The Parmigiani Fleurier HeadquartersOne would imagine that spending six full days with a watch brand is long enough to become comfortably acquainted with them and ask pretty much everything you want to know. That is true a lot of the time, but on this occasion, even after five nights of little sleep, nearly two thousand photos and many in-depth conversations, I feel a need to return and learn more. Nevertheless, I walked away with a new-found knowledge of history, watch making tradition and haut [...]
Hamilton, the American watch brand now under the Swatch Group umbrella, has had a strong year with well-received launches like their?Intra-Matic 68 Chronograph. Recently, the brand announced the Hamilton Jazzmaster Power Reserve Watch? a contemporary, dressy offering that boasts a long power reserve and good bang for your buck. A good looking watch, it can verge on uninspiring, but lets take a look at what value is provided here.All images by Ariel AdamsHamilton, has several lines of watches suc [...]
We talk about omegas strategy of advertising on YouTube, the lack of new media savvy in the industry as a whole, then we delve into the extremely interesting Cartier ID2 air-free, transparent case concept watch with a power reserve of 32 days that you cant buy. The correct pronunciation of Quixotic is introduced into our running narrative. We also spend some time waxing poetic (again) on RGMs American-made timepieces.? And, omega does not use silicon in their watches.Listen to the HourTime show [...]
Among a wide range of impressive releases for Baselworld this year, Omega has announced another new vintage piece in the same ilk as last years Seamaster Bullhead. Announced a couple months ago, the new Omega Speedmaster Mark II is based on a model from 1969 and takes that successful tonneau Speedmaster design and updates the technology and details to suit Omegas modern line-up.Ill admit that I didnt really get excited for the Omega Speedmaster Mark II when the press release landed in my inbox. [...]
Last year in 2014, Jacob Co. debuted a very interesting watch with an extravagant movement they called the Astronomia Tourbillon (debuted here). I didnt get a chance to personally see the piece when they debuted it, and I am not sure if the original Astronomia Tourbillon case style (check the link above) was even actually delivered, since according to these new 2015 Jacob Co. Astronomia Tourbillon pictures, there is a totally new case design. The sheer complexity of the movement in the watch r [...]
Introduced in 1993, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore was a bold and divisive watch, so much so that Gerald Genta, who designed the original Royal Oak, reportedly invaded the Audemars Piguet booth when it was unveiled at Basel and shouted that his Royal Oak had been completely destroyed. Later, the first Royal Oak Offshore Diver was introduced in 2010, and it was Audemars Piguets first ISO-certified dive watch. Since its inception, it has undergone a couple of iterations, but last years was [...]
Exactly one year ago, when?Panerai launched the Luminor Due, it was?well-documented that I wasnt convinced about this new, second chapter for the much-loved Luminor collection. To come to grips with it and see what its like in the metal, I decided to review the?Panerai Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic PAM674, which is the stainless steel, 45mm wide version of the four pieces that Panerai debuted the Luminor Due collection with.The Luminor Due presently comes in either 42mm or 45mm-wide cases in eith [...]
Back in early April 2020, in the midst of widespread event cancellations and lockdowns as a result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, omega announced it would be delaying its 2020 novelty releases indefinitely. While this announcement sent ripples throughout the watch industry at the time, the brand has finally revealed its new models for the year, and the results are more than worth the wait. The best-selling Submariner line has been dramatically overhauled (by omegas famously conservativ [...]
Alongside the Tonda GT this week, Parmigiani released the Tondagraph GT, a piece that I think is their most compelling product in recent memory. Sharing the same basic case and design of the Tonda GT (which I went into in detail here), the Tondagraph GT is a steel leisure watch featuring an annual calendar chronograph with 100M water resistance.Somewhat ironically, the annual calendar chronograph is rarer than the more complicated perpetual calendar. In fact, other than Patek Philippe, Ulysse Na [...]
Sponsored Post written for by advertiser?The eBay Luxury Watch auction (click to visit) is going on right now and will run through Sunday, April 7th. There are some great watches from brands like omega, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, IWC, TAG Heuer, Breitling, and more. This auction runs the gamut from relatively affordable watches to some of the most in-demand and hard-to-find pieces sought by collectors. eBay has only sourced watches from the most trusted sellers, and p [...]
