16,337 articles · 80 videos found · page 42 of 548
Quill & Pad
Going on the results of the past auctions, Elizabeth Doerr picks a few clear top contenders for the 2019 Only Watch auction, starting with that unique-piece Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime in stainless steel.
SJX Watches
Luxury giant LVMH has made an offer to buy Tiffany & Co., America’s leading luxury jeweller (and the biggest retailer of Patek Philippe watches in the country), according to the Bloomberg. The French group made an all-cash offer of US$120 a share, a premium of about 22% over Tiffany’s last done share price and valuing the company at about US$14.4 billion. That would make Tiffany’s the biggest acquisition ever for LVMH, which has seen its shares hit record highs recently, bringing its value to over US$210 billion. Despite being the world’s largest luxury group – its brands include Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Rimowa, Hublot and DFS – LVMH is relatively weak in high-end jewellery, especially compared to Swiss rival Richemont, which owns Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Piaget, and only just picked up Buccellati. Buying Tiffany would give LVMH a bigger presence in jewellery, as well as greater exposure to the United States, which is the jeweller’s biggest market, account for around a third of sales. LVMH only just opened a bag factory in Texas, the Louis Vuitton Rochambeau Ranch, in an event attended by Donald Trump and LVMH chief executive and controlling shareholder Bernard Arnault, who’s also the third-richest man in the world. Best known for its diamond engagement rings and blue boxes, Tiffany suffered from a weak spell in recent years, with its former chief executive Frederic Cumenal, an LVMH alumni, lasting barely two years. After he departed in 2017, to be...
SJX Watches
Designer of some of the most striking wristwatches of the 1960s, jeweller Gilbert Albert (1930-2019), passed away in his hometown of Geneva on October 1 , 2019. He was 90. Son of a newspaper deliveryman, Albert trained as a jeweller at Geneva’s l’Ecole des Arts Industriels and was only in his mid 20s when he joined Patek Philippe in 1955 as a designer. In his seven years at the watchmaker, which was then led by Henri Stern, himself a trained jeweller, Albert was responsible for some of the most radical watch cases of the era. These strikingly asymmetrical timepieces, like the Asymétrie wristwatches and Ricochet pocket watches, are still incredible designs six decades on. Gilbert Albert. Photo – lenouvelliste.ch He then set up his own workshop in 1962, where he became known for the use of unusual materials like coral and meteorite, all installed in quirky, unique jewellery desirable enough that frequent fakes eventually emerged. Albert also designed watches and jewellery for other watchmakers, most notably Omega, where he created several collections, including the Maille d’Or and Arabesque d’Or, all characterised by a distinctive, almost organic style. With his success, Albert built a small but highly regarded jewellery business. He opened his first store in his hometown in 1973, sited on rue de la Corraterie, a street just outside the walls of Geneva’s Old Town. Ten years later that was followed by a boutique in Zurich. Albert’s boutique in Gen...
SJX Watches
The Phillips Perpetual boutique in London officially opens this week with 40 watches encompassing all important genres of watch collecting, from a Rolex Daytona “John Player Special” to a Patek Philippe Nautilus “Jumbo” ref. 3700 (from the collection of Jean-Claude Biver no less). But one of the flagship offerings is an important example of independent watchmaking – a Roger W. Smith Series 2 “Edition 2” that’s “No. 1”. It is very much a quintessential, early Roger W. Smith creation with the hallmark elements of his watchmaking. But the watch is also historically interesting, being an example of the road not taken for Mr Smith. The forgotten “Edition” This watch illuminates an intriguing bit of early Roger W. Smith history. Shortly after Mr Smith delivered the first batch of Series 2 watches in late 2007, he decided to create the “Edition” concept. According to Mr Smith, the idea was to produce Series 2 as a limited edition of 90 watches in total, with 30 watches in each colour of gold. All Edition watches had 38mm cases and solid silver dials; the Edition 1 was in yellow gold, Edition 2 in rose, and Edition 3 in white gold. At the same time, Mr Smith also offered custom versions of the Series 2, which were also available in a platinum case. But as it turned out, most clients wanted a custom watch, rather than an Edition example. So Mr Smith discreetly abandoned Edition not long after, and only a five of each Edition were made. This is on...
SJX Watches
The average Urwerk is distinctly sci-fi in appearance, more Star Trek than Games of Thrones. But every once in a while Urwerk gives one of its watches the ornately-fully-engraved treatment, with the latest being the UR-111C “Pistol”. It’s a one-off creation based on the UR-111C, a watch inspired by the earlier and much more expensive UR-CC1, itself modelled on the 1950s Patek Philippe ref. 3414, an experimental wristwatch nicknamed “Cobra”. The standard UR-111C has a streamlined case with a mechanical looking details, very much in the house style of Urwerk. The Pistol, in contrast, is decorated on all surfaces with an ornate motif that’s hand-engraved by Urwerk’s go-to engraver. It was commissioned by a client who has a soft spot for such engraved Urwerk watches; the UR-111C “Pistol” is his third fully engraved watch. (Editor’s note: This Pistol shares the same name as the EMC Pistol from 2015, and was decorated by the same engraver, but is a completely different model.) Inspired by 19th century French wrought iron fixtures, the motif is in relief, raised against the background by only a fraction of a millimetre but enough to give it significant depth. Add to that the refined, narrow and perfectly straight lines of the decoration, and the talent of the engraver is obvious. Credit for the work goes to Florian Güllert, an Austrian engraver who trained as a gunsmith and usually decorates firearms. Based in Klagenfurt, a city in the south of ...
