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.
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!
How I Find Great Deals in Watch Auction Catalogs
I’m a big fan of auctions as a way to obtain interesting watches for my collection. There are plenty of online antique, art. and specialized watch and clock auctions, populated with collected watches deserving of attention. If you look carefully, you will find some interesting watches, along with plenty that should be avoided!
How My Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 Went Bad, and What It Took To Get It Back
“The email address you entered could not be found” is not the response anyone should receive when contacting the representative of a high-end watch company about an expensive watch that failed less than a year after purchase. But it was typical of the level of service I received from Parmigiani Fleurier USA. This is the story of my Tonda 1950 and the long wait to restore it to working order.
Why Have No Smartwatches Won at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève?
It sounds like a rhetorical question, but the answer isn’t as simple as “because the industry hates them!” Why has the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève never awarded a prize to a smartwatch? After all, smartwatches have officially been eligible for prizes since 2017, over a dozen models have been entered, and the group added a Smartwatch category in 2020. So why was that prize unclaimed? Is it that smartwatches are undeserving of recognition or is there a more prosaic explanation?
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