Hublot Oceanographic 4000 Reviewby KIH “I think this new OCEANOGRAPHIC 4000 from Hublot is an incredible watch.  First of all, it is a beautiful watch.  It looks very robust, very strong and just really fits in well with the image of the museum here in Monaco, the Oceanographic Museum which was founded by my great great grandfather, Prince Albert I, who had a great vision for oceanography, and for this museum especially…..”, - HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. I stop... more

Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon by Ed Woo© August 2011 The Bulgari watch collection encompasses a wide range of tourbillons including the Octo Tourbillon Retro, Daniel Roth Tourbillon 8 Jours, Sotirio Tourbillon Perpetual, and my personal favorite the futuristic looking Gerald Genta Toubillon Sapphire. During my recent visit to the Bulgari Boutique in Las Vegas, I had a chance to handle another tourbillon: The Bulgari Diagono Tourbillon in platinum. I have to admit that I tend to gravitate towards t... more

Piaget Polo FortyFive by Bill Lind © August 2011 Having been attracted by Piaget’s Altiplano Double Jeu and motivated to write a review of the watch, I wanted to continue my exploration of Piaget’s timepieces by looking at the very compelling luxury sport watches in the Polo FortyFive collection. Piaget debuted the Polo collection in 1979. Distinguished by the integration of the case with the bracelet and bezel, the Polo was offered only in gold. For the 30th anniversary of the... more

  Montblanc Dual Carbon Sport Chronograph  1-Year Review by Michael Ting © May 2011   On the eve of our 10th anniversary celebration, I thought I would present a long-term 1 year review of the Montblanc Dual Carbon DLC Sport chronograph.  My example is now approximately 14 months old.  It is being worn in rotation with four other watches although, quite honestly, this watch has seen much more wear and tear: the Montblanc quicky became my "go to " weekend and ... more

Some of you will remember my first F.P. Journe review in August 2010. That basic Octa Rèserve de Marche has since become my favourite watch and rarely leaves my wrist (and is missed when it does). But the grail F.P.Journe tourbillon was never far from my thoughts, just as it has been for the last few years. I wrote in my Octa RdM review that this watch “… held a certain promise of things to come.” What I didn’t realise was that this might come more quickly than I imagined. &... more

Peter Speake-Marin recently presented his Thalassa with the new SM2 movement and I managed to capture some photos of it. The Thalassa looks far better in the metal than in photos.   Especially notable is its slimness, at about 1.5 mm slimmer than the earlier PSM Piccadilly watches but 42 mm wide, it cuts a very elegant profile on the wrist. Though the dial (blue and open centre) is not to my taste, the movement is brilliant. The finishing on the SM2 is magnif... more

Cartier presented the first model of its High Watchmaking collection, the Ballon Bleu flying tourbillon, at SIHH 2008. It was the first watch with the now distinct aesthetic of multi-layered ruthenium and silver dial that characterises the High Watchmaking collection.         At the time, observers were not particularly impressed with the tourbillon. Neither was I, admittedly. It was yet another tourbillon. And while the movement was well finished, it was not entirely original, b... more

The 1966 range reminds us of the glorious chronometric past of Girard-Perregaux.   In 1966 Girard-Perregaux presented the first high frequency calibre beating at 36000 vph, fitted in the Gyromatic HF. This calibre created in-house by the Girard-Perregaux research and development team brought exceptional timing results and as a matter of consequence lead the State Council of the Canton to attribute to Girard-Perregaux the Centenery Prize of the Neuchatel Observatory. In fact the first production s... more

The Excenter Timezone is maybe the perfect summary of what you can expect from a Harry Winston watch. You know, before doing my first review for the Harry Winston forum, I read again its main articles from the past to find what would be the selected watch for this review. I read Bernard's articles, I read Aseanto's ones and at the end, the choice became obvious: the Excenter Timezone would be the first one, a sort of symbol for the relaunch of the Harry Winston forum. Harry Winston Excenter Timezone -tra... more

By Marv: "I would like to share with you a personal view on my Tank Basculante.       As you may know, the Tank Watch was created in 1917 by Cartier. It was inspired by the armored military vehicles, which were used in the 1st World War: a rectangular shape with legs that extend straight beyond the case.   The Tank Basculante is born 15 years later, in 1932. At that time, many other watchmakers were offering reversing watch. We all know the reverso created in 19... more

A Great Example of Aesthetics, Proportion, Functionality and True Blue-Blood Fine Watchmaking - Girard Perregaux Classique Elegance Moon Phase Ref. 49530 in White Gold.  by Z3   It is not often that we find a design that is timeless. When we do see one, however, we would have that vague warm fuzzy - the watch would speak to us and resonate with our sense of aesthetics... Here is a great example that touches me in this way. I've had it for some years, and just took it out of the safe the othe... more

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Triple Date -A Quick-Look Review by Dr. Ming Woo © February 2010 Hello all!One thing that I really enjoy about my AP Royal Oak Offshore is the versatility it offers.  Business meeting with a suit and tie?  Hanging out wearing a comfy t-shirt and jeans?  No problem!  From casual to sporty to dress, IMO the ROO works with all occasions.One such Royal Oak Offshore is the AP Triple Date.  Although the AP ROO Triple Date 25807xx series are no ... more

Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis and Florence Nightingale were pioneers who insisted upon basic sanitary conditions and introduced hygiene standards for hospitals. Today, the entire concept of sterilization, disinfecting, and cleanliness protocols are largely attributed to the work pioneered by Florence Nightingale and Doctor Ignaz Semmelweis. Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss Florence Nightingale The purpose-built PuristSPro All Black Rescue (ABR) watch continues the tradition of cleanliness in a us... more

Daniel Roth Athys Perpetual Calendar -A Quick-Look Review by Su JiaXian © June 2009   Daniel Roth launched four new models at Baselworld 2009 with the new Endurer Chronosprint sports watch getting the most publicity. However, two of the new launches are also notable, particularly the Athys Perpetual Calendar.       The Athys perpetual will be Daniel Roth’s most affordable perpetual calendar, with a retail price in the region of US$60,000 in gold. That is an ... more

Girard Perregaux Cat’s Eye Bi-Retro -An "On-The-Wrist" Review by Ping Tsai  Seldom does one get the opportunity to try out a new watch and then grow to love it in an uncommitted way.  When I first received Girard-Perregaux’s Cat’s Eye Bi-Retro watch, the initial impression wasn’t laden with immediate affection.  This was simply due to the fact that feminine diamond encrusted smaller scaled watches are not my preference.  However, like a personality that grows on y... more

Piaget Upstream – a Downstream Review By Dr Melvyn Teillol-Foo © February 2009   When Piaget launched the Upstream in 2001, CEO Philippe Léopold-Metzger hoped to change the way people perceived Piaget, saying, "The idea with Upstream was to be very innovative, very different. We are trying to change the perception of the brand to make young people more aware of the brand and position it as innovative and trendy – a brand that is ahead of the trends." The Upstream was... more