Twenty years ago, the luxury branch of Seiko, named Grand Seiko and now a company in its own right, unveiled a technology that would make history. With precision, reliability, and practicality in mind, the brand developed a hybrid movement, based on the beauty and perpetuity of an automatic calibre, and benefitting from the precision of […]
Following the recipe used on the recreation of the 62MAS, with the 2017 reference SLA017, and the recreation of the 1968 Hi-Beat Diver, with the reference SLA025, Seiko is about to bring a new, limited edition diver’s watch that is a faithful recreation of yet another icon, the reference 6105-8110, a 1970 watch that replaced […]
Few brands have watches that are instantly recognizable as their own. The Bell & Ross BR series won’t be mistaken for any other brand. Developed in 2005 with the BR01 and modelled after cockpit instruments, the BR series features a somewhat polarizing square case with round dial, and some models have evolved beyond the military motif. The BR 03-92 Blue Steel with its clean, deep blue time and date dial is a good example, maintaining the iconic square case with a dressier, non-military finish. The new model presented for Baselworld 2019, named the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 MA-1, is however all about military inspiration. Back to the roots!
When Tudor first introduced its Black Bay Chrono model in 2017, there was a hullabaloo about incorporating chronograph functions on board a 200m water-resistant vintage-inspired dive watch. A diver without a rotating bezel replaced by a fixed tachymeter scale for the chronograph functions? For many, the combination of functions was unwarranted but over time, the […]
“If you analyze the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious,” was the credo of Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (founder of Porsche Design). “Form follows function” is something we often hear in the watch world but with Porsche Design, it is a matter of fact. Apparently simple yet perfectly functional, this has become […]
Bearing the code name ‘Commando’, in 1967 Tudor embarked upon an ambitious project for the US Navy to replace the standard-issue Oyster Prince Submariner 7928 reference. Although it never got beyond the prototype stage – as Ref. 7016 was eventually adopted to replace the 7928 – archival information held by the brand has allowed Tudor […]
Rolex has its habits… Baselworld always means an array of small novelties (different dials, different colors or different materials on existing watches) and one big novelty. And this year, the big one is a new, sportier, larger, bolder take on one not-so-hot watch, the Yacht-Master. Meet the new Rolex Yacht-Master 42, with increased size, black […]
More than three centuries after the invention of the sprung balance (by Hooke/Huygens), the oscillator is back in the limelight. Exploring new frontier and technological breakthroughs in mechanical watchmaking, the oscillator is considered the crowning glory for the most inventive and skillful watchmakers. Just a few days after the presentation of the Ulysse Nardin Freak […]
Last year, the star of the show at the Basel watch fair was the new Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi (blue-and-red) bezel and Jubilee bracelet, in steel, under the reference 126710BLRO. This was a sort of “dream come true” for watch aficionados – but not for retailers and potential buyers. Following the success of this watch, […]
In 2017, Patek Philippe (sort of) celebrated the 20th anniversary of its iconic yet entry-level sports watch, the Aquanaut, by presenting an oversized “Jumbo” model in white gold with a blue dial, the reference 5168G-001. With its case increased by 2mm and its precious metal case, it a bit of a controversial piece. Well, there’s […]