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16,760 articles · 2,171 videos found · page 622 of 632

Zenith Introduces the Chronomaster Revival “Manufacture Edition” SJX Watches
Zenith Introduces May 21, 2020

Zenith Introduces the Chronomaster Revival “Manufacture Edition”

Zenith marked the 50th Anniversary of the El Primero last year with several historical remakes, including the editions for Phillips auctioneers as well as the El Primero A386 Revival, a set of watches that were a near-exact reproduction of the original. Now Zenith has debuted the final A386 remake – in steel like the original – with the Chronomaster Revival “Manufacture Edition” that’s equipped with a dial inspired by a long-forgotten prototype. Initial thoughts The Manufacture Edition is good-looking watch but a crucial factor in its appeal is the material – and price. Last year’s A386 Revival trio was only in 18k gold – one each in white, pink, and yellow gold. The Manufacture Edition is in steel, making it the most affordable A386 yet. Handsome and striking with a well-proportioned case and dial, the watch is very much a typical El Primero A386. The star of the new remake is unquestionably the dial. Employing the same tri-colour palette that’s the A386 trademark, this replaces the traditional tri-colour with different shades of the same blue, ranging from a bright azure blue to a dark midnight navy. For someone who loves the colour, this is appealing. The juxtaposition of the blue registers against the white dial promotes a stark and legible look. And it’s also worth noting the watch is not a limited edition – a wise move to avoid having unlimited limited editions – though distribution will be limited to Zenith’s e-commerce store and the ...

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Parmigiani Fleurier Introduces the Toric Tourbillon Red Gold Slate SJX Watches
Parmigiani Fleurier Introduces May 14, 2020

Parmigiani Fleurier Introduces the Toric Tourbillon Red Gold Slate

The very first case designed by Michel Parmigiani when he founded his eponymous brand, the elegant Toric is now primarily used for haute horlogerie watches. The latest to join the line up is the Toric Tourbillon Red Gold Slate, an extra-thin wristwatch with a flying tourbillon. Initial thoughts Though Parmigiani has tried its hand at contemporary case designs, its true strength is still classical style that references Breguet and other past century greats that Mr Parmigiani is familiar with thanks to his background in watch restoration. So it is with the Toric Tourbillon. Despite being relatively simple in style, the watch is immediately recognisable as a Parmigiani. It has a strongly balanced aesthetic between the guilloché dial, knurled bezel and flying tourbillon. But the prominent “Tourbillon 60 Secondes” label on the dial detracts from the clean style of the dial. Also, the 42.8mm case, though slim, might be a point of contention as it is on the large side for a slightly formal watch. Styling aside, Parmigiani quality is impeccable, for both the internal and external components. In that respect, there’s little to criticise. Toric tradition The very first watch designed by Mr Parmigiani when he launched his brand in 1996 was the Toric Memory Time, a slim, dual time zone watch. Though slightly tweaked, the current Toric case sticks closely to the design of the original, particularly with the prominent knurled bezel that is decorated by a hand-operated machine...

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From Chris Hemsworth in Extraction to American Sniper, why G-Shocks are the ultimate bad-ass watches Time+Tide
May 14, 2020

From Chris Hemsworth in Extraction to American Sniper, why G-Shocks are the ultimate bad-ass watches

“The least believable part of Extraction is that at no point do any of the 183 people that Chris Hemsworth kills mention how ridiculously good looking he is…” That’s what Netflix said in a recent tweet about their new balls-to-the-wall action extravaganza that’s set to become their biggest movie ever (90 million households watched the … ContinuedThe post From Chris Hemsworth in Extraction to American Sniper, why G-Shocks are the ultimate bad-ass watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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INTRODUCING: The Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze Time+Tide
Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze As far May 14, 2020

INTRODUCING: The Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze

As far as micro brands go, Baltic is one of the most popular. We got our own taste of the hype around this brand during this year’s Time+Tide “Watch & Act” Auction, when the founder Etienne donated a prototype Aquascaphe to the cause. We knew it had been a successfully released debut dive watch from … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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F.P. Journe Introduces the Quantième Perpétuel with Gold Numerals SJX Watches
F.P. Journe Introduces May 12, 2020

