All About Swiss Watch Manufactures and Swiss Watch Movements
Aug 21, 2007
There are a variety of fine watches produced today by a multitude of companies, both old and young.  Part of the appeal of luxury mechanical watchmaking is in the complexity and fine details of the ticking mechanisms which make these marvels work.  Within the specialized market that luxury watches represent, few terms raise the pulse of the....

Best of the Best 2005: Dress Watches
Jun 01, 2005
Patek Philippe’s original 5036 annual calendar was significant when introduced nine years ago, because it was a relatively simple complication that emulated the appearance of the far more complicated timepieces for which the brand is known. By contrast, the watchmaker now has employed a modified version of the same annual calendar....

Feature: Time for Yourself
May 03, 2004
Today, those who value such prestige look beyond what is available over the counter to reach for the horological Holy Grail: a made-to-order timepiece. Only an exceptional client will be considered for such an undertaking, and the end result usually represents the zenith of the manufacturer’s capabilities. Collectors covet the creations of....

From the Editor: Crimes of Passion
Nov 01, 2004
Shakespeare declared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream that “The lunatic, the lover, and the poet are of imagination all compact.” The same should be said of the collector, the artist, and the criminal. The true collector’s relationship to the object of his delight—whether a watch, an automobile, or a piece of fine....

Antiquorum’s Spring auction in Geneva reaches astounding 18'392'786 CHF
May 15, 2007
Just one month after its huge success of Omegamania, Antiquorum’s Spring auction achieved the excellent result of 18'392'786 CHF (15’090’913 US$ – 11'162'766 ). 81 % of the 696 lots were sold, representing 150% in value. Strong international participation came from Asia, North America, Russia, Germany and Italy. Almost....

Features: The Real Deal
Apr 01, 2003
Vacheron Constantin's Le Grande Classique. (Click image to enlarge) The silver lining of this controversial topic is that as collectors’ watchmaking knowledge grows, so does their passion for complicated watches. And if much ado is made of the most tangled complexity and tiniest detail . . . well, these are watches we’re talking about after all. A. Lange....

AQUANAUTE LUCE by Patek Philippe
Apr 11, 2005
Following the success of the Aquanaute, which was launched a few years ago and succeeded in reaching its goal – that is, to attract a younger and more fashion-forward clientele to the venerable Geneva brand - Patek Philippe is now introducing the Aquanaute Luce. Targeting a feminine audience, it is Patek’s first sports watch....

Patek Philippe, Seiko Get New Presidents for U.S.
Mar 01, 2007
Two top watch brands have new presidents for their U.S. operations. Larry Pettinelli is the new president of the Henri Stern Watch Agency (also called Patek Philippe USA), the U.S. division and distributor of Patek Philippe, one of the best-known Swiss luxury watch brands in the U.S. market. Pettinelli, a former investment banker, joined the New York....

Patek Philippe Invents New Balance Spring
Apr 01, 2006
Swiss luxury watchmaker Patek Philippe has created what it calls a technological advance for mechanical wristwatches: a thinner balance spring of a silicon-based material, which increases the precision of mechanical movements and allows for thinner timepieces. The innovation was unveiled in January and is on display this month at BaselWorld, the....

Best of the Best: Watches
Jun 01, 2004
Patek Philippe subjects each 5101P to a stringent precision standard (losing no more than a fraction of a second per day) before it is allowed to leave the workshop. The most daunting technical hurdle in creating the piece, however, was combining the tourbillon with the 10-day power reserve (which requires a double-barrel mainspring housing), all....