Arnold & Son’s HMS1 Collection Strives for Classical Elegance

Arnold & Son HMS1 Rose Gold case

Arnold & Son, the Swiss watch brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds and named for 18th-century London watchmaker John Arnold, has released a new collection of elegantly simple watches called HMS1. The name harks back to John Arnold's history as a supplier of marine chronometers to the British Royal Navy. … [Read more...]

Ball and BMW Team Up For New Watch Collection

Ball for BMW Classic blue dial

Ball Watch Company, whose history is rooted in the early days of train travel, has taken its watchmaking talents from the rails to the roads, collaborating with German luxury automaker BMW to introduce a new line of watches, called Ball for BMW. … [Read more...]

Video: F.P. Journe’s Chronomètre Optimum

F.P. Journe Chronometre Optimum in rose gold

The Chronomètre Optimum, which F.P. Journe calls the "masterpiece" of its eponymous brand's Souveraine collection, incorporates in its manufacture movement all of the technologies that Journe has developed — which have previously debuted in other Souveraine watches — to ensure ideal timekeeping precision and stability. Click here to see photos of the F.P. Journe Chronomètre … [Read more...]

News, Photos, and Video: F.P. Journe Unveils Chronomètre Optimum

F.P. Journe Chronometre Optimum in rose gold

Even though he has created many very complicated watches, French watchmaker Francois-Paul Journe has always been interested in accuracy above all. His newest timepiece, the Chronomètre Optimum, which made its debut last week at the F.P. Journe boutique in New York City, takes the quest for timekeeping precision to a new level. … [Read more...]

Seven Questions for Breitling VP Jean-Paul Girardin

Breitling VP Jean-Paul Girardin

In our November-December issue, on sale now, Rüdiger Bucher, editor-in-chief of WatchTime's German sister magazine, Chronos, speaks to Breitling Vice President Jean-Paul Girardin about a wide variety of topics, including the development of its in-house B01 chronograph caliber. Click here for excerpts from the interview. … [Read more...]

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture

Ulysse Nardin marine Chronometer Manufacture front

Marine chronometers are part of Ulysse Nardin’s identity: the company was famous for them in the 19th century. It should come as no surprise, then, that the brand selected its Marine Chronometer wristwatch, which was named in honor of the company’s ships chronometers, to be among the first timepieces to receive the new caliber UN-118 manufacture movement. The Marine Chronometer Manufacture … [Read more...]

The Climber’s Timer: Testing the Rolex Explorer I (Video)

Rolex Explorer I

WatchTime's Jens Koch spent some time with the 2010 model of Rolex’s classic Oyster Perpetual Explorer — a watch originally made for a Mount Everest expedition and recently revamped with a larger case and new caliber. Click here to read the results of his comprehensive test of the watch, along with original photos by Nik Schölzel. … [Read more...]

Glashütte Original Senator Observer

Glashutte Original Senator Observer

Last year, Glashütte Original introduced a limited-edition watch called the Senator Observer, a white-gold timepiece that celebrated the memory of German watchmaker Julius Assmann and famed explorer Roald Amundsen. It was modeled on the traditional observation watches (more widely known as "deck watches") made in the German town of Glashütte, which were used by navigators to determine a ship's … [Read more...]

Breitling Rolls Out New Bentleys

Breitling-for-Bentley-GMT-V8 angle

It’s been a big year for Breitling, which introduced a slew of new products at this year’s Baselworld watch fair in March. The brand's family of Breitling for Bentley watches, elegant sporting timepieces developed in cooperation with Bentley, the prestigious British automobile marque, was no exception. This year sees the debut of two new models: a more compact version of the Barnato and a new … [Read more...]

Laurent Ferrier’s Galet Micro-Rotor Now a Certified Chronometer

rotor

Laurent Ferrier's Galet Micro-Rotor has been officially certified as a chronometer by the Besancon Observatory. Upon passing several tests performed by ISO3159 (16 days of continuous testing in 5 positions and at 3 different temperatures), the Galet Micro-Rotor received the official title of "Bulletin de marche au Chronomètre." Its in-house mico-rotor calibre, inspired by A.L. Breguet's … [Read more...]

