Hodinkee
Introducing: The IWC Top Gun 'SFTI' Edition (Live Pics & Pricing)
This watch feels the need, the need for ... well, you get it.
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Hodinkee
This watch feels the need, the need for ... well, you get it.
Deployant
Here, we bring you the details and our thoughts on the Hublot Big Bang Unico Sapphire 42 mm, now in a smaller case and with a new movement to fit.
SJX Watches
Already a well-established tradition at De Bethune, the unusual use of metal alloys along with elaborate engraving defines the Maestri’Art DW5 Cempasúchil, a unique watch created for Salón Internacional Alta Relojería México (SIAR), the country’s leading luxury-watch fair that takes place October 20-22. The Cempasúchil is a unique piece that’s the latest instalment in the Dream Watch 5 (DW5) series that started out as a sleek creation resembling a metallic seashell. More recently, the DW5 has more recently been used as a blank canvas for heavily decorative engraving, something the Cempasúchil takes that to the extreme. The titanium case of the Cempasúchil is heat blued and inlaid with gold in various colours, forming an intricate yet cartoonish motif inspired by the Mexican festival of Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead. And that explains the model name, which is also a type of marigold also known as flor de los muertos, or “flower of the dead”. Cempasúchil front And back Initial thoughts Done by De Bethune’s go-to engraver, the quality of the work on the Cempasúchil is unmistakably high quality. And the multi-coloured gold inlay elevates the work to another level entirely. And the exuberant, whimsical of multiple calavera, or decorated skulls, is very much in keeping with the spirit of the Day of the Dead, a celebration of the departed rather than a sad occasion. But the combination of the DW5 and the motif doesn’t gel. Traditionally seamless,...
SJX Watches
They were once the horological elite, credited with magical powers. The precision timers who tuned the watches for the observatory trials in the 1960s and 1970s are now a dwindling band in the twilight of their lives. In those days, when mechanical precision rather than mechanical complication determined the value of a watch, precision timing was a post-graduate discipline that took a lifetime to master. Before he died last October in his 90th year, one old timer, François Mercier of Le Locle, described what he had to do to win prizes for his employers, initially Ulysse Nardin and then the hairspring spring manufacturer Spiraux Réunis. First, he had to identify the most faultless spring, calculate and shape the terminal curve, pin it up to the staff of a previously poised balance wheel. Then he would shift balance screws by hundredths of a millimetre, adjust forces and inertia in micrograms, to move a fraction of a second closer to the unattainable goal of a true and constant time. An overcoil hairspring in a contemporary Voutilainen Vingt-8 Temperature compensation The biggest challenge was to compensate for the effects of temperature changes on the steel alloy springs of old. As the temperature rose, the spring would lose its elasticity and beat more slowly. Such springs needed a compensation balance made of two metals each having a different coefficient of expansion. Rising temperatures would cause the cut ends of the balance rim to curl inwards, thereby increasing...
Time+Tide
Brands such as Rolex, Richard Mille and Patek Philippe have all incorporated rubber into their high-end watches, but there can only be one pioneer who got the party started. Forty years ago, Hublot founder and designer Carlo Crocco took the watch world by storm, pairing a porthole-inspired yellow gold watch with a rubber strap integrated … ContinuedThe post The Hublot Classic Fusion 40 Years Anniversary yellow gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Deployant
MB&F; extends its Legacy Machine Perpetual line with the new LM Perpetual EVO - a new Machine designed for all avtivity. In spirit, the LM Perpetual EVO marks an evolution at MB&F;. This is not a watch for sports, it is a watch for life.
Revolution
The Patek Philippe watch that is meant for all day, every day - the Patek Philippe Twenty~4.
Hodinkee
We've got some good, old-fashioned watch nerdery for you this week.
Deployant
The Alpine Eagle collection of sporty-chic timepieces spreads its wings, welcoming for the first time a flyback chronograph in a new 44 mm diameter case. We present our hands-on review of the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph, with live photographs and prices.
SJX Watches
Luxury-sports watches are the flavour of the day, and brands in every price segment offer something in the category. Given the fad, Chopard’s launch of the Alpine Eagle last year wasn’t much of a surprise, although the fact that the Alpine Eagle was a reboot of the 1980s St Moritz was unexpected, since the St Moritz was never really a hit. But the St Moritz was smartly reworked, creating a watch that is good looking and in typical Chopard style, very well made and also well priced. The Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chrono has all of the qualities of last year’s base model, but everything comes together better on the chronograph. And despite being more complicated and thus more expensive, the chronograph is arguably better value, and perhaps even the best in class. Initial thoughts When the Alpine Eagle was unveiled almost exactly a year ago, making its debut as a 41 mm three-hander with date, I was impressed by the fit and finish, and also the price; the value proposition was good. But the three-hand Alpine Eagle isn’t particularly compelling in the hand. To be fair, the base-model Alpine Eagle manages to avoid the usual pitfall for a luxury-sports watch – looking derivative and too similar to the most famous watches in the category – but it is a little plain. The new Alpine Eagle XL Chrono, on the other hand, is compelling in style, size, and substance. Visually the chronograph works better than the three-hand model, because the sub-dials are well proportioned and i...
