FOUND: What COULD Be A Never-Seen-Before Rolex Rattrapante Pocket Watch?

Here is the story: Dr. Crott Auctioneers is about to auction what COULD be (and that “could” is extremely important to keep in mind…) a Rolex Rattrapante Pocket Watch. This combination Rolex / Rattrapante / Pocket Watch is, considering the immense literature about Rolex, something never seen before. So what do we have here? Potentially one of the rarest and most important Rolex watches ever? A superb example of limited (maybe unique) production by the Crown? Or an example of re-encasing work done by one of those vintage magicians? What is certain though, is that we are facing a highly interesting mystery (found thanks to watch journalist Gregory Pons).

9 years ago

Introducing – Seiko Diver Scuba Limited Edition by Giugiaro Design Ref. SBEE001 / 002

The association between Italian designer Giugiaro and Seiko watches is nothing new and already produced some of the most daring watches from the Japanese brand – as for instance the Seiko Chronograph 7A28-7000, famous for its appearance in Alien movies. Since a few years, Seiko reintroduces some of the greatest watches designed under the pen of Giugiaro, including the 2015 Limited Edition Reissue Seiko Sced035 or recently an Astron watch. Today, using the iconic asymmetrical case, Seiko reissues a rather unknown dive watch made in the 1980s with Giugiaro, with the new Seiko Diver Scuba Limited Edition by Giugiaro Design Ref. SBEE001 and 002.

9 years ago

VIDEO: 4 of the hottest new Seiko releases

One of the brands we’re always excited to see at Baselworld is Seiko. Not just because they’ve always got a few surprises up their sleeve, but also, if we’re honest, because the price point is a lot less painful than some of their Swiss counterparts. This year we were particularly impressed with two models that represent different ends of the Seiko style spectrum. First up is the excellent reissue of the 62MAS, Seiko’s first ever dive watch. And then there’s the flashy, dressy Cocktail Time collection, which is now part of the ever-growing Presage family. No matter what your tastes, it looks like Seiko has your wrist covered in 2017.

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9 years ago

VIDEO: Back to basics – how a mechanical watch works

If you take a keen interest in the world of watches, you’ve likely heard of Carson Chan. Carson works for the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, an organisation dedicated to building knowledge around fine watchmaking. And while we seem to now run into Carson every time we’re in Switzerland, we first met him in Hong Kong, at the last Watches & Wonders fair. We took the opportunity to get Carson to explain, in his calming, erudite tone, just how a mechanical watch works. Now, we’re well aware that the majority of people reading this know their mainsprings from their pallet forks (though a quick refresher never hurt anyone), but we also get asked with reasonable regularity some version of “Just how does a mechanical watch work?” So now, rather than rehashing the same old conversation, you can just send them the link to this video. Job done, and you’re welcome.

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9 years ago

HANDS-ON: Masculinity meets romance in the Drive de Cartier Moon Phases

In our recently published interview, Arnaud Carrez, Cartier’s Head of Marketing and Communications, said that the Drive represents a different kind of masculinity, one that isn’t defined by “muscles, sport, achievement, performance”, but by “elegance, and style, and refinement.” Looking at the Drive de Cartier Moon Phases, you can see what he means. It’s a confident watch that takes the dressy Drive design and, by adding the eternally romantic moon phase at six, elevates it to the next level of elegance. Introduced at SIHH in stainless steel and pink gold, the Drive Moon Phases took a bit of a back seat to the critically acclaimed Extra Flat, but for me the Moon Phases is the perfect embodiment of what Drive is all about. In gold, it’s a very warm, dressy watch, with a dial full of detail that is pure Cartier. On the technical side, the watch is the same size as the regular Drive at 41mm across and a wearable 12.15mm high. It’s powered by the newly developed in-house 1904-LU. This complication is highly accurate, and only needs to be adjusted every 125 years, which is nice. Power reserve is decent but not outstanding at 48 hours. The moon phase complication…

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9 years ago