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Blast Moonstruck: Ulysse Nardin and Ludwig Oechslin Return to the Moon

Ulysse Nardin is launching a radically modernized version of one of its historical astronomical complications: the Moonstruck (Ref. 1063-400-2A/3A) in black ceramic. With this Worldtimer, housed in the geometrical ceramic case of a Blast, Ulysse Nardin reproduced as faithfully as possible the sun’s visible trajectory and the lunar cycles. The watch can best be described...

The WatchTime Q&A: Serge Michel and Claude Greisler of Armin Strom

In 2006, Serge Michel (Founder) and Claude Greisler (Co-Founder and Master Watchmaker) took over from founder Armin Strom at the head of his eponymous brand. Just three years later, in 2009, the two childhood friends opened a fully-integrated manufacture in Biel, Switzerland and launched their first in-house movement. WatchTime sat down with Michel (SM) and...

Time Jumpers: Five Luxury Watches with Jumping Hours

When can a watch be both digital and mechanical? When it indicates its hour by numerals on an instantaneously jumping disk rather than a traditional hand. Here are five watches that include this jumping hour display in their timekeeping repertoire.

Spacewalk and Moonwalk: Reviewing the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch 321

Omega’s release of the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 in 2020 revived a true legend. The new model, including its movement, is a replica of the Speedmaster Ref. 105.003 that Ed White wore on the first American spacewalk in 1965 and Gene Cernan on the last moonwalk in 1972. On June 3, 1965, U.S. astronaut Ed White...

Hublot Launches Big Bang Integral in New 40-mm Size, New Case Materials

In 2020, Hublot unveiled its very own take on an integrated-bracelet sports watch, the aptly named Big Bang Integral. Over the course of last year, Hublot used the new series as one of its many creative outlets, launching a handful of ceramic-cased editions alongside what was likely one of the brand’s most notable watches of...

When in Rome: Five Watches with Roman Numeral Dials

Roman numerals are mostly reserved these days for movie sequels and Super Bowls, but they can still add a hint of elegant classicism to a watch dial, as in the five timepieces we showcase here. BLANCPAIN VILLERET ULTRAPLATE Blancpain’s Villeret series, named for the Swiss village where the manufacture was founded in 1735, is distinguished...

Back in Vantablack: H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse Limited Edition

While Schaffhausen-based H. Moser & Cie. is one of the most defiantly individualistic watch brands out there, it is also no stranger to partnerships and the collaborative timepieces that emerge from them, as perhaps best exemplified by 2020’s Moser X MB&F Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon. Its latest limited editions, called the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse,...

Borrowed Time: Reviewing the Longines Spirit Chronograph 42mm

Longines introduced its Spirit collection in 2020, drawing its main inspiration from the timepieces that it produced in the early 20th century for pilots and explorers; Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, and Paul-Emile Victor were among the brand’s most famous wearers, along with Charles Lindbergh, who famously co-designed the Hour Angle, Longines’ most emblematic and enduring...

The Power of Platinum: Five Limited-Edition Timepieces in Platinum Cases

Platinum is regarded as the most precious of all the precious metals used in watchmaking, which is why its use is relatively scarce in all but the most exclusive of timepieces. Here are five that made their debut within the last year. ARMIN STROM ZEITGEIST Armin Strom celebrates five years since its most substantial horological...

TAG Heuer Celebrates 60 Years of the Autavia with Three New Watches

Since its relaunch in 1962 as a wrist-worn chronograph, following its initial introduction in 1933 as a cockpit instrument for automobiles and aircraft, the Autavia has played a crucial role in the success and prominence of the Heuer — now TAG Heuer— brand. While lesser known than the iconic Carrera and likely less recognizable than...

Master of Precision: Hands-On With the Zenith Chronomaster Sport

Zenith’s most attention-grabbing release of 2021 was the Chronomaster Sport, whose revolutionary 1/10th-second chronograph display is intended to lead the El Primero-equipped series into the future. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, I give it a test drive. Zenith has always been all about pushing the boundaries of mechanical timekeeping precision. The Le Locle-based...

Porsche Design Marks 50 Years with a Modern Re-Issue of its Legendary Chronograph 1

In 1972, Professor Ferdinand “Butzi” Porsche, the visionary behind the legendary Porsche 911, established his own design studio separate from the family carmaking business founded by his grandfather, intending to apply his signature design language to products beyond automobiles. The first and most iconic product to emerge from that studio was a wristwatch, simply called...

FEATURE

Horological Homecoming: Tracing the Creation of the Parmigiani Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde

“Success has many fathers,” the old saying goes, “while failure is an orphan.” The Parmigiani Toric Hémisphères Rétrograde, which took home the prize for Best Travel Time Watch at the 2017 GPHG, can certainly be deemed a success, and the “many fathers” concept is a truism considering the diverse artisans involved. In this feature from our August 2019 issue, we trace the origins of the watch through each of the five workshops within the Parmigiani Manufacture.

Kaido Diver: Reviewing the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M

Japanese watchmaker Citizen has traveled back to the ’80s to create a distinctive looking modern dive watch equipped with one of the brand’s latest mechanical movements. In Japanese car culture, a “Kaido racer” (sometimes wrongly described as a “Bōsōzoku car”) is an extremely modified Japanese street racing car, usually featuring a massive chin spoiler, bolted-on...

Inspired by Ancestry: Exploring the Blancpain Villeret Collection

Blancpain’s Villeret collection channels the haute horlogerie roots of the world’s oldest watchmaking brand and continues to innovate with an array of grand and practical complications. We explore the collection’s origins, as well as its historical and modern highlights, in this feature from the WatchTime archives. The author Thomas Wolfe is often credited with coining...