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Special Reports /

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Luxury watch houses are reviving skilled goldsmithing techniques, such as hand engraving for the creation of the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Tour de l’Île. Photo: Handout
Timepieces

How luxury houses are reviving elaborate goldsmithing techniques on watches

Breguet, Piaget and Buccellati are 3 more famous brands adding elaborate handcrafting to the gold surfaces of their timepieces.

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Timepieces for a sporty lifestyle, from Rolex, Omega and Richard Mille

Timepieces

Why meteorite dials are taking off … from Rolex to Omega

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Mechanical marvels: when watchmakers push horological boundaries

Luxury maisons showcase extreme engineering feats through their complex timepieces that include intricate designs and groundbreaking technology.

Pushing boundaries (from left): De Bethune Kind of Grande Complication, IWC Portugeisier Eternal Calendar, Jaeger LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon. Photos: Handout
Pushing boundaries (from left): De Bethune Kind of Grande Complication, IWC Portugeisier Eternal Calendar, Jaeger LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon. Photos: Handout
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The return of the three-hand watch – H. Moser & Cie embraces simplicity

Free of complications, dress watches from big names and smaller brands shine the spotlight on materials, colours and design elements for visually stunning results.

Timepieces

Is now the best time to invest in luxury watches? How to shop second-hand

The luxury watch market is cooling down after the pandemic-fuelled boom, offering an opportunity for collectors to snag coveted timepieces at more affordable prices.

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Timepieces

Why is timepiece customisation so controversial?

Some wealthy watch owners seek to lend their pieces even more exclusive identities by customising them … but does it enhance or lessen value?

This photo from Blaken shows customisation of watches ordered by clients who are the owners of those timepieces. Blaken is not affiliated with any watch brand shown. Photo: Handout
This photo from Blaken shows customisation of watches ordered by clients who are the owners of those timepieces. Blaken is not affiliated with any watch brand shown. Photo: Handout
Timepieces

The year in watchmaking, wrapped – 24 moments in 2024

From watch fairs and bumper vintage auctions to landmark releases, and from C-suite moves to new A-list collectors, here are 24 of the most important events that shaped high horology this year.

Timepieces

Meet Hong Kong’s teenage watchmaker Ricky Hong, who’s already making waves

The watchmaking prodigy has drawn scepticism because of his young age, but his passion and talent have already earned him recognition in the horological world.

Timepieces

Beyond the Cartier Crash: why asymmetrical watches are here to stay

The Cartier Crash has long defined unconventionally shaped timepieces, but a provocative renaissance is now under way as newer brands make their mark.

New watch brands like Berneron are pushing the boundaries in dial shape, as seen on this Mirage Sienna. Photo: Handout
Timepieces

Blast from the past: watchmakers delve into their archives to revive classics

Some watch designs are so enduring, their appeal defies the passage of time and syncs with contemporary trends and styles, making them desirable through the decades.

Looking back at simpler times (from left): Grand Seiko SLGW005, Piaget Polo 79, Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve. Photos: Handout
Looking back at simpler times (from left): Grand Seiko SLGW005, Piaget Polo 79, Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve. Photos: Handout
Watch Edit

Watch Edit: Tudor adds a Formula One model to its long dive heritage

Metas-certified Black Bays add to the brand’s technical chops while the latest Pelagos maintains the proud lineage of models worn by the French Navy.

