4N Sapphire Planet

The Jump Hour: A Love Story (Archive)

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.

The 365 stairs, on for each day of the year, at El Castillo, Chichen Itza

World’s Biggest Man-Made Calendar: El Castillo At Chichén Itzá (Archive)

Contemplating the ancient pyramid at Mayan archeological site Chichén Itzá in the blazing Yucatán sunlight, Elizabeth Doerr was awestruck by the structure’s complexity. Chichén Itzá’s most famous structure was built to be the world’s largest calendar . . . at a time when calendars didn’t even exist!

Vintage Jaeger "Panda dial 4 ATM"

The Number Of Jewels In A Watch Movement Indicates Value, Doesn’t It? A Myth Debunked

Seriously, who cares how many jewels their watch has? Watchmaker Ashton Tracy thinks that you’d be surprised how many people care as they’ve been duped by a vintage practice of announcing the amount of movement jewels on watch dials. What is the real story here?

The Hublot Antikythera Sunmoon on the author's wrist

The Secret Link Between The FIFA World Cup And The Hublot Antikythera Sunmoon (Archive)

Hublot really has embraced the World Cup with two new models and broad marketing efforts. But the brand has also secretly created a timepiece that could change the game for whoever holds it: as it has the power to predict and influence the future!

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.

Silicon: A Closer Look At The Material That Unleashed A Refreshing Range Of Haute Horlogerie Ideas

Following the recent article on silicon balance springs by watchmaker Ashton Tracy called ‘Is Silicon Here To Stay In (Rolex) Watch Movements?’ Timothy Treffry decided to take a closer, more technical look at the intriguing silicon material from which the components are made.

Breguet Marine Equation of Time Marchante Ref. 5887

Equation Of Time: What Is It And What’s The Attraction In A Watch?

In its simplest form, the equation of time is defined as the difference between the time displayed by the position of the sun (as by a sundial) and the time displayed by any modern clock or watch. But that’s just the beginning, and watchmaker Ashton Tracy explains more.

Louis Moinet's Treasures of the World Green Aventurine Vertalis Tourbillon seems to be only one of two wristwatches fitted with a quartz aventurine stone

Aventurine: Sparkling, Glittering, Mysterious, And Placing A Galaxy Of Stars On Your Wrist

Despite seeing aventurine in six new wristwatches at SIHH – more than the number of new tourbillons Elizabeth counted – it remains a decorative artisanal element used only by luxury watchmakers in small series or unique pieces for its beauty and decorative properties. While there is some uncertainty about the origin of aventurine, it continues to add mysterious shine and scintillating glamour to watches. Here is what aventurine really is and where it comes from.

The first of the revolutionary AgenGraphe chronograph movements off the production line sits at the heart of Carpe Diem by Agenhor and HEAD for Only Watch 2017

The AgenGraphe By Agenhor: The Most Significant Chronograph Since . . . Since The Invention Of The Chronograph

The initial key concepts for the AgenGraphe chronograph included having the elapsed time indicators displaying around the center hole so that the indications were large and highly legible, and that the minute and hour displays jumped instantaneously so that there could be no confusion when reading elapsed time. But the new chronograph ended up offering much more than that. Much more!

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller Deepsea with helium escape valve

Deeper, Further, Faster: Why Do Some Dive Watches Have Helium Escape Valves?

Humans have long had a fascination with the depths of the ocean, striving to go ever deeper, ever further, and ever faster by pushing the limits of the human body, technology, and advancing modern science. But like all things, we are often faced with limits.