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Business News: Audemars Piguet Advances Vertical Integration with Inhotec SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Advances Vertical Integration Aug 14, 2025

Business News: Audemars Piguet Advances Vertical Integration with Inhotec

Audemars Piguet (AP) has just announced a majority stake in Inhotec, a supplier of components for high-end mechanical movements. Long a supplier to AP, Inhotec produces parts ranging from base plates to springs, in both raw and fully decorated states. The value of the deal was not revealed, but founder Alexandre Eme will retain a minority stake and continue to serve as chief executive of Inhotec, which was founded in 2011. According to the announcement, AP will “provide strategic and financial support” while leaving Inhotec to retain “operational autonomy” over “managerial decisions, industrial activities and commercial relationships”. Lucas Raggi, the chief industrial officer of AP, explains the acquisition “is about consolidating key strategic skills and supporting the continuity of an expertise that is essential to the future of haute horlogerie“. AP’s acquisition of Inhotec reflects two trends. One is the longstanding and continued development of AP’s production capabilities, exemplified by the recent inauguration of the expansive Arc manufacture in Le Brassus. The other is macro, a slowdown in business for specialised suppliers across the watchmaking value chain.  

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Hands-on - Some Thoughts about the Rolex Daytona “Alcaraz” 126518LN with Turquoise Lacquer Dial Monochrome
Rolex Daytona “Alcaraz” 126518LN Aug 13, 2025

Hands-on - Some Thoughts about the Rolex Daytona “Alcaraz” 126518LN with Turquoise Lacquer Dial

In recent years, basically since the introduction of the ceramic bezel on the steel edition (the 116500LN), the Daytona has become the hottest watch in Rolex’s portfolio, but also remained a fairly conservative model, with a rather parsimonious use of colours. This hasn’t always been the case, though, and in the past, we’ve seen wild […]

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Sunday Morning Showdown: Zenith Chronomaster Sport Vs. Grand Seiko Tentagraph Fratello
Grand Seiko Tentagraph Sunday morning! Time Aug 10, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: Zenith Chronomaster Sport Vs. Grand Seiko Tentagraph

Sunday morning! Time for a cup of coffee and another Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, Mike and Jorg go head-to-head in a battle of the titanium high-beat chronographs. Mike’s pick this week is the titanium Grand Seiko Tentagraph. The first blue dial model was released in 2023 and got a follow-up this year. However, the […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Zenith Chronomaster Sport Vs. Grand Seiko Tentagraph to read the full article.

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Reviewing The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo: A Bold & Beautiful Watch WatchAdvice
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Aug 8, 2025

Reviewing The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo: A Bold & Beautiful Watch

After visiting the Bvlgari High Horology Manufacture in Switzerland this year, it was about time we reviewed one of their iconic pieces, so I’ve chosen the Octo Finissimo to wear for the week. What We Love The unique design The feel on the wrist A piece you won’t see at watch get-togethers very often, if at all! What We Don’t Lack of fine adjustment on the bracelet No luminescence on the dial The flatness may not suit or wrist types and shapes Overall Rating: 8.6 / 10 Value For Money: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Wearability: 9/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 This year is probably one of the first times that I have really delved into the world of Bvlgari. Yes, I’ve tried on their watches and seen all the new releases, but I’ve not had the chance to dive into the brand – until this year. Luckily, we had the chance to visit the High Watchmaking Manufacture in Le Sentier back in April to see just one of the manufacturing arms of Bvlgari (they have three across Switzerland where different components are made), in this instance, as the name suggests, the Bvlgari Haute Horlogerie is where the most complicated watches are made, such as their ultra thin movements, minute repeaters, tourbillons, or in Bvlgari’s instance, all of these in one in some cases. A few images from our visit back in April, from the BVL 138 Calibre found in the Octo Finissimo (first two images), a tourbillon cage in the making, and two out of Bvlgari’s three highly skilled watchmakers who work on the high-...

