The?A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph is far from being a new watch. Indeed, even if it was updated in 2015?with a new dial that actually?goes back to (almost) the original design of this watch, it is a well-known and well-established member of the collection. New animations were introduced at the SIHH 2018 and the?1815 Chronograph is now available in pink gold. A good enough reason to take a ...
Customisation is the name of game in the watch world today and the fastest way to change the personality of your watch is to change the strap. As the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932, and coinciding with the start of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games, Omega taps into the trend for customisation with its timely proposal of NATO straps decked out in the colours of competing nation...
The?2018 Winter Olympics are about to start and Omega celebrates its 86th year as the official timekeeper of the Games. What’s more, the brand has announced that it will hold this position at least until 2032 – meaning an entire century of? Olympic timing. After the gold collection introduced earlier this week, it is time to look at the other side of the price range, with the?Omega Sea...
In 2016, Cartier, the master of beautifully shaped cases, introduced a stylish dress watch for men; the Cartier Drive. Offered in gold or steel, it was an instant hit. Hot on the heels of this initial success, came the Drive Extra Flat in 2017, an even more refined and attractive dress watch that really turned our heads. Unlike the earlier Drive models, however, this beauty was only available in p...
In late 2015, Montblanc introduced the first version of the 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter. Fitted with a Minerva/Villeret monopusher movement, we were instantly smitten. The initial 18k red gold edition was soon followed by a version in steel, and then a gorgeous bronze number with a champagne dial. This year, Montblanc continues the bronze theme with the introduction of its latest limited edition 1...
In the collective psyche of watch enthusiasts, Panerai is synonymous with large, robust, instrument dive watches. After all, that’s how the brand was conceived back in the 1930s. The brand wasn’t shy about making a 45mm watch its standard offer, and even to introduce 50mm pieces (or more). However, that was the 2000s and demand has changed. In 2016, Panerai introduced the Luminor Due, ...
Since 1932, Omega has been the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, a role the brand will be playing until at least 2032 (even if we don’t know yet where the Games will be located). Easy to count… The Biel-based brand will be present at the Olympics for a full 100 years. To celebrate this centennial legacy, Omega presents a new podium of watches known as the Seamaster Olympic Game...
Back in 2017, Seiko treated us to a nice surprise by reintroducing one of its most iconic watches: the Samurai. Praised by many enthusiasts, tested and certified as a reliable dive watch, updated for 2017 with slight evolutions and new colours, there was not much to complain about… Except maybe for the lack of a PADI edition. Well, the brand has come through for fans and the “warrior&#...
To me, one of the true marks of a great watch manufacturer is the ability to make interesting and desirable timepieces across a range of price points. Unfortunately, few brands seem to be able to achieve this with any consistency. There are exceptions of course, and A. Lange & Sohne is most certainly one of them. Proving my point is the new Saxonia Outsize Date, which was officially launched l...
In the watchmaking world, there is the chronograph complication – in itself a complex type of movement that is hard to develop and to assemble. Then, there is the flyback chronograph, allowing for an instant reset-start of the timing session. And for years, right at the top of the food chain was the Split Seconds or rattrapante chronograph – the ultimate version of the stopwatch. That ...
Bulgari made quite an impact last year when it unveiled its record-breaking, ultra-thin Octo Finissimo Automatic. In total, the sand-blasted titanium case measured just 5.15mm thick, an incredible achievement and one that in my opinion, looks absolutely superb on the wrist. Others, however, found it either too thin or too expensive. Fortunately for those detractors, Bulgari's new Octo l’Orig...
As journalists crowded around the viewing table to admire the technical fireworks of A. Lange & Sohne's Triple Split at the SIHH 2018, I made my way to a less congested table and was treated to a hands-on session with the new members of the Little Lange 1 family. Like its Moon Phase sibling introduced last year, the new Little Lange 1 trilogy flaunts an incredible guilloche dial (without a moo...
In the past years, Montblanc has treated us to lots of horological sweets. That sweetness came mainly in the shape of chronographs fitted with the old Minerva calibres 16.29 and 13.21, both showcases of how incredibly beautiful old Minerva chronographs can be. It started (again) with the arrival of CEO Jer?me Lambert (now COO of most Richemont watch brands) who launched the Pulsograph into the Her...
After Richemont announced strong quarterly results just before SIHH 2018 and LVMH reported double-digit?growth for 2017, it’s now Swatch Group’s turn to disclose its annual results for the year 2017. And before going into details, know that the Group is strong and that the outlook for 2018 is still very positive. Once again, the industry seems to be in full recovery, with one or two th...
After he unexpectedly?left IWC and joined Breitling as the new CEO, Georges Kern was under the radar… We were all waiting for the first novelty to come out of the Grenchen-based manufacture. And today, here THEY come. Indeed, it’s not a watch but a full collection named the?Breitling Navitimer 8, which we introduce to you today. Five different models, five different displays, five diff...
