Founded in 1912, Fortis is known for its rugged, functional watches and the brand’s long-lasting connection with aviation and space exploration. The brand started manufacturing watches for the PC-7 team over 12 years ago. The PC-7 team is the Swiss Air Force aerobatics display team. Their flight displays underline the capabilities of the Swiss Air […]
In the past few years, Longines has been quite successful in re-editing some of its most glorious vintage watches. This includes, of course, the Legend Diver, but also the recently launched Skin Diver, the Avigation Big Eye or the Lindbergh watches. Altogether, this creates a solid, coherent “Heritage” collection. One of the latest additions is pushing the concept even further… Vintage-inspired and faux-ageing to the max is what you’ll get with the Longines Heritage Military, a re-edition of the RAF-issued 6B/159 watch.
What’s very difficult to do after an initial success is to replicate it. We see it in movies (a sequel is almost never as good as the original) and we often see it in watches. After launching its very original inaugural collection, in 2016, Netherlands-based brand EZA Watches launched a second model in 2017. After […]
In 2015, Patek Philippe stunned the luxury watch community with the unveiling of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524. Polarising in its design, it was easily one of the most talked about watches of the Fair. Four years later and the Geneva powerhouse is at it again, pushing the boundaries even further with its […]
Tutima was founded in 1927 by Dr Ernst Kurtz, the director of Uhren-Rohwerke-Fabrik (UROFA) and the Uhrenfabrik Glashütte AG (UFAG). His best movements received the name “Tutima”, derived from the Latin word for “safe, secure.” In the late 1930s, the Saxon brand received a commission for its first pilot’s chronograph – something that would become […]
Since the introduction in 1965 of its first professional diver’s watch, the 62MAS, Seiko’s reputation in the field of sports/tool watches cannot be disputed. The brand is among the best manufacturers when it comes to producing rugged, efficient, purpose-built timepieces made for action. Today, the spirit of this classic sports watch is expressed in a […]
Since 2007, IWC has been producing a special series of watches designed to meet the demanding needs of elite jet pilots. Established as an independent collection within the IWC Pilot’s Watch family in 2012, the TOP GUN series has become renowned for its use of hi-tech materials and stealth, military-inspired styling. IWC introduced a total of four new TOP GUN models at SIHH 2019 this year. We’ve already gotten hands-on with the impressively technical Double Chronograph TOP GUN Ceratanium, as well as the practical Automatic TOP GUN. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the slightly more unusual Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Mojave Desert” (Ref. IW389103) – because it is objectively unusual.
Nothing gives a watch credentials like a stint in outer space. Fortis, founded in 1912, has long been associated with rugged pilot’s watches and became part of the official equipment of Russian cosmonauts in 1994. Launched into space on a MIR space station mission, the Official Cosmonauts Chronograph bears the logo of the Russian space authorities (Roscomos) on the caseback and continues to accumulate mission patches from ongoing International Space Station adventures. Last year, Fortis participated in a simulation of the first human landing on Mars that took place in the desert of Oman and provided chronographs for the entire team.
It has become a common thing to see watches appearing in movies. Think for instance Omega in Bond, Seiko in Apocalypse Now, Hamilton in Men in Black or Heuer in Le Mans. Most of the time, we talk appearances. In some movies, however, this accessory can become a true cast member. So was the case in Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” (2014), where two Hamilton watches are visible and one plays a huge role in the plot. This watch, created specifically for the movie, is now available in a limited edition. Meet the new Hamilton Khaki Field Murph.
If there is an official standard defining the features for a watch suitable for diving (ISO 6425), no such definition or standard exists (at least one that would be used throughout the industry) for another popular watch category: the pilot’s watch. Each and every brand has its own vision of what a pilot’s watch should […]