Buying Guide – Watches & Wonders Novelties that are Now Available Online

Most of the new watches for 2020 have been launched online. That’s pretty different from any other year when Baselworld and SIHH (now Watches & Wonders) were THE places for new launches. For the sales of watches, the digital world has already played a role for a longer period. Some brands already have e-commerce, some are testing it in selected markets. A rather big global player in this field might just be an unexpected player, namely the luxury fashion e-comm site NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER. Just after the latest  Watches & Wonders launches, they partnered as the privileged multi-brand online retailers of Watches & Wonders. And we had a look and selected the coolest, the classiest and the funkiest of the Watches & Wonders novelties for sale at MR PORTER. 

4 years ago

Hands-on – IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph Boutique Edition

During the 2020 online edition of Watches & Wonders, IWC unveiled this complicated Portugieser flying tourbillon, retrograde date and flyback chronograph model. Marking the top-end releases in the new Portugieser collection, along with an equally impressive Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon, the tourbillon chronograph watch was presented in precious metal cases of gold or platinum. If […]

4 years ago

Hands-on – IWC Portugieser Automatic 42 Boutique Edition

It’s a big year for the Portugieser over at IWC, the iconic watch that was launched in 1939 and has become a perennial favourite among watch lovers. Along with the unprecedented Portugieser Automatic 40, there were two new Portugieser Automatic 42 models; one in steel and one Boutique Edition in 5N gold with a blue dial. […]

4 years ago

Interview – Chris Grainger-Herr on the New 2020 IWC Portugieser Collection, the Big Pilot Safari and COVID-19 (warning: long read)

I guess I need to start this interview with an apology. Sorry, this interview is long, very long, comprising close to 3,000 words. However, the conversation with Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, was great and there was just so much to say about the new Portugiesers. We had the conversation two weeks ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 lock-down. Chris was in his office, in Schaffhausen, and the interview was done through a zoom-meeting. It’s weird, not sitting together for a talk, but it is what it is and I guess for the foreseeable future this is going to be the new normal. 

4 years ago

In-Depth – Is There Still a Place for Pocket Watches in the 21st Century?

The pocket watch… No style is more iconic and nothing has endured for as many centuries. These marvels of mechanical engineering have relayed status for elites, advanced transportation needs across land, air and sea, and just kept average folks on schedule. Outfits were even designed specifically to accommodate them. In the 21st century, three-piece suits […]

4 years ago

Buying Guide – 10 of the Most Stunning Chronograph Watches Launched in 2020

The chronograph, one of our favourite features and one of the most complex types of movement around, continues to be one of the most popular and practical complications. Chronographs can be started, stopped and reset to measure short (or longer) intervals of time. Over the years, these were adapted and rethought into specialized tools. Being […]

4 years ago