In 2019, Vacheron Constantin introduced digital certification of authenticity using Blockchain technology. Vacheron Constantin was among the first watchmakers to integrate Blockchain technology as part of an innovative service to clients and an increasingly environmentally friendly approach to certification involving less paper. The watches in Les Collectionneurs collection are thus accompanied by a digital certificate of authenticity that is perfectly forgery-proof. Initially reserved for that collection, now all Vacheron Constantin timepieces will be delivered by the end of 2021 with a blockchain-based digital passport, secured by the Arianee technology.
News: Presenting the Zenith DEFY Classic Carbon
Zenith has repeatedly demonstrated its mastery of innovative and exceptional materials in the DEFY collection, expressing its vision of the future of watchmaking with groundbreaking pieces. The DEFY Classic Carbon explores uncharted territory of innovation, with a full carbon fiber construction —including the integrated bracelet— in a 41 mm case. Carbon fiber is prized for its rare combination of lightness and durability as well as its unique and futuristic appearance. Yet its use in watchmaking has been fairly limited.
Experience: Vacheron Constantin Highlights from the SIAR Mexico 2020
The year 2020 has been a challenging year, especially when it comes to watch fairs and watch events. After Watches & Wonders 2020 had to be conducted digitally, we were almost certain that the SIAR 2020 —Salón Internacional de Alta Relojeríia— in Mexico City would not be taking place this year. However, to our surprise, the SIAR 2020 still took place last week and we didn’t hesitate for a single minute to book our tickets and get down there for the first in-person watch event of the year.
Breaking News: Phillips Watches to Auction Paul Newman's 'Big Red' Daytona ref. 6263
Just as if auctioning Paul Newman’s very own ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona ref. 6239 on October 26, 2017 wasn’t enough big of a deal —the watch fetched $17.7 Million USD including buyer’s fees—, Phillips Watches has just announced the sale of the Ultimate ‘Big Red’ Daytona ref. 6263 belonging to Paul Newman himself. Consigned by his Daughter, Clea Newman Soderlund, this incredible watch that will for sure set another world record, will be offered during the Racing Pulse Annual Flagship New York Watch Auction, on December 12th, 2020
Insider: Zenith DEFY El Primero 21 Carl Cox Limited Edition
Celebrating British DJ and record producer Carl Cox, comes the Zenith Defy El Primero 21 Carl Cox in a 200-piece limited edition. Carl Cox is one of the founding fathers of House Music along with Frankie Knuckles ‘The Godfather of House Music’ and a resident DJ at the acclaimed Space Club in Ibiza for more than a decade. Featuring a carbon case loaded with superluminova —only visible in dark conditions or under black light—, a small seconds indicator shaped like a record vinyl and a bright red strap, this limited edition is presented in a special numbered box with a set of Pioneer HDJ-X headphones.
Insider: Girard-Perregaux Laureato Skeleton Rose Gold. Our Favorite Openworked Watch Out There.
One of our favorite watches without a doubt is the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Skeleton Rose Gold ref. 81015-52-002-52A with a 42 mm case. A direct descendant of the original Laureato model launched in 1975 but with a modern reinterpretation in what we believe to be one of the best open-worked watches out there right next to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Openworked and the Armin Strom Skeleton Pure, two of our favorite skeletonizes watches out there.
News: Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Messner Limited Edition 262
In 2018, Montblanc launched the 1858 Geosphere, a manufacture timepiece with a new way of displaying the indication of the world time in a bold way with two recognizable turning discs representing the northern and southern hemispheres. Montblanc is now introducing an 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition entirely dedicated to Reinhold Messner, the legendary climber, and explorer. The new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Messner Limited Edition 262 harmoniously combines bronze, blue, and rose gold-coated elements, giving it a true vintage aesthetic reminiscent of the mountaineering exploration tools from the past.
News: Chopard Mille Miglia Lab One. The First-Ever Non-Round Case for the Brand.
A new futuristic-shaped case and a new tourbillon movement complete the new Chopard Mille Miglia Lab One. This new concept watch that pays homage to the Mille Miglia Race. Designed in the spirit of high-performance race cars and impelled by the same quest for technical refinement and innovation, this is the first Chopard self-winding tourbillon chronometer and is issued in a 20-piece limited edition. This ultra-light model features a highly contemporary blackened titanium cushion-shaped case that is both exceptionally ergonomic and technically sophisticated, as well as a tourbillon movement equipped with a patented stop-tourbillon mechanism and a likewise patented invisible crown.
News: Armin Strom Lady Beat. The Brand's First Ladies' Timepiece.
The new Lady Beat by Armin Strom is the newest watch from the brand and the first ladies’ timepiece in their collections. Armin Strom demonstrates one of the brand’s core principles which is to always innovate. Boldly redesigning the brand’s typical movement, dial, and case, Lady Beat marks a milestone of the new System 78 Collection, which highlights innovative watchmaking at a competitive price. The latest no-compromise watch from the Biel-based manufacture is a decidedly feminine one, but one exuding the technical look and feel of the genuine manufacture movement powering every Armin Strom timepiece.
