When vintage-inspired watches are designed, the result can be a timepiece that looks removed from its history and context and feels lacking in substance. Not so with the IWC Hand-Wound Eight Days 75th Anniversary edition, which is a subtle mix of original styling and accurate sizing combined with improvements that don’t detract from the soul of the watch.
Whimsy, frivolity, playfulness: these are not adjectives one often hears used to describe haute horlogerie. And yet these words accurately describe many watches or clocks built over the centuries. Take a journey with me now to discover my favorite modern whimsical masterpieces.
Waxing poetically about moon phases has gotten me excited enough to take a trip through certain “phases” of engineering excellence . Here we bring you the eight most accurate moon phases currently fitted into a wristwatch. Join us on this odyssey through space and time.
The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk was already an icon of modern haute horlogerie thanks to its debut in 2008 of the first instantaneously jumping digital minutes and hours display. Little could anyone have predicted the release of the sensational Zeitwerk Handwerkskunst edition four years later.
At Baselworld 2016, Arnold & Son unveiled the UTTE Skeleton ultra-thin tourbillon, a new world record holder and a darn good looking watch. Discover how Arnold & Son did more with less to make this the thinnest skeleton tourbillon watch on the market.
The special attributes of the Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante center around the double column wheel split-seconds chronograph function, which is partially visible from the dial side. The other major feature of the movement is on the opposite side of the dial, near 10:30: the tourbillon. And all of this for a more-than-fair price that is bound to catapult this brand deep into the hearts of watch enthusiasts.
Time Shadow, the latest timepiece by Andreas Strehler, uses the concept of shadow in a fun and unique way. When a numeral on the hour ring passes in front of the bright orange circle, it appears as if a shadow is moving across a brightly sunlit field. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this piece is only fun; it is also serious horology as befits a watchmaker of Strehler’s stature and creativity.
In the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Elegance Sartoriale collection the patterns are truly the stars of this collection, not just because they are taken right from the folds of fashion, but because they are all incredibly difficult to engrave due to their complex designs. Every single line is engraved by hand on a rose engine lathe using guilloché.
People are always finding new outlets to express creativity because that is what humans do . . . right down to tattoo artists seeking new ways to create, leading to unusual collaborations. This is exactly the kind of thing that led to the creation of a watch featuring unique, hand-tattooed straps and a rather incredible juxtaposition of classic and modern watchmaking. I give you the Romain Jerome Tattoo-DNA by Xoil.
The incredible UR-105 T-Rex is an extinct-reptile-inspired bronze creation using forced oxidation to create a dramatic patina on the surface, while the insides and the rear of the case remains crisp, black, and new as one would expect from Urwerk. My initial response was ‘whoa,’ but among observers there was no middle ground: the Urwerk UR-105 T-Rex is polarizing.