Table of contents for Vol 27 in REVOLUTION WATCH

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, IT WILL BE known the globe over that the world’s largest watch group, Swatch Group, has pulled out of the world’s biggest watch fair, Baselworld. And I would like to applaud and bow to the courage and conviction of Swatch Group’s CEO Nick Hayek for not allowing Baselworld to get away with the arrogance, ineptitude and greed it has perpetuated for decades. And what was the response from Baselworld? According to Rene Kamm, the unsurprisingly now-ex-Chairman of fair organiser MCH: “I hope that a successful edition of Baselworld in 2019 will motivate Swatch Group to again participate. I personally would be very pleased to hold constructive talks with Swatch Group.” But beyond all the corporate niceties the message is clear, singular and seared indelibly…

Men have come a long way from the stultifying era – the first 3/4ths of the 20th century – when it was deemed that the only jewellery suitable for red-blooded males was a wedding ring, with the extras of a wristwatch, school ring and tie-pin completing the choices. Come the 1960s and beads, bracelets, earrings and other accoutrements joined the now-metrosexual mainstream. You can read about all of this in Revolution contributor James Sherwood’s Jewelry for Gentlemen. A handsome hardback from noted art-and-antiques publisher Thames & Hudson, the 256-page volume features 275 illustrations providing an overview of the neglected art of male jewellery. Themed chapters deal in detail with key jewellers including Theo Fennell, Stephen Webster, Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Yurman, Tiffany & Co. and many others.…

CHANEL MONSIEUR DE CHANEL CHRONOSPHERE CLOCK MOVEMENT Chanel-designed, L’Épée-made manual-winding movement; hours and minutes on two rotating discs; 7-day power reserve; 2.5Hz, black galvanic treatment and palladium finishing CASE Glass sphere; base of four bronze lions with a matte-black PVD treatment Amidst the OTT stands and non-stop bustle of Baselworld, the Chanel booth provides a haven of monochromatic peace. And for those that fear the pop-up home is a case of style over substance, the technical and aesthetic delights that lie within completely eradicate all such thoughts. In recent years, Chanel’s movement partner, Romain Gauthier, has added to the stable of complications that were originally created by APRP, and new families such as the Boy.Friend, Code Coco and Monsieur have ensured design is both original and forward-focused. But increasingly, it…

IWC BIG PILOT’S WATCH EDITION “BOUTIQUE LONDON” MOVEMENT IWC automatic manufacture Calibre 52010; 7-day power reserve CASE 46.2mm stainless steel; water-resistant to 60m STRAP Blue alligator leather At first, it’s just another classy blue job, the colour surviving any thoughts of “Flavour of the Month” after Tudor and so many others – including IWC – returned it to prominence. Watch choices are no longer defaulted to black dial vs white (or champagne). Blue is both cool and hot. IWC, however, has a reason for choosing blue that goes beyond the merely aesthetic. It’s all about geography. In addition to having a ludicrously long name, the new IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Boutique London” was conceived to ooze with Britishness. That blue expanse on a dial filling a 46.2mm case (“Big…

SEIKO PRESAGE SPB075 MOVEMENT Automatic Calibre 6R15 CASE 40mm stainless steel; sapphire-crystal caseback; water resistant to 100m STRAP Blue crocodile-leather strap with a three-fold clasp and push button release In terms of value for money, it really doesn’t get any better than Seiko. From the humble Seiko 5 to the mighty Grand Seiko, no manufacture offers quite as much bang for your buck as the Seiko Watch Corporation. And, arguably, the best “bargains” to be had are the enamel dial versions of its Presage watches. Launched in 2016, the Presage collection concerns itself with mechanically driven, accessibly priced, classically styled, everyday watches and has seen the production of a fair few limited editions with both lacquer and enamel dials. Seiko itself describes the collection as: “Fine watchmaking from Japan, perfect…

Despite the crudeness of the delivery, sometimes a message still resonates with irrefutable truth. And this is the case in an amusing video made by a YouTube pundit with an accent originating from one of the provincial outer boroughs of Manhattan. What he says is this: “When you have a Richard Mille on, everyone around you knows that you’ve got a hundred grand on your wrist and that you can afford to spend a hundred grand on just like a chronograph. Most people who spend that much would want a perpetual calendar or even a tourbillon.” His implication being you have the confidence to wear what you want with no concern of relative value – and, of course, the means to buy it. But what he doesn’t say is that…

