Watches NEWS
Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias Will Leave Audemars Piguet End of 2023
What was once just an unconfirmed?rumour is now official. Fran?ois-Henry?Bennahmias, the charismatic CEO of Audemars Piguet, will leave the brand at the end of 2023. The news was announced in an interview together with Jasmine Audemars, released in Le Temps?today.Fran?ois-Henry?Bennahmias joined Audemars Piguet some 30 years ago and has been at the helm of the brand for the past 10 years. He will leave the company in excellent shape with revenues of about 1.6 billion francs and a production of some 45,000 watches in 2021. The interview released in Le Temps reports that the transition process has been under discussion since 2017 and that back then, Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias had informed the Audemars Piguet Board of his desire to retire after the 50-year anniversary of the Royal Oak in 2022. A date is now set. He will continue to exercise his functions as CEO, ensuring a smooth transition until the end of 2023.The Audemars Piguet Board has therefore decided to launch a search process for
The Petrolhead Corner - Spotted Damon Hill and His Race-Worn Omega Speedmaster
Damon Hill is the son of the late British racing driver Graham Hill, who twice won the Formula 1 drivers' championship and is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport comprising the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.Father and Son – Graham Hill overseeing his son Damon in the driving seat – Photo by Express/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesIn 1996, Damon Hill became Formula 1 World Champion driving for the Williams team and in doing so, Hill and his father became the first family to have a father and son both become Formula 1 World champions.I noticed while browsing for photos on racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart, that Hill was wearing an Omega Speedmaster chronograph.?I have never heard of anyone mentioning Hill sporting a Speedmaster, so I decided to do start searching. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Go
Hands-On: The New Hublot Big Bang Integrated Automatic Tourbillon Full Carbon Texalium
In physics, the Big Bang signals the beginning of time; in watchmaking, it is synonymous with Hublot‘s eponymous collection. Imploding on the scene in 2005, the Hublot Big Bang was designed to shock and awe with its large loud cases fusing state-of-the-art materials. Fusion is the operative word again as the Big Bang steps up the action with a micro-rotor and tourbillon staged inside an ultra-lightweight carbon fibre and Texalium case with an integrated strap that looks uncannily like a metallic bracelet. Similar to the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire of 2021, the Hublot Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Texalium-Carbon (yup, it’s a mouthful) is a powerful mix of old and new combining in-house horological weight with a radically resistant yet lightweight composite.Lightweight yet toughThe striking interwoven texture of the 43mm case, with its thickness of 14.15mm, is produced using carbon fibre. Renowned for its resilience and lightness, the carbon fibre case w
Introducing The New, More Compact Singer Reimagined 1969 Collection
Behind the name Singer Reimagined is another brand that is not related to watchmaking, but that crafts some of the most desirable restomoded Porsche 911s, Singer Vehicle Design. Since car guys are often watch guys and vice-versa, Rob Dickinson, founder of Singer, decided it was time to create a watch as remarkable as his reimagined and restored 911s. Rob teamed up with two men with serious watchmaking track record; Marco Borraccino (a watch designer), and?Jean-Marc Wiederrecht (Agenhor). The result, the?Singer Reimagined Track 1. A nostalgic late-1960s design, a cutting-edge chronograph movement and a watch that was fueled by passion. After several iterations of the Track 1 and the second model, the Flytrack, it is time for the brand to evolve with a new, slightly less radical yet highly appealing range of models, the new Singer Reimagined 1969 collection.?The idea behind the two new Singer Reimagined 1969 models – chronograph and timer – is not to make a revolution, but mo
Hands-On - The Heuer Monaco Worn by Steve McQueen in 'Le Mans'
In 2017, under the hammer of star auctioneer Aurel Bacs (from Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo), Paul Newman’s?very own?Paul Newman? Daytona reference 6239 became the?most expensive wristwatch ever – the world record holder is now a unique?steel Patek Philippe Grand Master Chime for Only Watch. It is hard to pin down exactly what will make a watch a star at auctions. The brand’s name, the scarcity of the model or its specificities are essential. The fact that a watch was once owned by a celebrity or has a story related to an icon of cool can ramp up the sales price significantly People need something they can connect to. And what better way to impress by presenting a watch that was worn by the “King of Cool” himself, Steve McQueen.Steve McQueen with one of the Heuer Monaco 1133B used during the shooting, on the set of the 1971 ‘Le Mans’ movie.On Saturday, 12 December 2020, at the New York RACING PULSE auction, Phillips will offer