News: Presenting the Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Azteca
This iconic work of Aztec art proudly adorns the new X-TREM-1. This timepiece including the "Stone of the Sun" in relief, made of solid gold entirely hand-engraved, will be offered as a Unique Piece at the SIAR 2020. Driven as ever by a determination to present avant-garde timepieces, 5N red gold and black grade 5 PVD titanium were the metals chosen to make the case of this new version of the X-TREM-1 Azteca.
News: De Bethune DW5 Cempasuchil Unique Piece Maestri'Art. Just in Time for 'Día de los Muertos'.
A few weeks ahead of the SIAR 2020 and right on time for the Mexican holiday of the ‘Día de Los Muertos"‘ —Day of the Dead—, De Bethune presents the DW5 Cempasúchil unique piece. This one-off creation for the Maestri’art Collection sings the joy of an enduring celebration. This new watch is the outcome of a three-way dialogue and a conversation that spans two eras, between two exceptional art engravers. The first is José Guadalupe Posada, the legendary Mexican engraver and chisel virtuoso who made the dead dance at the end of the 19th century.
News: Czapek & Cie. Place Vendôme 'Al-Kanz' in Support of the Emirates Foundation
Czapek & Cie teams up with Arab Watch Club to create a unique piece, a Place Vendôme model with an exceptional Zoisite —a mineral that includes several gem varieties such as Tanzanite— dial. This watch will be auctioned by Christie's in order to support Emirates Foundation which is an independent organization set up by the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to facilitate public-private funded initiatives to improve the welfare of youth across the UAE and encourage them to embrace the concept of volunteerism.
News: Hermès Arceau L'Heure De La Lune New York Meteorite Limited Edition
First released at the SIHH 2019 the Hermès Arceau L'Heure De La Lune was initially presented in 18K white gold with two different dials, one with a meteorite dial and the other in aventurine. Then, at Watches & Wonders 2020, five additional references were released including 18K rose gold with Lapis Lazuli, 18K white gold with blue pearl, 18K white gold with Black Sahara meteorite, 18K white gold with Lunar Meteorite, and in platinum with Martian Meteorite.
News: Presenting the MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO. Celebrating the Brand's 15th Anniversary
Over the past 15 years, MB&F creations have transported their wearers to destinations that exist only on maps of the imagination: from star-cruisers to deep-sea jellyfish, Maximilian Büsser’s Machines are the mechanical cartographers of the multiverse. But the greatest journey has yet to be undertaken, and true progress is marked by evolution as the brand presents the new Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO.
News: Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock Limited Edition
While respecting the legacy of the iconic Laureato from 1975, the new Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock draws upon the company’s vast experience, amassed since its inception in 1791. Employing high-tech know-how and succeeding in the inaugural Laureato Absolute models of 2019, this new Chronograph model is housed in a strong and light, high-tech 44 mm Carbon Glass case. The Laureato Absolute models are an evolution of the classical Laureato
News: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date Desert Edition
Blancpain presents a new version of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date watch. This 500-piece limited-edition model inspired by a Blancpain diver's watch from the 1970s is characterized by a gradient-colored sandy beige dial featuring a sunburst pattern. This nuance evokes the desert, and more specifically Death Valley in the United States, where Ernest H. Brooks II, the pioneer of underwater photography and contributor to the Edition Fifty Fathoms project, made a spectacular dive in 1962.
From the Archives: Richard Mille RM 028 Brown PVD Titanium. Not your Typical RM.
The first diving watch for Richard Mille was the RM 028 Diver released in 2010 with several renditions that followed. In 2012, the most striking and colorful Richard Mille Diver RM 028 was released in a non-limited run —but knowing how Richard Mille works, maybe no more than 100 pieces or so were made— and featuring a brown PVD titanium case with orange and blue accents on the bezel and secured by a bright orange rubber strap.
News: Presenting the Piaget Altiplano Blue Edition Watches
Piaget unveils two Altiplano Blue limited-edition timepieces in 38 mm in diameter, showcasing its love for ultra- thinness and the magic of the color blue. Blue is more than just a color for Piaget, it is a symbol of calm, infinity, and dreams. It is also a reminder that “The sky is the limit” when it comes to imagining audacious creations that make dreams come true. The color of the Piaget Altiplano dials is the color of the sky on a clear, cloudless night above the village of La Côte-aux-Fées, which means “Fairy Mountain”, the home of Piaget since 1874.
News: Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie with Paillonnée Dials
Continuing with the development of the CODE 11.59 collection, Audemars Piguet has just released the Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie ref. 26397BC.OO.D002CR.01, each endowed with a unique bespoke enamel dial crafted by Anita Porchet and her atelier. These refined wristwatches pay tribute to generations of craftspeople who have continuously leveraged pioneering technologies, while never losing sight of their ancestral craftsmanship. Chiming watches bring us back to the origins of time measurement devices: invented in the 14th century, striking clocks chimed time exclusively as they were devoid of dials.
News: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox and Polaris Mariner Date
Paying homage to its distinguished diving watch legacy and drawing upon more than a century of expertise in chiming watches, the Grande Maison introduces the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner watches with two new high-performance timepieces as a perfect addition to the sporty yet elegant Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection. The JLC Memovox has become the reference in wristwatch alarm calibres since it was introduced 70 years ago. Back in the fifties, scuba diving was a risky and challenging military activity.
