Hands-On with the Latest Versions of the Cool Brellum Duobox Chronograph (Inc. a New Power Reserve Version)

Sebastien Muller started Brellum in December 2016 with the presentation of the Duobox, an elegant stop-watch which offered excellent value for money. This handsome, retro-inspired chronograph is really nicely executed, powered by the reliable Valjoux 7750, and coming with a COSC certificate – All this at a very reasonable price, as this small independent brand sells direct-to-customer with no middlemen. Brellum has recently unveiled two new chronographs that keep the essential elements of the Duobox but simultaneously add a slightly different vibe.

8 years ago

Introducing – The All-Black Everything Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm Ceramic

Last year, Girard-Perregaux, announced a revamped, limited edition Laureato timepiece as part of its 225th Anniversary celebrations. The response to that timepiece was very positive, and so at the beginning of this year, the Swiss manufacture followed up with an entire new Laureato collection (which we spent a bit of time getting hands-on with at SIHH.) Now, another new model is joining the line-up. Meet the very stealth-looking, all-black everything, Laureato 42 mm Ceramic.

8 years ago

Buying Guide – The Best Dress Watches of 2017 to Prepare the Holiday Season – Part 1

The holiday season is fast approaching, which means it’s nearly time to tackle your gift list (including some to give yourself) and for us to plan our gift guides. We’ll start our series by trying to help to make dressing up easier, so we’ve picked 13 dress watches of 2017 with choices to suit every pocket and taste. And because that would be a lot for one single article, here is part one, with 7 watches priced under CHF / EUR 20,000.

8 years ago

Review – The Hanhart Primus Black Ops Pilot, The German Pilot-Watch Modernized

Hanhart’s reputation in terms of Military/Pilot chronographs is not to be demonstrated anymore. The German “brand with the red button” (the brand’s signature feature since 1938) is indeed specialized in creating strong, powerful and slightly vintage-inspired chronographs (the Pioneer collection, reminiscent of 1940s pilots and naval officers watches). Yet, there’s another watch in the collection, one that, without losing the roots of the company, looks at future: the bold and aggressive Hanhart Primus. Today, we take a look at the latest version, the Black Ops Pilot, which also happens to be a limited edition (with pre-orders opened).

8 years ago

H. Moser & Cie. Returns To Its Origins with the Russian-Inspired Venturer XL Stoletniy Krasniy

Few might know but (the very) Swiss brand H. Moser & Cie, based in Neuhausen-am-Rheinfall near Schaffhausen, was not founded in “chocolate and watch Land“. In fact, its roots go back to another country, which as surprising as it is, is Russia. Indeed, Heinrich Moser founded his eponymous company in Saint Petersburg, in 1828. With these origins in mind, contemporary brand H. Moser & Cie. presents a Swiss-manufactured watch with Russian inspiration, the Venturer XL Stoletniy Krasniy (for Centennial Red, the iconic red of Russia).

8 years ago

Watch of the Year 2017 with CH24.pl and the Special Jury Prize for #SpeedyTuesday

For several years I’ve been a member of the jury of the Watch Of The Year in Poland, organised by our friends of CH24.pl. Last week was the gala award ceremony, as per usual held in the beautiful Sobanski’s Palace in Warsaw. Last year we celebrated the many prize winner, and especially the Grönefeld brothers who won no less than two prizes! This year the Special Jury Award went to a fellow Dutchman and that’s #SpeedyTuesday founder Robert-Jan Broer.

8 years ago

Women’s Watch Wednesday – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Moon Medium Tested

Earlier this year, Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its newest collection of Rendez-Vous watches, including the Rendez-Vous Moon Medium watch. The 34mm timepiece quickly captured the hearts of women around the world thanks to its chic design, intricate dial, romantic moon-phase complication and technical prowess. Today, we give this watch some wrist-time and see why it has some great appeal.

8 years ago

Value Proposition – Hands-On with the Mido Multifort Escape

Founded in 1918, Mido is a company of the Swatch group based in Le Locle. For whatever reason, the brand is sometimes a bit underrated but deserves a closer look. Mido watches are well made and offer superb value. The Multifort was originally presented in 1934 and was among the first antimagnetic watches with a self-winding movement. A commercial success for the brand, it is one of its oldest collections. Today, we look at its descendant, the Mido Multifort Escape.

8 years ago

Attending The Inaugural Bulgari B. Dinner In Rome, And Re-Discovering the Superb Octo Collection

A few weeks ago, luxury Italian brand, Bulgari, in conjunction with our friends at Watchonista, hosted a fun event simply called “The B. Dinner” in Rome. The idea was to bring together a group of watch enthusiasts (writers, photographers, collectors, etc.) from around Europe and introduce them to Bulgari’s “Rome”. The Eternal City is, after all, the spiritual and physical home of the brand and as such a great source of inspiration for its designs. What followed was an immensely enjoyable experience that was far more insightful than I think anyone was expecting.

8 years ago

TAG Heuer with a Very Cool “France Edition” of the Monaco Calibre 11

What we have here is nothing especially new or highly innovative… However, it certainly is one very cool edition of one of the most iconic racing chronographs ever: the TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 – you know, the watch worn by the “King of Cool”, Steve McQueen, in movie Le Mans. Made especially for the French market (without a single reference to France in its design), very limited in production, and with a dial that recalls a certain “Dark Lord”, here is the TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 France Edition.

8 years ago