Hands-On – De Grisogono New Retro Tourbillon Skeleton

De Grisogono might be an extremely respectable brand, it has the image of a field of action turning more around haute jewelry rather than complex watches. Of course, there are a few pieces, but nothing that, at first, could tickle our interest… But we were wrong, as the chic rectangular De Grisogono watch now houses an architectural Tourbillon skeleton movement – and it looks quite stunning.

8 years ago

Simple Grandeur – The Romain Gauthier Insight Micro-Rotor

For those who know, Romain Gauthier certainly is one of the best representatives of the “Vallée de Joux” expertise. This means an exceptional level of finishing. Forget about mainstream brands that claim Haute Horlogerie. Here, we have hand-finishing to the highest level. Unveiling the Romain Gauthier insight micro-rotor, focusing on the essentials with radical manufacturing ethos and masterly craftsmanship.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time – With (Almost) Two Movements in One Watch

Symmetry in the construction of the displays and movements have always been a huge part of Arnold & Son’s DNA. In their case, the design doesn’t drive the development of the movement, but the opposite. See for instance the Constant Force Tourbillon, the Nebula or the Time Pyramid and you’ll see how symmetry influenced the brand. Playing on this same concept, the brand pushed the idea even further, by having a watch with two entirely separate time displays, driven by an incredible twin-movement. And in order to enjoy this mechanical feast, a new version, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, exposes all its entrails in a demonstrative but elegant way.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton Dual-Time – With (Almost) Two Movements in One Watch

Symmetry in the construction of the displays and movements have always been a huge part of Arnold & Son’s DNA. In their case, the design doesn’t drive the development of the movement, but the opposite. See for instance the Constant Force Tourbillon, the Nebula or the Time Pyramid and you’ll see how symmetry influenced the brand. Playing on this same concept, the brand pushed the idea even further, by having a watch with two entirely separate time displays, driven by an incredible twin-movement. And in order to enjoy this mechanical feast, a new version, the Arnold & Son DBG Skeleton, exposes all its entrails in a demonstrative but elegant way.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde (Baselworld 2017)

Schwarz Etienne started with a vertical integration strategy a few years ago, going as far as producing hairsprings in-house, with their sister company E2O innovations (read our recent introduction article about the brand here). This involved deep products’ evolution and a strategy based on a modular approach to movement development; a family of mechanical movements was created and evolved into different versions. Today, we take a look at the interesting La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde, which was presented during Baselworld 2017.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Zenith Defy El Primero 21 – From a 10th to a 100th of a Second (Video, Specs & Price)

Back in 1969, Zenith introduced a movement that will later become an icon, as being both one of the first automatic chronograph movements, and being the 20th century’s king of precision, as beating at 5Hz and being precise to the 10th of a second. Its name: the El Primero. At Baselworld, the Le Locle-based manufacture has given this fast-beating engine a 21st century appeal: 50Hz frequency, precision to the 100th of a second, modernized look, open-worked movement. Here is the Zenith Defy El Primero 21… and it’s fast, very fast.

8 years ago

Hands-On – Zenith Defy El Primero 21 – From a 10th to a 100th of a Second (Video, Specs & Price)

Back in 1969, Zenith introduced a movement that will later become an icon, as being both one of the first automatic chronograph movements, and being the 20th century’s king of precision, as beating at 5Hz and being precise to the 10th of a second. Its name: the El Primero. At Baselworld, the Le Locle-based manufacture has given this fast-beating engine a 21st century appeal: 50Hz frequency, precision to the 100th of a second, modernized look, open-worked movement. Here is the Zenith Defy El Primero 21… and it’s fast, very fast.

8 years ago

Baselworld 2017 – The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Skeleton Full Black (With a Cool Feature on the Back)

The Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Skeleton is undoubtedly one of the most attractive pieces of the collection, alongside a few other pieces such as the Gravity, the Mysterious Seconds or the Pontos S Diver. Playing on the modern side of open-worked watches (not these rather old-fashioned skeleton watches full or arabesques and engravings), the Masterpiece Skeleton evolves this year by being full black-coated and revealing something actually useless but rather cool on the back side of the case…

8 years ago

Baselworld 2017 – Shine a Light – The Bulgari Octo Tourbillon Sapphire

In early 2017, Bulgari unveiled a new addition to its emblematic Octo collection. True to the designs codes of the collection, (in particular a circle framed by an octagon), the lines of Roma have been smoothed featuring only 58 facets instead of the traditional 110 of the regular models. The Roma captures the traditional chic of the collection with urban, universal appeal. Inspired by a bold and nonconformist vision of watchmaking, the Roma is now enhanced with a luminescent tourbillon movement, revealing its inner workings in complete transparency. Meet the Bulgari Octo Tourbillon Sapphire.

8 years ago

Pre-Baselworld 2017 – TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 43 mm, now in Skeleton Version

Since its inception in 2015, the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-01 has quickly become the emblematic model of the brand, being also one of its best-sellers – which is surprising, first because of the look, rather in opposition with the previous creations, and because of its price positioning, as being one of the upper-range watches. While in …

8 years ago