Innehållsförteckning för Issue 36 från REVOLUTION WATCH

This issue of Revolution represents the final issue of 2020. And what a year it’s been, with global upheaval unlike anything that any of us has experienced in our lifetimes. And through it all, I have to say the creativity of the watch industry has offered me a much-welcome reprieve and escape from what has sometimes felt like a relentless tide of ominous news — in particular, watches like Omega’s incredible “Silver Snoopy Award” 50th Anniversary Speedmaster, which celebrates the mighty Swiss watch brand’s receiving of this coveted award for outstanding service back in 1970. The story of how a Speedmaster allowed Apollo 13’s astronauts to time their crucial 14-second rocket bursts to angle their crippled spacecraft, so that it would make it safely back to Earth and neither burn…

Lovers of that magical elixir known as Burgundy regard Henri Jayer as a winemaker whose vision was so seismic that he radically changed our taste for modern wines. Jayer was a legend, the man who saw the potential of a forgotten rocky plot of brush land that was once a vineyard, and set about reviving it by transforming the soil with 400 charges of dynamite and forty-eight trucks of bedrock stones, as well as decades of relentless loving care. This was the legendary Cros-Parantoux in Vosne-Romanée, which today produces the finest Pinot Noir wines in the world. When asked which individual has most revolutionised modern watchmaking, my response is unequivocal and unhesitant: Richard Mille. Because encoded in the three syllables of his name is a vision for creating watches invoking…

Nestled in the heart of Paris, on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, is Hermès’s best-kept secret. Just right above the brand’s flagship store is the ultra-exclusive Emile Hermès Museum, a private museum filled with the family’s personal collection, from equestrian antiques and original Hermès objects and products, to a painting by Alfred de Dreux, which is said to have inspired the brand’s carriage logo introduced in the 1950s. Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly are counted amongst their esteemed guests. And of course, tucked away amongst the spurs and saddles, are hundreds of timepieces and clocks — relics of its past collaborations with numerous prestigious watchmakers to showcase their exquisite dials. Hermès, of course, was not born a watchmaking workshop. In fact, at the very beginning, it primarily produced…

The dial colour that has ruled the past decade is, undoubtedly, blue. Every time a watchmaker released a blue-dial variation of a watch, existing or otherwise, it almost always resulted in a hit — the caveat being that this was the case, as long as the watch was executed in the right shade of blue. Regardless, blue always seemed to produce winning results. Given such a reality, executing dials in non-traditional colours is always a gamble, because you first have to pick out a colour that makes sense for the watch, and then discover a shade of said colour that elevates the watch. Neither of these considerations can be compromised. Blancpain managed to hit the nail on the head for both of the above parameters when it launched the Blancpain…

I love Richard Mille. When you think of the testicular fortitude it takes to bid adieu to his best-selling, wait-list-creating 11-03 in its current form, when he could have made that exact same watch for another decade, you have to bow with respect to the man. But at the same time, he demonstrated what the future has in store for his eponymous brand with the absolutely stunning RM 72-01 Lifestyle Chronograph. Which is a watch with all the incredible technical value he’s established over the past 19 years but that is slim and elegant on the wrist, thanks to his first in-house chronograph movement that measures 29mm × 6.4mm. And moreover, the CRMC1 integrated automatic column-wheel-activated movement is a masterpiece of intelligent design combined with drop-dead gorgeous aesthetics. In a…

Over the past decade, we’ve watched dress codes evolve from suits to sweats, casual Fridays spilling over the weekend and back into Monday, amplified now by a world working from home. As such, the voracious appetite for stylish sports watches remains, and it’s unquestionably here to stay. Ours is an informal world where versatility is key. The industry reflects our changing tastes, as waiting lists for luxury sports watches grow by the day. It’s further proof that sports watches reflect our current state, with Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Skeleton being a standout example. Why do we love it so? It must be the eye-burning glamour of the Vacheron’s 18K pink-gold case, or the perpetual calendar’s vast information expressed so clearly and beautifully. Maybe it’s the performance of the…

