and iconic Patek Philippe watches of all time.

Hennessy Teams Up With Artist Cai Guo-Qiang To Mark The Explosive 150th Anniversary Of Its X.O Cognac

It was literally raining down fire all around Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle. The high winds had caused the still-burning firework tubes to drift and come tumbling down onto the heads of a group of journalists she joined rather than into the nearby Charente River as anticipated on one stormy, blustery fall day in Cognac, France. But Hennessy's “The Birth of Tragedy” performance art display by artist Cai Guo-Qiang still went ahead with a bang. A lot of colorful big bangs!

Vintage Watches: A 1979 Audemars Piguet Two-Tone 'Jumbo' Royal Oak, A 1978 Rolex GMT-Master Mark 3 'Radial Dial,' And A 1950s Universal Genève Tri-Compax

Twenty vintage watches just landed in the Shop, need we say more?

Business News: Stefanie Ng Appointed CEO of Audemars Piguet SE Asia

Audemars Piguet (AP) recently named Stefanie Ng to lead its operations in Southeast Asia, India and Australia. She succeeds Jonathan King, who departed the brand in April 2019. Having started her career at Swatch Group, Ms Ng joined AP in 2012 as marketing manager for the region, where she helped execute projects like the Royal Oak 40th anniversary exhibition and a giant floral clock at Gardens by the Bay. The past two years have been formative for the brand, both in Asia and the wider world, as it has steadily trimmed its third-party distribution while growing sales within its own stores, making the marketing efforts of Ms Ng and her team vital, particularly with the launch of the all-new Code 11.59 collection earlier this year. As chief executive, Ms Ng will work alongside two board members of AP, which is unusual amongst Swiss watchmakers in having shareholders resident in Singapore: Oliviero Bottinelli, whose family inherited its stake from former AP chief executive Georges Golay (1921-1987), and Sunil Amarasuriya, who was once the distributor for AP in the region and acquired a minority stake in 1990. The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 tourbillon made for Only Watch, which sold for a record 1m Swiss francs at the charity auction in November Though the watch industry in the region, like that back home in Switzerland, is dominated by men, it’s noteworthy that two of the most important brands – coincidentally both family owned – are now run by women. The Patek Philipp...

Grand Seiko GMT SBGM003 9S56-00B0

Grand Seiko has long been the benchmark of a 'value' timepiece. Decades before the proliferation of micro-brands, the Seiko Grand Seiko brand could well be held in the status that many try to get a pie of today. It had the right amount of hand-made, the right amount of mechanical superiority, the right amount of manufacturer pedigree and 'had' the right price.

Introducing: The IWC Pilot's Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition '80 Years Flight To New York'

A horological commemoration of a French flying boat's first transatlantic passage.