F.P. Journe Introduces the Quantième Perpétuel with Gold Numerals

Introduced in 2013, the original Quantième Perpétuel was a concise perpetual calendar with useful features, as well as a peculiar, egg-shaped steel ring around the centre of the dial. Now the design has been refined – but all functionality retained – to create the new F.P. Journe Quantième Perpétuel with gold numerals. And though this was officially announced only recently, the watch has already been available at boutiques for several months. Initial thoughts Compared to the earlier F.P. Journe calendar watches, the Quantième Perpétuel was a big improvement with its highly legible display and improved user friendliness. But the first generation dial was odd because of the steel ring around the centre. That’s been changed with the new model, and the improvement is substantial. The new dial appeals because it doesn’t try too hard to be different. Instead, it differentiates itself in more subtle ways. And the boutique-only blue-dial version is unusual, which is a plus if you’re looking for something different. F.P. Journe has rarely used matte, dark blue dials on standard-production watches; historically only limited editions and custom watches had such dials. Silver and gold Borrowing the clous de Paris engine-turned centre from the Chronometre Souverain, the dial is made of solid silver, while the applied numerals and calendar window frames are solid gold. The addition of gold frames for the calendar do make the positions of the windows more obvious, whic...

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Gyre Introduces the SeaCleaner SJX Watches
Seiko movement that’ll do what May 11, 2020

Gyre Introduces the SeaCleaner

Gyre Watch is a watch brand that offers an affordable, fun dive watch that supports a good cause. Founded by Dutch watch journalist Bernard Werk, the brand is making its debut with the Gyre SeaCleaner. An affordable, no-nonsense sports watch with a solar-powered movement, the SeaCleaner has a case and strap made from recycled ocean waste – with part of the proceeds from its sale going to an ocean cleanup charity. Initial thoughts Bold in its contrasting-colour scheme, the SeaCleaner has brightly-coloured accents in green, blue or black, and a large, 42 mm cushion case that’s reminiscent of 1970s dive watches, giving it a retro vibe. Inside is a robust Seiko movement that’ll do what it’s supposed to do. In short, the SeaCleaner is tried-and-tested look that works well for a sports watch and it costs only about US$200. Environmentally supportive Gyre will donate 5% of sales to The Ocean Cleanup – a Dutch NGO that is working to remove plastic waste from the oceans. And with both the straps and cases made of recycled material, the watches themselves will contribute to the cleanup. The black plastic cases are made from recycled fishing nets, which are mostly made of plastic. Collected by fishermen around the Indian Ocean – Gyre pays the fishermen for the nets – the discarded nets are cleaned and turned into plastic pellets that are then moulded into the cases. Unlike many all-black watch cases that are done that way for aesthetic effect, the composite derive...

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IWC Opens the First Virtual Boutique SJX Watches
IWC Opens May 5, 2020

IWC Opens the First Virtual Boutique

When IWC opened its boutique in Singapore’s ION Orchard mall in 2009, the store was the brand’s first in Southeast Asia. And now the store has just become the world’s first IWC Virtual Boutique. With malls in Singapore shut because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as they are almost everywhere else, the IWC boutique has gone online in full and fine form. Also conceived to reach out to a new audience beyond the typical mall goer, the Virtual Boutique replicates the real-life experience in product and layout – though the well-stocked bar remains out of reach – encompassing all six of IWC’s product families. Everything’s included except sitting down for a drink The line-up includes the bestselling Pilot’s Watches and Portugieser, with watches arranged in showcases, with a click bringing them “up close”. And just like in a real store, the boutique’s salespeople are available for live, realtime chats on weekdays from 10 am to 7 pm. Clients can also schedule an appointment with a salesperson in advance. The virtual store, however, is not an e-commerce platform, so purchases cannot be made on it. “At a time where virtual connections are more frequent and accessible than physical ones, visitors can now enjoy the… IWC experience, outside the traditional retail infrastructure,” says Stanislas Rambaud, the brand’s chief in Southeast Asia, adding, “This endeavour also affirms our determination in extending the world of IWC to new friends, while str...

