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Chronograph Watches · Page 82

Masterpieces of Historical English Watchmaking at Phillips SJX Watches
Jun 1, 2024

Masterpieces of Historical English Watchmaking at Phillips

Phillips’ upcoming New York auction, taking place on June 8 and 9, includes an unusual number of exceptional, highly complicated English pocket watches. Notably, these watches were consigned by the same discerning collector who owned the unique Patek Philippe ref. 767 with double split-seconds that recently sold for US$1.30 million including fees. All dating from the late 19th to early 20th century, the pocket watches exemplify the most prestigious type of timepiece in the world during the period, the high-quality English watch. Banker J. Pierpont Morgan, for instance, was an avid collector of English watches, and owned what was then the most complicated watch in the world, and made in England naturally. Quintessentially English That, however, was also when English watchmaking of this quality peaked. A victim of economic crises, war, and unwillingness to adopt new manufacturing technologies, high-end English watchmaking would go extinct after the Great Depression, though it has been revived in the 21st century in artisanal form thanks to the likes of Charles Frodsham. English watches in their heyday were often very complicated, but restrained in terms of movement decoration. This same philosophy would later be employed by George Daniels, who understood that quality did not equal decoration. He famously said on several occasions that a high-quality watches does not need fanciful decoration (which he implied was customarily Swiss). The auction includes five English pocket ...

Introducing: Three New Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Variants Fratello
Jun 1, 2024

Introducing: Three New Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Variants

I’d happily admit to being smitten with Parmigiani Fleurier’s new look. The hits seem to be coming thick and fast this year, following the brand’s Watches and Wonders novelties. After the focus on the rebirth of the Toric, we get three new versions of the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph this time. Parmigiani’s intricate […] Visit Introducing: Three New Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Variants to read the full article.

Fratello’s Top 5 Currently Available Watches With Full-Lume Dials Fratello
May 31, 2024

Fratello’s Top 5 Currently Available Watches With Full-Lume Dials

Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we take a step away from the pre-owned watches we have been covering lately. Earlier this week, IWC announced the first fully luminous ceramic watch. Watch spotters saw it on the wrist of Formula 1 driver and IWC ambassador Lewis Hamilton last weekend during the Monaco Grand Prix. […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Currently Available Watches With Full-Lume Dials to read the full article.

Maurice de Mauriac Introduces a (Very) Big Version of their Signature Chronograph Worn & Wound
May 30, 2024

Maurice de Mauriac Introduces a (Very) Big Version of their Signature Chronograph

Maurice de Mauriac in 1997, and helmed by twins Massimo and Leonard Dreifuss since 2021, has carved out a niche as one of the more playful and eccentric modern independent watch brands. Their watches are known for their use of color and materials, even extending to the plethora of strap and bracelet options available. There are a total of 113 options on their website, to say you are spoiled for choice would be an understatement. New for 2024 is a mountain of a watch, inspired by a mountain of a man. When everyone else is making them smaller, MDM is making them big. The Maurice de Mauriac Chrono Modern Big Date Deep Blue is a large name for well… a large watch. Since we are on the subject, might as well get the measurements out of the way, as there are 2 available sizes. Large and extra-large. The former is 45mm in diameter, with a lug-to-lug width of 53mm, while the latter is 48mm in diameter, with a lug-to-lug width of 56mm. The cases seen here with a blue dial are titanium (the watch is also offered in bronze and steel). Inspired by 6’4”, 320 pound Swiss wrestler Samir Leuppi, these watches are meant for big wrists like his and Maurice de Mauriac does not dispute it. These are definitely not for the timid of wrist. One of the wonderful benefits of a larger watch is uncanny legibility, exemplified here with big bold Arabic numerals at the outer minute track and a big date complication at 12:00.  The other distinguishing feature of this watch is the ornate knurled b...

Glashütte Original Spezialist SeaQ Chronograph Review Teddy Baldassarre
May 30, 2024

Glashütte Original Spezialist SeaQ Chronograph Review

While it was established relatively recently, in 1994, Glashütte Original can legitimately trace its lineage as far back as 1845, which also happens to be the year that watchmaking essentially arrived as an industry in Germany. As I cover in much greater detail in this article, a full century of horological tradition, centered in the town of Glashütte in the state of Saxony, came to an end with Germany’s defeat in World War II. It was replaced by a new era in which a state-owned conglomerate of once-independent heritage watch manufacturers, the Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe or GUB, shifted focus from artisanal techniques and luxuriously decorative timepieces to mass-produced tool watches for military and civilian customers. Many of the watches produced in the GUB era - spanning the Cold War years from 1951 up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 - are largely forgettable, but Glashütte Original, the luxury-watch firm that emerged from the dissolution of the GUB, has cherry-picked the most interesting and memorable of those utilitarian timepieces, produced in the late 1960s and ‘70s, for modern reimagining in its “Spezialist” series. Serving as the base model for the Spezialist models is a single, now-collectible divers’ sport watch from 1969, the Spezimatic Type RP TS 200, which was the first dive watch produced in Germany (technically, at the time, East Germany) that met the international ISO 6425 standard. Glashütte Original paid tribute to the fondly rem...

