Nico Bandl

What makes the young Swiss brand and its new chrono so special? It was almost two years ago that I first stumbled across Norqain watches, while skiing in Switzerland – whether on posters in the winter sports resort, or on the advertising windows of the ski lifts. Since then, however, particularly as a close observer…

How the Black Bay lives on through its most popular diver’s watch If he were alive today, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf would be tremendously proud to see the legacy of his life’s work in the 21st century. Temporarily removing Rolex from the picture, he would have been equally proud to discover how its sister brand,…

On this afternoon, Julien Tornare, CEO of Zenith, is treating himself to a glass of rosé. Not because it is part of his daily routine, but because he wants to propose a toast with his guests in the small digital session taking place. But what, in these current times, are we celebrating? First and foremost,…

Exactly 80 years ago, Willy Breitling received a patent for a chronograph with a circular slide rule. It was the birth of the now age-old Chronomat that two years later, in 1942, was first presented to the public with Reference 769. The name Chronomat is derived from the words chronograph and mathematics. This is because,…

Since Georges Kern took the helm at Breitling almost three years ago, realigning collections and the brand’s strategy, annual sales have increased significantly. Kern recently revealed just how the brand will stay on the path to success with an intriguing, forward-looking perspective. A key theme is how we will consume in the future and the…

Christian Lattmann already waits in the manufacture’s entrance as we arrive in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The brand’s CEO welcomes us in such a heartfelt way, as if we had been long-time friends of the Maison. It all feels so familiar, not only, because the small but fine manufacture is very charming anyway, but also, because despite…

If you search the Breitling website for Colt, you won’t find anything anymore. Perhaps only a short description of the collection. But there is nothing else left of a line that established itself in the 1980s to become the entry level watch at Breitling. The Avenger appeared suddenly in 2001, forcing fans to decide between…

In the middle of the last century, a hype around chronograph watches emerged. Over the course of time, the wrist stop-watches have received nicknames like BiCompax or TriCompax, whereas these descriptions did not stand for the number of sub-dials, but for the number of functions. However: If there was a third sub-dial placed on the…

The moment you think that the inventiveness of the currently most hyped brand must be exhausted for the year at some point, the makers from Le Brassus have topped it all with something unexpected. Hasn’t the thirst from all Royal Oak fans for new watches been satisfied enough during the course of the year? Royal…

In 2018, Carl F. Bucherer celebrated its 130th anniversary. For this occasion, CEO Sascha Moeri presented some special jubilee editions – and at the end of last year, he even revealed the release of a brand-new product family. There it is – the new ‘Heritage’ collection will from now on be enriched by the savoir-faire of…

Ever since watchmaker Louis Cottier developed the first world time wristwatch in 1931, its mechanism was steadily improved in order to make this function as attractive and simple for its wearer as possible. The classic execution displays the 24 world time zones using a peripheral ring on the dial that can be adjusted accordingly from…

First of all: the general image of the Swiss watch brand Blancpain could not be more different. The layman would probably never link Blancpain to sports watches, whereas for most connoisseurs, the ‘Fifty Fathoms’ is the epitome of the modern diving watch. At this point, some might frown doubtfully. Yet, it was all caused by…