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Junghans Introduces the Max Bill Mega Solar SJX Watches
Junghans Introduces May 5, 2020

Junghans Introduces the Max Bill Mega Solar

The quintessential Junghans is arguably any Max Bill wristwatch, which are all slightly different but share an instantly recognisable style that’s modern, mid-20th century, and still appealing five decades on. The German watchmaker now offers the Max Bill designs in a variety of watches from quartz to automatic chronograph, and the new Max Bill Mega Solar is the most extreme in its design and technological disparity – high-tech dressed in retro style, which makes for a pretty cool watch. Initial thoughts Junghans has solid timekeeping tech in its Mega radio-control watches, but for the most part they are unattractive, at least for someone who likes mechanical watches. Many look like gadgets trying to be an analogue wristwatch. As a result, the Max Bill Mega Solar is a blessing. A Swiss architect and designer whose style was spare and Bauhaus-inspired, Bill designed a series of clocks for Junghans in the late 1950s, followed by wristwatches in 1961. Today’s Max Bill watches are essentially identical to the originals of the 1960s. And now the delightfully concise styling has been combined with a solar-powered, radio-controlled movement. For someone who likes gadgets – and also values good design – this is hard to beat. Radio-control, now worldwide The Max Bill Mega Solar is an upgrade over the earlier Max Bill Mega, which has a quartz movement in a steel case. The new Max Bill Mega Solar has a titanium case, and is solar-powered. It’ll run for up to three ye...

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Ming Introduces the 27.01 SJX Watches
Ming May 1, 2020

Ming Introduces the 27.01

Ming is a “micro brand” that has gained tremendous recognition in a remarkably short period thanks to a well-cultivated design language and smart pricing. While the brand started out with the affordable 17 series, it then went upmarket with the 19 series. Now the brand has unveiled a new model that’s in-between the two, the Ming 27.01. In many ways it’s an evolution of the entry-level 17 series, with a more elaborately-conceived but notably thin case as well as a major upgrade in terms of mechanics, resulting in a slightly higher retail price of 3,950 Swiss francs. Initial thoughts The 27.01 is a good-looking derivative of the 17 series that launched the brand. But it’s not just a similar design, the watch has been upgraded in a useful way, mainly with slimmer proportions and a more interesting movement. Though the base movement is a pedestrian ETA Peseux, it’s been smartly modified to look different and attractive (though the revamped bridges look a bit skimpy leading to minor worries about shock resistance). While the 17 series was great value for money – and cost very little money – the 27.01 is pricey in comparison. It’s priced substantially higher, at about US$4,000, which is still reasonable value, but less easily compelling than the 17 series. An exercise in reductivism While the 27.01 retains the same 38 mm case diameter as the 17.01, its height of just 6.9 mm 27.01 makes it the slimmest Ming watch to date. Because of its svelte dimensions, the ca...

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FRIDAY WIND DOWN: An open letter describing how you schooled us on the place of watches in a pandemic. How can they still matter? Time+Tide
Apr 30, 2020

FRIDAY WIND DOWN: An open letter describing how you schooled us on the place of watches in a pandemic. How can they still matter?

This time a couple of weeks ago, the challenge was set, and it was formidable. A fast approaching watch fair – Watches & Wonders – with no watches in sight. None to have. None to hold. None to video. What choice but to fold? We didn’t do that, though. We’re Aussies, we don’t give up … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: An open letter describing how you schooled us on the place of watches in a pandemic. How can they still matter? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Sinn Introduces the U50 Dive Watch SJX Watches
Sinn Introduces Apr 29, 2020

Sinn Introduces the U50 Dive Watch

Sinn‘s signature dive watch is the near-indestructible U1 that’s a large 44 mm in diameter. Now Sinn has unveiled the mid-sized version of the same, the U50, which offers all of the goodness of its bigger brother but in a 41 mm case. Initial thoughts I am a fan of the original U1 because it is seriously minded in its functionality, encompassing design, material, and testing. And it is affordable, making it great value for money. The new U50 has almost all of the same features and similar pricing, so it is hard not to like it. But one caveat: though the U1 is a largish 44 mm, it never really felt that large, perhaps because of the short lugs and wide bezel (thus a small dial). So while the U50 may fit better on some wrists, it might look smaller than its 41 mm diameter suggests. U50 at 41 mm (left), and U1 at 44 mm Super steel Like the U1, the new U50 has a case made of submarine steel, the same alloy used for the German navy’s submarines. Highly resistant to seawater corrosion and also especially nonmagnetic, the steel alloy comes from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, a builder of naval vessels, and is the same material used for the hull of the stealthy U212 class of submarines. It’s rated to 500 m – hence the U50 moniker – and powered by the no-nonsense Sellita SW300-1, a clone of the ETA 2892. That’s less than the 1000 m of the U1, but 500 m is still plenty – and about the same depth rating as most navy submarines. And if the submarine steel alloy alone wasn...

