Monsieur de Chanel in pink gold

Surprising Ties That Bind: Chanel And Romain Gauthier

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Romain Gauthier, the independent watchmaker at home in Le Sentier, Switzerland and the French fashion icon Chanel, are bound by more than a passing working relationship: Chanel now reveals that it owns a “friendly” stake in Romain Gauthier. The seeds of this seemingly disparate partnership between Chanel and Romain Gauthier were sown during a meeting that took place at the 2011 edition of Baselworld. At Baselworld 2016 it comes full circle with the Monsieur de Chanel.

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Slim d’Hermès Email Grand Feu

Introducing The Exquisite Slim d’Hermès Email Grand Feu

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La Montre Hermès now creates top-of-the-line, aesthetically coherent, and mechanically interesting watches. And this statement is true in two watch categories: ultra-high-end, complicated haute horlogerie and daily wearer. At Baselworld 2016, Hermès returns to the beautiful Slim d’Hermès. And for me, the biggest launch among these is indubitably the exquisite Slim d’Hermès Email Grand Feu.

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Beautiful, but functional as well: A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual

Why I Bought It: A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual In White Gold

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The date: January 13, 2012. The place: Glashütte, Germany, where one of my best friends had arranged for the two of us to visit A. Lange & Söhne. The vision: my friend extended his arm from the sleeve of his shirt, and what I saw left me reeling – my first view of the Lange Datograph Perpetual in white gold. I was confident from that very moment that this was a watch for me; but pursuit of the piece took four long years.

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Louis Moinet Memoris 200th Anniversary Edition chronograph

It’s The Little Details That Count: Louis Moinet Memoris 200th Anniversary Edition

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In 2013, Louis Moinet took the watch world by surprise when the brand revealed that its historical namesake was in fact the inventor of the chronograph.

The Compteur de Tierces pocket watch by Louis Moinet dating back to 1816 was proof positive.

And now in 2016, Louis Moinet commemorates the bicentennial of the first chronograph with a series of commemorative pieces: this Memoris 200th Anniversary “chronograph-watch” edition is the first, and it displays a large number of really interesting details.

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F.P. Journe Élégante 48 mm

Quartz Crush: F.P. Journe Élégante 48mm

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When you hear the name François-Paul Journe spoken out loud, the vision of a men’s quartz watch is probably not what immediately springs to mind. Essentially, the Élégante 48mm is an upsized addition to F.P. Journe’s Élégante collection, which made its debut two years ago as a ladies’ watch. As far as high-end analog quartz watches go, this one is pretty darn neat. It’s also quite polarizing.

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Dominique Renaud's DR01 Twelve First in pink gold

Dominique Renaud’s DR01 ‘Twelve First’ With Blade Resonator, Experimental Rotary Escapement, And Panoramic 360° Views

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Look at this. Just look at it. If you’re anything like me, you were in awe when you first saw this watch – just the sheer technical look of it was enough to send my heart racing. And then the questions come. Why does it look this way? What kind of technology is behind it? Is this really just an instrument to tell the time? Spoiler alert: questions are answered inside.

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Andersen Tempus Terrae with exclusive blue gold dial

Worldtimers, Erotic Watches, And Poker-Playing Dogs: A.H.C.I. Co-Founder Svend Andersen Has (Semi-) Retired, But His Brand Lives On

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Late in 2015 the news came through that A.H.C.I. co-founder Svend Andersen had sold his company. But how did Andersen get here? Let’s take a quick tour of 53 years’ worth of independent horology the Danish way to find out, which includes an extravaganza of worldtimers, unusual erotic watches, and even poker-playing dogs.

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Naissance d’Une Montre, Le Garde Temps at SIHH 2016

A Hero’s Journey Begins And Ends: Naissance d’Une Montre, Le Garde Temps

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After arduous and exhausting trials of skill and wit over many years of one’s life, sometimes the best path is the one with new challenges and goals. This is especially true if you are a watchmaker tasked with learning and disseminating all of the extremely difficult skills of traditional watchmaking. This is the true story of Michel Boulanger and the conclusion of his first epic adventure and the beginning of the next one. This is the end of the story of Naissance d’une Montre, Le Garde Temps. Or is it?

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Tsuba, a unique piece by Kees Engelbarts

Kees Engelbarts’ Unique Platinum Tsuba Features Rare Crafts And Imaginative Interpretations Of Japanese Art Forms

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A tsuba is the hand guard of a traditional Japanese sword. “These eventually became elaborate pieces of art – far beyond their practical use,” says engraver Kees Engelbarts, whose fascination with Japanese handcrafts led him to use the Japanese metal alloying technique called mokume gane as the first one in watchmaking. It has now also led him to dedicate a watch to the tsuba theme, inspired in particular by a piece by Japanese swordsmith Hamano Masanobu.

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Benzinger By Zanella

Benzinger By Zanella: Mechanical Art With Heart

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While you hear very often that watches are “mechanical art,” in this case the overused description makes sense: here mechanical art (Benzinger’s unique movement embellishment) meets conventional art in the form of the dial embellished with an oil-on-canvas painting by French painter Léon Zanella.

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