Watch Industry News


Coming out on DVD August 2015 is the new documentary movie “The Watchmaker’s Apprentice“. This is a story of Dr. George Daniels’ rise from poverty to become one of the most notable watchmaker’s of our time and how Roger W Smith embarked on a journey to become his apprentice. Dr. George Daniels is the inventor of the co-axial escapement used in Omega’s line of watches.

image007

This should be an interesting movie and I am looking forward to watching it. It has the last known interview with Dr. George Daniels before his death in 2011. Here is a preview of the movie from 2012 – its been a long time in the making:

Preview Clip – "The Watchmaker's Apprentice" from Dave Armstrong on Vimeo.

An exclusive first look at the much talked about documentary 'The Watchmaker's Apprentice', about Master Horologist George Daniels and his only student, Roger W Smith. The full documentary, which features the last interview Daniels gave before his passing in 2011, will receive an exclusive early preview at Salon QP 2012.

Documentary conceived, filmed and produced by DAM Productions Isle of Man:
www.anotherdam.com
Contact: dave@anotherdam.com

For more information visit: www.rwsmithwatches.com and www.salonqp.com

As seen in The Telegraph online.

A very cool little read about some key dates and times in the history of the development of the Wristwatch from the first wristwatch created in 1868 until the present. Was just emailed this by Borro, and its a short read, but very interesting. Shows how some of the brands we see today such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier and even Swatch contributed to the evolution of the Wristwatch as we know it today:

http://www.borro.com/luxury-watches/history-of-wristwatch/

history

Its interesting to see which watch brands spent how much on advertising. Breitling has always been near the top, only eclipsed by Rolex. This continues to be the case, but they just upped their spending last year, and are coming in really close now! Interesting article and read, check it out at watchtime. See below for the list of spends from last year in the US Market. See the discussion on the BreitlingSource forums here.

TOP WATCH ADVERTISERS
U.S. market, 2013
RANK BRAND AMOUNT ($million)
1. Rolex 61.48
2. Breitling 43.85
3. Cartier 24.58
4. Omega 22.96
5. TAG Heuer 22.00
6. Citizen 20.72
7. Movado 19.83
8. Chanel 17.87
9. Longines 16.02
10. Seiko 11.15
11. Breguet 9.58
12. Tudor 8.24
13. Patek Philippe 7.66
14. Hublot 7.59
15. Audemars Piguet 7.39
16. Bell & Ross 7.11
17. Dior 6.05
–. Swatch 6.05
19. Montblanc 5.64
20. Ball Watch 5.37
21. Armitron 5.35
22. Chopard 5.20
23. Rado 4.95
24. Baume & Mercier 4.92
25. Shinola 4.66
26. Parmigiani 4.62
27. Raymond Weil 4.51
28. Ulysse Nardin 4.50
29. IWC 4.02
30. Vacheron Constantin 4.01
–. Zenith 4.01
32. Harry Winston 3.80
33. Louis Vuitton 3.73
34. Casio 3.65
35. Luminox 3.62
36. Tissot 3.46
37. Oris 3.42
38. Timex 3.19
39. Bulova 2.97
40. David Yurman 2.91
41. Garmin 2.67
–. Fendi 2.67
43. Coach 2.65
44. Panerai 2.59
45. Glashütte Original 2.54
46. Victorinox 2.52
47. Girard-Perregaux 2.42
48. MTM 2.34
49. Fossil 2.30
50. Ralph Lauren 2.26
51. Piaget 2.15
52. Jaeger-LeCoultre 2.14
53. Anne Klein 2.12
54. Michele 2.05
–. Richard Mille 2.05
56. Bulgari 1.95
57. Blancpain 1.78
58. Carl F. Bucherer 1.67
59. Graff 1.59
60. Pulsar 1.38
61. Stauer 1.37
62. ALOR 1.34
63. Ebel 1.33
–. Emporio Armani 1.33
65. Gucci 1.25
66. Kenneth Cole 1.22
67. Frédérique Constant 1.08
68. Hamilton 1.01
69. Jorg Gray 1.00
(Source: Kantar Media)

If you’re an Android or iPad user this is fantastic news! International Watch magazine is now accessible via the Flipboard app! This is great news for all watch people and will be great for getting more exposure to watches in general. Good news for everyone that is interested in watches!

Press Release:
Today, Fine Life Media announces a significant development in its digital strategy, as iW Magazine becomes the first publication in the watch category to have a dedicated channel on Flipboard. Positioned as the leading “social news
magazine,” Flipboard creates a personalized experience on iPhone, iPad and Android devices, amalgamating curated content from preeminent sources online with newsfeeds from social media accounts, blogs and more. The resultant user experience resembles flipping through the pages of a traditional magazine, with the intuitive ‘flip’ onscreen.

Published since 1989, iW Magazine is the definitive resource for watch-related matters, providing in-depth reports on all aspects of horology, from established Swiss watchmaking firms to independent horology houses, product reviews, technical stories, factory tours and more. iW’s specialized content is presented through a monthly print magazine, a comprehensive website – iWmagazine.com – and is now accessible through Flipboard’s specialized Style Channel.

iW Magazine’s Flipboard channel incorporates daily editorial features and news items crafted by a global team of wristwatch experts, a unique ‘Watch of the Day’ feature, and content derived from iWmagazine.com’s innovative ‘From The Source’ brand portal. ‘From The Source’ is iW’s realtime newsfeed, with direct reports from the elite brands in the watchmaking industry. The integration of this content on Flipboard enables to-the-minute updates from the world of horology to reach upwards of 20 million registered Flipboard users.

