Mechanical Archives - Watchisthis

14Fév 2018 by Jonathan Kopp 3 Comments

Winding Back the Years

Vintage

The vast majority of wrist watches, from their very conception, have a crown on the right hand side of the case, at 3 o’clock. Most crowns protrude from the case, where they are grasped for setting and winding of the watch, if the watch is of the mechanical variety. However in 1953, Jaeger LeCoultre released the Futurematic, with the technically impressive calibre 497 bumper automatic movement. What was different about the Futurematic, lies in how the watch was set – there was no crown to be found at 3 o’clock. This watch was the first ‘back-set’ wristwatch, a true innovation where the tiny coin-like crown was located flat against the back of the case, in contact with the wrist when worn. The crown would slide one way to be rotated…

17Jan 2018 by Jonathan Kopp 5 Comments

The 40’s still amaze us with some treasures

Vintage

The 1940s are indisputably one of the golden decades for watch design. Benefitting from being preceded by both the hugely influential Bauhaus design school and the Art Deco eras; watches from the 1940s developed an identity of their own, becoming recognisable for their simplicity, style and class. This decade in particular is known for its outstandingly beautiful chronographs, which are highly sought after by many collectors (with increasingly deep pockets). Quite remarkable really, that so many fine watches were conceived in the 1940s; for half of that period Europe was embroiled in the resource-draining effects of World War II, where both materials and of course labour were under stress. Although the fact that neutral Switzerland avoided widespread bombing (unlike Germany and France), probably helped its watchmaking industry weather the storm…

01Mai 2017 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Special offer on all Florijn watches

News

Some watches are the result of a true labor of love, carefully developed with an eye for detail, with few expenses spared. Such watches usually reside in the higher price categories, but not always. It took two years for Florijn to develop its first, and currently only, model. A diver by name, but a desk diver in reality. That is actually a compliment because most diver watches are built to withstand rough seas, and depths even a nuclear submarine wouldn’t dare to go, yet the closest they ever get to water is when their owner washes their hands. The Florijn is not such a watch. It can most certainly stand its ground amongst the elite of diver’s watches, but chooses not to. Instead it focusses on being an all-round desk…

14Avr 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

The Cherwell by Marloe Watches

News

Thanks to the crowdfunding, and especially Kickstarter, we see the birth of more and more brands offering products made of good quality and at a very affordable price. Some offer nothing new, especially in terms of design, but we must nevertheless congratulate the creators for their commitment and their nerve to embark on an already crowded market. Other projects are simply very successful and are funded very quickly. What sets these brands apart from the "normal" watchmaking market is their true freedom in creation, in design, materials choices,...etc. In these projects, you can easily find anything you want or desire to embellish your wrist: from watches made out of old cars, to ultra thin minimalist timepieces, watches made out of wood or even smartwatches that bear in their heart the…

04Fév 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

WATCHe turns your Apple Watch in a skeleton mechanical watch

News

If you have an Apple Watch but you love Swiss mechanical movement, the new WATCHe application may interest you. The latter indeed offers the ability to display the time on your Apple Watch in the manner of a mechanical movement. Indeed the brand from Geneva offers today a kind of bridge between connected watches and mechanical watches thanks to its new app for Apple Watch. After several years of development of smartphones hulls integrated with mechanical movements, Luc Pellaton decided to give a new dimension to the trend of connected watches.With the launch, of a mobile application designed for the Apple Watch, the spirit of a mechanical movement can now be found as an indicator screen on your smartwatch. For the moment the app is free in the App Store…

Étiquette : Mechanical