Category: Dress Watches

First Look – The new Grönefeld 1941 Principia – Simpler, Automatic, Still Superbly Finished

It took Tim and Bart Grönefeld, the charismatic “Horological Brothers”, almost three years to reveal a new watch. Certainly, they are not the most prolific watchmakers when it comes to novelties – meaning that when something new is coming to the market, we’re quite enthusiastic. While all of their previous creations feature a complication (a tourbillon, an oversized dead-beat second or a remontoire), their new watch is a simple automatic 3-hander. But we prefer to avoid the word “entry-level” here as, clearly, the new Grönefeld 1941 Principia is all about (very) fine watchmaking.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute – Minimalism to the Max

When it comes to Jaquet Droz, most of us might have the Grande Seconde collection in mind – a collection designed around the emblematic 8-figure display, with off-centred hours-minutes and an oversized second counter. This specific display is somehow iconic and has been the brand’s signature for close to 300 years (JD celebrates its 280th anniversary this year). So how to depart from this 8-shaped dial without losing the brand’s DNA? That’s what the Astrale collection tends to do – and here’s the latest creation, the Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute, a case-study of minimalism.

7 years ago

Value Proposition – The anOrdain Model 1 – With Enamel Dial Hand-Made in Glasgow, Scotland

There are a lot of new watch brands coming to market these days. And I mean A LOT. Some go down the popular Kickstarter route, whilst others – like the brand we’re looking at today – prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. The one thing they all share in common is a desire to differentiate themselves from each other and from other established players. It’s a tall order in what is a very crowded market, and many never quite get there. Newcomer, AnOrdain, from Glasgow, has adopted a decidedly simple approach to standing out from the crowd and so far, it seems to be working. Today, we’re getting hands-on with their first watch, the Model 1, which features a stunning enamel dial made in-house.

7 years ago

Just Because – Salmon Dial Watches and Limited Editions by Hodinkee and Revolution

Last week Hodinkee introduced a limited edition Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire, and, Revolution & The Rake announced a limited edition Chopard L.U.C 1860. Both superb dress watches, time-only, white metal case and… a salmon colour dial! Now, I’m a sucker for salmon dials, especially in a white metal case and I think both these limited editions are to die for. And both actually pack more than meets the eye, so all the more reasons to have a closer look.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Moritz Grossmann Atum Hamatic and its Impressive Pendulum Winding System

The vast majority of mechanical watches available nowadays rely on a central oscillating weight to provide power to their movements. Of course, we see lots of variations on this theme – for instance the winching system of the Jacob & Co. Twin Turbo Furious, off-centred micro-rotors, peripheral rotors or even linear rotors. However, the principle […]

7 years ago

Hands-on – Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 – A Classic among Classics, Modernised

A classic among classics, the Le Brassus-based manufacture revisits its perpetual calendar complication with moon phases in 2018, in a larger 40mm case size and a choice of two metals: 18k red gold and stainless steel. With subtle design tweaks on the dial and a secured movement, the new Villeret Quantième Perpétuel 6656 models are presented in a more contemporary case size and in a more ‘democratic’ choice of steel… Is Blancpain on the hunt for younger customers?

7 years ago

Independent Watchmaking – Lang & Heyne Anton Tourbillon

There is something quintessentially appealing about German high-end watchmaking. Often understated, elegant designs fitted with complex yet superbly finished movements, you can spot them amongst their Swiss counterparts quite easily. One of those German brands is Lang & Heyne, based in Dresden, which last year has introduced its rectangular watch called Georg. For this year, […]

7 years ago

Value Proposition – Delma Heritage: an Understated, Elegant Dress Watch with a Fair Price

Looking for a dress watch that is just as functional as stylish (and fairly priced too)? The Delma Heritage might the right pick for you. Delma is a family-owned company based in Lengnau, near Biel in Switzerland. If the brand is mostly known today for its sport and dive watches, it has produced a number of dress watches in its (almost) 100 years of existence. Case in point: presented during the Basel Watch Week earlier in 2018, the Delma Heritage is inspired from historical models of the brands.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Schwarz-Etienne Roma Petite Seconde

Schwarz-Etienne is an independent watch manufacture whose origins go back to the early 20thcentury. If the brand has been flying a bit under the radar, it has a lot to offer. Today we take a look at the Roma Petite Seconde, a watch that feels rather simple at first but, like the rest of the brand, is full of details and packed with watchmaking expertise.

7 years ago

Value Proposition – The Lorentz by Leyden Watches, An Affordable, Understated Dress Watch now on Kickstarter

Leyden Watches, a one-man operation out of Leiden, The Netherlands, is following up on a successful Kickstarter campaign from 2016 that launched the inaugural Velox Chronograph. That initial piece was a second attempt by the company as their first Kickstarter watch, the Power Reserve, was never funded. The Lorentz dress watch is now the third crowdfunding campaign from Leyden and is named after Hendrik Antoon Lorentz, one of the most renowned physicists from Holland (who later moved to Leiden to teach at Leiden University). It’s a classic, understated dress watch that can fit with a suit or more casual attire. Powered by a hand-wound Swiss movement and with three colour options, this new offering from Leyden is another solid, affordable entry in the microbrand space.

7 years ago