Alexander Stilcken

Editor-at-Large

61 Articles Published

Patek Philippe 5370P-011 – The New Split-Seconds Chronograph in Blue

For means of being transparent, this article must start with a confession: the author of this story is not exactly unbiased. Blue, in all its many shades, is his colour – starting with his admiring view of the oceans, and…

Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J-001 – The New Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in Yellow Gold

To speak of a modest-looking watch would be inappropriate for such a complex model with such a long history. However, if one looks at the versions currently representing the collection, the latest Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph is probably the…

Patek Philippe 5303R-001 – The Minute Repeater With Tourbillon

As you might have heard, Patek Philippe invested 600 million Swiss francs into its new factory building in Plan-les-Ouates, which was completed earlier this year. If you are wondering what such a large sum was spent on, and how the…

Zenith Bamford Mr. Porter Heritage 146 'Solar Blue', Rolex GMT-Master II, Ressence Type 1

Finding the Ideal Watches to Take on an Antarctic Journey

How a Rolex, Zenith and Ressence proved to be the right watches for braving the eternal ice. Our author was faced with this question: Which timepieces to take to an Antarctic journey? ‘There is no law south of the 50th…

Editor’s Choice: The Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph

An Echo of the Past: With its [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph, Audemars Piguet takes a look back into the past – and simultaneously allows for more freedom in the future. The Russian-French world chess champion Alexander Aljechin (1892-1946) is credited with…

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Worldtime Blue Dial in Titanium Ref. 125565. Watches & Wonders 2020 Novelty

The New Mountaineers of Montblanc – 1858 Split Second Chronograph and Geosphere in Vibrant Blue

It is one of the biggest privileges of our time: To have space to ourselves. To enjoy the wideness. To become one with nature, rather than bumping into masses of people in an overcrowded city. This is how life was…

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin An Exceptional Watch That Lasts a Lifetime

Watch enthusiasts are more or less used to conversations with friends and relatives who don’t share their horological passion: it mostly consists of explaining, enthusing, justifying, and sometimes arguing about the fact that different occasions call for different watches. On…

Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711 1A

Iconic Watches: Daytona, Nautilus, Royal Oak – The Price Of Demand and Desire

The values of Rolex Daytona, Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak models are steadily growing. It’s time to take a look at the market and ask: What’s the reason behind rise in value – and will it remain? Casting…

Montblanc Heritage Small Second Limited Edition 38

A Collector’s Dream: Montblanc Heritage Small Second Limited Edition 38

Voltaire knew that “Perfect is the enemy of good.” In this sense, the excitement of Davide Cerrato, Managing Director Montblanc Watch Division is completely justifiable. He currently has one of the brand’s best watch stories to tell – the origins…

Jaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon Ref 1313520

Bon Ton And Slender Lines – Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon

There are brands and manufactures with a clearly louder appearance, however rarely ones with a more sonorous. Jaeger-LeCoultre is an instance in the field of minute repeaters. In 1895, the year the first pocket watch with grand complication was presented,…

patek philippe grand complications split seconds chronograph perpetual calendar 5204

A piece of contemporary watch history: the Patek Philippe Reference 5204 Split-Seconds Chronograph Perpetual Calendar

‘Candyman’ is not only a horror movie from 1992, but also the movie’s main character that appears when people look into a mirror and call his name five times. The watch reality in 2019 is less supernatural though, but almost…

audemars piguet royal oak offshore pride of germany full black ceramic

Black-Redgold: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore „Pride of Germany“

Let’s start with the obvious, basically there, where this story will eventually end: the name of this special edition? It’s problematic. The new “Pride of Germany” – that sounds like a cruise ship christening at best. At worst however, the…