Category: Luxury Watches

Hands-on – The new TAG Heuer Carrera Senna Editions (Heuer 02 and Heuer 02T)

Brand ambassadors aren’t new. 30 years ago, TAG Heuer already had several of them, as part of the brand’s marketing strategy. One was, however, more important than others: a true idol named Ayrton Senna. He is the one that made TAG Heuer cool again, back in the 1980s and 1990s, by wearing an admittedly not-so-discreet, Steel-and-Gold, Analogue-Digital TAG Heuer S/el. But at that time, it was the watch to have for F1 fans. Times have changed, Senna is long gone and designs of watches too (for better more than for worse) but TAG still relies on Ayrton’s aura to create F1-oriented timepieces – and the recently introduced Carrera Senna Editions with Heuer 02 and Heuer 02T Tourbillon movements still retain the cool-factor of “Magic Senna”.

7 years ago

Introducing – Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue Edition

Customized, special editions sold only through a single (branch of) boutiques is a common thing, but few do it as regularly as Bucherer. The Swiss watch retail-house has introduced several striking collaborations – no less than 25 in total with 14 different brands. To name just a few, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze, the IWC  Portugieser Chronograph Classic or the H. Moser & Cie Venturer Small Second for instance. All received the “Bucherer Blue” make-over and next in line is the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue Edition.

7 years ago

Video – Octo Finissimo, or How Bvlgari Became a Master of Ultra-Thin

Yes, the Italians did it again… Breaking one record after another, Bvlgari’s signature ultra-thin collection, the Octo Finissimo, continues its victorious onward march. Almost every year, the Roman brand comes out with something even more staggering, even thinner and still, highly contemporary in design. Bvlgari has not only managed to become a Master of the ultra-thin complication but it has literally revamped and refreshed a category that was usually quite conservative. And because the Octo Finissimo Automatic Tourbillon was introduced earlier this year as the thinnest automatic watch and the thinnest tourbillon watch, it is high time to understand how the brand became the master of wafer-thin movements.

7 years ago

Hands-on – H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon – Made to be Worn

H. Moser & Cie. unveils its latest take on the flying tourbillon complication housed in a stainless steel Pioneer case ready to battle the elements. This is not Moser’s first tourbillon – it has already appeared in the upmarket Endeavour, Venturer and Swiss Alp Watch collections – nor is it the first complication to reach the Pioneer family, which hosts a QP complication. The novelty here is the combination of a one-minute flying tourbillon and its corresponding automatic movement inside the sportier case of the Pioneer. Forming part of Moser’s SIHH 2019 novelties, the brand that likes to row against the tide of convention has decided to beat the flurry of pre-SIHH teasers and puts the Pioneer Tourbillon for sale on the market today. Shielded by its beefy 42.8mm steel case that is water-resistant to 120m, this is Moser’s concept of an ATV tourbillon that can take on the challenges of everyday wear and tear – and also the brand’s most accessible tourbi ever.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute – Minimalism to the Max

When it comes to Jaquet Droz, most of us might have the Grande Seconde collection in mind – a collection designed around the emblematic 8-figure display, with off-centred hours-minutes and an oversized second counter. This specific display is somehow iconic and has been the brand’s signature for close to 300 years (JD celebrates its 280th anniversary this year). So how to depart from this 8-shaped dial without losing the brand’s DNA? That’s what the Astrale collection tends to do – and here’s the latest creation, the Jaquet Droz Grande Heure Minute, a case-study of minimalism.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Bell & Ross BR-X1 Military

When you think Bell & Ross, you should apparently have “military-inspiration”, “pilot’s watch” and “round-within-a-square-case” in mind. So, with its squared case and round bezel, its chronograph, its military-coloured lightweight and robust material inspired by stealth fighter planes and an overall functional design, it seems that the new Bell & Ross BR-X1 Military ticks all the boxes, right? (spoiler alert: it does, and it even adds the cool technical look of the Experimental collection).

7 years ago

Introducing – The New Patek Philippe Twenty-4 Automatic Ref. 7300

Since its release in 1999, the Twenty-4 has been Patek Philippe’s entry-level watch (all genders) and certainly its female’s best-selling collection. Shaped like a bracelet, with a rectangular case seamlessly integrated into a metallic bracelet, it was unfortunately powered by a quartz movement (an in-house quartz movement for sure, but still battery-powered). So-to-say, a watch that never really made it as a true Patek in our books. Yet, there’s a new version of the Patek Philippe Twenty-4. It is round, it is more casual and sportier and it is powered by an automatic movement.

7 years ago

Introducing – Oris Movember 2018 Edition (Oris Big Crown Pointer Date)

For the second time this year, Oris will support “Movember“, a Foundation that tackles some of the biggest health issues facing men, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. After the cool-looking Movember 2017 Divers Sixty-Five, it is time for another great vintage-inspired to be launched. Meet the Oris Movember 2018 Edition, a watch based on the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date launched at Baselworld 2018.

7 years ago

Hands-on – The 2018 Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronometer – Redesigned, Cleaner, Tastier

Certainly, most of you might have the Marine Chronometer in mind when the name “Ulysse Nardin” is mentioned – and rightfully so, as this watch is the brand’s cornerstone. However, there’s more in the collection, a watch that is still linked to the nautical world: the Ulysse Nardin Diver. Previously not the most discreet watch available on the market – think this one for instance or that one as a more classical offer – it has just been relaunched in a more contemporary, cleaner and tastier package – following the trend initiated by the Torpilleur. Meet the 2018 Ulysse Nardin Diver Chronometer.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Alpina Startimer Pilot Heritage GMT

The retro-hype is alive and to be honest, if it is done right, it can result in some very nice watches. Often considered as the golden age of watch design, the 1970s is used as inspiration by many brands to relaunch former collections or to introduce new ones harking back to historical models. Under the Startimer collection, Alpina’s pilot-style range of watches, the brand launched the Alpina Startimer Pilot Heritage, in 4 different colourways. And indeed, the 1970s-inspiration is fully there.

7 years ago