Watches NEWS
VIDEO - The Timelessness of the A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia collection by Anthony de Haas and Bruno Moinard - Monochrome Watches
A great looking simple dress watch has a certain “je ne sais quoi”. Of course there’s is only so much you can do as a designer, at least that what most laymen think. And also to us there are some very simple 2, or 3-hand watches that are just… perfect. The size, the shape of the case, that small bevel on the lugs, and that lovely straight-brushed case-band, or any other detail that can just hit the right note. But how difficult is it to find that perfect balance when designing a watch, or anything actually. We set out and asked the experts, Anthony de Haas, A. Lange & Sohne’s director product development, and Bruno Moinard, acclaimed architect and designer. What is timelessness, and how to translate this, in all subtleness, into a design that will remain appealing for decades, or even centuries. Here’s what they told us about this ‘elusive’ property called timelessness.Let me first briefly introduce both gentlemen. Anthony de Haas, pr
Industry News: Swatch Group Revenues and Profit Down in 2024
It’s the time of year when businesses announce their financial performance. Following Richemont and LVMH, Swatch Group has just released its 2024 results. In a challenging environment for the watch industry, the sales of Swatch Group – the Swiss powerhouse and owner of Omega, Longines or Tissot – were CHF 6,735 million, down 12.2% at constant exchange rates and 14.6% at current rates. The operating profit came in at CHF 304 million versus CHF 1,191 million in 2023.After reaching records in 2023, the luxury watch market is facing a slowdown as Swiss watch exports are expected to be down by about 3% over 2024, impacted by the challenging situation in China. In this difficult environment, Swatch Group sales have been impacted. In this context, Swatch Group's revenues and profits are down; the press release mentions a persistently difficult market situation and weak demand for consumer goods overall in China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR), and on the other hand,
Hands-On Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925 Silver 79010SG - Price
Aside from the classics that are steel, titanium, gold or platinum, watchmaking has been using multiple “innovative” materials. You can think about exotic metals such as tantalum, aluminium or bronze, or materials like ceramic, carbon fibre or even sapphire – and not even counting dozens of proprietary alloys… The story behind 925 silver is slightly different. No stranger to watchmaking, this alloy has, however, long been replaced by steel or gold to make cases, and its use is often relegated to the production of dials. This year, Tudor somehow innovates (“think different” would be more appropriate) by launching its star dive watch in a 925 silver case. And indeed, it looks rather stunning, as we’ll show in this first live encounter with the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925.As said, 925 silver is (was actually) a familiar material in watchmaking. It was common to see pocket watches being made of solid silver, in the same vein as jewellery has be
Hands-On - The Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle (Specs & Price)
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, the term razzle-dazzle is used to describe “(confusion caused by) noisy and noticeable activity or very colourful appearance, intended to attract attention“. Eliminating the adjective ‘colourful’ from the dictionary description, it seems to be a fair description of the dizzying black and white geometric patterns donned on the latest Freak X. To be more precise, the zigzagging pattern pays homage to a camouflage technique known as ‘dazzle’ adopted by British ships painted with crisscrossing likes to confuse the enemy and make it hard for German U-boats to estimate the range, speed and direction of the ship. Similar to Op art, a style of optical art popular in the 1960s that used abstract geometric shapes to create optical illusions, the razzle-dazzle painting on British ships proved extremely effective and saved many lives. It also fits very nicely with Ulysse Nardin's longstanding tradition of providing
Introducing Angelus U53 Tourbillon Dive Watch Khaki Green - Specs, Price
For those who've wondered if there are tourbillon-regulated dive watches on the market, the simple answer is; yes! But, they are only a few of them and naming some from the top of one's mind can be a challenge. Fear not, however, Angelus have just launched a new watch in its bold U50 collection, so the number of tourbillon dive watches currently available goes up by at least one! Here's the Angelus U53 Tourbillon Dive Watch in a trendy Khaki green colour scheme.Go ahead, I'll give you a minute to think of another watch that comes with a (flying) tourbillon escapement and has a depth rating of 300 meters or more. It's not that easy, is it? That's because it is simply something that doesn't naturally go well together, a robust diving instrument fitted with a delicate anti-gravity regulator. Sure, the Angelus U53 is not alone, but you'd have to have intimate knowledge of the watch market, past and present, to come up with an answer. Richard Mille has done it with the RM 025, a 300m watch
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