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Time+Tide
Now, we all have an image of the Speedmaster Professional, the icon, the Tool of Tool watches, the Moon Watch. A beautiful 42mm piece of history, with its delicate white lumed baton hands pointing to a still timeless sixties minute track, and delicate slightly recessed sub chronograph registers on a plain, matt monochromatic dial. Twisted … ContinuedThe post Would you pay $13,000USD for a Speedy that’s spent 188 days in space? Because that’s the current online bid… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
One of the most important historical dive watch brands is back, with Cousteau's favorite chronograph.
SJX Watches
Originally founded in 1962 to capitalise on the popularity of leisure diving at the time, Aquastar specialised in making diving instruments and notched up several patents, such as a “no-decompression” bezel. But like the rest of the Swiss watch industry in the 1970s, the Aquastar suffered during the Quartz Crisis and faded away, although it never really died. Now it’s been resurrected and makes it debut with, unsurprisingly, a vintage remake with the Deepstar Chronograph. Initial thoughts The Deepstar is obviously a watch of the 1960s, with the angular, tonneau-shaped case and dial design giving away its origins. The retro-diver look is now back in vogue, which was no doubt a reason behind the revival of the brand. And the popularity of the design is for good reason. It is clean and attractive, and unusual compared to today’s dive watches (although vintage remakes are increasingly common). The vintage Deepstar All of the best elements of the vintage original are found on the remake, including the oversized, “big eye” minute register. And though it’s larger than the 37 mm original – a necessity due to the La Joux-Perret movement inside – the remake is 40.5 mm, smallish by today’s standards, which means it still retains the vintage feel. Aside from the true-to-original grey dial, the Deepstar is also offered in black and blue, with an “early-bird” price of US$2,790 (which rises to US$3,590 after the initial run of 300 pieces in each colour). The pre-...
Time+Tide
It’s a story we’ve been writing in our weekly editorial meeting for months and months: the idea that lug to lug measurement is a more important fit-telling metric than any other. In layman’s terms, that’s the distance between the outer tip of two opposing lugs on either side of the case. So much discussion. So … ContinuedThe post FRIDAY WIND DOWN: You need to know your ideal lug to lug size, or you’re doing watches wrong appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
TAG Heuer introduces the Monaco Chronograph 39mm Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic with a brand-new bracelet designed for the watch.
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Time+Tide
If it’s the rugged tool watch charm of the Captain Cook or the historically energised dimensions of the Golden Horse, Rado is probably best remembered in recent years for the watches inspired by the archives of the brand. But there’s a part of the Rado family that watch enthusiasts might be less familiar with, a … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The liquid ceramic of the Rado True Square collection is something only this brand can do appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Editor’s note: As I go to post this review, something very sad just dawned on me. It’s been over three years since I’ve had a holiday as long as the power reserve of this watch. Which is 10 days. Ten. Days. Which means this watch would still be ticking after one wind upon my return … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold with 240 hours power reserve is testosterone-drenched tech at its absolute finest appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Omega releases the third chapter of the Snoopy Award Speedmaster with a new, non-limited edition 50th Anniversary Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award watch.
SJX Watches
Conceived to mark a major occasion for its hometown, the Nomos Lambda 175 Years Watchmaking Glashütte is a limited edition with a glossy lacquer dial that’s unusual for the brand. But it is more notable for being the first time Nomos is making its top-of-the-line watch available in steel. As a result, the new Lambda is far more affordable, despite being a limited edition. Initial thoughts Introduced in 2013 alongside its discontinued, tonneau-shaped sibling, the Lambda was Nomos’ first upscale watch and available only in an 18k gold case. Despite its qualities, the Lambda was expensive for Nomos, a brand that does simple, affordable watches well. Very expensive, in fact, with the base model in gold priced at US$17,000. It was too much of a stretch for Nomos to reach that high in the price spectrum. So the new steel Lambda makes a lot of sense. It keeps the ultra-clean dial design of the original Lambda, as well as the attractively-finished movement, while making it far more affordable. At US$7,500, it costs less than half the cheapest gold Lambda. For anyone who likes the original Lambda but couldn’t stomach the price, this is perhaps the perfect watch. That said, US$7,500 is still a lot for a Nomos. While the brand can compete strongly in its core price range of US$2,000-4,000, competition is tougher over US$7,000. For similar money, one can get an Glashütte Original, Ulysse Nardin, or much else. A 42 mm Lambda in 18k rose gold Minor refinements The 175th annivers...
