What we’re looking at today might simply be a new dial colour, but it made quite a lot of noise when we introduced it a couple of weeks ago. Multiple reactions here and on our Instagram account made us realize that a dial colour can make a hell of a difference on a watch. So today we take a closer look, with our own live photos, at the brand new Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronom...
We didn't expect anything less. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko launches its new hi-beat mechanical calibre 9SA5, the foundation stone for an entirely new generation of Grand Seiko watches. Representing an advancement as revolutionary as the first calibre 9S of 1998 – the base movement powering all watches in the Grand Seiko (barring Spring Drive) collection to date – th...
We see more and more “watch clubs” popping up around the globe. Don’t get us wrong, we actually encourage these initiatives as they are the best way to generate passion and increase horological knowledge among their members. One of these social hubs is named “Qatar Watch Club” and despite being quite young, it has already proven to be well established… Enough to...
There’s nothing unusual in seeing a brand ambassador wearing one of his sponsor’s timepieces. Pretty normal. Seeing them posting a close-up photo of a watch on Instagram is already something less common. But what we’ve spotted yesterday is even less “classic style”. While it’s no surprise to see David Beckham sporting a Tudor watch, the model he posted recently ...
Cuba isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think about watchmaking. Cuervo y Sobrinos is arguably the only luxury watch brand with true Latin roots, born in Havana's San Rafael Avenue. Now headquartered in Le Noirmont, Switzerland, the brand combines contemporary Swiss craftsmanship with design inspiration from Havana's golden years. The Historiador Peque?os Segundos was inspired by a ...
Luxury watchmakers have to face turbulent times. The two major trade shows, Watches & Wonders (ex-SIHH) and Baselworld have just announced the cancellation of their 2020 editions amid fears of a possible COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. With these lost opportunities to meet retailers and the press, watch brands need to handle business that would have got done there, but in a different way. The a...
Twenty years ago Chanel launched the J12, a luxury sports watch decked out in high-tech ceramic with incredible appeal and a stellar trajectory. The first unisex watch crafted in sleek black ceramic, the J12 has been revisited in Haute Horlogerie complications and dressed up in Haute Joaillerie attire without ever losing its dynamic personality. Already considered an icon of the 21st century, the ...
As we explained yesterday in a more technical/historical article, this year is special, being a leap year. As such, this is the perfect time to talk perpetual calendars, watches specifically designed to take into account this specificity of the Gregorian calendar, when February lasts 29 days instead of its usual 28 days. And today’s perpetual calendar watch is special… Not only because...
Every four years is a leap year and the month of February gets an extra day, a leap day, on February 29th. 2020 is a leap year and everything flows smoothly at regular, four-year intervals until 2100, which we discover is not a leap year. Wait a minute, 2100 is divisible by four, so what is going on? Find out why the leap year can be erratic and other intriguing details of how man has struggled to...
Aquastar is a very niche brand, specialized in diver's instruments. It is also a rather young brand, in the vintage field, as it was only established in 1962. The brand started supplying watches to Jacques Cousteau's dive team in 1965, and it seems that the brand’s founder, Frederic Robert, working under the umbrella of the JeanRichards Company, was not wrong in his push to create dedicated ...
Following the decision of the Federation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) and the Richemont Group to cancel the 2020 Edition of the Geneva-based watch fair Watches & Wonders, all eyes were on Baselworld and the watch world was waiting for the final decision to come… This is it, the other major watch fair of the year, Baselworld 2020, has been officially postponed to January 2021 (in other wo...
We’ve said it in the past already, but if you’re looking for a great daily luxury watch, which combines enough resistance for the weekend and casual elegance for business days, Omega certainly has one of the best options on the market: the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Master Chronometer. Sleek and discreet, robust too, it combines multiple advantages and is available in multiple colours. ...
Watches & Wonders 2020, the new version of the Geneva-based watch fair held by the FHH, previously named SIHH, is the latest in the growing list of events cancelled, postponed or relocated across the globe amid fears of a possible COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.The Geneva watch fair is one of the largest watch events around the world, together with Baselworld. The tradeshow is organized by FHH ...
Independent, family-run Swiss watch brand Norqain was founded just two years ago by Ben Kuffer and is taking surprisingly confident strides. With three collections to date, Norqain designs everything in-house and is set to obtain greater manufacturing independence with its recently sealed deal with movement manufacturer Kenissi. The Norqain Freedom 60 Chrono we are looking at today has a strong 19...
Last December, Martijn van der Ven published the book Time For A Change, Discovering Vintage Enicar. Although he launched his book without the help of a publisher, it has turned out to be a beautiful and well-researched endeavour. Not only does it describe the rise and fall of this remarkable watch company, but it also features great adverts of the time, the people behind the brand and the difficu...
