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After launching the retro styled Superocean Heritage IIdive watch at Baselworld earlier this year, this week Breitling debuted a modern dive watch – the Superocean 44 Special. Presented in a 44 mm x 14.20 mm case, that weighs 116.7 grams, and is crafted from steel, the contemporary diver’s watch is topped with a unique matte ceramic bezel, and features a matching matte dial, in either black or blue. In addition to the modern styling, the Superocean 44 Special is also equipped with a twin-gasket screw-locked crown and a security valve serving to balance out pressure differences inside and outside the case. This is an ISO 6425 dive watch with a unidirectional dive bezel, excellent legibility even in the dark, and water-resistance to 1000 meters. The watch houses an automatic COSC-certified chronometer movement, but instead of an in-house movement, like what

Independent Swiss watch manufacture Armin Strom debuted one of the most interesting timepieces of 2016, distinguished by its unique dual regulation system that increases precision through “resonance.” Resonance was studied in the context of watchmaking as early as the 17th century, when Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695), inventor of the pendulum clock, first discovered that two separate pendulum clocks, when hung from a common beam, synchronized, thanks to resonance (two oscillating bodies in close proximity influence each other and eventually synchronize). Abraham-Louis Breguet later also explored resonance and subsequently created a double pendulum resonance clock. According to Armin Strom, there are three main benefits of resonance. First, it creates a stabilizing effect on timekeeping which improves accuracy. Second, it conserves energy. Third, it reduces the negative effects of timekeeping accuracy due to outside disturbances, such as shock to the balance staff, which

Chronopassion Paris, whose owner, Laurent Picciotto, was in the news lately for selling his watch collection via Phillips Watches, has been completely renovated. The watch store has been in business since 1988 and has become famous for doing things their own way. Stocked with a selection of the some of the best watch brands in the world, and presented in an innovative space with a knowledgeable staff, Chronopassion has made a name for themselves worldwide. With that in mind, it is no surprise that Picciotto and his team installed these cool carousel watch displays that rotate in the front windows, mesmerizing passersby, drawing them to the windows, and ultimately into the store. Located at 271 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001 Paris, France, the store continues to set trends in the industry and I am sure we will be seeing these

MB&F’s latest collaboration, Destination Moon, is a table clock that looks like a rocket ship, made with the help of L’Epée 1839, and revealed last month at Baselworld. It is hard to imagine any watch collector that would not want one of these displayed on their desk or shelf, or really any of the collaboration clocks, such as the Melchior Robot Table Clock, the Arachnophobia Mechanical Clock, or the Nixie Machine by Frank Buchwald. The Destination Moon clock is 15.75” tall (40 cm) and features 237 finely finished parts within the vertically-stacked movement, which displays hours and minutes on two revolving horizontal rings. The mechanism, produced by the clock experts at L’Epée 1839 is regulated by a lateral balance wheel and escapement. It is powered by manually winding the oversized thruster (crown) at the base of the rocket, and can

Last year, on the PBS television show Antique Roadshow, an army veteran brought in a rare Rolex GMT Master Ref. 6542 that he says he purchased in 1960 at a PX (post exchange) at a military base in Germany before coming home to the United States. The date is verified on the original papers. In fact, he saved everything – the complete kit – including all papers, box, and receipt. The bracelet had been replaced, but the owner also kept the original. Although the host did explain the bracelet, he did not mention that the dial and hands appear to have been relumed. And nothing about the rare “Bakelite” bezel. Although considering the price estimate he stated, $65K-$75K, he knew it was a Bakelite bezel but just failed to highlight that fact. This being a 1960 watch means this was

Tonight during the 89th Academy Awards show, Rolex ran a 60-second commercial celebrating some of the most notable films, actors, and the Rolexes they wore. The film showed living actors such as Harrison Ford and Nick Nolte, as well as past legends such as Paul Newman, Dennis Hopper, Marlon Brando, and Bill Paxton. As of 2017, Rolex officially supports the Academy Awards, even though as you can see, they have been a favorite of Oscar-winning celebrities for decades.

Last month at the SIHH trade show in Geneva, MB&F unveiled one of their craziest horological creations yet: the HM7 Aquapod. It is essentially their version of a dive watch. Although as you might expect, it is like no other dive watch you’ve ever seen. The HM7 Aquapod features a unique spherical construction with a 52.8 mm x 21.3 mm case crafted from either grade 5 titanium or 18K 5N red gold, with a massively domed sapphire crystal on the top, and a less domed sapphire crystal on the bottom. Most notably, there is a circular open space in between the main dial area of the watch the rotating bezel, which MB&F has dubbed a “floating” a bezel. The profile view clearly looks like a jellyfish! The inspiration for the watch was, of course, dive watches, but also a gelatinous

The first watch capable of measuring 1/100th of a second Invented by Charles-Auguste Heuer in 1916, the Mikrograph stopwatch (not designed to tell the time) was the first watch to measure elapsed time with 1/100th of a second precision, thanks to a chronograph mechanism that beats at 360,000 vibrations per hour (50Hz). Almost 90 years later, the modern version of the legendary Mikrograph was resurrected by TAG Heuer, based on the same idea of using a 360,000 vph chronograph mechanism, but this time combined with the ability to indicate the time as well. This represented the first of the 1/100th of second chronographs to use the dual balance movement design which separates the timekeeping regulation (28,8000 vph - 4Hz), power, and transmission – from the chronograph regulation (360,000 vph - 50Hz), mainspring, and transmission. And in 2005, when the Carrera

Thomas Mudge produced the oldest known perpetual calendar in 1762. Patek Philippe followed in 1925 with a perpetual calendar wristwatch based on a ladies’ pendant watch. Breguet created the first perpetual watch with a true wristwatch movement in 1929. However, it was not until 1955 that the leap year indication was brought to a wristwatch by Audemars Piguet in the reference 5516. Prior to that, all perpetual calendar mechanical wristwatches had the day, date, and month indications – not the leap year. Having said that, Audemars Piguet is clearly recognized as a leader and innovator in the Perpetual Chronograph field, however, it is not the perpetual calendar equipped caliber 5134 movement that is new. Although, it was in 2015, when the larger 41 mm perpetual calendars in steel and pink gold models were introduced, with the enlarged movement (based on

After launching the most complicated pocket watch ever made in 2015, Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is at it again. Well, in this case, they have been at it for the past five years, which is the amount of time it took to develop their most complicated wristwatch ever – the Les Cabinotiers Celestia Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 – that debuted today at SIHH. Incredibly, the renowned Swiss manufacture was able to fit 23 functions inside a 36 mm x 8.7 mm movement, ultimately resulting in a case measuring just 45 mm x 13.6 mm. And best of all, thanks to the unique twin-dial configuration, where the front and back both act as dials, the legibility of all the distinctive functions is quite good. Furthermore, to put it in context, caliber 3600 has 514 total components, 64 jewels, 6 power barrels,