Few initiatives in modern watchmaking genuinely place craft above product. The Time Æon Foundation is one that looks to safeguard and transmit traditional handmade techniques at the highest level. Its Naissance d’une Montre series has become the best expression of its mission, not just watches, but workshops of knowledge, where historical methods are relearned, applied, and […]
Since its founding in 2010 in Antwerp by Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens, indie brand Ressence has positioned itself as a design-led watch studio that literally rethinks how time is displayed on the wrist. Animated by Ressence’s Orbital Convex System (ROCS), time circles around the dial like planets orbiting the Sun, using highly graphic and […]
Over the past years, Kross Studio has emerged as an intriguing player in independent watchmaking. Founded just before the pandemic, the company has grown, gaining visibility through a series of collaborations inspired by pop culture – a deliberate departure from traditional watchmaking narratives – while at the same time demonstrating genuine technical credibility. Behind the […]
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Independent watchmaker Anton Suhanov, member of the AHCI, presents the Flamingo, a debut of his “flaming balance” concept in a wristwatch equipped with a fully in-house calibre. Known for complex clocks, including multi-axis tourbillons and the award-winning St Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2025), but also experimenting with wristwatches with […]
What We KnowOne of the most interesting revelations among the wave of brands joining Watches and Wonders this year is that Credor, the Japanese domestic brand under Seiko known for high-end handcrafted watches like the Eichi II, is entering the international market under its own name. It's understandable, as, at least in the American market, Credor had always been looped in as a Grand Seiko-adjacent brand. It's in no small part because both brands are largely made by shared talent, and the onl
As announced about a year ago, Corum is back in Swiss hands following a management buyout after the exit of Chinese Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group. As Watches and Wonders is fast approaching, it is time for the new management to lift the veil on their strategy to get the brand back on track and […]
Patek Philippe is set to captivate horology enthusiasts with its annual Rare Handcrafts exhibition, opening on April 18, 2026, at the brand’s historical Salons on Rue du Rhône in Geneva. Running through May 9, this event showcases 65 exceptional new creations – 23 dome table clocks, 10 pocket watches, and 32 wristwatches – blending centuries-old […]
Greubel Forsey has always been synonymous with highly complex, intensely finished movements presented as three-dimensional mechanical sculptures. In recent years, the brand has explored a slightly more “restrained” yet modern approach with models like the Balancier S and, more recently, the Balancier 3 introduced in 2023. The time-only Balancier 3 retained the brand’s signature depth […]
Founded in 2018, Trilobe chose to build its collection around an unconventional way of displaying time. Instead of hands, the brand relies on rotating rings and fixed pointers, creating a constant sense of motion across the dial. This concept, first seen in Les Matinaux and Nuit Fantastique, was later adapted for a sportier Trente-Deux. This […]
Industry figures say the friendly welcome at the Horological Society of New York has a lot to do with its longevity. By Rachel Felder Photographs by Ashok Sinha On a chilly night in January, a group ...
We hear a lot about the convergence of art, fine watchmaking, and design these days, but some brands take the brief more seriously than others. Mark first told us to watch out for Paris-based Alto last year and gave us a look at its Art 01 model with a story introducing the new design-forward, architecture-inspired, independent brand.Founded by Thibaud Guittard, a former Audemars Piguet executive and a passionate collector of art, design, and cars, Alto's Creative Director is Raphaël Abeillon,
What We KnowIn the watch space, there are a few names that crop up over and over again, partially from the fact that some people just have too many ideas to contain. Mo Coppoletta, who has designed watches for Bulgari and, most recently, Gagà Laboratorio, might be largely known for his tattooing and artwork, but he's one of those names that has suddenly popped up over and over in the watch space. Now, he's lent his design skills to encasing a new movement by talented watchmaker Luca Soprana, w
Parisian brand Bell & Ross has long worked with open dials, showing more of the movement instead of covering it up. With the BR-X3 line, that approach also sits well within the brand’s circle-within-a-square design language introduced in 2005. After last year’s BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor, this new BR-X3 Micro-Rotor keeps the same idea, but this […]
Corum, the boundary-pushing Swiss brand that faltered under foreign ownership, recently unveiled new models and a strategic plan to reposition at elevated levels of watchmaking, design, and price. Known for its Golden Bridge, Admiral, and Coin watch models, among others, Corum was acquired last year in a management buyout with a three-person Swiss investor group led by new CEO and Chairman, Haso Mehmedovic, a trained watchmaker who was previously the brand's international sales director. At a
Since its recent revival under the MELB Group (owner of Moser and Agenhor too), Hautlence has focused on unconventional time display with mechanical animation rather than traditional indications. The Sphere, first introduced in 2022, quickly became the brand’s signature series, combining a multi-axis spherical jumping hour with a retrograde minute. The new Sphere Series 4 […]
Since the AK-01 was presented in 2012 under the Akrivia brand, Rexhep Rexhepi has gained incredible recognition, evidenced by the prices of his watches at auction. Yet, it has been a while since we have seen a new model from the young independent watchmaker lately, the latest ones being the Chronomètre Contemporain RRCC II in […]
It would be hard for me to overstate the demand for a watch from Rexhep Rexhepi at this moment. Mind you, the 54 person team will produce no more than 60 watches in the year ahead, perhaps as few as 50. But the amount of mind space Rexhep Rexhepi (the brand) occupies in the domes of serious collectors is tantamount to that of a manufacture 100 times its size.And indeed, Rexhep Rexhepi is a manufacture. It makes each component of the watch itself, most of which are within eye shot of the public
Last week’s Buying Guide on some of the finest ultra-thin watches on the market today might have posed a bit of a challenge in hindsight, which we’re going to address in this week’s instalment. You see, when compiling these lists, we look for watches that fit a specific theme. A certain complication, case shapes or […]
When I think of an affordable complicated watch, something like the Longines Master Collection Chrono Moonphase comes to mind with a full calendar, chronograph, moon phase and 24-hour time (as a day/night indicator). That’s amateur level, however, when it comes to grand complications and the five most complicated watches on this list of this ABCs […]