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Results for AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants)

3,202 articles · 294 videos found · page 46 of 117

Grand Seiko Debuts the Angular, Sporty Tentagraph Tokyo Lion SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Debuts Apr 8, 2025

Grand Seiko Debuts the Angular, Sporty Tentagraph Tokyo Lion

Grand Seiko’s flagship mechanical chronograph has been reimagined as the Sports Collection Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009. Executed in the brand’s proprietary “Brilliant Hard Titanium”, the oversized, facetted case is inspired by the paw of a lion, the historical emblem of Grand Seiko. This is the first time the Tentagraph movement is being combined with the Tokyo Lion case, setting it apart from the original model that was in the classic Grand Seiko Evolution 9 design. Initial thoughts While the original Tentagraph was conventional in style, the Tokyo Lion edition is big and bold. The watch has presence on the wrist. The case is large at 43 mm wide and almost 16 mm high, with its many facetted surfaces catching the light nicely. While the concept of a lion-inspired case might sound gimmicky, the new Tentagraph has its own appeal. The size and style makes this less of a low-key everyday watch than the first Tentagraph, but definitely more striking and original. Even though the Tokyo Lion case is arguably an acquired taste, I like this more than the original. At US$16,400, the Tokyo Lion Tentagraph is one of Grand Seiko’s priciest models in non-precious metal. But it is a flagship watch with a latest-generation movement, the cal. 9SC5, which incorporates the proprietary Dual Impulse Escapement and a free-sprung balance. The only shortcoming of the watch is the modular construction of the movement. Ten beats per second While the Tokyo Lion case design has been emplo...

Introducing – A Trilogy of Audemars Piguet Models Dressed in new “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” Ceramic Monochrome
Audemars Piguet Models Dressed Apr 8, 2025

Introducing – A Trilogy of Audemars Piguet Models Dressed in new “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” Ceramic

Audemars Piguet recreates a colour intimately associated with its first Royal Oak model of 1972. Although the colour described as “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” has appeared on many dials, it has never been replicated in high-tech ceramic. Inspired by the clear night skies of the Vallée de Joux, this darker tone of blue ceramic is […]

Auction Watch: Breguet Sympathique No. 1 at Phillips SJX Watches
Breguet Sympathique No 1 Apr 7, 2025

Auction Watch: Breguet Sympathique No. 1 at Phillips

Right on time for Breguet’s 250th anniversary this year, Phillips just revealed it will soon be selling Breguet Sympathique no. 1, the unique, entirely gold clock created as a tribute to the 19th century originals made by Abraham-Louis Breguet. This is the first time the clock is emerging in public after it was first sold in 1991. Actually a clock with an accompany wristwatch (that can be transformed into a pocket watch), the Sympathique is masterful, modern-day creation that reproduces the genius of A.-L. Breguet’s original concept of a master clock that winds and sets a removable watch over the course of the night, allowing the owner to retrieve the watch for use the next day. The first of a 20-piece series, clock no. 1 is most unique in both entirely solid gold – the master clock, wristwatch, pocket watch case, and bracelet are all in 18k yellow gold. Like the rest of the series it was constructed by Techniques Horlogères Appliquées (THA) in Sainte-Croix, a complications workshop that is today most famous for having had Francois-Paul Journe, Denis Flageollet, and Vianney Halter amongst its alumni. One of the artisans who worked on the Sympathique series was Dominique Mouret, a clockmaker who today still restores antique clocks in his workshop in Sainte-Croix. The clock comes straight from the collection of the original owner who paid CHF1.55 million at The Art of Breguet auction held by Antiquorum in 1991. It has an estimate in excess of CHF1.00 million, but I t...

