After several years of covering this independent Japanese watch brand, you should now be familiar with Kurono Tokyo‘s work. And if not, what matters here is that we’re looking at the accessible side of independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka (also behind the return of Takano), with classic designs and outsourced movements to keep the prices reasonable. […]
It’s certainly not the first time we’re talking about Naoya Hida & Co., a niche, artisanal watchmaking company from Japan, but it’s always with great pleasure that I write these articles. NH is one of these hidden gems from the Land of the Rising Sun, a rather young company that focuses on high-end, classic designs […]
Czapek embraces the trend for more compact, unisex watch sizes and has clearly understood that the days when diamonds and gemstones were considered exclusively feminine adornments are well behind us. Released in 2024, Czapek’s Promenade collection is, in CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel’s words, “a canvas for creative expression” with beautiful dials that riff on the […]
That above is a quote from The Philosophy of Dress by Oscar Wilde, whose wardrobe was a hallmark of the Brit’s flamboyant and eccentric personality. Imagine flowing capes, wide-brimmed hats, luxurious fur and velvet… Regarding dress watches, specific images are almost instinctive: slim profiles, minimalist three-hand layouts, and timeless dial tones – black, navy, white, […]
Founded in 2010 by Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens, Ressence’s design philosophy revolves around deconstructing and displaying time in a contemporary, dynamic way, without the use of hands. Time literally circles around the dial like planets orbiting the Sun, indicated by highly graphic and revolving sub-dials animated by Ressence’s patented Orbital Convex System (ROCS). At […]
Independent watchmaking continues to thrive with imaginative creations, and Stefan Kudoke remains a standout name to watch. His HANDwerk collection, launched in 2019, established his reputation for blending mechanical finesse with artistic expression. The Kudoke 1 and Kudoke 2 exemplified this fusion beautifully. With the Kudoke 3, he pushed the design further, retaining his signature […]
Independent watchmaking continues to thrive with imaginative creations, and Stefan Kudoke remains a standout name to watch. His HANDwerk collection, launched in 2019, established his reputation for blending mechanical finesse with artistic expression. The Kudoke 1 and Kudoke 2 exemplified this fusion beautifully. With the Kudoke 3, he pushed the design further, retaining his signature […]
The king of ultra-thin watches is back… Mostly known for his popular Wristmons series, we tend to forget that Konstantin Chaykin is also a highly talented independent watchmaker, a member of the AHCI and a man capable of creating extremely complex watches and clocks. He, for example, has applied for close to 100 patents. Last […]
No, we’re not re-publishing old articles. If this watch, this bold and unconventional watch should I say, feels familiar, there’s a good reason for that. Big brands surfing on the wave of vintage re-edition is not a surprise. Independent, creative watchmakers reviving past designs is slightly less common. But here we are, looking at a […]
Haute-Rive may be a young brand founded in 2022, but it comes with serious horological backing. Its founder, Stéphane von Gunten, is a micromechanical engineer with decades of experience in academic research and high-end watchmaking. When the time came to launch his brand, he named it Haute-Rive, a nod to the original workshop of his […]