One could argue whether the Resonance or Tourbillon is FP Journe’s signature, but it’s certainly one of the pair. The Tourbillon Souverain ‘TN’—Tourbillon Nouveau — debuted in April 2004 and ran until 2018, when the Tourbillon Souverain Vertical and its calibre 1519 succeeded. It replaced the brass-movement Reference T directly,...

A ref. 110.049—better known as the Dubail—is about to head to auction for the first time in awhile, and that’s a big deal for the Lange 1. It belongs to the Soirée family, introduced in 2001, which gave the Lange 1 a mother-of-pearl dial. Most say the reference was created...

This is a salmon dial 25661BC, a unicorn amongst 36mm QP collecting. Audemars Piguet built reference 25661 from 1985 to 1994, and the factory ledgers put total output at 342 pieces: 244 in yellow gold, 37 in platinum, 32 in white gold, and 29 in pink gold. That makes the...

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....