Spotted – Some of The Coolest Watches in Ellen DeGeneres’ (Huge) Collection

Comedian and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, is known in horology circles to be a mega collector of wristwatches, with a particular preference for both modern and vintage pieces from Rolex and Patek Philippe – for instance, we very recently saw her wearing a Dual-Time Patek Philippe Aquanaut while looking at Timberlake’s Milgauss in front […]

4 years ago

Hands-on – Norqain Adventure Sport Automatic

Based in Nidau, near Biel/Bienne, Norqain is a fully independent watch manufacturer offering functional, versatile watches. Ben Kuffer’s (the brand’s CEO) family has been developing and producing watches for decades. In particular, his father used to own and manage Roventa Henex SA, a large Private Label manufacturer working with several prominent Swiss brands. This expertise […]

4 years ago

Celebrity Watch Death Match – John Mayer Vs. Ed Sheeran … the rematch!

Last week’s Celebrity Watch Death Match pushed it to the limit, as John Mayer and Ed Sheeran, according to you guys, ended in a white-knuckle draw. I called it 3-1 for Mayer, but you begged to differ. We had ourselves a 2-2 deadlock. So we were forced to clarify the rules. What happens when it’s a hung jury? In this case, given the depths of both gents’ collections, the answer was simple. We go deeper into their catalogue, find some contenders and get the show back on the road for round two. So buckle up, because we’re hurling the watches of these two titans of folk and pop rock back into the amphitheatre of mayhem, and only one will emerge victorious. There are three new categories, so as to ensure there will be no pesky deadlocks … let the onslaught begin. Dangerous Divers  John Mayer – IWC Aquatimer Jacques Cousteau “One of the coolest dials I’ve ever seen” … that’s what Mayer said about his IWC Aquatimer Jacques Cousteau in the first-ever episode of Talking Watches. Now, while Mayer is probably a touch biased with that superlative statement, there’s no denying that the dial of this watch is mesmerising. And it’s also one…

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4 years ago

Quartz, the killer – A history of quartz watches, Part 1

history of quartz watchesThe development of quartz technology essentially removed the need for the Swiss mechanical watchmaking industry. And yet, both the Swiss and quartz watches are still around. More than that, they’re sharing the bed. And getting more adventurous. Half a century ago, a watch was released that was powered by a battery, and cost the equivalent of a family car. The Seiko Astron spelled the dawn of a new age in watchmaking, one that was moving the industry out of the hands of the solitary craftsman and onto the factory floor. In any industry that has operated the same way for generations, abrupt changes in technology always have winners and losers. While the Swiss and Japanese watch industries were neck and neck in their development of quartz technology towards the end of the 1960s, Seiko was the first to market with their Astron. Regardless of which team you were rooting for, it was a turning point in the history of timekeeping: “the single most important development of the 20th century in horology”, according to renowned collector and author James Dowling. Over the following decades, it would plunge the Swiss watch industry into turmoil. The automated global marketplace forced many companies involved…

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4 years ago