Auction – 10 More Highlights from the 97th Dr Crott Auction on May 12

Yesterday, in our first selection of highlights of the upcoming 97th Dr. Crott auction of this Saturday, May 12, we focused on very nice horological highlights, the hidden gems, and not so much on the usual suspects. Today we’ll focus on those! Here’s our selection of the highlights, stunning pieces that will certainly attract a lot of attention at the auction that will be held in Frankfurt, Germany. And know that you can also bid online!

7 years ago

Hands-on – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked Black Ceramic

This year, at the SIHH 2018, Audemars Piguet came with many (really, a lot) novelties. If the Extra-Thin 15202IP in titanium and platinum stole our hearts and if there was a strong focus on ladies watches – see the Double Balance Wheel Openworked 37mm Frosted Gold or the Millenary Frosted Gold Opal Dial – there was clearly more to please us. This includes the Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked reference 26343CE, the first time this complex and powerful watch is encased in black ceramic.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – The Mighty Return of Ultra-Thin Watches

Miniaturisation has always been one of the watchmaking industry’s main objectives. With the advent of complicated watches and the development of the wristwatch, this issue became critical. Fitting multiple functions into a single movement, which has to remain wearable, requires re-imagining space. This also led to the development of ultra-thin watches, guided initially by a desire for elegance, but also in the framework of constant improvement. Popular since the 1960s but slightly forgotten during the 2000s (with the trend for large timepieces), ultra-thin watches recently made a strong comeback – a trend that has sparked open warfare between Piaget and Bvlgari – amongst others.

7 years ago

Women’s Watch Wednesday – Hands-On with the Audemars Piguet Millenary Frosted Gold Opal Dial

The Audemars Piguet Millenary Frosted Gold Opal Dial is my horological fantasy come true. Appealing on an aesthetic and technical level, the Millenary Frosted Gold Opal Dial wears its beating heart on its sleeve and plays with volume, texture, and light in a contemporary key. Feminine yet assertive, this Millenary model flies in the face of traditional women’s watches. As François-Henri Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet likes to say: “women’s watches shouldn’t be limited to shrinking, pinking and adding a few diamonds.” And, as you will see, there is absolutely nothing shrinky, pinky or diamondy about the Millenary Frosted Gold.

7 years ago

SIHH 2018 Best of Show

On the last day of SIHH 2018, Brice, Xavier and I sat down to list the best watches of this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. It’s been a good week, tiring though with 4-hour nights, however, the overall feel of this year’s SIHH was more positive than last years. Has the industry recovered from the crisis? If I have to judge based on the feeling of the fair, I’d say yes, but let’s await the numbers that will be published in half a year from now. First… we listed the best watches of SIHH 2018 for you in the video above.

7 years ago

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202IP – The Superb Titanium/Platinum and Smoked Blue Dial Version of the RO

When we received the whole bunch of novelties that AP was about to launch at the SIHH 2018 (and there was a lot), one watch set apart from the rest. Weird enough, this watch is far from being a true revolution. Not that the RD#2 isn’t a stunning development, but we were all, at the MONOCHROME redaction, focussed on this new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202IP. Already stunning on the official images, we needed to see it in the metal. And boy, what a beauty it is.

7 years ago

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph With Smoked Dial (SIHH 2018)

Now that the big stress linked to the opening of SIHH 2018 is gone, it is time for us to look at less important novelties. Alongside the RD#2 (the thinnest automatic QP ever), Audemars has many other watches to show in the 2018 collection, including this one, a new version of the Royal Oak Chronograph with a smoked slate grey dial. Nothing revolutionary here, just a cool looking watch – but not for every pocket though.

7 years ago

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon with New Sunburst Tapisserie Dial (SIHH 2018)

Audemars Piguet will bring a fresh burst of colour to SIHH 2018, with the unveiling of three new Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon models. We’re profiling two of them here for you today, one in classic steel and the other in 18ct pink gold. All changes are purely aesthetic and as far as we’re aware, neither will be limited editions, although we imagine production quantities will be relatively low to maintain the exclusivity of these pieces.

7 years ago