Category: Dress Watches

Hands-on – Blancpain Villeret Métiers d’Art Binchōtan (and the Manufacturing Process Explained)

With its Métiers d’art collection, Blancpain has been exploring new artistic and expressive horizons, nurturing traditional skills with different expressions. Case in point: recently, the craftsmen of the Metiers d’art workshop in Le Brassus presented Shakudo dials. Of Japanese origin, Shakudo is an alloy principally composed of copper and gold, which acquires a dark patina between blue and black, according to variations in its composition and texture. This year, Japan has once again become an inspiration to Blancpain. One of the manufacture’s latest artistic creations features a Binchōtan dial.

7 years ago

Women’s Watch Wednesday – Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Métropolitaine Sélène Galaxy

If you are a lover of fine detail and exquisite watchmaking, then you already know all about Parmigiani Fleurier. Master watchmaker and clock restorer Michel Parmigiani, whose dream it was to bring classic watchmaking to the forefront with visionary calibres and craftsmanship, conceived this young Swiss watch brand, born just over 20 years ago.  Today, […]

7 years ago

Introducing – The new Vacheron Constantin FIFTYSIX Tourbillon Automatic

At the SIHH 2018, Vacheron Constantin came with one brand new and important collection for the brand, the FIFTYSIX. With a clear intention to renew the clientele and to bring younger and less hardcore-oriented potential customers, this watch mixed vintage elements with a modern, masculine and slightly casual design. Presented in 3 different version (automatic, day-date, complete calendar), each of them available in steel or gold, it’s time now for the FIFTYSIX to up the game and to receive true Vacheron Constantin savoir-faire. This has just been done with the addition of a high-end, automatic peripheral tourbillon movement.

7 years ago

Review – Breguet Classique Complications 3797 – Pure, Unadulterated Breguet

A compendium of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s ingenious inventions and style, the Classique Complications 3797 is a magnificent perpetual calendar tourbillon laden with nostalgia for the undisputed horological star of the 18th century. Released in 2014, the 3797 is Breguet in his purest, unadulterated form with all the ‘unmistakable signs’ of the creator and a couple of 21st-century tweaks that the maestro would surely relish. Although almost all the heavyweights of the watch scene have produced a perpetual calendar tourbillon combination – ALS Lange 1, IWC Portugieser, Patek, Chopard et al. – none of them can match the historical clout and legitimacy of Breguet in this department. The 41mm case of the 3797, in rose gold or platinum, is a time capsule transporting the wearer (or in this case, the admirer) on a historical journey back in time.

7 years ago

Introducing – Hamilton Intra-Matic with Smoked Dials

Although Hamilton is associated with rugged pilot’s watches, there is life beyond the cockpit. First introduced in 2012, Hamilton’s Intra-Matic rides on the current mania for all things vintage, and proposes a classic two-hand and date dress watch that would not look amiss on Don Draper’s wrist in Mad Men. Inspired by the pared-down elegance and functionality of watches produced in the 1960’s, the original monochromatic offer is now enhanced with trendy ‘smoked’ dials in a wider and warmer choice of colours at competitive prices.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso V Jumping Hours

Bovet watches break away from the norm. These stand out for their exquisite craftsmanship and ornate design revealing the complexity of their mechanism. However, the most striking thing about the Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso V is, without doubt, its versatile character. The Virtuoso V is a timepiece with different faces, and it can be transformed from a wristwatch to a pocket watch or even a table clock.

7 years ago

Value Proposition – Gaia & Co. Launches its Neo-Vintage Primavera Collection on Kickstarter

Gaia & Co., a new microbrand building watches in Besançon, France, is launching its Primavera collection on Kickstarter. This first annual series, which will be produced in three colours, is limited to 900 pieces and will be replaced next year with a new collection. The annual cycle is designed to maintain an exclusivity with the brand, although it likely helps control costs and inventory as well. The watches will have Japanese automatics and are what the company calls neo-vintage, providing the “missing link between classic and modern watches.” The vintage-inspired trend has been around for quite a while, so Gaia & Co. has a crowded field to contend with.

7 years ago

Introducing – Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa Qualité Fleurier (Hands-On)

At the SIHH 2018, Parmigiani Fleurier re-introduced one of its most emblematic models, the Kalpa. A shaped watch, it was originally introduced back in 2001 and, thanks to its bold and unique design, guided by ergonomics, it became a signature model in the collection. After three inaugural refreshed watches in January, the brand expands the range with a new, simpler time-and-date version – but it has a lot more to tell, with some serious certifications. Meet the new Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa Qualité Fleurier.

7 years ago

Opinion – A Closer Look at the Vacheron Constantin FiftySix Complete Calendar

When Vacheron Constantin announced right before the SIHH 2018 the introduction of a new collection, the FiftySix, we had been (in all honesty) rather sceptical. I can recall discussions with Frank about the design, the way the brand communicated around the model, the “entry-level” approach or the millennial target. Never judge on first impressions, they say… Thus, we decided to give this Vacheron Constantin FiftySix a second chance, but this time by wearing it. And for that, we chose the most complex (and most appealing) version, the Complete Calendar.

7 years ago

Introducing – Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Tourbillon Duoface

When you think Jaeger-LeCoultre, you immediately think Reverso. Thin, elegant, discreet and with the iconic reversible case. There had been some highly complex versions though in the collection, just like the Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon for the 85th anniversary of the model or minute repeaters. Today, La Grande Maison is bringing back complexity in its emblematic watch, with a slim, visually clean and elegant tourbillon model, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Tourbillon Duoface.

7 years ago