Ulysse Nardin Commemorates Columbus’s Santa Maria with Limited Edition

Ulysse Nardin Classico LE Santa Maria

Ulysse Nardin's origins as a maker of nautical clocks and marine chronometers are on display in many of the brand's modern wristwatches, like its Marine collection of divers' watches. The newest model from the Swiss brand's Cloisonné collection of limited-edition timepieces, the Classico Limited Edition Santa Maria, continues the theme of sailing with its tribute to the flagship vessel of … [Read more...]

Basel Preview: Glashütte Original Limited Edition Senator Observer 1911 – Julius Assmann

Ahead of Baselworld 2012, Glashütte Original presents the Limited Edition Senator Observer 1911 - Julius Assmann. This timepiece, handmade in the firm’s manufactory, is limited to 25 pieces and pays homage to the pioneering spirit of Julius Assmann and Roald Amundsen. Find wallpaper images inside. … [Read more...]

Chopard Paul Miller Racing Limited Edition Mille Miglia GTXL

To support its partnership with Paul Miller Racing in the American Le Mans Series, Chopard introduces the Paul Miller Racing Limited Edition Mille Miglia GTXL. Available with a leather or rubber strap and set in 18k rose gold or stainless steel, these timepieces will be available at select Paul Miller dealerships and the Chopard boutique in New York City. Find prices and wallpaper inside. … [Read more...]

Ulysse Nardin Aquires Dial Enameler Donzé Cadrans

After many years at the helm of Donzé Cadrans, Francine and Michel Vermot have decided to retire, selling their 100 percent stake to Ulysse Nardin. UN says this move will secure the long-term future of the business and its know-how, placing it in the hands of the company which renewed interest in the art of enameling in the eighties and has played a major role in the growth of Donzé Cadrans. … [Read more...]

The Ship’s New Captain: Ulysse Nardin’s Patrik Hoffmann

On April 14, one of the giants of the modern watch industry, Ulysse Nardin’s Rolf Schnyder, passed away unexpectedly. Schnyder transformed a small company known for marine chronometers into an innovative manufacturer producing groundbreaking timepieces. Following Schnyder’s passing, vice-president Patrik Hoffmann was appointed CEO. We go inside Schnyder's last days, we look at the transition, … [Read more...]

18 Entrants Will Compete in the 2011 International Chronometry Contest

Fourteen watchmaking companies and four schools will participate in the 2011 International Chronometry Contest. The winners will be announced on October 20 at Château des Monts – Horological Museum of Le Locle. Find complete details and a list of entrants inside. … [Read more...]

Time Writ Large

Table clocks paired with pocket and wrist watches have proven highly popular with watchmakers and collectors alike. Breguet's Sympathique sets are perhaps the most famous historical examples, and in modern times, a similar project started F.P. Journe along the path to creating his own brand. This year, Montblanc teams with esteemed clockmaker Erwin Sattler to create its own variation on this … [Read more...]

Rare Museum Finds Come Back to Life

During the renovation of the German Watch Museum Glashütte, workers discovered 13 original marine chronometers that had been hidden away. It was an astonishing find. Today, each has been carefully restored and paired with a Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Platinum to create a very few historically significant sets that will be available to the public. … [Read more...]

Rolex Romps 7 Million Chronometers in a Decade

Watch enthusiasts know that when it comes to producing Swiss chronometers, there are the Big Three Brands – Rolex, Omega and Breitling – and then there’s all the rest. Just how big the Big Three are in chronometer production becomes startlingly clear when you analyze Swiss chronometer output by brand over the past decade. … [Read more...]

Ulysse Nardin Unveils the Monaco 2010 Marine Diver Limited Edition at the 2010 Monaco Yacht Show

Ulysse Nardin affirms its place on the oceans once again as an official sponsor of the 2010 Monaco Yacht Show and celebrates the superyacht exhibition’s 20th anniversary with the new, limited-edition Monaco 2010 Marine Diver, to be unveiled at the show's opening today. … [Read more...]