The ‘Ragnarok’ by Tidemann Watches might be the first ever haute horlogerie release with its own heavy metal theme song…
What does ‘Ragnarok’ mean? In a word: Armageddon. A dramatic name for one of Nordic origins (me), and a dramatic set of preconceptions for a debut in Nordic Haute Horlogerie via Glashütte. Elbow nudging greetings are exchanged with Tom André Tidemann, and we go for a walk in the crisp air of Scandinavian autumn. The Oslo-based international watch dealer, with a strong portfolio of aces from Cyrus, Czapek Geneve and Parmigiani Fleurier, is clearly excited to be on the brink of a major release. A long personal voyage is culminating in the first watch from Tidemann Luxury Watches, the Ragnarok by Tidemann, an intriguing mix of Heavy Metal and Haute Horlogerie. You wouldn’t think so, but the dapper Tidemann — short navy trench coat and the haircut of a financial consultant — is deeply into the darker side of rock, playing guitar from a young age and forming close friendships with luminaries on the scene like Matt Heafy, lead singer and guitarist from popular Orlando-based metal band Trivium. As for his wristgame, he’s double-wristing of course. How does this mix with business meetings at Baselworld and SIHH, a personal relationship with Walter Lange, and translate into an intricate Glashütte caliber within…
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Louis Vuitton are best known today for their leather goods, and historically for their travel trunks, but when it comes to watchmaking, most aren’t aware of the work they do. Of course, having such a well-recognised brand globally is a double-edged sword, where Louis Vuitton bags are desired all over the world, but the quality of their other products is less well understood. But don’t let that lull you into thinking the French-founded brand can stitch a seam and nothing else. No, the Louis Vuitton watchmakers are some of the finest in the world, earning their movements the Geneva Seal, a rarified standard of Swiss watchmaking reserved for the best of the best. Think Cartier and Vacheron Constantin, two other brands that are also authorised to use the Geneva Seal. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of our favourite pieces from the Louis Vuitton 2020 collection, including flying tourbillons, gem-set cases and some special spinning cubes. Tambour Spin Time Air Japan Limited In the Louis Vuitton collection, we have seen and become dazzled by the intricacies of the Tambour Spin Time, as seen here in our video from Queenstown, New Zealand. This time, Louis Vuitton…
Editor’s note: With watch collecting skewing towards sports models, there is definitely room for more classic and complicated watches in our collections. Now I know what you’re thinking: more complicated means more cost. This, however, is not necessarily the case. In fact, we recently covered a watch that fits the bill. When Watches & Wonders 2020 arrived, the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Day-Date and Moon-Phase was introduced to consumers around the world – providing a complicated watch at an entry-level price point. For $4400 USD or $6900 AUD, you can add a steel-cased watch packed with great complications for less than a Tudor Pelagos. With an in-house movement, silicon hairspring, and 120 hours of power reserve, the Clifton Baumatic Day-Date Moon-Phase should definitely be a candidate for your next watch hunt – and our very own James Robinson will continue to tell you why. In the end, watch fairs can sometimes be remembered for the sleeper hits. Sure, ‘fairs’ aren’t currently really a thing, but the global chaos didn’t stop Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) from rallying and creating a fully digital version of Watches & Wonders. Which we promptly translated into a TV show, because we wanted…
Let’s face it, watch auctions can be a little bit intimidating. The big players in the watch game are centuries-old organisations, with Christie’s and Sotheby’s both pre-dating the First Fleet sailing into Botany Bay, and Phillips only eight years younger, being founded in 1796. All this history, the seven-figure headline lots and the sometimes confusing rules of the game can build to the impression that it is an inaccessible world of richly scented mahogany. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there can be hidden gems at the (relatively) more affordable end of the scale. With that in mind, I had a dig through the catalogue at the upcoming Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XII, and found eight sleepers that might just prove once again that big watch auctions can be for everyone. Patek Philippe ref. 513 – A fine yellow gold rectangular-shaped wristwatch, retailed by Tiffany & Co. There are endless areas of the vintage watch world to obsess over, but one of the most historically interesting corners to seek out is the phenomenon of double-signed watches. This Patek Philippe was produced in 1951, and was sold by their longstanding American retail partner Tiffany & Co. in…
