Just Because: It's February 29th... What Exactly is a Leap Year? And What Does it Means For Watches?
If you’re one of the lucky few to own a perpetual calendar watch (or even rarer, a secular calendar watch), this is the day you have to wear this watch. It’s not even an option, it’s an order. Why? Because your movement is going to perform a mechanical ballet that only occurs every four years – well, almost… more on that in a few – and your dial will be showing a day and date combination that only occurs every 1,460 days. Indeed, today is February 29th, and 2024 is a leap year. But what exactly is a leap year? Why does it even exist? Why make things so complicated? And how does this translate in terms of watchmaking and calendar watches? We tell you all.?Horology and mechanical watchmaking are children of astronomy. The entire system of measuring time, days or seasons is based on the observation of our planet and its position in the Solar system. Time and calendars are, however, conventions created by men. They are systems, a standardisation that all

Richemont Group 2020 Results Stable, Yet Affected by Coronavirus
In a statement released this morning, luxury group Richemont – the owner of multiple high-end watch brands, such as IWC, Lange, JLC or Cartier – has announced its results for the year ended 31 March 2020. On a yearly basis, the group recorded revenues of EUR 14, 238 million, up 2% at actual exchange rates and stable at constant exchange rate compared to the prior year. However, this doesn't reflect the current situation in the market.Sales over the nine-month period from April to December 2019 had increased by 8% at actual exchange rates and by 5% at constant exchange rates, before the Coronavirus pandemic put downward pressure on the global economy. As expected, over the 4th quarter, operations were strongly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Sales over this period declined by 18% at actual exchange rates, with sales in Asia Pacific down by 36%, including Hong Kong SAR and China down by 67%. Sales in Europe decreased by 9% while they rose by 9% in the Americas, only hit by t

TAG Heuer Manchester United Special Edition Chronographs (Specs & Price)
The fact that the LVMH Watch Division, led by J.C. Biver, is quite inclined in sports partnerships is no secret. There are dozens of them. Today, the Group brings back on board one of their long-time partners,?Manchester United. Indeed, the Football Club was partnering?with sister-brand Hublot in the early 2010s, before moving to another Swiss brand. Well, the team is back in Biver’s portfolio, as a partnership was?signed between TAG Heuer and?Manchester United in 2016, TAG being?official timekeeper.?Both partners now just announce the creation of?two?TAG Heuer Manchester United?Special Edition Chronographs, based on the Carrera Heuer-01 and the Formula 1. Legendary?Football Club (yes, because it is a UK-based club, we say Football and not Soccer…) Manchester United,?managed by Portuguese Jose Mourinho, already appointed TAG Heuer as?official timekeeper back in 2016. This sounded like the reunification between the club and?LVMH Watch Division’s

TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition // Review, Price
Back in January 2020, as the first watch presented by the brand in this new year, TAG Heuer introduced a pretty big watch… Really, the kind of watch that, at first sight, has all the elements to become a classic. Certainly, this wasn’t the most adventurous of TAG’s creation, but let’s be real, it simply looked good – at least, in the press photos. To make up our mind, we’ve decided to give this TAG Heuer Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition a test on the wrist. And, well, it doesn’t disappoint.?Last year, TAG Heuer had one main focus: the 50th anniversary of the Calibre 11 movement, along with the watch that was first equipped with it, the legendary Monaco watch. These celebrations gave birth to a series of five watches, one for each decade of the Monaco’s existence. But this year (if things go well…), prepare for something else. First, there was the new Connected Watch Third Generation. According to the brand, another collectio

Introducing: The SpaceOne Tellurium now in black or blue titanium cases
Young collaborative project/brand SpaceOne continues its exploration of watchmaking through a parallel galaxy… Last year, the bold and modern SpaceOne Jumping Hour emerged from the visionary mind of Theo Auffret, a Parisian independent watchmaker crafting intricate timepieces like the Tourbillon Grand Sport?and Guillaume Laidet, the man spearheading the revival of Nivada, Excelsior Park and Vulcain. The second step was even more unusual and was a neo-futuristic, audacious sci-fi watch with a rare complication, a wrist-sized Tellurium. It’s now back in two new and even more coherent versions, with black or blue titanium cases for the SpaceOne Tellurium.?A futuristic take on watchmaking, SpaceOne started with a spacecraft-shaped jumping hour watch imagined by Paris-based independent watchmaker Theo Auffret and young entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet, behind the return of Nivada Grenchen and Excelsior Park. The idea behind SpaceOne was to create “the first watchmaking worksh