31 articles · 42 videos found · page 1 of 3
Time+Tide
Radium was discovered by Marie Curie in 1898, and it was already showing up on the dials of wristwatches by the early 1900s. This goes to show how intertwined the idea of luminous markings and watchmaking really are, as the industry has been a constant point of innovation for the technology. From the dark past … ContinuedThe post We glow with the flow, but is lume really necessary? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
"The watch industry today would be nothing without women," Elizabeth Doerr notes as the majority of watchmaker benches in watch factories are “manned” by women. Women were also responsible for the very first wristwatches; the world's first doctorate in horology went to a woman (Dr. Rebecca Struthers); and the now-safe lume glowing on your watch came about thanks to the dangerous (and deadly) work of both Marie Curie and the Radium Girls.
SJX Watches
The fabled Breguet no. 160 “Marie Antoinette” (pictured above, image credit Baruch Coutts) was reputedly made for the last queen of France, but was so complicated that it took decades to complete, by which time the queen was long dead. Stolen in 1983 and then recovered in 2007, the legendary watch started by Abraham-Louis Breguet will be on display for the first time outside of the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art In Jerusalem since its recovery. From December 12, the Breguet “Marie Antoinette” will be on show at the Science Museum in London (which is also home to important George Daniels creations, including the unfinished watch and the Space Traveller II). The Breguet Marie Antoinette is part of Versailles: Science and Splendour, an exhibition dedicated to the scientific and technology discoveries related to the French royal court in the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition explores a 120-year span of scientific progress at Versailles, illustrating the scientific endeavours accomplished during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. The mythical watch While the exhibition will include over 100 exhibits, watch enthusiasts will know the highlight is Breguet no. 160, the grand complication commissioned in 1783, by Marie Antoinette’s lover according to legend, hence its longstanding nickname. A no-expense-spared commission, watch no. 160 was only completed in 1827, having been delayed by A.-L. Breguet’s exile during the French Revolution. By the t...
Quill & Pad
When Bhanu Chropra visited Israel on a business trip in 2019, a colleague suggested a short visit to see the historically important sites in Jerusalem, and knowing his passion for horology said that he had a special surprise for him: visiting the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art. The museum holds one of the world’s most horologically significant pocket watch, clock, and automaton collections, and the star of the show is Breguet No. 160, aka “the Marie Antoinette.”
Worn & Wound
A series of features identifying the most extraordinary mechanical masterpieces in history, blending precision, innovation, and craftsmanship. We all have our favourite timepieces either in our collection or those incredible horological masterpieces that have been invented or created through the ages. This series will showcase examples from the previous centuries up to the present day and look at the importance and impact on modern day timekeeping. Few watches in history have captivated the world quite like Breguet No. 160, often referred to as the Marie Antoinette Watch. Commissioned in 1783, this masterpiece of horology was intended as the ultimate expression of luxury, precision, and mechanical complexity. Crafted by Abraham-Louis Breguet, the legendary Swiss watchmaker, it would take over 44 years to complete, long after Marie Antoinette’s tragic execution and Breguet’s death. Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess and the wife of King Louis XVI. Born on the 2nd November 1755 in Vienna, Austria, she was the 15th child of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and Emperor Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. She grew up in the lavish Schönbrunn Palace centre of the court of Vienna, surrounded by wealth, music, and political intrigue. Marie Antoinette with a Rose. Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1783. Oil on Canvas. Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Palace of Versailles was a major site of scientific thinking in the 17th and 18th centuries. It hos...
Video
Should you buy your next luxury watch brand new… or save thousands on the secondary market?
Fratello
We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Jean-Marie Schaller, the owner and creative force behind Louis Moinet. Jean-Marie passed away peacefully on May 16th at the age of 66. I wanted to share a few personal words about Jean-Marie because he was someone I came to know not only through watches but […] Visit Remembering Jean-Marie Schaller, One Of Watchmaking’s Brightest Characters to read the full article.
