Last year around this time, a 3D printer experience facility opened its doors here in Chicago. The very same day we visited the facility, the first thought that came to mind was how 3D printing would impact the horological world by simplifying process with the development of watch prototypes, part prototypes or even with the creation of super-sized models of watch designs and functional parts to ease the research and development process as well as watchmaking training at the manufactures.
Today, less than a year later, we bring you this story about a man named Nicholas Manousos who has already made our dream come true with the launch of the first 3D printed horological model.
A few days ago, the Omega Boutique on Michigan Avenue here in Chicago, hosted a special preview of the Baselworld 2014 novelties in partnership with our publication. This wonderful evening included all the new watches presented at Baselworld 2014 presented earlier this year —with the exception of the Speedmaster 'Lunar Dust'— and their new line of NATO straps that will become available in the month of August across the Omega Boutique network. While we have seen the novelties multiple times, we have not played with the NATO straps enough. Fortunately, this time, we were able to see the NATO straps fitted on a few of the novelties as well as on other watches from the current collection. We even put a gorgeous Omega leather NATO strap on the new Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 45th Anniversary that looked just amazing.
The pinnacle whisky of the House of Walker — it is the epitome of blending—, just like the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph —reviewed here— is one of the pinnacles of Montblanc timepieces. Created to reflect the style of whiskies in the early 19th century, Johnnie Walker Blue Label is created using some of the rarest casks from the Johnnie Walker stocks, the largest in the world. The casks are hand-selected and set aside for their exceptional quality, character and flavor. The character of Blue Label is truly unique; it is complex, powerful, incredibly smooth and retains the Johnnie Walker signature smokiness.
Bremont is honored to announce the unveiling of the Limited Edition Bremont Wright Flyer. This new timepiece will feature some of the original fabric used on the 1903 Wright Flyer aircraft. Just as significantly, it showcases Bremont’s first ever in-house movement, the automatic calibre BWC/01, designed and developed in Britain. Many of its constituent parts have also been crafted at the company’s workshops in Henleyon-Thames. The 25 jewel, 33.4mm movement features a 50+ hour power reserve, Glucydur balance and a hairspring adjusted via a micro-metric screw. Utterly reliable and extremely robust, the BWC/01 is elegant and beautifully finished, with a central hour and minute hand and a running seconds hand at 9 o’clock.
While the Tudor Heritage Black Bay ref. 79220R with red burgundy bezel insert and gilt dial was launched at Baselworld 2012 —reviewed here—, it wasn't until September 12, 2013 that the brand relaunched in the U.S. and the watch became readily available at very few select authorized dealers that Tudor cherry picked. For many watchlifestylers, the Tudor Heritage Black Bay was some sort of fad during 2012 and the watch has been up and down in popularity since then. Two years later, Tudor presents a new iteration of this fascinating timepiece with a non-gilt dial and a midnight blue bezel that we are featuring here.
The Tudor Heritage Black Bay Midnight Blue also honors the first Tudor Sub from 1954 in a perfectly sized 41mm case with a great vintage feel to it and mesmerizing snowflake hands.
July 20th, 2014, marks the 45th anniversary of the moon landing and the achievement of the Omega Speedmaster Professional in becoming the only watch to be flight-qualified by NASA for all manned space missions. Additionally, the Speedmaster Professional is the first watch to have been worn on the moon surface on July 21st, 1969 at 02:56 GMT. For this special occasion, we were invited by our friends from Omega to a very special dinner with Omega Ambassador and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin at the Kennedy Space Center a.k.a Cape Canaveral on 'Speedy Tuesday' earlier this week. On this wonderful evening, we were accompanied by our Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. 3570.50 powered by the manual wound calibre 1861.
While the Zenith Pilot Type 20 requires no introduction, the Pilot Type 20 Annual Calendar Tribute to Russell Westbrook —designed in collaboration with the young basketball player— deserves a closer look. As its name implies, it is equipped with an annual calendar —an elegantly discreet complication that might almost go unnoticed if it were not mentioned on the dial. The annual calendar differs from the perpetual calendar in that it does not take into account the additional day that is added to the month of February in leap years —every four years.
