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The classic design of the Akrivia RRCC II’s dial has roots in founder Rexhep Rexhepi’s vision of high-quality nineteenth-century pocket watch dials adorned with high-fire enamel and combined with a modern twist based on “sector” dials of the 1930s and '40s. But there's much more to this brand-new watch than that as Elizabeth Doerr explains.
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The first time Bhanu Chopra strapped a borrowed BR 03-92 Black Matte Ceramic on his wrist, he thought that it was the perfect Bell & Ross watch for him, checking all the boxes for the characteristics he expected from an aviation-style instrument watch. He bought one and it has been part of his core pilot’s watch collection ever since. This is why.
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After seven decades carefully stored away in the Zenith archives, ten of the original chronometry competition-winning movements find their way into a limited set of new watches thanks to Phillips, legendary independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, and Zenith's current management.
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The framed aventurine central dial of this bespoke Sartory Billard SB05 has a depth that allows us to easily imagine we are looking through a maze of galaxies toward the far edges of the universe. And framing that is a ring of meteorite, a true space material. What else makes this watch so unique?
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A brand's progress is often seen in how their watches evolve. Armin Strom, which had the delicate task of reinventing the 'One Week,' the watch with their very first full manufacture movement.
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The Slim d'Hermès Squelette Lune is a prime example of contemporary skeletonization as the bridges offer an elegant appeal with their almost organically flowing lines and subtle decorations. Martin Green tells us what else he likes (and maybe doesn't) about this watch.
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One of the best things about dealing with independent watchmakers is the ability to request unique touches on your watch. That’s just what happened after GaryG's new friend first saw Kari Voutilainen’s Sport28, a titanium-encased watch that itself is quite rare with only eight examples made in total.
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Having worked with both Bovet and Philippe Dufour, Hervé Schlüchter was able to become a master at the more traditional horology aesthetic since neither could be confused with a brand focusing on modern design. The caliber HS-01 is a smorgasbord of classical elements all finished to perfection to highlight the skills of the watchmaker.
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There are no photos (either real or CAD) nor sketches of the McGonigle Ogma, and there’s been no public announcement; however (surprise, surpise!), most of the watches have already been reserved. How times have changed. In the words of Dorothy to her dog in The Wizard of Oz after being sucked up by a tornado, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
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As a collector, and a fairly visible one at that, GaryG has been paying attention to reports of muggings and thefts of watches and wondering whether it makes sense these days to wear valuable pieces in public. He polled a group of 20 watch enthusiast friends on their personal safety while wearing watches to learn what steps they take to keep safe.
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An exceptional tasting of vintage champagnes provides great insight into the enormous differences between the styles made by the various houses, variations in vintages and also in the different versions of champagne available. Ken Gargett took one for the team and lets us know what he thought of these superlative wines.
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The large date complication is always a favorite. And with the variety of details on the dial of the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Master Grande Date, including exposed mechanics and varying textures, it seems clear that the brand has found its new flagship for this line.
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G-Shock is a sub-brand of Casio that is designed to withstand mechanical stress, vibrations, and shocks. It's a great affordable watch, but is it still worth buying? Raman Kalra certainly thinks so and explains why.
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It has always surprised Martin Green that mechanical movements running at a high frequency have never become more popular. Chopard joined this exclusive club in 2012 with the L.U.C 8HF and now releases a follow-up with the Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF, which also boasts an 8 Hz escapement.
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The Marchesi di Grésy estate is now one of Barbaresco's most highly regarded, if not the region's greatest - for many, Barbaresco's first - Grand Cru, even if not officially designated as such.
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Lang 1943 is not a homage, it stands its own ground and can best be summarized as a beautiful tool. The first thing that the team at Lang 1943 got right was the proportions. A diameter of 39mm is spot on, particularly when the thickness is just 8.40 mm. This results in a timepiece that is comfortable to wear, large enough to be easy to read, but not overly bulky that it hinders movements.
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The Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 6007A marked a physical and spiritual shift for the brand and may be one of the most un-Calatrava Calatravas of recent memory. Joshua Munchow takes a look at what made this model an outlier and also why it simultaneously didn't come from left field.
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Oskar Pascal is the brainchild of a pair of Swedish brothers who were neither previously involved in the watch industry nor are they watchmakers. The engineer and designer have created a cleanly designed chronograph housed within the world's first watch case in ZR01, an amorphous alloy based on zirconium, one of the hardest metals in the world and even used by NASA. And then there are the Pods!
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When Tim and Bart Grönefeld showed Ian Skellern their prototype 1941 Grönograaf during Watches & Wonders 2022, he loved it. But he didn’t think it would win “Best Chronograph” 2022 at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève because he thought that prize would go to the then-soon-to-be-released MB&F; LM Sequential EVO. Ian has since changed his mind, and here's why.
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In early 2023, Hublot introduced the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Yellow Neon Saxem, featuring a case made of a mysterious and rather impressive-looking crystal called Saxem. It looked like an addition to the brand's extensive line of sapphire watches. But as a retired laser physicist, I wondered: what material was behind that name? Perhaps a special kind of synthetic sapphire?
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Here Elizabeth Doerr highlights three new watches of 2021 by independent watchmakers with eye-catching dials that really caught her own eye.
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For CHF 4,950, the Ming 37.05 Series 2 is a thoroughly thought-out design, a generous dose of original character, and a fun execution on one of the industry's oldest complications: the moon phase. Unfortunately, it quickly sold out.
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Martin Green thinks that the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Skeleton 39mm is sized perfectly. And to see the skeletonized movement and (nearly) all its parts, the way they interact and work, is captivating.
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Big brands are now making beautiful, reliable, and relatively accurate “traditional” mechanical watches, but the handcrafted work many of us value is disappearing. Highly skilled watchmakers and artisans are rare and expensive: there just aren’t enough of them available to churn out the large quantity of nice watches now being sold. And why bother when nobody seems to have noticed?
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“So marvelous, so delicate was the bouquet, it seemed an impertinence to go further and taste this miraculous liquid; and yet, on the palate it almost made one regret the waste of time the moments spent in taking in the perfume.” Ken Gargett didn't write that, but he feels the same way about the fabulous wines of Burgundy. Find out here why this is the golden age for this region.
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For those not familiar with what was a monumental shift in the tectonic plates of the world of wine, the Judgement of Paris is a legendary moment when the spotlight’s glare revealed that it was entirely possible to make great wine outside France.
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If John Keil was to recommend a brand-new functional diver’s watch to a friend who was looking to spend within a certain price range, these would be his suggestions. Or, more specifically, here is what he would purchase himself in a variety of price categories.
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Wandering hours has become an essential part of Urwerk's DNA. Unlike any other brand out there, they have explored, lived through, and lost sleep over wandering hours. Over the years, Urwerk have introduced different varieties of this way of displaying time, of which the UR-120 is one of the most spectacular.
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The first Black Tot Day was in 1970, the last day on which sailors in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy were issued their daily rum rations (“tots”). Pusser's has taken the exact recipe used by the Royal Navy when it discontinued the daily ration on July 31, 1970 and used it to make its rums, the only producer in the world to do so. Here, Ken Gargett fills us in on everything tot - he luckily doesn't go "sipping the admiral," though.
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Timepiece repairs can be expensive and often take a long time, so you generally want to avoid damaging a watch. Here John Keil lists five common things you may not be aware of that can damage a watch and how to prevent them.
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