Author Archive for Mark Bernardo
My name is Mark Bernardo and I have been the managing editor of WatchTime since 2006. I have written about numerous watch companies from major brands like Omega, TAG Heuer and Piaget, to exclusive artisan lines such as Jean Dunand, De Bethune and DeWitt. Prior to joining WatchTime I was the editor of Smoke, a lifestyle magazine for cigar enthusiasts, where my beats included watches, cars, wines and spirits, celebrities, men's fashion, and other subjects in addition to cigars and cigar accessories. I have written about luxury items for a variety of men's-interest publications, including Robb Report, Robb Report Motorcycling, Stratos, Overtime, and Stuff.
Thunderstruck
MB&F’s latest horological machine arrives like a bolt from the blue.
It started with the figure-eight-inspired central tourbillon HM1. Then came HM2, with flying buttresses and porthole dials. HM3 followed with rotating cones providing the time. Earlier this year came a redesigned HM3 with cones resembling the bulging eyes of a frog. Now, MB&F rolls out its latest model, the HM4, which makes its predecessors look downright conventional by comparison.
Omega Man
Insights and Observations from Dr. George Daniels
At Baselworld, a small group of watch publications, including WatchTime – the only U.S. representative, was granted an interview with Dr. George Daniels, the legendary British watchmaker and creator of the co-axial escapement. At 84, Daniels still plies his trade, developing technology for Omega and creating his own watches, most recently with his former apprentice, British watchmaker Roger Smith. What follows are excerpts from the interview.
Auto Exotica from Bovet
The watch world calendar year kicks off with the SIHH and Baselworld spectacles, where the great majority of new releases or “novelties” are introduced to the press and the public. The early summer watch and jewelry shows in Las Vegas – JCK and Couture – typically pale in comparison, at least when it comes to new watch introductions. But that is not always the case.
“Mad” About ’60s Watches
The fourth season of AMC TV’s Emmy-award-winning drama series Mad Men premieres in late July, and the show’s fans have the date circled. The series, which follows the lives and careers of Madison Avenue advertising executives in 1960s New York, has not only wowed critics and fueled revivals of that era’s fashions and classic cocktails — its famous attention to period details has provided substantial fodder for watch enthusiasts.
PALACE COUP: Jean Dunand’s Newest Watch is a Tribute to the Industrial Revolution
What sets Jean Dunand apart from other luxury watch brands — aside from its extremely limited production and lofty price points — is the fact that each collection has a totally different look, with no “house style” and very few unifying brand characteristics. The only common principle behind each Jean Dunand model, as voiced by the brand’s owners, Thierry Oulevay and Christophe Claret, is that duo’s love of the Art Deco era and its distinctive design principles.
Geneva Unconventionals
Every year, Richemont Group’s luxury watch brands, plus a handful of large, independent brands, exhibit their new watches at SIHH in Geneva’s labyrinthine Palexpo Center. This year, 38 small, independent watch brands put on their own show called the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE) at the International Geneva Conference Center, in the heart of downtown, near the famed Place des Nations.
Beyond Tiger: Watches, Celebs, and Scandal
If, in the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal, you were wondering about the status of his endorsement deal with TAG Heuer, you need only check the company’s Web site for the answer. As this is written, the TAG Heuer home page features a statement from brand CEO Jean-Christophe Babin that “The partnership with Tiger Woods will continue,” while acknowledging that the use of his image in certain markets will be downscaled, “depending upon his decision about returning to professional golf.”
Omega President Stephen Urquhart: The WatchTime Interview
With its marketing blitz for the 40th anniversary Moon Watch, the opening of its own boutique on New York’s fashionable Fifth Avenue, and the long-term renewal of its official Olympic timing deal, 2009 has been a big year for Swiss-watch powerhouse Omega. WatchTime recently conducted an exclusive interview with the brand’s president, Stephen Urquhart, in the New York boutique, shortly after the Olympics announcement, to discuss that and a variety of other topics of interest to watch aficionados.
Scenes From Inside Basel-Geneva 2009 New York
If you were looking for reasons to be more upbeat about the U.S. economy this week, there were a few to be found. You could have watched Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on the TV news proclaiming that the recession is over. Or you could’ve had a lot more fun by attending this year’s largest-ever “Inside Basel-Geneva” watch collectors’ event in New York, hosted by WatchTime and noted watch expert Jeff Kingston.
Inside Basel-Geneva 2009 New York, page 2
IBG 2009 New York guests…
Dinner gets under way
Joe Thompson introduces Jeff
Jeff’s presentation begins..
That’s the end of this show. You can still catch IBG 2009 in Chicago on September 29, and in Dallas October 1. Click here to register. We hope to see you there!
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Stallone Wears Panerai Luminor Regatta in The Expendables
Girard-Perregaux 1966 Perpetual Calendar
SIHH: IWC Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph
WOW TIME: Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport
Breitling's Chronomat B01 With Manufacture Movement
Money Shot: IWC Lands Two Starring Roles in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
New Manufacture Movement Powers Calibre de Cartier
Celebrity Watches by Vincent Daveau: Tracking Trendsetters Through Time
