Announced at the end of July 2020, MCH Group —the company behind Baselworld and Art Basel— is creating a new concept for a global platform for the watch, jewelry, and gemstone industries named HourUniverse. What was unveiled as an innovative platform to meet today's needs, will try to unite and support a whole community that wants to regroup, make a new start, and is receptive to change. Supposedly a concept totally different from the now-defunct Baselworld. We’ll see next year who’s in it and if indeed it happens to be that way.
Breaking News: Swiss Non-Profit Foundation ORIGYN to Authenticate Watches Via Smartphone App in 2021
Counterfeiting is an endemic problem that luxury brands are seeking to stop at all costs. Take the watch industry for example. It is estimated that around 40,000,000 counterfeit watches are produced each year, contributing to significant undesirable ‘brand’ saturation, and around 1,600,000 ‘super fakes’ are produced per year, resulting in a loss of an estimated $224,000,000 in Primary Market sales.
News: Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon ref. 5345 'Quai de l'Horloge'
The new Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon ref. 5345 ‘Quai de l’Horloge’ blends mechanical virtuosity with aesthetic mastery. Entirely visible, the movement reveals two tourbillons that set the whole plate in motion through a central differential. Each component is hand-finished, while the back of the movement is engraved with the “House on the Quai”, the Parisian building where Abraham-Louis Breguet fulfilled his life’s work. Like a delicately chased sculpture, the entire exposed mechanism pivots around its axis at the rate of one full turn every 12 hours.
Insider: Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Power Reserve 14 Days Red Magic
Even before Richard Mille started releasing very colorful watches, our friends at Hublot were already doing so. After the success of the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 in 3D carbon and its clear sapphire crystal case sibling, earlier this year, Hublot released a new iteration of the MP-11 this time in bright red polished ceramic. Following the brand’s limited edition strategy, the Big Bang MP-11 Power Reserve 14 Days Red Magic comes in a very exclusive limited edition of 100 pieces.
News: Phillips Watches To Sell Mythical Patek Philippe ref. 2523/1 in Rose Gold at Geneva Watch Auction TWELVE
Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is delighted to announce the sale of a Patek Philippe reference 2523/1 world time wristwatch in rose gold, to be auctioned during The Geneva Watch Auction Twelve on November 6th and 7th, 2020. The star lot of Phillips’ upcoming double-evening auction, this extremely rare double-crowned world time model with guilloché dial is one of only four known.
News: Richard Mille RM 27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal. Celebrating a 10-Year Partnership with a Million-Dollar Watch.
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the partnership between Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal, the manufacturer unveils the Richard Mille RM 27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal. Two men, each with a dream. A dream of pushing back the boundaries of time, or those of performance. One of them on clay, keeping his eyes on the ball; the other with his face turned to time itself. Yet both combine technique, harmony, and accuracy while resisting the hard knocks, and inevitable shocks of sporting life. For Rafael Nadal, ‘unstoppable’ is the word that best expresses the spirit of Richard Mille and his teams.
Experience: (Montblanc M) RED Pen by Marc Newson. Understated Like a Patek Philippe 5960/1A
Almost as much as we like watches we like writing instruments. While here at WCL we are big fans of Swiss pen maker Caran d’Ache, every once in a while there will be some pens from Montblanc that we love. While Montblanc is more mainstream when it comes to pens in the U.S., their collaboration In partnership with Marc Newson results in a very understated pen that we absolutely like. Very much like wearing the ultra understated stainless steel Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph ref. 5960/1A on the wrist.
Breaking News: The Watches of Switzerland Acquires Vintage Watch Dealer Analog Shift
The acquisition of vintage pre-owned watch dealer Analog Shift by Watches of Switzerland Group USA is the culmination of a partnership that began more than two years ago with the opening of the company’s SoHo flagship in New York City. Watches of Switzerland executives identified that a robust pre-owned and vintage offering was an essential component of a well-rounded assortment for their discerning clientele and tapped Analog Shift to provide an expertly curated selection.
News: Richard Mille Wins Big at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
The latest 24 Hours of Le Mans was an electrifying event in the world of Richard Mille motorsport partners. Sébastien Buemi took home a third consecutive trophy in LMP1 at the wheel of the Toyota TS050 Hybrid. All eyes were on the Richard Mille Racing Team, making its debut appearance. Its trio of female rookie drivers, Beitske Visser, Sophia Flörsch, and Tatiana Calderón turned in an error-free performance to finish a strong 9th in the LMP2 category and 13th overall.
News: MB&F LM Split Escapement 'Eddy Jaquet' Unique Pieces Inspired by Jules Verne's Novels
In the course of its 15-year history, MB&F has partnered with some of the most talented watchmakers of our generation including Kari Voutilainen, Eric Coudray, Stephen McDonnell, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, and Stepan Sarpaneva, just to name a few. Designers and artists as well, from long-time collaborator Eric Giroud and the iconoclastic Alain Silberstein to sculptor Xia Hang and contemporary painter Sage Vaughn. Now, for the first time, MB&F is putting the work of a traditional artisan in the spotlight, with the LM Split Escapement ‘Eddy Jaquet’ Limited Edition: a series of eight unique pieces featuring the extraordinary imagination and skill of the well-known engraver in depicting the novels of Jules Verne.
