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Best Super NEWS Watches
Mechanical precision is a big deal at Jaeger-LeCoultre. Fruits of the brand's labor are not hard to find, having taken the two top spots at the Chronomtrie 2009 Competition in Le Locle. JLC prides themselves on achieving such levels of accuracy with rather complicated watches, too. Their latest efforts are focused on the Duometre a Quantieme Lunar, and are realized by way of what they are calling, the Dual-Wing movement.?The Dual-Wing, or Caliber 381, is a unique concept that sees the separation of the timekeeping elements of the movement, from the complication elements of the movement. Each is powered by its own mainspring and going gear train, both synchronized by the jumping seconds hand...
Introducing the TAG Heuer Monaco Mikrograph: A Monaco Case + A Mikrograph Movement = The Best of TAG
TAG Heuer's $50,000 Mikrograph is capable of tracking 1/100th of a second based using a fully mechanical movement that features two separate balance wheels with two separate escapements.? The Mikrograph's movement is the most impressive in TAG's lineup (save the concept Mikrotimer Flying 1000 chronograph, which has yet to be built).? The Monaco is TAG Heuer's most iconic case design.? So, what TAG has done here is take their very best mechanical movement and placed it into their most lust-worthy case design -? and the Monaco Mikrograph will be auctioned off at Only Watch 2011 in Monaco this September.The 43mm stainless steel case is a mixture of the traditional Monaco and the more modern Mon...
It's a comparison we've seen before, but that doesn't make it any less interesting.? Our friend Robert-Jan Broer from FratelloWatches.com has written a very nice review of two luxury sport watches that share much the same DNA, though today their paths have diverged ever so slightly.? We are of course talking about AP's Royal Oak 15202 Jumbo, and Patek Philippe's Nautilus.? They were both designed by Genta, both were the first sport models from two haute horology brands, both used the same caliber from JLC, and both are icons.?Also, they are both made today much in the same way they were in the 1970s.? For RJ's excellent review of the Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref 5711/1A vs. Audemars Piguet's ...
Audemars Piguet Releases A Special Royal Oak Jumbo In Celebration of Ten Years of the Purists Pro
The Royal Oak "Jumbo" (ref 15202) from Audemars Piguet is a horological purist's watch.? The ultra-thin homage to the original ref 5402 is highly sought after by collectors and prized for its fantastic automatic movement and demure stature.?Announced today, Audemars Piguet will be making a special Royal Oak Jumbo to celebrate ten years of the Purists Pro watch forum.? The watch will be made of stainless steel but with a tantalum bezel and bracelet links.? The famous caliber 2120 will be demi-skeletonized with a dark anthracite rodium base plate (a la the Royal Oak "Openworked") for maximium contratst.But, the defining trait for this special Royal Oak is the "P10" rotor that lets only the sel...
Vacheron Constantin just announced a new perpetual calendar chronograph model in its sporty Overseas line and we've got to admit, the things looks gooood. The case of this watch is both titanium and steel, sized at 42mm, and the movement inside is VC's caliber 1136QP.This caliber is based on the F.Piguet cal 1185 chronograph - the same chronograph movement used by AP's Royal Oak Chrono, many Blancpains (which now owns the naming rights to the movement - Swatch owns F. Piguet), some Harry Winstons, and a few other high-end watches.? On top of this base movement is a perpetual calendar module created by VC, and seen in an earlier perpetual calendar chrono, the ref 49005.Only 80 of these watche...
See The Harry Winston Opus Eleven Being Assembled
The Opus Eleven from Harry Winston is horological legend in the making.? Right now the $230,000, 566 component wristwatch of "exploding time" is being constructed in MCT's Neuchatel workshop.? Revolution Online has some exclusive pics of the work in progress.? They are most definitely worth your time. (via Revo Online)...
The House of Gucci Celebrates 90 Years With A Special Wristwatch: The Gucci Coup Limited Edition
Every now and then we'll see an interesting design from an unexpected source - in this case we're talking about the new Coup timepieces from Gucci -Yes, Gucci. Made to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Gucci, these special timepieces feature a retro-styled case, dial and strap, and an nice automatic movement.The dial bears the Gucci diamond pattern and both the strap and crown are signed "G".? The case is made of brushed stainless steel and sized at 40mm.? The movement inside these pieces are Swiss-made automatics (of undisclosed nature - likely ETA) with Dubois Depraz modules - very respectable.These watches, which read "G.Gucci 1921" right on the dial, are special, limited edition pieces ...
