Hands on: The Refreshing Ice Blue Dials Of The Zenith Defy Skyline
It's official; the summer season kicked off over a week ago, and if any of our readers live in Spain, you will have experienced the dramatic surge in temperature. In Andalucia, temperatures have reached 44.4¡ãC, and here in Madrid, we are dealing with 38¡ãC today. Excuse the odd meteorological introduction, but with such searing temperatures, the antidote, horologically speaking, is a watch with a chilled icy blue dial that conjures visions of cool pools of water. Like fashion collections, many watch brands have jumped on the seasonal bandwagon, and ice blue is fast positioning itself as the colour of summer for 2023. Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, Bell & Ross' BR 05 GMT, Omega's Aqua Terra and Tissot's PRX have taken the plunge with very pleasing results, and now Zenith dives into icy blue waters with three new renditions of its Defy Skyline.RecapThe origins of the Defy Skyline date back to 1902 when Zenith introduced a robust line of pocket watches known as Defi. In 1969, Zenith's re

Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronometry and the FB1-R Regulator
Resurrecting the Ferdinand Berthoud name, an eminent 18th-century horologist, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (co-president of Chopard) and his team have shown quite a talent to surprise and amaze us. The niche, high-end brand has presented several creations that are not just nostalgic products but modern wristwatches. These are nonetheless loyal to the legacy of the name Berthoud. In particular, the brand's first modern opus, the Chronometre FB1 was awarded the Aiguille d'Or at the GPHG 2016, the Oscars of watchmaking.? Ferdinand Berthoud was born in 1727 near Neuchatel, Switzerland but moved to Paris to practise his trade. He left behind an exceptional legacy and a broad body of work, in particular in the field of marine chronometers as watchmaker-mechanic to the French King and the Navy (Horloger Mecanicien du Roi et de la Marine).Reviving his name, chronometry has come to occupy a very special place. Based on the same calibre architecture, all modern Ferdinan

Swatch Group Reshuffles Top Team, New CEOs for Longines, Rado, Union, Tissot, Certina, and Hamilton - Monochrome Watches
As the Swiss watch industry is facing a severe crisis, Swatch Group announces major changes in the Executive Group Management Board and the Extended Group Management Board and appointments to the management of the Longines, Rado, Union, Tissot, Certina, and Hamilton watch brands.Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of Omega and member of the Extended Group Management Board, has been appointed to the Executive Group Management Board.At brand level, two industry and Swatch Group veterans, the CEOs of two industry giants, Longines, Walter von K?nel (78) and Tissot, Fran?ois Thiebaud, will be replaced by Sylvain Dolla (currently CEO of Hamilton) and Matthias Breschan (currently CEO of Rado). Dolla?has also been named to the Extended Group Management Board. Ad - Scroll to continue with article Walter von K?nel will retire and has been elected Honorary Chairman of L

Oris Aquis Small Second Date (Specs & Price)
Earlier this year, prior to Baselworld 2017, Oris introduced a facelifted version of its most emblematic watch, the Aquis. More refined, better executed, more modern and of course still perfectly suitable as a professional dive watch… It seems that tool-watch lovers appreciated this new design, and so the entire Aquis collection is now going through this facelift process, to create a consistent line up. Today, the?Oris Aquis Small Second Date, a watch that not only offers a different display but also a larger size and an increased water resistance, is introduced in its 2017 version.As with the “Date” version of the Oris Aquis, the?standard / cornerstone watch of the collection, the recipe used on the?Small Second Date is similar. The new generation of Aquis is now being deployed throughout the range. The Oris Aquis Small Second Date benefits from the stylish redesign introduced to the Aquis line this year. Oris's designers have made the horns and bracelet thinner, giv

2008 -> 2009 - Monochrome Watches
2008 has been quite an exiting year when it comes to watches. As a collector and admirer of fine timepieces i have seen some great new watches. Technically the brands start working with new materials, not only for the cases, but also for movement parts. When it comes to design it seem that the main focus is still on large watches, but i wouldn’t be amazed if this will change next year already.Coming from the Netherlands it also made me proud to see the birth of a new Dutch watch brand. The brother Bart and Tim Gronefeld showed their first watch during the European GTG a friend and i organised last november. The Gronefeld GTM06 shows an incredibly high standard of finish and the minite repaeter gong… well, you have to hear them to believe the incredible sound coming from a small wristwatch!From a personal point of view i hope to see some more reasonably priced and reasonably sized watches next year. Not every brand needs a tourbillon i think. And not every brand needs to hav