This year Audemars Piguet is of the brands releasing a lot of new watches. The most visually exciting of which is this Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix watch collection. Each is in a limited edition, so these arent permanent additions to the collection. There are three luxurious versions and I have for you the hands-on experience. Lets start with the basic options. Each has ceramic and lots of forged carbon, but I will get to that in a bit. You have a choice of complimenting it with titanium, 18k p [...]
2020 is the year of the Luminor and theres a new Luminor Marina in the family. It comes in blue, which is, without a doubt, one of the most popular colors in watchmaking. To be clear, this isnt the first Panerai with a blue dial. The brand already has a number of Luminor and Radiomir watches with blue dials. But there are a couple of things about the new Luminor Marina 44mm PAM01313 that makes it one of the most talked-about watches among Paneristis for a long time.In many ways, the new Panerai [...]
Some watches just look good enough to eat, and with the release of the Omega?Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Master Chronometer Chocolate watch, we see a luxury tool watch designed for women with a top-notch METAS certified Master Chronometer movement.?This latest iteration of the ever-improving Seamaster line is crafted from Sedna gold, and accented by rich, chocolate brown ceramic.This is a really interesting piece to contextualise. At just 39.5mm across, it is pretty small for a watch of this aes [...]
The biggest news from Bell Ross for 2019 is the introduction of the Bell Ross BR 05 collection that debuted here. The BR 05 is the first major new timepiece collection that Bell Ross has introduced for some time, and it is the first product whose design is directly influenced by watches Bell Ross has produced in the past. Several versions of the BR 05 watch are being made available at launch, with this BR 05 Skeleton (ref. BR05A-GR-SK-ST/SST) being the model Bell Ross feels will have the m [...]
SIHH 2016 is looking like IWCs year of shrinkage and old-school minimalism, and their Big Pilots Watch Top Gun and Big Pilots Watch Chronograph Top Gun watches are no exception. Hilariously, IWC refers to the current (now outgoing) Big Pilots Watch Top Gun as having a compact 48-millimetre case. Well, in that case the new models are about to get downright dainty with the Top Gun being reduced?down to 46mm and the Big Pilots Watch Chronograph Top Gun being shrunk from 46mm to 44mm. The move is su [...]
After Patek Philippes Geneva celebration to commemorate their 175th anniversary, the storied Swiss watch maker took many of their new limited edition 175th Anniversary watches on a road show around the world. This included what Patek Philippe hoped would symbolize the pinnacle of the brands achievements and value-a limited edition of six pieces mega watch called the Patek Philippe 5175 Grandmaster Chime. first covered the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 5175 watch here when it was first debuted [...]
Sponsored post presented on for advertiserThe Casio G-Shock GA-2100 product family has been among Casios best-selling watches since the original Casio G-Shock GA-2100 (GA2100) was first introduced in 2019. Today, the GA2100 family of products includes a wide variety of colors and styles, as well as a sophisticated-looking metal-cased version known as the G-Shock GM2100 timepiece family. Now in 2022, with popularity for the GA2100 remaining strong, it is worth explaining what the GA-2100 watch c [...]
It has been about four years since I last toured the halls of Audemars Piguet. The historic Swiss watch maker still makes movements in the same building that Mr. Audemars and Mr. Piguet did in the 19th century-though the company has expanded its footprint a bit since that time. Even now in 2014, plans for yet another addition to the Audemars Piguet presence in the sleepy mountain town of Le Brassus are being implemented. In several years an updated museum (with an exciting design that was recent [...]
Just announced, the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique 5367 is a blue enamel dial version of Breguets very thin, very subtle, and very expensive caliber 581. Last year we saw the Squelette 5395, which gives a look through the skeletonized movement, but this 5367 echoes the three-hand Classique 5177 with a blue enamel dial. While an impressive enamel finish really does need to be seen in person to appreciate, I have seen several enamel-dial Breguet pieces and they really are amon [...]
Its been a few years since James Bond last burst onto our screens in the 24th installment of Ian Flemings super-spy series. In Spectre, enthusiasts were delighted to see the return of sorely missed Bond villain Ernst Stavros Blofeld and theres been much debate recently on how the story is going to develop in the next installment.?To celebrate the imminent return of one of Britains most recognizable and best loved fictional heroes, Luxe Watches are planning to give away a brand new Omega Seamaste [...]
