François-Paul Journe has described the Chronomètre Souverain as his personal favorite—the watch he wanted to make before any other. It entered the collection in 2005 and quickly became the brand's anchor reference. Seven years into production, the Boutique Edition framework gave Journe a vehicle to explore more expressive dial treatments,...

Likely a piece unique, this 28SC is amongst the most restrained pieces Kari Voutilainen has made. Typically, pieces such as the Vingt-8 sported a petite seconds with its own guilloché. The 28SC embraced a degree of sporting edge via centre seconds in its place. In addition, the classic teardrop lug...

There is no numeral like a Breguet numeral, and even Patek Philippe knows it. This is not a Saatchi, but well before. To commemorate the 2006 opening of the Geneva Salon, which coincided with the end of 3970 production, four special sets each with four metals were made and offered...

The ref. 101.035 'Darth' is one of the most successful references from the brand's earlier years, emblematic of Glashütte watchmaking in every way. Penned by a team of Blümlein, Meis, and Klaus, it is imposing. It was the first standard production Lange reference to be produced with an all-black dial (including...

When the 3940 began, it started at the top. Beyer, the world’s oldest independent retailer in business for 266 years, got the first 25 examples. They even got their name on the dial, over doré, individually numbered. Numbers 1 to 15 have a German dial, while 16 to 25 are...

Well before the Land-Dweller and even before the Oysterquartz, there was this: the 1530. Known colloquially as the ‘mechanical Oysterquartz’, this is in fact an entirely mechanical wristwatch. It is not the first integrated bracelet Rolex (either the Midas, Texano, or ref. 9083 depending on your definition), but it is...