When we think about the brands that make crazy-sexy-cool timepieces, Roger Dubuis definitely pops up on the top of the list. This year, Roger Dubuis again brings another stunning timepiece to the Excalibur line, a unique work of art named Superbia that is covered in over 600 diamonds and blue sapphires. The precious stonework makes its way throughout the dial, highlighting the aspects of the skeleton display. The focus of the watch is on the incredible complexity required to choose, cut, and set the many geometrically shaped precious stones. Not only that, the diamonds are mystery-set on the dial and movement of the watch, in addition to the case and strap. In addition to the time required to making the underlying Excalibur Double Tourbillon watch, an additional 900 hours of…

There is literally nothing not to love about the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue. Fans of modern, well-sized, perfectly priced and pitched sports watches have been blown away by the quality and price point of the latest addition to the Black Bay family. Lovers of vintage Tudor have been equally delighted by the watch that is seemingly the perfect celebration and amalgamation of Tudor’s early “Big Crown” dive watches and the blue watches from the ’70s, with the house signature of “snowflake” hands. Size also matters and “BB58” is a watch that is on-the-money in terms of the trend for gents watches to be smaller, and at 39mm, it’s the perfect fit for both modern and vintage aficionados. Tudor has a right to be immensely proud of its heritage,…

François Moreau has always had a fascination with gauges. Something that becomes abundantly clear at our first meeting in Mexico City during the 2019 El Salón Internacional Alta Relojería (SIAR) — an event that now seems like it took place a lifetime ago considering the seismic changes of the last seven months. Immediately, we begin to discuss the beautiful pragmatism of gauges like the Smith speedometer and tachymeter mounted to my 1972 Norton Commando as well as the VDO gauges that had presided over the stripped-out Spartan cabin of my 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo, a car that used to try to kill me on a daily basis as a young man living in Los Angeles. We joke, in particular, about the Turbo boost gauge that remained motionless even when you…

On Roger Dubuis’s Instagram page, there is a man clad in a dark, elegant suit standing on a tower hundreds of feet above the urban landscape of a metropolis, unencumbered by any form of safety equipment. The message couldn’t be clearer: Roger Dubuis watches are for the individualists and daredevils — a breed of hyper-sybarites who can be found riding their motorcycles across the Moroccan desert en route to dinner at Al Mounia, BASE jumping off the Italian Alps, or even attending ayahuasca ceremonies in Mykonos surrounded by perfectly suntanned supermodels. Accordingly, when you look at a Roger Dubuis watch today, an example of a vision that they call “Hyper Horology”, it would be easy to consider it purely the type of ultra-extroverted, larger-than-life, neon-lit — literally, for the Excalibur…

“We were busy getting ready for the April sales at the end of January, when we realised that something huge was beginning to happen. A month later, HK was like a ghost town with no one at work, no one on the streets or in the shops; it was completely surreal for one of the busiest places in the world. We then had to reduce the office staff considerably until it was only me and one other colleague left! At first, we didn’t know what to do, but by the beginning of March, we began to really focus on what we could do differently and started to rethink our entire business model from the catalogue to the actual auction. We could not travel to look at watches or source them…

Adam Craniotes In addition to contributing to Revolution, New York City-based Adam Craniotes is the founder and president of RedBar Group, the world’s largest collective of watch enthusiasts, with chapters in over 60 cities across the globe. He is a lifelong watch collector and harbors an almost irrational love for G-Shock. Munster A fashion and commercial photographer based in Singapore, Munster has 13 years of experience in the industry and has worked with brands and titles both locally and internationally. His love for creating beautiful visuals began while he was in film school and he translates the same richness in motion pictures to his photography today. Barbara Palumbo A watch and jewellery writer, Barbara Palumbo is also the mastermind behind the insightful and humorous web publications Adornmentality and What’s On…

Patek Philippe dropped the Ref. 7234G Calatrava Pilot Travel Time on us at a time when travel wasn’t really a luxury we could afford, but unexpected as it may be, the sleeper hit is back with an important change in communications: the 37.5mm watch is now marketed as a unisex watch. The new white-gold variation of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time, the reference 7234G, is a welcome expansion to Patek’s range of pilot watches, first debuted in 2015, which now includes the 42mm ref. 5524 and the 37.5mm ref. 7234, in both white and rose gold. Additionally, the ref. 7234A in steel was launched at the Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Singapore last year. It, however, needs to be stated that while the 2018 versions of the ref. 5524R and…

