Posts filed under Other Brands

Insider: Bamford Heritage Daytona. Our Thoughts on Aftermarket Watch Customizations.

For true watch purists, hearing the words 'Bamford Watch Department' in the same sentence along with Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe or Rolex, simply makes their skin crawl. Originally launched by George Bamford in 2003 and headquartered in the heart of Mayfair in London, Bamford Watch Department —BWD— offers some of the most unique luxury watch customizations in the industry.

Insider: Bremont DH-88 Chronometer Limited Edition. Hands-on with the Watch that Celebrates the 'Greatest Air Race of All Time'.

To celebrate the 'Greatest Air Race of All Time' and the aircraft that captured the world’s imagination with a phenomenal record-breaking flight in 1934, our friends from Bremont recently released the new Bremont Comet DH-88 Chronometer Limited Edition in stainless steel —282 pieces— and in 18K rose gold —82 pieces. This new Bremont watch with a 43 mm case, immortalizes the De Havilland DH-88 Comet, Grosvenor House aircraft.

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: 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: 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.

Posted on July 18, 2016 and filed under Piaget, Other Brands.

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.

Posted on July 15, 2016 and filed under Other Brands, Piaget, Events.

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.

Experience: Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago. A Perfect Weekend with Bremont and the Oracle Team USA.

This past weekend, June 10th, 2016, the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series —LVACWS— a.k.a the 'Auld Mug' took place for the very first time in fresh water. The setting, Chicago's Lake Michigan lakefront and Navy Pier. Since Bremont is the timing partner for the America's Cup and one of the partners for the Oracle Team USA —the defending champion—, we were invited as one of their special guests. The Louis Vuitton America's Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two sailing yachts.

Insider: Hautlence Atelier Playground Labyrinth 01 & 02. Hands-on with a $12,500 USD Wrist Object that Looks Like a Watch but It is Not One.

It looks like a watch but it is not one. It's meant to be worn like a watch, but it is not one. It is made by a 'haute horlogerie' brand but has nothing to do with horology. What is it? It's a wrist toy meant for watchlifestylers who think that money is no object and that Hautlence refers to as "an entirely essential yet fundamentally useless object"; however, this useless wrist object sells for CHF 12,000 Swiss Francs —approximately $12,500 USD. Founded in 2004, Hautlence shook the watchmaking world by revolutionizing the way we tell time.

Insider: Angelus U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton. Hands-on with a Very Sporty Tourbillon.

As part of its return to the forefront of cutting-edge Swiss watchmaking, Angelus presented the Angelus U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton during Baselworld 2016 earlier this year. The U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton is powered by the A-300 in-house tourbillon movement, which was developed from the bottom up to enhance its three-dimensionality and sculptural beauty while boosting its performance and shock-resistance.

Macros: Louis Moinet Tourbillon Piece Unique. 18K White Gold Hand Engraved Case & Sapphire Crystal Dial.

Louis Moinet was one of the greatest watchmakers ever and the inventor of the chronograph in 1816. Today, his spirit lives on thanks to Jean-Marie Schaller, who as founder and creative director of the Louis Moinet brand, revived the prestigious name of the inspirational master watchmaker.

Posted on April 28, 2016 and filed under Louis Moinet, Other Brands.

Insider: L.U.C Perpetual Twin by Chopard. Hands-on with a Classic Complication at Great Value.

For 20 years, Chopard Manufacture has been creating the watches in the L.U.C collection. This year at Baselworld 2016, Chopard is once again shaking up the classic codes of complicated Haute Horlogerie by introducing the new L.U.C Perpetual Twin, an all steel chronometer-certified perpetual calendar. The L.U.C Perpetual Twin is endowed with the mechanical excellence of Chopard complications while housing its perpetual calendar movement within a stainless steel 43 mm case.

Posted on April 21, 2016 and filed under Chopard, Other Brands.

Insider: Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige Dual Time. Hands-on with a Beautiful Execution of Haute Horlogerie.

Presented last month at Baselworld 2016, the new Manufacture Royale 1770 Haute Voltige Dual Time is enriching the 1770 Voltige line with this new version equipped with an easy-to-set second time zone and a raised balance wheel that dominates the majority of the dial. Available in a 45 mm micro-blasted stainless steel case, the watch comes with either blue or black dial. Personally, we feel the blue dial is way more appealing and extremely beautiful since we are suckers for blue dials.

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.

Posted on April 7, 2016 and filed under Jaquet Droz, Other Brands.

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: 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.

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.