Like so many brands, Cimier faced challenges during the quartz revolution but re-emerged in 2003. Celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2024, the brand launched the 711 Heritage Chronograph, and the recent colourful POP editions reintroduced the name to a new audience, offering affordable, well-built mechanical watches. In 2025, Cimier builds on that momentum with the […]
As the only French manufacturer to design and produce its movements in France, Pequignet flies the Tricolour with pride. With four in-house calibres under its belt, Pequignet’s ambitious plan to become an integrated manufacture became a reality in 2011 with the presentation of the Calibre Royal, followed by the Calibre Initial of 2021. The latest […]
Ferdinand-Adolph Lange died 150 years ago this year. The name should be familiar, as the man's watchmaking would go on to shape a sleepy town in rural Germany and the broader world, even to this day. For all the attention on Swiss watchmaking, the horological world has always been wider than one country could bear, and Glashütte's watchmaking minds have never stopped going punch-for-punch with the best anywhere. As evidence in the metal, Dr. Helmut Crott, whose knowledge frankly knows very lit
An independent, family-owned Swiss brand, Titoni was founded in 1919 by Fritz Schluep in Grenchen, Switzerland and is now managed by the third generation of its founding family. Known for its robust, fully-equipped yet accessible watches, the brand impressed us about 5 years ago with the launch of the Seascoper 600, a dive watch with […]
Until recently, for those who have followed Breguet‘s exploits in modern chronometry, one watch has long occupied a special place: the Classique Chronométrie 7727, from 2013. The 7727 demonstrated what high frequency could achieve when combined with silicon components and, quite provocatively, when magnetism, a force that watchmaking usually fears, was not only controlled but […]
Frederique Constant already impressed us with the salmon dial version launched as a Europe-exclusive model. The recent blue-dial Frederique Constant Classics Premiere on bracelet is another proof that “accessible luxury” doesn’t have to mean “generic.” It’s still the same compact, classically styled three-hander launched in 2023, but the move to a differently styled dial and […]
Launched in 2022, Zenith’s Defy collection bridges the past and future in one fell swoop. The name dates to 1902 and refers to a line of robust pocket watches known as Defi. Following the launch of Zenith’s world-first high-frequency El Primero automatic chronograph movement, the Defy name was resuscitated for a line of hyper-robust, bulky […]
The beautiful, brushed dial is catching the light perfectly, creating a subtle sunburst effect as a simple spar sweeps round to 12. Not 12 o'clock, but a 12 set at 1 o'clock. A crucial 12, though, because it marks the time to change. It signals the zenith of a screaming crescendo that began mere moments ago when the needle flicked back like a retrograde reset, before beginning its climb once more. The twelve is actually 12,000, and the dial is connected to the revolutions per minute of the inc
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Panerai is a byword for large, luminescent, water-resistant tool watches built for the Italian Navy with a powerful design that has stood the test of time for more than 80 years. With a collection based on just two models – Radiomir and Luminor – Panerai has applied the adage that “if it ain’t broke, don’t […]
Daniel Roth’s Extra Plat Souscription in Rose Gold has been crowned the winner of the Time Only award, securing a significant ...
While Grönefeld, the famed independent watchmaking company from the Netherlands, created by the so-called Horological Brothers (Tim and Bart), is nothing new on the scene, there’s another project that might not (yet) have the same impact: Grøne Oldenzaal. A recent venture of the brothers, this brand aims at bringing some of Grönefeld’s style and spirit […]
Zenith returns to the world of Japanese manga with the Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition. This new limited series once again turns an animated fantasy into a very tangible El Primero chronograph. The brand’s connection with Lupin the Third goes back to the early 1970s, when Daisuke Jigen, the sharp-suited marksman of the series, was […]
A few weeks into ownership of my 1976 Land Rover, I slipped into the right-hand driver's seat, pulled the choke, pumped the gas, wiggled the gearshift lever in neutral, and turned the key. Nothing happened. It had a full tank of fuel and a new battery, so what could it be? I won't keep you in suspense: the starter motor had finally worn out. Over the next few days, while I waited for a new one to arrive by UPS, for what would be my first repair (not counting a seized handbrake lever on Day Two
A young French brand with a very clear mission, Depancel aims to produce mechanical watches inspired by classic motoring. Even the name is a contraction of Delage, Panhard and Facel Vega, three storied French carmakers. That automotive spirit runs straight through the Allure collection, the brand’s chronograph line, “imagined for gentleman drivers”. The latest model, […]
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Last month, I spent a weekend with A. Lange & Sohne in Newport, Rhode Island, to attend the few days of festivities that make up Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week, for which Lange is the title sponsor. Since 2019, it's been a yearly gathering in the picturesque New England town, filled with enthusiast and owner gatherings, seminars, and even an auction for many historical cars. But the star of the show, if you're here to see the best of the best, is the two main events of the weeke
There’s been a feeling in recent years that the Officine has lost a bit of its edge and true spirit. Too bold, too modern, too technical… It felt like the Firenze-based brand was searching for its true meaning. However, Panerai’s latest releases, such as the PAM05218, a re-edition of the cult 1993 Luminor Marina Militare, […]
One of the rising stars of independent watchmaking, Felipe Pikullik’s career began in Glashütte, where he worked with renowned watchmakers, including Kudoke and Rolf Lang. In 2017, at the age of 23, he launched his own brand in Berlin. Since then, Felipe Pikullik has been widely recognised as a master of decoration, elevating venerable Unitas […]
As temperatures drop and the snow-covered slopes beckon, Hublot gets into the winter spirit with two limited editions of its Big Bang Unico, the first model to host the brand’s in-house Unico chronograph movement. Capturing the beauty of the winter season, the Big Bang Unico returns in wintry attire, cloaked in ice-cold sapphire and a […]