16Août 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Olivier Jonquet: Capitaine Of Your Heart

Olivier Jonquet: Capitaine Of Your Heart

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"The Captain Of Her Heart" was a smashing hit for Double, in 1985. It is also exactly the deepest desire of most watch brands to become the captain of your heart. And a watch that might succeed in that is Oliver Jonquet's Capitaine! The French brand Oliver Jonquet sounds very regal and old, yet their very first watch, the Elie, was first sold in 2014. Now they introduce the Capitaine, a bigger, bolder and some might say, better version of their first watch. The Capitaine is quite an eyecatcher, also thanks to the generous size of its cushion shaped case. With 43,5 x 43,5 mm you have a lot of real estate to do something with, and fortunately has Jonquet no problem to seize this opportunity! The Capitaine comes in…
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11Août 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
TAG-Heuer Introduces New Retail Design Concept

TAG-Heuer Introduces New Retail Design Concept

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Brand boutiques have become a big thing in the last decade. They provide the brands with an opportunity to dedicate one retail space completely to what their brand is all about. These boutiques are not only point of sale and service, but also serve as a business card for the brand. So when TAG-Heuer opens a new flagship store, featuring for the first time globally its new retail design store, that is big news! TAG-Heuer is in the capable hands of Jean-Claude Biver, as CEO. Given Biver's track record the expectations are high, to see something fabulous. To create this the brand relied on its in-house design and architectural team in Switzerland. An interesting move since most brands hire well-known architects and decorators to do the job, and sometimes have…
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11Août 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Roasted To Perfection: Brew Watch Co. HP-1

Roasted To Perfection: Brew Watch Co. HP-1

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Brew Watch Co. has just launched its second watch, the HP-1. With a design inspired by industrial coffee machines, the HP-1 is unlike any other watch out there. It is a big step ahead of the first Brew watch the special blend series, a quartz chronograph, and not only in terms of movement. Brew Watch Co. is based in New York City, and that shows. The HP-1 has a very urban feel to it, it can express what it is all about with a minimum of details. In previous articles I have stated that minimalism is the most abused term in the watch world. Brew Watch Co. doesn't use this term, but does know how to apply it. Here no hollow references to the Bauhaus-movement, but a simple design that…
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09Août 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
New Riveted Bracelet For Oris Sixty-Five

New Riveted Bracelet For Oris Sixty-Five

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The Oris Divers Sixty-Five is one of those watches that offers a lot to love. It's the type of retro that we really like, A. because Oris made the original, and B. because the original is so cool, yet so hard to find these days. Oris introduced the Sixty-Five in 2015 with a rubber strap, and earlier this year this version got company of a collection of fabric straps. Now Oris introduces a third option: a riveted bracelet! Should we really get excited about a bracelet? YES! Nobody would have blamed Oris if they simply took a regular bracelet, perhaps even one already used on one of their other watches, and introduce it on the Sixty-Five. But Oris decided to take a different route and created a bracelet especially for…
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06Août 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
Straits Foundry: Bypassing Crowdfunding

Straits Foundry: Bypassing Crowdfunding

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We are in August and sure thing is that I never saw so many new brands in our industry than this year...and yet Straits Foundry, another new microbrand, will be launched next September. It is true that the industry is suffering this year, but paradoxically, we see more and more small brands making their big debut... Interesting thing is that they often provide original and quality products. Unlike many young brands, Straits Foundry will sell their watches directly on their website and without going through Kickstarter. When we see the success of brands launched on the crowdfunding platforms, we are entitled to ask if this is the right strategy. The team is based in Singapore, and they are a curious crew of engineers by training and explorers on the weekends.…
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04Août 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments
Maurice Lacroix Aikon: On the Road Back?

Maurice Lacroix Aikon: On the Road Back?

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In 2013 and after 13 years of success the Swiss brand decided to stop the production of the Calypso which was their most iconic timepiece. Today, it’s time to launch something that could be as popular as this model, and what’s better than to take the inspiration from what had worked before: Meet the Aikon, hopefully Maurcie Lacroix newest (a)ikon-ic timepiece. The new Aikon collection consists of 3 models: Chronograph (44mm), Gents (42mm) and Ladies (35mm). Each of the three models shares a common identity with some design elements taken from the Calypso collection, that have made this one a classic timepiece since 1990. Even if the Pontos is Maurice Lacroix's flagship product in terms of mechanical watches, this new Aikon might take on this role for the quartz watches.…
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03Août 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Swatch POP: Never Fading Creativity

Swatch POP: Never Fading Creativity

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Isn't it amazing that after over three decades Swatch is still as fun, funky and original as when they first launched. In all those years they brought out numerous design, and you are bound to find some you really don't like, as well as some you love, but they all have this creative spark running through them. And as if we didn't believe them they decided to proof it once more with the new POP-collection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5XT-vbrsqc The new POP-collection consists out of 9 new models, and as always does each model comes with a character of its own, varying from the colorful Poppingpop to the Popdancing, which resembles a monochrome American flag. Although these 9 models are new, the very first POP-collection was launched 30 years ago, in 1986. Secret…
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02Août 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Vapaus: A Lesson In Minimalism

Vapaus: A Lesson In Minimalism

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Kickstarter and Indiegogo are full of them, department stores are full of them, and, what a surprise, Alibaba.com is full of them. Minimalist watches that are being presented to us in the most glorious marketing-terms, to convince us that less is more, often tossing some Scandinavian countries, as well as some Scandinavian looking people, in for good measure. Unfortunately these watches are often created by a designer with a minimum of talent, who wanted to invest a minimum amount of his time, because even he knows that the watch will be made at a minimum quality level, in a factory that most likely offers its workers as minimum of a wage as possible, all to maximize profits. Fortunately there are brands like Vapaus on Kickstarter, who try to set the…
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01Août 2016 by Martin Green 7 Comments
Jubileon Superellipse: Not Only Mathematical Correct

Jubileon Superellipse: Not Only Mathematical Correct

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What is it with Singapore and watches? Just like The Netherlands is it a small dot on the world map that produces a disproportional amount of great watches. At Watchisthis?! we are for instance a fan of Regia, which comes from Singapore, just as Jubileon. Jubileon's first model is called the Superellipse, which is a term used in mathematics. They used superellipse to mathematically represent the cushion shape of the case. I must say that this intellectual approach is quite refreshing, especially when it results in a great design as the Superellipse. Actually when I first saw the watch, I thought "that is a great aviation watch!". The tonneau case gives the watch a slight vintage touch, although its thickness and the screws indicate that it is purpose build, like…
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29Juil 2016 by Martin Green 1 Comment
Ticwatch 2: The Nightmare From China

Ticwatch 2: The Nightmare From China

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Raising US$50.000,- in 10 minutes sounds insane, but that is exactly what the Ticwatch 2 accomplished. Meet the nightmare of the affordable Swiss and Japanese watch industry, a smartwatch with a price tag of US$199,-. And this price is not an early bird special, but the full retail price of the Ticwatch 2 once it hits the market. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax7QKR3DiM4 Impossible? A scam you say? Highly doubtful since Ticwatch 2 is produced by Mobvoi. Founded in 2012, this Chinese company is an expert on voice recognition, semantic analytics, and search technologies, and has been making them for WeChat, as well as the Android Wear devices in China, since Google is by law not allowed to use their own. And Google is exactly who is backing Mobvoi now, with the release of…
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