Best Super NEWS Watches
Historical Perspectives: Inside The Archives Of Cartier (VIDEO)
"What makes a Cartier watch different is really the work on shape and design." This one sentence pretty much sums up the 25 pieces we got to see from Cartier's official archives, including some of the craziest variations of the iconic Tank. This outstanding lineup also showed how Cartier has managed to continuously re-invent itself over nearly two centuries, with a unique ability to twist a classic and still keep the distinctly elegant vibe that has characterized the French maison since its founding in 1847. But aesthetics are not the only domain in which Cartier turned the horological world upside down; one should not forget where the invention of the deployant buckle came from, nor the cou...
The Value Proposition: The Longines Avigation Type A-7 1935
Trench coats, bomber jackets, combat boots. Military gear has never been so fashionable. The same goes for military-issued wristwatches. Those made in times of war have never been so collectable. But unlike the items of apparel listed above, which are now considered classic menswear, wristwatches styled after those made during the first half of the 20th century look, well, dated. None more so than the new Longines Type A-7 1935. But stick with me here, I promise it's worth it. An original Longines Type A-7, as seen in Alfredo Paramico's collection. The Type A-7 1935 is based on a real single-button chronograph produced by Long...
Hands-On: The IWC Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36
If you've been following along for the past few months, you have probably heard about IWC re-inventing the Da Vinci?collection as its big release at SIHH. Based on the original Da Vinci, first produced in 1986, this new series reflects the old case design but with a heavy focus on ladies' pieces like the new Automatic Moon Phase 36 that you see here. It's a new direction for the collection (and the brands) and one that is very much worth paying attention to. Before I go into my thoughts on this watch, I want to preface this story with a pretty important caveat. I do not like the old Da Vinci watches. I never have. Sorry. BUT, I am always open to new things ...
A Week On The Wrist: The F.P. Journe Octa Quantime Perptuel
Not very long ago, a collector friend called the Octa Quantime Perptuel "the biggest miss in horological journalism in recent years." Ouch. He claimed the watch had received very little attention from the mainstream watch media. And he wasnt wrong. This is a Francois-Paul Journe perpetual calendar wristwatch after all, and its the first digital perpetual calendar with instantaneous jumping day, date, and month made by anyone. I decided it was time to right this wrong. There are currently four different Octa QP models, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on the 40mm model in red gold with a red gold dial, my favorite of the four configurations (there are platinum cases and 42mm version...
Recommended Reading: Laurent Ferrier Talks About His History Racing Cars
If you thought you loved Laurent Ferrier solely for his incredibly refined timepieces, be prepared to love him even more. Ferrier, who spent 35 years at Patek Philippe before opening his own independent manufacture, continues to stun and amaze us with his beautiful creations like this year's Galet Tourbillon with open dial and Montre cole. But something that you may or may not know is that Ferrier used to race cars. Like, serious cars. In fact, he raced the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1979...and came in third place. Yeah, this guy is seriously cool. Ferrier's first race car was a Lotus 18 that he purchased with his friends when he was 20, and it got pretty inte...
Hands-On: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos 568 Designed By Marc Newson
One of my first stops at SIHH a few weeks ago was the Jaeger-LeCoultre booth, where I was on the hunt for one thing in particular C and it wasn't even a watch I was looking for. I stepped into the booth, got tunnel vision, and beelined for the back, where, sitting on an unassuming white bookcase was the new Marc NewsonCdesigned Atmos 658 clock. It was love at first sight. Jaeger-LeCoultre actually announced the new Atmos way back in October, and, at the time, I was excited to see it in person but wasn't as wowed by it as I had been with previous iterations of the Atmos from Newson. The Atmos 561 and Atmos 566 are tough to beat. But, as with most really inte...
Hands-On: The Gronefeld 1941 Remontoire, With A Dial Made In Collaboration With Kari Voutilainen
I honestly thought Gronefeld would find it very difficult to improve on the 1941 Remontoire. This is a serious award-winning watch, after all. But I've just been proven wrong. The Dutch brothers have bested themselves with the introduction of a stainless steel model with an absolutely killer guilloch?dial, made by Kari Voutilainen and sealed under a fine coat of enamel by Ins Hamaguchi. Its a team effort, but it all comes together very coherently and to great effect. The 1941 Remontoire was released by the Gronefeld brothers just this past year, and its a watch that is special for a variety of reasons. On a purely personal level, because Oldenzaal, the ...