First Impressions of the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantieme Perpetual Worn & Wound
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantieme Perpetual If Apr 7, 2025

First Impressions of the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Quantieme Perpetual

If you’ve ever attended Watches & Wonders (or any watch event, Windup Watch Fairs included) you’re probably familiar with the period of reflection that happens right after. It usually involves opening up the Photos app on your phone and scrolling through all the wrist shots you took. As you do this, thoughts about what you’ve just experienced fall into place, and the power of memory that watches are so adept at exploiting has its first and earliest chance to take hold. This year, waiting for my flight back to Boston to board, cycling through the many, many photos on my memory card and camera roll, I began to wonder if Parmigiani Fleurier had possibly “won” Watches & Wonders for me this year.  By “winning” Watches & Wonders I don’t necessarily mean that they had the best watch (although they have one that’s in the running, for sure) but rather, as a brand, that they left the deepest impression on me. This was a somewhat surprising revelation, as, if I’m being honest, Parmigiani has frequently felt like the brand that I just didn’t quite get. Many of my peers in the watch media space gush about Parmigiani the way I advocate for Prometheus, a movie I firmly believe is an all-time classic but many insist is a major Ridley Scott misstep. I’ve always felt like I’m on the outside with Parmigiani. I kind of prefer the old design of the Tonda. The GMT Rattrapante is more clever than practical. And the sporty chronographs, to my eyes and on my wrist, lack ...

Watches, Stories, and Gear: Trakke is Back, The Clingman Knife, Tributes to Val Kilmer, and New Colors for Xeric Worn & Wound
Apr 5, 2025

Watches, Stories, and Gear: Trakke is Back, The Clingman Knife, Tributes to Val Kilmer, and New Colors for Xeric

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear.   The Clingman: Taylor Martin’s First Knife Taylor Martin, better known for his Youtube Channel “Best Damn EDC”, has designed and launched his very first knife, The Clingman. Inspired by Taylor’s Appalachian roots, it combines modern steel, a liner lock, and smooth ball bearing action to create a knife that might remind you of the one your grandfather carried. It features a 2.99″ (75.9mm) blade in Nitro-V steel, with a front flipper and thumb studs. Just like the knife your grandfather carried, it’s built for daily carry and heavy use.   Val Kilmer: A Man Known For Many Roles Known to some as Iceman in Top Gun and Batman in Batman Forever to others, Van Kilmer has passed away this week. During his career as an actor, Val worked with a number of “A List” actors with roles across a number of different genres.  BBC gas compiled a list of his most iconic roles, which you can find here.    A New Hue For Xeric’s Timeline In late February,  our very own photographer,  Garrett Jones, spent some time with Xeric’s newest watch, the Timeline Dual Retrograde.  Built upon a Miyota 9015, Xerics X5.1 movement uses a custom built module to achieve its retro...

Introducing – The New IWC Pilot Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month Monochrome
IWC Pilot Performance Chronograph Perpetual Apr 4, 2025

Introducing – The New IWC Pilot Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month

With its long-winded name, IWC’s new watch can best be described as the more complex brother of a Performance Chronograph released in 2023 for four-wheeled pilots. Equipped with the brand’s innovative perpetual calendar movement and its uncommon digital display, the Performance Chronograph IW388801 comes with a dashing black and golden colour scheme. Presented in 2023, […]

Rolex Introduces the GMT-Master II with a Green Ceramic Dial SJX Watches
Rolex Introduces Apr 4, 2025

Rolex Introduces the GMT-Master II with a Green Ceramic Dial

Rolex has launched its first-ever ceramic dial with the GMT-Master II ref. 126729 VTNR. Left-handed like the “Sprite” of 2022, the new GMT-Master II is available only in 18k white gold – unsurprising since Rolex typically rolls out new innovations or features in precious metals. Dial aside, the rest is classic GMT-Master II. The movement is the latest-generation cal. 3285, while the bezel insert is in the same material as the dial, Cerachrom, Rolex speak for ceramic. Initial thoughts Unlike the game-changing Land Dweller, the new GMT-Master II is typical Rolex in being an incremental improvement over past models. Ceramic dials have been present in watchmaking for several years now, though this is a first for Rolex. Over time, ceramic dials will probably filter downwards into more affordable models as is the norm at the brand. Besides being a perfect match for the green half of the bezel, the ceramic dial is presumably more robustness than conventional lacquered dial, particularly in terms of scratch resistance and colour fastness (over decades or even centuries). Even though it’s not majorly novel, the ref. 126729 VTNR is a good looking watch and, in the usual Rolex fashion, is priced reasonably for what it is (though not cheaply). But it will also be a major hit, which makes availability scarce for some time to come. Two time zones One of the iconic travel watches, the GMT-Master II does a simple job very well. It can indicate up to three time zones with its combi...