His countenance is known the world over. His visage has become an obsession for men and women alike. There are legions devoted to his ineffable style, his ability to move effortlessly between sublime sports chic, pitch-perfect preppy-dom, and transcendent black tie. He is the celebrity’s cause célèbre, with many, from Kanye West to Drake to John Mayer, smitten by him. And the mere rumour of his appearance on a skateboard literally broke the internet, with millions of fans vying for the chance to meet him. He says little, but his warm, fathomless brown eyes speak volumes of his extraordinary depth. And while he may be small in stature, he exudes a heroism and strength of character that is singular and inspirational. Amid the turmoil of 2020, for many of us…

Look at it from this perspective. 2020 has been a year of unremitting bleakness, with the only bright spots for me being, after several Negronis, binge-watching Rage Against the Machine reaction videos. So when Rolex decided to launch its new watches on September 1st, I welcomed the distraction, only to discover that they were absolutely fantastic. The new 40.53mm Submariner (vs the 40.2mm “Maxi” case) is the perfect evolution to the iconic family, enhancing sleekness and wearability with an all-new case profile complemented by a wider 21mm bracelet. Then I set eyes on the Oyster Perpetual “Vibrant Dials” collection and I felt instantly uplifted. Because here were modern interpretations of Rolex’s famous layered enamel “Stella” dials, characterised by stunning uplifting colours but placed inside one of Rolex’s most accessibly priced…

The war for maximum thinness has been an ongoing affair that with each new milestone brings us closer to the point where, supposedly, no one can go any thinner. It’s like an extreme game of limbo, only that bragging rights for the winner are of epic proportions. And today, it can be said that the escalation has reached a close-to-insurmountable limit, thanks to the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept. Piaget has unveiled the “final” (for now) execution in horologic thinness. At just 2mm in height, this Piaget is the slimmest mechanical watch ever. It is only appropriate that it is Piaget who achieves this feat, given that from 1957, the maison has built a name for its slender movements, starting with the historic 2mm-thick calibre 9P. After several years of fine-tuning,…

Even before we get to the design of Chopard’s 2020 release and extension of their Alpine Eagle range, inspired by the St. Moritz integrated-bracelet sports-chic watch created by company co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele in 1980, there is plenty to admire about the watch. It is the only watch in the luxury watch industry made from Lucent Steel A223, which features up to 70-percent recycled steel. Because it is twice forged, it has a higher Vickers hardness than the ubiquitous 316L steel used by almost everyone else. In the two-tone version of the chronograph, the watch features elements in Fairmined gold, the first guaranteed ethically sourced gold used in the luxury watch industry and an expression of the Scheufeles’ insistence on the underlying ethics of their brand. The watch uses a movement…

As the industry’s first mass-produced digital watch, it’s hard to overstate just how important the Pulsar P2 was to the world of horology, and in the PSR, Hamilton has penned a truly fitting love letter to this groundbreaking timepiece. From its delightfully retro case design to its novel dual OLED/LCD display, the PSR is nothing less than a master class in how to pay homage to the past while keeping an eye on the future. And what was the P2, if not a wild swing towards the future? Indeed, it was so forward-thinking that it wasn’t even referred to as anything so pedestrian as a wristwatch. Rather, it was a “time computer”, which may sound quaint when compared to the smartwatches of today, but in 1972, when the P2 made…

Glashütte, the somnambulant Saxon hamlet, is not only the birthplace of German watchmaking, but also a town where female watchmakers have contributed vastly to the lexicon of modern horology. Case in point number one is Annegret Fleischer, the goddess of the chronograph, who created the movement for the groundbreaking A. Lange & Söhne Datograph. But Christine Hutter is, in addition to being a watchmaker, the only woman to have founded an independent watchmaking brand and run it as CEO. And from the perspective of technical creativity, her brand, Moritz Grossmann, ranks up there with some of the most sublime in her field. Her watchmaking pedigree couldn’t be more flawless. She worked initially as a watchmaker at Glashütte Original and then A. Lange & Söhne, but a desire to fully master…

While Dickens penned these words to describe Paris and London leading up to the chaos of the French Revolution, he might as well have been describing the world in 2020: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” The year of our Lord 2020 almost feels like the wrath of an Old Testament God hell-bent on exacting his retribution on us for utterly obliterating the planet and allowing a host of individuals, ranging from criminally insane buffoons to…