For 2015, Omega continues to release exciting new watches that are inspired (often directly) by their own history while also serving to debut new technologies or features that make these modern watches so exciting to enthusiasts. The brand new Omega Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer is something that requires a lot to fully explain, but few words are necessary to appreciate the style of this dressy, though still sort of sporty, new timepiece inspired by original Omega Constellation watches [...]
Running now through February 19th at Dover Street Market here in Los Angeles Arts District is an unexpected and totally captivating vintage Cartier exhibition by Harry Fane, who is a British collector, gallerist, and Cartier expert. Dover Street Market is a large retail space that sells brands like Comme des Gar?ons (whose founder, Rei Kawakubo, opened the multi-city space) and Maison Margiela. I love that Fane chose such a compelling venue that doesnt fall into the usual Beverly Hills spots, wh [...]
This isnt a brand new release (still pretty fresh though) from French watch maker Alain Silberstein and it is one of my favorites. Sort of like his take on the Bell Ross BR01 instrument watch look and style. Best of is that I got to check some iKrono watches out last month in person. A square case in titanium with an elevated round dial. The case is available in a micro-grain finish (sort of like sandblasted) and also with black PVD coating. Alain Silberstein further uses a special silicium an [...]
In the world of horology, the term in-house is generally associated with high-end luxury timepieces which are often exorbitantly priced, and this makes owning one a distant dream for many watch aficionados out there. But in recent times, a few brands including Oris seem to have acknowledged the situation and aimed to bridge this gap by producing watches like the Oris Artelier Calibre 113 with in-house movements at relatively affordable prices.Oris has been in the business of making timepieces si [...]
Have you caught up on the latest episodes of s SUPERLATIVE Podcast? New episodes drop each week on Mondays, and you can subscribe here on the BLEAV Network, here on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to get your podcasts.The website has also been updated with a new sidebar located on article pages. One of the new features on the sidebar is a widget that allows .com visitors to listen to or learn about the latest episodes of the SUPERLATIVE podcast. So, thanks to you who asked for this featu [...]
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Ladies Flying Tourbillon.Audemars Piguet continues to quietly introduce some of the most important ladies watches on the market, a fact that is often overlooked in the shadow of its massively popular Royal Oak mens collection. This year at SIHH, two new watches for ladies in the Royal Oak collection may change that once and for all. First, in a continuation of its growing presence in the jewelry watch segment, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Concept [...]
It is hard to find too many things to dislike about Japan. Whats not to like about a consumer-focused culture whose aim seems to be packing as much cool stuff as possible into small spaces while also making sure everything is as efficient and comfortable as possible? If some of those qualities seem to imply contradictory values, then welcome to the struggle that is understanding Japanese culture, as well as the internal struggle Japan has when it comes to always needing to innovate. The Swiss li [...]
Overlooking Los Angeles at the historic Chateau Marmont Hotel, guests celebrated The Worlds Most Expensive Watches book launch in an event that I was honored to host in collaboration with party sponsor Hublot watches. Id like to reiterate my words from the event, and say thank you to the many wonderful people who not only attended the launch, but who helped make the event a success.The Worlds Most Expensive Watches book first became available for sale in late September, and people have been buyi [...]
On October 24, 2017 Heritage Auctions will offer extraordinarily rare and exciting pieces to the block. Leading the way, and forming the pinnacle of this single owner collection from a well-known tech entrepreneur is a pair of minute repeaters from Patek Philippe. The Ref. 3974J is both a design and technical tour de force, a masterpiece of haute horology, and rightly considered one of the most beautiful and important wristwatches from the manufacturer over the last 50 years. This example is one [...]
In addition to the new for 2011 Speedmaster Co-Axial Chronograph Automatic watch, Omega offers a new? Planet Ocean Seamaster Co-Axial Chronograph Automatic watch with the new in-house Omega caliber 9300. There is also a three-hand Seamaster which also has in-house made Omega caliber 8500 automatic. These new pieces are fantastic, and show just how dedicated Omega is to making its two core sport watch collections better and better.One quick note for you watch movements nerds. The original caliber [...]