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Panerai Introduces the Submersible EcoPangaea Tourbillon GMT PAM01108 SJX Watches
Panerai Introduces Apr 25, 2020

Panerai Introduces the Submersible EcoPangaea Tourbillon GMT PAM01108

With last year’s limited editions packaged with extreme adventures having sold well commercially, Panerai is once again offering a watch packaged with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, except that the timepiece is no longer merely a basic dive watch. Limited to just five pieces, the Submersible EcoPangaea Tourbillon GMT PAM01108 is equipped with a skeletonised movement featuring a second time zone and tourbillon. More unusually, the massive, 50 mm case of the PAM 1108 is fabricated from recycled steel. The EcoPangaea tourbillon has an unusual bezel milled to have its markings in relief Named EcoPangaea steel, the material is recycled from the discarded drive shaft of Pangaea, the 35 m sailboat owned by South African conservationist and explorer Mike Horn. The vessel has accompanied Mr Horn on various expeditions around the world, from Antarctica to the Amazon. Fittingly, the watch includes an Arctic adventure supervised by Mike Horn, which Panerai describes as “an opportunity to test your physical limits and witness the imperiled state of our ecosystem.” The perpendicular tourbillon The PAM 1108 is powered by the P.2005/T, a movement Panerai has used on several other skeleton-tourbillon watches. Hand-wound with a six-day power reserve, the P.2005/T incorporates a second time zone function with a central GMT hand, as well as the novel tourbillon at 10 o’clock. Unlike conventional tourbillons that rotate on the same plane as the dial, with the balance wheel oscilla...

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Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar Skeleton SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Introduces Apr 24, 2020

Vacheron Constantin Introduces the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar Skeleton

Since its 2016 relaunch after a major revamp, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas collection has filled out nicely with a diverse range of complications, ranging from world time to tourbillon – and even a one-off prototype that was sold for charity. At Watches & Wonders 2020, Vacheron Constantin debuts the first skeleton model in the line-up, the Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar Skeleton. It has the same gorgeously elegant lines as the standard Overseas perpetual calendar, but now enhanced by the intricately open-worked movement. Rendered only in pink gold for now – other variants will surely emerge if the rest of the collection is anything to go by – the case measures 41.5 mm across and just 8.1 mm high, leaving it surprisingly slimmer than both the Patrimony Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar that’s powered by the same movement. In typical Overseas style, both the case and bracelet are finely executed, with alternating brushed and polished surfaces. Even the inner faces of the notches on the bezel are brushed, while the deeply-set inner angles on the bracelet are polished. Framed by a minute ring, the dial is mostly clear sapphire with applied hour markers in pink gold, as well as day, date and month counter rings. The moon phase disc at six o’clock is covered by a frosted portion of the crystal to delineate the age of the moon, with a gold Maltese cross applied on the frosted display. The movement is the cal. 1120QPSQ/1, the skeletonised version of the ultra-t...

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A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Odysseus Datomatic in White Gold SJX Watches
A. Lange & Sohne Apr 24, 2020

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Odysseus Datomatic in White Gold

There was much anticipation in the lead up to A. Lange & Söhne’s launch of the Odysseus last year, which met with mixed receptions. The luxury-sports watch represented a few firsts for Lange – a first foray into sports watches, the brand’s first regular-production steel watch, and for the nerds, subtle technical features not seen before in other movements. Unsurprisingly, the inaugural steel model is now been joined by a precious metal version, the Odysseus in white gold. While the new watch is functionally similar to the steel model, the gold version is set apart with a handful of dial details, and the more obvious strap choices. Nips and tucks The dial gets a couple of tweaks to distinguish it, going with a muted, monotone grey instead of dark blue. More subtle are the differences in the dial finishing, with a stamped radial pattern reminiscent of the Langematik Perpetual Honey Gold, replacing the concentric rings found on the steel model. And the central portion of the dial is finished with a more conventional fine frosting, rather than the pronounced, granular surface found on the steel model. While the debut Odysseus was offered only with a steel bracelet, the white gold version is offered only with leather or rubber straps that connect to the watch via proprietary end-links incorporating a quick-release mechanism. While the leather strap is ordinary brown calfskin, the rubber is more than run-of-the-mill rubber strap and features raised vents on the reverse ...

