automatic Archives - Watchisthis

11Jan 2023 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Interview Hakim El Kadiri – Founder of Elka Watches

Interview

It's been a long time, so let me first of all wish you a very happy new year 2023. I was in the middle of work and moving so it's true that I haven't shared many articles with you lately. And that's why we start January with an interview with Hakim El Kadiri, CEO and Founder of Elka Watch. Could you tell us a bit about you and about your history with watches? I received my first watch from my grandfather when I was around 5. It is a souvenir that I have anchored somewhere in my spirit. Having said this I have no memory of the brand nor anything more than this vision, of wearing a watch. In early 80’s I dreamt of getting a Casio with a calculating…

27Juil 2022 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Interview Julien Caradant – Founder of Atelier Caradant

Interview

In recent days I had the chance to chat with Julien Caradant, founder of the watch brand Atelier Caradant. Today I'm happy to share this interview with you and to introduce you to his watches. The watches coming out of this workshop are very special, and that's why I wanted to know more about them. The dials are made of paper… Yes you read that right, they are made of paper.Julien, a young Frenchman from Saumur (a city in Maine-et-Loire, western France) explains his original concept to us in this interview. Here we go ! Could you tell us a bit about you and about your story with watches? I have always been passionate about mechanics and how things work (I dismantled a lot of things when I was young!).…

16Juin 2022 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Hands-on – Biotic Formicidae

Review

During the last few days I had the chance to spend some time with the new BIOTIC Formicidae which is currently on Kickstarter. I'll be totally honest, at first I didn't understand why Ryan Lee (Founder of the brand) had chosen a name like this one. In France, we know the Biotic Phocea laboratories, which is known as the reference on the French market for pigments for medical dermo-pigmentation and permanent make-up. Suffice to say it has nothing to do with it… Biotic means “pertaining to life”. A biotic factor is any living thing that has an effect on an ecosystem. Biotic Watches has been co-founded by Stitches & Buckles in 2021, and is based in Singapore. There vision : Biotic Watches aims to study Nature and bring the beauty…

26Jan 2022 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Hands-on – The Powerfull Feynman Fjord

Review

It's no secret I'm a fan of Feynman Timekeepers. You can read or reread my article of the One Eclipse, the Cove, and of course my interview with the creator of the brand right here. In 2021, I can't remember exactly when, Yong Keong Lim told me he was going to release a new collection. I'm honest with you, I was directly excited to be able to try this new creation. I was able to spend several weeks with the Fjord Magma and obviously this piece is a great success. The Case For the Feynman Fjord collection, the brand decided to use again the unique aesthetic of the Feynman Cove. This is a compressor styled case that honestly I really like. In terms of size, I think that every kind…

05Jan 2022 by Jonathan Kopp 1 Comment

Interview Mael Oberkampf – Founder of Timeless Swiss Watch

Interview

These last days I had the chance to speak with Mael Oberkampf, Founder of Timeless Swiss Watch. You know that I really really like his job so I wanted to know more about him and about his brand. Oh yes I already reviewed the HMS Collection early this year …. So click to read. Let’s go ;-) Could you tell us a bit about you and about your story with watches? I grew up in Switzerland not far from Geneva and have always had an interest in industrial design and architecture. After training as a graphic designer, I set up on my own to embark on 3D architectural illustration, and ended up also working for some watchmakers like Richard Mille or Ladoire. It's the founder of this last brand who transmitted me the watchmaking…

14Juin 2019 by Jonathan Kopp 2 Comments

Venneman Watches – Pure Belgian Design

News

Pure Belgian design from high-quality Swiss components. Belgium is not only known for its chocolate, cycling and famous players in their national football team. There are also some very skilled and passionate independent watchmakers hidden in that small country. One of them is Thomas Venneman the founder of Venneman Watches. Thomas Venneman wants to create unique timepieces in limited editions. 300 copies, more will not be made. Unique and numbered! Thomas received a solid training as a watchmaker and learned the craft from the masters themselves in Switzerland. He completed a number of traineeships with the big brands and at smaller workshops The pursuit of perfection is the guiding principle of his brand. We met in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel in Ghent where he showed me his timepiece…

15Avr 2019 by Jonathan Kopp 2 Comments

The lovely Terra Cielo Mare Milano San Babila

Magazine

Some weeks ago I had the chance to meet Eric Delicati who is distributor of the Italian brand Terra Cielo Mare. This brand is not really visible today because of a lack of communication but honestly it’s a brand on which you should have a look. For the record, Terra Cielo Mare is a family business that produces watches for enthusiast and collectors since 1999. The interesting thing is that behind everyone of their watches there’s a real story to tell. That means that they try to develop and narrate the history of aviation, naval, mechanical engineering and Italy through Haute Horlogerie. That’s not the most common thing in todays watch industry. Indeed, most of the time, a designer draws a watch and then the marketing director says : “Ok,…

06Avr 2019 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Jubileon is back with the Superellipse Chrono

News

In september 2017 Jubileon launched their first Kickstarter campaign with the really cool Superellipse. This piece was really classic but with a nice design. You can find it HERE . Now the independent brand from Singapore is back with an evolution of their first watch. This one, that they just launched on Kickstarter (5 April), is a pretty cool chrono. To be honest I’m quite astonished by the level of quality of this piece. Not just by the design, which is really strong, but also by the whole… Including the movement. Because Yes, powering the Superellipse Chrono is the well known ETA 7750 Valjoux movement. You can find this movement in almost every chrono in the market, but rarely at the price of 799$. Well thanks to Kickstarter you will…

31Jan 2019 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Classicism and Émail Grand-Feu – Focus on Lundis Bleus

Uncategorized

What’s great about independent watchmaking is that you’re not only talking about watches. You’re talking about esthetic choices, technical skills and passion. All mixed together in order for some brands to propose watches made with great creativity, great craftsmanship, recognizable among all thanks to their design. And all that sold for a reasonable price. Lundis Bleus is one of those brands. Initiated by friendship in 1994 when the two founders, Johan Storni and Bastien Vuilliomenet, meet in the watchmaking school of La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland; the brand started to produce watches in 2016. In between, 1998 was the year of their graduation. Then, they both continued their studies and got experiences and skills in several domains such as design, watch restoration or watch construction in manufactures like Renaud & Papi…

20Sep 2018 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Trifoglio Italia is back with the Veloce watch

News

The young brand Trifoglio Italia is back with a new pretty cool watch. And this one will be available through kickstarter. Now a quick reminder. Trifoglio has been created by Italian designer Alessandro Baldieri, and Jessie Yeo, who was born and raised in contemporary, vibrant and eclectic Singapore. She has a long time successful powerhouse in the watch business with her business acumen and hard work. Alessandro’s fiery and consuming passion for glamour, style and beauty makes him the visionary designer, while Jessie translates inspiration into reality and impeccable quality. Alessandro’s extravagant inspirations pay homage to his roots in cosmopolitan Rome, its legacy and history. Trifoglio Italia’s commitment to producing only the best quality means that its collections are produced only in limited quantities. Now selling in Europe, America, the…

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