SJX Watches
Kennsen Watches makes its debut with a notably clever and well-priced annual calendar chronograph powered by a patented calendar module on top of a Valjoux 7750. Though Kennsen is newly set-up, its founder David Lea specialises in constructing complications for other brands, explaining the surprising degree of technical innovation for a small start-up. Annual calendar chronographs are relatively uncommon on the market and most are fairly costly – Patek Philippe and Ulysse Nardin are amongst the handful of brands that offer one – making the new Kennsen the most affordable example today, with a retail price of just over US$5000. Despite its affordability, the Kennsen annual calendar chronograph is entirely Swiss-made. The case is produced by Victorinox, the famed maker of Swiss army knives and also watches, while the module was designed by Lea & Associé – Mr Lea’s design outfit – and manufactured by a firm in the Vallée de Joux. Made of stainless steel, the case is 42mm in diameter, with a polished bezel and case back, while the case band has a brushed finish. The dial, available in either black or champagne, has a clean and pleasant design. It features recessed sub-dials, applied indices and a telemeter scale in miles and kilometres on the outer rim. At one o’clock is a day and night indicator displayed in a small aperture, and nestled subtly next to the central axis of the dial is the month display, aligned on the same axis as the date at three. ...
Revolution
In conversation with author and all-round expert on fine wines, vintage Cartiers and Patek Philippes, Auro Montanari, better known as John Goldberger.
SJX Watches
There is no real point in collecting anything unless for the sake of beauty. The moment I see a watch for the first time is always the most crucial. The pieces that ended up entering the collection always touched me viscerally when I first saw them. Over time, almost unconsciously, as the collection took shape, the watches not only have a uniformity of standard and taste, but also reflect an intuition distinctly my own. Taste is the developed perception of aesthetics unique to every collector, while standard pertains to quality and rarity. In the big picture, “beauty” – in both tangible and abstract terms – has come to encompass all three: aesthetics, quality, and rarity. The watches I crave and seek, be it the best examples of the most important references of the most important manufactures, or unique “time-only” examples of incredible quality and design, must be eternal in their beauty. In this article we delve into a few complicated watches close to my heart. Passing time cannot affect an object that is truly beautiful. Just look at two of the most important Patek Philippe landmark complicated references: ref. 1518, the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch in the world, and ref. 3448, the first self-winding, perpetual calendar wristwatch. Their designs are perfectly balanced, timeless, as fresh today as when they were first introduced – in the early 1940s and the early 1960s, respectively. For years, the daunting challenge had been in ...
SJX Watches
The George Daniels Space Traveller I, one of the most important watches of the 20th century, has just sold at Sotheby’s in London for £3.62m, or about US$4.56m, all fees included. That makes the Space Traveller I the most expensive watch sold in 2019 so far – though it will doubtlessly be eclipsed by the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime in steel for Only Watch – and the most expensive watch ever by an independent watchmaker. A big boost to Sotheby’s market share in watch auctions, the record-setting Daniels was the final lot in the first auction of Masterworks of Time, the sale of a collection of over 800 pocket watches owned by Erivan Haub, the late German supermarket tycoon. The last time the Space Traveller was sold was in 1988, where Haub paid 220,000 Swiss francs for it at Sotheby’s in Geneva. Prior to that, the watch was been sold by London antique watch dealer Bobinet in 1982 to a collector by the name of Jay Lennon. In almost forty years, the Space Traveller has had only three owners. The auction Having concluded just over an hour ago, the auction took place on a pleasant summer’s day in London, but it was slow going in the half-filled room. The average age of the attendees was notedly higher than that for a wristwatch auction, reflecting the niche nature of pocket watch collecting. But a crowd started to form as soon as it came to the Space Traveller, and the atmosphere perked up. Bidding started out as a tussle between an absentee bidder...
Revolution
The upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in Geneva has strong offerings of Patek Philippe watches and manual-wind Daytonas.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Based on the Lemania 2310 - a movement that would serve as a base for watches like the Patek Philippe 3970 - the original caliber 321 stands as the spirit of the "true" moon and pre-moon watches. As a column-wheel chronograph, it's also highly coveted by collectors due to the historical significance and purported superiority as well.
