INTRODUCING: The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 in steel
Over the years I’ve seen a lot of new chronographs. Some are impressive, and many are ordinary. But few are as hands-down gorgeous as the Vacheron Constantin Cornes de Vache that I first saw at Watches and Wonders in 2015. With its classical proportions and comely, cow-horn-shaped lugs it was a love-at-first sight affair. However, the platinum case construction and associated six-figure sticker price put it out of the realm of mere mortals. There was a brief glimmer of hope in 2017, when Hodinkee dropped one of their (IMO) hottest limited editions — a steel Cornes de Vache with a slate grey dial. That hope lasted all of five minutes, which is the approximate time it took for all 36 watches to sell. All that has now changed, with Vacheron Constantin announcing a regular production steel model to the line-up — the 38.5mm case is the same, as is the Calibre 1142 movement. This movement, as you’d expect from the brand, looks outstanding, and carries the Geneva Seal. Dial-side, the watch is no slouch either, with a complex construction, a pleasingly retro blend of applied markers, printed scales and sunken bi-compax registers. Add to the mix the beautiful, patina-d calfskin strap…
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The other day, Phillips announced Phillips PERPETUAL, an always-on showroom of curated horological goodness. Because while blockbuster sales of celebrity pieces have a place, the opportunity for mass volume sales and Phillips, along with the other major auction players is jumping at it. For an in-depth look at the ever-changing business of selling very fine secondary market watches, this piece over at Le Monde Edmond is well worth a read. Twenty years ago, no one was able to buy or sell a fine collector’s watch if it was not via a public platform such as a tradeshow, a dealer or most importantly via an international auction house. The same applied to scholarship: It was only accessible on a personal, one-to-one basis, meaning, the person sharing it with you had to be in front of you. Today with Instagram and other social media, things are radically different. On the whole – all players have benefited – including auction houses. Bacs describes it as a wonderful new democratic platform that has been ‘an amazing trampoline for collectors, dealers and auction houses’. Read the full article here.
In the field of watch design there’s a lot to be said for restraint. Not every dial needs to be flashy, nor every case overwrought. Sometimes, all you need — all you want even — is a watch that looks good (no matter what), and can do anything, or at least anything most normal people would need their watch to do. The Tissot Gentleman is such a watch. The sober, classically designed case that measures 40mm across, and is neither too dressy nor too casual, sets the tone. That tone is amplified by the lovely dial options — here we’re looking at silver and rich brown, with neat sector-style printing, and applied gold tone indices in a slightly tapered shape, which adds a touch of dynamism that is paired with dauphine-style hands. This dial is framed by the gold bezel which — and this is well worth noting — is solid, not gold plate or cap. The final piece of the puzzle is provided by the movement, visible through the caseback. Tissot’s Powermatic 80 offers (as you’d guess) 80 hours of power reserve, which is very healthy, especially at this price point. On top of that, there’s silicium in the mix as…
Over the last few years the Laureato line has emerged as Girard-Perregaux’s valiant hero — a sporty steel warrior well equipped to win wrists across the world. Earlier this year, at SIHH in Geneva, Girard-Perregaux unleashed their latest expression of the Laureato – the evolved Laureato Absolute. This darkly clad watch was offered in a trio: time-only, world time and chronograph — we’re going to focus only on the latter today. The case is the familiar Laureato shape, though the material used is titanium, which has been given a black PVD coating — the finishes are a mix of polished and brushed, elevating the somewhat utiliarian treatment to more refined territory. A rubber strap is a natural choice for this sort of sporty look. The chronograph complication is also a natural choice, and it looks good here — the three registers in black, to match the case, but the rest of the dial is realised in a graduated blue sunburst. The pushers on the Laureato Absolute also offer an evolution of the octagonal screw-down numbers of the ‘regular’ version. Here we’re treated to sporty paddle-shaped numbers with a dashing blue highlight. The movement that you activate by pressing those pushers…
For any brand creating a new collection, the challenge lies in the tension between aesthetic innovation and consistent design language. With the new Bell & Ross BR05, the brand has successfully maintained their core visual identity with a circular dial and squared-off case, exposed screws at the corners of the case, and bold Arabic numerals. The innovation begins most prominently with the integrated bracelet directly into the case, which is a departure from the more traditional Bell & Ross look. The softened curves of the polished bezel contrast sharply with the angles of the brushed steel lugs, creating visual depth that continues along the bracelet. Constructed in a H-link style, the bracelet also features a mixture of polishing on the softer angles and brushing on the right angles. For those seeking a more lightweight fastening system, the BR05 is also available on a rubber strap that suits warmer conditions. There are five new models in the collection, with three steel options in grey, blue or black sunray dial options. The final steel model is the BR05 Skeleton, complete with a fully skeletonised dial that offers unobstructed views of the automatic winding BR-CAL.322. The final model offers significantly more wrist presence…