In less than a week from now, it will be February 29th… Not a big deal, for sure. Unless you’re into watchmaking and want to see something mechanically fascinating. Indeed, watchmakers are sometimes a bit nerdy and imagined a complication that takes into account all the weird things of the Gregorian calendar. This means months with 30 or 31 days or even a month with 28 days. And, even ...
“Poor Man's Heuer” is a term often used in the vintage collector's world. It refers to a sport or tool watch that was made in the 1960s and 1970s, with design or style cues from racing Heuer watches, but with another brand stamped on the dial. Whether it's the bright colours to accent the dial and hands, the large oversize cases with radial-brushed finishes or racing car references, th...
Introduced earlier this year during the Festival Automobile International in Paris, this Laureato Absolute Passion is decked out in racing red and sleek black livery to celebrate the brand's partnership with the event. A limited edition of 50 watches, this chronograph joins the edgier, more contemporary Laureato Absolute watch sub-family distinguished by black PVD-coated titanium cases, impressive...
If you have any interest in vintage watches, and specifically military-issued pieces, the terms ‘Dirty Dozen‘ and ‘WWW’ should be familiar to you. Among the twelve brands that supplied the British MoD (Ministry of Defense) with watches during WWII was Timor Watch Company… which was re-incorporated in the United Kingdom in 2019, with something pretty cool in mind. And ...
If there’s one watch in the Oris collection that needs no introduction, it certainly is the Aquis Date. A robust dive watch, with modern and utilitarian looks, it has been praised as a very competitive option for someone in the need of a no-nonsense diving instrument, which can also be used on land as a daily beater. Mostly available in a relatively large case of 43.5mm, it was probably not ...
Named after Egeria, the Roman water nymph, egerie is Vacheron Constantin's latest women's collection. No doubt chosen to evoke the classic temperament of this new collection, egerie has also taken inspiration from the world of Haute Couture with elegant, pleated designs on the dial. Available in two different case sizes, three different case materials (including a high jewellery diamond pave versi...
Combining associates' names to create a watch brand is something of a tradition in the watch industry. Illustrious examples include Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet or more recently Greubel Forsey. Ga?l Petermann and Florian Bedat are not yet part of the Swiss Haute Horlogerie clique, but the work of these young watchmaking talents truly deserves a closer look Which will give t...
If you look back at the watches introduced back in 2019, one clearly made some noise when presented at Baselworld… And for good reasons. Its name? The Breitling Navitimer Ref. 806 1959 Re?Edition. The reason for its success? Being an ultra-faithful re-edition of one of Breitling’s most iconic watches. Having the ingredients for a desirable watch in their hands, the team at Breitling ap...
Meet the 14th watch made by IWC Schaffhausen in support of a good cause, “Laureus Sport for Good” – a charity that relies on sports to help children and young people overcome violence, discrimination and disadvantage in their lives. Following multiple blue-coloured watches, such as this special Mark XVIII or this Chronograph Yacht Club, today the brand unveils a watch that once a...
Sinn’s dedication to tool, pilot and military watches is undeniable. The brand is one of the main specialists in this field, with a full range of no-nonsense, robust and effective watches at reasonable prices. References such as the 103, the 140 or the 356 need no introduction anymore. However, if there was only one to keep in mind, this would be the “Bundeswehr Chronograph for Pilots&...
Well-executed dials, decorated with classic Grand Feu enamel or elaborate guilloche, can add thousands to the price and define the character of a piece; however, there are times when the sheer absence of a dial can result in the most intriguing aesthetic. Andre-Charles Caron, legendary clockmaker for Louis XV of France in the mid-18th century, developed the first skeleton watch around 1760. The st...
When it was originally launched back in the early 1960s, the Omega Seamaster 300 was, together with the Submariner, a mass-produced specialist dive watch for the burgeoning recreational diver market. There was also Blancpain and a few others like Doxa, Eterna, Favre Leuba, but none of them was on the same production scale. Today's Vintage Corner' is not meant to be a history of the dive watch bu...
After a really pleasant autumnal version with rose gold/salmon dial, Laurent Ferrier now launches a special version of the Galet Annual Calendar with a warm champagne/sand/yellow gold (take your pick) dial designed to evoke the stylish vintage watches of the 1950s. Sophisticated and user-friendly, the new Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar “Vintage” is limited to five pieces. Identi...
This year will be the 20th anniversary of the Oscars of watchmaking, the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve. As such it is an exceptional year: a year of change and of celebration. This year, the GPHG is launching its international watch industry Academy. The initiative will invite several hundred stakeholders in the sector to take part in the various stages of the watch selection process. Besides ...
When mentioning Omega and its collections, the immediate and easy answers will be “Speedmaster” and “Seamaster”. Certainly, those two lines of watches are some of the most iconic in the entire industry. Still, Omega has (much) more to offer, including a slightly overlooked but rich collection named “Constellation”. Born in the 1950s, it would become the experime...