To predict where watchmaking trends might head in coming months, one might compare notes with the past. The recent global COVID-19 crisis isn’t entirely unprecedented; history has a manner of repeating itself. Looking back to previous disruptions provides clues about the ways we might dress and adorn ourselves, reflecting the social, financial, and political state of the world in which we live. Then again, things might be different this time. Trade fairs were cancelled and quickly replaced with virtual presentations. Our shopping, already done mostly online, migrated to e-commerce permanently. It makes sense then, that many watch retailers saw sales increase in large numbers from stay-at-home shoppers. Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed two clear trends emerge. The first is a return to classicism. Provenance, history, heritage, longevity; these…

Colour, as a noun, is first described in the Oxford English Dictionary as, “the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light.” Colour goes far beyond just nounhood, however. The term can also be used as a verb, as an adjective, and — as it relates to the study of the mind — colour is considered a branch of the broader field of behavioral psychology. Those who have worked in the marketing world or with marketing agencies understand that colour has a major impact on the consumer. A 2006 study by the University of Winnipeg in Canada stated that, “People make up their minds within 90 seconds of their initial interactions with either people…

A quick assessment of the Audemars Piguet website will reveal that the Le Brassus-based watchmaker has exactly five timepiece families that combine the tourbillon and chronograph complications: the Jules Audemars Tourbillon Chronograph, powered by the openworked manual calibre 2936; the Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked Selfwinding, powered by the openworked selfwinding calibre 2949; the Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph, powered by the openworked selfwinding calibre 2947; the Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked, powered by the manual calibre 2936; and now, the latest addition to the list, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph, powered by the selfwinding calibre 2952. Fascinatingly, of the five, only two of these timepieces share a calibre type and they are both of the manual variety. The remaining selfwinding varieties are all…

Launched in 2012, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller has, in its eight-year life span, become an object of cult collectability and one of the most desirable modern classic watches around. Jay-Z’s got the 18K yellow gold and champagne-coloured dial model, “The Notorious One” Conor McGregor’s got the 18K Everose gold and chocolate-dial model, and even Tom Hardy, one of the finest actors of his generation, rocks the 18K white-gold and ivory-dial model. But beyond its obvious wrist swagger represented by its 42mm case size and 14mm case height, did you know that this watch is the equivalent of a mechanical supercomputer, combining two of horology’s most functional complications, the annual calendar and the GMT function? Further, the way the watch has been set up provides unparalleled legibility and clarity when…

This should actually be an award for most revolutionary brand of the last decade. Because in just six years, Bvlgari has achieved six groundbreaking records, including in 2014 the world’s thinnest tourbillon, in 2016 the thinnest minute repeater, in 2017 the thinnest automatic watch, in 2018 the thinnest automatic tourbillon, in 2019 the thinnest automatic chronograph and now thinnest tourbillon chronograph. But far beyond giving a whole new relevance to the ultra-thin watch, Bvlgari offered the first serious competition to the entrenched kings of the sports chic category, the Nautilus and the Royal Oak, and did it with a head-turning, thoroughly modern design all their own. One key part of their aesthetic strategy was to push the boundaries of the dynamic tension between a larger muscular case diameter contrasted by…

Our Best Complicated Watch award for 2020 goes, uncontested, to the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB 2RE because of this simple fact: with the FB 2RE, the maison has managed to create a timepiece that is seemingly a simple, time-only watch, brought to life by an exceedingly complicated movement with high chronometric ambitions, ever so elegantly executed. Turning the watch over is where the true genius is revealed. First and foremost, we start with the expanse of the hand-frosted remontoir bridge. The bridge keeps focus on a fusée-and-chain mechanism as well as an escapement assembly, hiding the remainder of the gear train. But the escapement assembly, too, is no average implementation. What you have is a one-second remontoir d’égalité with its remontoir spring, the escapement wheel with triangular ruby cam —…