This is a complication that calculates odd and even months and also factors in the 31st day of August. In a nutshell, it is a useful function that avoids the wearer having to adjust his watch every month. Visually speaking, the day of the week and the month are displayed on the blue dial at 3 o’clock in a rectangular aperture. Just above it are the name of Zenith’s new ambassador, Russell Westbrook, together with his silhouette in action on the court and his signature.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ref. 15202ST.OO.1240ST.01 is as close as you would get nowadays to the feeling of owning the iconic Royal Oak Jumbo ref. 5402ST from 1972. While this redesigned Jumbo maintains the sleek lines of the other Jumbos and most of the core elements present in the ref. 5402, there are subtle differences that are worth discussing.
The new Jumbo, referred to as Extra-Thin by Audemars Piguet, is fitted with a sapphire crystal display case back just like the previous Jumbo ref. 15202. The original Jumbo 5402 from 1972 featured a unique monoblock case design, making it even thinner and more sleek.
The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Up/Down was updated this year and presented at the SIHH as one of the novelties from the manufacture. The 1815 Up/Down ref. 234.026 in white gold is one of the most classic looking watches from this manufacture and one of our favorite ones. Also available in pink gold and yellow gold, this watch is now fitted with a case measuring 39mm in diameter —opposed to 36mm in the past— and only 8.7mm in thickness. The case features polished and satin brushed areas to provide a perfectly balanced case that is not only very elegant but extremely well crafted at a level that can only be described with the word 'perfection'.
The Audemars Piguet calibre 3120 is now considered one of the greatest automatic movements ever made. Fitted on several models across the Royal Oak collection— including the discontinued ref. 15300, the recently launched ref. 15400 and the Royal Oak Offshore Diver amongst others—, calibre 3120 is a work of art and truly one of the nicest movements you can find out there. Not to mention that is also extremely accurate.
This beautiful and precise calibre, is fully decorated with Côtes de Genève on all bridges and comes with a stunning bi-directional 22k gold rotor. The rotor features the coats of arms for the Audemars and Piguet families, all done with immaculate attention to detail.
Continuing with their limited edition product strategy, this time Arnold & Son presents a trio of timepieces commemorating Charles Darwin’s voyage of discovery. The HMS Beagle Set is composed of eight limited edition sets of three timepieces each, honoring the HMS Beagle ship that was used by Charles Darwin to set foot at the Galapagos Island. While the HMS Beagle undertook three survey voyages in all, it was the second one, with naturalist Charles Darwin on board, that guaranteed its place in history. With this set of three watches, each featuring an exquisite hand-painted miniature of HMS Beagle, Arnold & Son pays tribute to one of the most celebrated ships in the history of exploration.
Christophe Claret is pleased to present X-TREM-1 Chocolate, featuring a red gold and grade 5 titanium case treated with chocolate-color PVD, plus an alligator-skin strap of the same brown hue. This timepiece is as visually striking as it is technically innovative. Christophe Claret has always focused on developing original timepieces incorporating the latest technological innovations. The brand is known for pushing the boundaries of mechanical watchmaking and straying away from the beaten horological path. First presented in 2012, X-TREM-1 is a testament to this endeavor and represents a totally new way of telling the time.
X-TREM-1 displays hour and minutes by means of two tiny hollowed steel spheres isolated within sapphire tubes on both sides of the caseband.
Not long ago we reviewed and photographed one of Richard Mille's latest creations, the RM052-01. The Richard Mille RM052-01 takes its inspiration from a previous model, the RM052. Opposed to its predecessor, the RM052-01 features a TZP ceramic bezel and case back with a middle case of carbon nano-tubes —measuring 42.70mm in width, 50mm in length and 15.95mm in thickness— and a solid red gold skull on the dial that includes a tourbillon strategically located inside its jaws.
This watch featuring the newest material in the Richard Mille line-up has the most fascinating finish that we've ever seen on any other ceramic composite watch due to its unique grain —product of the 95% yttrium-stabilized zirconium used in its production.
Today, we celebrate 4th of July with the perfect watch for the occasion, a Rolex GMT Master ref. 1675 with Pepsi insert bezel. The blue and red colors on this watch are the perfect symbols to commemorate 238 years of Independence from the British crown. On July 4th, 1776 the United States adopted the 'Declaration of Independence' announcing that the thirteen colonies were declaring themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states forming a new nation as the United States of America.
