Explaining just how Cartier’s incredible Révélation d’une Panthère works
Editor’s note: This year at SIHH we were treated to another look at the stunning Cartier Révélation d’une Panthère, and the 2019 version was helpfully explained to us thus: “Last year it had 900 gold beads forming the face. This year it is 650 diamonds. We had to redevelop and re-engineer everything. Diamonds and gold are not the same materials: one is heavier and the diamond is a bit thicker, which meant changing the size of the cavities in the panther head. It was a good challenge for us. The diamonds are brilliant shaped and they can move in three dimensions. We engraved cavities and developed a fluid that ensures the diamonds move slowly. The diamonds are effectively floating in the fluid and then they fall slowly into the cavities. The entire watch is filled with fluid. One of the challenges was that this fluid must also be invisible. It must be completely transparent. It took five years of development.” Impressive stuff. For more, here’s Sandra’s take on the 2018 version … Over the past decade, while earning its chops as a serious technical watchmaker, Cartier has demonstrated time and again its mastery of the artistic crafts – métiers d’art…
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Editor’s note: At this point, saying Grand Seiko do exceptional dials is a bit of a cliché, but c’mon – look at this thing. It’s flat out incredible – delicate, detailed and still somehow fun. This is what Grand Seiko excel at, and this is why people love them … The foundation upon which modern Grand Seiko is built is the calibre 9S, first unveiled 20 years ago. Basel 2018 sees the Japanese brand pay tribute to this important movement with this new Grand Seiko model, the SBGH267 Vital statistics Grand Seiko’s dial and case finishes are rightly lauded for their high level of quality. But the far less visible movement is just as significant. And, if the watch is automatic, the chances are high that movement is the 9S. First introduced in 1998, this movement, with its high level of precision, lengthy power reserve and rock-solid construction, was ahead of its time for a high-volume commercial calibre. With a distinctive purple oscillating rotor in the style we’ve come to expect from Grand Seiko’s LEs, it forms the heart of this watch, which features a subtle mosaic pattern dial in Grand Seiko’s blue, as well as a completely new 39.5mm wide…
Editor’s note: Since we originally ran this story back in 2017, the star of @KingNerd has grown ever brighter – he’s Revolution’s in-house engraver, and works on all sorts of dopeness. Definitely worth a second look. Real nerd @KingNerd might not be a real monarch, but he is royalty in the world of fine engraving. Definitely worth a follow if you’re into acanthus leaves and long guns. Oh, and watches. Tell me about yourself: My name is actually John, after my father and his father and so on, but friends started calling me Johnny and it’s kind of stuck! I’m a James Purdey & Sons (a very famous London gunmaker) trained engraver and was born and raised in West London. How do you unwind? Unwinding can consist of a few things for me – kicking my feet up and reading comics, listening to hip hop, going to a museum, looking at art or spending time with my family. My little boy, Hudson, decides whether I’m actually allowed to chill and do nothing, haha. What’s your daily watch and why? My daily watch at the moment is the Linde Werdelin Hard Black II, but I also collect Seikos. As for other watches in my collection,…
Editor’s note: no bells, no whistles. Everything you need and nothing you don’t. It’s the one and only Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 in steel … Forget the fuss about the Sea-Dweller and the palaver over the Sky-Dweller, the real Rolex of 2017 is the Datejust 41 in steel. On the surface, the reasons might not be immediately obvious. After all, the Datejust 41 isn’t new (it was released last year in yellow and Everose Rolesor versions), and its looks are almost the very definition of classic. But despite this — or because of it — we’re confident in predicting that the steel Datejust 41 will be one of their most popular models this year. Let’s step back for just a second. What is a Datejust 41, and where does it fit in the Rolex ecosystem? Well, the second part of the equation, the 41, is simple enough — it refers to the 41mm case size. But the Datejust itself requires a jot more explanation. Originally introduced way back in 1945, the Datejust is a prime example of one of the quiet revolutions that make Rolex the powerhouse it is today. The innovation of the Datejust was that the date ‘jumped’ at…
These days, “NATO strap” is a catch-all term for any sort of nylon or fabric watch strap. In reality, it’s a little more complex. The use of the term NATO is something of a misappropriation that arose because the ‘original’ fabric strap (20mm, nylon, chrome-plated hardware, in admiralty grey) could be requested using a form relating to its NATO stock number. Hence, the catch-all NATO term was born. Ken Kessler goes into great detail on all this backstory, as well as the more recent chapters in the NATO strap narrative, in this Revolution piece. And as a NATO strap (of many stripes) is my default strap (heck, we even sell them), I found it a fascinating read, and hopefully you will too. Read the whole story over at Revolution.
Editor’s note: Who doesn’t love a good micro brand (we certainly do)? In many ways the little guys have so much more freedom than the big brands, when it comes to design, production (and all the rest). Case in point is the Farer Lander GMT, which we reviewed last year … Having previously reviewed the Farer Aqua Compressor Hecla, I thought it was time to explore some more of the British microbrand’s offerings. Enter the Farer Lander GMT Automatic, one of three pieces within Farer’s GMT Automatic range. As I unboxed the Lander, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the dial. Farer describes the colour as ‘sea green’, which, when you think about it, is quite an accurate description. Bursting with colour, the dial has a sunburst-style finishing, meaning the moment you walk outside into the sunlight it takes on a new appearance. This was my favourite feature of the watch and looked great when contrasted with the dark brown strap. There’s a lot of other detail in the dial, which Farer refer to as a ‘triple step dial’. The bold font of the hour numerals features a Super-LumiNova outline, which adds an additional layer of depth and…