Category: Luxury Watches

Found – A Unique IWC Ingenieur 666A (and the story of how it came to life)

With the vintage market and auctions in full hype-mode these days, we often hear the words “unique” or “never-seen-before” to talk about a watch with one small detail to differentiate it from the rest of the crowd. However, we’re quite confident in saying that you’ve never seen what we’re about to show you: a truly unique, truly legit and truly interesting IWC Ingenieur 666A (the first generation of this model). And for once, we have all shreds of evidence that it was born this way, back in 1965, as a special order to IWC – and before you ask, no it isn’t for sale (or not yet at least).

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Philipp Man from Chronext

Today marks the fifth opus in our series of interviews focusing on deciphering the world of online watch marketplaces. Today, we look at Chronext and we talk with someone we know for some years already, CEO Philipp Man (who was featured in our “Collector’s Series” here). As he likes to say, “the new luxury buyer is online” confirming how important is this specific angle of the market. What makes Chronext different? Own stock, verified watches, authenticity guaranteed. Security in buying watches online, explained in the following interview.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Claudio de Giovanni from Verado

After a look at Chrono24, Montredo and WatchBox, we continue our series focusing on understanding the online watch market – certainly one of the most important trends in the watch world today. Today, we’re talking to a newbie in the world of online watch marketplaces. The name of the company is Verado and his Founder & CEO is Claudio de Giovanni. What makes Verado unique? They claim to be “the facilitator of fair transactions between real people” – something that will be explained in the following interview.

7 years ago

Review – Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech PAM00616 – Camouflaged for Action

Carbon fibre – in all its composite guises – has become the material of the moment and has been used across the board, from Bvlgari’s chiming marvel to faux carbon dials on TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer… Whether or not an Haute Horlogerie model like the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon looks good in its high-tech black suit is debatable, but one thing is certain, carbon cases work especially well for a brand like Panerai. A top military secret until 1993, Officine Panerai crafted high-tech instruments for the Italian Navy’s its covert underwater operations before it surfaced and worked its magic on dry land. Panerai was the first brand to use Carbotech – a composite material based on carbon fibre – and unveiled its 47mm Luminor Submersible 1950 model in a striking, black mottled case. Although this was back in 2015, we recently had the watch in our hands and thought a reappraisal was in order.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Patrik Hoffmann from WatchBox Europe

Today, we continue our “Online Watch Market” series. After Chrono24 and Montredo, it is time to take a look at one of the main actors in this ultra-competitive market: WatchBox. Founded by experienced entrepreneurs and market-makers Danny Govberg (of US-based watch/jewels retailer Govberg Jewelers) and Tay Liam Wee (Asia-based retailer Sincere Watches), WatchBox is today opening its European Offices in Switzerland. Perfect timing to talk with our long-time friend Patrik Hoffmann (ex-CEO of a watch brand) about WatchBox Europe and the online watch market.

7 years ago

Value Proposition – Delma Heritage: an Understated, Elegant Dress Watch with a Fair Price

Looking for a dress watch that is just as functional as stylish (and fairly priced too)? The Delma Heritage might the right pick for you. Delma is a family-owned company based in Lengnau, near Biel in Switzerland. If the brand is mostly known today for its sport and dive watches, it has produced a number of dress watches in its (almost) 100 years of existence. Case in point: presented during the Basel Watch Week earlier in 2018, the Delma Heritage is inspired from historical models of the brands.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Philipp Budiman from Montredo

Yesterday we started with the first in a series of interviews with the CEOs of the world’s largest online watch marketplaces. Each and every place has its own specific ways of dealing with trade; one company owns the displayed inventory, the other doesn’t, and a third has a hybrid approach. One way or another, all these companies want to give you the best and most secure buying experience. But how do they do it? The respective CEOs explain this and today we’re talking with Philipp Budimann, CEO of Montredo.

7 years ago

Introducing – Habring² Chrono-Felix (with In-House Monopusher-Chronograph)

Not long ago, we reviewed a watch that many collectors and watch aficionado love (for good reasons), the Habring² Doppel-Felix. Also, we took a closer look at the “simple” 3-hand version named Felix. The common thread running through them? The same pared-down design and the same base movement manufactured in-house (quite an achievement for such a small company). But what if you take these two watches and try to find the one that will stand right in the middle? Well, the answer is the Habring² Chrono-Felix.

7 years ago

Interview – The Online Watch Market – Tim Stracke from Chrono24

It’s often said that the online world of buying (and selling) watches is kind of murky. I remember the days, actually not so long ago, when most watch brand websites started with a pop-up warning the visitor about watches for sale in the online world. Now, only a few years down the line, those very same brands have started to develop their own e-commerce channels. Besides these official e-commerce channels, the internet is teeming with online marketplaces and we will be asking the CEOs of the largest and most reputable online platforms to tell us more about their company, themselves and which watch tops their personal wish list.

7 years ago

Opinion – The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 39mm Face-to-Face with the 41mm Version

As we explained when Tudor introduced its latest vision of a vintage-inspired dive watch, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 39mm, internal competition is getting stronger than ever… BB41mm or BB58? Tough choice! To shed some light on the situation, we have staged a face-off between the Black Bay 41mm and the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 39mm and arm you with all the details to help you choose between what are, obviously, two great watches.

7 years ago