Ming Thein, a famous commercial photographer from Malaysia with a degree in physics, was one of the six founding fathers of the eponymous watch brand that arrived on the scene in 2017 with the 17.0. Despite the somewhat lacklustre names of its collections, MING’s emphasis on top-quality design combined with outsourced Swiss movements and attractive prices […]
Known for its ingenious simplistic approach to watchmaking, the Swiss brand of Ochs und Junior does things a bit differently. Not bragging about how many parts they stuffed in a watch, but rather how few they put in. Take for instance this Ochs und Junior Ochs Line Moon Phase, or Selene, as the company also […]
After it was founded in 2012, HYT quickly gained recognition for its unique use of liquid to indicate the time on the dial. The company produced striking and distinctive timepieces that blended art and engineering. Still, as often happens in independent watchmaking, it hit a rough road, which resulted in bankruptcy in 2021. However, HYT […]
With two collections dedicated to our neighbouring satellite – Luna Magna and Perpetual Moon – it’s fair to say that the Moon exerts a powerful gravitational pull at Arnold & Son. In a departure from more conventional representations of the Moon portrayed in tiny dimensions constrained by tiny apertures, Arnold & Son’s astronomical moon phase […]
The Patek Philippe Grand Exhibition is hosted for the sixth time this year and opened its doors this weekend in Tokyo, Japan today. Running until June 25th, the Maison invites you to engulf yourself in the world of Patek Philippe, with ten themed areas showcasing the history and craftsmanship in its watchmaking. One of the […]
During Watches & Wonders 2023, Patek Philippe unveiled a 39.9mm rose gold Aquanaut Luce Ref. 5261R with its patented annual calendar mechanism. Marking the first Aquanaut fitted with an annual calendar complication, Patek’s press material was adamant in positioning the watch as an Aquanaut Luce, the ladies’ section of the Aquanaut collection. A far cry […]
Independent Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva is a selenophile, an erudite way to describe somebody who is obsessed with the Moon. Working from his Helsinki atelier in an old cable factory, Sarpaneva has created a microcosmic universe of watches bearing his signature moon face. However, his watches are far more than poetic odes to our neighbouring […]
Behind Vicenterra is Vincent Plomb, a draughtsman-builder turned structural engineer turned casting moulds designer who finally settled on becoming a watchmaker in the early 2000s. Those were the days when extravagant watchmaking creations and independent brands flourished, but few survived the financial crisis of 2008 and the following clean-up. Much to Vincent Plomb’s credit, he […]
In 1837 founder Thierry Hermès began making harnesses and saddles to cater to the equestrian locomotion requirements of the day. When Emile Hermès took the reins of the Maison in 1920, and horses and carriages had been replaced by automobiles, he had to find a way to channel his craftsman’s skills into new products. Harnessing […]
Two years after the introduction of the Octa movement, F.P. Journe presented the Octa Divine in 2003. With its combination of time, moon phase, large date, small seconds and power reserve indications, the Octa Divine’s automatic mechanism was capable of delivering 160 hours of power reserve with 120 hours of precision timekeeping. Initially introduced in […]