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Results for AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants)

3,201 articles · 300 videos found · page 9 of 117

The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Jury Has Been Chosen: Commentary On The Judges Making The Choices For The Best Watches Of The Year Quill & Pad
Oct 13, 2020

The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Jury Has Been Chosen: Commentary On The Judges Making The Choices For The Best Watches Of The Year

In perusing the names of the 2020 jury of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, two distinct things became obvious to former jury member Elizabeth Doerr: that the entire jury is based in Switzerland and that it is far less diverse than it has been over the last decade. Here she breaks down why that is and provides some commentary and background on the new members.

Our Predictions In The Ladies Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): A Sprinkling Of Jewels, A Mismatched Date, And The Ever-Raging Debate On Quartz Quill & Pad
Sep 29, 2020

Our Predictions In The Ladies Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): A Sprinkling Of Jewels, A Mismatched Date, And The Ever-Raging Debate On Quartz

The GPHG foundation describes the Ladies category for watches entered as “comprising only the following indications: hours, minutes, seconds, date, power reserve, and/or classic moon phase. These timepieces may be adorned with a maximum of eight carats’ worth of gemstones.” While our panelists aren't quite unanimous, we do have a clear favorite as a winner here. Read on to find out why.

INTRODUCING: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sandblast-Polished Ceramic, as liquid black as Darth Vader’s helmet Time+Tide
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sandblast-Polished Ceramic Jul 27, 2020

INTRODUCING: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sandblast-Polished Ceramic, as liquid black as Darth Vader’s helmet

Often, it is incremental and deliberate design progress - slow to the point that the casual observer might not even notice it - that creates the best products. Tiny changes, layered on one another year after year, are the key to creating an unmistakable visual identity that stands the test of time. It’s a blueprint that … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Sandblast-Polished Ceramic, as liquid black as Darth Vader’s helmet appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Geneva Watch Days to Take Place August 2020 SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux H Moser & Cie May 28, 2020

Geneva Watch Days to Take Place August 2020

First scheduled for April 2020 to coincide with the twin events Baselworld and Watches & Wonders – how the world of watch fairs changed since then – Geneva Watch Days was postponed to August 2020 after life was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the event has been confirmed for late August 2020, making it the only “multi-brand watch event in Switzerland” according to its organisers. With eight brands taking part, and perhaps more to come, Geneva Watch Days will be made up of a series of separate events across Geneva – with the central reception desk at the lakeside Four Seasons Hotel – with each brand essentially doing its own thing. Only a handful of evening events will see all the attendees gather, but only as far as Swiss government’s public health regulations allow. But in many respects the event aims to be similar to Baselworld, being catered for the trade – namely retailers and press – rather than the public. Visitors have to register in advance, as well as make appointments with brands to see the latest watches. Bulgari, Breitling, De Bethune, Gerald Genta, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie., MB&F;, Ulysse Nardin, and Urwerk have all confirmed their participation at Geneva Watch Days. The event will take place August 26-29, 2020, at various locations across Geneva. To register as an attendee, visit Gva-watch-days.com.  

Open Letter To Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin: I’ve Cancelled My Geneva Watch Days 2020, Now It’s Your Turn (But You Should Have Been First) Quill & Pad
Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin I’ve Mar 8, 2020

Open Letter To Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin: I’ve Cancelled My Geneva Watch Days 2020, Now It’s Your Turn (But You Should Have Been First)

Despite feeling that Geneva Watch Days was wrong, hope, stupidity, and self-interest prevailed enough to cause Ian Skellern to hold off on canceling his accommodation in Geneva previously booked for the now-canceled Watches & Wonders 2020. He was hoping organizing brand Bulgari would cancel the event first and take the decision and uncertainty out of his hands. But it didn’t. Now’s the (well-overdue) time to say bye-bye to Geneva Watch Days 2020 in his opinion.

