As the Chanel J12 turns 20 years old, the brand more famous for its fashion than its high-quality watches releases a modern marvel: a very transparent version of the J12 called X-Ray that features a world premiere in the form of a full sapphire crystal bracelet.
Our friends at The Watches TV have published a beautiful three-part video series on manufacturing a watch fully by hand as demonstrated by Greubel Forsey’s recent Hand Made 1. In this series, Marc-André Deschoux and his team get deep into the manufacture and talk to all of the artisans involved, beginning with founders Stephen Forsey and Robert Greubel.
Watch bracelets are often as underrated as housekeeping in a good hotel: they are commonly taken for granted. Collectors usually focus on the shape of the case and look of the dial first, with the movement coming in a close second. Here Martin Green takes a closer look at four new watches of 2020 whose full-metal bracelets significantly change the look of them.
The newly released Antarctique is Czapek’s first foray into the steel sport watch market, a market segment that has exploded over the last couple years, by dipping its toes in with a “subscription” strategy for the first limited model. Find out what is so special about this particular addition to the sporty steel bracelet watch market.
Why is this timepiece important from a holistic view of horological history? The reasons are manifold and include the unheard-of technology nestled within its movement, the audacity of a German newcomer in challenging Swiss status quo, and the symbolic value for A. Lange & Söhne’s rebirth as well as the golden age of mechanical timepieces.
Tool watches continue their evolution among the watch industry’s most luxurious and coveted brands. Here, Chris Malburg explores where their evolution has gone and might still go.
If cases get too little attention from watch collectors, GaryG feels that the straps and bracelets that turn a timepiece into a wristwatch seem to get even less. And of late, especially with the controversy surrounding the introduction of the “integrated” bracelet of A. Lange & Söhne’s new Odysseus, he has been pondering metal watch bracelets and what makes them so special.
The mechanical watch works just like a metronome, with its isochronic balance maintaining a steady rhythm and the delicate tick-tock of its pallet jewels providing a rhythmic beat to our oft-frantic lives. If we ramp up the power and swap the metronome for a drum kit and a few electric guitars we have rock and roll! But which watches do rock-and-roll icons wear?
Does anyone really care how many jewels their watch has? Watchmaker Ashton Tracy thinks that you’d be surprised how many people do 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?
Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction: XI will be led by a great selection of fine collectible timepieces hailing from powerhouses including Patek Philippe and Rolex as well as independent watchmakers such as F.P. Journe and Kari Voutilainen. And there’s even a near-mythical Harry Winston Opus 3 by Vianney Halter on offer here. Check out what other unusual timepieces by independent watchmakers you might find.