Today, we're starting a new section for those budget watches that we really like. Even though this is the first time we do a hands-on review of a watch at this price point, but we are absolutely thrilled to tell you everything about it. The new Gorilla Watches were recently officially launched by Octavio Garcia —former Chief Artistic Officer at Audemars Piguet for more than a decade— and his business partner Lukas Gopp —a former employee of brands like IWC, Sector, Ralph Lauren Watches and Audemars Piguet.
Baselworld 2017: Carl F. Bucherer Manero Flyback Chronograph. Live Pictures, Hands-on & Price.
One of our favorite watches released this Baselworld 2017 is the new Carl F. Bucherer Manero Flyback Chronograph with grey dial. This new watch is available in three versions —stainless steel with grey dial and 18K red gold with either black or champagne colored dial— and equipped with a flyback chronograph mechanism. Giving special special attention to each of these three new watches, each iteration is very unique looking and with its very own character.
Baselworld 2017: Jaquet Droz Loving Butterfly Automaton. Live Pictures, Hands-on & Price.
The history of Jaquet Droz and his automatons is very rich and part of the true heritage of this brand. For Baselworld 2017, Jaquet Droz has released the a new automaton that joins the Bird Repeater, the Charming Bird and the Lady 8 Flower previous released. This new automaton timepiece named 'Loving Butterlfy' is a watch that features a 90-second on-demand animation. Available with a 43 mm case in 18K rose or white gold, the new Jaquet Droz Loving Butterfly is exclusively available in a limited edition of 28 pieces for each metal.
Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Exo Tourbillon Rattrapante. Hands-on with of the Most Complicated Watches From Montblanc.
Released in January of 2017 at the SIHH in Geneva, the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Rattrapante in a limited edition of 8 pieces is one of the most complicated and most expensive watches from Montblanc. Combining Montblanc's patented ExoTourbillon with a monopusher split-seconds chronograph, the beating heart inside this watch is of course a Minerva movement from Villeret. During the 1930s, the workshop’s fascination with recording elapsed time led to the production of split-seconds stopwatches, also known as “rattrapante” chronographs, from the French word “to catch up”.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Tourbillon 45 mm Titanium and 18K Rose Gold. Hands-on with the Top Watch in the Laureato Collection.
This year, Girard-Perregaux was back at the SIHH Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie —after four brief years exhibiting at Baselworld— and to mark their return, they launched a whole new Laureato collection including this Laureato Tourbillon 45 mm in titanium and 18K rose gold. Sitting at the top of the Laureato collection, this new watch embodies all the historic expertise of the Girard-Perregaux Manufacture. Its 45 mm case, made of titanium and topped with an 18K rose gold bezel and first inter-link —end link.
SIHH 2017: Christophe Claret Maestro. Hands-on Live Pictures & Pricing.
Following a clear and consistent product design strategy, Christophe Claret unveiled the new Maestro at the SIHH 2017. With a name that takes its inspiration by the excellence of the master watchmaker, Christophe Claret himself, this watch with a perfectly domed crystal provides a striking, almost dizzying view of the movement architecture and the famous Charles X bridges. Equipped with a manual wound 7-day power reserve movement, a cone-shaped large date display and a 3D reminder function —MEMO function as Christophe Claret calls it—, the new Maestro is the first Haute Complication watch by Christophe Claret at a more affordable price when considering what haute horlogerie timepieces are going for these days.
News: Pre-SIHH 2017 New Christophe Claret Maestro. The New Entry Level Timepiece for this Brand.
Its name is inspired by the excellence of the master watchmaker. Its sleek style epitomizes mechanical power. At the crossroads between aesthetics and technicality, the new Maestro showcases an original take on the horological creativity of Christophe Claret. Its glass dome provides a striking, almost dizzying view of the movement architecture and the famous Charles X bridges.
Insider: Christophe Claret Mecca. Hands-on with the Timepiece with a Mirascope and the Kaaba at the Center of the Dial.
Regardless of the different religions our readers follow or don't follow, the Christophe Claret Mecca is a timepiece that deserves to be featured here at WCL as it is one of the most fascinating timepieces out there. Religious orientation aside and just like they did with the Christophe Claret Aventicum we reviewed here, the Christophe Claret Mecca follows the same design principle and execution, but this time the mirascope highlights the micro-engraving of the Kaaba, the cube-shaped mosque at the center of Islam's most sacred site — Al-Masjid al-Haram— in the Holy City of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Insider: Bovet 1822 Récital 18 The Shooting Star. Hands-on with a Truly Impressive Timepiece Like No Other.
Bovet is a brand that we haven't feature enough at WCL but the Bovet Récital 18 The Shooting Star is one of those mystical watches that can't go unattended. A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of being around this fascinating timepiece and we couldn't miss the opportunity to work on a hands-on review of our favorite watch from this manufacture.
Insider: Presenting the New Chopard L.U.C GMT One 18K Rose Gold. Hands-on with One of the Most Beautiful Chocolate Brown Color Scheme Timepieces Out There.
If you like chocolate brown dials and watches that come with a chocolate brown color scheme, then you are going to love this watch. The new Chopard L.U.C GMT One in 18K rose gold ref. 161943-5001 was just released last week at Salon QP in London and we are already bringing you our hands-on review of it. This new timepiece from the young manufacture from Fleurier who is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is a perfect addition to the L.U.C Complications collection from Chopard.