Editor’s note: We’re deep in the age of premium athleisure, so it makes sense that this patrician approach to utility is extending to our wrists. But can the two — seemingly polar opposite — aesthetics peacefully coexist? These five watches say yes. Sports luxury is one of those ephemeral subgenres in watchland that hides a multitude of sins. It’s easy for a watch maker to label any oversized solid-gold diver as sports luxe, but the reality is that most of these watches will never see any actual sports time. Frankly, that’s not good enough. So we found a select handful of timepieces that you could wear with ease on the court or in the boardroom. Patek Philippe Aquanaut I was never really on team Aquanaut, but then I caught up with David and his ‘one watch’ Patek Philippe, and I just got it. Like the Rolex, the Aquanaut has the winning combo of rubber strap and slender case. But beyond that there’s a dazzling mix of finishings, an interesting dial and top-notch movement. Beautiful but not delicate. Rolex Yacht-Master 40 Oysterflex It’s an obvious choice, but this Everose beauty’s inclusion isn’t solely due to the action-ready and oh-so-comfy Oysterflex.…
Generally speaking, watch collectors fear three things: brick walls, unforeseen service costs, and the vagaries of international shipping. I’m not sure about points one and two, but Kelvin has certainly come up against the whims of global logistics conglomerates. But, before you get too stressed out, it’s OK – he won! Or got very lucky, depending on how you look at it. Not to steal Kelvin’s thunder, but this Blancpain L-Evolution, from the late-oughts, was the first watch he fell in love with, and one he eventually bought, years later. Now, at this point it was well-discontinued, so he purchased from a reputable UK-based seller. At this point I’ll hand over to Kelvin, because it’s where issues of freight, alleged tax evasion and other such stressful issues come into play. Somebody at the logistics company had stolen my watch and sold it to the second-hand market — but it had the same serial number …and eventually I got my watch back. Because everyone loves a happy ending … well done, Kelvin! 
One of the malaises sweeping the Swiss watch industry is, in my oh-so-humble opinion, that of homogeneity. From a distance, the world from the wrist down looks remarkably similar: round, black-dialled steel sports cases in a style that sits somewhere on a spectrum between vaguely retro to full-blown reissue. I’m well aware that this isn’t a new phenomenon, but today a properly original watch design is an exception, rather than the rule. Louis Vuitton’s Tambour case is original. I mean, sure, it’s round and sporty, but it is also possessed of a really interesting case, with an inwardly curving profile that looks like it was actually designed by a person, rather than a committee. And it’s not just the case — the whole kit and caboodle is dramatically different from what you’d expect from a Swiss watch, which is unsurprising because the visual identity and IP of Louis Vuitton is so strong, and so pervasive. There are versions of the Tambour in the house’s famous motifs, but this option is a little more — for lack of a better word — stealthy. For all that the palette is monotone, this is not a shy watch. There’s that aforementioned sweeping profile,…
It’s fair to say at this point of 2019 that the CODE 11.59 collection from Audemars Piguet has been the most widely panned watch release of the year, if not recent years. It was in some ways a perfect storm of critical disapproval, poor PR and a pack mentality that got pretty nasty. But pictures on Instagram tell only a tiny fraction of the story, and they’re certainly not a great way to judge a watch. Which is why, when we saw this collector review over on Deployant, we were intrigued. Christian Kretschmar picked up a black-dialled time-only piece after falling in love with it in real life. I’m lucky to have a few very beautiful watches in my collection, of which some were made by Audemars Piguet. I find it hard to compete with the complexity and variety of finishes on the APs, so I mostly pick one of those to wear. Since the CODE is part of my collection, I always look for reasons to wear it. Being a rose gold dress watch, it might seem to be over the top for some occasions, but I find it quite versatile, even in a more casual setting. Regardless of…
Editor’s note: Sandra wrote this lovely piece at the start of the year, and it speaks to one of the biggest movements (if you’ll pardon the pun) in the watch industry over the last few decades – the rise of the in-house movement. I won’t steal Sandra’s thunder, but suffice to say it’s worth a read. If you’re considering buying a new watch, one of the least important questions you should ask is: “Does it have an in-house movement?” To be blunt: the mere existence of an in-house movement does not necessarily equate to a better watch. So why do we see the in-house claim being made by so many watch brands? Why do they use it like a badge of honour, a mark of prestige and exclusivity, a (strongly implied) guarantee of superior quality – and a reason for charging a higher price? Let’s start with what the term actually means. Like many words that have been hijacked by the luxury marketing community and rendered meaningless through misuse and overuse, “in-house” has been reduced to little more than jargon – and has bamboozled watch buyers in the process. In its true sense, an in-house movement’s components must all (screws,…