El Primero, translated from Spanish, means ‘the first’. The reason for its name is an obvious one why Zenith chose to name their chronograph movement that. Zenith is the first manufacture to create an automatic integrated column wheel movement, and promptly christened it the El Primero. More recently, its increasing staple…
As former Chief Artistic Officer at Audemars Piguet, Octavio Garcia has about as much watch industry cred as most could hope for. So it is interesting that he has chosen to strike out on his own, leaving behind the comfortable heritage of the Swiss luxury establishment to follow his dream, start a new brand, and produce a democratically priced watch at under €1,000. The brand debuts with the Gorilla Fastback watch that is an exercise in automotive-inspired design and materials.
The Breguet Tradition 7077. Image: Kristian Dowling/Time+Tide Images
Every year at Baselworld I attend a technical presentation from Breguet. I’m ushered into a small room, introduced to Swiss gentlemen who work in the brand’s R&D and Technical departments. Pleasantries are exchanged, coffees offered and accepted.…
Girard-Perregaux’s 1966 50th Anniversary Automatic was introduced at this year’s Baselworld, and it’s one of the most recent additions to the fan-favorite 1966 line of watches. The collection’s appeal is in its very traditional design codes, and the 1966 50th Anniversary hews strictly to that philosophy overall. It’s also a very enthusiast-friendly size and the movement has some respectable history behind it too, but is it enough to coax watch enthusiasts, who in general are in a very conservative mood nowadays, to seriously consider buying one? Let’s take a closer look.
With the release of the Christopher Ward C9 DB4 ‘1 VEV’, we see a piece the brand claims “pays homage” to one of the most iconic and beloved designs in all of British motoring history, the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. As true fans of the car’s history know, this is a tall order for any watch manufacturer to undertake. Does it achieve any of the legendary design status of the DB4? Let us take a look at what Christopher Ward cooked up for us to find out.
Patek Philippe gathered the largest grouping of its rare minute repeaters in one place in mid-2016. This unique event was broadcast live via the Internet as the focus of Robb Report’s first Master Class, in which the magazine’s editors partnered with the esteemed watch brand to present eleven rare and exceptional minute repeaters. Here we recap the exceptional timepieces.
When it comes to vintage Heuer, it’s the historic chronographs that constantly grab the headlines. I mean, who hasn’t recently read a story about some uber-rare, record-breaking Autavia, Carrera, or Monaco? Yet, there’s one watch that played a critical role in Heuer’s history that remains almost entirely overlooked. Its stunning success was unexpected and came at the best possible time for the company. In Jack Heuer’s own words: “We could not imagine that this model would be the very watch that was to help the company recover.” Surprisingly, this glorious hero was not a chronograph – hell, most of the time it’s powered by a quartz movement. So let’s settle this injustice and look at a relatively obscure diving watch, despite it being a bestseller from 1979 to this very day. This is the Heuer Diver Professional.
Official Timekeeper of the Domaine de Chantilly Polo Club near Paris, France, Richard Mille timed the 16th edition of The French Open Paprec polo tournament — one of the most prestigious of the season — from September 3 – 18, culminating with the men’s and women’s finals on Sunday, September 18.
Official Timekeeper of the Domaine de Chantilly Polo Club near Paris, France, Richard Mille timed the 16th edition of The French Open Paprec polo tournament — one of the most prestigious of the season — from September 3 – 18, culminating with the men’s and women’s finals on Sunday, September 18.
This week, Bring A Loupe focuses on presenting some rare watches that come with outstanding stories. We start with a French Lip Mach 2000, one of the most polarizing watches ever designed. There’s also a military Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, with all the info on its former owner – a German combat diver from the Bundeswehr. We round out the week’s selection with a nice Royal Oak 5402 with a tropical dial, an early Heuer Autavia 2446C, and a great Zenith El Primero G381 in yellow gold. This is your Bring A Loupe for September 23, 2016.
