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Six pre-selected watches, five panelist judges, and four predicted winners. You want variety, our predictions for the 2019 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Petite Aiguille category has more variety than you can strap on two wrists. Check out the reasons for the disparate views here.
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Joshua Munchow thinks that the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon may be one of the best tourbillon models in modern watch history since it actually tries to achieve the goals of the tourbillon in the first place: increased precision and consistency in timekeeping. Here he explains just how it does that.
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How many years before we even start to recognize what the most popular timekeeping devices over the last 70 years were? Another 20 years? Forty? Who will use timekeepers? And for what purposes? What will they look like? I posed these questions to a few top watch industry professionals; their replies were perhaps surprising.
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It's a rare event when the stars align, rarer still when they align to create what may well become a truly iconic chronograph. In fact, the Singer Reimagined Track 1 may already be truly iconic: it certainly has both the pedigree and the style. And more importantly for a horological icon, the Track 1 looks like it's been around since the 1970s.
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Yard-O-Led is not exactly your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill brand name. And it's especially not an everyday, run-of-the-mill luxury brand name. However, although Yard-O-Led is an unusual name, it also happens to be a very practical one as it states right up front precisely what made it famous.
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Please enjoy a candid discussion between four of our team members who have had the pleasure of already seeing the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus in the metal and fully understand its background. Do we love it or loathe it? And more importantly, would we buy one?
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The Odysseus is the culmination of both a transformative journey for Lange and a watch that collectors and connoisseurs of the brand have been wanting, waiting for, dreaming about, and clamoring for since the brand was re-founded in 1994: a daily wearer by A. Lange & Söhne in hardy stainless steel. And here it is.
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If you are into watches and in the New York area, you'll want to check out WatchTime New York held in Manhattan’s stylish Gotham Hall on Saturday and Sunday, 25-26 October, 2019. Here Sabine Zwettler highlights a few of her favorite pieces on show there.
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Some addresses are legendary, and one of them is 9 Curzon Street in Mayfair, London. Established in 1875, it is the home of Geo. F. Trumper, which has grown in a little over a century into a British icon (helped in no small part by Bond, James Bond). Here, Martin Green takes a deep breath and dives into the fragrant world of Geo. F. Trumper.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that is most certainly the case in the 2019 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Artistic Crafts category. While not quite unanimous, our jury does have a clear majority favorite.
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The Récital 23 is Bovet's very first watch with the writing slope-style case designed with women in mind. With its elegant curves and sloping case style, this watch is perfect for a more delicate sensibility. But don't take Joshua Munchow's word for it: see for yourself!
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The Opus 5 by Felix Baumgartner/Urwerk for Harry Winston is one of the best of this series of exceptional timepieces. But, as this drawing by Urwerk designer Martin Frei from June of 2003 shows, one of the original ideas behind Urwerk’s Opus 5 was a digital display in a model christened with the working title "Time Bandit." Check out this superb almost-was timepiece!
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What qualifies a watch to be "made in Glashütte" or "made in Germany"? Sabine Zwettler explains exactly that right here.
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“I have no secrets as past watchmakers had. There are graveyards full of secrets and that’s enough.” – Philippe Dufour, 2014
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The 2019 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève's Jewellery category is for watches demonstrating exceptional mastery of the art of jewelry and gem-setting, "also distinguished by the choice of stones.” It's difficult to judge these pieces by photos alone, but our panel does its best and ends up with a majority favorite.
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The Penfolds Grange 2015 is a wine that screams at you, demands that you take notice of it. It is no shrinking violet; it is complex and powerful. For Ken Gargett, this is the least ready of all recent Grange releases. And then there's the Special Bin 111A Clare Valley Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016. Sublime!
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As SIHH rebrands to become Watches & Wonders Geneva, it becomes apparent that the trade fairs are morphing into something new and perhaps unexpected. Elizabeth Doerr takes a look at the latest from SIHH and Baselworld.
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The Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2019's rules state that this category is for watches only "linked" to the world of diving, but rightly or wrongly our panel is looking for serious diver's watches. These are watches you are most likely to see on wrists, though perhaps not underwater. And the panel is seriously split. What do you think?
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The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is a return to the classicism the Master collection emphasizes while still expressing the engineering expertise of the brand. And hearing is believing: it sounds superb!
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The Swatch Tresor Magique might have a platinum case, but it looks like something Harry Potter would have appreciated wearing while attending classes at Hogwarts. However, there is more that is even notable about this watch, which Martin Green divulges here.
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When Patek Philippe announced that a Grand Exhibition was to take place in Singapore this year there was no doubt that GaryG would do his best to attend – and to convince some friends to come along and join the fun. Here he shares some of what he saw during his fascinating trip.
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Nick Gould spotted American actor Mark Wahlberg wearing an early-delivery Rolex GMT-Master II 'Root Beer,' once again putting his penchant for precious metal watches on display.
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Five panelists, three to four predicted winners, and a possible Aiguille d’Or winner: the 2019 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Mechanical Exception category has it all, including an atomic clock and another time indication that is likely to make you think you have taken LSD!
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The clarity of the minimalist, yet artistic dial of Stefan Kudoke's Kudoke 2 makes this watch extremely appealing. But when you turn it over and see the gorgeous movement, it’s all over: you’ve fallen in love.
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From Ken Gargett's first puff of the Punch Regional Release 8-9-8, it was clear that this was something seriously special: immediate and rich notes of roasted nuts, toasted biscuits. No issues with youth, no “elbows and knees.” Immaculately balanced from the word go!
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What would a corporate acquisition of Richemont or Swatch Group look like? What players might be involved? How could this affect the watch-buying and collecting community? Chris Malburg sets out his opinion in this must-read article.
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The 2019 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Calendar and Astronomy category is for mechanical watches comprising at least one calendar and/or astronomical complication. And this year all six watches have strong chances at the prize. Our panel isn't unanimous in selecting a winner, but close to it: the moon wins!
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The Armin Strom Minute Repeater Resonance marks the first time in history that the resonance phenomenon has been combined with a chiming watch (a full minute repeater!). Thanks to the clever development of the resonance mechanism several years ago, the doors to this incredibly complex and technical creation opened for the Swiss brand. And the result is like angels singing!
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We recently received a message from a reader considering buying a stainless steel Rolex Daytona with ceramic bezel. He seems to have found a nice piece, box and papers, unworn, at a (seemingly) reasonable price. However, he asks, is it sensible to buy at double the retail price?
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Exotic materials: love them or hate them? And where are you in regard to plastics, which are ever-increasingly appearing in wristwatch cases and movements? This might help you decide.
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