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin FiftySix Self-Winding (Live Pics & Pricing)
Vacheron Constantin's simple watches have heretofore been offered largely in precious metals, and comparatively expensive; a two-hand Patrimony in 18k white gold is currently priced at $18,900. This year Vacheron is offering a whole new collection: the FiftySix collection. The simplest FiftySix models are the FiftySix Self-Winding watches, which are being offered in pink gold or steel, and priced at $19,400 for the former and $11,700 for the latter. Why This Watch Matters According to Vacheron, this is the first time in history that the company has offered a "classic collection" (i.e. a non-sports model) in both a precious metal and steel...
Introducing: The A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph In Rose Gold
The 1815 collection has been around since 1996, with the chronograph debuting in 2004. This watch has quickly become a fan favorite of the brand, with its high-performing caliber L951.5 and beautiful dial layout. Last year we saw the 1815 chronograph debut in white gold with a black dial, to ?pretty much unanimous excitement from collectors. This year, the 1815 chronograph is getting another update, this time being rendered in 18k pink gold with either a silver or black dial. Why This Watch Matters As I mentioned earlier, this watch is a fan-favorite and is often spotted on the wrists of passionate collectors. The reason being is that it ...
Introducing: The Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept
It's rare that you get something truly new in mechanical watchmaking, but this is just that. With this concept watch (ie, it's not for sale and is proof of concept for a future commercially available piece), Ressence is introducing its e-Crown technology. What's that, you ask? It's an electronic system that sits between the fully mechanical movement and the ROCS display disc system, allowing the watch to self-adjust to new timezones, be set from a smartphone, and even reset after the power reserve is wound down C if your watch winds down, you just pick it up, tap it on the crystal, and you're back to the right time without having to fiddle with the setting mechanism on the watch's rear. This...
Introducing: The A. Lange & Sohne Triple Split, The World's First Triple Rattrapante Chronograph
The A. Lange & Sohne Triple Split Chronograph is the first of its kind: a rattrapante chronograph capable of measuring and comparing the time of two concurrent events, of up to twelve hours' duration. The Triple Split is an extension of the capabilities of the existing Double Split, and represents a pretty major technical accomplishment (both are members of the Saxonia collection). The Double Split was introduced in 2004 and generated a tremendous amount of buzz at the time, and for good reason; the Triple Split, while conceptually an extension of the Double, should do the same for Lange this year. Why This Watch Matters The rattrapan...
Introducing: The Baume & Mercier Clifton Club Indian Legend Tribute Chief And Scout Limited Editions
The Clifton Club has quickly emerged within the Baume & Mercier range as an affordable line of sports watches, often with quite thoughtful styling and impressive wearability. Here we have two new chronographs C one partially openworked and coming on a calfskin strap (Scout), the other with a solid dial and a stainless steel bracelet (Chief). Both of these releases, named after popular Indian Motorcycles models, are powered by rock-solid if ubiquitous Valjoux 7750 movements and feature abundant design cues referencing Baume & Mercier's marketing partnership with Indian Motorcycles. Last Year's Clifton Clubs While this year's Clifton Club r...
Introducing: The Urwerk AMC, An Atomic Clock-Controlled Take On The Breguet Sympathique
Urwerk has just announced that they're working on what sounds like a very unusual (and extremely technically) challenging project: a modern version of a Breguet sympathique, controlled not by a high precision mechanical clock, but by a portable atomic clock. The sympathique clocks of Breguet were among his most complex creations: a clock with a recess (a dock, if you will) for a pocket watch. Once per day, the clock, via a complex series of mechanical linkages, would do three things: set the watch to the correct time, wind it, and (the most complex challenge) regulate the rate of the watch. According to Urwerk, the AMC (Atomic Master Clock) project aims to duplicate this functionality, but w...
