Breaking News – Swatch Group (meaning 18 brands) To Leave Baselworld in 2019
once, we’re not going to use the “breaking news” title for nothing. What came in this morning is important news, no debate. As reported by Swiss newspapers NZZ am Sonntag and Le Temps, Swatch Group, the world’s largest watchmaking group, will be leaving Baselworld – Switzerland’s largest watch and jewellery fair – as of next year. After already several departures and complains, this is another hard blow for the highly decried show.
For me, the appeal of a watch’s dial is perhaps its biggest selling point. Too bland and I’m not interested, too busy and it’s not for me. There’s a fine line between pleasure and pain. Luckily for me, though, it’s always a pleasure when I get a chance to spend some time with the Seiko Presage collection, which combines the Japanese brand’s love of traditional craftsmanship and their mechanical know-how with an affordable price tag. Once available only in Japan, the collection was finally made available to the rest of the world in 2016. And let me tell you, this year’s addition had me at its dial. Crafted using Shippo enamel – a method developed in 17th century Japan – each engraved dial measures no more than 1mm thick and is made by craftsmen at the Japanese specialist manufacturer Ando Cloisonné, which was founded in the 19th century. First hand-painted with a lead-free glaze, and then fired at 800 degrees Celsius. The entire process must be repeated several times to ensure an evenness of the enamel, before finally being polished to reveal the delicate radiating pattern below. The finished product is a sight to behold, and one that, frankly, shows…
If you love dive watches, we probably don’t need to introduce Jason Heaton. He’s a man living the dream, a freelance writer who writes about watches only as an excuse to go out and have fun with them — be that hiking, skiing, kayaking or diving … Hi Jason, what’s your daily watch? As for a daily watch, it’s usually some sort of Doxa (I have a bit of a problem …) or a Rolex Submariner, but I also have a number of other favourites, like two Bremonts, a vintage Speedmaster, and smaller brands like Unimatic and Halios. I don’t really call myself a “collector”, since I have no real strategy for accumulating watches. To me, they’re all extensions of gear, and all have to earn their place in my watch roll. With only a couple of exceptions, all my watches have been on my wrist diving, flying, climbing or on some other adventure, even the vintage ones. My philosophy is: once you view these things as “precious” there’s something wrong. Do you have a favourite? I have a Doxa SUB200 T-Graph Sharkhunter I got a while back that I consider a favourite. I got it from the original owner, who bought it…
There’s a revolution afoot! And it’s taking place on British shores. While the world – admittedly, us included – tends to focus a lot more on watchmaking of the continental kind, the wonderful world of modern watches mightn’t be where it is today without the innovations and inventions brought to us by the British watchmaking industry. In 1755, Thomas Mudge invented the lever escapement; John Harwood introduced automatic winding in 1924, and let’s not forget George Daniels’ invention and 1980 patent of the ingenious co-axial escapement. Well, British watchmaking is back. Thanks largely to bespoke manufacturers, tea-loving microbrands, and the re-emergence of some of the great British brands of days gone by. We’ve put together a list of eight of the best offerings from the land of hope and glory. Keep calm and carry on. Bremont U-2/51-JET Henley-on-Thames-based watch brand Bremont are well regarded for aeronautical designs and their strong ties to the various armed forces and squadrons of the British military. This latest addition to the spy plane-inspired U-2 collection sees its blacked-out regalia taking its design cues from the Hawk T1 Jet aircraft. With a DLC-coated Trip-Tick case and a chronometer rated automatic movement. RRP $6800 Farer Lander…
