Editorial

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

To understand the legend that is Porsche, it is worth looking at the world through a child's eyes. For example, the three-year-old son of a couple who are friends of mine, who cheers "Porsche!” every single time he sees a 911 in traffic. This reminds me of my own behaviour many, many years ago. But…

Thomas Jefferson once said 'A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of life.' Yet I found that I didn't need to take a walk. At Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso Stories Exhibition, a ten-second trot from our hotel on Rue Boissy d'Anglas in Paris, I discovered an array of both beauty…

It's been another extraordinary year for us all, and the watch world is no exception. That is why the Swisswatches team sat down once more to comprise a list of our top watches of 2021. From horological giant OMEGA to independent watchmaker Armin Strom, we are presenting you with 24 special highlights to emerge from…

"Ergonomic: [adjective] relating to or designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment." This is the definition for the word "ergonomic"; a buzz word at Audemars Piguet this year, since the Swiss horology house introduced its all-new Royal Oak Offshore models in a 43 mm case. The new chronograph models, available in steel, pink…

Patek Philippe watches are never cheap – but just how expensive can they get? We took a journey back through time to uncover the most expensive Patek Philippe wristwatches ever to sell at auction. Let’s climb our way up the millions, and get to know some of the most exquisite timepieces that have helped make…

Incredible watches are characterised by the fact that they display much more than just the current time. In the best cases, they also say something about the zeitgeist in the world. It would not an exaggeration to say that the Richard Mille RM 029 Le Mans Classic is one such model.  As a limited edition of 150…