Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2024 - Issue 51 i REVOLUTION WATCH

Guillaume Mille For Guillaume Mille (aka Mille Dollars), there is no greater source of artistic inspiration than the female form. Influenced by Moebius, 1970s French sci-fi and highbrow erotica, the Paris-based illustrator’s dream-like work is infused with passion and mystery. It magnetically draws audiences into an abstract universe, teasing complex themes and narratives. Where viewers are free to explore and find their own answers, amid deeply layered masterpieces. Wes Lang Wes Lang is an American artist known for his distinctive style that combines elements of tattoo art, Americana, and popular culture. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Lang has also collaborated with renowned brands and musicians on various creative projects. He owns an exquisitely curated watch collection, showcasing his discerning taste and appreciation for horological craftsmanship. Drew Coblitz Entrepreneur and…

Cartier, renowned for its exquisite timepieces, has long been celebrated for its distinctive shaped watches, each a testament to the Maison’s unparalleled creativity and design ingenuity. Over the years, Cartier’s shaped watches have evolved, becoming iconic symbols of timeless elegance in the world of horology. So the Maison curated its own collection of treasures, eponymously called the Cartier Collection, in 1973. The first of many was a Portique mystery clock made in the 1920s, which carries significant meaning considering Louis Cartier himself, along with master clockmaker Maurice Coüet, made famous mystery clocks that featured suspended hands and day/night indicators with a “ghost” movement. Today, the collection houses over 3,000 pieces and counting, with the oldest pieces dating as far back as 1860. EXPLORING TIMELESS TREASURES Set in Singapore, “A Journey…

Whoever came up with the thought to lift a Lamborghini Huracán and turn it into an on- and off-road rally car was also probably responsible for some wild parties back in college. We’re talking about a V10 supercar more often featured in Instagram reels for straight pipe exhausts and “would you date me if I pulled up in this (rental) Lamborghini” TikToks. When the Sterrato was announced, I was firmly in the camp of “why?” The above Lambo jokes aside, the Huracán over the years has been a phenomenal sports car for the road. The 5.2-liter V10 engine revving to 8,500rpm has been a gem since its inception in 2015. Connected to a brilliant double-clutch gearbox finally retiring the massively antiquated E-gear transmission from the Gallardo, it was a complete…

Back in September 2023, Swatch and Blancpain teamed up for the second installment of Swatch’s wildly successful bioceramic collaborative series, the Scuba Fifty Fathoms. The initial collection offered five colorways inspired by the oceans of the world and it has been highly popular, just like the Moonswatch. Of course, we expected more iterations of this Swatchified take on the iconic Fifty Fathoms along the lines of marine-inspired design. Instead, we got the Moon. Specifically, we got the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms “Ocean of Storms,” named after the Oceanus Procellarum, the Moon’s biggest “sea,” which covers about 2 million square kilometers of the lunar surface. It’s a smart take on the “ocean” theme, and the watch has an unsurprisingly bold look. The case, dial, bezel and strap of this bioceramic Swatch…

After all the commotion surrounding the olive green and Tiffany blue Nautilus ref. 5711, Patek Philippe has exercised caution in its approach to launching sports watches over the past two years. Notably, during Watches and Wonders 2022, despite widespread speculation and high expectations, the brand opted not to introduce any new Nautilus models. This strategy reflects the brand’s focus on emphasizing its core strengths — classical watches characterized by simplicity or complications executed to a high standard. However, the end of 2023 signaled a departure from this measured strategy, with the brand unveiling an unexpected array of high jewelry Nautilus and Aquanaut models. While gem-set watches are not uncommon in the world of watchmaking, these new timepieces stand out for their extravagant and exceptional execution. The new Aquanaut Luce “Rainbow”…

Here are the broad strokes on our latest collaboration with Moritz Grossmann. It is a limited edition of 20 steel Benu 37mm watches with a ravishing untreated German silver guilloché à main Kari Voutilainen dial, combined with an untreated German silver caliber 102.1 decorated with a frosted finish and full hand engraved details. Capitalizing on German silver’s unique ability to transform in color over time, each of these watches will develop a captivating patina and eventually become a pièce unique. Back in August 2023, we launched our six-piece limited edition Moritz Grossmann watch named “Silver Bullet,” a 37mm in diameter Benu timepiece, featuring the ravishing, hand finished three-fifth plate caliber 102.1, but with a sterling silver guilloché à main Kari Voutilainen dial made using a vintage engine-turning machine, paired with…

