Based on the most popular releases of 2017, it is possible that the almighty tourbillon may about to be usurped by something new and rather old at the same time: the chronograph. In this installment of Joshua Munchow’s “Here’s Why” series, he explores why the chronograph is the new tourbillon.
At Baselworld 2018 young boutique brand Akrivia launched its Chronomètre Contemporain, the very first timepiece in the Rexhep Rexhepi Collection. To say that Joshua is impressed is an understatement, but there is more to it: this watch represents a new, diverged direction for the independent watchmaker.
Jaquet Droz has been creating beautiful pieces of horology and automata for nearly three centuries, and in that time there has been little to no emphasis on exposed or skeletonized movements. Yet here we have the new Grande Seconde Skelet-One! Check out why Joshua Munchow thinks this is a stunning piece of horology even though it may be outside the brand’s established design arena.
Omega took another step forward along the road of its story with a release commemorating space exploration in a way different than it has done before: the Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon Apollo 8 pays tribute to the crew that was the first to actually see the “dark” side of the moon. And it does so in an unequivocally modern way that just fits.
The story of the Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon is still being written, but given a chance, Joshua Munchow thinks that it may be a story that holds with watch lovers.
H. Moser & Cie has launched watches intended to take a jab at the watch industry in one way or the other for three SIHH fairs straight. Here Joshua explains why he thinks that the new Moser Endeavour Flying Hours is so good (hint: star wheel), seen in retrospect following those three funky creations.
Joshua pontificates upon the unadorned cleanliness emphasized by the new Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision Enamel. The chapter ring and center inset are gone, and for good reason: enamel. This entire fresh dial is made of oven-fired enamel, with thinner numerals and markers harking back to classic pocket watches or vintage wristwatches, and a cutaway to admire the perfect finish of the 24-second tourbillon.
The retrograde indication is one of Joshua Munchow’s favorite “Because We Can” (BWC) complications: gears are an amazing invention and have allowed watchmakers to make incredible creations, leaving a multitude of openings for creativity. Joshua looks at some great retrogrades here and explains why he likes this display.
Fiona Krüger launches her new Chaos collection with Mechanical Entropy, a watch with the lofty aim of illuminating intangible ideas regarding time and its relation to the universe.
The jump hour has a long history, but first things first, it can’t technically be called a complication since the accepted definition of complication is a mechanism that provides information other than the time. However, anyone who gives a hoot will say in the same breath that there are many complications that don’t fit that definition and Joshua couldn’t agree more.