Catherine Bishop

A manufacturer of Swiss watches, leather goods and jewellery, Chopard enjoys a reputation for its elegant products. However, a certain game-changer elevated the company to new heights of watchmaking in 2016 with the introduction of Chopard's very first minute repeater. It was the crystal-clear Full Strike, marking the 20th anniversary of the manufacture. First appearing…

At Watches & Wonders 2022, Swisswatches caught up with Piaget CEO Benjamin Comar to discuss all things Piaget – from ultra-thin watches to the gender-specific watch debate, to what he describes as his ‘COVID-19 babies’. During your childhood, it is likely that at some point you attended a funfair or circus. In doing so, you…

One of the true deities of French Haute Joaillerie, luxury goods house Cartier has been revered for its tradition, elegance, and class since its founding in 1847. It is also known for its watches, from the dainty Tank to the statement Santos-Dumont. What it is less celebrated by wider audiences beyond the niche realms of…

Swisswatches recently headed over to Hamburg in order to see and celebrate the official launch of Tudor’s second ever mono-brand boutique. Our editor Catherine Bishop reports back on what the space has to offer Tudor clients from far and wide. When one hears Tudor, one thinks of David Beckham, the All Blacks, and of course…

At this year’s Watches & Wonders 2022, Panerai’s CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué sat down with Swisswatches to introduce us to his company’s "Submersible QuarantaQuattro" diving watch. Its name already reveals that the models come with a new case diameter of 44 mm – but Pontroué also had many other thoughts to share. In addition to three…

TUDOR is introducing an array of novelties at this year's Watches & Wonders. One very important piece is an outgoing watch christened the Black Bay Pro. Other new models come in the form of a bicolour Black Bay GMT and Black Bay Chrono with new colour schemes, as well as Black Bay S&G watches with…

At this year's Watches & Wonders, Swiss watchmaking giant Rolex is proving that whatever they're doing is, as always, working – at first glance, many of the latest Oyster Perpetual additions keeps things pretty much to the status quo. Highlights include: an Air-King with new crown-guards, a GMT-Master II with a new colour scheme, a…

The perpetual calendar: a historic mechanism that dates back as early as 1695, first appearing within a clock. But it was the renowned watchmaker Thomas Mudge who first put it onto the wristwatch map, creating a perpetual calendar movement for his No. 525 watch in 1762. Over a century later, the then-‘LeCoultre & Cie’ developed its first…

Bronze was the first alloy to ever be used by humans. It was discovered in the Middle East around 3500 BC, hence the name that ensued soon after: the 'Bronze Age'. It seems that in the watch world at least, the Bronze Age is back (albeit without the pirates and invasions by nomadic tribes). There…

Full disclosure – prior to being invited to the World Surf League’s Tow Surfing Competition in Nazaré, central Portugal, I knew nothing about surfing. Coming from the orange brick suburbs of North London, I’d never really watched surfing out at sea, let alone done it. I certainly hadn’t even heard of tow surfing, which I…

When one hears the word Panerai, it evokes imagery of plunging into the ocean's depths, or circumnavigating the frozen Artic on ambitious expeditions. Recently, however, one Panerai watch found itself in a vastly different environment. On January 19, 2022, Anton Shkaplerov, while engaged on International Space Station Expedition 66, subtly strapped a Panerai watch to…

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Black Ceramic 34 mm: it's a watch that trends on social media, enjoys demand and discussion, and consequently gets its own article on pretty much every watch publication. We are also keen to get to know this Casanova of the watch world, which is why editor Catherine Bishop took…