An Aerial Look At The Valle de Joux (VIDEO)
This past week we were in Switzerland with the fine folks at Vacheron Constantin. ?We spent time at both their Geneva headquarters and their factory in the famous Valle de Joux. ?How did we get from Geneva to the Valle? We took a helicopter, how else? ?Here you can see just what the Valle de Joux looks like from a bird's eye view. ?If you look closely (around :44) you can see the site where Vacheron will be build its new factory, doubling the brand's footprint in the region.?Below is another short video showing us leaving the Vacheron Constantin factory and flying back to Geneva....
The history of watch making is full of half-concocted and all but forgotten ideas. Sometimes these ideas are strangely prescient -? concepts only thwarted by the technological limitations of the day.? The watch concept weve got to show you today is an example of this.Patent number 3,426,747, from 1969 is for a Method and Watch Mechanism for Actuation by Cardiac Pulse. This watch is interesting for a number of reasons;it is an electric watch that uses the wearer's pulse, rather than a quartz crystal or tuning fork, to regulate the time.Furthermore this watch has two dials, one of which is based as a reference for optimal cardiac function, while the second will run either slower or faster d...
QUESTION: How Big Is Hublot's New Dive Watch? ANSWER: Big
Hublot's new King Power Diver 4000m is one serious dive watch.? It is, in following with the brand's theme of perpetual one-upmanship, rated to a depth that is 100 meter deeper than the other big dive watch out there.? It is sized at 48mm and features a locking inner-rotating bezel control at 2 o'clock.?? The watch comes in two case materials, titanium and carbon fiber.? It features a helium escape valve at 10 o'clock and a pretty cool strap-release system that allows the wearer to change straps with the greatest of ease, simply by pushing down where the strap meets the case.? The watch does come with both a normal length rubber strap and a diver's extension strap.The titanium version of thi...
Speake-Marin Celebrates 10 Years Of ThePuristS With The "Vegas Ten"
In celebrating their 10th anniversary, the horological family at ThePuristS has been treated to a number of limited edition watches from some of the hottest independent watchmakers on the planet. Adding his name to the already impressive list, which includes the likes of MB&F and Kari Voutilainen, is Peter Speake-Marin. His contribution, the Vegas Ten, pulls out all the stops in making one hell of a commemorative statement.Using the site of the upcoming IGOTT-2 events Las Vegas as inspiration, Speake-Marin's Vegas Ten is "an uninhibited larger-than-life celebration of life." At a glance it's easy to spot the Sin City influences, from the lummed stars marking the hours, the engaging jump-...
Friday Afternoon Find: Billy Bob Thornton's Seiko From The Movie "Faster"
Seiko diver watches, both new and vintage, have a strong and loyal contingent of fans. People love their affordability, reliability, and toughness. Currently for sale at Premiere Props, an entertainment memorabilia online store, is the watch that was worn by Billy Bob Thornton in the movie Faster. The watch appears to be a Seiko reference 6309, which is a reference appreciated by many Seiko collectors. For more information on this watch, available for $329.99, click here. Editor's Note: Interested readers may want to contact Premiere Props to determine if this item is indeed an authentic, working model and not merely a dummy, which are often used when filming and...
Live Pictures of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Moonphase 39mm: A Man's Man's Watch
With all this hullabaloo around the Reverso and the Deep Sea Alarm, some have overlooked what may very well be the slickest watch from SIHH, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moonphase 39mm.? This watch is absolutely gorgeous, and for lack of a better term, "pure class".? This is a power watch to be worn with a power suit while making power moves.? The best part about it? It's super thin, the perfect size, and not that expensive.? Click through for more pics of just an incredibly elegant watch.This watch is available in both rose gold and stainless steel and features an unbelievably clean and handsome dial.? The automatic movement is visible through the caseback and really, this watch i...
