1. A Look Inside The Personal Watch Collection Of Ralph Lauren
The name Ralph Lauren shouldn’t be unfamiliar to most of our readers. After all, he is one of the most successful fashion designers in the world and his clothing company, the Ralph Lauren Corporation, is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. And now, after firmly establishing himself in the world of fashion, he is turning his attention to watches. In fact, he only recently released the RL Automotive Skeleton watch. And what better way to understand a man then to have him show and talk about his own watch collection? So here’s a look at Ralph Lauren’s personal watch collection. Some of the watches that you find here might surprise you.
Source: Hodinkee
2. Hands-On with the F.P. Journe Tourbillon “Souscription” 9/20 – the Hand-Made, Genesis of the Brand
Having created his own brand in 1999, F.P. Journe, the man Francois-Paul Journe is now widely regarded as one of the most successful independent watchmakers. Today, his brand has 9 boutiques around the world and owns its own case and dial maker – impressive, considering they only make around 900 watches per year. But before F.P. Journe could become a reality, Journe knew he had to raise money to begin the company. To do so, he followed in the footsteps of none other that Abraham-Louis Breguet and decided to make 20 “souscription” watches, where clients would pay him in advance for watches so that he had the necessary capital to start his company. And here’s one of those very watches that made F.P. Journe a reality.
Source: Watches by SJX
3. Jean-Claude Biver on the TAG Heuer Connected Watch
Talk about massive U-turns. When President of LVMH Watch Division, Jean-Claude Biver first talked about smart watches, he said that they would never become mainstream and that his brands would never make one. He also dismissed the Apple Watch. Fast forward, and here we are now with the TAG Heuer Connected watch, the first smartwatch by a major Swiss watch maker. Why the change of decision? And what’s the significance of this new watch for TAG Heuer and LVMH? All these questions answered and more in this interview with the man himself.
Source: WatchTime
4. Do Men Still Crave Status Watches?
Like it or not, watches are often associated with money and status. At least, to people outside of “our world” – and by “our world,” I mean the world of watch enthusiasts and lovers. You see, there’s a difference there, because all it takes is money to buy that brand new Rolex Submariner or shiny Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, but it takes real passion and interest to be able to speak of the historical importance of that Submariner and why the Royal Oak is such an iconic watch. In this article, the author talks about men who are into watches as status symbols and also talks about the other men who completely don’t get this “game.”
Source: Wall Street Journal
5. Every watch James Bond has ever worn
Is there another onscreen character that is as associated with watches as James Bond is? I can’t think of another off the top of my head. As I’m sure most of you will know by now, today’s James Bond wears Omega, but it wasn’t always this way. In the books written by Ian Fleming, the author had always intended for his spy to wear Rolex. However, when James Bond was translated to the silver screen, things got messy, and he wore a couple of other interesting watches including a Breitling, various Seikos, Tag Heuers, and even a Gruen. Here’s a look at the watches James Bond wore to save the world.
Source: Hypebeast