Hands-On – The New Bulgari Octo Retro Maserati GranSport & GranLusso

This couldn’t be more of an Italian affair… Since 2012, the two Italian brands Bulgari and Maserati have sealed a partnership for the creation of dedicated watches, inspired by the world of luxury and sports cars. The first two editions, a complex Octo Quadri-Retro in 2012 and a bold Octo Velocissimo in 2014, were unsurprisingly equipped with chronograph movements. For their latest joint creation, the new Bulgari Octo Retro Maserati, we’ll have something completely different in terms of display, but still with proper sports-car inspiration behind.

9 years ago

HANDS-ON: The Zenith Cronometro Tipo CP-2

There are a few select words and phrases regarding vintage watches that, when said, are sure to light the fires of enthusiasm inside a collector. One such phrase is “military provenance”; another, which can stoke either the flames of desire or disgust, depending on who you’re speaking to, is “vintage reissue”. We’re going to invoke both phrases here. In the 1960s, Zenith produced a watch with some serious military cred, which they recently celebrated with a faithful modern re-creation, limited to 1000 pieces. The original, code-named the Tipo CP-2 chronograph, was made for pilots of the Italian armed forces. It was also known as the “A. Cairelli”, after its Rome-based distributor, whose name is printed on the dial. Prices of these cockpit-appointed chronographs have gone sky-high in the last couple of years – one selling for CHF62,500 last year at Phillip’s Start-Stop-Reset auction in Geneva. It’s not inaccurate, then, to say that the demand for a handsome military-inspired chronograph is peaking, and the release of the new Zenith Cronometro Tipo CP-2 was perfectly pitched to delight both vintage and modern-day collectors. The appeal of the Tipo CP-2 is largely down to the fact that it’s an absolute dead ringer for the original. At 43mm, the stainless-steel…

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9 years ago

Introducing: The Merci LMM-01

The design-centric Paris retailer, originally founded to raise funds for schools in Madagascar, has created its first series of timepieces.

9 years ago

Introducing – Oris Updates the Classic Date Collection With Slimmer, More Elegant Design

Watches are not always about a fancy design, complex movements and stacking dozens of features in a single piece of wrist-accessory. Don’t forget that most customers are looking for THE watch that will be strapped to their wrist on a daily basis, and not the tenth watch in their collection. Sometimes, it’s also good to look at more essential pieces, with a classical, slightly casual look – and yet, with the right dosage of mechanical pleasure. This is exactly what the Oris Classic Date Collection offers, and this year, this model sees an interesting evolution.

9 years ago

Value Proposition – The Stylish Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver Compressor

Collecting watches is a thing… Creating your own watches is another. Yet, with recent developments, such as crowd-funding and online shopping, the way watches are created and sold has drastically changed. One example is Dan Henry (a watch collector) who turned his passion into a business, by creating vintage-inspired watches with interesting value-for-the-money. One watch that tickled our interest is the Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver Compressor (the only one for the moment with mechanical movement). Like all Dan Henry watches, the 1970 model incorporates design elements from its namesake year. Look past the 1970s styling, however, and you will find plenty more to appreciate about this watch. With a mix of whimsical and high-end features at only US$250, the 1970 also includes a boatload of bang for your buck.

9 years ago

HANDS-ON: Simply masterful — the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic

Twenty-five years ago Jaeger-LeCoultre released the Master Control collection, a line of watches dedicated to the sort of traditional high-quality watchmaking for which the Le Sentier-based house is so well known. The pure style of the Master Control sits well with the credibility afforded by JLC’s ‘1000 Hours Control’ testing program, in which the subject watch undergoes six weeks of extensive testing, covering off everything from accuracy to impact. And while these days this sort of rigorous testing procedure is increasingly par for the course, in 1992 JLC was well ahead of the pack. The potent combination of conservative good looks, horological credibility and a fair price meant that the Master Control collection has a well-earned reputation for offering exceptional quality. This year the offering only got better, as Jaeger-LeCoultre released a trio of anniversary watches with some pretty special vintage-inspired dials. The most simple of the three is the Master Control Date, followed by the more complicated Master Chronograph. Today, though, we’re going to look at the most complex offering of the three, the travel-oriented Master Geographic. Basically the Master Geographic is a dual-time watch with a city indicator. To me, the most remarkable achievement of the watch is how…

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9 years ago

Value Proposition Review – Rumoe Nobel Royal Watch

Every single day we see watches from every corner of the industry and from all areas of watchmaking. Whether it be super-complex avant-garde watches or elegance encased in a dress watch, we see it all. But, in all fairness, this comes at a price which usually runs in the thousands. That is exactly what the new Kickstarter-launching brand Rumoe has in mind to tackle: offering their luxurious-looking timepieces, but at a very affordable price. Their premiere watch is called the Nobel Royal, and we had the chance to experience it hands-on!

9 years ago