The Tank was dreamt up by Louis Cartier in 1917, inspired and designed after the Renault FT-17 French tanks that were used during the First World War. It was a radical design for its time, but more importantly, it was a design that was so perfect, it remained virtually unchanged for 100 years. Of course, the Tank went through a number of incarnations that gave us the Tank Française, the Tank Américaine, to name a few. But the one that is deserving of the Best Dress Watch this year is the Tank Asymétrique. First launched by Cartier in 1936, the parallelogram-shaped Asymétrique had a dial that was shifted 30 degrees to the right so that the 12 o’clock mark was at the top right corner of the watch — a…

Today’s feminine watch collectors are not the same as they used to be; as the industry has evolved, so have their tastes and knowledge. It was easy for brands before to simply release a diamond-set watch to target women without having to worry about complications or movements. Now, women collectors are refined and educated when it comes to horology, and they want something that will shine on their wrists but that is also complicated and showcases certain levels of craftsmanship. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Frosted Gold Flying Tourbillon is the perfect example of that ethos and the reason why we at Revolution have decided to name this timepiece the “Best Ladies’ Watch” of 2020. The timepiece pursues the collection’s interweaving of refined feminine aesthetics and complicated micro-mechanics. The…

For years, we have been waxing poetic prose about the magnificence of Grand Seiko. Its level of watchmaking must be seen and recognised as an equal to the Swiss powerhouses from Geneva and Bienne. But just when we thought that natured-based artistry and inspiration were pretty much the main talking points that accompanied Grand Seiko and its respected Spring Drive technology, the year 2020 has granted us a new reason to be excited about Grand Seiko: the T0, a constant-force tourbillon movement. As a way to battle the uneven performance and torque delivery from the mainspring to the regulating organ, Grand Seiko developed the T0, which uses a twin-barrel system that feeds energy to the constant-force device known as a remontoir. The remontoir is a subsidiary power source that helps…

One thing that makes me happy about the last few years is the incredible creativity coming from every brand under the sun in the sub-one-thousand-dollar category. Brands like Baltic with its HMS and Bicompax, Undone with its Basecamp Cali and Type XX, Bamford with its Mayfair and GMT, have all demonstrated that you can have an absolutely amazing watch at a price that is incredibly affordable. This is super important because I’ve heard all kinds of theories about how it’s vital to get iPhone watches on kids so that they get used to wearing something on their wrists and will eventually become watch fans. I have an alternative proposal, which is why don’t we just get dope-ass watches that make them and us smile like crazy on their wrists to…

He’s one of the most dynamic leaders in the watch industry and also one of the most genuine, sincere and kind individuals I know. On 5th October of the most challenging and imperiled year human history has ever known, Aeschlimann and his team at Omega created an act of horological magic. Ostensibly, it was a Speedmaster watch meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Omega receiving the Silver Snoopy Award. This honour is bestowed by NASA on just a small percentage of their external suppliers for truly outstanding service. Omega, of course, received this award for helping to save the lives of the astronauts on Apollo 13. But the watch that Omega created was something more than a celebration of their history. It was, in some ways, the healing balm…

As restrictions lifted after many listless months in New York, I met with a collector of unusual Breguet watches in Harlem. We sat outside, on Malcolm X Boulevard, enjoying iced coffees at a distance. It was a welcome reprieve, made all the better by my guest, Christophe, known as @Toiche on Instagram. Our topic? The alluring Breguet Type 20, a solid, utilitarian chronograph created for the French Army during the ’50s. This prestigious piece certainly stands apart when considering the historic watchmaker’s opulent oeuvre. The Type 20 feels about as far from Marie Antoinette, tourbillons, and guilloché as possible. That incongruity always lent mystery to the watch’s design, yet the piece plays an essential part in Breguet lore. Naturally, I wanted to know more. Christophe was more than happy to…

If you spend any time on social media and follow any of the most prominent Italian watch dealers, you will undoubtedly have seen Alfredo Paramico. Whether enjoying a good lunch on Davide Parmegiani’s yacht in Capri or enjoying a glass of Meursault in Monaco with Corrado Mattarelli, he moves with the pack of the most prominent Italian watch dealers and market makers. He is a passionate collector and dealer and has been fortunate enough to handle some of the most important horological discoveries. He is also a serious fitness fanatic and a devotee of CrossFit, a fitness regime based on aerobic exercise, strict diet regimes and Olympic weightlifting. It’s not for the faint-hearted and requires absolute dedication and focus. So it was the perfect choice for the dedicated and focused…