In the past half-decade, there’s been a tremendous surge of interest in independent watchmaking. The once-niche sector of the industry that brings to mind the silhouettes of lone watchmakers toiling at their craft in small ateliers nestled in the heart of Switzerland, has now emerged at the forefront of horology, capturing the hearts and minds of both the seasoned collectors and the wide-eyed newcomers as the ultimate expression of horological prowess. In many ways, the very nature of independent watchmaking defies the trajectory of the watch industry at large, which has been a narrative shaped by the twin forces of industrialization and democratization. Most independent watchmakers embark on the pursuit of horology as an art form, be it artisanal, conceptual, technical or artistic, without consideration for expense or time, and…

Among the decorative arts in watchmaking, such as enamelling and engine-turning, there is an even more exotic craft known as miniature marquetry. Unlike its counterparts, marquetry is a craft that is only practised by a handful of independent artisans. It involves the intricate arrangement and inlay of tiny, precisely cut pieces of veneer, leather or other materials to create detailed designs on a flush surface. Marquetry originated from the ancient art of inlay that dates back several millennia in Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations. As opposed to marquetry which involves thin slices of materials that are cut and assembled on a supportive surface, inlay involves carving a recess into a surface and embedding a second material into it. This craft experienced various forms of revival throughout history, notably during the…

To me, the Richard Mille RM 027 tourbillon created for Rafael Nadal is the single most important game-changing sports watch of the modern era. Why? Because it is really the very first mechanical watch, let alone a tourbillon, worn on the wrist of one of the world’s most elite athletes in the incendiary heat of battle. This is why I always say watch history will be divided between the time before Richard Mille and the time after. Because until Nadal donned the RM 027, it would be considered absurd to strap a half-million-dollar, extraordinarily refined tourbillon to the single hardest hitting tennis player in the world, with a two-handed backhand that resembled an enraged lumberjack felling a tree, and think it would survive the shock. But for Mille, this would…

Bulgari introduced two additions to the Octo Finissimo family — first, a full body in yellow gold that sports Bulgari’s signature blue sunray dial, and a version in Tuscan Copper, a color inspired by the disruptive 16th-century Mannerist movement. It’s worthwhile to note that the latter model in its steel entirety was pre-launched on the U.S. market in 2023, in a limited run of 50 pieces, but is now offered as a permanent mainstay in the collection. The chic, sporty timepieces combine outstanding legibility with a slim profile of just 6.4mm. The transparent caseback shows off the in-house BVL 138 caliber, which powers the main hours and small seconds, with the provision of a 60-hour power reserve. The new Bulgari Bulgari is presented in two sizes — a vintage-inspired 26mm…

Zenith’s El Primero flaunts the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar in a design that mirrors the A386 blueprint from 1969. Showing off a tri-compax configuration that includes a moonphase display and symmetrically positioned days and months windows, as well as the 4:30 date aperture, the watch comes in three colorways — in “panda”-style opaline dial, slate gray or in sunburst olive-green tone dial that’s exclusive to the Boutique Edition. Differing from its iconic predecessor, the sub-registers on the Original Triple Calendar are slightly smaller and do not overlap. Where the large, multi-tonal sub-registers of the A386 (and subsequently, the current production Chronomaster Original) is long established as the iconic look of the El Primero, these smaller, more subtle examples leave room for the calendar and moonphase functions to stretch out. The…

John Buckley has been selling watches online for almost as long as watches have been on the Internet — he’s even got a Rolex dial named after him. The veteran dealer has seen platforms change over the years, from eBay to forums and now TikTok. Buckley is a big deal on TikTok; his behind-the-scenes look at the daily life of dealers in New York’s diamond district has earned him nearly a million followers on the app, and his engaging content just might be the future of selling watches. NOT TO BE RUDE, BUT HOW DID AN OLD GUY LIKE YOU GO VIRAL ON TIKTOK? I’ve been pretty well known in the vintage world since around 2001. I was one of the few guys using the Internet. It was myself, Eric…