Experience: Eight of Our Favorite Jaquet Droz Timepieces. The Figure-Eight Iconic Design.
Pierre Jaquet Droz founded his namesake company in 1738 as a manufacturer of automatons and watches mostly for the Chinese Emperor. The brand’s flagship timepiece arrived in 2002 in the Grande Seconde with its signature figure-eight dial layout. The 2010 Eclipse also proved another classic with its unique moon phase indicator. In 2015, Jaquet Droz won the GPHG Mechanical Exception Watch Prize with The Charming Bird, the first wristwatch to carry a singing bird automaton.
News: Hublot Big Bang Camo Yohji Yamamoto Limited Edition, All Dressed in Camouflage
For 50 years, Yohji Yamamoto has been offering a timeless style that transcends established notions. Tagged as anti-fashion, Yohji Yamamoto's creations are designed to raise questions, and all his collections contain this message. A master of contradiction and antagonism, Yohji Yamamoto sees the camouflage motif as the epitome of paradox, present, and future clashing strikingly or blending seamlessly.
News: Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Orange Boutique Limited Edition
As a new addition to the Bell & Ross Diver collection that conquers ocean depths and meets all the required specifications of a true diving watch, Bell & Ross presents a special timepiece available only through its boutiques and e-boutiques in a 250-piece limited edition. The BR 03-92 Diver Orange just like its siblings, sports a 42 mm case in stainless steel and a bright orange dial that will certainly not go unnoticed thanks to its striking color.
From the Editor: AP Royal Oaks Selling in Excess of $38K USD, the Watch Market has Gone Crazy
Two weeks ago I wrote an article on the Rolex Submariner Hulk reaching an all-time high in the secondary market. Today, I am going to be talking about the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15500ST reaching another all-time high. While the global pandemic follows its course and mortgage interest rates hit an all-time low under 3%, all I can think of is the secondary watch market and how it’s gone totally crazy. Every week I check the for sale listings across different watch fora and the websites of some of the most important watch dealers in the world, to get a sense of what the watch market looks like
News: Urwerk UR-220 Falcon Project Carbon Edition with a Revamped Oil Change Indicator
Just a few months after launching its UR-210 final edition watch, Urwerk presents the UR-220 Falcon Project. With its manually wound movement and control board on its back, the new UR-220 goes back to Urwerk’s earlier technologies in a case that is sleeker, more ergonomic, and as stunning as ever. One exceptional feature is the return of the Oil Change indicator in a new way. Urwerk’s signature Oil Change indicator returns after years of absence to show the accumulated engine running time of the watch.
News: Presenting the HYT FLOW with Light Emitting Mechanical Module
Meet the new HYT FLOW, a timepiece that takes the craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking into a new age of enlightenment. Mechanics replace electronics as the unexpected catalyst of illumination, with a proprietary new complication generating light on demand via a pusher on the case band. HYT’s FLOW watches mirror the brand’s relentless quest to bring innovation that resonates with its contemporary context. Literally speaking, the light brightens what already exists; figuratively it brings deeper understanding. The latter describes these timepieces’ purpose in the watchmaking arena
Insider: Laurent Ferrier Galet Square Micro-Rotor Chocolate Dial
Representing a subtle blend of traditions and contemporary techniques, the Laurent Ferrier Galet Square Micro-Rotor this time features an understated chocolate dial with white applied markers and white hands. Cased in stainless steel, the proportions of the pebbled-shaped square case are just perfect measuring 41 mm x 41 mm. Along with the unique shape and style of the watch, Laurent Ferrier's signature ball-shaped ratcheted crown rises in all glory to further elevate the overall aesthetics that appear classic yet very modern. Delivered on a chocolate brown alligator strap with a pin buckle, the watch is very elegant yet perfect for daily wear with jeans and a t-shirt.
News: Presenting the Revamped Ulysse Nardin Dual Time
Ulysse Nardin has good news for world travelers. The Swiss Manufacture comes with a reworked version of the celebrated Dual Time, a watch for the voyager who spends as much time in the air as he does on the ground. For those constantly on the move and as concerned with knowing the time where they happen to be as well as the time at home, the Ulysse Nardin reworked Dual Time ensures that they won’t miss a minute anywhere.
News: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Blue Dial with Full Rose Gold Bracelet
On the occasion of Watches & Wonders Shanghai 2020, Vacheron Constantin launches a new iteration of the Overseas self-winding model, this time cloaked in a pink gold case and bracelet and sporting a gorgeous blue dial. A versatile and elegant timepiece delivered with three interchangeable bracelet/straps that include a pink gold bracelet, a blue alligator strap, and a blue rubber strap. A symbol of escapism and exploration, the 41 mm Overseas self-winding model ref. 4500V/110R-B705, unveiled at the Watches & Wonders Shanghai 2020 exhibition, combines for the first time its sleek silhouette sculpted in pink gold with a blue Overseas dial.
News: Richard Mille RM 72-01 Lifestyle In-House Chronograph
The very first in-house chronograph from Richard Mille makes its appearance. The Richard Mille RM 72-01 Lifestyle In-House Chronograph is poised at the intersection between Haute Horlogerie, dance, and music. A work in which technicity serves and drives elegance. It’s also an in-house creation, featuring the first flyback chronograph entirely developed and designed by the brand. An achievement crowning no less than 30 months of full-time work on the part of a dedicated team.
