Parmigiani Fleurier’s Kalpa collection was given the red-carpet treatment in 2018 and fitted with in-house movements customised to match the shape of its distinctive, tonneau cases. As part of the brand’s mission to obtain “consistency between the contents and the container,” shaped movements will be animating the hearts of all future Kalpa watches.
Welcome to the Baroque universe of Louis Moinet watches where Jules Verne steampunk aesthetics are combined with elaborate mechanical movements and out-of-this-world materials like meteorite from Mars and 70-million-year-old fossilised palm wood. Made in exclusive, limited editions, the galaxy is a recurrent theme at Louis Moinet. Just ahead of Baselworld 2018, Louis Moinet launches Skydance, a 36mm ladies’ watch designed to celebrate the beauty of our celestial canopy offering hours, minutes and small seconds.
For several years, Bell & Ross was mainly known for its pilot-inspired square watches. Yet, not all wanted to wear such a large and bold 46mm watch (the BR-01) and what became a true icon of modern watchmaking could have become a trap for the brand. Bell & Ross had to evolve. This was the “Vintage Collection” mission. Entirely redesigned in 2017, this year the brand adds a few vintage elements to make this collection even cooler, with the Steel Heritage. Today, we take a closer look at the BR V2-92 Steel Heritage.
AVI-8 might still be a young brand, they are not beginners anymore. Their latest watch far from being their first offence. Their collection of timepieces seeks to honour aircrafts and airmen and if the previous model, the AV-4047, was a modern Pilot Watch inspired by the Hawker Harrier II, what has just been launched (now with pre-orders, with special “early-bird” price) is far more vintage-oriented – yet still highly accessible and well-crafted. Meet the AVI-8 Flyboy Centenary Collection “the 1920s Edition”.
Richard Mille and McLaren have been partners for over a year now, even if this partnership was mainly focused on Formula 1 – with, for instance, the creation of the mighty Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1. Today, at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show, both brands are announcing the extension of this venture to road cars marking the official launch of the first McLaren automotive-inspired timepiece, the new Richard Mille RM 11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph. And here is an early hands-on with it.
Right in the middle of the Geneva car-show, TAG Heuer just announced that a global partnership has been signed with Gulf Oil International, one of the most legendary motorsports’ sponsors. So, what happens when a brand known for its racing-car roots teams up with one of the best-known players in the automotive industry? Well, the result is the immediately recognisable famous blue and orange stripes applied to one of the most iconic motorsports chronographs, the square-shaped Monaco. Please meet the TAG Heuer Monaco Gulf 2018 Special Edition.
Earlier this year at SIHH, Audemars Piguet unveiled a watch that is the epitome of top-notch craftsmanship both inside and out: the Royal Oak Frosted Double Balance Wheel Openworked. For this watch, Audemars Piguet pulled out all the stops, combining one of the brand’s most beautiful and technically advanced calibres with a remarkable Frosted gold finish.
For those who are familiar with Italian brand Anonimo, they know that if the design is clearly easy to recognize, it is not what can be called “subtle elegance”. Large, sporty or even clearly military-inspired, Anonimo’s watches are on the tool-ish side. For Baselworld 2018, a hint of sporty-chic Italian lifestyle will appear in the collection, with the new Anonimo Epurato. Smaller, more refined but still very much Florentine, meet the brand’s new chic timepiece.
New hand-turned dials, improved case finishes and the same proprietary mechanical movement, all assembled by hand in England – there’s a lot to like about the new Portsmouth MK2 by Garrick. The fact that the brand has also been able to reduce the price while simultaneously increasing the quality is also a big selling point. …
Moser & Cie. revisits its winning Perpetual Calendar complication in a Cosmic Green fumé dial. Like its 2017 predecessor, the new 42mm white gold Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Purity applies a radically minimalist approach to one of the most revered complications in watchmaking. A triumph of simplicity and elegance, Moser’s Perpetual Calendar Purity belies the machinations of its complex hand-wound movement. Belonging to H. Moser’s Purity line and released in a limited edition of just 50 pieces, this perpetual calendar pushes the envelope of minimalism one step further dispensing with any sign of branding on the dial, in the same spirit as Moser’s Concept watches.