What a diverse bunch of tourbillons in this Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève category: two of them are beautifully transparent, while one of them is combined with a chronograph. Yet another contains a constant-force device, while one example here can be flipped around. And, finally, the sixth is involved in a space war. Oh, to choose a winner!
Complication abounds in the 2021 GPHG Calendar and Astronomy category: two perpetual calendars – one of which is of world record-holding thinness – a complete calendar with chronograph, a clever day-date that you can’t help but smile at, a mind-blowingly beautiful moon phase watch, and the world’s smallest planetarium. And our panel members all (well, nearly all) have different favorites to win!
October 1, 2021, marks 20 years since Günter Blümlein passed away at the age of just 58. His untimely death meant that A. Lange & Söhne lost its visionary co-founder, and the watch world lost a charismatic businessman and strategist who was a crucial factor in driving the mechanical renaissance of watchmaking in the late twentieth century. His legacy was – and remains – the three so-called LMH brands, a “supergroup” that went on to form the nucleus of Richemont’s high-level manufacturing capabilities at the turn of the millennium.
Whether you are a desk pilot who enjoys aviation-themed watches or a jetsetter who flies the friendly skies in private Gulfstreams, these 5 watches will deliver the perfect flair of sophistication with an abundance of horological clout. And a price tag to match!
The majority of today’s numerous flieger-style watches are inspired by the now-iconic German pilot’s and navigator’s watches of World War II, becoming a genre unto themselves. Bhanu Chopra flies high to take a deep dive into the long history of this popular style.
Depth matters. And as experienced divers often like to go deep for as long as possible, decompression is a serious issue. The problem with mechanical depth gauges on watches is that they are usually either precise at depth (but not in the 12-meter decompression zone) or in the decompression zone (but not at depth). Dietmar Fuchs takes a deep dive into mechanical depth gauge watches and shares his thoughts and experiences here.
The main focus of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL is the technology behind the shock absorber, so the watch itself is a simple, three-hand, time-only piece with an ultra-clean dial and generally restrained aesthetic minimizing unnecessary distraction. Joshua Munchow dives in to take a closer look at the progressive compliant technology.
Lot 165 at Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction: XIII on May 8-9, 2021 is one of the most important prototypes in the history of IWC. A true rarity and a true piece of watch history. It is Richard Habring’s personal Portugieser Split-Seconds Chronograph prototype. Elizabeth Doerr shares its history and meaning here. And why its creator is parting with it.
The first day of Watches and Wonders 2021 highlighted that green is not a trend color anymore; it is a movement. Martin Green (perhaps unsurprisingly) has always had a particular fondness for his namesake color and thought it was good time to zoom in on five very different watches introduced during the fair that put green on center stage.
The perpetual calendar (along with the split-seconds chronograph) ranks among Martin Green’s favorite complications. Here he highlights 5 perpetual calendars that caught his eye during Watches & Wonders 2021.