A meeting with Paul Boutros at Phillips Watches is always a real treat and a thrilling experience. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will be conducting their Geneva Watch Auction Three next month in Geneva at the Hotel La Réserve. After two very successful auctions last year, their third auction will take place on May 14th and May 15th. The auction will kick-off with the START-STOP-RESET watch auction, a very special auction dedicated to 88 epic stainless steel chronographs.
Experience: A Special Night with Panerai in New York City. A Delightful Dinner at Daniel.
When watches, food, wine and superb people get together, the end result is an epic unforgettable evening. Such is the case of the amazing dinner we were invited to that was organized by Panerai to celebrate the kick-off of Madison Avenue Watch Week and the release of their novelties at the SIHH 2016. If you consider yourself a true Paneristi, you are then definitely a foodie and a connoisseur of great restaurants.
Insider: Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Blue Dial. Hands-on with a Refined Elegant German Beauty.
Presented at Baselworld 2016 less than a month ago, the most recent edition of the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer offers certified precision in a distinctive and expressive dark blue version. The color blue is inseparably bound up with the Glashütte Original collection. For more than twenty years the brand has presented, again and again, exclusive timepieces in vibrant shades of blue, thus adding a modern, elegant nuance to the watchmaker's classic color palette.
Experience: A Day at the North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking NAIOSW. An Exceptional Free Program Fully Subsidized by Richemont Group and Cartier.
Last week, we had the pleasure to visit the North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking —NAIOSW— invited by our friends at Cartier. This visit that we can refer to as one of the 'most enlightening' days in our watch collecting life, was for sure a day very well spent. The NAIOSW was established in 2008 —education began in 2009— by the Richemont Group with the purpose of educating and training successful watchmakers for a career in luxury watch repair.
Rare Bird: Audemars Piguet 18K Yellow Gold Coin Watch. Twenty Dollars in Your Pocket with a Concealed Watch.
Only twice in our watch collecting life we have ran into one of the most fascinating and unique timepieces made by Audemars Piguet. We are talking about the ultra rare Audemars Piguet Coin Watch in 18K yellow gold. As far as we know, these rare coin watches were created by Audemars Piguet between 1915 and the late 1980s. The coin watches were produced in very limited quantities and in different currencies including U.S. dollars, Swiss Francs, French Francs and Mexican Pesos.
Insider: Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon Minute Repeater in Titanium. Hands-on with an Exceptional Timepiece Light as a Feather.
The new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon Minute Repeater in Titanium just released at Baselworld 2016, brings the ultra-light metal into the equation for the very first time. Typically seen in 18K pink gold, the new Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon Minute Repeater in Titanium features a titanium case measuring 45 mm in diameter by 9.35 mm in thickness.
Insider: Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered Onyx. Hands-on with the Perfect Watch for a Black Tie Gala Night.
The new Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Off-Centered embodies the essential Jaquet Droz design codes, balancing a sense of history with sheer, modern elegance. The Grande Seconde Off-Centered Onyx displays a striking graphic simplicity and its stylized black dial of edgy, intense black draws one deep into the heart of Jaquet Droz’s history. The creative concept underlying this model was born in the 18th century, at the height of the Enlightenment, when Pierre Jaquet-Droz revolutionized watchmaking with his Grande Seconde.
Insider: H. Moser & Cie. Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time. Hands-on with a Classic Looking Timepiece Priced Right Under $100K USD.
TGIF, and just because of that, how about we now talk about another one of those gorgeous looking pieces from H. Moser & Cie. so you can dream and think about it the whole weekend. The new Baselworld 2016 Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time in 18K white gold is a perfect addition to the existent Venturer Tourbillon Dual Time line. This exceptional timepiece where simplicity and clean lines are the name of the game.
Insider: Angelus U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon. Hands-on with an Impressive Sapphire, Carbon and Titanium Skeletonized Timepiece.
Released during Baselworld 2016 and after the successful launch last year of the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumière —our hands-on review here— that brought the brand back from the ashes; Angelus presents now, the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon. The new Angelus U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon has been conceived as a beautiful mechanical haute horlogerie sculpture in its entirety. Built like a supercar, its design is streamlined and based on structural optimization. Made of sapphire, carbon and titanium, the U20 is at the forefront of cutting-edge watchmaking.
Insider: Jaquet Droz Charming Bird Métiers d'Art. Hands-on with One of the Most Fascinating Timepieces Out There.
In 2012, The Bird Repeater featured two blue tits and their young birds close to the heart of the company’s founder Pierre Jaquet-Droz. This remarkable model reaffirmed the virtuoso expertise of Jaquet Droz, passed down from the 18th century and realized here in miniature. The following year, The Charming Bird watch marked the brand’s 275th anniversary with a new interpretation of the bird in an ultra-modern decorative setting and this time singing.
Insider: Breitling for Bentley GMT B04 S Carbon Body. Hands-on with the First Bentley Piece We Really Like.
We have never been big fans of the Breitling for Bentley timepieces, however, when it comes to the new Bentley GMT B04 S Carbon Body just released at Baselworld 2016 less than a month ago, we have to say that we really like this watch. While the dial still seems quite busy as all other Breitling for Bentley models, there's something special about this piece that draw our attention to it.
