Interview – Jean-Marc Pontroué on Panerai’s Innovations, New Materials, COVID-19, Environment and… Experiences!

Jean-Marc Pontroue became CEO of Panerai in 2016, bringing new ideas, energy and a more contemporary approach to the brand. Although changes within the company were inevitable, the core values and instantly recognizable aesthetic remain intact. During the digital Watches & Wonders week, I talked with Jean-Marc about Panerai’s plans and challenges in 2020 during this unprecedented Corona Virus pandemic. New models will launch as planned, while others will wait until next year as the company adapts to global boutique closures, cancelled events and a big shift to a single, major fair in Geneva. With a focus on the environment, partnerships and long-term ambassadors like Mike Horn, Panerai is poised to emerge from the crisis stronger than ever with exciting new projects and innovations in the works.

5 years ago

Introducing – The Urwerk UR-210 Final Edition

Among the many bold and futuristic creations of independent watchmaker Urwerk, if I had to pick the one watch that best represents what the brand stands for, it would be the UR-210. Unique in design, sci-fi inspired, showing the time in a way that no other watchmaker does, large and provocative… It is the essence […]

5 years ago

Introducing – Corum LAB 02 and its Gravity-Defying Flying Gear Train & Tourbillon

To celebrate its 65th anniversary, Corum has decided to breathe new life into the cutting-edge designs that were associated with the brand. The new “Risk is the Reward” campaign of 2020, inevitably delayed by the pandemic, goes back to the brand’s roots to move forward and includes the revisiting of golden oldies. It also includes […]

5 years ago

The Collector’s Series – @Watch_Time_It_Is and his Grönefeld Parallax

Two weeks ago we already talked with the California-based collector who goes under the Instagram handle @Watch_Time_It_Is and we talked about a rather rare, but extremely beautifully finished, watch of his, the McGonigle Tuscar Bánú. Today we’re looking at another watch. Again one from a small independent watch brand. Again one from a brand of two brothers. And again one that showcases stupendously beautiful movement finishing. Let’s see what motivated @Watch_Time_It_Is to buy a Grönefeld Parallax! 

5 years ago

Interview – Christian Selmoni on Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers, on keeping very Complicated Watches wearable and the Overseas

Christian Selmoni is the Style and Heritage Director at Vacheron Constantin. He joined the brand thirty years ago, in 1990, and gradually climbed the ladder to his current position, in the meantime having been responsible, among others, for the design and development of the company’s famous 250th-anniversary collections. Overall one of the most likeable persons in the watch industry, a perfect gentleman, always dressed to impress and when he starts talking about ‘his’ brand you can see and feel his enthusiasm. Through zoom, we talked about a range of topics including bespoke and one-off VC timepieces, some of the brand’s most complicated pieces (and most complicated watch in the world), and the strategies of making a watch wearable when it’s packed with two dozen complications and watch faces on both sides.

5 years ago

Introducing – Omega De Ville Tourbillon Co-Axial Master Chronometer

While you might know Omega for its iconic sports watches such as the Speedmaster or the Seamaster, or even for its elegant collections, the brand is rarely associated with Haute Horlogerie. But Omega can do high-end watchmaking and has proved it in the past with multiple achievements and handsome complicated watches. Today, the brand shows […]

5 years ago

Independent Watchmaking – Winnerl, a Historical Name Revived in the Vallée de Joux

Winnerl might be a newcomer but this independent brand bears a historical name, that of a 19th-century Austrian horologist, recently revived by an Austrian watchmaker, Bernhard Zwinz. After having worked for some of the greatest brands and with some of the most respected watchmakers, Zwinz now manufactures watches in his own workshop, inspired by the […]

5 years ago

Introducing – HYT Soonow Instant Rainbow (Live Pics & Price)

With Soonow and its ‘Drop’ collection, HYT reminds us of the transience of time. A rainbow-skull watch, the latest limited edition released by the brand is meant to convey the brand’s unique perspective on time, in particular in relation to recent events and the global lockdown. Exuberant or audacious? You won’t remain neutral about its […]

5 years ago

The Collector’s Series – @edthezilla and his F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain calibre 1403

Instagram is a source of inspiration and it proves to be a superb platform to meet like-minded people. For me, this means an Instagram feed of watches, watches, watches, and… watches. It is also the perfect platform to decide who sees your posts and with whom you want to be in touch, it offers a lot of privacy if you want that. And getting in touch is easy, peer to peer, and only if both parties are interested in getting in touch. One of the persons I’m in touch with goes by the Instagram name Edthezilla. Now I’m typing his IG name, I realize that I never asked why on Earth he calls himself Edthezilla. Anyways, we discuss watches, both his and mine. He owns quite a collection, comprising some of the most desirable modern Rolex and Patek sports watches, some very nice vintage Speedmasters and F.P. Journe. Quite a few Journe’s actually and when I asked him to participate in our Collector’s Series he immediately told me that he wanted to talk about the FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain Calibre 1403.

5 years ago

The Collector’s Series – @edthezilla and his FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain calibre 1403

Instagram is a source of inspiration and it proves to be a superb platform to meet like-minded people. For me, this means an Instagram feed of watches, watches, watches, and… watches. It is also the perfect platform to decide who sees your posts and with whom you want to be in touch, it offers a lot of privacy if you want that. And getting in touch is easy, peer to peer, and only if both parties are interested in getting in touch. One of the persons I’m in touch with goes by the Instagram name Edthezilla. Now I’m typing his IG name, I realize that I never asked why on Earth he calls himself Edthezilla. Anyways, we discuss watches, both his and mine. He owns quite a collection, comprising some of the most desirable modern Rolex and Patek sports watches, some very nice vintage Speedmasters and F.P. Journe. Quite a few Journe’s actually and when I asked him to participate in our Collector’s Series he immediately told me that he wanted to talk about the FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain Calibre 1403.

5 years ago