At Baselworld 2018 young boutique brand Akrivia launched its Chronomètre Contemporain, the very first timepiece in the Rexhep Rexhepi Collection. To say that Joshua is impressed is an understatement, but there is more to it: this watch represents a new, diverged direction for the independent watchmaker.
Only a handful of producers are able to make hairsprings, most of which are large-scale industry suppliers. But a few watch brands manufacture their own using recipes and processes, which they keep close to their hearts. Bovet is one of these rare few manufacturers. Take a walk through the factory here thanks to The Watches TV, one in which cameras are usually not allowed.
Though pen makers collaborating with watchmakers is more common today than it was a decade ago, the combination of Blancpain and Grayson Tighe continues to delight with characteristically distinctive writing instruments expressing elements of both creators. The titanium Series 2 is a perfect example of the pen maker’s art mixed with thoughtful watch details.
For a watch fanatic, and especially for lovers of independent watch brands, meeting the makers of the watches that we admire is a dream come true. With the Grönefeld brothers, it’s that pleasure multiplied by two. And then there’s the sensational One Hertz.
The very cool thing about Qlocktwo’s timepieces is that they spell out the time every five minutes using a typographic indication with letters: so instead of “7:30,” the time on a Qlocktwo “dial” quite literally reads “it is half past seven.” Sabine Zwettler finds this eminently intriguing!
In 1815, King Louis XVIII appointed a new ‘Horloger de la Marine’: Abraham-Louis Breguet. Martin Green thinks it was somewhat ironic that until then Breguet had never really made marine chronometers. That soon changed.
Bell & Ross’s unique BR 01 Instrument stole the spotlight at its launch in 2005 thanks to its unusual circle-in-a-square case, becoming an instant hit. The BR 01 was then used as a jumping-off point for a variety of designs, beginning in 2009 with the then-trendy skull motif – which in Elizabeth Doerr’s eyes was a perfect addition.
This is the story of the final watch – or, truthfully, pair of watches – that GaryG happened upon at a Sotheby’s auction in late 2017 and felt that he just had to have: two 1970s prototype pieces made by Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Jaquet Droz has been creating beautiful pieces of horology and automata for nearly three centuries, and in that time there has been little to no emphasis on exposed or skeletonized movements. Yet here we have the new Grande Seconde Skelet-One! Check out why Joshua Munchow thinks this is a stunning piece of horology even though it may be outside the brand’s established design arena.
Anyone who visits online watch forums with any frequency very likely comes across at least a few heated discussions of “finishing,” a topic that seems to fascinate, and divide, enthusiasts. What is it and why are opinions divided?