Tudor Launches the Black Bay Pro with an Opaline Dial Worn & Wound
Tudor Launches Apr 3, 2025

Tudor Launches the Black Bay Pro with an Opaline Dial

Well, Tudor did the thing. And by “did the thing,” I mean that Tudor finally made the watch we all knew was coming, but maybe had started to doubt would ever arrive. But now the long wait is over, and the Black Bay Pro with Opaline white dial is here - and the new watch is everything people have been asking for and more, literally (but we’ll get to that in a minute). For as popular as the Black Bay Pro has been for Tudor, it didn’t take long after its launch in 2022 to notice a curious refrain of voices asking - nay, demanding - that Tudor bring a white dial in the style of the ‘Polar’ Explorer II to what is probably the outdoorsiest entry in the Black Bay family. Renders abounded, and a Polar BB Pro has been a fixture of prediction pieces for the last three years. Now, after a long wait, the watch so many asked for is here, and Tudor nailed it, not that there won’t be complaints. But first the good stuff. The dial here is awesome. The Opaline white dial (not Polar) looks - unsurprisingly - great against the all-steel look of the BB Pro, and the yellow GMT hand continues to please, albeit despite sacrificing some of the contrast that defined the original release. Thankfully, any contrast lost is more than made up for elsewhere, most especially thanks to the black surrounds on the hands and markers. The markers here are the same three-dimensional ceramic lume plots as on the black model, but here they forfeit the off-white look of the original BB Pro...

Mystery Solved: The Big Bang Happened 20 Years Ago! - Hublot Celebrates Two Decades Of The Big Bang Fratello
Hublot Celebrates Two Decades Apr 3, 2025

Mystery Solved: The Big Bang Happened 20 Years Ago! - Hublot Celebrates Two Decades Of The Big Bang

There’s no denying it: 2025 truly is a year of anniversary parties. Some traditional watchmaking houses are celebrating centuries of Haute Horlogerie craftsmanship, while many individual watches are throwing birthday parties. Hublot is celebrating two decades of Big Bang watches this year. The outspoken sports watch is still going strong and continuing to evolve. To […] Visit Mystery Solved: The Big Bang Happened 20 Years Ago! - Hublot Celebrates Two Decades Of The Big Bang to read the full article.

Cartier Revisits the Tank à Guichets with an In-House Movement SJX Watches
Cartier Revisits Apr 3, 2025

Cartier Revisits the Tank à Guichets with an In-House Movement

One of the most distinctive versions of Cartier’s signature rectangular watch, the Tank à Guichets has been revived as part of the Privé collection, joining watches like the Tortue Monopoussoir and Tank Cintree. The last time Cartier had such a model in its catalogue was exactly 20 years ago with the Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) iteration. Sporting a crown at 12 o’clock like some historical examples of the model, the Tank à Guichets indicates the time in twin apertures, with jumping hours at 12 o’clock and minutes at six. Measuring a slim 6 mm in height, the Tank à Guichets (or “Tank with Windows”) is powered by a new in-house movement, the cal. 9755 MC. Notably, it will be a regular production model in yellow or rose gold, as well as platinum, plus an asymmetrical or “oblique” model that is limited to 200 pieces. The regular production models (left), and limited edition Initial thoughts The Tank à Guichets was always one of my favourite iterations of the Tank, and the popularity of the preceding version made it almost inevitable that Cartier would revive the design. The new Tank à Guichets is subtly different from the CPCP version, most notably in its slim profile, but still looks and feels correct. The finishing on the case is excellent, particularly on the polished bevels that frame the apertures. The movement, on the other hand, is concealed behind a solid back but is industrial in finish and style. That said, it is an integrated calibre ...

