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IWC, Porsche Design, and Titanium Watches

October 5, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

On April 25, 1981, attendees at the European Watch, Clock, and Jewellery Fair in Basel got their hands on something completely new. IWC introduced the Porsche Design Titan chronograph, the first titanium watch available for sale. The revolutionary material caught the watchmaking world off guard, and the Titan helped IWC and their partner Jaeger-LeCoultre survive the quartz crisis. This is the story of the watches created by legendary designer Ferdinand Alexander Porsche and the radical utilitarian watch designs he created with IWC. It’s also a story of how materials and design can spark customer enthusiasm and sales.

Filed Under: History, The Watch Files Tagged With: Citychamp, Eterna, Hublot, IWC, Marc Newson, Omega Speedmaster, Orfina, Porsche Design, Titanium, Valjoux 7750

Why Have No Smartwatches Won at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève?

November 23, 2020 By Stephen Leave a Comment

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?

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Alpina, Apple, Apple Watch, Awards, Frederique Constant, GPHG, Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, Helvetica Smart, Hublot, MMT, Mondaine, Montblanc, Seiko, Seiko Electronic Ink Watch, smart watch, Smartwatches

The Curious Case of the Column Wheel Valjoux 7750 Variants

February 8, 2015 By Stephen 3 Comments

I first discovered the world of column wheel 7750 variants while looking at a Longines Heritage Chronograph. The movement looked vaguely familiar to me, yet I couldn’t place it. A bit of research revealed it to be something really special: A column wheel variant of the Valjoux 7753 built by ETA for their Valgranges line. Then I stumbled on the fact that Omega also got a version of this ETA Valgranges A08.L01 movement with a Co-Axial escapement.

Filed Under: Commentary, History Tagged With: Alfred Rochat, Chronoswiss, Chronoswiss C.732, ETA, Graham, Graham G 1742, Hublot, Hublot HUB 44, La Joux-Perret, Longines, Longines L688, Longines L788, Omega, Omega 3330, Panerai, Panerai OP XVIII, Valgranges, Valgranges A08.L01, Valjoux, Valjoux 7750, Valjoux 7753

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