Every once in a while, we get to peruse and review timepieces that seem too crazy to wear and too hard to explain with the use of just a few words. The Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari in King Gold we are reviewing here, is one of those crazy timepieces. Priced close to a half a million USD, this amazing mechanical timepiece with a 50-day power reserve, is a true horological feat in its own.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chrono ref. 26320ST.OO.1220ST.02. Hands-on with the Most Versatile Royal Oak Chrono Out There.
While in the past, we have already brought you our in-depth hands-on reviews of several of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronographs, the silvered dial Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26320ST.OO.1220ST.02 is one that deserves its own post as it is the most versatile Royal oak Chrono thanks to its clean year-round type of dial.
Insider: Zenith El Primero Tourbillon Skeleton. Hands-on with a Stunning Tourbillon with Column-Wheel Chronograph Priced Under $50K USD.
Released earlier this year at Baselworld 2016, the new Zenith El Primero Tourbillon Skeleton is one of those watches that packs a lot of bang for your buck. Equipped with a tourbillon and the legendary 12-hour Zenith El Primero column-wheel chronograph mechanism, this stealthy looking watch, is one that we absolutely enjoyed reviewing. Fitted with a matte black ceramic case, a partially skeletonized multi-layer dial and a perforated black rubber strap, this is one of those tourbillons that is made to be worn everywhere.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470ST.OO.A104CR.01. Hands-on with 'The Elephant' in the Room.
Released during the SIHH 2014, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore ref. 26470ST.OO.A104CR.01 is a watch that is not as popular as we now think it should be. This particular second generation Offshore —42 mm case with ceramic crown/pushers and display case back—, wasn't our cup of tea upon its release at the SIHH 2014; nevertheless, today, it is one of our favorite second generation Royal Oak Offshores.
Insider: Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 Platinum. Hands-on with a Watch that Offers a Very Unique Way of Reading the Time.
Now available in 950 platinum, the new Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 ref. 82035/000P-B168 is inspired by an original cushion-shaped model with its winding crown placed between 1 and 2 o’clock. The American 1921 was created by Vacheron Constantin in the 1920s for the American market, hence the name.
News: Presenting the new Richard Mille RM 11-02 Le Mans Classic 2016. A $180,000 USD 150-Piece Limited Edition.
As part of their involvement with the Le Mans Classic race since 2002, Richard Mille welcomed Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake and renowned musician Pharrell Williams to be part of the event. While Yohan Blake gave the start signal for the Little Big Mans race, Pharrell Williams waved the French flag at the gridline. The Little Big Mans race is a special race that takes place at the historic Bugatti Circiut and that allows young drivers between 6 and 10 years of age, to experience the circuit in decked out go karts.
Rare Bird: Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 3820 with Breguet Numerals. One of the Most Beautiful Time Only Watches Out There.
The Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 3820 is one of the most iconic 'time only' watches out there and simply one of the best dress watches any one can have. The Patek ref. 3820 featuring applied Breguet numerals is even more special and a watch reserved for those wanting the best. The first Patek Philippe Calatrava was released in 1932 as ref. 96 and since then, its been one of the most iconic and classic watches from Patek with very little changes and always true to the essence of the brand.
News: Presenting the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh Second Series. A Stunning Reverso à Eclipse Watch.
Today, we bring you the news on the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso à Eclipse Tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. This watch, is the second series of the Reverso Tribute to Van Gogh. Since its creation in 1931, the JLC Reverso has maintained its 'icon status' through wonderment and by paying homage to renowned artists. This time, Jaeger-LeCoultre and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam are proud to present the second series of the Reverso à Eclipse watch featuring an enameled miniature of Van Gogh's self-portrait on its dial.
Insider: Panerai Radiomir GMT 3 Days Oro Rosso PAM 421. Hands-on with One of Our Favorite Panerais.
The Panerai Radiomir GMT 3 Days Oro Rosso PAM 421 is by far one of our favorite Panerais as it combines several things we typically like to see in a Panerai timepiece. Some of the reasons why we love the Panerai PAM 421 is because it is fitted with an 18K red gold case, paired with a beautiful tobacco brown sandwich dial and it features a power reserve indicator. As far as looks, it really doesn't get any better.
Insider: New Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King ref. 116900. Hands-on with the Second Hottest Watch of the Year from the Green Giant.
The new Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King ref. 116900 was without a doubt, one of the most surprising releases by the 'Green Giant' during Baselworld 2016 earlier this year. Along with the new Daytona with Cerachrom bezel ref. 116500LN we featured here, the new Rolex Air-King ref. 116900 was the other watch at the Rolex booth that took most of the attention from journalists, retailers and collectors.
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: Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic PAM 689 Sunburst Blue Dial. Hands-on With the 300-piece Limited Edition.
A little bit over a month ago, Officine Panerai released four new watches all fitted with sunburst blue dials and available only through the Panerai Boutique network. The new models sporting this gorgeous blue dials are the Radiomir 1940 PAM 690, the Radiomir GMT 10 Days PAM 659, the Luminor 1950 GMT 3 Days PAM 688 and lastly the Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Automatic PAM 689 we are reviewing here. The new Panerai PAM 689 is pretty much a blue dial version of the PAM 533.
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: Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 Chronograph ref. 5000H. Hands-on Review of a Perfectly Executed Vintage Inspired Timepiece.
The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 Chronograph ref. 5000H is a perfect reinterpretation of the legendary chronograph created by Vacheron Constantin in 1955. This new model from the Historiques collection, was originally released a year ago with a platinum case in a highly exclusive production run. A little bit over a month ago, we brought you the news that the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 Chronograph ref. 5000H was now making its appearance in an 18K 4N pink gold case.
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.
From the Editor: How Swiss is Your 'Swiss Made' Watch? Explaining What 'Swiss Made' Really Entails and What it will Mean as of January 1, 2017.
The label 'Swiss Made' is perceived as one of the top deciding factors for one looking to buy a reputable reliable timepiece —unless you are fan of A. Lange & Söhne and 'Made in Germany' is the deciding factor. Since 1971, the designation ‘Swiss Made’ has protected and promoted the Swiss watchmaking industry and has been a synonym for certain level of perceived quality and reliability in the watch industry worldwide.
News: Presenting the new Armin Strom Gravity Sailing. A 32-piece Special Edition Commemorating the Armin Strom Sailing Team.
To celebrate the exciting and successful second season of the Armin Strom Sailing Team, Armin Strom created a limited commemorative edition of its Gravity collection and gave the team's skipper Flavio Marazzi the first of 32 watches produced for the series. Armin Strom owner Serge Michel, presented the special timepiece to Marazzi during a ceremony on July 10 at the Lake Garda competition in Malcesine, Italy.
Insider: Hublot MP-02 Key of Time Gold. 315 Grams of Pure Goodness in a Limited Edition of 30 Pieces.
The Hublot MP-02 Key of Time Gold ref. 902.OX.1138.RX is a magnificent timepiece with a design that could've been conceived as a prop watch for a Sci-Fi movie but that for some weird reason is just simply spectacular. Fitted with a massive asymmetrical case in 18K Hublot gold —red gold—with a satin brushed finish and micro-blasted areas, its case measures close to 52 mm in width at its widest point and weighs 315 grams of pure Hublot goodness.