[VIDEO] The Tudor Goes Deep with Pelagos Ultra Worn & Wound
Tudor Goes Deep Apr 2, 2025

[VIDEO] The Tudor Goes Deep with Pelagos Ultra

Tudor’s most technical dive range receives its most technical entry yet. Over the last few years, we’ve seen the Pelagos expand quite dramatically, starting with the introduction of the FXD series, which has ranged from military-spec via the M.N. to carbon fiber chronographs, to a GMT, to standard varieties, as well as the smaller-wrist-compatible Pelagos 39. For 2025, however, we’re seeing a return or a close relative to the original Pelagos, with a 1000m variant called the Pelagos Ultra. At double the water resistance of the original, 1000m is undoubtedly the headline of the Ultra, but there are many subtle changes to the design that give this new watch its own personality. First, the case is a touch larger at 43mm in diameter (vs 42mm for the original), 52mm lug-to-lug (my measure), and 14.8mm thick. While these dimensions sound imposing, they were more tolerable than expected on the wrist, largely because of the lightweight grade 2 titanium construction. The spacing between the dial and the crystal was reduced to keep the case relatively thin, or at least not thicker than the original. As such, the rehaut was redesigned to be flat and a touch wider. While I am a bit remiss to see the steeply angled rehaut with cutouts of the original get cut, as I found it a particularly enjoyable design that added a contemporary and aggressive edge to the watch, the new version is less distracting and allows for more dial space. In turn, the applied hour markers and hands are la...

First Look – Hublot Big Bang Unico Mint Green and Petrol Ceramic Monochrome
Hublot Big Bang Unico Mint Apr 2, 2025

First Look – Hublot Big Bang Unico Mint Green and Petrol Ceramic

Turning twenty this year, Hublot‘s Big Bang exploded on the watch scene with its bold fusion of state-of-the-materials and extroverted design. Hublot’s first in-house flyback chronograph movement, the Unico, materialised in 2010 and was deployed inside the specially designed Big Bang Unico, with its mechanism visible on the dial. As a brand that has played […]

Baltic Introduces the Scalegraph Tour Auto Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Baltic Introduces Apr 2, 2025

Baltic Introduces the Scalegraph Tour Auto Limited Edition

Few hobbies work better in tandem than horology and motorsports. Impressive dials, colorful flamboyance, and calculated performance? Check and check. While many a watchmaker has created an automotive-inspired watch, however, how many have a bonafide racing team with which to test their timepiece?  The Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto Limited Edition is both a celebration of the French brand’s third year as the Tour Auto official timekeepers, and a tool for the Baltic Racing team to take with them in the cockpit as they participate in the very same competition. The race takes participants-driving vintage performance cars-from Paris to Nice in different touring segments, all of which are open to spectators. The Baltic Racing crew will be driving a 1963 Lotus Elan 26R and a 1965 MG B-of course, they’ll also be sporting the new Scalegraph Tour Auto in a high octane field test for the sports chronograph watch.  In a nod to motorsports watch designs from the 1970s, the titular Scalegraph features a “Big Eye” layout, with off-white subdials at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, making the minute sub-counter more legible at a glance while racing. A blue aluminum tachymeter bezel encircles the lighter blue dial, which in turn has an outer minutes railway in a middle-toned hue of blue, creating gentle layers of contrast directly inspired by the colors of the original Tour de France Automobile. A large silver 12 market sits at the top of the dial with a midcentury sans serif...

Hublot Drops a Set of Unique Pieces to Celebrate the Big Bang Anniversary Worn & Wound
Hublot Drops Apr 2, 2025

