A Technical Perspective - A Guide To The Hairspring
Sprung to life: who manufactures Hairsprings? An industry perspective on this key component whose production is still shrouded in secrecy – Barely one centimeter in diameter, the hairspring is the beating heart of a watch movement. It is a strategic component in several respects. Manufacturing hairsprings is a complex process and the whole Swiss watch industry has been relying on one supplier, Swatch Group's Nivarox at least, until very recently!Christian Huygens is credited (by common consensus) with the invention of the first movement with a balance wheel and hairspring in 1675. Since then, the principles of the regulating organ of the watch have changed very little. The escapement gives impulses to the balance wheel. In return, it is regulated by the balance. The oscillations of the balance wheel regulate the flow of time: each swing of the balance allows the gear train to advance a set amount. Its role is similar to that of a pendulum in a clock. The extremely thin coiled hai

First Look: The Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon Now in Ice Blue
The Alpine Eagle draws inspiration from the 1980s St. Moritz series, Chopard's take on the then-trending luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet¡ªa trend that has regained momentum. The Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon joined the collection in 2022, following the introduction of the chronograph and high-frequency models. While there's always room to discuss influences and debate whether a tourbillon belongs in a sports watch, one thing is clear: the Alpine Eagle is making its mark, and the Flying Tourbillon fits right in.The latest 2025 Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon remains largely unchanged from its 2022 debut, with the only noticeable update being the dial colour. This new version features a Rh?ne Blue dial, a lighter shade than the original Aletsch Blue. The 41mm case, crafted from Lucent Steel ¡ª Chopard's proprietary alloy ¡ª maintains its finishes, shape, 8mm slim profile, 100m water resistance, and sapphire crystals on both the front and back. Ad - Scroll

Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Grey Dial - Hands-On (Specs & Price)
When Geneva-based brand Frederique Constant introduced its first Perpetual Calendar in 2016, it came as a surprise for the entire world of Haute Horlogerie. How could a watch brand make such a complex movement for a price that didn't even hit the EUR 10,000 mark? Well, we explained that to you here. Today, the brand presents two new references in its Slimline collection, both with Perpetual Calendars and new grey-coloured dials. And of course, the price remains quite a lot lower than you might imagine.?Frederique Constant has always made understated watches but has always been out to make some noise in the world of horology. It fought hard against the almighty Swatch Group to maintain access to ETA movements and brazenly situated its manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, right next to the illustrious elders like Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Ad - Scroll to continue with article

This week's Collector Series is an Editor's pick: Our very own Frank and his Speake-Marin Piccadilly - Monochrome Watches
Why did Peter Speake-Marin feel compelled to start making watches in the first place? Well, like most of us, he fell in love with the intoxicating combination of history, art and mechanics.?The London born watchmaker was education in London at the Hackney Technical College and then at WOSTEP (the prestigious Swiss watchmaking school in Neuchatel). Following his training in Switzerland, and on his return to London, Speake-Marin?begun working at Somlo Antiques (then based in the Piccadilly arcade). There, Speake-Marin learnt how past masters such as Breguet had found their watchmaking solutions and their diverse ways of making watches.Fast-forward a few years to the late 90's (and a number of machines) Speake-Marin begun developing a tourbillon pocket watch (by hand) with twin power trains, which later became known as the Foundation Watch. In the Foundation Watch, Speake-Marin laid down his style and philosophy while establishing his first independent workshop at the beginning of the mil

Tudor and its Heritage - The old and new Tudor Ranger face to face - Monochrome Watches
Last week, we started a new series of articles named “Tudor and Its Heritage“. As you might have guessed, we are here looking at how Tudor Watches successfully drew the lines of the Heritage collection by looking at some of its glorious vintage watches, however not copying them, but re-interpretating some key elements into a modern package. Vintage-inspiration, not vintage reedition. Our?first episode focussed on the most expected ones, the Submariners and the actual?Heritage Black Bay. However, the Heritage collection does comprise much more, including the Tudor Heritage Ranger, inspired by one of the most controversial watches of the brand, the Oyster Prince Ranger. And we have them face to face today – and we have a little extra too…Background – The story behind?the Tudor Oyster Prince RangerWhy stating straight “one of the most controversial watches by Tudor”? For the catchy sentence? To make?some noise?… No. Actually, this is a real