Westfield’s Tudor period September 28, 2020 Stepping well and truly from the shadow of big brother Rolex, Tudor has cut the ribbon on a spectacular debut European boutique, in partnership with Watches of Switzerland, right here in London Town. Alex Doak reports When Hans Wilsdorf patented the dial name ‘Tudor’ back in 1926, little could he have known what journey it [...]
Adventure time: Why every explorer wears a mechanical wrist watch March 2, 2020 There’s an old motoring adage that goes, “win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” In other words, as cripplingly expensive and vainglorious as motorsport can be, prove yourself successful on a race weekend (not to mention thrillingly glamorous) and you have no better billboard for the sporty road-goers populating your forecourt. It’s why Enzo Ferrari begrudgingly [...]
A mechanical wristwatch may be based on 19th-century principles – but that doesn’t mean it’s immune to innovation July 23, 2019 The idea of “new technology” in Swiss watchmaking seems rather oxymoronic – especially when you consider how much stock this rose-tinted industry places in heritage and hand craftsmanship. But as mechanical watches have reasserted themselves in recent decades, after near-decimation at the hands of quartz technology back in the 70s, the more forward-minded brands are [...]
The incredible story of how a Breitling Emergency watch saved a pilot after he crashed into treacherous waters January 24, 2018 Precisely 15 years ago, Quentin Smith and Steve Brooks had just spent three arduous months getting to the tip of South America in an attempt to fly by helicopter from the North to the South Pole. The previous six weeks had been spent in Chile, patiently seeking the relevant commissions to fly the Drake Passage [...]
When McLaren met Mille: A British F1 legend collaborates with a Swiss watchmaker using material made in Manchester February 6, 2017 If you had £996,500, the first thing that springs to mind might be a new house, or a yacht perhaps – but a wristwatch? Surely not? Well, yes, absolutely for sure in the case of 75 collectors, who have already put their name down for a piece of extraordinary technical wizardry unveiled just last week [...]
Piaget Altiplano turns 60, and it’s still the choice of today’s jetset sophisticate February 6, 2017 Last week the great and the good of the luxury world descended upon Geneva Airport’s Palexpo convention centre for the “Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie” – which basically translates as “glamorous showcase of mindbogglingly complicated timepieces”. So glamorous, in fact, that even the iron-clad bleakness of Palexpo was not enough to dissuade a healthy [...]
The alchemists of time: How watch companies combine age-old techniques with cutting edge materials December 8, 2016 Let’s face it: a finely made timepiece is, in a rather nice twist of irony, a flashy anachronism. For starters, no one really needs a watch these days, finely made or not. Secondly, the delicate concoction of wheels, springs and levers driving a mechanical watch is based on an ancient principle – 200-year-old technology that [...]
What’s ticking? All the latest watch news from across London November 4, 2016 Salon selectives Last night, the doors of Chelsea’s Saatchi Gallery opened once again for the annual extravaganza that is SalonQP – back for an eighth year. What started as something of an insider’s showcase has become an integral part of the global watch-event calendar; for many brands a chance to premier their latest timepieces exclusively [...]
Watch brand Baume & Mercier celebrates the motor-racing legend Carroll Shelby November 4, 2016 Last year marked 50 years since Carroll Shelby’s invasion of Europe’s racing circuits, winning the World Manufacturer’s GT trophy with an all-American team for the very first time. He did this by importing British AC Ace coupés and fit them with Ford’s huge V8 engine – a combination with so much ‘bite’ that he dubbed [...]
Bremont celebrates magnificent men of 1934 November 4, 2016 It’s a tale of derring-do, pluck and grit that makes Biggles look positively timid. And the crying shame is that the 1934 “Macrobertson Trophy” air race is barely known beyond the yellowing pages of old Boy’s Own annuals. A situation that’s about to change, however, thanks to similarly plucky British pilot-watch brand, Bremont, whose latest [...]