Hublot Drops a Set of Unique Pieces to Celebrate the Big Bang Anniversary

If $1 million were dropped in your lap tomorrow, what would you do with it? It’s an age-old question (okay, maybe not age-old), one that has driven endless late-night discussion and at least one surprisingly popular ‘90s Canadian rock song. Most of us have some version of an answer to the question, and Hublot has come along to offer up one solution for one lucky Big Bang enthusiast. As part of their celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Big Bang, Hublot has produced a hell of a collector’s set - the Hublot Big Bang 20th Anniversary “Materials and High Complications” Unique Set. What does that mean? Well, it’s pretty much what it says on the tin. Hublot has, through a collection of five piece unique watches, built a collection of Big Bangs that does a pretty cohesive job of summing up the last two decades of Big Bang into one illuminated case. And for the very reasonable price of - cue Doctor Evil - $1 million dollars (well, really 1 million CHF, so about $1,099,000 US) it can all be yours. Inside this extreme collector’s set, you’ll find five Hublot Big Bangs, each of which combines a ‘high complication’ feature set with a case executed in some modern material or another. Moving through the collection, you’ll find a Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic in a red and black ceramic case, a Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic in a transparent sapphire case, a Big Bang Tourbillon Chronograph in a Water Blue Sapphire case, a Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Ca...

Introducing the Zenith G.F.J., a Chronometry Focused Tribute to the Brand’s Founder Worn & Wound
Zenith G.F.J Apr 1, 2025

Introducing the Zenith G.F.J., a Chronometry Focused Tribute to the Brand’s Founder

Last year, I had the privilege of sitting down with Benoit de Clerck to talk about all things Zenith. At the time, Benoit was just a few short months into his tenure as CEO of Zenith, and Watches & Wonders was only barely in the rearview, but de Clerck made it very clear that he was already looking ahead, not just generally, but towards something very specific, and very exciting. “I’m working hard on something new next year, which - obviously - I like, because it’s very unique, and we’re producing very small quantities and all that. And, I can’t tell you much more, but next year we’re celebrating our 160th year and we will come up with something that the collectors will be very, very, very happy with.” Well, now, nearly a year later, we know what that “something new” is, and de Clerck was absolutely right - because it is something to be very, very happy with. I’m talking, of course, about the new Zenith G.F.J. G.F.J., in this case, stands for Georges Favre-Jacot, the name of the man who founded Zenith some 160 years ago, but it might as well stand for ‘Great F***ing Job’ because Zenith has knocked it out of the park with this one. At the heart of the G.F.J. is a revived version of the calibre 135, a historically significant and long-dormant movement, designed by Ephrem Jobin in the years after World War II and produced from 1949 to 1962. The Calibre 135 was widely used by Zenith at that time, but especially prized is the 135-O variant created...

TAG Heuer Refreshes the Carrera Day-Date and Adds a GMT Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Refreshes Apr 1, 2025

TAG Heuer Refreshes the Carrera Day-Date and Adds a GMT

Reinventing the wheel can be overrated-sometimes, expanding on an already-beloved design is the best way to drum up excitement. The original Heuer Carrera-released in 1963 as Jack Heuer’s horological love letter to the 1950s Carrera Panamericana Road Race held in Mexico-would develop as a symbol of motorsports success over the following decades, frequently gifted to victorious drivers at huge events. As the current official timekeeper of Formula 1, the Swiss company is continuing that legacy of motorsports prowess with new watches in the Carrera Day-Date collection, keeping the elements that have made the watch an icon, while pushing the design ever forward.  With six new models and ample features, the Day-Date collection can seem as daunting as an F1 circuit at first. Five of the models, though, are mechanically identical, with differences ranging from materials to color schemes-these are the “regular” Day-Date pieces, while the Date Twin-Time represents a distinct complication. First, let’s take a look at the new Day-Date references.  Each Day-Date features a fine-brushed and polished steel 41mm case with a steel polished crown at 3 o’clock, a beveled and domed sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, and a steel screw-down case back that touts a 100m water resistance. A Calibre TH31-02 automatic movement pulses inside each Day-Date, and a day-date window sits at the 3:00 position. White Super-LumiNova additionally coats the hour and mi...

