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When Louis Vuitton announces the Watch Prize for Creative Independents late last year, I thought that’s fantastic, but I wish it was launched 20 years ago when independent watchmakers were much less appreciated.
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Trends rule a larger part of our lives than many of us wish to admit. Sometimes we follow trends consciously, but often we are subconsciously influenced in the choices we make. All brands perform a delicate tightrope walk, but they differ in how successful they are. Martin Green takes a look at how trends affect or don't affect now-iconic timepieces.
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As both an aesthetic and a mechanical evolution of the Krayon Everywhere, the Anywhere is first and foremost a sunrise-and-sunset watch. It has been significantly streamlined for a much cleaner dial so that much less effort is required by the wearer. Joshua Munchow has the complete lowdown here.
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Raman Kalra has had mixed emotions towards the Yema Navygraf Marine Nationale GMT, but also finding positives I never expected. Over the time with it, the Navygraf has shown him its personality and he has discovered small charms that weren’t obvious on first impressions.
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Unless you have been residing under a large rock in recent years, you are most probably (and perhaps quite painfully) aware that the classic steel sports watches designed by Gérald Genta for Audemars Piguet (Royal Oak) and Patek Philippe (Nautilus) are both beyond the financial reach of most people and in many cases simply not available even if you can afford them. Here Colin Alexander Smith shares six more affordable and more available sports watches that have caught his eye over the last few years.
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In this article, Alexey Kutkovoy continues to look back at the limited and special editions of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore collection, which turned 30 in 2023. Here he explores another side of ROO's history: watches dedicated to vintage and classic car rallies.
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While it is remarkable how Girard-Perregaux made the movement, it is even more astonishing how they turned it into such an incredibly good-looking watch. Compared to its predecessor, the Neo Constant Escapement has a very wearable size of 45mm in diameter at a thickness of 14.8mm. It sits nicely on even a smaller wrist thanks to relatively short lugs, while the titanium case keeps the weight down.
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Here is an entertaining little story about John Keil, his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and a bunch of guys around a poker table – a story he's sure many watch guys and gals can relate to.
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What makes high end watches so desirable is the artistry involved. For some watches, it is artistry in their complexity, or their superlative hand finishing, or intricate dials, and some feature actual artwork like miniature painting. Then there are a very few timepieces that offer all of that artistry and more: one such timepiece is the unique piece Louis Moinet Savanna Tourbillon Tiger.
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It’s been more than ten years since the De Bethune DB28 won the Aiguille d’Or at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. Effectively the “Best Picture” at the “Oscars” of watchmaking, this recognition placed De Bethune among the elite company of Aiguille d’Or winners such as F.P. Journe, Greubel Forsey, Breguet, Audemars Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, and Patek Philippe. A decade removed from its Hollywood ending, the DB28 remains a grail watch in every sense.
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When the news broke that Rolex was acquiring Bucherer, a move that caught everyone by surprise. Until now, Rolex did not have its own authorized dealers, except for one in Switzerland. However, Rolex decided that the opportunity to acquire Bucherer was too good to miss. Raman Kalra shares his thoughts on what this acquisition might lead to.
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Baselworld is no more, Watches & Wonders, while open to the public, is focused on press and retailers, and Geneva Watch Days (GWD), while growing, is still relatively small. In less than 10 years, Dubai Watch Week (DWW) has developed from relatively modest beginnings into the world’s greatest watch fair for collectors bar none. No other fair comes anywhere close in terms of access to brands, watchmakers, and fellow watch aficionados.
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In this fourth article commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore (following: 4 New 2023 Releases, Here Come ‘The Beasts’, and ROO F1s, High Octane Fairy Tales of Super Star Racing Drivers), here is the topic that initially interested Alexey Kutkovoy the most, i.e. the annals of the Royal Oak Offshore limited and special editions.
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“The Holy Trinity,” as any watch nerd knows, refers to the triumvirate of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin. Colin Smith takes a look at what we mean – or think we mean - when we describe PP, AP, and VC as the “Holy Trinity” of watchmaking and when we describe a timepiece as our “grail watch.”
