The new Miss Audrey Sweet Art, however, uses a completely new material and a new process to create a dial that has never been seen before in watchmaking. A dial made from pure sugar. Representing sweetness and purity, the sugar crystals covering the dial of the Miss Audrey Sweet Art represents a breakthrough in engineering innovation, materials, and miniature painting —all hallmarks of the House of Bovet.
Experience: A Watch Collector that Loves Formula One Racing as Much as He Loves Watches
Every time we travel, we end up meeting new watch collectors that decide to open the doors of their homes to us and share their world and passion for watches and other indulgences. Some of them are OK with us documenting these visits and sharing them with our readers, and others are way too private to even allow us take any pictures of what they are sharing with us.
News: Presenting the Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle
Disorder and confusion welcome to the new reality Where art meets craftsmanship, there is nothing more disrupting, and no more fascinating object than the new Freak X Razzle Dazzle. Ulysse Nardin is excited to introduce a revisited and unique version of its bestselling model Freak X, embellished with a new geometrical pattern a captivating design inspired by wildlife camouflage and used for ships’ concealment, as well as widely integrated in works of contemporary art.
Insider: Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock. Light as a Feather but Solid as a Rock.
Girard-Perregaux is a brand that has always been in the forefront evolving their watch designs and finding ways to improve their collections. The Girard-Perregaux Laureato has had some sort of a comeback in the last five years and the Laureato Absolute Crystal Rock is a perfect example of that.
Insider: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds Green. Is this the New Blue?
Just released a few weeks ago at Watches & Wonders 2021, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds is cloaked in green. A new trend in the watch industry, green has turned into the new blue after almost a dozen watches —from a variety of brands— have been recently launched with this choice of color for their dials.
Experience: Rimowa Aluminum Watch Case. Great Looking but Quite Heavy and Cumbersome.
When the Rimowa limited edition watch case was released, we were all over it and we really liked it. Finally, we now get to bring you or impressions on one of the coolest looking three-watch cases out there that is now sold out. Rimowa was launched in Germany in 1898 with the production of wooden trunks at a manufacture in Cologne. In 1937, the very first aluminum trunk was created by the founder's son, Richard Morszeck —the abbreviation of his name gives Rimowa their name. In 1950 Inspired by the golden age of aviation, they added their iconic and distinctive grooves to their aluminum suitcases and in 2000 they released their line of polycarbonate luggage which was groundbreaking at the time.
News: Richard Mille RM 07-01 Automatic Racing Red Limited Edition
In preparation for the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship season that starts on April 26th at Spa-Francorchamps, Richard Mille presents the new RM 07-01 Racing Red. This new ladies’ watch will be making its first appearance at the high temple of endurance. With its all-female trio of Beitske Visser, Sophia Flörsch, and Tatiana Calderón, the team sponsored by the eponymous watch brand is sure to garner plenty of attention as it makes its FIA World Endurance Championship —WEC— debut in LMP2.
News: Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Military Limited Edition
Since its origins, Bell & Ross has built a strong history in underwater exploration and now extends its Diver collection with a new model that reflects its core DNA and reaffirms the brand’s functional approach. With its olive drab tone, the new BR 03-92 Diver Military mirrors the color of the military uniform of these men for whom discretion is the ultimate priority while in mission and makes it a superbly camouflaged watch.
Experience: BMW 850Ci 'The Shark'. With a Very Short Production Run, Just like that of the Platinum Offshore 44.
If you were born in the 1970s or the 80s, the BMW 850Ci is no stranger to you. Nicknamed ‘The Shark’ because of its nose resembling that of the marine animal, the BMW 850 was presented in 1989 at the Frankfurt Auto Show and became an instant hit when it hit the market in 1990. Back then even before car or watch pricing bubbles were a thing, bimmer enthusiasts were already paying above retail for this 90s iconic automobile.
Insider: Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chrono ref. 5990/1R. Hands-On with the New King of All Nautiluses.
Twenty days after its release, we have the pleasure of bringing you our hands-on review of the new Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph ref. 5990/1R. Following the success of the 5990/1A —one of our favorite Nautilus references—, Patek Philippe decided to launch a new iteration of this reference in 18K rose gold. Even though Patek’s stock images blew our socks off and we knew we would love the watch in person, handling this watch in the metal is a totally different story.