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Interview: Kari Voutilianen on Urban Jürgensen and Artisanal Watchmaking SJX Watches
Voutilainen Aug 6, 2025

Interview: Kari Voutilianen on Urban Jürgensen and Artisanal Watchmaking

Urban Jürgensen made its comeback earlier this year with an impressive line-up that includes the flagship UJ-1 Tourbillon. Much of the credit for the brand’s watches and watchmaking goes to Kari Voutilainen. Mr Voutilainen has imbued Urban Jürgensen’s watches with the high standards of quality synonymous with his own brand, resulting in watches that are equally exquisitely craft and steeply priced, but arguably worth it. Though best known for his eponymous brand, Mr Voutilainen is also co-chief executive of Urban Jürgensen (and also a minority shareholder). His fellow steward of the Danish marque that is now headquartered in Bienne, Switzerland, is Alex Rosenfield. While Mr Voutilainen is in charge of watchmaking, Mr Rosenfield leads marketing and branding. From left: Kari Voutilainen, Andrew Rosenfield, and Alex Rosenfield. Image – Urban Jürgensen Given the opportunity to speak at length with Mr Voutilainen, I could not refuse. We discussed the true nature of artisanal work, ranging from movement decoration to guilloche, the details of Urban Jürgensen’s movements, and more. You can find his insightful answers below. But interestingly, my conversation with Mr Voutilainen reminded me of the first time I met him, which was at Baselworld 2006 when he launched the Masterpiece Chronograph (with a special hairspring from what turned out to be a questionable supplier). Even two decades ago, well before he was famous, Mr Voutilainen was passionate about the same thing...

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Retrospective: A Gallet Multichron Yachting And An Unbelievable Ocean Adventure Fratello
Jul 31, 2025

Retrospective: A Gallet Multichron Yachting And An Unbelievable Ocean Adventure

Imagine you are a cardiologist, and you take your family on a transatlantic voyage in a sloop sailboat without any navigation or any modern electronic aids. With waves 12 meters high, a dramatic storm incident, a broken mast, and a huge freighter running against you, it is anything but a leisure cruise. But tolerance and […] Visit Retrospective: A Gallet Multichron Yachting And An Unbelievable Ocean Adventure to read the full article.

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A Rare Bird: Credor Introduces the Goldfeather Tourbillon Worn & Wound
Seiko umbrella but Jul 28, 2025

A Rare Bird: Credor Introduces the Goldfeather Tourbillon

Credor is a brand that even after several years of writing about watches professionally still feels truly exotic and mysterious to me. Most brands, even those at the very high end, are fairly easy to peg once you spend some time with the watches and do all the research that comes along with learning about these things. But Credor is so rare in the United States, and so niche in terms of its appeal, it’s a brand that has eluded me even as it fascinates me. It’s also feels in some ways like it’s multiple brands in one. They make the most complicated and extravagant watches under the very large Seiko umbrella, but an alert set for “Credor” on WatchRecon returns endless affordable and quite beautiful quartz dress watches, along with the odd contemporary Spring Drive powered piece. All made, of course, for the Japanese market.  Last week, Credor introduced a watch that will probably not be seen in my WatchRecon alerts anytime soon, sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum from those affordable dressy pieces. The new reference is GBCF999 and is part of the Goldfeather collection, a series of very refined dress pieces that explore a variety of decorative arts in watchmaking. The Goldfeather Tourbillon, as it’s officially known, is the first time a tourbillon has been featured in the collection, and the watch also incorporates a number of other advancements in decoration and iterations to the Goldfeather case design.  We have to start, of course, with the dial, wh...