To date, Flipboard has received top accolades in digital technology, including Apple’s iPad App of the Year, one of TIME’s Top 50 Innovations, and the top social app at the 2012 Webby Awards. Fine Life Media’s president Danny Govberg, a Flipboard devotee, remarked, “Flipboard is the ideal platform for engagement, fundamentally addressing the relationship between print media, social media, and the blogosphere. As a niche publication, iW Magazine is extraordinarily honored by this partnership, and we look forward to expanding our enthusiast community through the
support of digital technology.”

To access iW Magazine’s dedicated channel on Flipboard, visit: http://flpbd.it/iw, or locate it within the Style Channel on Flipboard.

Christopher Ward has released a Chronograph watch that actually has me quite interested. I’ve always found that CW is an interesting company with watches that come in at a very attractive price point, but have never really been particular attracted to the combination of design and components that they have used in the past until now. Christopher Ward is a young company, founded in 2005 and has been creating value-oriented mechanical watches for the past several years.

The C900 features a heavily modified and extended Unitas 6497 base movement that has been updated with a Single pusher chronograph complication and dubbed the JJ02, named after the movement’s designer, Johannes Jahnke.

The C900 Single Pusher Chronograph is not cheap at £2450, but seems to be a great value given the features of the watch. It will be released in a limited edition of 250 pieces, all hand assembled by either Jahnke or his assistant Frank Stelzer. No other information was provided as to size (A CW Forum Member has provided Diameter to be 43mm as seen below in the comments) and water resistance but I would assume fairly large size given the base Unitas movement and water resistance must be decent as well since the gasket system on the crown is highlighted.

From Christopher Ward:

“With its rare complication and bespoke movement, Christopher Ward’s C900 Single Pusher Chronograph is one of the most significant watches to be launched by a British watchmaker this year. The automatic chronograph which can be started, stopped and reset with a single ‘pusher’, or button, represents unrivalled value at £2,450. Available to pre-order from the end of August for mid-October availability, the C900 will allow many watch enthusiasts to buy into a world that they could previously only have dreamt about.

The timeless and understated dial of the C900, with its continuous seconds sub-dial and 30-minute totaliser, was designed by Christopher Ward in Britain, but it is the extensively developed and adapted Unitas 6497 calibre that is the real star of the show. Watchmaker, Johannes Jahnke, based in Christopher Ward’s Swiss atelier, has taken the base movement and turned it into something magnificent.

Right from the start, Jahnke’s aim was to create a calibre which would allow customers to see how every part of the watch functioned, through a wide exhibition back. The first step in achieving his vision was to ensure that the main plate and all the connections fitted the base module like a glove. Jahnke then set about introducing a sliding gear and reworking the bridges, the winding mechanism and the centre and second wheels, as well as the swan-neck adjustment system.

To make so many major mechanical and aesthetic improvements required a mastery of traditional watchmaking skills – which have sadly become increasingly rare. Even among many of the leading luxury watch brands, mass-produced movements have become the accepted standard.

To help him create the new Single Pusher, Jahnke approached Jean Fillon who has worked with chronograph movements ever since the 1940s. Despite an age gap of nearly 60 years the two men struck up a close friendship. Jahnke, affectionately refers to Fillon as ‘opi’, or ‘grandpa’, while the older watchmaker delights in how ‘JJ’ has drawn on his traditional skills to create such an affordable and contemporary chronograph.

For anyone interested in how a purely mechanical device can measure fractions of a second while also keeping time accurately for months on end, the reverse of the C900 provides one of the finest views in the watch world. The C900’s exhibition back reveals a masterpiece of clarity and simplicity. Jahnke’s JJO2 calibre is supremely elegant, clean and, above all, ‘understandable’. It is even possible to see how the sliding gear, clutch and brake allows the chronograph to be controlled by a single pusher, set within the crown.

‘The last chronographs I made cost £70,000,’ says Jahnke, ‘and most of them are probably locked up in a safe somewhere. I have only ever seen one being worn. I’d like more people to get pleasure from my work and understand what I do. Christopher Ward has given me the opportunity to do that. The C900 is a watch which I am hugely proud of, which is also affordable enough to be worn, used and appreciated by a much wider range of customers.’

It is extremely rare for even the most expensive watches to be put together by just one man but that is exactly how each of the 250 limited edition C900s are being assembled – either by Jahnke or his assistant, Frank Stelzer. More than 100 separate jobs and many more parts go into making every watch, and just fitting the hairspring can take 40 minutes – making the price of the C900 all the more remarkable.

Aside from the movement, a vast amount of thought, ingenuity and skill has gone into creating other parts of the C900. For example, the bespoke crown has been designed from scratch in order to overcome the challenge of incorporating the central axis as well as four ‘O’ rings, which allow the pusher to be depressed while still ensuring the watch remains waterproof.

‘The C900 brings the world of complications and the upper end of watchmaking within reach of more people than ever before,’ says Chris Ward. ‘One day we may produce even more complicated watches but the C900 will always be very special for me. Johannes has accomplished something extraordinary.’”

Next Page »