Despite the less than optimistic economic outlook, brands are soldiering on and are releasing new watches in attempts to excite and delight watch lovers and collectors. This month, we take a look at two very special watches that were announced in the past two weeks. The first is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Memovox Boutique Edition, a watch specially created to mark the 60th anniversary of the Memovox alarm watch. The second is the Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Minute Repeater watch, a watch that features patented sapphire gongs and also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture.
To bring things to a close, the second part of this roundup is going to explore an aspect of horology and watch design that is often taken for granted. Typography, the art of arranging and designing type, plays a big part in design, but we don’t talk about it enough when discussing the merits (or faults) of watch design. So in this roundup, we are going to look at how typography affects watch design; and in particular, the role it plays in the watches of A. Lange & Söhne.
1. Review: Memovox Alarm Watch Returns With The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox Boutique Edition
One of the most talked-about watches in the past week or so is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Master Memovox Boutique Edition watch. As its name indicates, it is only available at Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques. And as part of the brand’s Memovox collection, it features the seldom seen alarm complication. It is a modern interpretation of the Memovox watches from the Fifties and it was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Memovox watch.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
2. The Breguet Heritage: A Hands-On Look At History, Manufacturing & Watches
The history of watchmaking is filled with great names like John Harrison, Thomas Mudge, George Graham, Christiaan Huygens, just to name a few. One of the most important of all historical watchmaking figures is certainly Abraham-Louis Breguet. Breguet is important because of his numerous inventions and how they have affected watchmaking. Apart from improving the automatic mechanism and lever escapement, he also invented the pare-chute anti-shock device, retrograde display mechanism, gong for repeater watches, and most famously, the tourbillon. Today, the name Breguet lives on in the Breguet watch company. Learn more about the history of Breguet and also take a look inside its manufacture in this in-depth article.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
3. Christopher Ward C8 Power Reserve Chronometer Watch Review
British watch company Christopher Ward has made progress in recent years as they seek to establish themselves as an important player in the entry-level luxury watch market. One of their most significant recent achievements is the launch of their very own movement, the caliber SH21. The caliber SH21 now sees action in a couple of Christopher Ward watches, but one of the nicest-looking ones has got to be the C8 Power Reserve Chronometer. It has a very funky design and I especially like the dial, which has some really interesting things going on, such as the cut-out date display and unorthodox designs for the hands. Take a closer look at the watch in our review.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
4. Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Rio 2016 Limited Edition Watch Review At The Olympics In Brazil
The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M is one of the most popular watches, and is very often one of the first serious watches a watch lover gets. It’s not hard to see why, it’s very well-made, handsome-looking, chronometer certified, and it has the very reliable and historically important Omega 2500 movement with a Co-Axial escapement. If you are considering one, but think that it’s a little too common, the good news is that there’s a limited edition version of it that celebrates Omega’s involvement in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. It’s a unique twist on an age-old classic, and it has a more funky and fun-loving design. See more about it in this full review, as well as our experience as a guest of Omega Watches in the colorful city of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Olympics.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
5. How The Push For In-House Movements Ruined The Modern Luxury Watch Industry
One of the biggest developments in the watch industry in the past decade or so is the push for in-house movements. One of the main reasons for this is because of ETA’s desire to stop supply of its movements to brands outside of the Swatch Group – ETA is owned by Swatch, in case you didn’t know. Faced with this, brands had a couple of options, but the two main ones were to: a) buy movements from another supplier, or b) develop their own. A good number of brands chose the latter option, but this soon had undesirable consequences for the market as we shall explain in detail here.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
6. Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Minute Repeater Watch With Sapphire Gongs Hands-On
The Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Minute Repeater watch is a special watch for two reasons. It was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture; and perhaps more importantly, it is the first minute repeater watch ever by Chopard. The minute repeater is widely regarded as the most complex complication to design, and this watch is the result of six years of development. Not only that, but the minute repeating mechanism in this watch is special because it has sapphire gongs. Chopard’s approach differs from other brands that also use the sapphire crystal to amplify the sound of the repeater in that the gongs extend directly from the crystal itself. Hit the link below to see what I mean and for a closer look at this exquisite minute repeater watch.
Source: aBlogtoWatch