At Baselworld 2017, Citizen watches of Japan will release what is the most durable dive watch Ive ever personally known them to produce in the Promaster Eco-Drive Professional Diver 1000m timepiece. Citizen also makes the claim that it is the most water-resistant dive watch (and first 1000-meter Eco-Drive) that is light powered, allowing it to go deep within the ocean where no natural light exists to power the movement a minor irony. Fans of Japanese tool watches will delight, though this profe [...]
Germanuber watchmaker A. Lange Sohne has just released a new version of its mega Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon watch. The first version, in platinum and with a black dial as we saw hands-on here, was released in 2016. It was a limited edition of 100, and it was snapped up quickly by well-heeled Lange connoisseurs who wanted, what many regarded to be, the ultimate expression of the Datograph. Fortunately, if you missed out on that one, the brand now has a new A. Lange Sohne Datograph Perpetual [...]
Swiss Oris does something really different for 2019 with the brand new Oris Big Crown ProPilot X collection that includes the new exclusive Calibre 15 movement. The first part of this news piece will talk about the watch industry context within which a watch like this is born, and then Ill proceed to discuss the watch itself. While this article does not include hands-on images of the ProPilot X (PPX, as I believe it will be called), I was able to personally check out the watch with Oris at Basel [...]
There is a crucial moment that every watch collector faces before a multi-day excursion: choosing watches to wear. My personal go-to for changing time zones includes a GMT for tracking home time and a rugged dive watch for everyday wear. Fate, in the form of a press release from Rado, showed up two days before I was scheduled to leave for Tamarindo, Costa Rica, with an offer to review its new Captain Cook dive watch, reference R32504315 | 01.763.0504.3.131 Rado Captain Cook Automatic Bronze with [...]
The recently announced Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic collection for 2014 is not only the beginning of a brand new line within the brand, but is also a re-release of a rare Jaeger-LeCoultre model from 1958. The past several years have seen the release of numerous homage timepieces from many of the worlds most prestigious watch manufactures. Some of these have been executed extremely well, becoming instant hits and top sellers; others, not so much.As a collector and enthusiast of vintage wristwatches [...]
When it comes to square cases, the first name that pops into any enthusiasts head is Bell Ross. For Baselworld 2018, Bell Ross released a slew of chronographs, but none-so-haute-y as the Bell Ross BR-X1 Tourbillon RS18. The colorful limited edition features a single-pusher chronograph function that utilizes two different colored chronograph registers that are superbly legible for a Bell Ross skeletonized tourbillon chronograph.SpecificationsBrand: Bell RossModel: BR-X1 Tourbillon RS18Dimens [...]
It is with great fondness that I think back to the more innocent times of 2009 when Perrelet first introduced its Turbine collection of whimsical luxury watches. Inspired by Perrelets traditional double automatic rotor dials and jet airplane engines, the Turbine was an experimental collection of timepieces that became a big hit, and spawned dozens of iterations. It is, therefore, worth mentioning that five years after the birth of the Turbine watchCinspired by aviationCPerrelet finally makes one [...]
Gucci and the Sowind Group (that produce Girard-Perregaux watches) are both part of the larger PPR luxury group. These familial ties allows for unique creations such as this Gucci version of the well-known high-end Sea Hawk diver from Girard-Perregaux. With the Gucci name on it and a redesigned case, the timepiece is simply called the XL Dive, or sometimes just Dive. Interestingly, from a price perspective, it opens up a bit below the Girard-Perregaux model, so lets see how it pans out.At Baselw [...]
In 2019, Citizen Group of Japan announced that it was going to be supplying its proprietary Super Titanium for application in a Japanese lunar lander known as HAKUTO-R. Citizen and some other watch companies have special alloys or coatings designed for wristwatches that can also have relevance for other industrial applications. Super Titanium improves upon standard titanium in a few key ways, all related to wear resistance. Using the material in parts for a lunar landing vehicle shot through spa [...]
Mido is one of Swatch Groups smaller brands that you rarely hear about. If you do, you know that like Tissot or (not available in the US) Certina, Mido offers some decent looking pieces at pretty reasonable prices (for a Swiss mechanical watch). As one of the underdog brands, sources say that the Swatch Group just isnt quite sure what to do with them. Sounds like Mido just needs the right type of person in charge. If you look at the pieces theyve offered over the last few years, there are some r [...]
