Industry News – Chanel Takes a 20% Minority Stake in F.P. Journe

Chanel, a high-fashion house known for its women’s haute-couture and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods, and fashion accessories, has been investing in the watchmaking industry – and for quite some years already. This surprising move, initiated in 1998 with Bell & Ross and in 2011 with Romain Gauthier, now goes one step further with the addition of F.P. Journe in the portfolio of brands supported by Chanel.

6 years ago

Buying Guide – 5 Elegant Watches for Women under EUR 5,000

In our previous guide, we’ve been looking at sports watches but an elegant, well-chosen dress watch will take you through the day and into the night. Distinguished yet subtle, a refined three-hander should look good in any context and be able to complement your look without dominating your wrist. The kind of watch that will endure changing fashions and that you can wear as a valuable every day – and hopefully – lifetime companion. Our line-up of candidates have been chosen for their timeless good looks, solid mechanical movements and, best of all, their attractive price tags, all retailing for under EUR 5,000.

6 years ago

Baselworld 2018 – The New Chanel Boy-Friend Squelette

I usually never write about ladies watches. It is something that I leave to the lovely Rebecca and Roberta – they have much more objectivity on this topic than I’ll ever have. Yet, from time to time, I can see the beauty of a women’s watch and be impressed or inspired. This is what I felt when seeing the new Chanel Boy-Friend Squelette – a feminine timepiece that almost made me jealous not to be able to wear it.

7 years ago

Novelist Jackie Collins Was A Surprising Lover Of Fine Watches As Bonhams Auction Reveals

In the 1980s you may have read perhaps a few entertaining books by Jackie Collins, who passed away on September 19, 2015 at the age of 77. She was a very wealthy woman after 47 years of publishing bestselling romance novels, and now Bonhams is set to auction her estate of 1,000 lots for an estimated total of $3 million on May 16 and 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, and there are a few interesting watches included. In fact, I’d say surprising watches.

8 years ago

Chanel Introduces Première Camellia Skeleton With Manufacture Movement

The Chanel Première line celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year, and it does so with more imaginative mechanical style than usual. The new Premíère Camellia Skeleton features the brand’s second in-house movement with camellia-inspired bridges within a Place Vendôme-inspired case.

8 years ago

Are Non-Purist Brands Beginning to Express Purist Watchmaking Approaches? Pt 1.

In a recent 2016 BBC news story, it was reported that Chimpanzees had entered the stone age for some 700 years now: Excavated ancient stone tools used by monkeys had given scientists a glimpse into the evolutionary process of simian technology. Analogously, there has been some grumblings amongst industry insiders that Swiss watchmaking has…

8 years ago

Chanel Introduces the Monsieur de Chanel in Platinum with Black Grand Feu Enamel Dial

Last year Chanel introduced its first wristwatch that was conceived from the ground up as a men’s watch, the surprisingly impressive Monsieur de Chanel. Now Chanel has given it a platinum case and black vitreous enamel dial, making it a lot more handsome – and twice the price of the gold versions. The dial is black grand feu […]

8 years ago

Six Sensational Bird Watches (slideshow)

By Roberta Naas
There are a host of wonderful trends in luxury watchmaking today, with some focusing on the technical side and others focusing on the aesthetic side. Additionally, there are some that bring these two realms together in artful majesty — offering artistic, technically advanced masterpieces on the wrist. Often those masterpieces emulate nature — flora,

8 years ago

The Retrograde: One Of My Favorite Complications

The retrograde indication is one of my favorite “Because We Can” (BWC) complications. Gears are an amazing invention and have allowed watchmakers to make incredible creations. Simple gear systems leave a multitude of openings for creativity. Look at some great examples of it here!

8 years ago