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Piaget Introduces the Thinnest Mechanical Watch Ever SJX Watches
Piaget Introduces Apr 24, 2020

Piaget Introduces the Thinnest Mechanical Watch Ever

Piaget first introduced the Altiplano Ultimate Concept in 2018 as an exercise in pushing the limits of mechanical watchmaking – the thinnest mechanical wristwatch ever, at 2 mm in its entirety. Now the experimental creation has become reality at Watches & Wonders 2020, available as a wholly-customisable, special-order timepiece that’s still just 2 mm high – but accompanied by a staggering retail price. No stranger to ultra-thin watches – the brand debuted its first extra-thin movement, the 9P, in 1957 – Piaget already claimed the title of thinnest-mechanical-watch-on-the-market in 2013 with the 3.65 mm-high Altiplano 900P. Most of the tricks relied on to create that record-setting movement have been repeated in the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept and its cal. 900P-UC, but in more extreme form, with the new watch boasting five additional patents for features relating to the extra thinness. A sliver of cobalt alloy Notably, the case and main plate of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept are one and the same, a single piece machined out of cobalt-based alloy for strength – gold is too soft and might bend if strapped too tightly on the wrist. As in the 900P, the case functions as the main plate of the 900P-UC, revamping a layer from the movement and reducing the overall thickness of the watch. But despite being a single piece, the case and main plate can be specified with different finishes for contrast. For instance, the cobalt-alloy case can retain its natural colour wi...

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A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater in White Gold SJX Watches
A. Lange & Sohne Apr 24, 2020

A. Lange & Söhne Introduces the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater in White Gold

Five years ago, A. Lange & Söhne unveiled its first minute repeating wristwatch (setting aside the €2 million Grand Complication), but it was no ordinary repeater. Instead the it was a decimal repeater incorporated into the Zeitwerk and its signature digital time display. Originally introduced in platinum as part of the regular collection, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater now returns in white gold as a 30-piece limited edition at Watches & Wonders 2020. Though the white gold case bestows little price advantage over the monochromatic platinum model, the watch does look more striking in blue. The idea of a decimal-repeating, digital watch is sensible – pairing the digital, jumping hours and minutes of the Zeitwerk with a decimal repeater means the chimes to match time display of hours, tens of minutes, and single minutes. In other words, the decimal repeater is as intuitive as the digital time-display. This is in contrast to typical minute repeaters that chime the time in 15-minute blocks, followed by the the remaining minutes. Visible at 12 o’clock is a power reserve indicator The only stylistic difference with this new edition is the dial colour. While the time display is still framed by the familiar rhodium-plated bridge, the rest of the dial is now dark blue, a first for the Zeitwerk (which has historically been available with either silver or black dials). And below the bridge are the symmetrically-arranged twin hammers and gongs, with the latter tracing the pe...

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Cartier Introduces the Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique SJX Watches
Cartier Introduces Apr 24, 2020

Cartier Introduces the Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique

Cartier has made it an annual tradition to revive one of its iconic case shapes as part of the compact and focused Cartier Privé line, having started with the Tank Cintrée in 2018, followed by the Tonneau last year. Now at Watches & Wonders 2020, the jeweller has recreated one of its most divergent Tank models with the Cartier Privé Tank Asymétrique, in the classic time-only format as well as a contemporary skeleton version. The Tank Asymetrique Skeleton Introduced in 1936, the Asymétrique was not conceived as a Tank wristwatch at the time of its launch, and was known as the Parallélogramme or Losange after its case shape. It deviated from a conventional rectangular case literally, with the case brancards offset in opposite directions, transforming the rectangle into a diamond, while the dial was rotated by 30 degrees to the right. A distinctive feature of the dial on the vintage Parallélogramme watches were the alternating Arabic numeral and baton hour markers, probably conceived to improve legibility of the skewed dial. In the modern day, the Asymétrique was incorporated into the Tank wristwatch line-up when it was reproduced as a limited edition. That happened first in 1996 with a limited edition with a small case size, with 300 examples in yellow gold and another 100 in platinum, both having the same dial style as the vintage originals. (And in 1999 a tiny run of watches was made to commemorate the handover of Macau to China.) The CPCP Tank Asymetrique of ...