You knew at the age of three that you wanted to design cars. How did you turn the dream into reality? It became such a focus that other things became less important and, hence, less of a distraction. I was never great at cricket, football or rugby. I was fixated on cars and drawing and, at 18, realised that was all I could do, so thought I’d better stick to it. And that was the hard bit. At school, I wanted to study engineering and art, but in those days sciences and the arts did not cross. When I was 17, there wasn’t a lot around in terms of industrial design courses – the discipline was just starting to find its place in the UK around then. I found a…

CHRISTOPHER BECCAN Christopher Beccan is a freelance writer and photographer known for his fondness of vintage watches and whisky. He is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Bexsonn.com – a successful blog specialising in all things related to watches and “liquid gold”. Alongside his 9-5 and running Bexsonn, Christopher has written for Chrono24 and Fratello Watches. In addition to his writing, he is also a photographer, working for watch brands, as well as auction house Watches of Knightsbridge. On page 32, we continue our series of articles comparing fine watches and whiskies. HELEN CRUDEN Growing up immersed in the equestrian world, Helen Cruden’s love of horses led to a second career as an equestrian writer and photographer. Specialising in polo, show-jumping and luxury lifestyle, Helen has expanded her portfolio to include…

Few places have such detailed and rich narratives as the Côte d’Azur’s renowned Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Writers, actors, high-profile business people and royalty have all passed through its corridors, each adding character to the hotel’s Napoleon III-inspired walls. The establishment has even been immortalised in literature, as the inspiration behind F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fictional Hotel des Etrangers in Tender is the Night. While it was built more than a century ago, and has remained loyal to its roots as one of France’s grandes dames, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has also managed to stay relevant into the 21st century, with subtle modernisation as well as hosting events such as the Amfar Gala during the Cannes Film Festival each year. This ability to keep up to date, while respecting its heritage, is precisely…

No stranger to starring roles in movies and TV shows, this August saw the premier of Hamilton’s latest on-screen role in the new Amazon Prime Video series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. The action-packed series depicts the adventures of fictional CIA agent Jack Ryan, played by John Krasinski, at the beginning of his espionage career. Previously portrayed by the likes of Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck, the new show reboots the franchise and sees the Ryan character in a present-day setting with an ever-looming threat of terrorism. Ryan’s watch of choice throughout the eight-episode series is the Hamilton Khaki Field Auto Chrono. A 42mm, PVD-coated, stainless steel chronograph with “over and under” sub-dial configuration, a day/date window and stealthy black styling. The watch is powered by Hamilton’s self-winding H-21 movement with…

DIOR VIII MONTAIGNE “CLAIR DE LUNE” MOVEMENT Self-winding Sellita Calibre SW300 CASE Yellow gold; double-sided anti-reflective sapphire-crystal glass with white-gold-coloured metallisation; water-resistant to 50m STRAP Black alligator leather A sadly missed spectacle at Baselworld since the maison’s departure from the fair, Dior’s latest feat of jewellery-meets-watchmaking-meets-fashion included the beautiful Dior VIII Montaigne “Clair de Lune”. Following the codes of Dior and reminiscent of Paul Verlaine’s 1869 poem of the same name – also the inspiration behind Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque – the dial of the watch has been created to evoke the emotions described in the lines Au calme clair de lune triste et beau, Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres (the sad and beautiful moonlight, which makes the birds in the trees dream). Christian Dior was deeply spiritual,…

TUDOR 1926 MOVEMENT Self-winding Calibre 2824, or Calibre 2671 (for the 28mm version only); hours, minutes and seconds; 38-hour power reserve CASE 28, 36, 39 or 41mm stainless steel or steel and rose gold; water-resistant to 100m STRAP Matching metal bracelet The first watches under the company named Montres Tudor SA appeared in 1946 with the (final) company name itself also registered that same year, but the birth of Tudor as a concept had occurred much earlier. In 1926, the invention of the hermetic Rolex “Oyster” case was put to the ultimate test on the wrist of Mercedes Gleitze while she swam across the English Channel. And it was in the same year that the Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf registered “The Tudor” as a brand, with the idea of offering…

The fight for Formula 1 glory between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton was compelling for several reasons. The two gifted young men battling it out for the greatest prize in motorsport were teammates who refused to play a team game, each focused on his own success. It was a clash of very different personalities: on one side, Hamilton’s raw, instinctive talent; on the other, Rosberg’s steely, intellectual focus. The ultimate cool move from Rosberg came at the end of the 2016 season. After finishing second to Hamilton two years in a row, Rosberg won the championship in the final race of the season. Then, five days later, he turned and announced that, at the age of 31, he was done with it all, walking away as champion, never to return.…