Insider: Chopard Mille Miglia Limited Edition Flyback Chronograph. Hands-on with the Latest 1,000-Piece Limited Edition.
To celebrate the greatest car race of all time, Chopard presented this year their Mille Miglia Chronograph in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces. Finally, comfort and style work in synthesis with short, tapered lugs that embrace the wrist, a dial inspired by vintage car dashboards with a discreet date aperture. This is the only timepiece you'll ever need for cruising the fabled 1,000-mile route from Brescia to Rome and back. The Chopard Mille Miglia is fitted with a robust 46 mm stainless steel case and perfectly paired with a matte brown calfskin strap with double folding clasp.
Insider: H. Moser & Cie Venturer Big Date White Gold Lacquered Dial ref. 2100-0200. Hands-on with one of the Nicest Timepieces from this Manufacture.
It's been a while since we last brought you some H. Moser & Cie. goodness, but today, we bring you our hands-on review of the Venturer Big Date in 18K white gold —available with white lacquered dial or midnight blue fumé. This elegant time/date watch, where simplicity and clean lines are the name of the game, is one of the less than 1,000 watches that H. Moser & Cie. makes every year to stand true to its selling proposition of being 'very rare'.
Insider: Manufacture Royale Androgyne Royale Pure Glacier Grey PVD Steel. Hands-on with the Only Androgyne Watch We've Liked So Far.
When Manufacture Royale launched their first timepiece several years ago we were not fond of it; however, the latest iteration of the Androgyne Royale is a watch that we find quite interesting and one that we would absolutely wear without a problem. The Androgyne Royale Pure Glacier Grey Steel we are reviewing here is the latest in-house creation in the Androgyne collection from Manufacture Royale and one that is made in the audacious spirit of its founder Voltaire.
Insider: Bamford Heritage Daytona. Our Thoughts on Aftermarket Watch Customizations.
For true watch purists, hearing the words 'Bamford Watch Department' in the same sentence along with Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe or Rolex, simply makes their skin crawl. Originally launched by George Bamford in 2003 and headquartered in the heart of Mayfair in London, Bamford Watch Department —BWD— offers some of the most unique luxury watch customizations in the industry.
Insider: Bremont DH-88 Chronometer Limited Edition. Hands-on with the Watch that Celebrates the 'Greatest Air Race of All Time'.
To celebrate the 'Greatest Air Race of All Time' and the aircraft that captured the world’s imagination with a phenomenal record-breaking flight in 1934, our friends from Bremont recently released the new Bremont Comet DH-88 Chronometer Limited Edition in stainless steel —282 pieces— and in 18K rose gold —82 pieces. This new Bremont watch with a 43 mm case, immortalizes the De Havilland DH-88 Comet, Grosvenor House aircraft.
Insider: Graham Chronofighter Prodive. Hands-on Review with Never Before Seen Underwater Macro Photography.
This hands-on review is a first here at Watch Collecting Lifestyle for two reasons; first, we've never worked on a review of a Graham timepiece and second, this is the first time anyone in the indsutry has done water macro photography. While many other websites have done video or photography of watches underwater, no one has gotten this close to a watch with macro images underwater or in a wet environment —another reason why we will continue to bring you tripod-free watch photography.
Insider: Presenting the New Piaget Polo S Chronograph. Hands-on with an In-House Chronograph Under $13,000 USD.
Yesterday, we brought you our hands-on review of the new Piaget Polo S here; today, we bring you our hands-on review of the other two watches unveiled last Thursday July 14th, 2016 at the Piaget event in New York City as we recapped it here. The new Piaget Polo S Chronograph is perhaps the best option when it comes to this new watch collection.
Insider: Presenting the New Piaget Polo S. Hands-on Review & Live Pictures of the Entry-Level Piaget Priced Under $10,000 USD.
Last Friday, we brought you our recap of the launch party for the new Piaget Polo S with some preliminary images of the watch in the metal. Today, we are bringing you our hands-on review and our objective thoughts on what is already a somewhat controversial watch design, referred to by many as a 'Nautilus Copycat'. While the new Piaget Polo S uses a very strong selling tagline that reads: "Play a Different Game"; it is very hard for us to see such thing anywhere in the design or the name of this new watch.
Experience: Presenting the New Piaget Polo S Collection. The Hottest Watch Party Ever, Literally Speaking.
A long awaited launch party for the release of the new Piaget Polo S collection and what could've been one of the best watch parties this summer, ended up being the hottest party ever, literally speaking. Hosted at the Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn, New York, the launch of the new Piaget Polo S was as impressive as it gets but in a venue without any air conditioning. Under what seemed to feel like a hundred degrees Fahrenheit with 100% relative humidity, the new Piaget Polo S collection was presented by Mr. Phillippe Leopold Metzger, CEO of Piaget.
Rare Bird: Piaget 50th Anniversary Altiplano Fob Watch. Number One of Twenty-Five.
Just like other watchlifestylers, we love to run into fascinating timepieces every once in a while. This time we came across an ultra rare Piaget 50th Anniversary ultra-thin squared-shaped Altiplano fob watch in rose gold. But what makes this example even more desirable or rare, is the fact that this is number one out of only twenty-five pieces ever made. Even though it is not the most popular model, for those that appreciate Piaget timepieces, it is definitely a must have in their collection.