Designing Time with Creativity and Haute Horlogery: Part 1 - 4N - Monochrome Watches
In the small world of independent watchmaking, competition is tough. Not only do you have to compete with big names, such as Richard Mille, Greubel Forsey or MB&F, you also have to offer “that little something extra” that makes your creation extraordinary. Innovation in this realm of specialists can be found in a profusion of complications or in a strong design, like a new way to display time. In a two-part story we’re going to introduce two amazing timepieces from two brilliant and innovative watch brands: 4N and Cabastan. Today, in part 1, we’ll start with 4N.When you think about reading the time, you will almost certainly imagine a round circle with three hands running on it - or four black numbers on a green screen if you lean digital and are still stuck in the 80's. Of course some complications in Haute Horlogery - and even in common Horlogery – have been created to offer some new ways to read time: jumping hours displayed in a window, retrograde

A Day with Jaeger-LeCoultre - Masterclass in Amsterdam - Monochrome Watches
Last month I had the pleasure of attending a Masterclass organized by Jaeger-LeCoultre. Several years ago I attended a similar Masterclass and now I was curious to see how much of my knowledge and “skills” remained.?The entire day was a lovely escape from any daily routine and very well organized, great place, great program, great food. And it gave much insight, again. Want to know how I did? Well, let me put it this way, after the Masterclass I respected watchmakers like I respect a good surgeon.?By the end of the day, we got to see many pieces from the current Jaeger-LeCoultre collection, so prepare for many wrist shots! Ad - Scroll to continue with article The Masterclass is something Jaeger-LeCoultre organizes for member of Le Club and people selected by Jaeger-LeCoultre dealers and their own boutiques. If you’re not a member of Le Club, th

Chopard Full Strike Minute Repeater (with price)
With the?L.U.C Full Strike, Chopard Watches’?high-end collection welcomes a minute repeater, a complication never explored by the brand, and launched as the crowning point of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture. We’ve seen some tourbillons, some perpetual calendars with?chronograph, super slim and eco-friendly watches?previously, but never a striking watch. At first glance you?could easily imagine that this?is just another minute repeater, nicely-designed and superbly finished but nothing?really?spectacular (relatively speaking of course, a minute repeater is always a little?spectacular…). However, this?Chopard L.U.C Full Strike features?something entirely?new and innovative, which makes it?different from any other minute repeater we’ve seen before.As a watch from Chopard’s?high-end collection – and we all know that these are pretty good watches, to say the least – you can safely assume the?L.U.C Full Strike

The utterly insane Brabus Crawler 900 Dune Buggy
In the world of bespoke cars, there's extreme and there's EXTREME, in capital letters, to emphasize just how extreme things have got. And famed German-based Mercedes-Benz tuners Brabus have perhaps just released the most extreme car you can think of. Forget Toyota Land-Cruisers or Land-Rover Defenders. Heck, you can even forget about your already intimidating, get-out-of-my-way-NOW Mercedes-AMG G63. This thing, the Brabus Crawler 900 makes all other off-road vehicles look like mundane, boring boxes on wheels! This thing is just, well, insane!Sure, there's plenty to choose from when it comes to bonkers cars built for offroad adventures. We've previously covered cars like the Morgan Plus Four CX-T, Gemballa Marsien and Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6, perfect examples of toys for boys with deep, deep pockets. The Brabus Crawler 900 picks up where those cars left off and go to extreme lengths. Seriously, there's nothing subtle about this bonkers machine. Then again, it comes as no surprise a

Hands-On With The New Certina DS-2 Chronograph Automatic
There's nothing like a good story to boost a watch's appeal. The latest DS-2 Chronograph Automatic is a descendant of a famous Certina Chronolympic model that reached the summit and descended Mt Everest in 1970 on the wrist of Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura as he skied down the slopes at breakneck speed. Picking up on retro 1970s design cues, the new DS-2 Chronograph flaunts a funky tonneau-shaped case, a bicompax chronograph layout and an upgraded Valjoux-based automatic movement with a silicon hairspring and an increased power reserve.Following the DS-1 of 1959 with its robust Double Security (DS) shock, dust and 200m water-resistant case, the Certina DS-2 of 1968 combined resilience with various complications, including chronographs, and captured the design mood of the day with its tonneau-shaped steel case. The DS-2 Chronolympic was a line of chronographs introduced in the late 1960s with high-grade manual movements. Ad - Scroll to continue with article