The premise of my review of the famed Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 Blue watch (reference 5711/1A-010) focuses on one simple question: What makes this steel sports lifestyle watch, with all of its love handles, persistently in high demand? To further illustrate my point, right before the publication of this review, Patek Philippe decided to raise the price of this watch by 20%. Though Ive always held a great respect for the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Ive never had a particular desire to own one. On [...]
Watch collectors are obsessed with marking times in their lives that were significant, but sometimes we just want to take inventory of how the personal collection has fared in the past year. So, I asked the Editors what was the one addition to their personal collections this year that just stands out. We all as collectors (that includes you readers) do so much buying, selling, and trading, of our watches, that its the pieces that you just know?have earned something of a tenure in the collection [...]
It was about 2012 when Rado first released the HyperChrome collection of watches which, in my opinion, represents an interesting character and dimension to the brand. Rados self identity has been in flux over the last few years as the brand seeks to position itself appropriately in todays market. The Swatch Group-owned brand has had considerable historic success with timepieces ranging from sport models to distinctive formal watches in ceramic. The Rado HyperChrome Automatic Chronograph continue [...]
Ah, to be a collector. These days, there are any number of things you can get yourself into thanks to the wide reach of the Internet. Want to start collecting golden-age comics? Start your search online. How about something more esoteric like, say, vintage safety razors. Again, head online. Of course, the more established things, like stamps and coins, have places on the web you can go to. If you want to start blending these collections, however, then it gets a bit more tricky. For 50 years now, [...]
That aventurine. So hot right now. But seriously-if youre going to make a high-end celestial-themed watch, why wouldnt you use the most celestial-themed stone in the pantheon of all semi-precious stones? Granted, we saw a lot of aventurine at SIHH this year-subtly executed to perfection here by Montblanc, and a lot less subtly here by Audemars Piguet (though a longtime favorite would have to be Omegas rare Speedmaster Pro Aventurine from a number of years back). However, none of those have been [...]
In an unsurprising turn of events, Audemars Piguet has re-focused its attention to its past designs. With so many beautiful, albeit today little-known references in its history, thats awesome news. The Audemars Piguet Remaster01 Self-Winding Chronograph is the first watch to launch the [Re]master line by reiterating the handsome design of a 1943 original in a slightly confused, albeit still very good-looking package.The original we are referring to here is the Audemars Piguet Reference 1533, a t [...]
Imagine the following scenario. It probably happens on a daily basis, and the issues which are at the root of it are both complex and far-reaching. Put yourself in the shoes of an average man ready to buy his first omega timepiece. You arent a watch collector, but for years the strong marketing power of omega has romanced you on the notion that when you make it, you should tell the world about it and remind yourself of your success by buying a omega timepiece. Maybe you closed an important busin [...]
At an event this evening in Las Vegas, Jaeger-LeCoultre launched their brand new Master Ultra Thin Perpetual, a svelte addition to the Master line of dress watches that boasts a full perpetual calendar in a case family that we all know and love. The Master Ultra Thin Perpetual measures 39mm wide and a scant 9.2mm thick, making for a thin and very wearable watch, especially for one that is host to both an automatic movement and a full perpetual calendar complication. Get ready for, among other th [...]
Politics and watch lover aBlogtoRead.com reader Eric sent me this perfect image showing off the watches of (from left to right), Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Elena Kagan. I love the clarity here, and the visibility of the watches. Biden has been known to wear a few watches, including an Omega Seamaster, a Citizen, and here a Tissot T-Touch. Look at him show that puppy off as though he is incredibly proud of it. Nothing under the sleeve! Good work Biden! Represent us watch lovers proudly. So let [...]
With the Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Astromysterieux, Cartier gets a dual prize for not only one of the most beautiful watch releases of SIHH 2016, but also probably the most French sounding. Try and say Astromysterieux without picturing a stroll in Paris along the Seine after an afternoon window shopping in the Place Vendome. Youd walk along imagining to yourself all the attractive luxuries you saw and exclaiming to yourself, but the prices are all so Astromysterieux! What we have here is anothe [...]