For the 2017 edition of Only Watch, Urwerk surprised collectors with a unique and clearly unusual collaboration piece made with the most classic of independent watchmakers: Laurent Ferrier (more details here). The result was impressively bold and subtle at the same time. For the 2019 edition of the charity auction, Urwerk again teams up with […]
We all love a good old dive watch… There’s something rather inexplicable about dive watches, as it is clear that most of us never use them as they really were designed to perform (except the occasional jump in the pool). Still, they are attractive. However, there’s one issue with this category of timepieces. Most of them look […]
Independent watchmaker De Bethune is in a category of its own. Simply beyond classifications… Ever since its creation in 2002, the brand has shown a unique approach to watchmaking combining artistic and technical innovation. The brand’s evolution of its sports-oriented watch is no exception… Bold, sporty, made to dive but still 100% recognizable, meet the De Bethune DB28GS Grand Bleu.
In a radical departure from De Bethune’s hallmark heat-blued titanium colour palette, the DB28 surprised us at Basel 2019 with its two-tone golden suit. The transition from cool cosmic blue to warm radiant gold raises the temperature on the DB28 and gives the watch an entirely different personality. Packed with six patented De Bethune technical […]
First introduced in 2006 in the elegant DB21 case, relaunched in 2014 in a more modern DB28 case, the De Bethune Maxichrono was and still is one of the most fascinating and mechanically impressive chronographs of the lot. Functionality, mechanical ingenuity, beauty of construction and decoration… A sort of dream-chrono. Denis Flageollet’s vision of the […]
Bringing together technical, aesthetic and conceptual creativity, De Bethune watches are definitely in a class of their own. Among the brand’s latest creations, the DB25 Starry Varius Chronomètre Tourbillon was awarded the 2018 chronometry prize at the prestigious GPHG last November… We already enjoyed the non-tourbillon version, but it had been a while since we had been hoping to go hands with this complex version of the star-studded timepiece.
Our 2018 buying guides have to come to an end. After the top 10 watches below EUR 2,000, followed by 10 watches between EUR 2,000 and 5,000, our 10 prefered watches between EUR 5,000 to EUR 10,000, and finally out top picks between EUR 10,000 and EUR 25,000, it is now time to look at the best of the best, when money doesn’t matter anymore: the best watches of 2018 in the high-end category, all priced above EUR 25,000. Complications, Haute-Horlogerie movements, hand-made decorations… what dreams are made of!
This is it, the 2018 edition of the GPHG, known as the “Oscars of the watchmaking industry”, has come to a close and the prize for the best watch of the year, also known as the “Aiguille d’Or”, has been awarded. Once again this year, complications, creativity and Haute Horlogerie have been rewarded. Meet the best […]
Creative, daring, highly technical or crafted to a level that you simply cannot achieve in mass production – there are many reasons why independent watchmaking has been on the rise over the past twenty years. “Indies” are passionate about watchmaking and are often just a little bit crazy. Without massive marketing budgets or product committees, their creations are simply born from dreams, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. Their ingenuity, vision, diversity or simply their smaller size give watchmaking fans a wealth of unique creations. Today, we take a look at some of the best 2018 creations of the independent watchmaking scene.
Denis Flageollet, the watchmaker and creator behind De Bethune, is known as one of the most brilliant watchmakers of his generation, in particular for his technical developments. The new De Bethune Maestri’Art collection reveals another facet of his talent and his passion for Asian art. The collection aims at celebrating métiers d’art and the artisans crafting these works of art – De Bethune worked with master engraver Michèle Rothen for these two unique pieces.