Time+Tide
Invented in the 1930s by Geneva watchmaker Louis Cottier, world time watches brought – at a glance and all at once – the time across 24 of the world’s key time zones to the hands of international jetsetters and business-makers. Indeed, no complication provides a greater desire to conquer the world, or induces a greater … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: This one has the time, now all you need is the jet – the Franck Muller Vanguard World Timer GMT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Two Rolexes and one Patek Philippe breaks the million CHF mark on evening two of Phillips Watches Geneva Spring Auctions 2017.
Time+Tide
As Marvelites and Comic-Con attendees undoubtedly already know, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the much-anticipated follow-up to the 2014 original, is in Australian cinemas today. As a closet Marvel fangirl (Pssst, Antman. You never return my calls.), this is a big deal for me. So to celebrate I’ve put together five (very different) watches, for the … ContinuedThe post LIST: 5 out of this world watches perfect for the Guardians of Galaxy, just in time for Vol. 2 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Watches which define purity make a potent statement of personal philosophy in a world which has grown increasingly vulgar and gauche.
Deployant
Provenance is important to collectors & what better way to be a part of history then to have world events reflected in the dials of these world time watches
Revolution
Rounding up an all Patek Philippe line up in the list of top performers at Phillips Watches’ third tour of Hong Kong.
Time+Tide
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/154855593″] Franck Muller has the rather grandiloquent sobriquet of ‘The Master of Complications’ – and this watch is the reason why. Superseding Patek Philippe’s Calibre 89 for the most complicated title when it was released in 2010, the Aeternitas Mega features a staggering 36 complications, 21 hands and a movement with no fewer than 1483 parts. More impressive … ContinuedThe post GONE IN 60 SECONDS: The most complicated wristwatch ever made – the Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega video review appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
A recommendation guide to purchase a heirloom watch, with pieces from Breguet, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Lange, and Kari Voutilainen.
Revolution
Watches that commemorate anniversaries are often amongst the most desirable. Collectors still hunt for pieces of Cartier’s 150th and Patek Philippe’s 175th Anniversary collection, and probably will do the same in the near future for REVOLUTION’s own anniversary Panerai and IWC. That such celebrations often result in the creation of truly unique watches is once […]
Revolution
You might not expect it but within Patek Philippe’s design department works a genuine and actually quite famous artist; Xavier Magaldi. This by itself might not come as such a surprise, but Magaldi is not into still life paintings or even creations of a more impressionistic nature, no, Magaldi is into street art! Though not […]
Revolution
There are independents and then there is Svend Andersen. Although born in Denmark, he was destined to become a watchmaking pioneer in Switzerland. After joining Gubelin, and spending nine years at Patek Philippe, he decided to start his own workshop…in 1979. Quite a daring move, since the Swiss watch industry wasn’t exactly in good shape […]
Revolution
Watches are a constant reminder of our own mortality. Every tick we hear, will never come back and inevitable bring us closer to the end, whatever that may be. Even one of the most successful add campaigns ever launched by a watch brand is referring to this; You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You […]
Revolution
Are you the owner of a perpetual calendar from Patek Philippe or the H. Moser & Cie Perpetual 1? If you are, you’ll know that such watches are designed to not require adjustment until the year 2100. The highly complex movement is able to distinguish the number of days within a month and whether it […]
Deployant
Roger Dubuis…this brand have had a mystique since its early days when Mr. Dubuis was running the company…after his retirement from Patek Philippe. The Symphatie case, as shown here today in the now classic Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Chronograph was a wonder in those days…still is. Then Carlos Dias took over the company, and for me,Read More
Revolution
A new world-time watch from iwc, inspired by its highly coveted historical mark timepieces The enforced passivity of modern air travel has probably been responsible for more fantasies of actually sitting in the cockpit of a high-performance fighter jet than The Right Stuff, Top Gun and all of the Iron Eagle movies put together. But for […]
Deployant
Laurent Ferrier…the first offering from this doyen of traditional watchmaking. Laurent used to work within the studios of Patek Philippe, and this year, he introduced a landmark piece bearing his name on the dial. The Gallet Tourbillon is a masterpiece of watchmaking. Totally traditional, fully classical in design, layout and finish. Available as an enamelRead More
Fratello
Just a couple of weeks ago, we were recording an episode of Fratello On Air when Balazs brought up the new Timex Atelier collection. Frankly, I had no idea what he was talking about, which is odd because I check out the brand’s website every so often. Lo and behold, when I did hit the […] Visit Watch Out, World: The New Timex Atelier Chronographs Are Really Good to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
For many in the watch world, the fairly unassuming Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur – with no tourbillon, no chimes, and nothing insanely in your face – became the watch of the fair at Watches and Wonders 2022. In fact, in our post-fair round table it was the “best in show” for at least half of our on-location team. Elizabeth Doerr takes a closer look at this imaginative opus with practical use.
Hodinkee
The last word in horological chic for the first generation of globetrotters and jet-setters.
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.