Love them or hate them, one thing that most collectors know is that tourbillons are very expensive. That’s all changed with Patria’s Brigadier Tourbillon Subscription Edition costing ‘just’ CHF 18,000 for a beautifully hand finished Swiss Made tourbillon.
Ian Skellern has been a Greubel Forsey fan boy since the brand launched back in 2004, but his appreciation for the brand’s beautifully executed complications was always purely platonic. It wasn’t just the price, their watches were too big for him. The sub-40 mm Balancier Contemporain changed that and this blue stainless steel final edition looks sensational!
Disclosure: Purple isn’t one of Ian Skellern’s favorite colors. So, off the bat, he doesn’t like the HM8 Mark 2 Purple because of its color, but he does like it because it captures the essence of the era and the original CAN-AM series car racing in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Czapek’s Promenade collection places the focus on artistic dials and the new Promenade Diamond Drops adds some sparkle to the artistry. The 38 mm diameter white gold case is features a diamond-set bezel and crown, and the dial is a sparkling sea of snow-set dial of diamonds and sapphires.
Breguet appears to be struggling to live up to its reputation as one of the oldest and most iconic Swiss watch brands, but the brand hit the ball out of the park the Tradition collection. And this Seconde Rétrograde is yet another home run.
The McGonigle Tuscar launched at Baselworld 2010 as a limited edition of ten pieces. Despite launching with only a rough sketch of the balance bridge, it quickly sold out. Now, after years of development and testing, Stephen McGonigle launches the Ogma, which will replace the Tuscar.
The MB&F SP One, initially dubbed “Three Circles”, showcases a trinity of floating elements – the barrel, balance wheel, and dial – defying gravity on your wrist.
Like many connected to the watch industry, Ian Skellern has wondered at just how much of an impact the US tariffs are likely to have on the watch industry. And todate he has found no clearer explanation of what’s likely to happen than by Teddy Baldassarre, who is both a US watch retailer and prominent watch reviewer and journalist.
Watches prices on the secondary market have continued to decrease in 1Q with private players performing better than the listed names. Overall secondary demand remains resilient, but pricing power of the listed groups may be eroding.