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If you’re at all a Lange enthusiast like GaryG, you’ll likely understand the most compelling reason for buying the Odysseus is that it's an A. Lange & Söhne watch you can wear every day.
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De Bethune watches rarely incorporate zero complications and only two hands, so on that basis alone the Midnight Blue is exceptional. Rarity also helps; only a few dozen have been built in the decade since the model’s launch.
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We are seeing more brands using titanium for their watches and more luxury options becoming available as alternatives to stainless steel. So what are the main differences between stainless steel and titanium watches?
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As the saying goes, “There’s an ass for every seat.” John Keil still finds it hard to believe that some watch designs are ever even considered, much less actually produced and ultimately purchased. In fairness, the following list may not actually contain the five ugliest watches ever, but they sure aren’t easy on the eyes.
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Independent Chinese watchmaker Qin Gan has over thirty years of experience in antique watch restorations and has crafted numerous prototype watches with complex features such as flyback, tourbillon, automaton, and repeater mechanisms. He now launches his second model under his own brand, the sublime Pastorale II.
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Now that you’ve made it to the final chapter of Tim Mosso's custom bike build, you’re probably wondering how this exhaustively planned bike performs. Here Tim reveals what happened when the rubber met the road.
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Denis has said of the 2015, that it “expresses more of the soul of a Bollinger millésimé than any other year. More opulent, more powerful, it exalts Pinot Noir. Uplifted by maturation in wooden casks, this champagne reveals the characteristics of an exceptional year.”
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Some watches are so perfect there isn't a thing you want to be changed about them. For Martin Green, this was the case with the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph Ultra-Thin Collection Excellence Platine. Apart from its name, which he thinks is decidedly too long. But a look through the display back more than makes up for that.
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After each visit to Geneva, Thomas Brechtel adds a few micromechanical, handcrafted works of art to his personal long-term archive because they stand out. Fere are a few favorites from 2024.
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Roger Smith holds a special place in the pantheon of independent watchmaking, both on his own merits and as the man who worked most closely with the legendary George Daniels. While any Smith watch is rare, this particular Series 2 is unique: it's the only watch in stainless steel that Smith has yet produced.
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The long-term decline in secondary market prices continued over the course of last month. In this update, we cover the Big Three in detail as well as the performance of all key secondary market brands.
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Up to up to eighty percent of the weight of modern road bike is in the parts. Researching and sourcing each part can be an adventure unto itself as Tim Mosso explains here.
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There are more than a few people investing in watches that they can’t touch, wear, or wind: welcome to the sometimes murky world of watch funds. Here, Brendan Cunningham takes a look at what they do and their impact on secondary-market prices and scarcity.
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As an Australian, Ian Skellern is partial to the magical changing colors of opals. While there have been quite a few watches with fantastic opal dials, none are a match for showing the incredible range of hues as the Louis Moinet Geopolis Opal.
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The Rolex Air-King has in the Rolex lineup since 1945, but the most significant change to the watch came in 2016 with the release of ref. 116900. The Air-King divides opinions, and Raman Kalra is one of those that doesn’t understand it. Here’s why.
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Marco Borraccino began working on Singer Reimagined’s first model back in 2014. He launched the Track1 in 2017, which won the Prize for the Best Chronograph at the 2018 GPHG. Since then, three more collections of timepieces have been added to the Singer Reimagined portfolio: 1969, FlyTrack, and in 2024 the Divetrack.
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Recent years have proven particularly colorful in the world of watches, but black is definitely back. Here Sabine Zwettler highlights three charismatic examples putting black in the spotlight. The dark side has never looked so bright!
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In an interesting twist, Stephen McDonnel, the developer of the MB&F; LM Sequential, initially envisaged the left side chronograph as a flyback chronograph, however, due to the number of technical issues to resolved, decided it would be safer to save that for a later version: and here it is. And with two flybacks!
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Bikes are extremely intimate in a way that no motor vehicle can parallel. Riding a bicycle 100 miles will reveal the rider’s strengths and weaknesses. All those weaknesses – and solutions – were discussed in depth in Part 1 of this series. This second leg of the adventure: building the frame.
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Armin Strom’s Gravity Equal Force collection continues to grow with the 2024 launch of the Ultimate Sapphire Purple model.
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The Louis Roederer Collection, current release being the 244 is one of the great buys in Champagne today, but it is also so much more. Chef de Cave Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon is at the forefront of what can only be seen as a seismic change in the way champagne operates, especially regarding their non-vintage wines.
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When collectors gather anywhere and talk about their collections, recent purchases, and executed or potential sales, there’s a term that comes up more often than not: “getting hurt.” Here GaryG provides a masterclass in how not to get hurt in the world of watch collecting.
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In low light conditions, the De Bethune DB28xs Purple Rain seems to have a nice, deep hue, but when taken into the light, preferably sunlight, it really comes to life.
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Breitling needs no introduction. Just on hearing the name you can already picture their watches. But the brand was in trouble and Georges Kern has appeared to turn it around. Raman Kalra explains how.
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Breguet was an engineer, an astronomer and also a designer. He adapted certain techniques to horology, such as guilloché, for example. The art of Breguet is in the details, in the finishing, and the artworks at Frieze are also all about the details … an artwork is something you have to look at multiple times, and each time, you're going to discover different things.
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As a road cyclist and runner with a raft of leg injuries, Tim Mosso's first move was to ditch the running. He then decided that it was time for a new bike.
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Since taking over as CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier in 2021, Guido Terreni has leaned into the brand’s legacy as a maker of classic dress watches at the level of high watchmaking. Not by making a dramatic statement piece but by doubling down on refinement. Having reintroduced the Tonda, and picking up a GPHG award for it in 2022, Terreni turned his attention to the Toric, the golden-ratio proportioned flagship dress watch that was Michel Parmigiani’s first design.
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None of these three champagnes are considered as prestige releases – for Taittinger, that would be their brilliant Comtes de Champagne – and consequently they are priced well below, each coming in at around one-third of the price of Comtes. You can’t go wrong. They are all beautiful champagnes and will reward drinking now or time in the cellar.
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The F.P. Journe Octa Perpétuelle was Journe’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch. “First” is a flag that flies forever, and this watch is a potential collection cornerstone on that basis alone.
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GaryG won’t soon forget the pre-opening independents party at Baselworld in 2019 where Kari Voutilainen wasted no time in showing him and a few friends a breathtaking timepiece: his 28ti, number 0, in titanium. Gary shares what happened next here and how it resulted in him photographing this unique piece.
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