IWC Presents A Plethora Of New Ingenieur Watches In Black Ceramic, 5N Gold, And Steel - Including A Perpetual Calendar Fratello
IWC Presents Apr 1, 2025

IWC Presents A Plethora Of New Ingenieur Watches In Black Ceramic, 5N Gold, And Steel - Including A Perpetual Calendar

Two years ago, IWC introduced the new iteration of the Ingenieur as a capsule collection. Three steel and one Grade 5 titanium creation debuted, resembling the 1976 Ingenieur SL ref. 1832, an original Gérald Genta design. A blue-dial version was missing from the original lineup, but it came eventually. For this year’s Watches and Wonders, […] Visit IWC Presents A Plethora Of New Ingenieur Watches In Black Ceramic, 5N Gold, And Steel - Including A Perpetual Calendar to read the full article.

Introducing – The New Panerai Luminor Marina Collection In Steel Monochrome
Panerai Luminor Marina Collection Apr 1, 2025

Introducing – The New Panerai Luminor Marina Collection In Steel

Although the Florentine brand Panerai was founded in 1860, its contract with the Italian Royal Navy to produce precision instruments changed its destiny radically. Panerai’s 1916 radium-based powder, known as Radiomir, lit up the brand’s future as a supplier of luminescent instruments, underwater tools, and eventually watches for the Italian Royal Navy and its famous […]

The Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic Gets a Thematically Appropriate Blue Dial Worn & Wound
Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic Gets Apr 1, 2025

The Alpina Alpiner Extreme Automatic Gets a Thematically Appropriate Blue Dial

Alpina’a venerable Alpiner collection has no shortage of eye-catching dial textures, complications, and even experimental pizzazz. But perhaps what it was missing was a model that exemplified both the 1933 origins of the line and its future as an iconic Swiss sport watch. Enter the new Alpiner Extreme Automatic, sporting a dial color that makes so much sense, it’s a little baffling that Alpina hasn’t tapped into it before. The glacier blue hue of the face immediately conjures images of icy slopes, and the repeating Alpine summit triangle motif that texturizes the dial and brings the design straight to the Alps. The Alpiner Extreme Automatic also hangs onto distinctive design features that make it instantly recognizable: the rounded square cushion case, measuring at 39 x 40.5mm, in chilly steel. A vertical brushed satin finish on the bezel (matching that of the three links on the bracelet) contrasts the mirror-polished case, and the triangle motif can be found again on the six exposed screws that circle the bezel.  A screw-down crown with a rubber ring of glacier blue both assures the Alpiner’s 200m water resistance, and brings a unified sense of color and form to the fringes of the design. A slightly-lighter blue outer minute track with white markers runs around the perimeter of the dial, adding some dimension to the face of the watch, while applied silver, luminous indexes mark the hours. A date window at 3 o’clock, hand-polished silver and luminous hour and mi...

Insight: Rolex Land-Dweller Cal. 7135, Patents and Innovation Explained SJX Watches
Rolex Land-Dweller Cal 7135 Patents Mar 31, 2025

Insight: Rolex Land-Dweller Cal. 7135, Patents and Innovation Explained

Rolex has entered uncharted territory with the Land-Dweller, arguably the most advanced and radical creation from a hitherto conservative brand. The Land-Dweller is significant, perhaps even game changing, not because of the integrated bracelet or patented solid lume, but because of the cal. 7135, a new calibre with an all-new double-wheel escapement known as Dynapulse and a ceramic balance staff. (This story details the technical advances in the movement; for a review of the watch, check out the accompanying story.) The Land-Dweller 40 mm in platinum The fundamentals Why is it significant, or even game changing? The cal. 7135 is the first in-house, serial production Rolex movement that is high frequency, beating at 5 Hz or 36,000 beats per hour. All things being equal, a higher frequency promises superior timekeeping. Despite the higher frequency, the cal. 7135 still has a 66-hour power reserve. That’s thanks in part to the Dynapulse escapement which is 30% more efficient than a conventional Swiss lever escapement, while occupying essentially the same volume of space. The balance assembly of the cal. 7135 Dynapulse is one of several innovations that make the cal. 7135 a landmark, especially since it will be produced at scale. While Rolex has traditionally been associated with incremental innovation, the cal. 7135 is a revolution. The Land-Dweller is the subject of 32 filed patents, 18 of which are unique to the watch. Moreover, 16 of the patents unique to the watch are ...