When it was first presented in 2017, the Black Bay Chrono?generated mixed emotions. The good ones came from the overall performance and fairly reasonable price (considering the whole package), as well as the unexpected industrial alliance with Breitling. Others pointed out the rather uninspired design of the inaugural edition as well as the strange mix between racing elements and dive watch featur...
Artist and designer Samuel Ross is back at work with Hublot. A tradition for the brand over its 44 years of existence, Hublot has collaborated with many contemporary artists like Richard Orlinski, Maxime-Plescia-Buchi, Murakami and Daniel Arsham. Marking the third time the Swiss brand has worked with Samuel Ross, both parties bring back the bold, sculptural and lightweight Big Bang Tourbillon SR_A...
David Candaux, an independent watchmaker and member of the Academie Horlogere des Createurs Independants (AHCI) since 2019, is regarded as one of the most talented creators in contemporary horology. To understand and appreciate his work, it is important to remember his professional journey and the philosophy that infuses his timepieces with unique character, and the DC1 Titanium Inclined Tourbillo...
It was only two weeks ago that Omega finally released the long-awaited watch spotted on the wrist of Daniel Craig during the Paris 2024 Olympics, the no-date edition of the emblematic Seamaster Diver 300M. While keeping the technical formula of the classic date Seamaster Diver 300M alive, these new editions – there were two, the classic black dial/bezel and a silver steel/titanium edition &#...
Young collaborative project/brand SpaceOne continues its exploration of watchmaking through a parallel galaxy… Last year, the bold and modern SpaceOne Jumping Hour emerged from the visionary mind of Theo Auffret, a Parisian independent watchmaker crafting intricate timepieces like the Tourbillon Grand Sport?and Guillaume Laidet, the man spearheading the revival of Nivada, Excelsior Park and ...
Hublot and Arturo Fuente, renowned for its premium cigars, have had a fruitful partnership since 2012. Together, they have launched several watch editions and supported charitable initiatives in the Dominican Republic through the Fuente Family Foundation. Today, at the Arturo Fuente Cigar Factory, Hublot unveiled its latest collaborative piece, the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Arturo Fuente K...
Born in the mid-1950s as a watch designed for people working in magnetic environments (hence its name), the IWC Ingenieur is mostly remembered in its 1976 shape when IWC released the SL Jumbo reference 1832, designed by Gerald Genta using his classic integrated luxury sports watch concept. It took some years for IWC to finally come back with a modern iteration, but in 2023, the Schaffhausen-based ...
It’s almost upon us, the most festive time of the year. Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and plenty of others all kick off this month. And with it, there will be plenty of parties, dinners, social gatherings and other events filling up our agendas and keeping us occupied. To keep track of time in the most pleasurable way, a dress watch seems like an appropriate choice as it keeps things simple y...
Calendar indications are a classic of watchmaking. But not all calendar watches are born equal. As our own Xavier Markl explained in this Technical Perspective article, calendar watches range from basic date displays to the ultra-rare and highly complex secular calendar mechanism and everything in between. Next to the highly praised perpetual calendar, there is a complication that has gathered gre...
Swiss luxury powerhouse Richemont has just announced yet another round of shifts in top management positions, with new direction for two of its most prestigious watchmaking brands, Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-Lecoultre. Effective January 1st, 2025, the nominations of Jer?me Lambert and Laurent Perves follow the appointments announced earlier this year. Nicolas Bos was promoted from CEO of Van C...
Titoni is an independent family-owned watch brand founded in 1919 by Fritz Schluep in Grenchen, Switzerland, now in the hands of great-grandsons Marc and Olivier Schluep. With a variety of contemporary collections and even an in-house automatic powering its Line 1919 dress watch collection, the genuine interest in this brand resides in its remakes of golden oldies. Marking the 80th anniversary of ...
Hublot has always been associated with the fusion of disparate materials, starting with Carlo Crocco's surprising cocktail of a gold case and rubber strap on board the flagship Classic Original. Hublot's latest watch dedicated to tennis legend Novak Djokovic takes the “art of fusion” to unimaginable levels and even slips in the much-desired sustainability card. The new Big Bang Unico i...
Brands today are enthusiastically revisiting the watch designs of the 1970s, riding a wave of nostalgia that has struck a chord with consumers. These retro-inspired pieces often feature updated characteristics, adding modern functionality to vintage aesthetics. Among the standout designs of that era is the driver’s watcha timepiece with a digital side display. While this concept traces its ...
About a year ago, Georges Kern, also known as the CEO of Breitling, made a resounding announcement for the watch community; the acquisition of historic brand Universal Geneve and its planned return as a watchmaker in 2026. A brand known for its innovative designs and movements, benefitting from a certain aura in the collecting community, the so-called Couturier de la Montre is set to be back with ...
Dial textures can make or break a watch, but if done right they elevate the display of time into something gripping, something very impactful. One of the more common but always interesting textures, especially in aquatic (-inspired) watches, is the wave pattern. Sure, Clous de Paris or vertical or horizontal grooves are often very nice, but there’s something rather appealing in replicating t...