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Another year, another GPHG. Martin Green always likes to approach these awards as a way to view the state of the industry. Of course, it only shows part of it, as not all brands compete, but it still gives a good idea.
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Yamazaki 12-Year-Old from Japan is a whisky that Ken Gargett has loved every time he has had the chance to try it. The bottle he sampled for this piece was actually one from the back of his cupboard, which he has been sitting on for far too long. When a mate saw it, he implored him not to open it. But Ken of course did and shares the experience with us here.
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Raman Kalra initially preferred the Grand Seiko Skyflake case shape over the Snowflake, and found the light blue dial attractive. However, after considering Grand Seiko more seriously, he looked at a range of references. and it didn’t take him long to find the SBGA415 Winter.
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Marketing material for the modern mechanical watch almost always includes a description of the movement’s frequency. You may have even sensed that the higher the frequency, the more accurate a movement gets. But is this entirely true? Find out here.
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The Urwerk UR-100 might not be the most extreme version in the collection, but (first) looks can be deceiving, in particular when it concerns the UR-100V Stardust.
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After Colin Alexander Smith noticed John McLaughlin wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in live footage from the 1990s along with various other interesting timepieces, he somewhat cheekily asked him for an interview to discuss his watches rather than his music or his guitars, to which he kindly agreed. Not surprisingly they ended up discussing all three in this riveting interview spanning decades' worth of music, stories, and timepieces.
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Stepan Sarpaneva's Nocturne is a stunning example of Finnish creativity and collaboration between two very different types of art. And once the sun goes down and the dial starts to glow, this watch's visuals create a different world altogether.
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Well, despite ever-present COVID, the war in Ukraine, and a property crash in China, the world’s economy has held together enough to make 2023 a fantastic year for fine watchmaking. Here are Ian Skellern's predictions for the watches to win prizes at the 2023 GPHG.
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A friend called Michael Friedberg recently, thrilled that he had just bought a rare 50th anniversary watch at a local boutique. Michael shared his joy and asked him how he acquired it – which led him down a rabbit hole of boutique madness. Here he shares his frustrating experiences trying to buy a luxury watch today.
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There are always things that fans ask of brands across any industry, and the watch world is no different. Why not a Omega Seamaster 300M without a helium escape valve, a smaller titanium Rolex Yacht-Master, and why isn't JLC more popular? Raman Kalra has a few more questions for 2023.
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Joshua Munchow talks about steel here, the metal that made the world! Watch cases and other movement components are commonly made from certain stainless steels, 304 and 316L being the most frequent. It also happens that some brands hold exclusive rights to use specific alloys in the production of its watches. Here's what you should know about steel.
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So, what does a squillion dollar tequila taste like? The color is a deep gold/bronze, not dissimilar to an aged rum. The nose is both powerful and mellow, with dried fruits, orange rind, cinnamon, hints of nutmeg, honey, even cassis and Christmas cake. The palate is quite stunning, as smooth and seductive as one could imagine.
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For Ken Gargett, the Veuve Clicquot 2012 La Grande Dame is a special champagne. It walks the tightrope between dense and coiled power with delicacy, finesse, and elegance. Great intensity, finally balanced acidity, early complexity, and it is still wonderfully youthful with a long future ahead of it. But what interesting story lies behind this fantastic champagne?
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For a minute repeater, the volume and clarity of the sound is important. The Moser x MB&F; Streamliner Pandamonium is made from stainless steel and has hollowed-out segments inside the case to amplify the sound. But it's the Panda playing DJ that makes this unique piece repeater so special.
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Osmium is so rare and dense, has such a high melting point, and is so hard to form or compress that it has very few practical uses. But earlier this year Czapek & Cie released the limited edition Antarctique Frozen Star S with an absolutely mind-blowing dial made of pure osmium crystals.
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Ian Skellern usually starts explaining a wristwatch with a tour of the watch's dial and main features, but the LM Sequential EVO is a monument to its mirror-image dual chronograph with Twinverter function movement so here he starts with the best part: its movement.
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