Category: Industry News

Throwback To Our Favorite Watches From Baselworld 2016 – And What To Expect From Baselworld 2017

In just a few days from now, on Wednesday 22 March (official press day), Baselworld, the main watch event of the year, based in the city of Basel, Switzerland, will open its doors. At exactly 12:00, most major brands (Rolex, Omega, Tudor, all brands from the Swatch Group, Seiko) as well as the representative of the independent watchmaking industry will reveal their new collections. Before we can all dream in front of these Baselworld 2017 novelties, let’s have a look back at our favorite watches of Baselworld 2016, as well as a few comments on what is to be expected at and from Baselworld 2017.

8 years ago

VIDEO – Going Where No Camera Has Gone Before – Our Documentary About The Omega Master Chronometer Certification

The Omega Master Chronometer is about the pursuit of the best possible movement. Not the most complex movement, not the one with the most features, or the craziest complications. No. With the Master Chronometer, Omega wanted to create a standard movement that will perform to the same high level in every situation, in every environment, in every possible condition. Heat, cold, magnetic fields, shocks… Everything you can imagine has been tested, ensuring precision, reliability and efficiency, everyday and everywhere. Believe it or not, this is a really big deal, more significant even than any tourbillon. Not only has Omega spent years on research and development, it has also created an entirely new way to certify these watches. Today, we bring you where no camera has ever been before; inside the Omega Master Chronometer Certification facilities.

8 years ago

Christie’s To Auction H. Moser & Cie. Cheese Swiss Mad Watch and Swiss Alp Watch Prototype (To Promote Swiss Watchmaking)

Since a few months now, you probably heard about the #MakeSwissMadeGreatAgain concept launched by independent watchmaker H. Moser & Cie. With a certain love for unconventional marketing gimmicks and an ironical way of exposing the reality of the Swiss Made label, the brand made some noise. Yet, behind this, there’s a wish of promoting the real Swiss Watchmaking industry, the one we all love as collectors. Today, in order to preserve Swiss watchmaking traditions, Christie’s and H. Moser & Cie. join forces, with an upcoming auction of the Cheese Swiss Mad Watch and Swiss Alp Watch Prototype (as a start of a long term relation).

8 years ago

Introducing – Fabergé Visionnaire Chronograph, with Revolutionary Movement by Agenhor (And the Best Video To Explain It)

When you think Fabergé, you hardly think about watches. And even more, you hardly imagine a hyper-innovative chronograph movement, which in some ways revolutionizes centuries of stop watches… However that is exactly what Fabergé introduces today: a movement with a brand new display, a brand new architecture and a brand new clutch, solving many of the traditional chronograph issues. Fabergé’s new timepieces is a chronograph that displays the elapsed hours, minutes and seconds centrally, with the passage of ‘normal’ hours and minutes around it. Please welcome the Fabergé Visionnaire Chronograph, with revolutionary movement by Agenhor (and we found the best possible video to explain it – thanks TheWatchesTV.)

8 years ago

Schwarz Etienne, An Integrated Manufacture With Much More Than First Meets The Eye

Schwarz Etienne, a brand that flies under the radar for many but if you take the time to look a little closer, you will soon discover that it has a lot to offer. Its product offering is structured around three main collections (plus a few exclusive pieces). Recently we had the opportunity to visit to the manufacture, which was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. The brand has incredible potential and already boasts a surprisingly high level of vertical integration – in particular the in-house production of hairsprings with E2O innovations, their sister company located in the same facilities in La Chaux-de-fonds. That’s rare enough and it really needs an in-depth explanation.

8 years ago

Three Top Men’s Watches from SIHH 2017

By Roberta Naas
It isn’t easy to pick five of the best watches from Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2017. There were so many great timepieces. So, for this closer look at three top watches from SIHH, we laid some ground rules: one independent brand; one sport watch; one classic men’s watch. Here we take a close-up look at the top pick in those arenas.

8 years ago

Meet the Hublot Big Bang One-Click Cuddly Cuff Collection

By Roberta Naas
Once again, the innovative Swiss watch brand Hublot wows us with its creative straps for women. Remember, this is the brand that has brought us denim straps, embroidered straps, linen straps and more. Now, meet the Big Bang “One Click” Cuddly cuff collection.

8 years ago

Video Interview – 5 Questions For Davide Cerrato, Managing Director Of Montblanc Watch Division, About 2017 Collections

At the SIHH 2017, Montblanc launched an entirely redesigned TimeWalker collection, transforming these watches from “modern-urban” to real sports timepieces, mainly chronographs and racing-car-oriented stop-watches. This is an extremely important collection for the brand, which was until now rather absent from the critical sports-watch category. That being said, you can imagine how crucial this new TimeWalker collection was for Montblanc. The mission of Davide Cerrato, Managing Director Of Montblanc Watch Division, who’s experience in sports-watches is undeniable, was clear… and now that we’ve seen the watches, we can tell you that he successfully managed the transformation of the collection. Instead of trying to explain it ourselves, let’s simply hear what the creator has to say about it. Here are 5 Questions For Davide Cerrato, Managing Director Of Montblanc Watch Division, about the 2017 Montblanc collection.

8 years ago

Business News – Swatch Group 2016 Results Worse Than Expected / Net Sales Drop Over 10%, Net Income Drops 47%

For more than 2 years now, the watchmaking industry is facing a “crisis” or at least, sales and profits are lower than in the 2000s, the golden era of modern watchmaking. After Richemont announced massive shakeups and rather bad results, it’s now time for Swatch Group to make public the results for the year 2016… and they’re not good. Sales are decreasing over 10% (compared to 2015), operating result plunges of close to 45% and the net income is almost half of what it has been in 2015 (which was already not the best year the industry has seen).

8 years ago