Design Miami is an annual international design fair that reportedly brings together tens of thousands of designers, critics, curators, collectors, and celebrities-and Panerai is the events official watch partner. It sounds like a highbrow event, the kind that watch brands like to associate themselves with, so it makes sense for a partnership and the launch of a new watch. To celebrate this partnership, Panerai has introduced a limited-edition U.S.-exclusive called the-deep breath now-Panerai Lum [...]
After 12 years of planning and development, Omega watches opened the doors to its newest mechanical watch assembly facility in late 2017. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban proved his exceptional skill as well as understanding of Omegas core values when designing the Nicolas G. Hayek Centre in the Ginza business district of Tokyo. Inspired by traditional watch manufacture style, the Omega Watch Factory is anything but your typical watchmaking facility.It is a brief, but telling medical report on the [...]
I have a lot of positive things to say about Midos Ocean Star, a well-priced diver-style watch in titanium with a matching titanium bracelet (ref. M026.430.44.061.00). Swatch Groups Mido brand has been a horological underdog for a while now, and I think the brand deserves a lot more attention from the enthusiast community. Pricing for most Mido watches falls in line with other Swatch Group brands, such as Tissot, Certina, and Hamilton - though Mido, by design, has some of its own specialties and [...]
Roger Dubuis new partnership with the Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli finds expression in the limited-edition Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton watch which comes in three sporty colors to match new Pirelli Color Edition tires. While less obvious than a car maker or racing team, the Pirelli collaboration is effective for the ultra luxury sport watch maker by suggesting the high-tech, machismo-driven world of motor racing. But, if that is too subtle for you, the straps are [...]
Your average A. Lange Sohne watch is already chock full of craftsmanship and anything but average. For those who require something even more special, however, the brands Handwerkskunst watches usually offer some additional artistic decoration for one of the brands existing models. The A. Lange Sohne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst is one of those, and it is introduced today alongside four other watches; blue-dial versions of the A. Lange Sohne Lange 1, the Lange 1 Daymatic, [...]
Oris is pretty well known to me as a maker of workhorse watches with all sorts of sporty themes. Maybe it is racing, or diving, or aviation Oris has a handsome watch for the job. Less people know their retro styled watches. One such example is the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date watch. It has a terrible name (no effort there!), but totally falls into the category of what I call the dad watch. Yea, that looks like something everyones dad used to wear. It has that sense of classic no-nonsense functio [...]
After a series of purely digital trade shows in 2020 and 2021, the watch industry looks toward a return to in-person events for 2022 as global COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to climb and travel restrictions are lifted. In the midst of this changing climate, Watches and Wonders Geneva has announced a fully physical trade show for next year, currently scheduled for March 30 through April 5, 2022 at Palexpo in Geneva.Nearly 40 watch brands are currently scheduled to display at the event, inclu [...]
Cartier unveiled a few highly complicated novelties at the 2014 SIHH. Of them we have already discussed the Rotonde de Cartier Earth and Moon Tourbillon?and now Ariel has gone hands-on with another tourbillon known as the Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire. The two pieces share several key features: both display the hours and minutes on an off-centered sub dial, both are housed in the same Rotonde de Cartier platinum case save for two millimeters of difference in diameter and both are equipped [...]
In addition to the sapphire crystal-cased version of the MP-05 La Ferrari, the big transparent news from Hublot for 2016 is this all-sapphire-cased version of the Big Bang UNICO. Difficult to properly capture in pictures, I think anyone handling this interesting sapphire watch will be impressed by it, and compared to other all-sapphire crystal watches, the price is a relative bargain at under $60,000. In fact, the Hublot Big Bang UNICO Sapphire reference 411.JX.4802.RT might be the most affordab [...]
It happened only two years ago, at Baselworld 2013, that Omega lunched the Omega Speedmaster 57 Co-Axial, a tribute to the original, pre-Moon-Watch Speedmaster. Now, for 2015, we see a slightly updated version that brings the Omega Speedmaster 57 tribute closer than it has ever been to the Daddy of all Speedmasters. Without further ado, lets see?just how close you can really get in the new millennium to owning the real deal from the mid 20th century.The answer, in short, is: very. We covered the [...]