WatchTime India - July - September 2024

In this issue

WatchTime India’s July-September issue features Frederique Constant Classic Date Manufacture, a 40mm elegant and affordable dress watch, on the cover. Dive deep into Bovet’s Recital ‘Prowess 1’, a worldtimer with a new roller mechanism for Daylight Saving Time (DST), and Panerai’s Submersible Elux Lab-ID, which combines electric fields with mechanical movement for luminescence. There are interviews with Aditya Sambhare, a full-time watchmaker based in Pune; Romaric André of seconde/seconde/ fame, known for ‘vandalising’ and creating quirky watch designs; author Aashdin Billimoria, whose new book features vintage Swiss watches from his personal collection; and Breitling CEO Georges Kern, who reflects on the brand’s 140th anniversary. Developments at Tudor manufacture and the Kenissi movement-making facility are explored, along with insights into Swatch’s creative process, and the horological connections between Switzerland and China. Our Tests & Reviews section covers Rolex’s first titanium watch, the Deepsea Challenge, and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute Chronograph. The key timepieces from Watches and Wonders 2024 are also highlighted.

Iconic

Vacheron Constantin unveiled Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication, the most complicated watch ever created with 63 complications, surpassing their previous record of 57 in the Reference 57260 in 2015. Designed for billionaire William R. Berkley, this watch incorporates a Chinese calendar programmed until 2200.

1 min

Creative Angle

The Long Island timepiece by Franck Muller was introduced in the year 2000 as a three-hand watch and featured a rounded rectangular case celebrating the Art Deco era.

1 min

Liftoff

With the Apogee Karman Line, Bangalore Watch Company has become the first Indian watch brand to test a wristwatch in space

2 mins

New in India

Swiss luxury multi-brand retailer TimeVallée has launched its physical boutiques in India

2 mins

Bigger, Better

Watch Time India partnered with Ethos Limited for the launch of its biggest boutique in the country, in Kochi

1 min

Looking Back to Move Forward

Three neo-vintage Patek Philippe references that every watch collector should consider

4 mins

HIGH TIME

All the conversation starters we loved at Watches and Wonders 2024

10+ mins

SAVING THE DAY

Bovet Fleurier SA has created a world timer that takes Daylight Saving Time into consideration, combined with a roller system display that allows travellers to calibrate their watch to any of the 24 global time zones. Meet the Récital 28 'Prowess 1'.

6 mins

In its Prime

As Breitling turns 140 this year, we speak to CEO Georges Kern on the brand’s legacy, and how it continues to cater to watch enthusiasts and collectors

6 mins

Pure and Simple

After reaching several milestones in its relatively young journey, Frederique Constant is now packing a punch with its newest entry-level offering, the updated Classic Date Manufacture

6 mins

Bright Idea

In a technological breakthrough, Panerai's new Submersible Elux Lab-ID combines electric fields with a mechanical movement for a powerful luminescence

5 mins

DEEP INSIDE THE CREATIVE SYSTEM OF SWATCH

In February, WatchTime got to see Swatch's ultra-modern Sistem51 production in Boncourt and talk with the brand's CEO about the power of ideas, collaborations, and sustainability, shortly before the launch of the Omega x Swatch ‘Mission to the Moonphase' MoonSwatch in March 2024

2 mins

INTERVIEW WITH ALAIN VILLARD, CEO OF SWATCH

I believe the pressure on Swatch brand has always been there. Let’s not forget, the group is called ‘Swatch Group’, and that means people automatically have more expectations of a brand that saved the entire watch industry in the ‘80s.

10+ mins

Travelling the Horological Silk Road Between Switzerland And China

How outsourcing the production of components for Swiss watch brands has influenced China's own watch industry

7 mins

Person of Interest

From picking watchmaking as a hobby to transitioning into a full-time watchmaker working on commissioned pieces, the self-taught Aditya Sambhare has come a long way

5 mins

REBEL WITH A CAUSE

'Vandalising' vintage watches and creating new ones with a quirky yet thoughtful narrative-meet Romaric André, the creative force behind seconde/seconde/

5 mins

FORWARD MARCH

Since it opened three years ago, the Tudor Manufacture and the Kenissi movementmaking facility next door have gone a long way to give Tudor independence and a stronger identity. WatchTime India visited the state-of-the-art facilities...

7 mins

The Master of Mechanical Magic

How Andreas Strehler's passion for a good challenge has led to the most ingenious watches

5 mins

OLD FLAMES

In conversation with author, archivist, historian, and collector Aashdin Billimoria about his new book, A Comprehensive Guide to Vintage Swiss Watches, which features his personal collection

8 mins

Titan Of The Depths

Rolex's first titanium the Deepsea watch Challenge-is water resistant to a record-setting depth of 11,000 metres. How does the 50mm model fit into everyday life?

7 mins

SMOOTH TURN

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph is based on a model from 1996. The mechanical watch renaissance at that time saw the launch of a newly developed integrated chronograph with a special series of hand-wound complications. Its successor is available in rose gold with a black dial or in stainless steel with a blue-grey dial, the version we examine in this story.

6 mins

THE CITIZEN HAS ARRIVED

The Japanese giant is expanding its global footprint of higher end watches

4 mins

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WatchTime India Magazine Description:

Launched in 2012, WatchTime India is the result of a collaboration between America's most-read watch magazine, WatchTime and India's leading media house, Malayala Manorama. With an aim to popularize and celebrate the evolving watch culture of the country, the publication is your one-stop destination for everything related to fine luxury watches. From the latest tests to reviews, to exclusive features on the history and horological heritage of some of the most spectacular watch brands of the world, WatchTime India has a lot to offer.