Independent watchmaking loves a good origin story, and Vanguart has got one. Founded in 2017 by APRP alumni Axel Leuenberger and Jérémy Freléchox, designer Thierry Fischer and F1-insider Mehmet Korutürk, the brand debuted with the Black Hole Tourbillon in 2021. That first watch featured a levitating flying tourbillon, concentric automaton discs that warp time around […]
Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud marks a significant moment in its modern history, with the release of the Chronomètre FB 3SPC Seddiqi 75th Anniversary. A three-piece platinum edition created for the 75th anniversary of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the influential Dubai retailer and one of the manufacture’s first partners when the brand was revived in 2015. The […]
Atelier Wen has spent the past few years rewriting what “Made in China” can mean in watchmaking. Founded in 2018 by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the brand builds its pieces around Chinese crafts and culture (grand feu enamelling, guilloché, and case finishing) while partnering with serious movement makers. With the Ancestra line, introduced with […]
Now a key event on the global watch calendar, Dubai Watch Week celebrates its seventh edition this year with over 90 brands. Like some of the participating brands, Perrelet has created a special edition for the event that reflects the UAE’s culture. Collaborating with renowned Emirati calligrapher and performer Diaa Allam, Perrelet unveils a limited […]
Independent German watchmaker Stefan Kudoke has spent the last decade quietly building a very characterful portfolio. His HANDwerk line, led by the Kudoke 1 and Kudoke 2, established a signature design language rooted in traditional Saxon craft, with a pretty poetic twist. The Kudoke 3, launched as a graphic, playful evolution, was presented in salmon […]
The annual Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, often referred to as the Oscar’s of the watchmaking world, is nearly upon us. Some of the biggest names in watchmaking will compete on November 9th in ...
After their first success with Álvaro Siza in 2023, Lebond now has introduced the Lebond x Eduardo Souto de Moura architect Wristwatch. The partnership combines precise timekeeping with architectural ...
Bell & Ross alters its flight path to navigate higher altitudes with the release of the new BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor. Celebrating technical prowess and transparency, the signature cockpit-inspired watches that form the backbone of the brand make way for a new squadron of high-flying references where time takes a back seat to allow the movement […]
I've never owned a steel watch.Not because I don't admire a steel watch, but the decision to be a gold guy was made for me decades ago when my mother purchased a Jade Buddha blessed by a monk, which she then chose to hang on a 24-karat Cuban link chain with a hook clasp that requires pliers to adjust.I've taken this medallion off twice in my life, and this is what happened.The first time I took it off was in 2002, driving to Mardi Gras from Orlando, Florida. It was irritating my neck about 7 hou
A powerful trend sweeping across the watch landscape is stone dials. Featured on everything from elegant dress watches to complications, there is no doubt that watches are living a second Stone Age. Celebrating its 160th anniversary, Zenith jumps on the stone dial bandwagon with its most technologically advanced and avant-garde chronograph, the mighty Defy Extreme, […]
What We KnowMovado is an old soul. Founded in 1881 and shaped by steady design shifts throughout the twentieth century, the brand has long returned to the same ideas of geometry and proportion. When I visited the company's headquarters this fall to see the new 1917 Heritage Collection—shown alongside early wristwatches, stepped bezels, rectangular cases, and colorful designs from the 1970s—it felt like a clear continuation of Movado's design DNA.The collection feels more of a boomerang than a
Frederique Constant turns 37 this year and celebrates with 37 sets containing the manufacture’s emblematic complications. Founded in 1988, Frederique Constant’s reputation for mechanical watches at accessible prices is firmly entrenched in the brand’s DNA. The top five complications are now available for collectors to enjoy in the 37 sets comprising The Elements Collection, featuring […]
Founded in 1985 by Vincent Calabrese and Svend Andersen, the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) champions independent watchmaking in its purest form. Today, it numbers 36 members, and its ethos, nay, mission, is to perpetuate the art of independent watch and clockmaking. With a singular focus, this year the AHCI counts 36 watch and clock makers, five candidates, and 18 former members from 16 countries, each with a different voice and a personal interpretation of the art of wa
The De Bethune Kind of Two concept, a pivoting, double-faced case that literally gives you two watches in one, has proven to be one of the brand´s most successful design experiments. The 2021 DB Kind of Two Tourbillon and the 2022 DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT established the format as both an engineering exercise […]
Presented in 2024, the Biver Automatique is the brand’s vision of a classic 3-hand watch. The collection kicked off with 4 models: two showcasing monochromatic dial-and-case combinations and two from the Atelier Series featuring distinctive stone dials. A few other versions have been introduced since then, and on the occasion of Dubai Watch Week 2025, Biver Watches […]
Dubai is home to the Deep Dive Dubai, the world’s deepest pool for scuba diving, freediving, and snorkelling, if you want to play it safe. The ocean also offers plenty of opportunities to explore the underwater world, so a cool dive watch is guaranteed to get attention. The new SUB 300 Beta Ceramic Dubai Watch […]
Bremont’s rise has been tied to modern aviation-leaning tool watches with solid mechanics built to be used. After the more experimental Terra Nova pieces, the British brand regrouped around its core strengths with the Altitude collection: a cleaner, aviation-inspired collection that also invited complications. At the top sits the Altitude Perpetual Calendar GMT Mono-Pusher, with […]
Frederique Constant and Bamford Watch Department approach watch design from opposite corners of the industry, yet both operate within clear, self-defined parameters. Frederique Constant has built its reputation on accessible mechanical watchmaking, manufacturing calibres in-house and maintaining a pragmatic, function-first approach to design. Bamford, by contrast, is known for reinterpreting established forms through high-contrast palettes, […]
Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons is the leading watch and jewellery retailer in the United Arab Emirates and the name behind the biennial Dubai Watch Week (DWW), now a major event on the industry’s calendar. Among the 90+ participating brands at the seventh edition of DWW is Hublot, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of its iconic Big […]
What We KnowBorn in 1969 and forever linked to Steve McQueen and the film Le Mans, the unmistakable square case of the Monaco chronograph has given TAG Heuer a vast canvas to work with. Today, the Swiss brand, inspired by its Formula 1 sponsorship, has two new versions of the timepiece. While both boast a titanium case and skeletonized movement, they're very different watches, underscoring the versatility for new design and innovation elements TAG expects to bring to the Monaco. TAG Heuer Mona