We wish you all a very Happy 4th of July with this photo gallery. Now enjoy your long weekend!
To Celebrate its 175th Anniversary, the renowned clock maker L’Epée 1839 —same company that collaborated with MB&F in the Starfleet Machine table clock reviewed here— celebrates this special year with a timepiece that will suggest many interrogations. The 'Two Hands Flying Tourbillon' table clock is limited to 2 unique pieces; one in massive Titanium Grade 5 and one in massive brass gold plated. These table clocks were developed in collaboration with renowned horologist Vincent Calabrese. This time, the manufacture established in 1839 comes back to its history and origins by redeveloping an extraordinary escapement; the tourbillon, the most noble escapement. A special tourbillon had to be made and what a better collaboration than with Vincent Calabrese, a well known figure of the Horology world.
A few months ago, we brought you the exciting news about the launch of the reissue of the Omega Speedmaster Mark II Co-Axial Chronograph. Today, we bring you the new Omega Speedmaster Mark II Co-Axial Chronograph Rio 2016 Limited Edition, which is the third of the new three Mark II models —other two reviewed here. The Speedmaster Mark II Co-Axial Chronograph Rio 2016 is a limited edition of 2,016 pieces that celebrates the XXXI Olympic Games to be celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5 thru the 21st in 2016. While this new watch is almost identical to the Mark II with matte black dial, Omega decided to add three different colored rings to the chronograph counters to symbolize the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded during the Olympic Games. Additionally, the watch features polished center links on its bracelet and a specially engraved case back.
The iconic Traveller WW.TC opts now for an intense black look. The new Titanium DLC version stands out with its strong character and a high degree of sophistication. Its highly technical case houses a manufactured mechanical movement offering world times and chronograph functions. With its deep black tones, the Traveller WW.TC Titanium DLC offers a combination of high performance and understatement. It presents itself as the ideal contemporary traveling companion, thanks to its world time function, which enables the wearer to instantly know the time anywhere in the world. Its chronograph function, with its coal black hue and its specially rubber treated alligator textured strap highlight its sporting and technical character.
True to English watchmaking heritage, Arnold & Son unveils the TES Tourbillon, with the hand-finished A&S8100 calibre with sapphire barrel bridge. This defining timepiece is part of the Royal Collection which combines classic styling with leading-edge technology. The tourbillon movement, one of the most elegant complications in the world of horology, has played a crucial role in Arnold & Son’s history. An exceptional watchmaker, John Arnold was an active participant in one of the most extraordinary partnerships in the world of innovative horology. Indeed, both he and Abraham Louis Breguet worked closely, sharing both their knowledge and passion. Evidence of their partnership is Abraham Louis Breguet’s first ever tourbillon mounted in John Arnold’s No. 11 movement, a watch that can be found today in London’s British Museum.
Earlier this year at Baselworld 2014, Rolex released a new iteration of the legendary Rolex Milgauss that was revived back in 2007. While we didn't feel too excited about the look of this new watch during our time in Baselworld, our feelings for it had changed since then. The new Rolex Milgauss Z Blue ref. 116400GV is definitely better appreciated under natural light and one good picture is worth a thousand words. The Rolex Milgauss was originally launched in 1956 for engineers and technicians who were exposed in their work to magnetic fields which disrupt the performance of their mechanical watches. It was designed to resist strong interference of up to 1,000 gauss, hence its name. Mainly two innovations contribute to its resistance to magnetism.
Several weeks ago, we ran into a picture —posted by a well known watch collector and dealer— of what at the time was just a prototype of what we considered to be one of the most unique and interesting looking stainless steel bracelets. Today, just within a few days from its launch, the GMT Bezel Type Bracelet is the trendiest watch accessory on Instagram among watch collectors and watchlifestylers. Luckily for you guys, we have stocked our shop with them so you can get them without having to search around.
This new bracelet is made of hypoallergenic 316L grade stainless steel with a satin brushed finish and filled with enamel to evoke the vintage look of the Rolex GMT Master bezels. The bracelet is designed in a way similar to the I.D. Blood Type bracelets worn by many aviation pilots where one can bend the bracelet to go around the wrist and fit as snug and comfortably with just a slight bend.
