Watch Features

Welcome to WatchTime’s watch features section. Here you will find watch feature stories, watch reports, interesting watch technology coverage, interviews with watch brands, background articles about watches, watch brands and technical stories.

Striking Simplicity: Spotlighting the Patek Philippe Ref. 6301P Grande Sonnerie

Patek Philippe’s new 6301P features not only a grande sonnerie with a petite sonnerie and a minute repeater, it also comes with a patented “seconde morte” jumping subsidiary seconds. We delve into its many complexities in this feature from our January-February 2021 issue. In the world of haute horlogerie, hardly anything is as exclusive and...

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Mar 22, 2021 by Roger Ruegger

Rarefied Air: The History of the Breguet Type XX Collection

The Breguet family revolutionized watchmaking in the 19th century and aviation in the 20th. The modern Type XX collection is the culmination of its multi-generational savoir faire in both fields. We explore the history of this storied watch model in this feature from our July-August 2020 issue.

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Mar 22, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

What Makes Rolex so Successful? Here Are Nine Reasons

Rolex is viewed by many as the Number One among major Swiss watch manufacturers. Why? Rüdiger Bucher, Editorial Director at WatchTime's German sister magazine, Chronos, lists nine reasons for the success of Rolex.

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Mar 22, 2021 by Ruediger Bucher

Empire Mindset: Hands-on with the Hublot Classic Fusion Concrete Jungle Limited Edition

At the end of last year, Hublot unveiled its latest ode to New York City, the aptly named Classic Fusion Concrete Jungle Limited Edition. That model, limited to only 50 pieces and following up on the original Concrete Jungle released in 2016, quickly caught eyes with its unique construction — from materials including concrete, epoxy...

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Mar 21, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

WATCH REVIEW

Into the Blue: Reviewing the Rolex Deepsea D-Blue

When writer, director, and adventurer James Cameron reached the beginning of the “deep sea” at a depth of 1,000 meters on March 26, 2012, safely inside his submersible craft Deepsea Challenger, all the remaining light disappeared. But at that point, he hadn’t yet completed one-tenth of his journey. At 10,908 meters, he landed softly on...

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Mar 19, 2021 by Jens Koch

FEATURE

On the Cusp: A Brief History of the Zenith El Primero

Zenith’s El Primero automatic chronograph caliber — unveiled to the world 50 years ago this year, in 1969 — is regarded as one of the world’s best and most accurate movements. In this historical feature from the WatchTime archives, contributor Thomas Gronenthal takes a look at its development.

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Mar 19, 2021 by WatchTime

FEATURE

Flight Fight: A History of IWC and Breitling Pilots’ Watches

When longtime IWC head honcho Georges Kern left became CEO of Breitling, some saw it as the latest salvo in the two Swiss brands' historical duel for horological supremacy in the air. Here we explore how both brands have made their marks on the history and evolution of pilots' watches.

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Mar 17, 2021 by Jens Koch

A Brief History of the Mechanical Watch’s Fight Against Magnetism

From our sister website, WatchTime Middle East, a look at how watchmaking has countered the threat of magnetism over the years, from using metals like palladium in 1915 to silicon in 2015. Magnetism has been the mechanical timekeeping’s nemesis through the years. It is to the mechanical watch what Prof. Moriarty is to Sherlock Holmes. Though the...

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Mar 16, 2021 by WatchTime

Blancpain Releases Documentary Film on the History of the Fifty Fathoms

Blancpain just announced the release of its full-length documentary film Fifty Fathoms – The history as told by the pioneers who created it. Narrated by American Emmy Award winning actor and author Peter Coyote, the film recounts the most important events in the creation and seven-decade evolution of the watch. First-hand interviews are conducted with...

