Time is money: Are luxury watches a good investment? October 26, 2016 The current wave of smartwatches, like any new technology, will be outdated by the time you’ve finished reading this article. But certain classic watches not only tell the time, they increase in value with it. While the poorest performing of all the other asset classes (barring furniture), the watch sub-category of the Knight Frank Luxury [...]
Sapphires, rubies and Paraiba tourmalines have made their way on to watch dials – but there are times only a diamond will do October 3, 2016 I’m not going to quote Carol Channing or Marilyn Monroe (or Nicole Kidman, depending on your age) because we are all well aware of a woman’s relationship with her diamonds. There really isn’t a stone out there that has allegedly captured the female imagination so much as this metastable allotrope of carbon. However, as desirous [...]
Wempe’s observatory celebrates its tenth birthday with three stunning new wristwatches October 3, 2016 Ten years ago, luxury watch and jewellery boutique Wempe acquired the legendary observatory in Glashütte, the German Mecca for watchmakers. It is there that Wempe produces its outstanding chronometers, and in celebration it has announced three stunning new wristwatches – two of which are limited edition – and its first in-house self-winding calibre. The new [...]
Back in Black: Make a statement with these stylish, laid-back and all-black wristwatches October 3, 2016 Sometimes you need something with a bit more impact. In wristwatch terms, that doesn’t have to mean bringing the bling – it can simply mean going all-black. It’s less formal than a straight steel watch, and rarely works with a suit; but in an increasingly casual working world, a black watch can make a pretty [...]
Hardcore horology for women: Montblanc’s latest puts its mechanical guts on display September 22, 2016 Montblanc is known for mechanical fireworks when it comes to men’s watches but its women’s range has tended to be more sedate. But following in the footsteps of its first women’s perpetual calendar – also part of the hugely successful Boheme collection – comes its first women’s exotourbillon. You may be familiar with a common-or-garden [...]
From carbon fibre to ceramics, women’s watches are getting the high-tech treatment September 22, 2016 Mother of pearl dial, dainty case diameter and diamonds somewhere about its person – those used to be the three must-have elements when it came to designing a woman’s watch. However, the latest launches from quite a few notable brands seem to be challenging that status quo. From cases in interesting material – sapphire crystal, [...]
Back to school doesn’t have to mean dull. As you switch to a winter wardrobe, these fun but practical timepieces should be on your mind September 22, 2016 While it may have been a while since you bought a new pencil case, donned a scratchy jumper and polished your non-descript pair of black shoes, there’s still something about September that has a “back to school” feel. The weather starts to cool and you relinquish the summer florals in favour of autumn’s more sombre [...]
Watches as investments: How the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona might be the most collectible watch ever, if only you could get your hands on one July 21, 2016 Last year two anonymous phone bidders made history when their feverish nine minutes of bidding ended with a Patek Philippe 5016A selling for $7.3m – 10 times its estimate. The crowd at the La Reserve Hotel in Geneva burst into spontaneous applause, delighted to have witnessed the sale of the most expensive wrist-watch ever. Stories [...]
Women’s watches: A touch of guilloche just doesn’t cut it any more, dials are becoming much more dynamic July 7, 2016 It’s all Dior’s fault, as so many things are. It’s Dior, or rather Raf Simon’s, fault that I have too many swishy, dramatic skirts that just aren’t practical when you’re dealing with a seven-month old. I blame Dior for making me think that white broderie anglais-esque shorts are appropriate attire for a 37 year old [...]
These world timer watches from the 1930s mark you out as a global citizen, while snazzing up the dial of your wristwatch July 7, 2016 There are plenty of ways to add interest to the dial of a wristwatch, but few do it in such style as the world-timer. It’s like an app from a time before there were apps: invented in the 1930s, in the early days of passenger aviation, it enables you to read the time anywhere in [...]