What is the point of journalism? For a magazine like this, the answer is fairly clear: to produce stories that people will hopefully enjoy, with perhaps a thing or two to learn along the way. It is a different matter in the world of so-called “hard news”. This kind of journalism takes itself very seriously and does not like to think it is involved in anything so lightweight as mere entertainment. The problem is that the vast majority of the news we see doesn’t have any direct effect on our lives, so it must be manipulated in a way that appeals to our primal instincts. The most effective of these is fear. If you say there are people dying in some far-off land, you will hear noises of sympathy. If…

CRACKING THE CODE: THE GLENLIVET In 2016, The Glenlivet introduced a limited-edition, non-age statement whisky that only reveals its name and nothing else, no cask finish info, no tasting notes and its matte-black bottle doesn’t even reveal its colour: The Glenlivet Cipher. A smart move from The Glenlivet, to get the consumers to fully engage with the spirit and embrace the whisky and all of its flavours, without any preconception, leaving the taster to form their own ideas of what they’re tasting. This year, Glenlivet has followed up that expression with another dubbed the “Glenlivet Code”, the third of a series, following the Alpha and the Cipher. Just like its predecessors, the Glenlivet Code has its own fully interactive microsite where you can try to decode what you’ve experienced. On…

1. Cartier morganite, sapphire, tourmaline, opal and diamond-set white-gold Yoshino necklace, £POA. www.cartier.co.uk 2. Chanel diamond-set white-gold Evocation Florale ring, £POA. www.chanel.com 3. Chaumet sapphire and diamond-set white- and yellow-gold Trésors d’Afrique Espiègleries brooch, £POA. www.chaumet.com 4. Chopard emerald and diamond-set platinum Haute Joaillerie necklace, £POA. www.chopard.com 5. Dior sapphire, tanzanite, ruby, garnet and diamond-set yellow-gold Dior Dior Dior Dentelle Popeline Tanzanite bracelet, £POA. www.dior.com 6. Piaget diamond-set pink-gold Sunlight Escape earrings, £POA. www.piaget.com 7. Van Cleef & Arpels diamond-set white- and yellow-gold Trio Précieux clip, £POA. www.vancleefarpels.com…

ALEXIS AMOR FOUNDER OF ALEXIS AMOR EYEWEAR “I’ve always loved spectacles and, after working in property for a period, I decided to set up a business and do something on my own, so I opened a shop selling sunglasses and eyewear. About four or five years later, I decided the time was right to start making my own designs. I produce in very limited quantities – no more than 50 pieces per design – using high-end materials and hand-finishing. In terms of design, I’d like to think my eyewear is both original and recognisable; you can’t be too ground-breaking with glasses (unfortunately) but I think you can have a very good understanding of what makes them work. Alongside my current space in London’s Richmond and my E-Commerce platform, I plan…

BULGARI OCTO FINISSIMO SKELETON MOVEMENT Hand-wound BVL Calibre 128SK Finissimo CASE DLC-treated 40mm sandblasted titanium case with transparent caseback; water-resistant to 30m STRAP Black DLC-treated titanium bracelet fitted with a folding clasp With unrivalled panache, Bulgari’s Octo has – in only six years – elevated the Italian house’s status from maker of sleek, designer watches, to exemplars of the luxury sport watch. This is no back-handed compliment as regards their pre-Octo output: just look at the rapidly-ascending prices of vintage Bvlgari-Bvlgaris, Aluminios and the “city” watches, which for years languished in pre-owned watch showcases. No longer. Since Octo was launched in 2012, Bulgari has not only acquired full manufacture status, it has embraced complications and new materials and emerged as a serious contender in the thinnest-watch contests. The “Octo effect”…

HUBLOT SPIRIT OF BIG BANG BLUE MOVEMENT HUB4700 self-winding chronograph movement with skeleton calendar display CASE 42mm, micro-blasted and polished blue ceramic case and bezel; white ceramic lugs STRAP White rubber with blue alligator and blue stitching; titanium deployant clasp Hublot’s penchant for celebrating, commemorating or generally revelling in anything than can possibly result in a Big Bang variant brings us the Spirit of Big Bang Blue. Said by the company to capture “the essence of summer,” this latest exclusive model arrives in a blue so vivid that you cannot help but picture sea and sky. As such, it is a watch that has, more than any other current luxury timepiece, appropriated the zeitgeist of the playboy culture of the 1950s and 1960s. It begs to be worn on the…

