Watches NEWS
Chopard presents the superbly elegant L.U.C. Strike One - Hands-On
The Chopard L.U.C. saga goes back to 1996 when CEO Karl-Friedrich Scheuffele decided it was time to return to the realms of Haute Horlogerie. Named after the firm's founder, Louis Ulysse Chopard, it was to be the start of a continuous devotion to the finest watchmaking imaginable, marked by the inaugural L.U.C. XPS 1860 in 1997. After a decade of high-end watchmaking, the celebratory L.U.C. Strike One was presented, the brand’s first-ever venture into the world of repeater mechanisms. Fast forward to today, the new Chopard L.U.C. Strike One combines several of the best elements developed under the L.U.C. label, including the patented monobloc sapphire crystal/gong chiming technology.As said, Chopard celebrated the 10th anniversary of its manufacture with the L.U.C. Strike One, the brand's first-ever striking watch. This featured the in-house manufactured Calibre 96.14-L with a striking mechanism visible from the front and on/off pusher at 10 o'clock. This very watch serves as the
Introducing The New, Vintage-Inspired Vulcain Cricket Nautical Alarm Dive Watch (Live Pics & Price)
The name Vulcain is, for obvious reasons, often associated with the alarm complication. The venerable brand, founded in 1858 in Le Locle, Switzerland, has since 1947 made this function a signature element of so many of its watches. Slightly dormant in past years, the brand has recently been revived and various historical models have been brought back, with original movements and appealing retro-styled designs. In addition to the Skindiver Nautique, a classic dive watch, and an elegant chronograph, it’s mostly the return of the Cricket watch that caught our attention. Now, it’s time for one of the brand’s most important watches to return, a diving instrument with an underwater-ready alarm function, the Vulcain Cricket Nautical.?historical referencesIt took almost 100 years for Vulcain to properly make a name for itself. But in 1947, the brand and its manufacture will create a watch/movement that will define almost entirely its future production, the Cricket watch. To p
Hands on: The Nivada Grenchen Chronosport
Returning to the scene in 2020 with Guillaume Laidet at the helm, Nivada Grenchen had plenty of tricks up its sleeve thanks to its rich repertoire of mid-20th-century tool watches. Reviving some of its most famous models –? the Chronomaster, the Depthmaster, or the Super Antarctic – Nivada Grenchen has gained a cult following among fans of vintage revivals that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. However, the Chronosport we'll be looking at today is a true rarity that never made it into full-scale production. A multipurpose instrument with chronograph functions and 200m water-resistance, the Chronosport, which surfaced as a prototype in the early 1970s, has provided the blueprint for its 21st-century revival.Founded in 1926 by Jacob Schneider in Granges, Nivada Grenchen was one of the first watch brands to produce automatic watches in 1930. It introduced its first automatic waterproof model, the Antarctic, in 1950. If you are interested in the brand's history, Brice's a
Jaeger-LeCoultre Boutique Amsterdam Opens Its Doors at the Golden Half Mile - Monochrome Watches
Amsterdam is booming! Especially the ‘Museum District’ is taking the lead, with new luxury mono-brand boutiques popping up like tulips in spring, and the re-opening of two of Netherland’s most important museums – the Stedelijk Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Just around the corner from the aforementioned musea is the Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat, or short the PC. That’s where Jaeger-LeCoultre just opened its first Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique of the BeNeLux. A good reason for us to visit them and they surprised us with the Master Gyrotourbillon 1, Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, Duometre Spherotourbillon and the Reverso Grand Complicationa Triptyque!Daniel Riedo, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO, was in Amsterdam for the opening. Together with president Benno Leeser of Gassan Diamnionds,?and Dutch movie star Carice van Houten (who stars in Game of Thrones), he opened the boutique on Wednesday June 4th. A few hours before the opening we?had a chance to sit down with him and
Inside Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier - How Exactly Watch Parts Are Manufactured?
Things used to be better in the good old days? Well, not necessarily. Watchmaking has always relied on technology and it has evolved together with the machinery, tools and techniques that make watch production possible, simply to keep in tune with the times. For this reason, we're bringing you behind the scenes at Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier to see how watch parts are made.The meticulous handwork that goes into the manufacturing of Haute Horlogerie watches is fascinating. But when visiting watch production facilities, the cliched image of the old, independent watchmaker at his bench is dispelled. There, next to craftsmen, you'll also discover state-of-the-art CNC machines, lasers and cutting-edge equipment. The industry has undergone massive industrialisation dramatically improving the quality of the parts manufactured Technology is a fundamental force in the development and evolution of watchmaking art.Today, we take you behind the scenes of the watch industry at Vaucher Manufacture