W&W 2021: Ulysse Nardin Diver X Skeleton Limited Edition of 175 Pieces
Ulysse Nardin’s links with the sea are as deep as the ocean itself. The Swiss Maison was a pioneer in watchmaking innovation from 1846 when the brand cemented its reputation for incomparably accurate marine chronometers; robust navigational instruments that allowed sailors to calculate longitude at sea. Now Ulysse Nardin is reaffirming its status as a watchmaker destined to rule the oceans with the arrival of the Diver X Skeleton.
News: Presenting the Richard Mille RM 21-01 Tourbillon Aerodyne
The superlative quality of a Richard Mille watch is in equal measure the architecture and materials it is made of. Naturally, it would be impossible to design watches capable of resisting extreme conditions without using constituents that were themselves created to handle punishing demands. In capitalizing on engineering materials —particularly from the fields of aeronautics and Formula 1— and testing their potential applications in a watch movement or its housing, Richard Mille brings into being watches whose precision, lightness, and reliability are intimately bound to the materials employed.
W&W 2021: Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon 'Poinçon de Genève' Sapphire
In a new illustration of Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking expertise, the Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon ‘Poinçon de Genève’ Sapphire features a case entirely crafted from a block of sapphire. A true technical and artistic feat, this completely transparent creation —the first of its kind in the history of watchmaking to be stamped with the Geneva Seal— launches a new era, displaying in minute detail every part of its skilfully open-worked manufacture movement, powered by a flying tourbillon.
Watch Auctions: Superb Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' B-Series to be Auctioned by Phillips Watches
Launched in 1972 at Basel Fair, Audemars Piguet's introduction of the Royal Oak marked the beginning of the luxury sports watch market we know today, causing an immediate sensation as the watch industry had never seen anything comparable before. At the time the most expensive stainless steel wristwatch available, it most notably housed the extra slim calibre 2121 based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre cal. 920, that would later be found in the Nautilus wristwatch.
From the Editor: A Disassembled Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Panda'. A Feast for the Eyes of AP Fans.
Mexico City is one of the watch capitals of the world. Regardless of the crime wave that has hit the country over the last 20 years, hardcore watch collectors trade pieces and buy/sell watches on a regular basis. More than eight years ago on one of my visits to Mexico City, I decided to call one of my favorite preowned watch dealers in the city and pay him a visit. I still remember like it was yesterday, when I purchased from him my very first Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo A-Series back in 1998.
W&W 2021: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar
The new A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar is totally focused on the eponymous complication. Its integration into the prominent dial layout of the Lange was made possible thanks to a peripheral month ring created especially for this design. The new timepiece comes in a 41.9 mm 18K pink gold case with a grey silver dial or in a limited edition of 150 watches in 18K white gold with a solid pink gold dial.
W&W 2021: A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Moon Phase. As Beautiful as a Starry Night.
Thousands of tiny stars seem to sparkle on the dark-blue dial of the new A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Moon Phase in its 18K white gold case with or without diamonds on its bezel. It is coated with dark-blue gold flux that shimmers with a copper hue. A white gold moon accurately orbits along its course beneath the iconic Lange outsize date. The second version with diamonds features a bezel set with 56 brilliant-cut top Wesselton VVS diamonds —1.2 carats— creates a radiant frame for the fascinating dial.
W&W 2021: A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split Blue Dial. A Feat of Horology.
When A. Lange & Söhne presented the Triple Split Chronograph in 2018, it was lauded as a global premiere by the international trade press. The only split-seconds chronograph in the world to date that can measure additive and comparative times for as long as twelve hours is in a league of its own. Now, it is followed by a model with a pink gold case and a blue dial. The Triple Spit in pink gold with a blue dial Introduced in 2018, the Triple Split is the world’s only mechanical split-seconds chronograph that allows the measurement of intermediate and reference times for durations of up to twelve hours.
The former edition in white gold with a grey dial is now followed by a second version in a limited edition of 100 timepieces in 18K pink gold —43.2 mm in diameter— with a blue dial and rhodium-colored subsidiary dials. Despite the wealth of displayed information, an ingenious material and color concept makes it easy to clearly assign each of the ten hands to a specific function. There is no other watch in the world that compares with the Triple Split. It is a logical evolution of the Double Split introduced by A. Lange & Söhne in 2004. With a precisely jumping rattrapante minute counter, it was no doubt already an impressive milestone in the development of modern rattrapante mechanisms conceived by the Saxon watchmakers.
