Hands-On - Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB1.4 Titanium / Sapphire Bridges (Specs & Price)
Ferdinand Berthoud strips down its spectacular Chronometre FB1. After the recently introduced platinum edition, it's now the movement that evolves. Indeed, sapphire bridges now offer an unimpeded view on its killer inner workings, and this mechanical beauty is now housed in a titanium case (with 2 different dials available). Meet the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB1.4, available in two different versions, which shows quite some evolutions compared to the previous models of the brand.After a long incubation period, Chopard's Karl Frederich Scheufele revived Berthoud, one of the greatest horologists of all times, with the unveiling of the FB1 chronometer, a modern, personal take on this unique heritage (read our previous reviews about the FB1.1/2 and FB1.3). A tribute to chronometry, this elaborate creation features several mechanisms to optimize precision. It received numerous industry accolades, including being awarded the Aiguille d'Or at GPHG 2016 (the Oscars of Watchmaking). But t

First Look: The Omega Seamaster Regatta, Ready for the 37th Americas Cup
Omega‘s involvement in sailing and regattas, whether as official timekeeper or provider of dedicated timepieces, isn’t to be demonstrated anymore. The brand backs entire crews, such as Emirates Team New Zealand, and times historic events such as the America's Cup – for which it has recently announced the renewal of its role as the Official Timekeeper. As the 37th America's Cup, one of the world's most intense sailing races and the oldest trophy in international sport, is in full swing, the brand unveiled its latest sailing instrument, a proper tool watch based on the X33 family, the new Omega Seamaster Regatta.Omega and regattaOmega began its partnership with Emirates Team New Zealand and legendary sailor Sir Peter Blake in 1995 and continues to be a strong provider of regatta-themed watches. As such, the Swiss watchmaker has been the official timekeeper of the famous America’s Cup in 2000, 2003 and 2021, and now for the 37th edition of the race in 2024, it rene

Buzz Aldrin & George Clooney Talk Shop during the Omega Speedmaster's 60th Anniversary Celebrations - Monochrome Watches
Last month I had the distinct privilege of?attending the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Omega Speedmaster. While I am usually rather skeptical about anniversaries of watches, I have no problem whatsoever with celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first watch on the moon. As part of the celebrations, two gentlemen who were present during the festivities, named Mr. Buzz Aldrin and Mr. George Clooney, got?together to?talk shop. While Buzz actually walked on the moon, George also had some experience (well, not really, but in the movie Gravity it looked cool) and they discussed what Buzz’s achievements meant to George, and millions of other Earthlings.?Without further ado…. here’s a transcript of the meeting between Buzz and George. Ad - Scroll to continue with article George: There he is!Buzz: Of my goodness, I get to meet George! George th

Hands-On - The New Series of Accessible Merci Instruments LMM-01
There is no denying the importance of the microbrand scene in the past couple of years. We’ve seen so many new projects coming on stage and some with a pretty impressive sense of design. Fresh, unique, disruptive or, on the contrary, highly classical, there’s room for many new actors. Well, today we’ll be talking about a trio of watches that such a microbrand could have made… Except that behind Merci Instruments is an entity that is miles away from the watchmaking scene. And yet, the three new Merci Instruments LMM-01 you see here are clearly timepieces?in a noble version of the word.?Here’s a slightly personal and rather funny story. Merci is what you could name a concept store, a retail experience that isn’t focused on a single typology of product but more on a selection of products that could fit together as an ensemble. The goal of Merci Paris was originally to gather emerging brands and designers and collect funds for non-profitable organisation

The Auction Hammer - Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Art Deco - Monochrome Watches
Next Saturday Antiquorum will auction a Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Art Deco, the most beautiful Reverso I’ve ever seen. Why? Just take a look…The Reverso Art Deco was produced by Jaeger LeCoultre in the year 2000 and was the first Reverso with an engraved, skeletonized movement. The caliber is 822AD, a derivative of caliber 822 that is used in many Reverso models. When Jaeger LeCoultre opened the virtual museum this model immediately caught my attention. Ad - Scroll to continue with article The salmon colored dial, has a gorgeous guilloche finish and applied?white gold dagger indexes. The white gold hour and minute hand are so-called dauphine hands. The white gold case?measures 26 x 42 mm and is 10 mm thick. Antiquorum states it’s from 2002, while Jaeger LeCoultre says this model is only made in 2000. Probably this Reverso was sold in 2002, so th