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First Look - The Chopard Imperiale Four Seasons is Poetry in Motion Monochrome
Chopard Imperiale Four Seasons Jul 25, 2025

First Look - The Chopard Imperiale Four Seasons is Poetry in Motion

Chopard, for most of our readers, is the name behind collections such as the Mille Miglia, the Alpine Eagle, and the top-end L.U.C watches, products overseen by co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. With its own foundry and jewellery workshop in Geneva, the feminine side of the brand, represented by high jewellery collections and women’s watches, is in […]

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Introducing - The Credor Goldfeather Tourbillon Limited Edition GBCF999 Captures The Mesmerising Dance Of A Flock Of Birds Monochrome
Seiko corporation Credor represents Jul 24, 2025

Introducing - The Credor Goldfeather Tourbillon Limited Edition GBCF999 Captures The Mesmerising Dance Of A Flock Of Birds

Credor is often regarded as being a connaisseur’s brand, one of those beguiling watchmakers known and appreciated by a small group of deeply devoted watch collectors and enthusiasts. Part of the Seiko corporation, Credor represents the high-end side of the company, combining the most special traditional craftsmanship techniques with Japanese watchmaking artistry. Although it has […]

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Introducing - A Fresh Splash of Lime Green and Ice Blue for the Armin Strom Orbit Monochrome
Armin Strom Orbit Armin Strom first Jul 21, 2025

Introducing - A Fresh Splash of Lime Green and Ice Blue for the Armin Strom Orbit

Armin Strom first introduced the System 78 series model, the Orbit, in 2022, which became the world’s first watch with an on-demand date display integrated into a ceramic bezel. The original version featured a mostly monochromatic look, a steel case and a black gold dial, accented only by the red date pointer tip and matching […]

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Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Maillechort Fratello
Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Maillechort Jul 19, 2025

Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Maillechort

Open-worked high-end watches aren’t uncommon. In fact, at a certain level of exclusivity, they’re rather typical. Yet, when I opened my messages the other day, a head-turning piece was staring back at me. The new Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Maillechort is a unique-looking object because of its simplicity and finishing. Yes, I shot a […] Visit Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Maillechort to read the full article.

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Hands On: Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009 SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Jul 18, 2025

Hands On: Grand Seiko Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009

Grand Seiko returns to its Sport Collection with an even bolder and edgier take on its flagship chronograph with the Tokyo Lion Tentagraph SLGC009. Combining an oversized case Brilliant Hard Titanium and a high-spec, high-beat chronograph movement, the striking new is Tentagraph is surprisingly not an all-new design but an iterative evolution that builds on the existing Sport Collection case. Initial Thoughts While a strength of Seiko itself, chronometry-focused Grand Seiko has historically struggled with sports watches, though not for lack of trying. In 2019 Grand Seiko launched the angular and aggressive Sport case featuring a facetted, polygonal form with a sapphire-covered bezel to celebrate 20 years of Spring Drive. Grand Seiko intended the design to evoke the mane of the brand’s lion mascot. In 2023 came the regular production Tokyo Lion series, and the brand also extended the design language into its jewelled Masterpiece watches. The “lion’s mane” case design reminds me of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept, and with the addition of an octagonal bezel the resemblance has only grown, though I wouldn’t say it is derivative – if anything the Grand Seiko case is a more boisterous take on the 45GS design from the late 1960s. The earlier Spring Drive GMT Chronograph SBGC275 with a less stylised case design I quite liked the Sport case when it was launched in 2019, especially the rose gold SBGC230, but it felt unfinished with a round bezel and buttons. With...

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Retrospective: The Heuer Skipper Ref. 7764 - Alcatraz On The Wrist Fratello
Jul 17, 2025

Retrospective: The Heuer Skipper Ref. 7764 - Alcatraz On The Wrist

The Heuer Skipper ref. 7764 was never high on my shopping list. Actually, it was not on it at all. The opportunity to grab it came unexpectedly. My ongoing two-month “watch fast” was interrupted, so I went all in. Here are my thoughts after six months with this watch. Yachting chronographs have a special place […] Visit Retrospective: The Heuer Skipper Ref. 7764 - Alcatraz On The Wrist to read the full article.