Grand Seiko Introduces the Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry SBGD205 SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Introduces Mar 5, 2020

Grand Seiko Introduces the Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry SBGD205

For its 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko has just unveiled one of the most extravagant, and expensive, watches ever – the Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch (ref. SBGD205). Combining the flagship Spring Drive model – made at the artisanal Micro Artist Studio – with a lavish setting of diamonds and sapphires, the Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch is a departure from the typical, subtle formality of Grand Seiko design. The base of the Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch is the SBGD201, an immense, heavy and refined wristwatch powered by the impressive 9R01 movement. Equipped with three barrels that give it a 192-hour power reserve, the 9R01 is finished to the same level as the much-vaunted Credor Eichi II, thought the massive full bridge means there are few details visible on the back. The dial of the watch is unusual. Though Grand Seiko (and Seiko) have always produced jewelled watches for women, this is probably the first heavily gem-set men’s model in a long time. The centre of the dial has a granular, slightly sparkly “dial dust” finish that is identical to the dial finish on the standard Grand Seiko 8 Days. But it has a subtle constellation of Leo – the Grand Seiko emblem is a lion – incorporated into the surface of the dial and visible only up close. Around the diamond-dust centre are two white gold chapter rings, one set with large, baguette-cut stones and the other with smaller, brilliant-cut stone. Each of the hours and ...

Panerai Introduces the Radiomir California PAM 931 & Radiomir  8 Days PAM 992 SJX Watches
Panerai Introduces Nov 19, 2019

Panerai Introduces the Radiomir California PAM 931 & Radiomir 8 Days PAM 992

Panerai’s new launches this year have so far been inclined towards civilian sports – including the Luna Rossa trio and Mike Horn edition – which is a key part of chief executive Jean-Marc Pontroué’s strategy that also emphasises “experiences”. But with its two new launches – the Radiomir California 47mm (PAM 931) and Radiomir 8 Days 45mm (PAM 992) – the brand returns to the old school Marina Militare style – both have a familiar look that’s heavily inspired by wristwatches Panerai made for frogmen of the Italian navy in the 1930s and 1940s. Radiomir California 47mm PAM00931 Notably, both watches have steel cases with an “aged patina effect”, essentially a surface coating that reproduces the look of the vintage originals. The Radiomir California 47mm (PAM00931) revisits a design that Panerai has reproduced several times in the past – modelled on the ref. 3646 of the 1930s – but now with a “tropical” dial in graduated brown that mimics the look of aged dials on vintage Radiomir watches. It has Roman numerals on the upper half and Arabic numbers on the bottom, a design originally meant to aid legibility by clearly distinguishing the upper and lower halves of the dial. The crystal is domed PlexiGlas, while the movement is the extra-large, hand-wound P.3000 with a three-day power reserve. The second model is slightly more interesting, since the design is more novel (in other words having not been done before, at least in the exact same con...

Introducing the Winners of the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin clinched Nov 8, 2019

Introducing the Winners of the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève

This year’s GPHG saw a total of no less than 196 watches entered into the running for one of the night’s awards. The jury, presided over by Aurel Bacs, then pre-selected 84 models, divided into 14 categories. The latter included four new awards – the Iconic Watch, Diver’s Watch, Calendar and Astronomy and Horological Revelation. The outcome is similar to last year’s, with a strong ratio of independents among the winners. Out of 18 watch awards, eight were awarded to independents including Kudoke (Petite Aiguille), Ming (Horological Revelation) and newcomer Genus, (Mechanical Exception), while virtuoso watchmaker Voutilainen scooped two awards (Men’s Watch and Artistic Crafts). The biggest winner of the evening was Audemars Piguet who took home three awards including the top prize – the Aiguille d’Or – for its Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. The watch is the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar at just 6.3mm in height, achieved primarily by using a modified ultra-thin cal. 2120 as a base with a smartly designed perpetual calendar module on top that has an integrated end-of-month cam on the date wheel and a 48-month wheel with a novel geometry. Elsewhere, having lost to Genus in the Mechanical Exception category, Vacheron Constantin clinched the Innovation award with its Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar. The watch addresses the problem of having to reset a perpetual calendar that has lain dormant. It utilises two balances osci...

HANDS-ON: The Aussie-only Seiko Prospex SRPD50K Time+Tide
Seiko Prospex SRPD50K Seiko Aug 21, 2019

HANDS-ON: The Aussie-only Seiko Prospex SRPD50K

Seiko is a brand with a lot of love in Australia - their watches, especially the divers, are incredibly popular, due in equal parts to their good looks, virtual indestructibility and high ratio of bang vis-à-vis buck. So, we’ve got no doubt that this Australia-only limited edition - a two-tone twist on the classic turtle … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Aussie-only Seiko Prospex SRPD50K appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

RECOMMENDED READING: Farer’s growth begs the question – when does a microbrand stop being micro?  Time+Tide
Farer s growth begs May 4, 2019

RECOMMENDED READING: Farer’s growth begs the question – when does a microbrand stop being micro? 