Introducing: The A. Lange & Sohne Little Lange 1 With Guilloch Dials
Last year we saw the introduction of the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase Guilloch in pink gold with a opaline dial. It was a not-so-secret favorite of mine. This year, the Little Lange 1 is back (without the moonphase) and in three new configurations: purple dial with a white gold case, grey dial with a white gold case, and brown dial with a pink gold case. All three versions feature ?the traditional Lange 1 dial layout with a beautiful guilloch treatment. The case measures 36.8mm in diameter and is powered by the L121.1 manually-wound movement featuring a twin-aperture date, sub seconds, and a power reserve.? Why This Watch Matters The Littl...
Introducing: The A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia In Copper Blue
The Saxonia Thin is considered the brand's entry-level watch by many Lange enthusiasts (and the 37mm version is the brand's least expensive offering). First you had the Saxonia Thin in 40mm for $24,500, and then the 37mm version was released in 2016 with an astounding $14,900 retail price. This year we have the Saxonia Thin Blue Copper in white gold, which measures a comfortable 39mm in diameter, a new size for the model. But that's not all. There is a new dial treatment on this Saxonia Thin too. What looks like Aventurine is actually a solid silver dial coated with a thin layer of goldstone (also called Aventurine glass, not to be confused with the hardstone itself), and there are microscop...
Introducing: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin
No, you have not read the headline of this story wrong. The watch you see here is indeed an AP Research & Development piece. This is going to surprise a whole lot of folks, who'd be right not to expect a 950 platinum-cased perpetual calendar watch to be the follow up to the groundbreaking Royal Oak Concept RD#1, a watch that after all debuted a completely new system for enhancing the audibility of chiming watches. But read on. This watch is a major breakthrough. Why This Watch Matters What we have here is the thinnest automatic perpetual calendar in the world. The new in-house 5133 movement is just 2.89 mm thick, an almost unfathomabl...
Business News: F.P. Journe Will Discontinue The Sonnerie Souveraine After 2018
Often, when a manufacturer decides to discontinue a watch, the model unceremoniously disappears without a peep. One day it's there, and the next it's gone. F.P. Journe is giving its customers a little bit of fair warning here though, announcing in January that after December 31, 2018, the incredible Sonnerie Souveraine will be retired to make way for a new grand complication to debut next year. If you want to get your order in, you've got almost 12 months to do so. Whether or not you're going to sneak in a last minute commission for your own Sonnerie Souveraine, you definitely need to check out the epic video we shot about the making of the masterpiece back in 20...
Introducing: The Girard-Perregaux Neo-Tourbillon With Three Bridges Skeleton
The Neo-Tourbillon is one of the pillars of the current Girard-Perregaux collections. First released back in 2014, the Neo-Tourbillon with Three Bridges was an extension of the 150-year old Three Bridges, a signature for the brand. Now the watch has been reintroduced in a skeletonized version. The watch itself is made of titanium and measures 45mm in diameter and 15.85mm thick. The caliber is the automatic (with white gold micro-rotor!) GP09400-001, which is the same caliber as the original Neo-Tourbillon, just skeletonized. Girard-Perregaux has been producing the tourbillon with three golden bridges since 1884 and skeletonized versions of the movement since 1998. This is a way for them to m...
Introducing: The H. Moser Venturer Concept Blue Lagoon
Following up on the Cosmic Green dial, H. Moser & Cie. has introduced the Venturer Concept Blue Lagoon C a gorgeous blue dial with familiar fum treatment. If you are familiar with Moser then you are likely familiar with this watch and these special dials often used on their watches (with the exception of the Swiss Icons Watch of course). This is the first time that they have created a Concept watch in the 39mm Venturer case. The Blue Lagoon fum dial version is powered by the manual-winding caliber HMC 327 movement. The Venturer Concept Blue Lagoon is a limited timepiece available in 20 pieces each in red or white gold.? The Swiss Icons Watch H....
Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Mtiers dArtLes Arostiers
The latest Mtiers d'Art watches from Vacheron Constantin are built around a very unusual motif: the early history of hot air ballooning, which was pioneered in France in the second half of the 18th century (believe it or not). The Montgolfier brothers were the first; they experimented with unmanned balloons, which they called "aerostats" and sent one aloft with animals in the gondola in 1783 (a sheep, a duck, and a rooster) before finally becoming the first humans to fly. tienne Montgolfier took to the air in October of the same year. The hot air balloons used by the Montgolfiers were made for them by a wallpaper manufacturer named Jean-Baptiste Rveillon, out of taffetta with a varnish co...