TAG Heuer Introduces a New Skeletonized Monaco Worn & Wound
May 28, 2024

TAG Heuer Introduces a New Skeletonized Monaco

Once again, TAG Heuer has released a new Monaco chronograph to celebrate the running of the Monaco Grand Prix, which took place over the weekend in, you guessed it, Monaco. While it’s surely a bit on-the-nose to unveil a new chronograph that is named after the race itself on race weekend, we’ll forgive TAG here given the simple fact that the Monaco Grand Prix’s place in our culture. If it’s not one of the most watched races in the world, it’s certainly one of the most recognizable and well known. The word “Monaco” to many will immediately conjure images of the race, unless it’s heard by a watch collector, in which case iconic square cased chrono is likely to be front of mind. In any event, not introducing a new Monaco on race weekend would likely amount to a tactical error on TAG Heuer’s part, given the intense focus on F1 over the weekend.  The new watch is effectively a new variant of the watch released last year, which introduced skeleton dials to the Monaco collection with brightly colored accents and lightweight titanium cases. Here we have a DLC coated titanium case measuring 39mm across and 15.2mm tall, with a skeletonized dial featuring dark blue and bright yellow accents. Skeleton dials can, of course, sometimes be a bit difficult to read, but time-telling on the skeletonized Monaco is fairly straightforward with sharp white minute markers at the perimeter of the blue minute ring, and oversized lume filled hour markers set against the Caliber 02...

Hanhart Marks an Important Aviation Anniversary with their Latest Release Worn & Wound
May 28, 2024

Hanhart Marks an Important Aviation Anniversary with their Latest Release

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Tornado aircraft’s maiden flight, Hanhart, in collaboration with PANAVIA Aircraft, created the 417 ES Tornado Limited Edition. This exclusive timepiece, limited to just 148 pieces, is a tribute to the historic first flight on August 14, 1974. The Tornado aircraft, a symbol of European defense cooperation, took to the skies for the first time with a British-German crew, marking a significant milestone in aviation history. To commemorate this event, Hanhart has crafted a watch that combines both vintage and modern aesthetics into one chronograph. The 417 ES Tornado Limited Edition features a stainless steel case housing the reliable Swiss Made Sellita AMT 5100 M Flyback movement, offering a power reserve of up to 58 hours. The dial is adorned with the cockade colors of Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, paying homage to the partner nations involved in the Tornado project. Its rotating fluted bezel and luminous hands and indices in Old Radium color enhance its vintage charm. The case measures 39mm in diameter and is 13.3mm tall.  This chronograph stands out with its historical design elements, including the bi-compax layout, and the iconic red markings. The finely polished chamfers and anti-reflective convex sapphire glass add to its elegance and functionality. It’s water-resistant up to 10 bar and comes with a black calfskin strap. Priced at 2,590€, the watch is available at Hanhart’s website now. Images from this post: T...

The May 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Spacewalk Fratello
May 28, 2024

The May 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Spacewalk

On June 3rd, 1965, Ed White was the first NASA astronaut to perform a spacewalk. White, who died during the horrible accident with Apollo 1 on January 27th, 1967, performed his EVA (extravehicular activity) wearing the famous Speedmaster 105.003. Therefore, we decided to come up with a new Fratello × REM Speedmaster strap available in […] Visit The May 2024 Fratello × REM Strap - Spacewalk to read the full article.

First Look – MB&F; Raises the Complication Stakes with the Improved LM Sequential Flyback Platinum Monochrome
May 28, 2024

First Look – MB&F; Raises the Complication Stakes with the Improved LM Sequential Flyback Platinum

The aphorism “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is not often used by watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, the mastermind behind MB&F’s most complex timepieces enhanced with his innovative technological breakthroughs. Responsible for the 2015 LM Perpetual and the LM Sequential EVO, fans of MB&F’s wonderful watches will be delighted to learn that Stephen McDonnell is […]

The MB&F; LM Sequential Upgraded with a Flyback SJX Watches
May 28, 2024

The MB&F; LM Sequential Upgraded with a Flyback

In 2022 MB&F launched its first ever chronograph, the LM Sequential EVO. A twin-chronograph constructed by Stephen McDonnell, it was a clever reinterpretation of the split-seconds function. Today MB&F upgrades the concept with the LM Sequential Flyback Platinum that boasts a revised movement incorporating an additional flyback function.  Initial thoughts The LM Sequential Flyback is certainly polarising in terms of style and technique, like most MB&F creations. The original Sequential EVO was praised for its exceptional and creative movement construction, though the utility of the twin chronograph was debated. The LM Sequential Flyback now adds a flyback function to the package, which may seem excessive. But that misses the point: the question of utility needn’t be answered nor asked. Such a timepiece goes far past the realm of practicality and needs to be judged simply by what it is: an incredible concept painstakingly executed. We already explored in detail how Mr McDonnell implemented the Twinverter system of double chronographs mechanisms while making the complex movement chronometrically-potent, despite the obvious challenges. I recommend reading the original story, as it thoroughly explains the beautiful mechanical subtleties of the watch. In the original Sequential EVO, the layered and complex construction of the movement meant the flyback function couldn’t be reliably implemented. Mr McDonnell ultimately dropped the idea and focused on perfecting the rest of t...

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