Watches NEWS
Introducing The New Gerald Charles Maestro 9.0 Tourbillon
Creating a brand that revolves around a single watch design takes a lot of bravado. However, if the design is by the late Gerald Genta, one of the most successful watch designers of the 20th century, it is feasible. The brand Gerald Charles was founded by Gerald Charles Genta in 2000. Following his death in 2011, Genta’s asymmetrical Maestro watch was selected as the face of the brand and returns this year with a flying tourbillon equipped with a bespoke manufacture movement made by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, with the new Maestro 9.0 Tourbillon.As the brainchild of the luxury sports watch, Gerald Genta’s career is intimately linked to his iconic Royal Oak design for Audemars Piguet in 1972. The AP connection continues today with the appointment of Octavio Garcia, ex-artistic director of AP, as Gerald Charles’ artistic director and the designer behind the impressive skeletonised Maestro. The new Maestro 9.0 Tourbillon is inspired by an original Maestro skeletonised
Hands-On: The Otsuka Lotec ¡í 6, The new Japanese Indie Sensation
In May of this year, we introduced Jiro Katayama, an independent watchmaker from Japan, and his brand Otsuka Lotec, which, despite its distribution being limited exclusively to his home country, has gained recognition across the continents. We had the pleasure of experiencing one of his models, the recently updated Otsuka Lotec ¡í 6, and here are our notes.Jiro Katayama, a Tokyo-based watchmaker and designer, draws his inspiration not from the realm of watches but from the industrial world where his career began – the world of cars, trains, aeroplanes, all kinds of vehicles, really, and gauges. Ad - Scroll to continue with article He studied automotive design and worked with Japanese automakers before a pivotal decision in 2008 changed his trajectory. Purchasing a bench lathe machine to create something entirely his own – since building a car was not
A Deep Dive Into The World Of Cases And Dials By F.P. Journe
It’s common practice for brands to outsource certain steps in the manufacturing of watches to specialised companies. It is, in fact, how the vast majority of watchmaking entities operate. Cases, dials, movements, crystals and straps can all come from different suppliers around the world before being assembled into a fine mechanical watch. Watches by brands high and low have been produced this way for years, decades even. There is, however, a growing trend of ‘in-house‘, not necessarily concerning a movement. Sure, a movement designed and fabricated within the confines of a watchmaking atelier is the ultimate achievement, but the craft of making dials and cases in-house, to name just two elements, is not to be overlooked. We recently had the privilege to delve into the fascinating world of Cadraniers de Geneve and Bo?tiers de Geneve, the case and dials makers for one of the most revered independent watchmakers: Fran?ois-Paul Journe.In September 2012, Fran?ois-Paul Jour
First Look: The Gerald Charles Masterlink Luxury Sports Watch
One trend that was once dominated by the big players in the watch industry and caught on with independent watch brands is the luxury sports watch. As one of the most popular, if not the most popular, watch categories, there are many candidates out there vying for your attention. While some flaunt their maritime or racing credentials, there are others that could be broadly categorised as dressy luxury sports watches, which is precisely the sub-genre that Gerald Charles enters with its brand-new Masterlink. Designed by Gerald Genta in 2006 for his Gerald Charles brand, the enigmatic contours of the Maestro case have been slimmed down and married to an integrated asymmetrical bracelet to become, the Masterlink.Although there have been sporty versions of the Maestro in Gerald Charles’ portfolio, like the GC Sport Titanium, the new, slimmer Masterlink with its integrated steel bracelet is a bona fide player in the luxury sports watch genre. The challenge for Octavio Garc¨ªa, creative d
Video Review: The TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Chronograph 39mm Black Dial
This year, TAG Heuer celebrates the 60th anniversary of its most emblematic watch, a racing chronograph known as the Carrera, and as expected, we’ve seen already special editions or commemorative models. But that’s not all the brand had to offer. What’s probably the most important launch in recent years for this icon of motorsport is the watch we’re about to review, a new automatic chronograph with a compact 39mm case and a design so original that it gave its name to the watch:?Glassbox. And while the recently-launched Carrera Skipper might feel even cooler, we believe that this classic reversed panda edition of the TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox is the one to get, as we’ll see in our video review.BackgroundThe Carrera Chronograph was first introduced in 1963, although its roots go back even further than that. A decade earlier, Heuer introduced the 404 series, a chronograph that already showed the telltale signs of what would become the Carrera. With this watc
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