Today, we wrote about Swiss watch history (here), but today, history is being re-written. Heretofore it was believed that Nicolas Rieussec invented the chronograph in 1822, but the discovery of a watch made by Louis Moinet in 1815 and 1816 – which he called the Compteur de Tierces – has been confirmed by experts as…
Watch Education: What Makes Swiss Watches the Gold Standard? (Part 2)
Last Thursday we started the conversation about what makes Swiss watches the Gold Standard – and traced the early rise of Switzerland as the premiere country for watchmaking. Switzerland has passed that long-standing watchmaking expertise and knowledge down century after century, generation after generation. There’s no denying that history counts in establishing a standard. Switzerland’s…
Introducing American-Made Watches from Shinola
When I first heard of this brand and its efforts to bring full-scale production watchmaking back to American soil, I had two thoughts: What kind of name is Shinola?; How do they think they can do this in down-trodden Detroit? That was a couple of years ago. Now, with all the information disclosed and the…
A Moment in Time with Legendary Jack Heuer
Having been in this industry nearly 30 years, I’ve had the distinct good fortune of witnessing certain brands as they grew and flourished, and of meeting some of the watch industry’s legends. TAG Heuer — and Jack Heuer, in particular — are among those. I’ve met Jack Heuer before, several times, with the first dating…
Watch Education: What Makes Swiss Watches the Gold Standard? (Part 1)
We often are asked “Why Swiss watches are considered the best in the world?” This is no easy subject, since the rise of Switzerland as the epitome of fine watchmaking was centuries in the making. So, beginning today, and for several subsequent Thursdays, we are bringing you a series of articles that will track this…
Jaeger-LeCoultre Masters Time
Last week we introduced you to the all new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual calendar watch. Offered in 18-karat rose gold, 18-karat white gold, or in stainless steel for just under $20,000 – this may well be the must-have watch for the brand this year. However, we do want to revisit the brand’s alluring Duometre (dual-wing)…