Broadly speaking, microbrand is a term used to describe smaller watch brands - typically with few staff, outsourced production and a direct-to-consumer business model. The other thing to note is that there is a lot of them, typically waxing and waning in terms of favour. But sometimes these brands gain a critical momentum that starts to … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Farer’s growth begs the question – when does a microbrand stop being micro?  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

HANDS-ON: The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic – PAM00616 Time+Tide
Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech Dec 10, 2018

HANDS-ON: The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic – PAM00616

At first glance, Panerai’s watches share a reassuring familiarity - large cases, large crown guards and a dial design that puts legibility front and centre. A close look at the catalogue will show that the brand born from its Italian diving heritage has quite a lot of diversity on offer, particularly when it comes to … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech 3 Days Automatic – PAM00616 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

HANDS-ON: Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Franck Muller goes green and gold with limited-edition Vanguard for Australia Time+Tide
Franck Muller Sep 24, 2017

HANDS-ON: Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Franck Muller goes green and gold with limited-edition Vanguard for Australia

One of my main gripes with the watch industry in general is that it’s an overwhelmingly Serious Business. Tradition. Precision. Luxury. Attributes that are easily capable of erasing the merest hint of fun. Thankfully, there are a few brands out there capable of injecting some playfulness into their watches. Franck Muller, with their left-of-centre designs … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Franck Muller goes green and gold with limited-edition Vanguard for Australia appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

INTRODUCING: The Nomos Orion 38 100 years De Stijl Limited Edition for Ace Jewellers Time+Tide
Nomos Orion 38 100 years Sep 3, 2017

INTRODUCING: The Nomos Orion 38 100 years De Stijl Limited Edition for Ace Jewellers

Dutch design seems to be synonymous with eccentricities, oddities and a flair for the abstract. Characterised by typical and anomalous arrangements and a general nonconformist approach, “De Stijl” design tends to be polarising, to say the least. The term “De Stijl” literally translates to “the style”, and is also known as neoplasticism. Unless you’re up … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Nomos Orion 38 100 years De Stijl Limited Edition for Ace Jewellers appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

VIDEO: The Big Bang, but not as you know it – Hublot’s Sang Bleu in King Gold Time+Tide
Hublot s Sang Bleu May 7, 2017

VIDEO: The Big Bang, but not as you know it – Hublot’s Sang Bleu in King Gold

One of the keys to success for any watch brand is to have something instantly recognisable – a watch that can be spotted from the other side of a crowded room. Hublot’s Big Bang is one such design. With its large size and uncommon case shape the Big Bang stands out, and the Sang Bleu … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Big Bang, but not as you know it – Hublot’s Sang Bleu in King Gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Business News: Watches And Wonders Attendance Climbs Despite Geo-Politics And Economic Challenges As Brands Make Case For Value Hodinkee
Ming Apr 30, 2026

Business News: Watches And Wonders Attendance Climbs Despite Geo-Politics And Economic Challenges As Brands Make Case For Value

The watches that prove commercial and collector successes emerging from Watches and Wonders 2026 will have climbed a wall of worry. There was plenty to fret over heading into the watch industry's largest and most important annual salon this year. The eruption of war in the Middle East challenged travel plans and clouded the outlook for visitors from the region and beyond. Indeed, sales have certainly been impacted in the Middle East, and the question remains how quickly stability might return.The existing bugbears of the watch sector – rising input costs from raw materials, including record gold values, ongoing U.S. tariffs, not to mention the continued strength of the Swiss franc, as well as years of retail price increases – remained omnipresent. All told, these factors could have set the stage for a subdued, cautious event. Instead, the industry converged in Geneva, striking an optimistic and inclusive tone where it worked hard to show it's been paying attention to the demands of clients and customers with new watches that drove home a theme of demonstrating value in often, but not always, familiar packages. With public-facing events including Montreaux Jazz concerts in the Geneva city center, Watches and Wonders emphasized its role as a cultural tent pole for the industry and the Swiss watchmaking region, aiming to be more open and welcoming. The new, more public-oriented strategy certainly paid off as attendance jumped to nearly 60,000 unique visitors, a record for...

