When the dust settled on the 2016 Phillips Start-Stop-Reset auction of stainless steel chronographs in Geneva, an extremely rare Rolex Oyster Zerograph Monopusher Flyback Chronograph stood out from the very strong field.
Tim Mosso breaks down and highlights some of his favorite timepieces from Geneva Watch Days 2024, including the Longines Legend Diver, De Bethune DBxs Aérolite, Oris Aquis Chronograph, Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Date Malachite, and more!
Unlike the niche-like fairs in Geneva, the Hong Kong Clock and Watch Fair (HKCWF) located in the world’s second largest watch exporter after Switzerland, drives the energy to the next level. It focuses not only on watches of all types, from mechanicals to smart, but also on components, fashion, trade and commerce. Marton Radkai reports his impressions of the fair.
The last two decades have witnessed regular Rolex engineering advances, often in plain sight and in rapid succession. Despite these developments, Rolex remains a brand defined not by movements but by continuity, model families, and the Rolex image itself. Tim Mosso thinks that the root of Rolex’s soft-pedaled reputation for movement virtuosity lies in the company’s own branding strategy. That and more in this third installment of Rolex’s history of movement technology.
The reissue concept is relatively simple: classically correct on the outside and up to date on the inside, thereby quenching the owner’s thirst for nostalgia while sparing them maintenance issues. But Tamim Almousa isn’t a fan of re-editions and he explains why here.
From the public’s perspective, Rolex’s surge into its movement revolution began with the now anachronistic-sounding Basel 2000 World Watch, Clock, and Jewelry Show. But the evidence of a long-term engineering campaign was mounting at the patent office and in the dealers’ showrooms as this article by Tim Mosso highlights.
If you want to love Rolex, but you love mechanical movements more than you love watch brands themselves, rejoice: Tim Mosso thinks that we are living in the halcyon days of Rolex movement innovation and shares a few well-illustrated technical and movement highlights right here.
Some years ago, the American wine critic, Robert Parker, dubbed Henri Giraud as “the greatest Champagne you’ve never heard of”. Ken Gargett takes a closer look.
From a technical perspective the Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé is a true powerhouse. Of course, how couldn’t it be when you combine a triple-axis tourbillon with a minute repeater, but the Arceau Duc Attelé is more than that. It is not only these technical features, nor even how they are positioned, but also how well they are executed.
The secret of the Parmigiani GMT Rattrapante, which does not look to have either GMT or rattrapante functionality, is the advance button on the lug. It moves the white gold hour hand forward one hour per push, revealing a pink gold home time hour hand underneath. And how practical this is for travel!