Stepping into Cedric Johner's modestly sized workshop in Carouge in the outskirts of Geneva is a unique experience. Inside you will find an eclectic mix of old tools and hand-operated machines as the independent watchmaker started his career as a jeweller. With this background, Johner is a versatile artisan with a very personal way of looking at traditional mechanical watchmaking, using original t...
In the world of dive watches, you would be hard-pressed to find a brand with more history or pedigree than DOXA. From the 1930s all the way to the quartz crisis in the 1980s, they built a brand around a singular focus on the purpose-built tool watch, attracting the attention of both the superstars of the dive world and the everyday hobbyists alike. On the wrists of real-life explorers like Jacques...
Refreshing a watch that has marked the identity of a brand for fifty years, which saved the brand from the onslaught of quartz in the 1970s and gave birth to an entirely new genre known as the luxury sports watch, is a delicate balancing act. One too many tweaks and you risk altering its gene pool; no change at all, and you perpetuate a dinosaur. As our readers know, Gerald Genta’s 1972 luxu...
A watch born in the early 1950s as?a precision chronometer wristwatch, the Omega Constellation is one of the most long-lasting collections of the brand, only surpassed by the Seamaster. After three decades as a classic, elegant watch, it drastically changed in the early 1980s to become the model with integrated bracelet and signature claws we know today. Since then, this bold and recognizable desi...
Whether you're frequently travelling business or pleasure, you would like a watch that can keep up with wherever you are heading next. A watch that can indicate time across multiple time zones at once is first and foremost a tool. However, this does not limit you to simple or cheap watches only or dare I say it, your smartphone. On the contrary, there's plenty to choose from in the higher echelons...
Mark Sinclair, aka @a_complicated_nerd on Instagram, is a lawyer from Copenhagen, Denmark. He’s already been a very productive contributor to the series, as we discussed his Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Chronograph already and a stunning Patek Philippe 5960P. Let’s say that even if he knows a lot about watches and has truly fine tastes in horology, he doesn't take himself too seriously. And...
Tissot introduced the PRX Powermatic 80 integrated sports watch last year (following a quartz model) and it's been wildly popular in the affordable sports watch market. This is clearly one of the hottest trends at the moment with models like the Bell & Ross BR05, Citizen Caliber 0200 and Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture positioned as accessible alternatives to heavyweights l...
Not all of you might know that, in addition to its core collection mostly made of Tambour watches, such as the recently introduced Tambour Street Diver, LV also owns the right to be called a high-end watch manufacture, thanks to its integrated structure La Fabrique du Temps. With it, the luxury giant and maker of all kinds of high-end goods can produce fine and complex in-house movements, such as ...
Audemars Piguet's Code 11.59 collection was unveiled in 2019 and marked the brand’s first important product launch in 20 years. Comprised of six models, 13 references, and three of in-house calibres, its distinctive 41mm case design was, as the brand pointed out, consciously thought for both men and women. Presented in January 2022, these two gem-set models blanketed with more than 1,000 bri...
We all have our preferences in life. And that's a very good thing, otherwise, it would become very boring, very quickly if we all lusted after the same things. But sometimes, the feeling of forced uniformity tends to creep up on us through various circumstances. The Volkswagen Beetle, for instance, was sold in the millions but not because it was such a good car. The same goes for watches, and to u...
Seiko, the official timekeeper of the World Athletics Championships since 1985, is responsible for determining the winners of different athletic disciplines where fractions of a second can make or break a record. Held in Oregon in July 2022, Seiko comes with over 50-years of experience in timing sports events. Celebrating its seventeenth consecutive role as the official timekeeper of this prestigi...
Tissot has a very solid for offering well-built, attractive mechanical watches for those on a fairly limited budget. Whether you’re interested in a sports-oriented chronograph or a cool sports watch with integrated design, Tissot has got you covered. And if you’re looking for a watch dedicated to aquatic life, there's one collection that offers immense value for money, and it has recen...
Ineichen Auctioneers' first sale of 2022 will take place in Zurich this coming weekend (Saturday 12?March 2022). Named “La Vie en Rose” as a nod to Edith Piaf's signature song, the themed auction gathers some 40 watches with rose gold cases, all from esteemed watchmakers (and particularly independent watchmakers) such as Vacheron Constantin, Roger Dubuis, F.P. Journe, Daniel Roth, Cart...
The Seamaster is one of Omega's most loved diving watches and a stable in the brand's portfolio. It is also part of Omega's history for ages, as the Seamaster name was first introduced in 1948 and has been in production ever since. It has been the canvas for a very wide range of styles, colours, materials and complications over the years and is divided into 4 sub-collections: Aqua Terra, Diver 300...
As we've explained in the article talking about the titanium edition, Omega is releasing this year an ultra-dive watch, a model that summarizes everything the brand does best, mechanically and regarding resistance to all possible external elements. Based on the lessons learned with the Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional that reached the deepest point in the ocean during the Five Deeps Expedition...
