I understand that Bulgari is proud of the record that the new Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT has broken. Achieving the thinnest mechanical chronograph is quite a feat, and the brand should be proud of it. No doubt, if youre reading this, youre already aware of this fact, anyway, so this is the first and last time Ill mention it. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT is my favorite watch from Baselworld 2019, regardless of how astoundingly thin it is. That Bulgari has created this watch whil [...]
This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated as of June 2020. To skip to the new sections, go to page three and begin with More Orange, Tokyo Olympics 2020, the 36th Americas Cup, followed by Ultra Deep A World RecordWe all had a front row seat to watch the birth of an icon.When texting with friend and fellow er Zach Pi?a about the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, he messaged me the above quote that I think perfectly encapsulates why I find this collection so special. Introd [...]
The 2015 Jacob Co. Billionaire Watch is a one-of-a-kind timepiece produced with Italian businessman, fashion label owner, and Formula 1 personality Flavio Briatore. It turns out that the watch was done with him, rather than for him, as an item with his Billionaire brand logo on it. As a manifestation of sheer luxury and excess, timepieces like this often live in a vacuum, with us learning about them, but having only guesses as to the type of people who own and buy them. This is one of the rare [...]
For 2011 one of Audemars Piguets exotic complication pieces will be this Millenary Minute Repeater watch. I was told by Audemars Piguet that their Millenary line is undergoing an overhaul. Looks like 2011 will not be the year we see new Millenary cases and style, but we will see this sophisticated Minute Repeater with another interesting balance wheel and escapement device.The terminology throws me off a bit. There are terms like AP Exhaust Pulse Direct. Not sure what that is, but it sounds like [...]
Let me tell you why I acquired a new Oris timepiece for my daughter that I dont plan on giving her for 18 years. Time is an important commodity, and watches do more than just keep track of it: watches often signify a specific achievement or moment in time that rings to mind with every glance at the wrist. They also represent the passing of time, which is far too precious to observe on a timepiece you dont give a damn about. That is not to say a watch needs to be expensive to be important, it jus [...]
omega recently launched a complete collection of updated and refreshed Submariner models, which debuted after meeting with omega at their headquarters in Geneva. In early September 2020, went hands-on with the Starbucks (black and green reference 126610LV) version of this new omega Submariner 126610 watch. Today, I go hands-on with the more traditional black dial with black ceramic bezel reference 126610LN version of the new Submariner. This is a very important topic to discuss because, for ca [...]
New for SIHH 2018, Cartier unveils their updated Santos de Cartier Collection. Gone is the simple square bezel, and included is a tapered, shapely bezel that extends to the lugs to give an elongated (dare I say, less old-fashioned) look without compromising the square shape of the dial. However, the real star of the show is what Cartier is calling their QuickSwitch and SmartLink bracelet systems.The Collection was inspired by a partnership between the famous Brazilian aeronautical engineer Alber [...]
Ever since Cartier released the 41mm-wide version of the Cartier Cle watch with the mysterious hours complication (hands-on here), Ive been quietly in love with this still newer case design as the foundation of interesting, more high-end models that are nevertheless simple in their presentation (the Cartier Cle collection as a whole was introduced at SIHH 2015). SIHH 2016 sees the debut of the Cle de Cartier Automatic Skeleton, which takes Cartiers now popular in-house-made and distinctly skelet [...]
Famed New York jeweler?Harry Winston?C?known as one of the most prestigious Fifth Avenue?houses since the 1930s and, of course, for their association with the Hope Diamond-has released the Harry Winston Premier Precious Butterfly Watch collection featuring a new twist on plumasserie. Plumasserie traditionally refers to the art of selecting, preparing and using bird feathers for decoration-in this instance, you guessed it, watch dials!If you are looking for something unique, the?new Harry Winston [...]
For 2015, Graham watches releases a new Geo.Graham watch which is part of their higher-end collection of classic timepieces. We first saw Geo.Graham watches back in 2012 with the release of Geo.Graham The Moon watch. These watches are more directly inspired by the classic work of watchmaker George Graham, whom the company is based on even though he was British and Graham today is Swiss. The simply named Geo.Graham Tourbillon is a refined dress watch with a clear luxury position, but not at all [...]