IWC is celebrating its birthday, and boy does it know how to throw a party! The Schaffhausen-based manufacture is not just releasing one simple anniversary piece for its grand 150th birthday bash, but is launching an array of models from various collections, all sharing one common theme: lacquered dials. We've shown you the superb IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition 150 Years and the new IWC Portugie...
LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world's leading luxury group, recorded revenues of EUR 42.6 billion in 2017, an increase of 13% over the previous year. The group also shows a sustained growth in organic revenues, with a 12% increase.?The group profit is up 18%, at EUR 8,293 million. All business divisions recorded double-digit organic growth, with the exception of Wines and Spirits. For what...
Vacheron Constantin’s?Traditionelle Complete Calendar Collection Excellence Platine, released just ahead of the SIHH, was already a pleasing novelty, albeit an expensive and limited one. The platinum model, with its great calendar display, is now flanked by a model in lustrous pink gold for the SIHH 2018, as a serially produced piece in the collection.It is reassuring to see that Vacheron Co...
When we received?the whole bunch of novelties that AP was about to launch at the SIHH 2018 (and there was a lot), one watch stood apart from the rest. Strangely enough, this watch is far from being a true revolution.?Not that the RD#2 isn’t a stunning development, but we were all, at the MONOCHROME redaction, focussed on this new?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202IP. Already st...
In early 2017, during the SIHH, Walter Lange, the man responsible for resuscitating the legendary A. Lange & Sohne watch brand, sadly passed away. To pay tribute to this humble and charming man, the company decided to create a homage watch, just the way he wanted (a watch that?Walter Lange had always dreamed of, but which had never materialised…until now). Available to the public in?thre...
The Cartier Santos is back! Based on the first wristwatch created by Cartier in 1904 for aviator Santos Dumont, this legendary model had been in the collection since its introduction in 1978 – at least, the modern version of the Santos, with a steel case and screwed bezel. However, the Santos was discontinued two years ago – and for a good cause. A new model is about to hit the stores ...
Oris swims in new waters with its 39.5mm iteration of the iconic Aquis Date. A formidable underwater tool, the Aquis Date is more compact and stylish, ready to conquer smaller wrist sizes, with the same?tool attributes and the new design?introduced on the 2017 version of the 43.5mm case.The new Oris Aquis Date 39.5mm next to the existing 43.5mm versionHot on the heels of the recently launched Carl...
Now that the big stress linked to the opening of SIHH 2018 is gone, it is time for us to look at some of the?less important novelties. Alongside the RD#2 (the thinnest automatic?QP ever), Audemars has many other watches to show in the 2018 collection, including this one, a new version of the?Royal Oak Chronograph with a smoked slate grey dial. Nothing revolutionary here, just a cool looking watch ...
Prior to the SIHH 2018, back in December, IWC introduced a series of 4 watches, including one very surprising watch. A stand-alone piece, not included in any of the existing collections, the IWC Tribute to Pallweber is a watch specifically created for the 150th Anniversary of the Schaffhausen-based brand. This re-edition of one of the greatest pocket-watches IWC ever made is now available in steel...
The SIHH 2018 has closed its doors yesterday, however we still have some videos to share with you. One of them concerns?Patrick Pruniaux, the recently appointed CEO of Ulysse Nardin, who is presenting the new collection… And there were some novelties, which look at many of the brand’s specialities: innovation, heritage and erotic watches (parental advisory, explicit content…)Firs...
IWC is celebrating a major milestone this year and has been previewing pieces from the epic 150 Years collection that are?now presented in full at SIHH 2018. So far, we've seen some exceptionally complicated pieces, like the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition 150 Years and the Portugieser Constant Force Tourbillon Edition 150 years, which highlight the company's technical prowess. T...
IWC celebrates its 150th anniversary with a generous line-up of 27 limited editions of the brand's icons – including this popular Pilot's Watch Chronograph, also known as the ?“FliegerChronograph“. The 150 Years watch displays elapsed times against a glossy, white lacquered dial that pays tribute to the enamel dials of IWC's historic pocket watches.Flight path of IWC's pilot watc...
We always knew that IWC was going to be one of the stand-outs of SIHH 2018, ever since the brand began previewing the limited-edition timepieces from its 150th Anniversary collection last month. Suffice to say, we have not been disappointed. In total, an impressive 28 new limited-edition references were introduced, along with two new calibres. It's a welcome departure for the brand, which normally...
Bold, bold and… Bold! Yes, this new?Ulysse Nardin Diver Deep Dive is anything but discreet and is a proper tool watch built to withstand immense pressure. What you see is the?new hero piece of the Ulysse Nardin Diver Collection. For the SIHH 2018, Ulysse Nardin is not only playing its innovation and fine craftsmanship cards, it’s also rekindling the design inspirations that made the br...
Audemars Piguet will bring a fresh burst of colour to SIHH 2018, with the unveiling of three new Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon models. We're profiling two of them here for you today, one in classic steel and the other in 18ct pink gold. All changes are purely aesthetic and as far as we're aware, neither will be limited editions, although we imagine production quantities will be relatively low to...