As my friend Cyrille Vigneron, the CEO of Cartier, has articulated, “The only certainty is uncertainty.” With this, as with all things, he is 100 percent right. The wildly hedonistic atmosphere of two years ago has reversed course; today we are facing what can only be considered challenging market conditions. But does that mean that people won’t buy watches? Of course not. It just means they are going to be a lot more selective. They are only going to buy watches that express real authenticity and, as Vigneron says, “unique singularity,” meaning that it is the best reference of its category or genre; the way Rolex is the King of Sports, Patek Philippe is the King of Complications, and Cartier is the King of Elegance. Does that mean there is…

Celebrated watchmaker Audemars Piguet teamed up with an edgy rapper on a collab watch costing around two-hundred grand, and what would you expect but some controversy? Last December, the manufacture worked with artist Travis Scott on its new Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” and, at the very least, it got people talking. This particular celebrity association, along with Audemars Piguet’s history of collaborating with celebs and hip-hop stars, grabs attention first. When you look closer, though, you’ve got a skeletonized perpetual calendar version of one of the most prestigious watches around, accented with nods to Scott’s apparel label Cactus Jack and a brown ceramic case. To some, the hand drawn font and the Cactus Jack stitched smiley face for the moonphase might contrast too strongly with such a…

WES LANG: I think I first read an article online about Naoya Hida in 2018 or something, before he had officially launched his brand. At the time, I was writing a column for GQ and we reached out to see if we could borrow a watch to photograph, but he only had a single prototype and sadly couldn’t loan it to us. He was so nice about it. Then, in 2019, he officially launched with the Type 1B and I reached out to him through a mutual friend who knew him and was able to purchase one of the seven watches. And the Type 2A had come out around that time too, and I asked if it would be possible to purchase one of those as well — he had…

Omega is starting the year strong with a new version of its Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon. The brand and its Speedmaster collection are big for space fans, but the new model really nerds out — in a good way. Celebrating the Apollo 8 mission of 1968, it features accurate Moon surface textures on its dial and movement, and even a miniature rocket among more notable details. This is the newest version of the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon “Apollo 8,” and it bodes well for a year of exciting new Omega watches. Known as the Moonwatch, the Omega Speedmaster Professional is retro by nature, recalling the historic Moon landing of 1969 when astronauts first set foot on lunar surface, accompanied by Omega Speedmasters. The Speedmaster collection,…

If a watch enthusiast is fortunate enough or one day feels compelled to ascend the horological ladder of collecting, he or she will inevitably ascend to the upper echelons of watches that embody exclusivity, rarity and notability. This can manifest as elaborate decorations on the dial or the movement executed by hand and finished to perfection. Regarding handcrafted decoration, it is increasingly common for brands to produce métiers d’art dials to satisfy the growing appetite for such artisanal items. However, this wasn’t the case not too long ago. For instance, just two decades ago, only a rare handful of brands boasted an inhouse team capable of performing enameling. One of the more notable among them, albeit somewhat understated compared to brands like Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin that debut annual…

A gold watch used to mean something. Throughout the mid-20th century, companies used to bestow gold watches upon their most valued, senior employees to mark their retirement. It was a sentimental gesture that, as the century wore on, became less appreciated and as employees began shifting from company to company more frequently, the practice died out altogether. But with the release of Longines latest edition to the Master Collection, the “Winged Hourglass” may just have the heritage, clout and class, to bring the prestige back to gold dress watch. The Master Collection GMTs feature frosted silver dials, with applied golden Roman numerals and square date window at six o’clock. A 24-hour Arabic numeral scale encircles the dial upon the matching rehaut. The gold hour, minute and second hands are complemented…

Of all the collaborative projects I’ve made in the past decade, it is this watch, the Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel with untreated gold guilloché main dial, that I’m proudest of. Why? To begin with, I’ve always considered Chopard L.U.C to be one of the greatest unsung champions of truly authentic watchmaking in Switzerland. And I’ve always held the greatest admiration for the man behind Chopard L.U.C, my dear friend Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, for his unwavering devotion to quality and true functional innovation, embodied by the understated beauty of his watches. I’ve always believed that the 1860, the very first watch created by Scheufele and L.U.C, is one of the greatest men’s dress watches of all time. Why do I love the Chopard L.U.C 1860 so much? For all the…