SJX Watches
In one fo the most widely predicted announcements of the year, Omega has just unveiled the Speedmaster “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary. Essentially the latest-generation Speedmaster Moonwatch dressed up in Snoopy livery, the watch commemorates the Silver Snoopy award bestowed on Omega by NASA in 1970. And crucially, this is not a limited edition, unlike the two earlier Speedmaster Snoopy editions. Initial thoughts While hardly a surprise, the new Speedmaster Snoopy is an attractive variant of the Speedmaster. While the design elements are the most obvious, the coolest bit of the new watch is on the back: the running indicators linked to the dial are a nifty detail that sets this apart mechanically from all other Speedmasters. But there really are so many Speedmaster limited editions. The new Speedmaster Snoopy is not a limited edition, which is probably disappointing news to owners of the earlier editions, which were limited. That said, with a price of about US$9,000, the new Speedmaster Snoopy is modestly priced – it is intrinsically a well-priced watch offering solid value – and will no doubt sell extremely well, at least initially, until supply catches up with demand. Saving the day 50 years ago Because the crew of the disastrous Apollo 13 mission used their Speedmasters to time a 14-second engine burn to position the craft for reentry into Earth’s atmosphere – an explosion forced them to shut down the craft’s electronic systems – the Omega chrono...
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Deployant
U-Boat unveils the new 1938 Doppiotempo range. Presented first time last year, based on a model originally created for the Italian army's parachute-assault regiment, the Col Moschin, the watch comes out now in other two models enlarging the range started with a special edition of 200 pieces.
SJX Watches
Fifteen years after its debut in the Harry Winston Opus V, Urwerk’s ingenious satellite-cube time display is now in its fifth generation with the just-launched UR-220 ‘Falcon Project’. While the UR-220 resembles its predecessor, the UR-210, a great deal, the new watch has been refined in several substantive ways. Most notably, it is powered by a hand-wind movement, something that’s not been used for the satellite-cube display since the UR-201 from 13 years ago. Initial thoughts A three-dimensional wandering hours, the satellite-cube hour display is one of the most significant innovations in modern-day independent watchmaking. Hours are indicated on three rotating cubes, while a retrograde hand points to the minutes, travelling in sync with the cube for the current hour. The complication has, however, reached a level of maturity. Incredible when it was launched in the Opus V in 2005, the satellite-cube display still remains special, though its impact has been moderated by subsequent inventions by other watchmakers, making it seem less avant-garde. So when I first heard Urwerk was soon to unveil the successor to the UR-210, which was introduced in 2012, I was keen to see the evaluation of the complication. The new UR-220 The UR-220 is unquestionably a better watch – it is slimmer and lighter, as well as face-lifted in terms of design details, and the manual-wind movement is a plus – but it is an incremental evolution over the UR-210, rather than a radical revam...
SJX Watches
Having pivoted to take a more interesting direction – exemplified by its recent collaboration with watch designer Alain Silberstein – Louis Erard is now working on facelifting its more classical watches to give them a more contemporary appearance. The result is the Excellence Triptych, a trio of watches that are simple yet smartly detailed. Made up of a time-only, regulator, and mono-pusher chronograph, the line up is named after a three-panelled painting, perhaps reflecting the artistic interests of Manuel Emch, the former chief executive of Jaquet Droz who is now a consultant to Louis Erard and responsible for the brand’s renewal. The Excellence Triptych (from left): Petite Second, Régulateur, Chronographe Monopoussoir Initial thoughts The Triptych is fundamentally appealing because of its reasonable and affordable pricing, starting from about US$1,600 for the time-only and rising to a still-modest US$3,800 for the mono-pusher chronograph. The intrinsic value is especially strong for the regulator, as the complication is rarely seen in this price segment (though Louis Erard has made it something of a speciality). The Régulateur And the facelift is subtle but significantly, boosting their visual appeal over the earlier generation of watches. Amongst the more obvious tweaks was replacing the Roman numerals with applied Arabics and batons, while also sharpening the lance-shaped hands, giving the watch a more modern look. While the dials are in a muted silver, ...
Quill & Pad
The Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon almost serves the timekeeping function as a side dish: the most eye-catching part of this watch is the sapphire crystal engine block with 16 working “pistons” and a “crankshaft.” It is absolutely mesmerizing to see these little pistons do the same work that their life-size W16 cousins do. Check out this video to see it for yourself!
Time+Tide
I am utterly perplexed by the Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronograph Monopusher. This is a watch, released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Pontos range, that encompasses some of my favourite features across the ages of horology, amalgamated into one. Stealthy black, chunky yet not too large, both contemporary and vintage, with a chronograph dégradé dial. … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Maurice Lacroix Pontos Chronograph Monopusher is like a sandwich with every filling possible, and I’m hungry appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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