Insider: Presenting the new HYT H1 Ghost. Hands-on with the First Timepiece from the Hydromechanical Horologists to Feature Superluminova.
The new HYT H1 Ghost is fitted with a black DLC titanium case measuring 48.8 mm in diameter and a thickness of 17.9 mm just exactly like all other H1 pieces, but this time, featuring a strikingly beautiful new dial and fluid where day and night intertwine just as the shadow and light constantly contrast. The new HYT H1 Ghost ref. 148-DL-60-NF-RU has been designed around a new black fluid that does not emit or reflect any light.
News: Presenting the new Armin Strom 'Las Vegas Gravity' Special Edition. Hands-on Review of a Stunning 77-piece Limited Edition for Casino Lovers.
As all of you know, Armin Strom is a brand that releases all their watches in very small limited editions. Only a handful of times, they've released a limited edition watch only available in certain markets, with a special partner or through certain authorized dealers. The new Armin Strom 'Las Vegas Gravity' Special Edition is even more special because you can only buy it through Roman Times at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and only 77 pieces are available.
Insider: Bremont ALT1-C/PB Polished Black. Hands-on with a Beautiful Elegant Black Knight.
As a natural extension of the line, Baselworld 2016 saw the launch of the new Bremont ALT1-C/PB Polished Black. This new handsome chronograph was Bremont’s first non-limited edition polished steel watch forming part of the core collection. In a very short period of time, this chronometer has become an important and successful part of the Bremont watch range.
Insider: MB&F Starfleet Machine Black Badger. Hands-on with the Newest Coolest Mechanical Table Clock that Now Also Glows in the Dark.
As part of their recent collaboration with James Thompson a.k.a 'Black Badger', MB&F has just released at Baselworld 2016, a new iteration of their Starfleet Machine launched during Baselworld 2014 and that we reviewed here. This new clock named MB&F Starfleet Machine Black Badger is just like the first Starfleet Machine clock by L'Epée 1839 and MB&F —from an horological and functioning standpoint— but more visually striking thanks to the long lasting luminescent material added for this release.
Experience: Zenith Uber Baselworld 2016 Classic Car Rides. The Best Way to Move Around Basel this Year and Totally Free.
Without a doubt, Baselworld brings the best creativity in event planning from all the brands involved in the world's largest watch and jewelry show. Every year we come to Baselworld, beyond the amazing watch novelties we get to review, we are also blown away by the brands' displays, their pavilions, the unforgettable parties and the food and aperitifs we enjoy in their lounges. However, in the last five years, we haven't seen such a clever idea, like the one Zenith had this year.
Baselworld 2016: Presenting the new Armin Strom Manual Cameleon. Hands-on Review, Live Pictures & Pricing.
The new Armin Strom Manual Cameleon is one of the watches within the entry level Manual collection for this Swiss manufacture from Biel/Bienne. While the words 'entry level' might typically convey a lower price point within the watch category; when it comes to independent watch manufactures like Armin Strom, we are typically talking more about a price point situated above the $10K USD mark; however, for the very first time, the entry point into Armin Strom is now situated at $9,200 USD with the release of this new Armin Strom Manual Cameleon presented at Baselworld 2016 and that we are reviewing here.
Baselworld 2016: Presenting the new Bell & Ross BR-X1 Hyperstellar Skeleton Chronograph. Hands-on Review, Live Pictures & Pricing.
As tough as a rocket, the new Bell & Ross BR-X1 HyperStellar Skeleton Chronograph ref. BRX1-AL-TI-BLU presented at Baselworld 2016, stands out thanks to the innovative design of its 45 mm case made from titanium and aluminum. While the main case construction is made of polished and micro-blasted grade 5 titanium, the bezel’s protective insert is in blue anodized aluminum, to combine lightness and strength. To protect it from impacts during missions, the square case of the BR-X1 is covered with a bumper in micro-blasted titanium and rubber that acts as a peripheral protective shell.
Baselworld 2016: Presenting the new Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton. Hands-on Review, Live Pictures & Pricing.
Along with all the other Baselworld 2016 novelties we've brought in the past days from Arnold & Son, today we bring you our hands-on review and live pictures of what is now the thinnest skeleton tourbillon in the market. Fitted with an elegant 42 mm 5N red gold case with a mere thickness of 8.34 mm including its cambered sapphire crystal, the new Arnold & Son UTTE Skeleton ref. 1UTAR.S10A.C320A available in a limited edition of 50 pieces, is simply one of the nicest watches we reviewed this year at Baselworld 2016.
Baselworld 2016: Presenting the new Hautlence Vortex Bronze. Hands-on Review, Live Pictures & Pricing.
For Baselworld 2016, Hautlence unveiled its fourth variant of the Vortex model, we are talking about the Vortex Bronze. Unlike most other bronze watches that come with a reasonable price tag, this exceptional piece of 'haute horlogerie' is as exclusive and pricey as it gets. The new Hautlence Vortex Bronze is the second model under the Concepts d’Exception collection and has made quite an impression through the combination of avant-garde watchmaking techniques and its futuristic design.
