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 [...]
Meet Mr Ibe, the engineering genius behind Casio’s iconic G-Shock November 4, 2016 It was 1983, the same year that Switzerland's poptastic Swatch hit the shelves, that Japan's own bit of cult plastic-fantastic was unveiled. Before then, if it wasn’t a diving watch, then your average timekeeper was born of a delicate disposition – a situation that, on damaging his father’s precious pocket watch, got a young engineer [...]
Patek Philippe’s Nautilus is four decades young, and proving as resilient as Captain Nemo’s own pioneering vessel November 4, 2016 Like Apple or Ferrari, the watch industry’s own gnomic leader, Patek Philippe, doesn’t “do” teasers. With such fanatical followers and peerless product, it doesn’t need to. However, this is the 40th-anniversary year of its sporty 70s icon the Nautilus, the brand has played its cards so close to its chest that it looked as though [...]
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 October 26, 2016 The current wave of smartwatches, like any new technology, will be outdated by the time you’ve finished reading this article.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, [...]