On October 24, 1994, Walter Lange introduced the first watches to bear the A. Lange & Söhne name in nearly 50 years. Once the top name in complicated pocket watches, the famous Glashütte watch brand was destroyed by allied bombs on the last day of the war in Europe and disappeared behind the iron curtain. Now, with the help of Günter Blümlein and IWC, A. Lange & Söhne has returned to its place at the height of the watch market. But there is also a dark past that has not been widely told.
Blancpain, F. Piguet, Biver, and the Path Forward
Blancpain is billed as “the world’s oldest watchmaker”, but the history of the company is far more complex. Founded before 1735 in Villeret, the modern Blancpain traces its heritage to 1981, when Jean-Claude Biver purchased the name to be a mechanical rebuke of quartz watches. Blancpain and movement specialist Frédéric Piguet would be acquired by what is now the Swatch Group in 1992, with Biver leading the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking.
The Fall and Rise of Zenith, 1969-1988
Zenith was “the first manufacture”, one of the greatest watch companies in Switzerland, and the economic force behind Le Locle. Then it was purchased by an American electronics company and ordered to destroy its mechanical watchmaking assets. This is the story of the mighty Zenith, brought low, and returning thanks to a machine tools baron, a humble watchmaker, and two other famous brands.
Hajime Asaoka: Chrono and Kurono, Bunkyō Tokyo
Hajime Asaoka’s more-affordable watches define the current trend of “must-have” limited-edition watches. Launched in 2018 for the domestic market as Chrono Tokyo and 2019 as Kurono Tokyo, these watches are an international sensation. In this article, I walk through every Chrono and Kurono watch through 2021.
In Praise of the Rolex Cellini Prince
At Baselworld in 2005, Rolex introduced one of the most radical products in its history: The Cellini Prince was a high-end rectangular watch with a transparent caseback showing off a highly-decorated rectangular movement. The Cellini Prince was unlike anything else in the catalog, but did not find its way into the hearts of Rolex buyers and the line was cancelled in 2015. It’s time to give this model a closer look!
The Thin Watch War | The Watch Files: January 12, 1979
On January 12, 1979, the Swiss watch industry announced the thinnest watch ever made: The Delirium, developed by Ebauches SA for Concord, Eterna, IWC, and Longines, measured just 1.98 mm thick. It wasn’t a big seller, but was a PR exercise to show the world that the Swiss were innovating like the Japanese. And the novel design paved the way for another announcement four years later, the Swatch.
The Day Gérald Genta Challenged the Watch Industry | The Watch Files: November 7, 1984
On November 7, 1984, Gérald Genta finally went too far. His audacious new watch collection was a scandal at the prestigious Montres et Bijoux and he was forced to remove it from the fair. But history shows that Genta was right again, and his designs laid the foundation of today’s luxury watch industry.
No Joke: H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp is the Smartest Watch
H. Moser & Cie. is a confident brand that has come into its own: The Swiss Alp Watch is a serious matter, and it exemplifies all that is right with Swiss watches in recent years. Here’s a survey of the complete line now that the “Final Upgrade” has been released.
Inventing the Solar-Powered Watch: Patek Philippe, Synchronar, and Uranus
Photovoltaic cells were invented in the 1940s, and Patek Philippe produced a novel clock that used them. Once integrated circuit technology improved enough to build a quartz watch, American inventor Roger Riehl created the first solar-powered watch. His Synchronar paved the way for the solar digital watches that brought the technology to the masses in the 1970s. Then there was Uranus, with their wild calculator watch!
Hebdomas: The True Story of the 8-Day Pocket Watch
Spend some time looking at old watches and you’re bound to stumble across an unusual watch with an off-center dial, fancy exposed balance, and 8-day power reserve. The dial will likely say “Hebdomas” and “8 Jours” and not much more. Is this some exotic high-end watch or a mass-market pretender? That’s the story I’m telling today!
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