Deployant
It is with great sadness that we join the Schaller family and staff of Louis Moinet to mourn the loss of Jean-Marie Schaller.
SJX Watches
SJX recently visited Vacheron Constantin and sat down with Christian Selmoni, style and heritage director, and head of speciality watchmaking, Jean-Marie Bouquin, to discuss the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, the most complicated wristwatch yet made. Mr Bouquin led the development of Solaria, and assembled it, creating a wristwatch that’s a worthy follow-up to the most complicated portable timepiece ever, the Berkley Grand Complication that was launched just last year. That in turn broke the record set by Vacheron Constantin in 2015 with the ref. 57260 “Tivoli”. They discussed the intricacies and innovation in the Solaria, including its modular “plug and play” perpetual calendar, and the implications for future Les Cabinotiers projects, as well as the novel star-tracking chronograph, and the benefits of using silicon for the spokes of the balance wheel. They also touched on the absence of a grande et petite sonnerie.
Revolution
In Part II of our conversation with Jean-Marie Schaller, Owner and CEO of Louis Moinet, Jean-Marie tells Wei about the second design pillar of the brand, Cosmic Art. With the Super Moon, Astronef, Space Revolution and the recently released Space One, Louis Moinet showcases the different dimensions of its watchmaking, marrying the use of materials […]
Revolution
Wei visits the medieval town of St. Blaise, Switzerland, the home of independent watchmaker Louis Moinet to speak with Owner and CEO Jean-Marie Schaller about the significance of the brand that he revived and the direction it needs to go for the future. Watchmaking history was rewritten in 2016 when Louis Moinet was awarded a […]
Video
What happens when the two leaders of RedBar — one of the world's most influential watch communities — walk into a bar with Andrew and lay out their personal three-watch collections? You're about to find out.
Hodinkee
Joe Thompson’s gripping tale of the time he asked Nicolas Hayek Sr about Breguet’s lost Marie-Antoinette Watch, and what happened next.
SJX Watches
Cartier has enjoyed industry-beating growth since current chief executive Cyrille Vigneron took over in 2016, with demand for both its watches and jewellery rising at a steady clip. One of the individuals behind the success of Cartier’s watch division is Marie-Laure Cérède. Having started her career at Cartier, she spent a dozen years at Harry Winston, before returning to the French jeweller in October 2016 as the Deputy Creative Director of Watchmaking. And in May 2017 she was elevated to the top job in design, making her ultimately responsible for the aesthetic of Cartier’s watchmaking. One of the first redesigns during Ms Cerede’s leadership was the Santos, which has evolved from the Santos launched in 1978 (far left), to the Santos 100 of the 2000s (centre), and finally the present model Her tenure has been marked by a steady stream of hits, ranging from collector favourites like the Tank Cintree to the trendy Tank Must. In that time, Cartier has reimagined most of its trademark watch lines, including the Santos and more recently, the Pasha. I spoke with Ms Cérède earlier this year to uncover the secret behind her successful rejuvenation of Cartier’s diverse line-up. Also present during the interview was Anne Charrier, the public relations-strategy manager for jewellery, watches, and accessories. The interview was edited for clarity and length. SJX: Cartier has a strong collection this year, both for men and women. And for a few years now, you have had stro...
Revolution
Donna-Marie Povey, aka @tudorcollector debuts top ten on the UK classical chart, with her live recorded album, First Take
Quill & Pad
In 1783, just as the queen of France, Marie Antoinette, was sitting for a portrait, an officer of the queen’s guard visited Abraham-Louis Breguet’s workshop: Queen Marie Antoinette desired a pocket watch containing all known horological complications at the time. It took 44 years to complete and is perhaps the most famous watch in history, as much for its intriguing story as its ingenious mechanics.
