Controversy Or Not? Synthetic Vs. Natural Diamonds In Watchmaking (Archive)

Discover in this video how a Geneva symposium’s aim was to explain the indubitable reality of the arrival of synthetic diamonds in the world of watchmaking and to demonstrate how it is possible to differentiate natural from lab-grown stones.

Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin

Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin: Neon Purple And Guaranteed To Contain No Motorcycle Engine Parts

According to Ken Gargett, there is nothing any gin distiller in Australia makes today that has grabbed attention like Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin. If you are yet to jump on board the gin revolution, this would make for a great start.

You Want One, Don’t You?

Why I Bought It: A. Lange & Söhne Double Split Chronograph (Archive)

GaryG provides us with a look at why he bought the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split even though he already owned the brand’s Datograph. The Double Split watch is the world’s only double rattrapante capable of both split-second and split-minute interval timing.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph Reference 5968A on orange strap

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph Reference 5968A: Orange Is The New Black

A watch that (unsurprisingly) caught Sabine Zwettler’s eye recently was Patek Philippe’s new stainless steel Aquanaut Chronograph featuring a bright orange second hand. Here she explains just what it is that makes this model so special.

Rolex GMT-Master Reference 6542 (photo courtesy Bobs Watches)

First Rolex GMT-Master, Reference 6542, And Why The Gold Version Is Much More Desirable

In recent years, the Rolex GMT-Master with its multi-time zone display has become one of the most desirable Rolex watches to own. And the very first GMT-Master, Reference 6542, is easily the rarest and most sought after of all the vintage GMT-Master references. Especially in the version we show here.

Patek Philippe Ref 5270P Perpetual Chronograph with salmon dial

Serving Up Salmon: Watches With Sublime Salmon-Colored Dials And Why They Remain Rare

Even seasoned watch connoisseurs will look twice when presented with a men’s watch fitted with what’s known as a “salmon” dial. If it is a fairly common model, a salmon-colored dial usually elevates the watch to a higher plane. What else did you not know about salmon dials? Find out here!

Soul you can touch: Philippe Dufour Duality

Behind The Lens: Philippe Dufour Duality (Archive)

For this edition of Behind the Lens, GaryG shares a series of photographs of one of the great watches of our time, the Philippe Dufour Duality. The Duality, with its linked twin escapements, was originally planned for production in a series of 25 watches. In a turn of events that seems almost unbelievable today, a lack of initial demand eventually led Dufour to limit production to just nine pieces.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox in pink gold

Watch Collecting Regrets? I’ve Had A Few, But Not Too Few To Mention: They Include Selling Too Soon And Failing To Buy

You can like everything, but you can’t buy – or keep – everything! Inevitably, the choices involved lead at times to regrets; for GaryG, along with many of his pals, the sadness is much more often about pieces sold too soon or failed to buy rather than pieces they were sorry about buying in the first place (although surely everyone has a few “what was I thinking?” buying moments).

A very pleased Rafael Nadal with the Ion Tiriac Trophy after winning the 2014 Mutua Madrid Open . Phozo courtesy ATP

Rafael Nadal, The World’s No.1 Tennis Player; The Richard Mille RM 27-01, The World’s Most Expensive Sports Watch; And The Ion Tiriac Trophy, The World’s Most Complicated Tennis Trophy (Archive)

The Mutua Madrid Open is a young tournament; it crowned just its thirteenth winner on May 11, 2014. This winner happens to be world number one Rafael Nadal. And Nadal was wearing an evolution of the groundbreaking ultra-light RM 027. In lightness as in its $690,000 price tag, this watch breaks all kinds of records.

IWC Mark XVIII Top Gun Miramar

IWC Mark XVIII Top Gun Miramar: Setting The Story Straight

When it comes to pilot’s watches, IWC pretty much coined the term. However, as Martin Green reports, where the former IWC Top Gun watches were generally well received, the Top Gun Miramar changed things up a bit, and the result was far more polarizing. Find out much more about the histories of Top Gun, Miramar, and IWC pilot’s watches in this story.