What is the most precious element of any watch brand? Its manufacture? Its skilled employees? Its brand ambassadors? Its boutiques? Martin Green thinks that it’s none of those, because the most important asset of a brand is its so-called DNA. Here he explains how brands better used their DNA at the 2018 edition of the SIHH.
With the the L.U.C Flying T Twin, Chopard releases its first flying tourbillon. Martin Green thinks that it is balanced, refined, typically Chopard, and a worthwhile addition to the world of the haute horlogerie. Read on for more.
Creating a proper, high-end mechanical ladies watch is something even the best of brands struggle with. Some simply take a men’s watch, make it a bit smaller, add some diamonds or mother-of-pearl, and call it a day. Others create what they think women would like (but are not quite sure). Here is what MB&F has done, and rest assured it is anything but ordinary!
At the 2019 SIHH, Vacheron Constantin introduced the contemporary FiftySix line with blue dials. And while normally a new dial color is less exciting than a new watch or complication, the new blue highlighted just how good the dial design of the FiftySix is!
Martin Green took three catalogs from IWC – the 1989, 1993, and 1996/97 editions – noting the differences between them and the current market. This is a journey full of surprises, forgotten watches, unknown treasures, and a shocking realization of how fast horological evolution has progressed.
London is one of the world’s metropolises that can very easily stand its ground against the others by doing what it does best: being profoundly British. There are plenty of sensational timepieces in London if you know where to look, and in this article Martin Green shares a few of his favorite places.
Even when you are really good at your craft and universally recognized, you might unwittingly find yourself in the middle of a battle. This is what happened to Abraham-Louis Breguet in the early nineteenth century as the Napoleonic Wars were being waged throughout Europe. For many years these conflicts offered both opportunities and challenges to Breguet. Martin Green explains why.
When the retrograde date of the Bovet Récital 21 flies back to the start and the perpetual calendar jumps into the next month, you raise your glass in a smiling, silent toast to the magic of haute horlogerie, the skills of the craftspeople, and the joy that watches like the Bovet Récital 21 offer. Whether you’re a dandy or not.
As we might expect from F.P. Journe, the parfum d’ambiance created for use in its boutiques is a thing of beauty: a clever compilation of light floral notes on a woody, cedar base. It is the base that provides its longevity, while the floral notes tone it down. The result is a contemporary composition brightening up the room and working effectively in light doses as a great interior perfume should. But why should we care?
There was a time when viewers didn’t consciously pay that much attention to what kind of wristwatches movie characters wore. This often meant that actors wore their personal watches on set, sometimes even when it didn’t suit the movie. Today placing a wristwatch in a big film is big business, which also changes the types of timepieces characters now wear.