Revolution
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Monochrome
The use of luminescent materials on watches is far from new… Soon after the discovery of radium and its properties (and dangers…) by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, watch dials – markers, numerals and hands – have been coated with radium and then different substances (tritium, Super-LumiNova) to produce light in the dark. Fully […]
SJX Watches
Abraham-Louis Breguet’s No. 160 exists first as legend. The standard account describes a secret commission for Marie Antoinette, incomplete when she faced execution, requiring forty-four years to finish. Theft, recovery, mystery, and royal romance: the narrative contains all the necessary elements of mythology. Yet this fame is recent. From its 1783 inscription in the order books through the 19th century, the watch remained largely unknown outside the Breguet workshop but for a few private collectors. Only when Sir David Lionel Salomons acquired it, nearly 140 years later, did the wider horological world learn of its existence, thanks to his careful cataloging and the watch’s public exhibition in 1923. Salomons gave credit to Breguet’s mastery on a scale previously unrecognised, establishing No. 160 as the supreme example of complicated watchmaking and the prime masterpiece of its maker. Sir David Lionel Salomons’s 1921 work on Breguet and the collection he assembled seems to be the first source to mention Marie Antoinette. Image SJX composite – Sotheby’s Subsequently, many sources have reported that the commission demanded every known watch complication and that no time constraints or limits were placed on its design or cost. The workshop records, however, tell a story that differs from both obscurity and legend. No. 160 appears in the 1783 order books as three words: “No. 160, Montre d’Or.” The entry stands alone, anonymous, unexplained and without cont...
Deployant
Jean-Marie Schaller continues to romance the stars with his latest creation for Louis Moinet - the Starman. A piece featuring hand painting and meteorite.
Monochrome
Every timepiece crafted by Jean-Marie Schaller and his watchmaking team at Louis Moinet promises one sure thing – it will captivate, invite a closer look, and often spark curiosity about the stories behind it. The latest creation, the Starman, exemplifies this spirit; it is a luxurious, quintessentially Louis Moinet piece made with fragments from two […]
Monochrome
With Jean-Marie Schaller at the helm, Louis Moinet navigates the seas of haute horlogerie with a distinctive style marked by its impressively staged mechanical movements, exotic materials and flamboyant styling. Louis Moinet’s latest port of call will appeal to fans of the legendary Valjoux 88 calibre, brought back to life onboard the Speed of Sound. […]
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Affordable Watches Under $1000 That Put Luxury Watches to Shame!
Quill & Pad
To say that Jean-Marie Schaller, the founder of the modern Louis Moinet brand, is passionate about meteorites is an understatement: he has been studying and collecting them for more than 20 years. Now Louis Moinet take a darker look at the night sky with the Black Moon.
Monochrome
As the leading watchmaker of his day, Abraham-Louis Breguet hobnobbed with France’s royalty and aristocracy. Apart from his commissions for gentlemen, his celebrity client list also included Queen Marie-Antoinette, Empress Josephine, and Caroline Murat, Napoleon Bonaparte’s youngest sister, aka the Queen of Naples. A keen collector of Breguet’s revolutionary timekeepers, in 1810, Caroline Murat placed […]
Quill & Pad
The Louis Moinet Cosmopolis includes pieces from 12 different, and very rare, meteorites from Jean-Marie Schaller's own collection. And this earned him the Guinness World Records™ title for the "most meteorite inserts in a watch." Martin Green takes a closer look.
Revolution
Jean-Marie Schaller strove for years to find out more about the legendary watchmaker Louis Moinet, who had very little surviving documentation about him. He acquired the Louis Moinet brand with its trademarks in 2000, and eventually discovered that Louis Moinet was the inventor of the chronograph and of high frequency watches. At Watches and Wonders […]
Deployant
We take a comprehensive first look at the new Louis Moiner Space Revolution. A watch which is currently a candidate at the category of “Tourbillon” at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2021. Based on one to one discussions with Jean-Marie Schaller, owner and creative director of Louis Moinet, using press release photographs. FirstRead More
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Here, I'm unboxing the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Skeleton. For those researching the best skeleton watches or seeking alternatives to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak or Patek Philippe Nautilus, this Girard-Perregaux Lau...
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