Breguet Reine de Naples Cammea Watch: A Stunning Revival Of Cameo Work

Gorgeous ladies timepieces are not in short supply these days.  However, there’s nothing quite like the extraordinary Reine de Naples Ref. 8958 “Cammea” watch from Breguet.  Breguet’s artisans went beyond elegant casework (something all Reine de Naples models certainly have) beyond gem-setting excellence (unquestioned), and even beyond a fine mechanical movement (a given-this is Breguet).  They turned to the nearly forgotten cameo, an ancient art involving the intricate carving of stones such as carnelian or agate.  Remarkably, in creating the Cammea watch, Breguet elected to use seashell–an exceptional challenge due to the fingerprint-unique layer structure, shape variances, and transparency of this  material. Continue Reading… »

Ulysse Nardin Moonstruck Watch: Ludwig Oeschlin Scores Again With New Astronomic Complication

The Ulysse Nardin Moonstruck watch is easily one of the most impressive debuts at the 2009 Baselworld exhibition.  Sharing a bit of the “DNA” of the brilliant Tellurium Johannes Kepler watch from the famous Ulysse Nardin Trilogy of Time, the new Moonstruck again brings to the forefront a variety of innovative and breathtaking astronomic functions.  In envisioning this masterpiece for Ulysse Nardin, the ever-ingenious Ludwig Oeschlin sought a wristwatch that expressed the influence of both Sun and Moon over the Earth. Continue Reading… »

Gerald Genta Arena Tourbillon Retrograde: Traditional Watchmaking Meets Creative Design

Among the category of tourbillon watches with a contemporary aesthetic concept, the Gerald Genta Arena Tourbillon Retrograde is a true eye-catcher.  Exceptionally refined yet delightfully funky, it is an ideal acquisition for the devotee of haute horlogerie who won’t be caught dead in a watch just like one worn by dear old dad.  

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The Rolex Day-Date II: Escaping The Old Guy Syndrome

“I really like the Rolex Day-Date, but I’m under 50/45/40.  Do you guys think I’m too young to wear this watch?”  Queries along this line are surprisingly common on forums where Rolex watch aficionados spend time, enjoying horological banter and sharing pictures of their various Rolex timepieces.

Why would the Rolex Day-Date, one of the world’s most recognizable luxury timepiece classics and a flagship of the brand’s Oyster Perpetual collection evoke such uncertainty? Continue Reading… »

Universal Geneve Rises Again With Microtor Cabriolet Watch

In the fascinating history of automatic winding watch movement development, you have the Universal Geneve watch company, whose “microtor” caliber set the stage for the development of similar micro-rotor movements which would come after–most notably Patek Philippe’s famous 240 Caliber (click here to see superb images of a watch with this movement).  While once-proud Universal Geneve for a time seemed consigned to memory, the 2008 year marks a happy reemergence of the brand upon the stage of luxury timepieces.

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Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, A Beauty In Everose Gold

A fine addition to the Rolex Oyster watch collection for 2008 was the Cosmograph Daytona in 18K “Everose” gold (the term Rolex has given its in-house rose gold alloy).  Warmer and subtler than the yellow gold models, yet more visually distinguished than the white gold references, this newest variation of the world’s most famous chronograph exudes class and a compelling sense of refined luxury.  

Deciding between the two available dial variations Rolex has presented for its new Everrose Daytona watch is difficult, but if pressed for an opinion Continue Reading… »

Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea Watch Wins Me Over, After Seeing In The Metal

While the 2008 Baselworld buzz was swirling, I clacked out a blog that covered my views on the new Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea watch–Rolex’s new deep diving leviathan.  While I was impressed from an overall conceptual standpoint, I found myself less than enamored with all the extra text on the dial, not to mention the garish “Original Gas Escape Valve” and “Ring Lock System” engravings which stood out like rat droppings on granulated white sugar.

Over the previous weekend, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to handle the new Rolex bad boy, and I must say that against my expectations Continue Reading… »

Hysek Colosso Watch Stands Out With “Worldly” GMT Complication

Luxury watchmakers are ever inventive in their ability to create complications that stand apart from the crowd.  Among the latest examples of eyebrow-raising mechanical ingenuity is the Hysek Colosso watch, which presents an eye-popping combination of tricky specialties, not the least of which is a minute repeater with a cathedral gong.  But what stands out most on this watch (literally and figuratively) is its highly unusual 24-hour rotating 3D miniature globe, which rises steeply off the crystal surface Continue Reading… »

Zenith Zero-G Tourbillon: Not For Traditionalists, But Awesome Regardless!

It certainly wont please traditionalists.  However, the new Zenith Zero G Tourbillon is definitely an eye-catcher, with its massive case, protected crown and uniquely presented off-center hour and minute display.  The big star of this watchmaking show however, is the fascinating tourbillon, which is the newest entry in the elite but growing field of multi-axis tourbillons.  166 parts make up the tourbillon assembly alone, including six ball bearings, and wheels with both spherical and conical profiles.  A fascinating gimbal mechanism keeps the balance wheel perfectly leveled on a horizontal plane, regardless of how the watch is oriented.  As cool as this is visually, the gimbal system was specifically utilized to take timekeeping performance to an entirely new level Continue Reading… »

Harry Winston Opus 8 Watch Pushes The Envelope Of Non-Traditional Horology

In the realm of non-traditional haute horlogerie for 2008, the Harry Winston Opus 8 watch is certainly one of the most far out.  Frédéric Garinaud and his team drew their aesthetic inspiration for this wildly distinctive timepiece from a vintage television set, and pin art games provided the impetus for the time displays.

437 individual mechanical parts drive the unique “digital” hour and vertically oriented minute display; the latter, only readable to the nearest 5 minutes is realized by a pegged disc Continue Reading… »