Introducing – MB&F’s New Legacy Machine, the Split Escapement or the LM-SE

Recently, MB&F announced the final edition of their most successful watch in the “Legacy Machine” Collection, a sort of farewell version of the LM1, with a stainless steel case and a brown dial, to close a 6-year story. But this watch was not intended to be seen as the end of the road, because, as ever Max Büsser and his friends had something new in mind, a new watch that could possibly replace the LM1 in the heart of collectors (if ever this watch needed to be replaced)… Here is the new MB&F LM SE – Legacy Machine Split Escapement – straight on the market in 4 different versions, and with a movement that has some stories to tell.

9 years ago

HANDS-ON: Cartier’s complex marvel – the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon

Here at Time+Tide we tend to focus on the simpler end of Cartier’s offerings, classic beauties like the Tank or the Drive Extra Flat. But there’s another side to the famous jewellery maison’s watch offerings that’s, well, exceptionally complex. The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon is one such watch. If you didn’t glean that fact from the impressively wordy model name, take one look at this skeletonised, 45mm monster and you’ll immediately realise that we’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill Tank. No, this watch, or – more accurately – the Calibre 9407MC inside, is one of the most confident expressions of Cartier’s horological ability we’ve seen in some time, with 448 individual parts, finished to a level sufficient to earn it the Geneva Seal, and a particularly demanding package of complications. The most visible is the ‘mysterious’ double tourbillon, which sees the whirring 60-second tourbillon rotate around the transparent sapphire aperture every five minutes. On its own this mysterious display, something of a trademark for the brand, would be impressive enough, but Cartier is determined to impress your ears as well as your eyes, as they’ve also managed to fit a minute repeater into a movement that’s…

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9 years ago

VIDEO: Step aside Patrimony and Calatrava, the Rolex Cellini Date is here to take you to your next function

The Rolex Cellini range could be described as ‘the Rolex you wear when you don’t want to (be seen to) wear a Rolex’. It is bereft of practically all of the Rolex design codes that make their watches among the easiest in the game to spot at 20 paces. There is no iconic Oyster or Jubilee bracelet to give it away – the Cellini has so far only been released on leather bands – and nor is there a brazenly fluted bezel in glittering precious metal to seal the deal. While the latter forms a part of the watch, it is toned down and offset by a domed bezel. Thanks to its tapered lugs, this Date version, like the Cellini Time, offers one of the thinnest Rolex profiles in the whole catalogue, though its diminutive wrist weight and heft is well and truly compensated for by the machine-engraved guilloché dial which is quite the showstopper in the metal. This model is also one of very few Rolex models in their history to feature an off-centre date dial. The overall effect is of a restrained elegance that simply doesn’t demand that you know its name, or who it’s related to. That’s not to say the Cellini can’t be…

The post VIDEO: Step aside Patrimony and Calatrava, the Rolex Cellini Date is here to take you to your next function appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.

9 years ago

Review – Patek Philippe Advanced Research Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650G (And History of the Advanced Research Program)

Earlier this year, Patek Philippe unveiled the limited-edition Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650G, featuring the latest technology developed by its Advanced Research program. With its unusual aesthetics and impressive technological advances, it quickly became one of the most talked about watches at Baselworld. Today, we’re going hands-on with this incredible timepiece to learn more about what Patek Philippe is calling ‘two important innovations in the field of horological design’ and to see just how practical the watch is for everyday wear and use.

9 years ago

A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds Now Offered In Pink Gold

Last year at the SIHH 2016, German watch manufacturer, A. Lange & Söhne, debuted the deliciously complex Richard Lange Jumping Seconds. Offered in a platinum case and produced in a limited series of just 100 pieces, it was an instant hit with collectors. Following on from this success, this minimalist timepiece is now being made available in an attractive pink gold case, complete with matching accents on the dial and buckle. As with the platinum model, this series will be limited to just 100 pieces, preserving the exclusivity of this exceptional mechanical machine.

9 years ago

IN-DEPTH: The slender sexiness of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic

The story in a second: Forget bling: thin is in, and Bulgari are king. The Octo Finissimo Automatic is the latest in Bulgari’s trio of record-breaking ultra-thin watches, and perhaps the greatest. We have a look at the watch’s barely-there beauty, and find out why it’s such a standout. The case Any discussion of the Octo Finissimo Automatic has to start with some specs. And for the case, the key figure is 5.15mm. That’s slight, no matter how you slice it, but it manages to avoid feeling frail on the wrist. The level of finishing is very high, and you can see how anything superfluous has been pared back or – in the example of the caseback – removed completely.  For me, though, the real surprise about this case wasn’t how thin it was, it’s the weight. On the excellent bracelet (more on that later), the Octo Finissimo clocks in at only 73 grams, thanks to the titanium construction. It’s so light that I did an almost comical double take the first time I picked it up. But the benefit of the titanium case extends beyond its lightness; it’s exceptionally thermo-conductive, meaning it very quickly matches your body temperature, making…

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9 years ago