Artistic craftsmanship has woven itself into the fabric of watchmaking across centuries. The integration of decorative arts, encompassing techniques such as enamel work, gem-setting, engine turning, engraving and miniature painting, traces its roots back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Decorative achievements developed hand-in-hand with the mechanics of chronometry in Renaissance Europe. As mathematicians and astronomers seeking new standards for measuring terrestrial and celestial phenomena toiled towards precision, craftsmen strove to embellish watches with ornate designs, vibrant colors and intricate details. The first portable watches were small ornamental timepieces, designed to be worn as neck pendants, nestled within rings, suspended from belts, or discreetly tucked into pockets. They saw further elaboration in artistic styles during the Baroque and Rococo periods. The Age of Enlightenment cast a transformative influence on decorative…

OK, the stunning Rolex Yacht-Master II is one of the most beloved sports watch around and worn by the likes of celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Drake, David Beckham and Ireland’s mixed martial arts exponent and president hopeful Conor McGregor. But I’ve always found it amusing that many of the owners of this watch don’t fully understand the technical masterpiece on their wrist, the incredible innovation of a programmable countdown function, and the underlying genius of the movement inside their chalice of horological grandeur. And, with typical Rolex élan, the way in which this function is integrated is totally intuitive, making it even more impressive. But let’s face it, the above demographic is probably as likely to wander into the rarefied milieu of a yacht club as I am. Wahlberg is…

I’ve grouped these two watches together because they share the same basic movement architecture. Back in 2012, TAG Heuer unveiled the MikroTourbillonS. This was a follow-up to the Mikrograph which was released the year before as its first production 1/100th of a second chronograph wristwatch. The key to this watch was the use of two different balance wheels, one beating at 4Hz for the time indications and one beating at 50Hz dedicated to the chronograph function. The watch was inspired by the 1/100th of a second stopwatches. The visual spectacle of a hand rocketing around a dial adopting 100 separate positions each second was staggering to behold. The MikroTourbillonS turned up the heat on this already amazing achievement by introducing a similar 1/100th of a second chronograph, but this time…

Art and sports are two diametrically opposed life pursuits, similar as chalk and cheese. But we’ve decided to pair them in this issue of Revolution magazine because despite all that makes them so different, together they bring a satisfying balance not just in the watch industry but to us as individuals as well. The Greek philosopher Plato had said: “He who is only an athlete is too crude, too vulgar, too much a savage. He who is a scholar only is too soft, too effeminate. The ideal citizen is the scholar athlete, the man of thought and the man of action.” Which sounds a little harsh but the man’s got a point. Taking a leaf from this quote, we’ve set out to take an in-depth look at the glorious world…

If you’re a fan of Japanese watchmaking living in California (or anywhere in North America, for that matter), the Grand Seiko event last November was about as good as it gets. The Japanese watchmaker arrived in Los Angeles to host the GS9 Experience 2023, its annual gathering for the official Grand Seiko collectors’ club. After two years of hosting the event in New York City, Grand Seiko brought the GS9 Club to Hollywood, taking over the lobby of the historic Roosevelt Hotel for a day filled with horological delights. I’ve been lucky enough to attend all three iterations of the GS9 Experience here in the United States, and they only get bigger and better each year. A few hundred collectors came through on November 4 to hang out with each…

That TAG Heuer shares a long and intricate relationship with the chronograph is a fact well known and a story well documented by many. Almost intuitively today, people associate the brand with sporty timekeepers distilled from the world of automotive racing and designed for everyday wear. Yet what would seem less universally understood is precisely how long and exactly how intricate this relationship is, and more importantly, why has TAG Heuer been so obsessed with this complication that the majority of its 164-year-long history has been devoted to analysing time and creating ever more sophisticated ways to measure it. Consider the company’s top two most iconic watches of all time. Indisputably, they are the Carrera reference 2447 and the Monaco reference 1133B. These watches were introduced as chronographs first, before…