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Pandemic Truths – Rexhep Rexhepi SJX Watches
Rexhep Rexhepi Apr 23, 2020

Pandemic Truths – Rexhep Rexhepi

Amongst independent watchmakers, Rexhep Rexhepi has found swift and significant success since he founded Akrivia, now one of the hottest niche brands. After his Chronomètre Contemporain took the prize of best men’s watch at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), collectors have been eagerly anticipating his next creation – which is on track despite the pandemic-induced disruptions. How has the COVID-19 coronavirus affected Akrivia? Now still crafting watches in his workshop at the heart of Geneva’s Old Town, Rexhep answers. Rexhep, still at the workshop in Geneva’s Old Town. Photo – Rexhep Rexhepi What impact has the crisis has on your business? The first impact was human. A month ago, when social distancing was first implemented in Switzerland, the atmosphere was grim. I could feel employees’ morale was affected; their motivation was low. I offered them the choice to stay home with partial unemployment or keep coming to the atelier, while respecting all health and hygiene measures, of course. Most of them opted to keep working, so we are still open at the moment and working almost normally. Even my partner [Jean-Pierre] Hagmann is back now. Production-wise, we feared for some of our subcontractors, like the [specialist that does] rhodium plating for example, but they are also working, even if only part time, for one week out of every two. But since we have [vertically] integrated a lot of our production, like making our own cases, and we have...

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The Audemars Piguet Museum is Complete (and Open) SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Museum Apr 22, 2020

The Audemars Piguet Museum is Complete (and Open)

Announced in 2014 as part of a massive expansion of headquarters in Le Brassus, the Audemars Piguet museum is now complete, although the public will have to wait end-June 2020 to visit. The vintage-inspired Remaster01 Chronograph limited edition was launched last month to commemorate this very occasion. [Update June 25, 2020: The museum is now open to the public, with tickets required for admission.] Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the Danish architects responsible for Google’s new North Bayshore headquarters, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is a low-slung spiral that gently rises out of the fields right behind the building Audemars Piguet has occupied since 1875. Inspired by a balance spring, the museum is almost entirely curved glass. A hundred and eight panels of structural glass support the steel roof that’s covered with a garden, blending into the pastoral landscape of the Vallee de Joux, the homely heart of Swiss watchmaking. The glass exterior is covered by a brass mesh to regulate temperature and light A spiral into the past and future Visitors to the museum will follow the spiral through the building – first clockwise towards the centre and then in the other direction to the conclusion – accompanied by some 300 timepieces dating from the 19th century to the present. At the centre of the spiral sit a selection of the brand’s grand complication watches, including the massive Universelle pocket watch from 1899. And appropriately, at the end of the...

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Watches & Wonders to Debut Online Starting April 25 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Chopard Apr 20, 2020

Watches & Wonders to Debut Online Starting April 25

Cancelled because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Watches & Wonders (W&W;) was due to take place in Geneva but will now go online starting April 25, 2020 at 12:00 pm CET (or 6:00 am in New York, 6:00 pm in Hong Kong and Singapore), where most of the year’s new watches will be revealed. Once known as SIHH, W&W; was meant to take place in the Palexpo convention centre in Geneva. Now the 30 brands that would have taken part in the event will be presenting their wares on a brand-new W&W; website, a project that has been completed in barely a month. Amongst the exhibiting brands are A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, Hermes, IWC and Panerai, as well as independent brands like Ressence and H. Moser & Cie. Three cheers for a long, long time ago, when W&W; was actually real The virtual fair will showcase most of the year’s new launches, accompanied by videos, articles and other content. And the April 25 opening is just part one of W&W;, with the second part slated to arrive in summer 2020, where additional products will be launch, along with “strategic e-commerce partnerships”. Ambitious as it is, being the first large-scale virtual “fair”, this may be the first and final instalment of W&W;, given that Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard and Chanel have withdrawn from Baselworld and will be joining the new, as-yet unnamed fair in Geneva in April next year that will substitute W&W;. The virtual W&W; will go live on April 25 at Watchesandwonders.com. You’ll find all of the new la...

