What’s ticking? All the latest watch news, from Arcanaut to Zodiac October 6, 2023 Clerkenwell may not be the highly sprung horological hub it once was, but a visit to Kensington is all it takes to wind back the clocks, both sides of the Channel; while a visit to Leicester Square come November will strap you into all that’s ticking fast today, from Arcanaut to Zodiac. THE ENGLISH CONNECTION [...]
What’s ticking? All the latest news from Rolex, Tissot and more September 11, 2023 Swiss watchmaking is a multifaceted beast. Here, Tissot does the digital time warp; one of its neighbouring Jura Mountains blue-bloods fast forwards to the materials future; while Germany’s finest ‘uhrmacher’ slides into top gear. The Crown hits the town In a shock move announced on 25 August, in the absence of any direct descendants, Jörg [...]
Tudor launches new versions of its ‘FXD’ Pelagos diving watch September 7, 2023 Setting sail with the elite Alinghi Red Bull Racing, Tudor has launched two new versions of its ‘FXD’ Pelagos diving watch. There is now a ‘time-only’ and a stopwatch-fitted ‘chronograph’ (pictured right), each inspired by regatta racing. Expect to see the Chrono model on wrists at the America’s Cup, whose 37th edition is off the [...]
How Swatch hopes to recapture the MoonSwatch magic with new Blancpain collab September 5, 2023 The groundbreaking, plastic-fantastic, injection-moulded Swatch watch was a fashion-forward crutch for Switzerland’s ailing giants 40 years back. It bolstered household names like Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot et al, all desperately consolidated by the late Nicholas Hayek following the devastation wrought in the Seventies by cheap, electronic quartz tech’ from East Asia. Ironically, at the hands [...]
Watch news: Omega’s new dressy diver and a Bucherer experience June 16, 2023 While Omega’s dressy diver hops time zones and date lines, fashion giant Saint Laurent makes a muse of a cult Girard-Perregaux digital from the Seventies, and London’s bricks-and-mortar retail scene gets immersive, courtesy of Bucherer. Fully Bucherer Garden today, you’ll be sure of a big surprise. ‘Masterworks’ is a new exhibition concept launched in horological [...]
Tudor’s new Jura Mountains facility places it at the bleeding edge of watchmaking June 16, 2023 There’s a valley in the Swiss Jura mountains, bordering France, fondly known as ‘Watch Valley’. At the easternmost end you’ll find the gridded Art Nouveau streets of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Europe’s highest city and home to Breitling, Girard-Perregaux, Cartier et al. Drive southwest to equally sleepy Le Locle at the other end and you’ll find Zenith, [...]
Roger Smith pocket watch smashes record at auction June 15, 2023 It may look like a Patek Philippe from the 19th century, but ‘Pocket Watch No.2′ was made between 1992 and 1997 – not by a Swiss atelier, but at the hands of Roger Smith, a Bolton lad, in his parents’ garage. Sold in 2004 to a US collector to fund Roger Smith’s commercial venture on [...]
The XX factor: New military-inspired watches from Breguet June 15, 2023 After five years, Breguet has finally relaunched its iconic pilot’s watch, the Type 20/XX, sure to instantly reopen connoisseurs’ wallets. Two new versions – the military-inspired ‘20’, and a dapper ‘XX’ more suited to civvy street – are each powered by a brand-new flyback chronograph movement, which Breguet has been working on for the past [...]
Radio star: The incredible story of the Panerai diving watch almost lost to the sea April 26, 2023 In the nineties, you didn’t have Patagonia gilets, quarter-zip sweaters or Logan Roy logo-less baseball caps – you had ‘oversize’ watches. They were status symbols you could drive right into the boardroom, unlike your 911, and style statements to mark you out in a sea of suits. The sea is an appropriate metaphor, as the ur [...]
What’s ticking: All the latest watch news, from Geneva and beyond April 25, 2023 Aston Martin and Girard-Perregaux prove it ain’t easy being British-Racing green, Dr Rebecca Struthers makes a similarly convincing ‘case’ for British watchmaking, while George Bamford doubles down in W1K. A round-up of the coolest new watches. A brief biography of time Books on clocks and watches are usually authored by men of a certain age [...]
