Watches NEWS
Audemars Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3 37mm 26660ST
Imagine the responsibility and challenges of having to produce 50th-anniversary watches to honour the forerunner and undisputed leader of the luxury sports watch. Luckily, Audemars Piguet is not daunted by challenges and has feted its Royal Oak's 50th birthday with standout models like the Jumbo Extra-Thin 16202 with a newly developed movement. A couple of months after the initial euphoria, AP unveiled the first Jumbo ever fitted with a flying tourbillon. Merging the classic design cues of the iconic Jumbo with a new extra-thin flying tourbillon movement (calibre 2968), the 39mm steel case displayed the signature blue petite tapisserie?dial. Given the challenges of developing a new calibre to fit inside the thin 8.1mm case height of the Jumbo, the project was entrusted to AP's Research & Development department to become RD#3. History repeats itself today as AP unveils a second version of its Royal Oak RD#3 in an even smaller 37mm case size with a classic petite tapisserie dial in a
Czapek Antarctique, The Brands Luxury Sports Watch (Review, Price)
The luxury sports watch is one of the most successful categories, dominated by cult classics such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus – two timepieces that defined the genre back in the 1970s. Smaller independent watchmakers are now entering the category. Brands like Laurent Ferrier, Urban Jurgensen or H. Moser & Cie. have recently unveiled steel sports watches with an integrated bracelet. It is now Czapek's turn to present its take on the genre with the Antarctique.Czapek is an independent watchmaker with an original business model. The brand was launched a few years ago, reviving the name of an illustrious Czech-born Geneva-based watchmaker. This renaissance was orchestrated through an equity crowdfunding campaign, a unique case in high-end watchmaking, allowing passionate watch lovers to be part of a brand, many of them active in supporting and advising the team. On the manufacturing side, Czapek operates as a horizontal manufacture creating a
The Alpina Seastrong Diver Heritage - a Vintage Inspired Diver Full of Character - Monochrome Watches
The Alpina Diver Heritage, a homage?to the vintage Alpina Seastrong 10, is another retro re-edition of an old vintage diver ‘Super Compressor’ model from?the 1970’s. I think that in this case it’s fair to say Alpina has chosen wisely in?responding to the vintage-inspired trend, a strategy successfully adopted by many other brands already. So, what is the Seastrong, and how?does it stack up in this crowded segment of the market? Monochrome dives into the world of Alpina and the new Seastrong Diver Heritage to find out.?Alpina – The CompanyAlpina Watches is one of those Swiss manufacturers that is?perhaps not at the forefront of the industry in terms of exposure however, it?has a story that deserves to be told. The company was founded in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser, a watchmaker in Winterthur who also founded the Swiss Watchmakers Corporation (“Union Horlogere Suisse”) with the?sole purpose of?uniting Swiss wat
Baltic MR01 Salmon Accessible Calatrava-style Micro Rotor Watch Review
Baltic, the young and fresh indie watchmaker from France, has managed in a few years to make a name for itself with a collection of superbly designed, neo-retro watches with relatively accessible prices. It all started with a duo of 1940s-inspired watches with a slightly elegant touch. Then, the brand moved into sportier territories with several editions of the Aquascaphe. Today, Etienne Malec (the founder) goes back to one of his favourite types of watches, the so-called Calatrava style, with an elegant and compact micro-rotor watch that made quite an impression on us. Great look, gorgeous dial and even mechanical pleasures; let’s have a closer look at this new Baltic MR01.As a reminder, here’s what we explained about Baltic Watches in our in-depth article on the inaugural Aquascaphe Diver: Baltic Watches is the brainchild of Etienne Malec, a young Frenchman who has inherited his father’s passion for watches - something he shared with us already, some years ago. An a
Louis Erard Excellence email Grand Feu Small Seconds
Louis Erard, the independent Swiss brand with a tradition of accessible luxury, has gained considerable traction in the past couple of years. One of the brand's strategies to gain visibility for its Excellence collection was to invite designers Alain Silberstein and Eric Giroud, and even watchmaker Vianney Halter, to reinterpret the traditional regulator in a more contemporary key. Today, the brand adopts another feature associated with traditional watchmaking and introduces its first Grand Feu enamel dial on board another member of the Excellence family, the elegant Petite Seconde or Small Seconds. Once again, it turns to a third-party supplier’s expertise, in this case, the acclaimed Donze Cadrans enamel workshop, to produce the handmade enamel dial of this edition of 99 watches. True to its accessible price philosophy, the Louis Erard Excellence email Grand Feu Small Seconds will retail for less than CHF 4,000.Petite SecondeThe Petite Seconde joined the Louis Erard Excellence
[Rating:(5 / 5 stars)]