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Valjoux 7750: The Story Of The World's Most Famous Chronograph Teddy Baldassarre
Jul 16, 2025

Valjoux 7750: The Story Of The World's Most Famous Chronograph

The Valjoux 7750 chronograph caliber has been a mainstay of the Swiss watch industry for more than 50 years, finding its way into hundreds of watch models, under many dozens of names, and providing the technical base for numerous high complications over the years. Why is it so ubiquitous and still such an enduring presence in the watch world today? Here is a brief history of the "workhorse" mechanism that became the world's most famous and familiar chronograph movement.   Valjoux 7750 Roots: The Vallée de Joux   Sunset over the Vallée de Joux In actuality, the origins of the Valjoux 7750 go back much longer than the half-century it has actually been on the market. The company that came to be called  “Valjoux” started up at the very beginning of the 20th century, taking its original name, Reymond Frères SA, from its founders, brothers John and Charles Reymond. The company, which specialized in making mechanical chronograph movements for military and sport-oriented timekeepers, changed its name in 1929 to Valjoux - a shortened reference to the scenic Vallée de Joux in Switzerland, where it and many of its client watchmakers were located. The firm’s most successful and historically impactful creations included the manually wound, column-wheel-driven, monopusher Caliber 22, in 1914, and its even more significant successor, the smaller, longer-lived Caliber 23, in 1916. In honor of the founding brothers' surname, Valjoux movements were inscribed with a shield em...

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Hands-On With The Peren Regia Lunar Eclipse Dark Fratello
Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Jul 16, 2025

Hands-On With The Peren Regia Lunar Eclipse Dark

What does it mean for a watch to be “stealthy”? Does that translate into one that is as dark as possible on the wrist, even if it means forgoing readability? A good example would be the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon “Black Black,” a fully blacked-out ceramic Speedy that is as “undercover” as […] Visit Hands-On With The Peren Regia Lunar Eclipse Dark to read the full article.

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Hands-On With The Interesting Blue-Dial Zenith Chronomaster Original Fratello
Zenith Chronomaster Original Jul 15, 2025

Hands-On With The Interesting Blue-Dial Zenith Chronomaster Original

The central theme of Zenith’s 160th anniversary this year is blue. The brand’s color inspired the spectacular dial of the new G.F.J. and a trio of celebratory ceramic releases we saw during Watches and Wonders. Zenith also introduces a new blue dial for the new Chronomaster Original. But fans of the brand know better than […] Visit Hands-On With The Interesting Blue-Dial Zenith Chronomaster Original to read the full article.

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Review: the new Zeitwinkel 240° Noir Deployant
Jul 12, 2025

Review: the new Zeitwinkel 240° Noir

In the contemporary landscape of high-end watchmaking, where legacy maisons often overshadow younger independents, Zeitwinkel offers a compelling counterpoint: a brand unafraid to do things its own way. Founded in 2006, Zeitwinkel operates with a spirit of authenticity-designing and manufacturing its own movements in-house while maintaining an understated aesthetic that eschews superfluous detailing in favor of architectural purity.

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Patek Philippe & Tiffany: The History Behind The Hype Teddy Baldassarre
Patek Philippe & Tiffany Jul 9, 2025