Stopping times of up to twelve hours are possible with the Triple Split that alone is a rarity in a mechanical chronograph. The extension of the rattrapante function to the hour counter offers a multitude of further possibilities. For instance, the Triple Split can compare the times of two opponents in a Formula One race, a Tour de France stage, or a marathon. The time measurement is started by pressing the chronograph pusher at 2 o'clock. The pairs of hands now run synchronously until they are separated by pressing the rattrapante pusher at 10 o'clock to perform a lap-time measurement. The three rhodium hands will then stop to display the lap time. All the while, the previously concealed chronograph hands in gold-plated steel or pink gold continue the time measurement. As soon as the rattrapante pusher is pressed again, the rattrapante hands catch up with the chronograph hands and from then on run together with them again.
The movement is also endowed with a flyback function that involves all three hand pairs as well. Thus, the chronograph can be reset to zero by pressing the chronograph pusher at 4 o’clock during an ongoing time measurement. Releasing the pusher instantly starts a new time measurement.
In the starting position, the three rhodiumed rattrapante hands are superposed on the respective chronograph hands. The time measurement is started by pressing the chronograph pusher at 2 o'clock. The pairs of hands now run synchronously until they are separated by pressing the rattrapante pusher at 10 o'clock to perform a lap-time measurement. The three rhodiumed hands will then stop to display the lap time. All the while, the previously concealed chronograph hands in gold-plated steel or pink gold continue the time measurement. As soon as the rattrapante pusher is pressed again, the rattrapante hands catch up with the chronograph hands and from then on run together with them again.
The movement is also endowed with a flyback function that involves all three hand pairs as well. Thus, the chronograph can be reset to zero by pressing the chronograph pusher at 4 o’clock during an ongoing time measurement. Releasing the pusher instantly starts a new time measurement.
The Lange calibre L132.1 is a movement that stands out with its three-dimensionality, complexity, and architecturally pleasing design. It highlights the finissage that is typical of the individual Lange components. Overall, 567 tiny parts are perfectly adjusted for flawless interaction. This complexity is not a show, it is mechanically necessary to enable this unique Triple Split function. The creation of a mechanism that makes it possible to collectively or separately control three hand pairs represented a formidable technical challenge for Lange’s developers. Even a simple rattrapante mechanism has two hands attached to arbors that run one inside the other. In the calibre L132.1, this pairing exists three times. During the assembly of the movement, the multiple function axes call for the utmost precision and virtuosity.
A glance through the sapphire-crystal case back reveals the chronograph movement that is finished to the strictest Lange standards and adjusted to assure the perfect interaction of column wheels, clutches, rockers, levers, springs, and jumpers. Five gold chatons, traditionally secured with screws on bridges decorated with Glashütte ribbing as well as the hand-engraved balance cock round off the stylish prominence of the movement. Thus, the Triple Split is an exceptional timepiece, not only technically but also as regards its flawless artisanship; in the chronograph class, it plays in a league of its own.
The A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split Blue Dial is available in a limited edition of 100 pieces.
Sticker Price $164,400 USD. For more info on A. Lange & Söhne click here.
W&W 2021: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Precious Flowers. Four Models with Flower Motifs.
As a canvas for artistic expression, the double-sided case of the Reverso One offers an opportunity for the artisans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Métiers Rares —Rare Handcrafts— workshop to unleash their skills in the art of decoration. For 2021 the Maison introduces four sparkling new Reverso One models that unite the codes of fine watchmaking, artistic crafts, and High Jewellery to bring fresh color, sophistication, and glamour to the collection.
W&W 2021: Cartier Pasha de Cartier Chronograph 41 mm
With its distinctive codes, chained crown, and extraordinary design, the Pasha has been a watch for those who think big since its creation in 1985. Successfully relaunched in 2020, the new Pasha de Cartier watch is sophisticated in terms of watchmaking functions and design details that combine to strengthen and maximize its ergonomic appeal: interchangeable straps, sapphire case back, a new crown, and personalized engraving.
