The 1980s are not exactly known as a decade of refinement. After all, it’s the period where shoulder pads, spandex and leg warmers were all the rage. It was a decade with plenty of conflict and controversy the world over, but also tremendous progress. The rise of the computer and the birth of the internet are perhaps the foremost technological advancements. From a cultural perspective, it br...
Modern TAG Heuer can be a tricky brand to categorise. Are they the makers of classic and timeless pieces like the Monaco and Carrera collections? Or are they a rather familiar mainstream brand acting in slightly too many areas? Depends on who you ask. I think it's safe to say, though, that the recent collections aren't getting the same kind of enthusiasm as the vintage watches, at least from the h...
Over the years, Cartier's singular perception of elegance and its mastery of shapes have remained the driving force behind the brand's design. The historic Parisian jeweller and watchmaker enjoys an unrivalled legacy in creating fascinating shaped watches. Classic round watches are extremely rare in the brand's collections, and round Cartier watches almost inevitably come with a twist, like the un...
IWC Portofino watches are versatile and stylish, with a hint of timelessness. The Portofino collection (introduced in 1984) is supposedly the entry-level offering from IWC Schaffhausen, but despite the efforts seems to remain overlooked and even underrated by the public. No specific data supports this claim, but Internet searches reveal far fewer mentions of IWC Portofino than Portugieser or Pilot...
Breaking a tradition of masterminding complex, visually arresting watches for men, MB&F undertook its maiden voyage into the galaxy of women’s watches in 2019. Faithful to the brand’s spectacular 3D design language, the Legacy Machine Flying T staged a flying tourbillon rising above the dial plate accompanied by an intriguing hours and minutes dial perched at an angle. Eminently fe...
In 1962, on the 5th of October to be precise, the world discovered a character that will become a legend of the silver screen. Adapted from the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, Dr. No will start an emblematic series of 25 movies featuring a British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, James Bond. 60 years later, the impact of the series is undeniable. James Bond isn't on...
Movie-themed watches aren’t very uncommon, but it’s another thing to just create a watch?inspired?by a movie instead of creating a watch?to be worn in a movie. Either by chance, like with the Seiko worn in Apocalypse Now, or intentionally like with the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph. Regardless of the scenario, it can launch a watch into stardom, for instance when Steve McQueen wore the He...
Like many watchmakers these days, Oris is working on improving the planet and supporting relevant organizations. In fact, it's now independently certified as a climate-neutral company. Its latest partnership is with Coulson Aviation, a family-run Canadian agency that sends planes and equipment around the world to fight wildfires. Of course, there's a new watch to mark the occasion that's based on ...
Ineichen, the fast-growing auction house based in Zurich, seems to have a thing for both modern, important watches as well as something that is dear to us, independent watchmaking. Following thematic sales focused on one specific material?or an iconic watch celebrating its 50th anniversary, we’ve seen an October sale dedicated to tourbillons and skeletonization. Today, we’re announcing...
We all know the watchmaking industry is spread far and wide, and you can find pretty much whatever you can think of. And on the top end of the spectrum is where you will find some of the most complex pieces imaginable. Watches that tell you the sunrise and sunset times for instance, or that break down the hour display to morph it into the next hour digit, or that make an instant jump every minute ...
We took a look at Harley Davidson's last few traditional Sportsters last year and how remarkably old-school they were. Since 1986, the air-cooled Evo V-twins have barely changed and aren't much different than the Ironhead engines that preceded them (going back to 1957). You'd be hard-pressed to find more traditional motorcycles on showroom floors in 2021. Tragically, the last two Sportster models ...
Swiss watch designer Gerald Genta was ahead of his time. The man who designed the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, singlehandedly kickstarting the extraordinarily coveted luxury sports watch genre, also anticipated another niche for watches inspired by characters borrowed from pop culture. When Genta decided to produce watches under his own name, he unleashed his more playful side and produced a series...
Austrian independent watchmaker created by couple Maria and Richard Habring, also known as Habring2, has been building a variety of watches/movements, most of them with a little twist for the display – such as a deadbeat seconds or a foudroyante seconds. Yet, their most emblematic model is, without a doubt, the so-called Doppel, or split-seconds chronograph. Offered in various generations, t...
There are many watches that can be named iconic or emblematic. Each category has its cult watches – the Submariner for divers, the Speedmaster for racing chronographs and the Calatrava for dress watches. Few can rival the aura of the Type XX watches when it comes to pilot’s watches, specifically pilot’s chronographs. As we speak, Breguet is somewhat dormant on this topic, and onl...
Black & gold livery on the F1 racetrack was the epitome of cool in the 1970s and 1980s and, judging by the number of watches decked out in this sleek, glamorous colour scheme, is still as appealing as it was in its heyday. So, when you take a legendary racetrack watch like the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph and deck it out in John Player Special black & gold, the result is a double classic....