The Benrus Type II Class A: A Watch Worthy of a SEAL Team
One of the true grails for military watch collectors is the Benrus Type II Class A diving watch, which was a watch issued to members of the United States Special Forces including Navy SEAL Teams and Underwater Demolition Teams.? The watches are uniquely designed to be serviced by removing the bezel and then the crystal. The case back is permanently affixed and it is this design that makes the watch water resistant to 1,200 feet. They have a somewhat stealthy look by not having the name Benrus on the dial.A fine example of a Benrus Type II diver from 1976 is available here....
Bell & Ross Launches New Website: Easy on the Eyes, Not Easy on the Wallet
Let's face it, sometimes we're drawn to a timepiece not by its physical merits or its history, but by the image it projects. In our information-saturated era, what can set a watch company apart from the rest are the stories it tells. (Tested in ejection seats! First to the top of Everest!) Marketing is a huge component of a watch company's budget and this includes the press events, celebrity ambassadors and advertising. But a company's website is its front door, often the first place someone experiences a watch, whether he's in Topeka or Tokyo. So it pays to get it right. Bell & Ross has always been a company that has leaned heavily on its marketing and its storytelling. And with the lau...
Historical Perspectives: Comparing Classic Chronographs: Zenith's Something Old vs. Something New
Zenith's Basel 2011 collection was rock-solid (we showed you our favorites here), and the star of the show (at least in our eyes) was the new 38mm El Primero chronograph.? A great movement, a great case, vintage-inspired dial and a completely appropriate price ($6200) make this a watch we can surely recommend to all our readers.? Here is a look at this new 38mm El Primero vs. the original El Primero from 1969 from which it draws inspiration.?The watch is inspired by one of Zenith's most lauded models, the Reference A 386.? This watch was made for a brief period and is the first watch to use the three-color sub-register dial that has become almost standard for Zenith these days - seen in the ...
Christies Sale Makes $7.4 Million...And That's Only Counting Four Watches
The May Chisties Geneva sale was stacked, to say the least.? Even before the auctioning began yesterday morning, we knew this one was going to be big - just how big, we didn't know.? Well, to give you an idea of just what type of watches were sold yesterday, Christies totalled over $7.4 million, and that's only counting three Pateks and a Rolex.Sure, the Pateks included a mono-pusher chrono in steel from 1928 ($3.6m), a 1518 in pink gold ($1.6m), and a two-tone chronograph with original bracelet ($1.3m), and the Rolex, well that's the Rolex that told you could very well be the first to sell for over a milly - and guess what, it did.The sale also included high results for many lots, and full ...
Hands-On: With The Audemars Piguet Openworked Royal Oak Reference 15305 (Live Pics + Video)
The Openworked Royal Oak (reference 15305) was introduced at SIHH 2010 but really only began hitting stores in the past few months.? The watch is absolutely awesome, and from we we hear, is next to impossible to find.? At roughly $30,000, we view the Openworked RO as the first of two "entry level" haute horology products from AP - the other being the new Millenary 4101 that Ben raved about after SIHH.?What makes this watch so interesting is its youthful, industrial tone.? Many skeletonized watches can take on an ornate, almost formal look, but this Royal Oak avoids that, to its credit.? The caliber 3129, which is the openworked version of AP's in-house 3120 found in the traditional ref 15300...
Red Enamel Reverso Sells For 35,000 CHF: The Year of The Reverso Continues
Themed sales do really well, that much is clear.? When Antiquorum put on their Omegamania sale in 2007, things got a little crazy (um, over 23,000 CHF for a gold plated Ranchero? If you say so.)? There were similiar results in 2008's Rolex Revolution sale.? Then, this past December, when Bonhams held their Haslinger Heuer sale, we saw some equally staggering numbers, such as 48,000 POUNDS (not dollars or CHF, but POUNDS) for a rare black Monaco - though to be fair, the black Monaco really is the most bad ass Heuer ever.Today in Geneva, we saw 30 Reversos go under the hammer and some of them did really well.? The highlight of the show was the red enamel Reverso circa 1931 that we showed you h...
Hublot Celebrates The Opening of An NYC Boutique with A Limited Edition for amfAR
This past Wednesday in NYC, Hublot held a party for in honor of both their new boutique (located at 62nd and Madison) and 25 years of amfAR, the Foundation of AIDS research.? To celebrate, Hublot unveiled a limited edition Black Magic Big Bang in amfAR colors.? The 44mm watch is made of black ceramic, features a rubber alligator strap, and is limited to 100 pieces.? Price will be $15,900....