Patek Philippe & Tiffany: The History Behind The Hype

As longtime, mutually beneficial relationships in the world of high luxury go, the one between Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. is perhaps the most quintessential. The esteemed Swiss watchmaker behind classic timepieces like the Calatrava and Nautilus and the elite retailer/jeweler renowned for its distinctive blue gift boxes have been partners for more than 170 years, and Patek Philippe watches with a Tiffany signature are among the rarest and most coveted items on a serious watch collector’s wishlist. In this feature, I explore the long and prestigious history behind Patek Philippe’s Tiffany watches and spotlight how the two world-famous brands continue to collaborate today.  Patek Philippe: The Origin Story The company that would be known as Patek Philippe had its foundation laid in 1839, when a Polish watchmaker named Antoni Norbert de Patek and his business partner, Czech-born François Czapek, partnered to form Patek, Czapek, & Cie, in Geneva. The company produced pocket watches for a relatively brief period before disagreements between the two founders precipitated the dissolving of the partnership, and the firm, by 1845. That same year, Patek began a new partnership with a French watchmaker named Adrien Philippe, whose historical claim to fame was the invention of the keyless winding system for watches. Together, they established a new company, Patek & Cie., to continue making watches, which officially became Patek, Philippe, & Cie. in 1851. That year was pivo...

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Parmigiani Turns to Cermet for the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph SJX Watches
Jul 9, 2025

Parmigiani Turns to Cermet for the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph

Sportier and a little more affordable than its more elegant cousin, Parmigiani’s Tonda PF Sport was originally available only in steel. The Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet swaps out that conventional alloy for a case of cermet, a composite of ceramic and metal. Notably, the entire case – bezel, case middle, pushers, and crown – is in cermet. Initial thoughts Parmigiani has iterated its popular sports into many variations, perhaps too many, but the Tonda PF Sport in cermet is one of the most interesting so far. While the material is not new to watches, it is usually employed for one or two components, typically the bezel. The new Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is almost all cermet, which is gives it an appealing a single-tone appearance that goes well with the clean styling. The new chronograph is available in Milano Blue (left), and London Grey Material aside, it is essentially identical to earlier versions of the Tonda Sport PF Chronograph. Though it is little changed in fundamental terms, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as the PF070 movement inside ranks amongst one of the most sophisticated chronograph calibres, especially in sports watches. The only downside of the new material is the price hike. The cermet model is basically a 50% premium over the steel version, which the brand will not doubt justify in terms of machining and polishing complexity, but it is still difficult to rationalise. The PF070 Ceramic and metal Cermet is a composite of ceramic and...

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Zenith and Time+Tide Collaborate on a Third Defy “Surfer” Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Zenith Jul 8, 2025

Zenith and Time+Tide Collaborate on a Third Defy “Surfer” Limited Edition

Zenith has once again partnered with the Australian watch media website Time+Tide on a limited edition Defy. The third watch in the trilogy, which follows the Defy Classic Skeleton Night Surfer from 2021 and the Defy Skyline Skeleton Night Surfer El Primero in 2023 completes the concept of the “Surfer Trilogy” with a bold white ceramic case that incorporates design details from each of the previous watches. It’s definitely an aesthetic change of pace, but taken together, all three watches make a lot of sense as a trio. Prior “Surfer” limited editions have sold out quickly, so if you were after one and missed out, you now have another (final?) chance to snag one.  Each of the previous limited edition Defys in the “Surfer” series have been in micro-blasted titanium cases, making the white ceramic here a stark contrast. Ceramic, though, is arguably the material most associated with the contemporary Defy, whether in the now discontinued Classic line or the new Skyline series. Zenith is one of a small handful of brands that has reached true expert status with this material. Like other Skylines, the case measures 41mm in diameter and is 100 meters water resistant with a screw down crown.  We’ve seen a white ceramic Skyline before, but this new Time+Tide LE, even with a case that has so much presence, is really defined by the dial. That blue gradient dial is the design element that is carried over from prior “Surfer” watches and provides some coherence to th...

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Introducing - The Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Taupe… Surprisingly Streamlined Monochrome
Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Taupe… Jul 8, 2025

Introducing - The Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Taupe… Surprisingly Streamlined

Hublot… A brand that brings heated conversations and opinions. Hublot is surely known for its bold moves, disruptive materials and colours you can spot across the room. Baby blue sapphire case, snake pattern on the bezel, multicoloured ceramic that looks… questionable. You name it. Yet, Hublot also knows how to use its signature Classic Fusion […]

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