PARMIGIANI FLEURIER TORIC QUALITÉ FLEURIER MOVEMENT Self-winding PF331-QF with a 55-hour power reserve CASE 40.8mm red or white gold; sapphire-crystal caseback; water-resistant to 30m STRAP Black alligator leather made by Hermès Choosing to throw its hat into the ring at a point when the mechanical watch industry was still very much feeling the effects of near extinction during the Quartz Crisis, high-end manufacture Parmigiani Fleurier made its debut in 1996 with the Toric – a traditional, round, three-hand watch designed by the brand’s founder, master watchmaker Michel Parmigiani. It has gone on to host various different complications (everything from perpetual calendars to GMTs) and styles (from open dials to stone set cases). For the design of the Toric’s case Parmigiani looked to ancient Greek architecture’s Doric columns, a seashell found…

ZENITH DEFY ZERO G MOVEMENT Manually wound El Primero 8812 S CASE 44mm rose gold or titanium; water-resistant to 100m STRAP Rose-gold or titanium bracelet or rubber and alligator-leather strap As a long-time owner of a vintage 1970s Zenith Defy, it was very cool to see the name and its tonneau-shaped legacy come to new life last year in the form of some pretty awesome watches, namely the El Primero 21 Chronograph and the astonishingly advanced Defy Lab. The barrel-shaped case looked just right in these new era watches and confirmed that, yes, some design ideas have more stories to tell, as long as you support them with quality and reliability, and not just with romantic stories of yore. When we saw the Zenith Defy Lab last year, we were…

The heyday for martial arts movies was from the 1970s to the early-1990s, a period that saw the rise of fighting stars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Cynthia Rothrock, Don “The Dragon” Wilson and many more. I was fortunate enough to be right in the middle of all this. A black belt in Isshin-Ryu Karate, I grew up watching Hong Kong martial arts movies like Five Fingers of Death (1972), Fists of Fury (1972), The Chinese Connection (1972) and 36th Chamber of Shaolin(1978). I had developed a bit of a name writing for martial arts magazines and I thought I could easily write movies just as “bad” as those were. My first movie was No Retreat, No Surrender (1986) with…

We often hear the term “tool watch” or “professional watch” used about some of the most iconic and desirable timepieces. Dive watches were originally developed for divers to time descent and ascent periods via the rotating bezel that indicated elapsed time. To be clear, in the 1960s and 1970s these watches weren’t just cool accessories that looked good, they were vital safety tools that saved lives. The GMT complication was developed for professional use by pilots and travellers through necessity due to the advent of commercial air travel, to allow them to monitor two time zones. The chronograph had a number of different timing scales that aided racing car drivers, military leaders and doctors in their professional duties. The Submariner, GMT-Master and Daytona, therefore, have some deep roots as tool…

Is it really true that you sold your car to buy your first Speedmaster? What were the circumstances and why? It was 1999 and I was a university student in The Hague. One evening, I was cycling through the city with some friends and suddenly I noticed this shop with a couple of watches in the window. There were two Speedmasters – a modern one from about 1994 and a vintage ref. 145.012-67. I gave the shop owner a call and asked about the prices. I decided to go for it, but needed some funds. Being a student, I didn’t have much money, but I did have a car – a Peugeot 205 GTI that I truly had little use for so, I sold it. I actually wanted the modern…

Czapek is a name most watch lovers are familiar with. How did the modern company come into being? Born in what is now the Czech Republic, and raised in Poland, watchmaker François Czapek moved to Switzerland in 1832. He met fellow Pole Antoine Norbert de Patek in 1836 and in 1839 the pair founded Patek, Czapek & Cie, a partnership that lasted six years before each man set up his own company. Huge success followed for Czapek and he became the first watchmaker to open a boutique on Place Vendôme – Chopard was already there, but was a pure jewellery company. Documentation for Czapek disappears in 1869, and the name fell into the public domain. In 2001, Harry Guhl started looking at the name and, in 2008, he started the…

You’re wearing the Oris Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 114 GMT. Tell me about this latest in-house movement. Calibre 114 is the latest movement to come from the in-house know-how we have developed over the past four years and it shows what can be done with a good base movement. We started with Calibre 110 in 2014, which marked the 110th anniversary of the company and was our first manufacture movement in 35 years. The key to the movement is its 10-day power reserve from a single barrel and, from Calibre 110, we created Calibres 111, 112, 113 and now 114, our GMT movement. It had to be different from the other GMTs on the market, so it’s a GMT with something extra, a second time zone that can be set…