08Mar 2016 by Jonathan Kopp 1 Comment
Sea Monster Art Piece by Augustin Matei

Sea Monster Art Piece by Augustin Matei

News
                      Watchmaking is the high-precision world. The production of a gear train of a watch or the finesse of a polishing requires a steady hand and a strong mind. Watchmakers have an exceptional creativity that they can put in the service of their dream. To create the dream some watchmakers love to use métiers d’art in their creations. Métiers d'Art are the heritage of know-how carefully developed over the centuries. Professionals are first and foremost men and women of passion. They can work for the conservation and restoration of patrimony, but they can also work in the field of creation. Métiers d'Art are essentially a manual techniques, implemented by highly qualified professionals, that's why the production is limited to unique…
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26Fév 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
New Mondaine “Contactless” with PayChip prototype

New Mondaine “Contactless” with PayChip prototype

News
  Mondaine enhancing the watch functionality with Oberthur Technologies’ contactless payment system- PayChip ™ with NFC. Blurring the lines between technological innovation and horological excellence, Mondaine has once again excelled with a fresh update to its outstanding Mondaine Helvetica No1 Smart watch. Mondaine continues to innovate and has updated its smart watch offering by adding Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless payment technology. A number of the Swiss-made brand’s watches will be imbued with a Mondaine PayChip, designed to offer convenient and efficient transactions at contactless payment points. We already know the Mondaine Helvetica Smart watch, which was inspired by the world’s most used font Helvetica (Latin for ‘Swiss’) which encases modern technology in a design that feels fundamentally grounded in Swiss watch-making. In fact, the only indication that it is…
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17Fév 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
Presenting Areion Black Chronograph

Presenting Areion Black Chronograph

Advertorial, News
For more than 250 years, Birmingham has been a hallmark of watch-matching quality. The city’s famous Jewellery Quarter has been described as a national treasure. But Birmingham is not just about the past and present, it’s a city moving forward in the 21st century, and it’s the birthplace of Areion Watches. As we have seen in the recent years, many young brands start with quartz movements, because they are easy to source but also because they help the brands to keep things more affordable. Many times, those watches are simply three-hands, or sometimes with the addition of a date display. Areion decided to go further with their first product and propose a chronograph which is driven by a Miyota OS20 movement. Passionately designed in Great Britain the watches are encased…
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04Fév 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
WATCHe turns your Apple Watch in a skeleton mechanical watch

WATCHe turns your Apple Watch in a skeleton mechanical watch

News
If you have an Apple Watch but you love Swiss mechanical movement, the new WATCHe application may interest you. The latter indeed offers the ability to display the time on your Apple Watch in the manner of a mechanical movement. Indeed the brand from Geneva offers today a kind of bridge between connected watches and mechanical watches thanks to its new app for Apple Watch. After several years of development of smartphones hulls integrated with mechanical movements, Luc Pellaton decided to give a new dimension to the trend of connected watches.With the launch, of a mobile application designed for the Apple Watch, the spirit of a mechanical movement can now be found as an indicator screen on your smartwatch. For the moment the app is free in the App Store…
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28Jan 2016 by Aurelien Payet 2 Comments
Griffin Emblem – An Indiegogo success

Griffin Emblem – An Indiegogo success

News
Griffin Emblem has a straight forward brand concept; it wants to create watches by crowdfunding campaign in small quantities, but with a very careful design and materials of superior quality. The brand has a logo that represents a griffin, a mythical creature, half eagle and half lion, symbolizing both power and agility. The name of the brand Griffin Emblem is more focused on the treasure than on the griffin in question. Creators have been captivated for long time by the stories exposing the griffons as heroes and protectors of wealth such as gold. When we observe the logo, we see the creature touch a diamond with his paw. This diamond is a reference to the treasure Griffins were fighting for. The word "Emblem" therefore refers here to the protected treasure…
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18Jan 2016 by Martin Green 1 Comment
V for Valachio

V for Valachio

News
              Affordable watches come in many shape and forms, and even with different price tags. In our experience the closer you get to the zero, the tougher it will be to still offer a high quality timepiece. In those regions you often find only watches by larger companies that are able to balance price and quality to a satisfactory level. Can a new, small brand that is launching through Kickstarter do this as well? Valachio think they can. With a price around US$135,- for their stainless steel model and US$145,- for their gold-plated Pantiam model, they are inexpensive, but don't look the part. Their minimalist design is not only a crowdpleaser, but also give the watch an air of understated luxury, without adding to…
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22Déc 2015 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
Introducing the new Swiss Watch Company Diver

Introducing the new Swiss Watch Company Diver

News
Diver watches have always had their faithful fan-base. These technical watches, which often offer a very robust design, due to their rotating bezel, highly readable indicators and large hands, attract today more and more watch enthusiasts, whether or not they are a fan of underwater excursion. Sure you are going to say that at first sight this divers watch looks like many others that already exist, a curse many divers watches have ... But admit that at a second look there are many details that set it apart. Swiss Watch Company's Diver Watch unites all attributes of an excellent Swiss Made diver Watch. The case with a 44mm diameter, is made of Anti-Corrosive Stainless Steel 316L with screw-in case back- and crown, fitted with a scratch-resistant Ceramic Diver bezel. The…
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21Déc 2015 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
SIWP is back in Geneva in 2016

SIWP is back in Geneva in 2016

News
After the success of the first edition in 2015, the Swiss Independent Watchmaking Pavilion (SIWP) will be back in Geneva from January 17th to 22nd, 2016. The SIWP is an entity whose purpose is to promote independent watchmaking brands based in Switzerland, in order to ‘present a different face of watchmaking’ from the one displayed by the industry’s giants. With its experience, the SIWP is now the only entity offering independent Swiss brands the opportunity to pool their resources and develop a synergy that allows them to thrive in a very competitive industry. Once again the event will take place in the exceptional venue of the Casino du Lac. For already a decade this unique Genevan casino is located in the heart of Meyrin. Close to major roads, with as…
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19Nov 2015 by Martin Green No Comments
Smart-Watch War; Frederique Constant vs Movado (with video’s)

Smart-Watch War; Frederique Constant vs Movado (with video’s)

News
Frederique Constant surprised the world with a different approach to smart watches. Not a digital display, but classic hands and a link to your smart phone. A clever concept that also made its way to the sisterbrand Alpina. Yet surprisingly this week Movado announced that they would launch smart watches as well. In true Movado fashion, they will be available for sale very soon, and two of the collections rely on the same technology as the Frederique Constant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Vrf4gx5g0 Until now, most smart watches were based on different technology. The Pebble is different from the Apple watch, while Samsung has an approach of its own. Frederique Constant and Alpina have the same owners, so they can market their models in such a way that they won't bite each other. Movado…
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29Oct 2015 by Martin Green No Comments
New Classics Index Automatic GMT by Frederique Constant

New Classics Index Automatic GMT by Frederique Constant

News
In a time when the world is a global village people travel for many reasons all over the globe. Frederique Constant has just released a watch to accompany you on your travels. The Classics Index Automatic GMT is the type of watch that Frederique Constant always does so well; not a crazy design breakthrough, but a solid, well made watch with a classical touch and an affordable price tag. As straight forward as the design of the New Classics Index Automatic GMT may be, it is far from boring. The dial features silver-colored (of rose gold for the rose gold-plated version) Roman numerals that are sandwiched between printed minute dashes and the 24 hour scale for the second time zone. Stunning leaf-shaped hands give the watch a slightly more classic…
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