Watch Dandy

HANDS-ON: The Swatch Sistem51 Irony – perfect for the Christmas stocking

swatch-sistem51-irony-5 Back in 2014, Swatch made waves with the original Sistem51, an innovative and affordable robot-assembled automatic watch. Much like the original Swatch, the Sistem51 was hailed as revolutionary, and touted as radically democratising the Swiss mechanical. While the sub-$200 timepiece was never going to threaten Omega’s market share (for example), it nonetheless featured some impressive technical features – like the single central screw holding the whole affair together, the anti-magnetic construction and 90 hours of power reserve. The initial Sistem51 came in the distinctive jellybean style case of the classic Swatch. Plastic, and fantastic. Earlier this year the Sistem51 got an upgrade to the Irony collection – made from far more durable (and a tad more grown-up) stainless steel. The polished case looks great, and reminds me of Marc Newson’s Biomorphism. The caseback is still clear, showing off the printed movements and peripheral rotor. The best thing though, is the dial. Swatch has released a bunch of new designs, from the fancy (and appropriately named) Tux, through to the very ‘flieger’ stylings of the Arrow. However we opted to check out the vibrant blue dial of the Boreal (which continues the vague astronomical themes of the original release), and the neat…

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Interview: Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann Gives Us A Look At The Future Of The Brand (And His Taste In George Clooney Movies)

When Stephen Urquhart stepped down from his position as President and CEO of Omega, the Swiss watch company decided to promote from within. Raynald Aeschlimann had been with Omega for 20 years, which meant he’d been able to absorb the culture of the company under Urquhart’s direction and participate in its drastic transformation and revitalisation during the Jean-Claude Biver era. Omega’s decision to appoint Aeschlimann to the top post, instead of turning to an executive outside of the Swatch Group, or, even, outside the watch industry, is a strong vote for stability. Here we sit down with Aeschlimann to chat about what Omega will look like under his administration.

Found: The Patek Philippe Observatory Tourbillon Worn As The Personal Watch Of Retired President Philippe Stern

The word “badass” gets thrown around a lot these days (we know, because we’re doing a lot of the throwing). However, if the shoe fits, wear it: this is, I’m pretty sure, the single most truly badass – in every way possible – personal daily wear wristwatch I’ve ever seen. This watch contains a tourbillon movement made by Patek Philippe especially for the observatory time trials, and it was cased and worn as a personal watch by Mr. Philippe Stern.

From Zeros To Heroes: The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1P And 5976/1G Anniversary Watches

On October 3, 2016, Patek Philippe launched two hotly anticipated limited-edition watches in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of its Nautilus line. Reaction from the watch community was immediate – and scathing. Yet barely a few weeks later, opinions were much more positive. What happened and what changed?

IWC Schaffhausen Debuts Portugieser Automatic Edition “Kuwait”

Swiss luxury horologer IWC Schaffhausen and its retail partner Behbehani Group present a limied Portugieser watch to fete their staunch ties in Kuwait.

Introducing: The Girard-Perregaux 1966 WW.TC, A Dressier Take On The Manufacture’s Worldtimer

Jack Forster once called Girard-Perregaux’s 1966 collection the G-P “for the rest of us.” He was referring specifically to the more versatile, everyday pieces in the line-up, such as the steel full calendar and the dual time model. After all, the 1966 collection also includes tourbillons, enamel dials, integrated column-wheel chronographs, automatic skeletons, and minute repeaters too. Well, nowe we can add one more complication to the list: the worldtimer.

“The Monochrome Video Week” – Ateliers DeMonaco, Discover an Atelier created for Nobility

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Ateliers DeMonaco is owned by watch brand Frederique Constant, and by the other fact that now-a-days both are owned by the Japanese brand Citizen. Here, unlike Constant, accessible luxury is not the rule. Noblesse Oblige is the brand’s motto, and a genuine passion for fine watchmaking, interesting complications, superior finishing, and devotion to traditions is what determines the world of Ateliers DeMonaco. Follow us in a manufacture visit of Ateliers DeMonaco, discover their unique high-end watches and let Pim Koeslag explain you all about this discreet but highly desirable watch brand.

Farer Watches – The British Brand’s First Year & Automatic Models

Sponsored Post written by advertiser for aBlogtoWatch Having arrived in the market in November 2015, the London based watch brand Farer has had a successful launch year being well received across the industry. The combination of vintage inspired British watch read more…

Just Because: The Manufacture Royale Opera Tourbillon Minute Repeater And Its Crazy Expanding Case

Manufacture Royale co-owner David Gouten stopped by our office recently, bringing with him a slew of the brand’s extremely unusual watches. The most out there of these was none other than the Opera, a minute repeater and tourbillon with – well, you want to call it an unusual case, but “unique” might be closer to the mark, as I can’t off the top of my head think of a single example of another tourbillon and minute repeater wristwatch with a telescoping case.

Review: Armin Strom Edge Double Barrel

Since it started producing its own in-house calibers in 2009, Armin Strom has caught the attention of many and amongst its creations, the “One Week Skeleton” watch that drew praises from many for its great craftsmanship. The company is renowned for its skeletonised watches where its founder Mr. Armin Strom who specialised in the field,…