Watches NEWS
Hands-On - IWC Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition Rodeo Drive IW503001 (Specs & Price)
2019 has been earmarked as?the year of Pilot’s Watches at IWC. ?This has not translated into a complete overhaul of the collection (something that we applaud, as we think it is important to?keep the classical models intact) but with the introduction of new models in sub-collections – mainly?TOP GUN and Spitfire. Apart from all the watches we have presented recently, there was an additional model that caught our attention. Based on the super-cool Black-and-Blue scheme introduced in 2015 on the time-only Big Pilot’s, this year IWC adds a new model: Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Rodeo Drive”.In early December 2015, IWC opened a new boutique in?Beverly Hills, on Rodeo Drive. To celebrate the opening, a limited edition model, the reference IW502003 Big Pilot's Watch Edition Boutique “Rodeo Drive”, was released. Limited to 250 pieces and available at the Rodeo Drive boutique and other IWC stores around the world, this watch intr
IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 IW3442 // Hands-On, Specs, Price
This year at IWC Schaffhausen the iconic Portugieser family is in the spotlight. One of the novelties is the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42. Smaller in size with a simpler layout of the calendar information, the new Perpetual Calendar 42 is a toned-down, more moderate and less expensive younger brother of the existing 44mm Perpetual Calendar. Still fitted with Kurt Klaus's ingenious perpetual calendar module, the movement is a more compact, robust automatic derived from IWC’s 82000 calibre family. We have been lucky enough to enjoy some hands-on time with these two new models (steel and rose gold with silver dials) just ahead of the ‘virtual' launch of Richemont Group's novelties today.Kurt Klaus’ Perpetual CalendarIn the early 1980s, Kurt Klaus set out to translate the Gregorian calendar with its many irregularities into a mechanical programme for a wristwatch. His ingenious perpetual calendar, which debuted in the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar in 1985, comprise
Hands-On - Oris Divers Sixty-Five Steel and Bronze (40mm and 36mm) Specs & Price
Oris expands its highly successful retro Divers Sixty-Five family with the incorporation of two models with a bronze ring hugging the rotating bezel. Exuding strong vintage appeal with the two-tone black and warm golden and bronze touches, it is patently clear that Oris has been listening to its customers and has tapped directly into the trend for smaller unisex case sizes (36mm) and the ongoing fascination with bronze. Presented in 40mm and 36mm diameters, the new Oris Divers Sixty-Five models won't sink you financially and retail for under CHF 2,000 for the models on a leather or NATO strap.Evolution, not revolutionLaunched in 2015, the Divers Sixty-Five was Oris' interpretation of a retro dive watch. Inspired by an Oris diver of 1965, the faithful vintage aesthetics of the model won immediate favour and were also an eye-opener for many watch enthusiasts who couldn't get over the excellent price/quality ratio.?Although some quibbled with its water-resistance threshold of just 100 met
First Look: The New Black-Gold Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton
Named after the famous British explorer, Rado's 1962 Captain Cook was the brand's first dive watch with an impressive depth rating of 220 metres. Produced in very low numbers, the Captain Cook drifted off the map in 1968. With its consolidated reputation for high-tech streamlined ceramic watches, Rado took a surprising tack in 2017 by reintroducing the Captain Cook. Having docked in many ports since then, the latest Captain Cook sails in with a hyper-contemporary matte black high-tech ceramic hull, an openworked deck and rose gold accents.The first vintage re-edition of the Captain Cook came in a 37mm steel case and featured the unusual concave sloping bezel of its ancestor. Fitted with a box-shaped sapphire crystal to evoke the domed acrylic ones of the earliest Captain Cooks, it also featured the distinctive swinging anchor at noon. However, the magnifying lens over the date window was not featured, and the depth rating was reduced by half to 100m. Ad - Scroll to continue
Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Complete Calendar now in Pink Gold - SIHH 2018 Hands-On (Specs & Price)
Vacheron Constantin’s?Traditionelle Complete Calendar Collection Excellence Platine, released just ahead of the SIHH, was already a pleasing novelty, albeit an expensive and limited one. The platinum model, with its great calendar display, is now flanked by a model in lustrous pink gold for the SIHH 2018, as a serially produced piece in the collection.It is reassuring to see that Vacheron Constantin's commitment to the classics is as unwavering as the brand's commitment to extraordinary quality. The Traditionelle family, designed to perpetuate the traditions of Genevan Haute Horlogerie, is, as you would expect, classic to the core with round cases in precious metals distinguished by the knurled bezel on the case back and elegant tapered Dauphine hands. Depending on the complications involved - ranging from minute repeater tourbillons and perpetual calendars to world timers and straightforward three-hand pieces - the stylistic features on the dial can alter quite dramatically in t