Category: Novelty

Value Proposition – Accessible Brand Ophion Launches the OPH 786 Velos with Superb Dials and Cases by Voutilainen

Ophion is a rather young brand that launched in 2015, with a watch that already had quite some arguments. Accessible, well-designed and powered by a nice movement, we were pleasantly surprised. Then came a second model, the OPH 786, and from that point onward, we knew that something special was happening at Ophion. Great CNC guilloché dials, classic looks, superb decoration of the movement… And with a highly competitive price. Today, Ophion up the game again with the new OPH 786 Vélos, which features a newly-designed case made by Voutilainen (just that) and new dial options… but still a reasonable price.

6 years ago

Hands-on – The Unique Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch 2019

Blancpain has been a long-time supporter of Only Watch. For the 2019 edition of the biennial fundraiser for research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the brand presents a unique version of its Fifty Fathoms Barakuda. The timepiece is reinterpreted with blue accents, in reference to the official colour of the charity’s eighth edition.  Launched in 1953, the […]

6 years ago

Hands-on – Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown and Yacht Timer GMT

Affordable luxury has become the byword at Frederique Constant proving that you can have your horological cake and eat it too. Dispelling a lot of snobbery regarding the price of a well-made watch with complications, Frederique Constant demonstrates that you don’t have to flog a kidney to enter the complications market. We’ve recently seen the […]

6 years ago

In-Depth – Jaquet Droz Magic Lotus Automaton

Once upon a time, on the outskirts of the watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, there was a manufacture like few others… If the brand Jaquet Droz is renowned for its emblematic Grande Seconde collection, the creations that best capture the spirit of the great clockmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz are without a doubt the automata. One of […]

6 years ago

In-Depth – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin (World’s Thinnest QP)

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak SelfWinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin, which started its life as a prototype watch named RD#2, is one of these watches that look so right. It is at once a superb design object and a highly engineered piece of horological ingenuity. Of course, it is the thinnest perpetual calendar wristwatch. But interestingly, its development was not initiated to break any record. The idea was simply to design a perpetual calendar Royal Oak that could easily slip under any cuff…

6 years ago

Value Proposition – Amsterdam-Based Brand Bodor Launches on Kickstarter

The microbrand business is stronger than ever, with dozens of projects launching every month. Some offer classic watches, some play on originality, some want to offer the best value for the money – today’s proposition enters the latter category. Amsterdam-based brand Bodor indeed aims to enter the entry-level watch market through Kickstarter, with a stylish new watch and an original choice of movement supplier. Will this be the golden formula?

6 years ago

Introducing – Tudor Black Bay Chrono Dark Limited Edition (Incl. Video Review)

It’s rather unusual for Tudor to launch a watch out of the Baselworld context… What is even more unusual is a Tudor limited edition (except one done with Harrods and one with Bucherer). This explains why today’s launch is a bit of an exception. As one of the official sponsors of the All Blacks (New Zealand’s national rugby team) and as the 2019 Rugby World Cup is about to start in a few days from now, Tudor introduces a perfectly matching new model. Meet the Tudor Black Bay Chrono Dark Limited Edition ref. 79360DK.

6 years ago

Independent Watchmaking – Spotlight On Young Talents – Théo Auffret and his “Tourbillon in Paris” Subscription Watch

It is always a pleasure to present and showcase the work of young watchmakers and emerging talents. Today we are taking a look at Théo Auffret, part of the French independent watchmaking “nouvelle vague”. Theo Auffret, born in 1995, started his training as restorative watchmaker in parallel with his baccalaureate. Unlike the vast majority of fellow graduates, after having passed the exam, instead of studying a few years on university benches, Theo Auffret undertook the vocational pathway to become a watchmaker… And the result, named “Tourbillon in Paris”, is an impressive watch.

6 years ago

First Look – The new URWERK UR-100 SpaceTime (Video, Hands-On)

URWERK can’t leave anyone indifferent. Since making its debut in the 1990s, the indie brand created by Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner stands out with its radical, futuristic designs and its original way to portray time. The idea of wandering hours, like for a sundial, is omnipresent. The stage was set from the very beginning with the creation of the UR101/102 (we will come back on these watches later) displaying time on an arc. Then came the satellite time indication with a host of creative and complex iterations… satellites, cams, transporters, rotating cubes, telescopic hands, retrograde indications mark off the Urwerk time. The story continues with the new URWERK UR-100 SpaceTime.

6 years ago