Nico Bandl

This one almost slipped through our fingers. In the shadow of many huge product launches, it's easy to overlook a few new models from quieter – but by no means less important –manufacturers. Certina, a brand belonging to the Swatch Group, launched the DS-2 Powermatic 80 back in March – and it turned out extremely well! I…

With barely 40 years under its belt, Hublot is a fairly young watch brand. Despite this, it is by no means lacking in self-confidence in an industry where many of the biggest horology houses have a history that stretches back a good 150 years or more. Hublot’s self-assurance is at least partly due to the…

When luxury steel sports watches with integrated bracelets suddenly appeared in the 1970s, it was not only Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe that caused a stir with their Royal Oak and Nautilus creations. Vacheron Constantin was also quick to recognize the trend – despite it not even being perceived as such at the time, but rather dismissed as outrageous…

The Navitimer from Breitling is turning 70! Originally conceived as a tool watch with which pilots could still perform flight calculations using a completely analogue system, it has advanced over the years and, since its time on the wrists of jazz great Miles Davis, filmmaker enfant terrible Serge Gainsbourg or racing legends Jim Clark and…

Upon attending the Only Watch Preview in Monaco, guitarist legend John McLaughlin suddenly crosses our path. What on earth is one of the best guitarists in the world doing at such a specific, specialised event? We discover that not only is he a huge watch enthusiast, but also, together with independent Swiss watch brand Artya,…

Swisswatches is delighted to present the watch community with our very first ‘Boutique Travel Guide’. In this new segment, we will share not only the very best watch boutiques in town, but also the other most exciting things available in the area. What does the city have to offer? Where are the best drinks? The…

Anyone who leaves school at the age of 9 is either clearly not suited to academia, or has already realised what their calling is. George Favre-Bulle must have been a visionary even as a child, because he had bigger plans for himself than to sit wasting several years in school. At the tender age of…

Following the launch of the AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition in 2020, Breitling is now introducing the new Super AVI watch line, a larger version with a case diameter of 46 mm. The five new models pay homage to the most important fighter planes of the 1940s, as well as to the original references from…

To crown a timepiece “the most beautiful everyday watch of all time” is of course entirely based on personal taste, and there really have to be several strong arguments in its favour. From aesthetics, design, wearability and readability to history, price, and technical feats, it is not a title to bestow lightly. Yet the IWC…

This article is going to take a little trip back into the past. We are going to head back about 40 years – more specifically, to the year 1972. An excellent designer by the name of Gerald Genta had just made a name for himself in the watch industry. Almost overnight, he had dreamt up…

This story begins with a personal anecdote, which at first doesn't appear to have anything to do with Tissot's new Seastar 2000 Professional Powermatic 80. My Seastar from the 1960s is a vintage dress watch. It is so simple and so elegant that actually, I only wear it for important occasions. Tissot Seastar 2000 Professional Powermatic…

During our last conversation about six months ago, Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué surprised us with his ambitious intention to launch a 100 percent recycled mechanical watch. Now, shortly prior to the unveiling of the brand's latest pieces at Watches & Wonders 2021, we caught up with him once again. There was one key question to…