The Seamaster Aqua Terra has forged a niche in the Seamaster family as a handsome, all-terrain, resilient, everyday watch for land and sea. Although it is not touted as a professional dive watch, it offers the best of both worlds with its more than respectable 150m water-resistance (aqua), classic good looks and precision movement to take you from the office and beyond in style (terra). In short, ...
The classic Moonwatch by Omega is one of the most iconic and laureled chronograph watches in history. It is forever intertwined with the Apollo space missions, the moon landing and NASA. But since the 1970s, the Speedmaster has made it into a full-blown collection and remains one of the pillars for Omega. New for 2022 is the introduction of two 18k Moonshine gold models, one in deep green, and one...
The Seamaster, a collection born in 1948, is the most enduring range produced by Omega. Born as a child of peace, yet with military-tested technology, the diving-oriented lineup has since been the perfect vehicle for experimentation and innovation, constantly pushing the limits of water-resistance, but also of materials, metallurgy and technology. A couple of years ago, Omega presented the Planet ...
When thinking Speedmaster, you'll immediately have in mind the classic Moonwatch, the Professional model that is coincidentally the direct descendant of the watches that made it to space. This statement is, of course, partially right, but not complete. Since the 1970s, the Speedmaster is more than a watch, it's a collection. Alongside the Moonwatch, the heritage models powered by the Calibre 321, ...
The humble little crown. At first glance, it doesn't look all that impressive. Each watch has one, right? And they all pretty much do the same: wind and set a watch. Sure, it can look a little different from brand to brand and watch to watch but today's crown system remains fairly unchanged for almost 180 years. There are watchmakers, however, who seek to get rid of this protruding little knob tha...
This year marks a pivotal moment in Formula 1. After last year's epic climax (or debacle, depending on who you ask) a big change in regulations is bringing new innovation to the grid. Teams have been hard at work to adapt to the new set of rules, which aims to decrease aerodynamic performance and bring down lap times, while at the same time enhancing the influence of a driver's skill. The cars loo...
For this entry in The Collector's Corner (our series of articles focused on great youngtimer watches), we are returning to the depths of the ocean with another dive watch. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, also known as the SMP (Seamaster Professional), might not be as over-engineered as the IWC Deep One we explored in our previous installment, but its impact on Omega was profound. With the Seamaste...
Revolution, a long-established print and online magazine focussed on watches and run by our friend Wei Koh, is used to making quite impressive collaborations, often resulting in highly attractive watches. One of the?long-time partners of Revo is Chopard, a collaboration that already resulted in two salmon-coloured models paying tribute to the first-ever L.U.C watch. Today, the Singapore-based maga...
The PRS 516 is one of the most enduring collections of?Tissot, having been introduced first in 1965, following the needs for racing drivers to have a reliable and legible watch. We have then seen multiple watches bearing this name, and the collection is still an important pillar in the collection. Modern PRS 516 watches are clearly not playing on the vintage side of things, with large and sporty d...
The vintage-inspired Longines Spirit pilot's watches launched in 2020 with 40mm and 42mm case sizes, and featured COSC automatic movements and a choice of time/date or chronograph models. The collection celebrated the pilots, military personnel and sportsman that relied on Longines throughout its history. The latest release introduces a more universal size for both men and women, coming in at 37mm...
Last year IWC Schaffhausen unveiled its 15th special edition for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation with a watch taken from its popular Pilot's watch collection. The straightforward time-and-date pilot's model marked the occasion by flying the colours of the charitable organisation, which advocates sport as a means of transforming children and young people's lives. Following in the footsteps of...
The sleek, elegant and versatile vibe of the 34mm black ceramic Royal Oak Selfwinding could be seen as the equivalent of a little black dress or, for that matter, a smart black shirt for gentlemen who prefer smaller watches. The Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm made its debut in 2021 and marked the first time a straightforward time-and-date RO got the full-ceramic look, a treat formerly reserved for com...
It all started as a rumour, back in January 2021. We heard that Patek Philippe was about to discontinue its most emblematic sports watch, the time-and-date Nautilus 5711 (which is, coincidentally, one of the most sought-after watches on the pre-owned market). And the rumour was indeed true, as Thierry Stern announced stopping the production of the model introduced in 2006, the blue dial 5711/1A-00...
If you grew up in the eighties, like me, there's a good chance your memories are smeared with images of shoulder pads, bleached tight-skinned jeans, pleated suit pants, weird synthesizer music and more. If we're talking watches, you might think of a wrist-worn calculator watch, or on the other end of the spectrum, a two-tone steel-and-gold or TAG Heuer. And lo and behold, in recent years this qu...
Far from a radical transformation to mark its 50th anniversary, the design evolutions practised on the Royal Oak Selfwinding time-and-date and Selfwinding Chronograph models are subtle, perpetuating the spirit of Gerald Genta's epic 1972 Royal Oak. Its commanding octagonal bezel with eight exposed hexagonal screws, its tonneau-shaped case, integrated bracelet, and tapisserie guilloche dial are so ...