Independent Watchmaking – The Entirely Hand-Engraved Kees Engelbarts Organic Skeleton Ref. 1867 (Hands-On)

Kees Engelbarts’ latest creation is a compendium of his skills fusing his love affair with a millenary Japanese metalworking technique, his mastery of engraving, and his radically artistic approach to skeletonisation. Engelbarts’ Organic Skeleton Ref. 1867 is a unique handmade work of art enlivened with textures, engraved surfaces, partial views of the movement and psychedelic […]

7 years ago

Pre-SIHH 2019 – Armin Strom GMT Resonance now in Pink or White Gold

Armin Strom gained fame over the years for its bold skeletonised movements but really made an impact in the watchmaking arena when it resuscitated a 400-year old phenomenon known as resonance. The ensuing Resonance Collection with its dual – and independent – regulators was a hit but limited to models displaying time only functions. In a move to expand and endow the watch with complications, the resonance technology migrated to the Masterpiece I collection offering a useful GMT/dual time function. First launched in a Dual Time Resonance model in titanium in October 2018, Armin Strom unveils the same model in 18k white and rose gold cases in a limited edition of eight pieces in each metal.

7 years ago

Interview – In conversation with Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie.

On the occasion of the launch of H. Moser & Cie. X Bucherer Blue Editions in Schaffhausen, we had the opportunity to sit down with Edouard Meylan, the brand CEO. The Meylan family-owned company makes about 1,500 watches per year with Moser and manufactures over 50,000 hairsprings/assortments per year with Precision Engineering AG (for H. Moser & Cie. and for third-parties). It was time for us to sit and talk with Edouard and to have answers to certain questions we had about the brand, its unique communication strategy and its products.

7 years ago

Auction – Christie’s To Auction 24 Unique Moritz Grossmann Online, for the Brand’s 10th Anniversary

While the name Moritz Grossmann refers to a great watchmaker and the founder and director of the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte, back in the 19th century, the brand as we know it today is still rather new on the German watchmaking scene. However, this year is an important step for the brand, which has been founded back in 2008. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its rebirth, Moritz Grossmann releases 24 one-off timepieces representing the past, present and future of the brand, to be sold online through the world’s leading auction house, Christie’s.

7 years ago

Introducing – Minase, Mechanical Watches from a Japanese Microbrand (Live Pics)

The microbrand watch scene seems infinite. With an explosion of new brands, we’ve reached a point where it has become impossible to keep track of these, from high-end to low-end, and everything in between. Multiple brands have come and gone over the past years. Among these, Minase, a Japanese brand, stands out with a unique […]

7 years ago

Pre-SIHH 2019 – Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White

At the SIHH last year, Laurent Ferrier introduced a superb watch, both visually and technically: the Galet Annual Calendar School Piece. Not only it brought a brand-new movement, hand-wound and with a clever annual calendar display but the design, totally in line with our perception of Ferrier, was just beautiful. And there was that pale yellow gold case too… One of favourite “indie” watches of 2018. As part of the Pre-SIHH 2019 novelties, the Geneva-based brand is launching new versions of this watch, the Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar School Piece Opaline Black & White, with new dial colours and finishes.

7 years ago

Pre-SIHH 2019 – HYT H20 “Time Is Fluid” (Hands-On)

Since 2012, HYT has measured time in a non-conformist way, uniting esthetics, technology and somehow philosophy. Time is fluid and its flow is displayed by liquids moved by a mechanical movement (To learn more about the company and its innovative, patented technology, you can watch our recent video here.) Presented in 2018, the H0 and H20 models express the flow of time with smooth curves, fluid shapes and virtually no straight lines. It showcases the brands raison d’êtrein a striking way. The fluidic time indication is presented in full glory, under an impressive cloche-like sapphire crystal. This allows a 360° visibility of the time and of the mechanical movement’s architecture.

7 years ago

Independent Watchmaking – In Conversation with “Monsieur” Philippe Dufour

Philippe Dufour is a living legend. The independent watchmaker is one of most (if not the most) revered craftsmen in the industry and his watches are regarded as the ultimate in traditional hand-finishing. We visited the 70-year-old master in the small village of Le Solliat, in the Vallée de Joux. There, Philippe Dufour crafts his watches entirely by hand, elevating the art of watchmaking to the highest level. Visiting his workshop is a unique experience. It is exactly what you have dreamed about, and yet everything is a surprise and catches your attention: old tools, ancient machines, drawers, books, raw materials… This place has soul.

7 years ago