Hands-On - The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel
Introduced a couple of weeks ago, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel came as a surprise. Not that this original display of the time feels irrelevant when looking at the brand’s heritage (far from that), but it isn’t exactly what we expected the brand to revive. Despite its fascinating nature, wandering hour displays are rare, but Audemars Piguet has decided to introduce something more playful and almost kinetic inside the case of its Code 11.59. And that isn’t a bad thing, after all. Now that we’ve had a chance to experience this new Starwheel in the metal, here’s what we can tell you… (Spoiler: compared to the 1990s Star Wheel, it really is a different beast.)One of the oldest non-traditional displaysDespite the highly modern result and the fact that wandering hour complications have been used by some of the most creative indie watchmakers of the last two decades (think Urwerk, Hautlence or?Moser) or more traditional brands (such as Parmigi

In-Depth: The History of the IWC Ingenieur Collection
The IWC Ingenieur collection has long been one of the pillars of the Schaffhausen-based brand's reputation, even if the spotlight often seems to shine brighter on the emblematic Pilot series.?In recent years, IWC collections like the?Pilot,?Portugieser,?Portofino, and, to a lesser extent, the?Aquatimer?have steadily introduced new references, leaving the Ingenieur line seemingly in the shadows.?For a few years until 2023, many watch enthusiasts found themselves wondering why IWC had yet to properly (re)enter the luxury sports integrated bracelet watch market – a current trend embraced by numerous other brands through retro-inspired and revival models catering to the growing appetite for 1970s designs. After all, IWC had the ideal candidate in its archives: the Ingenieur SL, a model introduced in 1976 and designed by Gerald Genta. Behind the scenes, however, IWC was preparing to unveil its modern interpretation of Genta’s integrated design in the new Ingenieur Automatic 2023

A Technical Perspective - The Key Features of a Pilot's Watch
If there is an official standard defining the features for a watch suitable for diving (ISO 6425), no such definition or standard exists (at least one that would be used throughout the industry) for another popular watch category: the pilot's watch. Each and every brand has its own vision of what a pilot's watch should be, depending on the needs of the wearer. However, there are some key elements that single these watches out from the crowd.Pilot’s watches are extremely popular, appreciated for their utilitarian aesthetics and sharp legibility. Positioned more as statement pieces today than the vital tool watches originally used in the air, pilot’s watches, like dive watches, were born from necessity. The first pilot's watch is often considered to be the wristwatch created by Louis Cartier for dandy aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont to time his flights. Its technical specifications were basic, far from those of military watches of the mid-20th?century, which have shaped the des

Sinn x The Rake and Revolution 155 Bundeswehr Dark Star - Introducing (Specs & Price)
It has become a recurring thing for magazines Revolution and The Rake to offer limited edition watches to their readers. Some of them, such as the Bell & Ross Bellytanker or the Chopard Salmon Dial, were surprisingly pleasant. Today’s collab watch goes one step further and the result is the epitome of cool. Indeed, Revolution and The Rake have teamed up with German watchmaker Sinn to present a re-edition of the legendary Bundeswehr 1550 SG, issued in a limited run of 150 pieces. Meet the Sinn 155 Bundeswehr Dark Star.The Rake’s and Revolution’s latest collaborative project was a very nice, 36mm bronze cased IWC pilot’s watch. Following this military/vintagey/pilot theme, the two magazines owned by our friend Wei Koh are presenting another flight instrument, this time in collaboration with Sinn. It is toolish, it is vintage-inspired and it is cool, simply because it is a re-edition of the famed Bundeswehr 1550 SG watch. And that’s enough to tickle our i

Introducing: The Habring2 Josef Regulator With Dead-Beat Seconds
Twenty years ago, Austrian couple Maria and Richard Habring (the latter being famous already for his previous work at IWC, including developing the 7750-based Doppel Chronograph, among other clever mechanisms) started their own journey, an independent watchmaking brand known as Habring2. Now one of the most respected indie watchmakers in their segment, one of the few brands to actually make watches and movements in Austria, Habring2 has decided to celebrate two decades of passion-fueled timepieces with two new models: a moon phase model that we’ll cover in a later article, and this new Josef watch, a regulator that does more than just display the time in split sub-dials.While some independent watchmakers are all about ultra-high-end finishing or record-breaking complications, Habring2 went another route. Far more pragmatic, slightly original but still very usable on a daily basis. This combination of originality, cleverness of construction and search for true reliability and serv