Circula might be a relatively new brand to some, as it was only revived in 2018. However, it was originally founded in 1955 by Heinz Huber, but what makes this different from most reboots is Cornelius Huber, the grandson of Heinz, who's behind the brand today. So, Circula is truly a family business and already has an extensive portfolio, but the new Facet, designed by Guy Bove, the former Creative...
After months of speculation and anticipation, and enviously seeing Daniel Craig flaunting one, Omega has finally brought us the Seamaster Diver 300M No Date. In my initial article, I wanted to get the news out quickly, so I kept things a touch factual. Now though, after getting my hands on the two watches that are introduced, plus some time to digest everything, we’re going for a more in-dep...
In over 100 years of wristwatch making, almost everything has been done.? And well done for most of it. Reinventing yourself in a crowded market isn’t easy, even for a young brand like Serica. For five years – its entire life – the brand has been focusing on producing (quite appealing) retro-styled instrument watches. Imagine snowy peaks, scuba gear, adventurous fields and multip...
The secret is finally out with this one, although it wasn’t the very best-kept secret to begin with. Over the past few months, starting at this year’s Summer Olympics, former James Bond actor and Omega ambassador Daniel Craig was already spotted wearing a black dial No-Date version of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, the brand’s iconic diving instrument. Speculation and anticipati...
In the world of tennis, Novak Djokovic stands as a true icon, a powerful player with a winning mindset, boasting an unmatched 24 Grand Slam singles titles and a reputation as one of the greatest athletes in history. A Hublot ambassador since 2021, Djokovic has been seen sporting a variety of the brand’s timepieces, including the vibrant and eye-catching Big Bang Unico Yellow Magic. Today, Hu...
TAG Heuer is synonymous with the racetrack, and Jack Heuer's legendary motorsport-inspired chronographs have not lost an iota of popularity. Following fast on the heels of the 1963 Carrera chronograph, in 1969, Heuer produced a bold, square chronograph with a blue dial and a crown on the left side and named it after the Monaco Grand Prix. Immortalised on Steve McQueen's wrist in the cult 1971 film...
Among Switzerland's elite Haute Horlogerie brands, Audemars Piguet often stands out for doing things differently and exploring different territories. In particular, the brand is not shy to connect watchmaking to a broader culture as we have seen with recent collabs with Marvel (Spiderman, Black Panther) or with the cool Travis Scott x AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked Cactus Jack Speculat...
Since its inception in 2018, Collective Horology, a “proudly headquartered in Ventura, California” club for watch enthusiasts, has become quite famous through the Collective Series, which involves collaborations and limited editions with watch brands like IWC, H. Moser & Cie., Armin Strom, Czapek and Oris, to name a few and the Portfolio Series, which commissions watches from indep...
Following the previous 4 editions - The Millennium Watch Book, Tourbillon Watches, Divers Watches and Chronographs - GMT Publishing now releases a fifth opus in their The Millenium book series. This 2024 edition is dedicated to travel watches (displaying additional time zones), a highly practical and purposeful function for globetrotters, frequent travellers and those doing business around the wor...
We often talk about trends in watches, as designs, materials and colours regularly follow the preferences of the public. Sometimes, though, these trends phase out very slowly or not at all. And when it comes to colour, that’s always a very enjoyable topic of debate. Take blue, for instance, which was at one point ‘the new black’. One of the more recent on-trend colours that seems...
Jaguar is one of the great British car manufacturers, perhaps only rivalled by Aston Martin when it comes to style, class, and heritage. It started out as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, making motorcycle sidecars before moving into the production of cars in the mid-1930s, with the first-ever car being the SS Jaguar 2.5L Saloon. For obvious reasons, the SS name wouldn’t stick for long, ...
The Polerouter is, without a doubt, one of the most emblematic watches ever created by Universal Geneve. Not only was it designed by young Gerald Genta, but it was powered by an important micro-rotor movement and was a purpose-built watch created by request of SAS, asking Universal Geneve to create a watch that could support pilots flying over the North Pole for the first time – which occurr...
While I’m no expert on the subject of Mil-Spec watches, or military-related timing instruments in general, I do know instantly if I like a watch or not. And every now and then a watch comes along that wins me over with its first impression, only to be disappointed when I see it in real life for the first time. Luckily, it also happens the other way around. Press images don’t always do ...
In 2022, TAG Heuer introduced the Aquaracer Professional Solargraph, the brand’s first-ever solar-powered quartz model. This debut followed the release of the revamped Aquaracer Professional 200 series, featuring 40mm steel cases. The Solargraph retained the aesthetic and functional hallmarks of the Aquaracer line, quickly winning over TAG Heuer enthusiasts. Since its launch, several Solargr...
The 2024 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve has just unveiled 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, which included our founder and editor-in-chief Frank Geelen, has narrowed down all the entries into multipl...