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Recommended Reading: John Goldberger on Life, Collecting, and Home SJX Watches
Apr 18, 2020

Recommended Reading: John Goldberger on Life, Collecting, and Home

A tall man with a grave face who is always stylishly dressed, Auro Montanari is better known as John Goldberger, the pseudonym under which he has published over a dozen scholarly books dedicated to watches. Auro is best characterised as someone with diverse and deep interests, making him a truly interesting individual. So speaking with Auro is always a pleasure, which is something Phillips specialist Tiffany To recently managed to do. At home, stylishly. Photo – Auro Montanari Now at home in Bologna, a wealthy industrial hub that’s home to Lamborghini, Auro is putting the finishing touches to Time to Race, a near-500 page tome covering the watches worn by auto-racing champions of the mid-20th century, an era when drivers wore watches as a necessity, and not because they were brand ambassadors. Auro’s desktop with Time to Race in progress. Photo – Auro Montanari Highlights from Time to Race. Photo – Auro Montanari In a three-part interview, Auro discusses the upcoming book – “I love cars, I love watches, and I put them together and blend everything” – as well as his varied life. Though Auro is a industrial-control software entrepreneur by profession, his interests have taken him around the world in a hunt for watches, and he also lived the Californian dream for a spell in the 1980s. Auro, circa 1982. Photo – Auro Montanari The white gold ref. 3450. Photo – Auro Montanari He describes the years spent in Venice Beach, during which he chanced upon a whi...

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LVMH is out, Basel is dead, so here’s the three things I won’t miss and the one tasty grilled treat that I will… Time+Tide
Rolex Apr 16, 2020

LVMH is out, Basel is dead, so here’s the three things I won’t miss and the one tasty grilled treat that I will…

Stick a fork in Basel, she’s done. LVMH has just announced they’re following Rolex and Patek to Geneva in April of 2021. And I choose those words carefully. Of all the ways you could announce the death of Basel, a sausage has to be in the story. Because, overpriced snags sold daily in the concourse … ContinuedThe post LVMH is out, Basel is dead, so here’s the three things I won’t miss and the one tasty grilled treat that I will… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Breitling Introduces the Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection SJX Watches
Breitling Introduces Apr 16, 2020

Breitling Introduces the Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection

Following the Navitimer 1 Airline Editions and the Aviator 8 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Breitling has now introduced its next limited-production capsule collection, the Superocean Heritage ’57. Modelled on the brand’s first dive watch, the SuperOcean ref. 1004, the new range also includes a lively rainbow limited edition with multi-coloured hour markers. As scuba diving and other aquatic sports became popular in the early 1950s, dive watches being a thing, with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster 300 all making their debut that decade. Breitling’s entry into the dive watch stakes as the SuperOcean. While the watch is now less known than its contemporaries, the SuperOcean had a strikingly bold and unusual design despite being some six decades old. It was characterised by a wide bezel with a concave surface intended to protect the domed acrylic crystal, and a dial featuring dagger-shaped indices with additional oversized spheres at the quarters. The quirky, retro style has been reintroduced in full with the Superocean Heritage ’57. Superocean Heritage ’57 Capsule Collection The capsule collection consists of three iterations: in stainless steel with a blue or black dial, and a steel case with a rose-gold bezel paired with a black dial. All are powered by the COSC-certified Breitling Caliber 10, which is an ETA 2892-A2. Entirely polished, the case measures 42 mm wide and 9.99 mm high, making it 4 mm thinner than the standard Superocean He...

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Jaquet Droz Introduces the Grande Seconde Skelet-One Plasma Ceramic SJX Watches
Blancpain it Apr 7, 2020

Jaquet Droz Introduces the Grande Seconde Skelet-One Plasma Ceramic

A contemporary take on the brand’s iconic watch – itself based on a 18th century pocket watch – the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Plasma Ceramic is a sleek and modern open-worked wristwatch, now in a new, high-tech case material. Originally available in ordinary ceramic, the watch has now been given a case of “plasma ceramic”, an unusual material that’s best described as a ceramic that resembles metal. The material begins are white ceramic that’s treated with a plasma gas, essentially ionised gas created at 20,000°C. The process of plasma carburising transforms the surface layer of the white ceramic into a metal oxide, giving the ceramic a grey, metallic finish while retaining all of the desirable properties of ceramic including hardness, low density and scratch resistance. Though plasma ceramic has been a hallmark of the Swatch Group and its many brands, including Rado, Omega and Blancpain, it is being used for the first time by Jaquet Droz. The case measures 41.5 mm across and 12.48 mm high, making it a tad larger than its gold counterparts, which is typically the case for ceramic cases due to the necessities of construction in an ultra-hard, but potentially brittle, material. Unusually for ceramic that is typically mirror-polished all round, the case is finished with contrasting surfaces – the bezel and top surfaces of the lugs are brushed while the case band has a polished finish. A clear sapphire disc forms the Grande Seconde dial, wit...

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