Up-Close with the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph Panda Dial
If luxury stainless steel sports watches are a hot commodity on the market today, Vacheron Constantin‘s Overseas Chronograph Panda has just raised the bar from hot to hotter. Just ahead of Watches & Wonders 2023, Vacheron Constantin pulls a splendid white rabbit out of its top hat with the release of the latest stainless steel Overseas Chronograph with a panda dial. The brand’s latest take on its Overseas Chronograph ref. 5500V is the paragon of a sporty chronograph flaunting an eye-catching and remarkably legible 1960s-style panda dial. Combined with the distinctive case of the Overseas family, impeccable Geneva Seal mechanics and maximum versatility thanks to the three interchangeable strap and bracelet options, Vacheron has produced a winner. It’s evident that VC has been listening to feedback and has produced this much-anticipated reference that will have many collectors and enthusiasts going weak at the knees.Finger on the pulseWhat is surprising about a watc

Hands-On: The Ice-Blue Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph
When it comes to 1970s-inspired elegant sports watches, those equipped with a shaped case and an integrated bracelet, most people tend to look back at 1972 and the Royal Oak, before quickly jumping to 1976 with the Nautilus and the Ingenieur, and then 1977 with the 222. Yet, we have to keep in mind that one of the earliest representatives of the genre was Girard-Perregaux, which released its take on the luxury sports watch in 1975 with the Laureato. The watch has not been as consistent during its lifespan as some of the big names, though, but it came back strong in 2017 in a historically relevant shape. We’ve seen many attractive editions since then, but the latest one, an ice-blue Laureato Chronograph, strikes hard.Looking at our past articles covering the Laureato collection of Girard-Perregaux, you’ll find dozens of variants, ranging from classic time-and-date in a masculine size to more compact editions, all the way up to high-end models and, regarding today’s mat

First Look: The New Colours of the IWC Portugieser Chronograph
Chronographs made their way into the Portugieser family in 1995 with a sophisticated Valjoux-modified rattrapante (IW3712), followed by a classic chronograph, again with a modified Valjoux, in 1998 with the reference IW3714. And then, in 2020, IWC equipped it with a manufacture column-wheel chronograph movement to become the IW3716 (don’t miss our article comparing the two models). An iconic, timeless collection that bears many of its ancestor’s traits, the Portugieser Chronograph has adapted to the times with an ever-increasing range of dial colours and strap options. In this spirit, IWC introduces three very attractive versions of its Portugieser Chronograph with new dial colours.Nothing has changed regarding the specifications. The 30m water-resistant cases, available in 18k white gold, 18k 5N (red) gold, and stainless steel, have a 41mm diameter and a thickness of 13.1mm. Decorated with two finishings, the signature thin bezel and piston chronograph pushers are polished

IWC Portugieser Chronograph Classic Bucherer Blue Editions Red Gold IW3903 (Specs & Price)
When you are one of the largest watch retailers in the world (and the largest in Europe), you can use this leverage to create your own limited edition watches. This is what Bucherer has been doing now for several years, with the Blue Editions – you probably guessed that all of these watches have a specific blue dial (see here for instance). Today, the watch retailer is presenting a special edition of the?IWC Portugieser Chronograph Classic, in red gold and, of course, with a blue dial.This new 88-piece limited edition of the?IWC Portugieser Chronograph Classic for Bucherer is obviously no more than a visual update of an existing watch, with a new case material and a new dial colour to be precise – which doesn’t prevent us to be pleased by this overall good looking watch. The base used is identical to the watch we reviewed extensively here, a watch launched in 2013 and that has been slightly revamped in 2017 (basically with a cleaner dial). It is named “Classic&#

Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 - A Classic among Classics, Modernised - Monochrome Watches
A classic among classics, the Le Brassus-based manufacture revisits its perpetual calendar complication with moon phases in 2018, in a larger 40mm case size and a choice of two metals: 18k red gold and stainless steel. With subtle design tweaks on the dial and a secured movement, the new Villeret Quantieme Perpetuel 6656 models are presented in a more contemporary case size and in a more democratic' choice of steel… Is Blancpain on the hunt for younger customers?Vive la Tradition: Calendar watches at BlancpainBlancpain has come a long way since it started life as a small craft workshop on the top floor of Jehan-Jacques Blancpain's house in Villeret, back in 1735. By the late 1950s Blancpain was producing more than 100,000 watches a year and to meet growing demand joined the Societe Suisse pour L'Industrie Horlogere (SSIH, later to become the Swatch Group) along with Omega, Tissot and Lemania. In the wake of the quartz crisis that decimated the Swiss mechanical watch market, SSIH