The Asymétrique began in 1936, when Cartier unveiled a watch that deliberately broke its own rules. Known originally as the Tank Parallélogramme (also the Oblique), it was the last Tank released during Louis Cartier's lifetime. Its lozenge-shaped case tilted the dial 30 degrees clockwise, a trick born of the era's...

The most modern machine at Haldimann is an optical microscope from the ’60s, certainly not a CNC. Haldimann’s workshop and entire operation is his home, a villa overlooking the river Aare in Thun that has a deliberately meditative vibe. His eponymous independent manufacture makes 20-30 watches per year, entirely in...

The original Cornes de Vache (translates as cow horn) from 1955 combined two technical innovations: Vacheron’s first water-resistant and antimagnetic chronograph. Those technical steps have been largely forgetten by most, but what has stayed front of mind was the design—featuring some of the most sculptural lugs ever on a case....

In 1995, Audemars Piguet turned 120. To mark the occasion, AP looked into their catalogue for the most prestigious, representative piece it could build upon and landed, naturally, on the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. The result was the ref. 25810OR, produced that year in a run of just 120 examples—one...

Early Roger Dubuis, in design and finish, often feels closer to the Patek Philippe of old than much of Patek Philippe does today. It could not feel more separate from the brand's modern incarnation. This brief flash of brilliance came directly after Dubuis had spent nearly two decades at Patek,...

When most of the industry scrambled to fit quartz movements into their collections, Peter Baumberger correctly read the quartz crisis as a passing phase and an opportunity. He slowly purchased the rights to the Urban Jürgensen & Sønner name along with machinery the industry had written off as obsolete, partnering...