Had the Ballon Bleu been a person, it’d be Angelina Jolie — a friend of mine mused, further explaining why he wouldn’t classify the watch as Cartier’s most feminine timepiece. “She’s not traditionally beautiful … but a beautiful woman nonetheless with strong features one would be hardpressed to forget.” Beauty is subjective. But likening the Ballon Bleu’s human equivalent to a beautiful and talented Hollywood megastar is still apt (even though she’s decidedly more of a Tank girl). The timepiece has, what the brand describes, an “accuracy of the shape,” where in this case, the watch’s astute roundness has been emphasized to a T. Also, it’s worth noting that curvature and a grand cabochon spinel are not reserved for feminine audiences only. This year, Cartier debuts the Ballon Bleu de…

Our latest collaboration with the Frankfurt-based watch brand Sinn is the continuation of our partnership dating back to 2019. Similarly based on the original Bundeswehr Chronograph and its reissues, this release updates the classic design with an ultra-hardy TEGIMENT® steel construction, a powerful fully blacked-out PVD coating and sapphire crystal. The result — a modern reimagination of the legendary pilot’s chronograph, updated with contemporary accouterments. Read on to discover more about this striking new timepiece and discover the rich heritage and eternal appeal of Bundeswehr timepieces. At a certain juncture in the life of any watch enthusiast, especially amidst these times when demand vastly outstrips supply and there’s a race to the top in terms of prices, one may begin to question if the game is worth the candle. Suddenly,…

The art of guilloché, a mechanical engraving technique, is the most visible form of decorative art in watchmaking today. The term “guilloché” originates from the French word “guillocher,” signifying the act of engraving surfaces with repetitive patterns. Guilloché found its way into watchmaking as a method for adorning watch cases as early as the 17th century. The earliest example was a timepiece with an engine-turned case created by Pierre Duhamel in Geneva in 1680. The machine employed for executing guilloché is referred to as a rose engine, which evolved from the earlier ornamental lathe originally designed for turning wood and other soft materials. The rose engine lathe gets its name from the rose-like patterns it can produce. By adjusting the settings, craftsmen can produce a variety of geometric patterns, such…

In the realm of timekeeping, wristwatches reign supreme as the embodiment of romance. They require dials that often rival the case itself in size, a necessity to ensure the clarity of time-telling. But the dial is far more than a mere functional component. It is the defining element that can elevate an ordinary watch into a captivating work of art. An exceptional watch may boast intricate mechanics and impeccable craftsmanship, yet without a dial that meets the lofty standards of aesthetics, it falls short of enchanting our sensibilities. Conversely, an unassuming daily companion can transcend into an object of fascination when adorned with a beautifully crafted dial. The modern age has granted us the privilege of accessing well-crafted watch dials at remarkably affordable price points. Lacquer finishes, captivating sunray brushed…

We can’t talk about 1/100th of a second chronographs without discussing, of course, the Centigraphe. This is legendary watchmaker François-Paul Journe’s take on a 1/100th of a second chronograph. The issues with a real 50Hz oscillator are both wear and tear on something that vibrates so fast, and also power consumption. Journe has decided to address these in the following way. He explains, “The idea of a 1/100th of a second chronograph driven by a 50Hz oscillator has its limitations, both in terms of friction and power reserve. Instead, I created a chronograph hand that rotates around the dial once a second and can be decoupled in any position when the hand is stopped.” What makes the Centigraphe a 1/100th of a second chronograph is the ability for the hand…

Hublot unveils its tenth masterpiece, the MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium. It boasts an impressive resume: 592 components, five years of research and development, and only 50 limited edition pieces. In terms of time display, the hours and minutes rely on continuously rotating barrels with printed markers, guided by a fixed pointer on the dial. Just below the hours and minutes, a shorter barrel indicates the power reserve. Further down, the vertical tourbillon is topped with a short ring, which serves as a seconds indicator. The MP-10’s winding system incorporates solid white gold blocks shaped like barrels. Positioned on the left and right sides of the dial, these blocks move vertically along an axis, connected to a rack for bi-directional winding. This departure from traditional circular winding is not…