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Mar 15, 2021 by WatchTime

WATCH LIST

Splendid Splitters: 5 Noteworthy Rattrapante Chronograph Watches

Rattrapante chronographs, also referred to as split-seconds chronographs, are a type of chronograph with two seconds hands that allow for the ability to time multiple simultaneous events, such as runners during a race. It can also time a series of events, such as the laps a single person makes on a track. One of the...

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Mar 15, 2021 by WatchTime

Digital Duo: Hands-on with the Yema Digidisc and LED

As demand for more and more unique watches grows, so too does the demand for digital watches. In the luxury realm, this demand has been apparent for some time, with the king of mechanized digital timekeeping, the A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk, representing possibly the highest tier. In recent years, the trend has entered the...

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Mar 14, 2021 by Caleb Anderson

Spy Timer: Reviewing the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition

As I write these words, the theatrical release for No Time to Die, the long-awaited 25th James Bond film, has been pushed for a third time from its original date in April 2020. Originally rescheduled to open in November 2020, the persistence of the coronavirus pandemic has led to another delay, all the way to...

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Mar 12, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

FEATURE

Seiko: A Chronograph Chronology

We survey Seiko’s half-century-plus of mechanical chronographs in this comprehensive historical feature from the WatchTime archives. Discover the Japanese brand's contributions to the world of chronograph wristwatches.

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Mar 12, 2021 by Gisbert Brunner

FEATURE

Progress Through Technology: 10 Tourbillon Watches with High-Tech Designs

Audi’s "progress through technology" motto also applies to the importance of the tourbillon for watch design, because this eye-catching complication greatly enhances a timepiece’s visual appeal. From our Special Design Issue, here are 10 highly technical tourbillon watches.

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Mar 12, 2021 by Alexander Krupp

Stop, Reset, Start: Five Noteworthy Chronographs to Usher in 2021

Let’s face it: 2020 was a challenging year in just about every regard and most of us are cautiously optimistic that 2021 offers more positive developments on the horizon. What better time to delve into five new and distinctive chronographs? PARMIGIANI FLEURIER TONDAGRAPH GT Deftly treading the mythical line between special-occasion luxury and everyday active...

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Mar 11, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

Great Briton: The Watchmaking Wizardry of Roger W. Smith

Once an apprentice to the revered George Daniels, Roger W. Smith is considered the greatest British watchmaker today. In this profile from our sister magazine, WatchTime Middle East, editor Nitin Nair finds out what makes him tick.

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Mar 11, 2021 by WatchTime

Borrowed Time: Longines Spirit Ref. L3.810.4.53.0 Three-Hand Date

Longines’ major release in 2020 was its Spirit collection, which it described as drawing “traditional features from pilot’s watches and combin[ing] them with contemporary lines and codes.” All of the watches pay stylistic tribute to the vintage models worn by adventurous, early 20th-century aviators like Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes, with standout features including an...

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Mar 10, 2021 by Mark Bernardo

FEATURE

Double Time: Eight GMT Watches For Travelers at Work and Play

A second time zone can be shown in many ways, offering a wide range of options for watch designers. As the summer travel season winds down, we showcase some notable timepieces with second-time-zone (GMT) displays in this article from our 2019 Special Design Issue.

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Mar 10, 2021 by Jens Koch

FEATURE

Flying Ace: Tracing the History of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch

IWC's Big Pilot’s Watch became an instant classic when it was re-released in 2002. But its history stretches much further back in time. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we explore the Big Pilot and its many evolutions over the decades.

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Mar 8, 2021 by Jens Koch

PORTFOLIO

Eternal Time: 6 Modern Perpetual Calendar Watches

In modern watchmaking, a perpetual calendar indicates the date, and corrects automatically for months with less than 31 days, as well as leap years. Unless the movement takes into account century years that are not leap years, a perpetual calendar will need manual adjusting in 2100, 2200 and 2300. Usually, a perpetual calendar combines additional complications (a moon-phase, for example). From WatchTime's February 2018 issue, here are six watches that are (almost) ready for eternity.

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Mar 8, 2021 by WatchTime

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