6 of the best fashion watch brands that are serious watchmakers
For lovers of Haute Horlogerie, the term “fashion watch” is often akin to a cuss word. But one doesn’t have to dig very far into the history of fine watchmaking to realise just how much we have to thank fashion labels for, and how the best fashion watch brands are serious watchmakers. In the 1980s, following the darkest period in luxury horology’s history, during which time quartz watches had threatened to extinguish the craft entirely, it was fashion brands that changed the way watches were seen and worn. Although it seems a bit counterintuitive these days, the idea of a watch as a throwaway accessory helped the luxury industry prosper, simply because it suddenly made watches seem desirable when, in the past, they’d just been viewed as necessary. And rare as it is, there are some excellent watchmakers in the world today that began life as fashion brands, before making a huge investment in proper manufacturing. These are some of the brands that successfully crossed the divide. Bulgari When it comes to transforming a reputation, Bulgari wrote the book. With some of the most impressive manufacturing feats of the past decade to its name (who can forget the Bulgari Octo…
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I’ve certainly had less turbulent years. In 2019, I quit a stable job, hurled myself into start-up life and lived with my in-laws for 10 months (!) before moving into a house that can euphemistically be described as “a renovator’s delight”. I changed a gazillion nappies and failed miserably to persuade my two sons — aged one and two — to sleep through the night. Over the last 12 months I’ve rarely worked so hard or slept so little. That’s probably why I was particularly drawn to vintage-inspired pieces this year. Their nostalgic designs hark back to a simpler time that, we imagine, was calmer, kinder and marginally less batshit-crazy. But I’m also now living right by the beach. That means that for the first time in my life, I’ve suddenly found myself hankering for a diving watch, something rugged and waterproof that can stand up to building sandcastles and retrieving small children from rock-pools. GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL SEVENTIES CHRONOGRAPH PANORAMA DATE Bow-chicka-wow-wow! That’s the sound this retro-tastic chronograph would make if it could talk. Sadly, it can’t. But we’re prepared to overlook that minor disappointment on account of the wondrous green fumé dial — made at Glashütte’s in-house facility in Pforzheim – housed…
Mastering the creation of a material that was first conceived more than 400 years ago while simultaneously bringing it into the 21st century is no mean feat. But that’s exactly what Seiko has done with its silky smooth Presage Arita Porcelain Dial SPB093. Widely regarded as some of the nicest and most ornate on the planet, Arita porcelain hails from the small town of — as the name would suggest — Arita, which is located in the Nishimatsuura District of the Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is a gorgeous material to behold, and its esteem is most certainly founded. However, it is quite fragile, and Seiko ran numerous tests with traditional Arita porcelain before ascertaining that it was not strong enough as a dial material to withstand the rigours of a daily worn timepiece. The Japanese watchmaker surely thought that some reinventing of the potter’s wheel was in order. Luckily, though, a new type of Arita porcelain had in fact already been developed just three years ago, and it was said to not only retain the defining aesthetic qualities of the famed material, but possess a strength four times that of normal Arita porcelain. The rest, as they say, is history, and having…
What’s the single most important component that dictates whether a new watch will be lauded or loathed by enthusiasts? Personally, I think a timepiece’s dial is the ultimate barometer of whether or not it’s a success. It’s what we look at most, and a beautiful dial has the ability to capture the imagination. There have been a bevy of wristwatches released in 2019 with gorgeous dials, and while we’d like to mention all of them, these five stood out as some of the best: ANORDAIN MODEL 2 TORR BLUE Scotland is not a location that immediately comes to mind when you think of watches with handmade enamel dials, but that is exactly what anOrdain offer. There is a reason you don’t see many watches with enamel dials, and that is because they are so challenging to produce. With each dial that anOrdain create taking a minimum of 12 hours, they are as rare as they are beautiful, with a glossy depth that only grand feu enamelling can achieve. Ref No: Torr Blue / Case size: 36mm / Case material: Steel / Movement: Sellita SW-210-1 / Price: $1970 MING 17.06 COPPER For a brand that has only been producing watches for…