Business News: Breitling’s House Of Brands Unveils New Executive Leadership With Georges Kern As Group CEO Hodinkee
Roger Dubuis Apr 22, 2026

Business News: Breitling’s House Of Brands Unveils New Executive Leadership With Georges Kern As Group CEO

'House of Brands,' the group of watchmakers including Breitling, Universal Genéve, and the soon-to-be-revived Gallet, announced executive changes that will see the flagship brand led by new leadership, with Georges Kern becoming the group's Chief Executive Officer. Jean-Marc Pontroué, a long-time Richemont executive and the former CEO of Panerai and Roger Dubuis, is the new Chief Executive Officer of Breitling, the group says in a statement. The changes take effect in May.  Georges Kern Georges Kern, who has led Breitling under new ownership since 2017, overseeing a more than doubling of annual sales to above CHF 800 million, according to analyst estimates, and one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern watchmaking, becomes the new CEO of the House of Brands, overseeing the three marques and their leadership in a newly created role.At Universal Genève, which relaunched this month in the high-end segment in what's likely the most ambitious watch brand return and repositioning in decades, Grégory Bruttin remains Managing Director. Meanwhile, at Gallet, the approachable-priced brand known for its Flying Officer and Multichron models, to be revived in August this year, Erwan Rossignol, who is already leading the team preparing the relaunch, becomes Managing Director. The changes confirm the multi-brand ambitions of the private-equity-backed Grenchen, Switzerland-based company, and provide a structure similar to that of other groups with portfolios of several watch bra...

Franc Vila’s FVF2 Time & Day is Quirky Haute Horlogerie SJX Watches
Apr 10, 2026

Franc Vila’s FVF2 Time & Day is Quirky Haute Horlogerie

FVF Genève’s second model after the FVF1 skeleton tourbillon, the FVF2 Intrepido Time & Day is a more concise and accessible watch. It’s essentially a familiar formula – time (plus day) and a hand-finished manual wind movement – the FVF2 nonetheless manages to stand out thanks to brand founder Franc Vila’s eye for design. Pictured here with a black mother of pearl dial, part of a five-piece edition, the FVF2 has a pleasing asymmetry. The movement is composed of intriguing geometric forms and quirky details like the square winding click, while also being traditionally decorated with generous bevelling and black polishing. The case is an unusual “unibody” construction where the base plate and case middle are one and the same Initial thoughts The FVF2 might seem like yet another time-only watch with a fancily decorated movement, and it is just that, but not quite. Its creator, Franc Vila, is an industry veteran rather than a newcomer, and is now making a comeback after rising and falling with his original brand some two decades ago. Unlike many recent calibres that try to do more with more, the FVF2 movement is more minimalist but has a recognisable style and artful details. The calibre is characterised by geometric forms that encompass finer elements like the winding click, while also retaining a clear classical bent with the prominent going train and finishing. The treatment for the titanium base plate requires superheated gases to create an oxide layer on t...

Titanium and Fresh Colorways Collide as Straum Expands Its Jan Mayen Arctic Collection with a New Limited Edition Capsule and Permanent Pieces Worn & Wound
Apr 2, 2026

Titanium and Fresh Colorways Collide as Straum Expands Its Jan Mayen Arctic Collection with a New Limited Edition Capsule and Permanent Pieces

Today, two of Straum’s core concepts come alive in a new twist on the Jan Mayen Arctic collection, now in titanium for the first time in addition to stainless steel. The four original colors, in both titanium and stainless steel, now become part of the brand’s permanent catalog. Plus, there’s the debut of an entirely new dial colorway. Last year, we saw the expansion of the brand’s offerings with the classic Jan Mayen design rendered in lightweight titanium as well as the unveiling of four thoughtful and stunning Arctic dials. By now, you probably well know I’m a sucker for a mesmerizing dial design, especially one with a story and deeper meaning behind it. The brand’s limited edition capsules of Arctic dials tick all those boxes. The inspiration draws from Straum’s Norwegian roots with a subtle and abstract interpretation of the country’s natural beauty through intentional use of texture and color to elicit the feeling of the landscape rather than something too literal. We’ve previously seen four editions, each handsome in their own right: one reflecting the bold hues of the Aurora sky; one called Alpine Glow, fading from the crisp blue frost of the mountains fading to a light pink sunset; Meltwater Teal, which quite literally mimics a waterfall cascading down the dial thanks to the perfect execution of ombre white to teal; and lastly, the most understated among the bunch called Tundra Brown with a bronze tone. In addition to a new metal – swapping tit...