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When simple won’t do: 7 watches that are beyond three hands and a dial

A growing and more knowledgeable audience for watches is driving the search for creative and alternative approaches to telling the time

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Square with flair: 6 watches bringing the unusual dial shape back in 2024

Square watches are not new, but an upswing in interest in 1970s-inspired square ‘TV’ dials has turned more brands on to the possibilities

From left to right: Tag Heuer Monaco Skeleton; Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor; Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date
Timepieces

Meet Mark Cho, the dapper gent behind The Armoury and Hong Kong’s new Pedder Arcade

The keen watch collector talks about his favourite pieces and latest lifestyle venture, which brings together The Armoury with Phillips Perpetual, the auctioneer’s watch boutique, and other purveyors of fine menswear

Mark Cho is co-founder of the Armoury and one of the masterminds behind Pedder Arcade. Photo: Akita Daisuke
Mark Cho is co-founder of the Armoury and one of the masterminds behind Pedder Arcade. Photo: Akita Daisuke
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2023 in review: our editor’s pick of 24 epic moments in watchmaking

From Rihanna’s blinged-out Jacob & Co. choker to Cristiano Ronaldo’s stake in Chrono24, it was an especially glamorous year in the world of watchmaking

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How heritage watches are finding a new lease of life – from the Tank to the Ludo

From Cartier’s classic Tank and Van Cleef & Arpels’s ornate Ludo to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, these famous old watches are finding new fans today thanks to respectful reissues

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Rolex, Cartier and 5 other dress watches that pushed boundaries in 2023

Discerning collectors want elegant and seemingly simple dress watches that are packed with superlative mechanics, and even a complication or two

From left to right: Nomos Glashütte Orion Neomatik 175 Years Watchmaking; Rolex 1908; Cartier Tank Louis Cartier 2023
From left to right: Nomos Glashütte Orion Neomatik 175 Years Watchmaking; Rolex 1908; Cartier Tank Louis Cartier 2023
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6 luxury watches featuring twin balance wheels and far-out designs

Twin balance wheels serve a dual purpose – improved accuracy and often, spectacular visual appeal, as some of these timepieces show

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Lifting the lid on Hong Kong’s exclusive watch hang-out The Lavish Attic

As the pioneering independent watch boutique turns 10, we sat down with founder Piano Chow to talk about independent watchmakers, working with H. Moser & Cie and F.P. Journe, and what true collectors are really looking for

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From Swatch x Blancpain to Patek x Tiffany, watch collaborations are here to stay

Watchmakers from Patek Philippe and Richard Mille to Swatch and Cartier have all welcomed fashionable collaborations with mainstream brands that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago – and the results are undeniable

A Mission to the Moon MoonSwatch with a seconds hand made of Omega’s Moonshine Gold. Today, watchmakers Omega, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Blancpain, Richard Mille and Swatch show the value of collaborations, working together with each other and the likes of Louis Vuitton, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Tiffany & Co. Photo: @swatch/Instagram
Style Edit

Style Edit: The Hong Kong A-listers spotted at Tudor’s recent exhibition

Mirror’s Jer lau and Stanley Yau both turned out for the opening at Hong Kong Maritime Museum, with its displays of watchmaking and of the long history of adventurous ambassadors

Mirror members Jer Lau and Stanley Yau at the opening of the Tudor Manufacture Exhibition: A New Era of Watchmaking at Hong Kong Maritime Museum. Photo: Handout
Mirror members Jer Lau and Stanley Yau at the opening of the Tudor Manufacture Exhibition: A New Era of Watchmaking at Hong Kong Maritime Museum. Photo: Handout
Timepieces

6 timepiece highlights from Dubai Watch Week, from Louis Vuitton to Breitling

From new watch launches to discussions and artisanal workshops, the event drew some of the world’s top horological brands, collectors and enthusiasts

Timepieces

Which luxury brands tried watchmaking first … and got it right?

Away from the big Swiss powerhouses, luxury maisons have been making their own watches for decades – take a look back at what today’s big brands can learn from the successful crossovers of the past

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Titan of time: 6 titanium watches every collector should clock in 2023

Harder, better, faster and stronger? Channel Daft Punk and Kanye West’s steely aesthetic with a titanium timepiece – one of 2023’s big watch trends to clock

Titanium watches to clock in 2023, from left to right: Rolex Yacht-Master 42; GPHG 2023 Sports category winner Tudor Pelagos 39; Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer
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