Anyone else burned out on heritage-inspired diver re-issues? Not to disparage the current trend in watchmaking, but its awfully nice to have something come across my desk that actually feels designed. Such is the breath of fresh air that is the Rado True Square in yellow ceramic, a 2021 Red Dot Design winner dreamed up by London-based firm Tej Chauhan. Bold, bright, and dripping with clever detailing, this charming new collab is every bit the antidote youll want to reach for when everything in y [...]
Ill begin this Gucci Dive 45mm Bee Embroidery dial reference YA136216 watch review by immediately acknowledging that this is not a timepiece for everyone. In fact, if your tastes are mostly about utilitarian serious tool watches and your focus is more on function versus style (nothing wrong with that), you are likely not going to have much interest for this watch. After initially covering the new slew of animal face Gucci Dive watches with embroidery or rubber dials a couple months ago, the?sort [...]
While overshadowed nowadays by the Gerald Genta-designed Nautilus, the sports watch legacy of Patek Philippe really begins with pilot watches. The marque produced a line of complex hour angle timepieces for aviators back in the 1930s and subsequently revived its pilot legacy in 2015 with the Patek Philippe Ref. 5524G Calatrava Pilot Travel Time. Over the past five years, the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time series has become a staple for the brand, with extensions of the series into new styles and co [...]
Before you get any ideas, pink is hardly the new black, but one cant help but be impressed at the combined gumption and technical aptitude it took for Hublot to produce this pink Big Bang in collaboration with design firm Garage Italia. Its actually not the first time Hublot has partnered with the Italian customizer and cultural hub - the two names produced a special blue-clad Classic Fusion (dubbed Infinitely Blue) in 2019, dreamed up by the brands creative director Lapo Elkann. This time, thou [...]
As the year comes to a close, Grand Seiko is celebrating two important anniversaries with two new watches. The first watch, the SBGZ005, celebrates the 160th anniversary of the birth of Seikos founder Kintaro Hattori. The second watch, the SBGW260, celebrates the 140th anniversary of the founding of Seiko. Lets take a closer look at these watches now.The full name of the SBGZ005 is the Grand Seiko Kintaro Hattori 160th Anniversary Limited Edition. Its a right mouthful. And if the watch looks som [...]
Raymond Weil introduced a lovely new skeletonized dial watch collection this year at Baselworld 2018 known as the Raymond Weil Freelancer Calibre RW1212 Skeleton. The Freelancer RW1212 Skeleton will initially be available in three model variants being the reference 2785-BC5-20001 in black, 2785-ST-65001 in steel on the bracelet, and the 2785-SC5-20001 in steel and rose gold tone on a strap. The point of the collection is to offer an enthusiast-oriented skeletonized dial in a mainstream package i [...]
Although Ive written about the new A. Lange Sohne Lange 1 Daymatic watch elsewhere, I needed to mention it to my primary audience here on aBlogtoRead.com, especially after getting my hands on them. Lange has officially released a new grail watch. Extending the attractiveness of the Lange 1 line even more by essentially adding a new automatic movement and twisting up the design a bit. Plus, the watch has grown by just a hair from the Lange 1.?When A. Lange Sohne was a reborn luxury brand in the [...]
You know what Oris makes a lot of? Divers watches. The brand just makes a ton of these things. So many models, lots of weird iterations on the theme, after a while I just sort of stopped paying attention to their new models. I mean they came out with a regulator style diving watch. Why? I mean you really need to like regulator watches to be into one of those. There are small seconds, GMTs, all sorts of chronographs, and just a number of other interesting models. In my mind, no one else has as bi [...]
Gold watches represent wealth and status, and in a sense, it has always been that way. Having said that, watch makers used gold as a case material for very practical reasons in a historical sense. Gold as a metal has some interesting properties, from being easily machined to being heavily tarnish-resistant (it also takes a polish really well). When gold is mixed with other metals to produce alloys, it mixes some of the beneficial properties of gold with the hardness of those other metals. Histor [...]
Welcome back to HourTime. We lament the lost episode that youll never hear and proceed to start talking about some of the new watches we checked out at SIHH, including the Cartier Calibre Diver, Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Ceramic, and De Bethune DB28 Digitale.Listen to the HourTime Show watch podcast Episode 151 here. Download the mp3 here. [...]