When IWC Watchmaker Kurt Klaus met the Smart Watch
What we spotted on YouTube this morning, is a great example of how self-ironic and contemporary the watch industry can be. It is probably the most amusing idea on demonstrating the merits of a mechanical watch, that a brand published in a long time: An elderly smart dressed gent seeks advice about a smartwatch in a generic specialist shop. It’s about settings, updates and durability – it all seems pretty simple, but yet inconvenient-to-use and not really sustainable.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
IWC Watchmaker Kurt Klaus in „A SMART WATCH – AND A HALF“ – UX
The well-dressed gent is no less than the wonderful watchmaker Kurt Klaus, who plays the main role in the three new video-sketches ‘A Smart Watch. And A Half’ made by IWC. The now 85-year-old Klaus has been working at IWC since 1957 and revolutionized the perpetual calendar. He translated the Gregorian calendar with all its many irregularities into a mechanical program that will continue running perfectly until 2499 with almost no corrections from outside.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
IWC Watchmaker Kurt Klaus in „A SMART WATCH – AND A HALF“ – Power Reserve
This construction was first featured in the Da Vinci Chronograph Perpetual Calendar in 1985 and consisted of just 81 parts. During long walks in his free time, Kurt Klaus pored over this mechanism which still today is regarded as a milestone in the art of watchmaking. He came at the right time when the quartz crisis has already hit the mechanical watch industry. At that time already, he was able to oppose the technical progress, so why not again now in the digital age.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Default. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
IWC Watchmaker Kurt Klaus in „A SMART WATCH – AND A HALF“ – Updates
The new campaign videos are no war declaration against the digitalization, but leave it open to the viewer to decide for themselves, what’s smart and what’s not. One thing is for certain however: A smartwatch is outdated after a few years already, whereas a mechanical watch outlasts generations. That’s probably just like Kurt Klaus thinks with a wink in his humorous-comedic sketches.
The Radiomir, a watch classic that was originally designed for functional use, has since established itself as a style element in the everyday life of many fashionable men. It is a model that is directly linked to the brand Panerai: the cushion-shaped case, the sandwich design of the dial and typical looped lugs that were used…
A famous Italian track near Sant’Agata Bolognese (not far from the Lamborghini headquarter) had been temporarily closed for us to be able to enjoy the adrenaline rush of some Lamborghini super cars (Huracán Performante and Aventador S)! But not enough – the gala dinner afterwards was held right in the middle of the production lines…
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…
Anyone with a passion for A. Lange & Söhne's mechanical watches will know of Dutchman Anthony de Haas as well as CEO Wilhelm Schmid. As Director of Product Development, he is personally responsible for many of the brand's 72 in-house movements. Whether it was the Zeitwerk, Grand Complication or the first steel watch Odysseus, he…
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…
It’s a topic that every OMEGA Speedmaster fan must have an opinion on – when it comes to protecting the dial, which is better: hesalite or sapphire crystal? In this article, we will be arguing the case for keeping it old-school, while also explaining why some choose the more contemporary, "luxurious" option of sapphire crystal.…
Last year, we explored the top timepieces of the Year of the Dragon, as various brands presented their own interpretations to herald the year in. The Year of the Snake, however, marks a particularly apt moment for one brand in particular, as it provides fashion house Bulgari with the perfect opportunity to reimagine its iconic…
When Axel Leuenberger and his three companions decided to launch a new watchmaking company, they had a fairly clear idea of their goal: to create timepieces that were ‘beyond products’. Leuenberger, the CEO of Vanguart watches founded in 2017, is rather laidback when describing his integral role at the company: ‘I jump between various roles;…
Something of a curse within the Swiss watches industry is that almost every horology house lays claim to being the first of their kind: a record-breaker, an inventor, a pioneer. The same applies to the field of chronograph watches, aka a timepiece that offers precision timekeeping and measurement. And no wonder: it’s an extraordinarily vast…
Today at Baselworld 2018, the watch manufacture Breguet and the Race for Water Foundation announced their partnership with a special exhibition on the Swatch Group Plaza in Basel, which is also open from today. Marc A. Hayek, President of Montres Breguet and Marco Simeoni, President of the Race for Water Foundation have been personally attending to…
It is such a thing with time. If you would travel through the universe with the speed of light and return to earth after a few years, you would have aged less then the people living on the planet earth. Surely such a flying object is not realistic, but since the rapid development of Aviation…
The young Norqain brand from Nidau was founded in 2018 at a time when the market did not really need another watch brand – and has therefore taken an unconventional path from the outset: Norqain relies on close cooperation with prominent athletes who not only serve as brand ambassadors but are also deeply involved in…
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…