We also check out one of my favorite watches from SIHH 2015, the new Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum, and compare it to other worldtime watches that are on the market right now. Then, we take a closer look at one of my dream watches, the very rare and awesome Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication - only one of three in the world. Finally, we revisit the age old debate of column wheel vs cam-actuated chronographs. Is one truly better than the other?
1. Is This What Luxury Smartwatches Will Be Like? Pioneer Jorg Hysek Presents Designs, Interview
Jorg Hysek is a watch designer with over 30 years of experience and has worked for top brands like Breguet, Tag Heuer, Seiko, and more. Some of his best known work includes the Tag Heuer Kirium and the Seiko Arctura Kinetic. He also started his own watch brand called Hysek (which has since been sold off) and later HD3. We caught up with him recently to talk about how smart watches would affect the Swiss luxury watch industry, and check out some of his latest concept smart watch designs.
2. Seven Ways To Survive As A Watch Lover On A Budget
Watch collecting is an expensive hobby, and unless you are a hot shot Wall Street banker or a Middle Eastern Sheik flush with oil money, chances are you have to work with a budget. Obviously, it can sometimes be very difficult to do so. It takes discipline and some out-of-the-box thinking. Here are some tips from us on how you can maximize your enjoyment of watches with whatever budget you have on hand.
3. Devon Works Tread 2 Shining Watch Review
If you are a fan of quirky timepieces, the name Devon is probably no stranger to you. If not, the company is most famous for its Tread 1 electro-mechanical watch. Even though the Tread 1 has been around for about five years now, it is still one of the most visually interesting and exciting watches around. However, it is also very big and pricey. The Tread 2 addresses those problems by being much more wearable and affordable, and thus is much more attractive proposition to watch enthusiasts. Here’s our in-depth review of Devon’s new Tread 2 Shining watch.
4. Prometheus Sailfish Watch Review
It’s been quite some time since we reviewed a watch from a micro-brand, but here is one from Prometheus, a brand that I’m quite fond of myself. If you spend any amount of time looking up affordable watches on watch forums, the name Prometheus should be familiar to you. Established in 2008, Prometheus has earned a reputation for delivering affordable watches of very high value. The Sailfish is one of their latest and features a hefty case that offers 300m of water resistance and a domed sapphire bezel. It's also highly legible and is powered by a tried-and-tested Seiko movement. If you are looking for an inexpensive diver and want something that is not a Seiko, this is worth checking out.
5. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication Watch Hands-On
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication is the stuff of dreams. It combines the very modern and aggressive Royal Oak Offshore design with a very classic set of complications, and is a fitting showcase of Audemars Piguet’s unique skills and spirit. Most impressive of all is the fact that it adheres strictly the classic definition of what makes a watch worthy of the Grande Complication name. The Caliber 2885 within is comprised of over 600 parts and features a minute repeater with two gongs, perpetual calendar with moonphase, and a chronograph with split-seconds function.
6. Panerai Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic PAM328 On Bracelet Watch Review
I want to bring your attention to a pretty special Panerai watch. No, it’s not a special edition piece, but it is still unique, at least in the world of Panerai, because it comes with a metal bracelet. I’m referring to the PAM328, which is essentially the PAM 312 but with a metal bracelet. If you have been hankering for a Panerai, but simply cannot stand leather or rubber straps, this is the Panerai for you.
1. Stripping down the Sistem51
At Baselworld 2013, Swatch presented to the world the Sistem51 watch. It might be a simple time-only mechanical watch, but it is a true engineering marvel. Not only it is made up of just 51 components, it also has only a single screw! Furthermore, the entire production, assembly and adjustment of the watch is completely automated. This means it is built without human intervention at all. To understand how Swatch achieved this, a watchmaker stripped a Sistem51 watch down. Here’s what he found.
2. Technical Notes: Column wheel vs. cam actuated chronographs
Though simple to understand and operate, the chronograph is in fact one of the trickiest and technically complicated complications for a watchmaker to undertake. Consider this: although the chronograph has been in existence since the early 1800s, it wasn’t until 1969 that we saw the first automatic chronograph. That’s less than 50 years ago! And to put it broadly, all chronographs can be put into two categories - column wheel and cam-actuated. This refers to the mechanisms that actually start a chronograph’s timekeeping function. What are they and how do they work? And are column wheel chronographs inherently superior to cam-actuated ones? The answers to all these questions and more can be found here.
3. Montblanc SIHH 2015: Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum Comparative Review
SIHH 2015 is over and one of the new watches that I’m most excited about is Montblanc’s Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum. Not only is it a true worldtimer, but the way it is executed - the main dial with the sapphire cutouts and the day/night disc - is really quite remarkable once you consider its price. It is also well-sized and the operation of its worldtimer complication seems easy enough. If you are as excited about this watch as I am, here is an in-depth look at it and how it compares against other world timers on the market right now.
4. If you thought of buying a Patek Philippe
Service and repair is an aspect of watch ownership that is often overlooked when one purchases a watch. This should be an important consideration. Obviously, not every watch needs to be sent back to the brand to be serviced or repaired, but consider the instances where a certain part needs to replaced and only the brand has it. You have no choice and are effectively held ransom by the brand, who is now free to quote whatever price it deems fit. Take, for instance, the case of this particular vintage Patek Philippe. It needs quite a bit of work and you are right to think that sending it back to Patek Philippe is going to cost a bomb. What is most surprising, however, is the amount being quoted by a competent third-party watchmaker. Make sure you are seated, the discrepancy will shock you.
5. Found – Heuer’s Very First Automatic Chronograph
Heuer Chronomatic Autavia
1969 was a very important year in horology. It was the year that the first automatic chronograph was released. Although Zenith’s El Primero is widely accredited as the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, Heuer was arguably the first to actually sell watches outfitted with their automatic chronograph movement, the Caliber 11. However, no one had actually seen any of these Heuer watches, which appeared in catalogs from 1969. Until now, that is. This is the story of how Heuer’s very first automatic chronograph, the Chronomatic Autativa, was found.
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