Category: Luxury Watches

Buying Guide – 5 of The Most Iconic Pilot Watches You Can Buy In 2018

Aviation inspired watches are said to have made their debuts on the wrist of aviator Alberto Santos Dumont. At the beginning of the 20th-century, Louis Cartier had made a watch for his Brazilian friend, who wore it to time its flights. It was the first purposed-designed wristwatch. Since then, many watches have been inspired by aviation, all born out of practicality – in particular, pilot watches. Today, the category is one of the most popular.

7 years ago

A Technical Perspective – The Rolex Cyclops Lens

Some love it, others hate it. Whether you like it or not, the Cyclops is a signature Rolex feature. Born for utilitarian purposes, this polarising innovation was designed to enhance the date aperture and magnify the typical Rolex date display – the Rolex Datejust with its date window was introduced in 1945. Named after the […]

7 years ago

Review – Vacheron Constantin Overseas 4500V Black Dial – The Paradigm of the Luxury Sports Watch

As part of the triumvirate of luxury sports watches born in the 1970s, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas fulfils all the prerequisites of the genre. Thanks to its deceptively simple interchangeable strap system the Overseas introduces an element of versatility lacking in the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Now in its third iteration, the Overseas is a fully fledged family and the model we are looking at today is the simplest, entry-level, time-only watch in a 41mm steel case with a dashing black dial and Vacheron Constantin’s in-house calibre developed specifically for this watch. The subtle design tweaks and the superlative finishes on the case and bracelet captivate the casual elegance of the first Overseas watches combined with the robust attributes of a sports watch.

7 years ago

Hands-on – Frederique Constant Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Manufacture – the Sub-20K Case Study

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Frederique Constant wowed the crowds in Paris with its double complication at an unbelievable price. Once again, Frederique Constant sticks to its slogan of ‘accessible luxury’ and proves that acquiring a quality, manufacture watch with complications does not mean having to mortgage your house. Frederique’s Constant QP Tourbillon Manufacture snubs the tradition of hyper-expensive complications and offers its very own, in-house take on this classic complication for an exorbitantly contained price. As the culmination and showcase of all the technology FC has amassed over the years, the Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon is equipped with the new automatic FC-975 in-house movement. Presented in three different metals and with an openworked or closed dial, the one everybody will be zoning in on is the stainless steel contender with an unbeatable price tag of EUR 19,495.

7 years ago

News – Raymond Weil is Rocking a Contest to Give a Freelancer AC/DC Limited Edition Watch to a Lucky Fan

Did you grow up in the 1970s or 1980s? If so, chances are you’ve at least listened to a few AC/DC hits on the radio. Hopefully, if you’re cool enough, you were a full-blown AC/DC fan. Who doesn’t love Highway to Hell or You Shook Me All Night Long? Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, folks. They’ve sold over 200 million records. Anyway, you don’t have to be a hardcore fan to enter Raymond Weil’s contest to potentially win a limited edition Freelancer timepiece. Yes, it has an in-your-face AC/DC theme, but that just might be the best part. So, sit back, find your old AC/DC cassettes and let’s take a closer look at the watch (and how to enter the contest).

7 years ago

Hands-on – Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 – A Classic among Classics, Modernised

A classic among classics, the Le Brassus-based manufacture revisits its perpetual calendar complication with moon phases in 2018, in a larger 40mm case size and a choice of two metals: 18k red gold and stainless steel. With subtle design tweaks on the dial and a secured movement, the new Villeret Quantième Perpétuel 6656 models are presented in a more contemporary case size and in a more ‘democratic’ choice of steel… Is Blancpain on the hunt for younger customers?

7 years ago

Hands-on – Louis Moinet 20-second Tempograph Chrome

The 20-second Tempograph has been part of the Louis Moinet collection since 2014. With its movement displayed in full glory, it stages an original complication: a retrograde 20-second indication producing a playful and rather hypnotic spectacle, giving material form to passing time. The visible retrograde mechanism is triggered by a ratchet gear sliding on a […]

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Eneuri Acosta From Hodinkee

Last but not least, to end our series that aims at deciphering the world of online watch marketplaces, we’ve decided to talk to the most “hype” of them all (let’s be honest, credit where credit is due): HODINKEE. What started as a hobby and a sheer passion for watches by Ben Clymer has now grown to a large magazine and an e-commerce website focused on watches and everything related to watches – and for the latter part, not without generating debate. For some, editorial and commercial activities shouldn’t coexist. So, in order to give full transparency on this part, we leave the stage to HODINKEE’s COO, Eneuri Acosta.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Wei Koh from Revolution/The Rake

As you’ve seen from our previous episodes, the online watch market isn’t just a trend anymore. It is now well established and multiple heavy-weight companies are now playing market-makers. Yet, we talk about specialized firms, with one and only activity. More surprising are names such as Hodinkee, Worn & Wound or Revolution. All of them started their lives as watch magazines and have now added e-commerce to their portfolio of activities. To understand why and how watch-media can legitimately create value from such a business, we will first talk to our good friend Wei Koh, founder of Revolution and The Rake.

7 years ago