If there’s one watch that perfectly defines Patek Philippe, it has to be the chronograph perpetual calendar – a combination that was first introduced by the brand with the reference 1518 and which is now represented by the 5270. This watch debuted in rather neutral, slightly conservative editions but has been updated recently with far bolder styles, such as the green lacquered edition ...
Bulgari launched its Octo Finissimo collection in 2012, and ten years later, there’s little doubt about the already iconic status of the Octo Finissimo in modern watchmaking. The collection is full of complicated record-holding timepieces, and it is an excellent platform for horological wonders and collaboration. The watches made in cooperation with the Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and ...
When considering Franck Muller’s watches, images of tonneau-shaped cases and flashy colours come to mind. But, looking back at the brand’s earliest days, there are some fascinating watches to explore. Just like early Daniel Roth models or early Roger Dubuis timepieces, some of the oldest Franck Muller watches are getting hotter and hotter and will probably be the next “big thing&...
After we’ve taken a closer look at five very cool watches that put the Earth on your wrist one way or another just last week, this time around we move over to our nearest neighbour, the Moon. This satellite of our beautiful planet has been there forever and has guided us through time on our explorations of our home planet. Instrumental in the early days of telling time, the moon has always b...
Our last subject on The Collector's Corner was the Cartier Tank Americaine, and though we're sticking to the theme of the classic time-only watch for a little bit longer, this week we'll look at one with a very different flavour. The inaugural article in The Collector's Corner was about the IWC Doppelchronograph reference 3711. In 1993, one year after that reference was released, IWC followed up w...
There’s the use of colours, and there’s the use of colours. And TAG Heuer has gone the extra mile to turn the already quite expressive Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon into something that radiates the colours of the rainbow. Using a unique PVD coating technique, the base dial is given a cool rainbow-like appearance, which almost looks like an oil slick under direct sunlight. Fun, express...
Tonight, as every year, is the celebration of watchmaking, watchmakers and watches in general It is the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve – or GPHG 2022?– the Oscars of the watchmaking industry. Several categories are represented (ladies, men, complicated and even affordable watches with the Challenge category) and the best watches of the year will be awarded the coveted Golden Hand pr...
Over the years, A Collected Man (or ACM), a watch curator based in London, has become one of the finest destinations for everything high-end independent watchmaking. For instance, they’ve been able to sell a 7 million Philippe Dufour Grande et Petite Sonnerie, or a simple yet tastefully-designed Baltic watch. Their business has recently expanded to online auctions, and the latest to appear i...
Tonight the watch industry’s focus is dead-set on Geneva, as the 2022 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve has just unveiled who is the grand winner of this year’s awards ceremony! Often regarded as the Oscars of Watchmaking, the GPHG stands for a celebration of all things surrounding mechanical watchmaking. A specially selected jury has narrowed down all the entries ...
As any watchmaker or designer knows, simplicity is devilishly complex. And when it comes to simplifying a complication like an annual calendar, this exercise requires great ingenuity. If there is one figure on the current watchmaking scene capable of pulling off an annual calendar of such radical minimalism, inventiveness and intuitiveness, it is Dr Ludwig Oechslin. The annual calendar complicatio...
This isn't one of my usual articles in The Collector's Corner. For my first time talking with self-taught Czech watchmaking wizard Ond?ej Berkus (@hodinkyberkus), I wanted a format more intimate than a Q&A (for a look at how well a Q&A can be done, check out Ond?ej's interview with Watch Affinity here). I didn't want to write about how Ond?ej got into watches or about his watchmaking philo...
There is no way to describe the Oris Waldenburgerbahn Limited Edition watch without a history lesson, so here we are. As the name suggests, there had to be a Bahn in Waldenburg, and there was a rail work indeed, a 13km low-cost and efficient one that opened in 1880 to connect the beautiful Waldenburg valley villages, including Holstein, the future home to the Oris factory. Oris founders, based in ...
Depth gauge watches are quite a rarity on the market and represent a niche industry segment, offering technical solutions to provide a diver with their current diving depth. Some rely on mechanical systems with an aneroid capsule, some use a Bourdon tube, and some use a cut-out that lets water enter a channel; and some are simply over-engineered. The latest watch with this feature is very differen...
The Portugieser collection is a pillar of IWC Schaffhausen, and for a good reason. The collection dates back to the 1930s when two gentlemen dealers from Portugal commissioned a watch for the local market. The result, reference 325, gave the name and paved the way for many beautiful timepieces with all sorts of complications. Two years ago, IWC offered a new take on the classic hours, minutes, and...
Rado introduced its Captain Cook model to the market in 1962 to satisfy the demand from amateur and professional divers. Keen to conquer the depths, these underwater adventures would have been unfeasible without a proper watch. Production of the Captain Cook was halted in 1968, with the estimated total number of pieces released during six years as low as 8,000. In 2017, perhaps in response to the ...