The Big Pilot's Watch: Supplied to the German Luftwaffe in 1940 in an edition of 1,000 watches. With a case diameter of 55mm, a height of 16.5mm and a weight of 183g, it was the most imposing IWC wristwatch ever built.  Let’s face it, most of us dream about becoming pilots or astronauts at some point in our lives. For the determined few, they fulfill their dream and become pilots, while for the uninitiated like me, I just like to wear the watches and leave the dream where it’s supposed to be. So when I came across pilot’s watches a few years ago, I started to learn more about their origins and histories. Many questions came up like “why is the design used by so many brands with no end in sight”? I will start with its early origins, its association with pilots and if you’re really interested, some B-uhr’s that are worth owning.The earliest known origin of the Navigator’s watch came in the form of the Longines Weems second-setting watch.

The new face of luxury timekeeping. Do take the time to stop and stare. The name and the brand Hermès has always been synonymous to luxury and quality craftsmanship. First established by Thierry Hermès in 1837 as a harness workshop, the product lines of the company soon grew to include clothing, leather goods, handbags, perfume, tableware and jewelry. Today, Hermes is a multi-million dollar firm with hundreds of boutiques and franchises across the globe, and continues to provide nothing but the highest-quality goods for its clientele. In the year 2000, La Montre Hermès approached Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier with the intent of developing its own watch line. The company chose its partner well, as Vaucher Manufacture had a long and distinguished tradition of creating superb-quality mechanical watches. The collaboration resulted in the Dressage wristwatch, featuring the highprecision H 1928 calibre, which debuted in 2003.

Officine Panerai watches are normally a sight to behold, but their recent partnership with Ferrari makes them even more of a collector’s item. Billed as Ferrari Engineered by Officine Panerai, the watch collection displays the engineering, technology, design, style, tradition, sportiness and passion synonymous with the two brands. The two collections--Scuderia and Granturismo--are designed for those who have a fondness for “Made In Italy” exclusive creations that can also boast of outstanding functions. And for those that still want more from the Panerai-Ferrari partnership, five new iterations stand out. The first is the Ferrari Chronograph Red Dial 45 mm, featuring a polished steel case with brushed steel edges, two screw down chronograph push pieces and a crown with rims worked in a square grid pattern.

ORANGE, simply put is a color between red and yellow. But what has this got to do with diving or the DOXA SUB? It has been tested and proven that when you go diving, the color that is most visible underwater is the color orange. The DOXA SUB has built its reputation on this fact and the color orange. Few non-divers have heard of the watch company DOXA, but if ever a definitive history of the dive watch is written, one manufacturer will stand along side the likes of Rolex, Blancpain, and Omega as being a great dive watch. DOXA S.A. Is a small company from Bienne, Switzerland, but it did more to push the boundaries of submersible watches than many bigger competitors. DOXA was founded in 1889 in the heart of Switzerland’s Canton District of Neuchatel’s Jura mountains by George Ducommun (1868-1936). In 1910, he registered the name DOXA, which in Greek means glory, and began to use it on all his timepieces.

TISSOT QUADRATO CHRONO Tissot squares off the competition with a square-faced chronograph.Tissot’s Quadrato Chrono comes with a 30-minute, 1/10th of a second and 60-second counters. A 316L stainless steel case protects its ET A G10.211 calibre.Tissot Quadrato ChronoSeries: QuadratoFunctions: Chronograph(30 minutes, 1/10 of a second, 60 seconds), date, hours, minutes, secondsCase: 316L stainless steelCalibre: ETA G10.211Water Resistance: 100mBracelet Strap: Rubber strap with deployant buckle and push-buttonTISSOT'S HERMETIC TIMEPIECE first made its debut in the Roaring ’20s.

The Seiko Watch Corporation has always been at the forefront of watch-making technology. With its latest release of the Spring Drive, the company looks poised to spark yet another major change in the industry.Driven to Lead Seiko has always taken great pride in being an innovator. From its humble beginnings as a clock supply factory and clockmaker established toward the end of the 19th century in the Ginza district of Tokyo, it ventured into watch-making, eventually releasing its first wristwatch model in 1924. But it was in 1969 that Seiko attained global fame by becoming the first watch company to successfully develop and market quartz watch technology. The world’s very first quartz watch, the Astron, was launched on December 25, 1969, months ahead of its Swiss competitors. This was quite a remarkable feat at the time, since Swiss manufacturers had long been recognized as the leaders in creating high-end, quality timepieces.

As they did at the 2007 Baselworld show, Hysek has once again managed to come up with a piece that was a certified hit at the 2008 annual gathering.  In fact, long after the lights went out and the doors to Baselworld ’08 were closed, visitors and the press were still raving about the manufacture’s centerpiece, the mind-boggling Colosso, a minute repeater GMT that again displays the technical competence of Hysek SA when it comes to creating extremely complicated mechanisms. Though a great deal of time was consumed on the watch case’s finishing and detailing, it is the mechanical complication that is amazing; that and the three dimensional 12mm replica of the Earth that seems suspended from the 12 o’clock position. This is no static representation of the planet, as it rotates on a 24-hour period and can be set to do so either at the local time or Greenwich Mean Time.

1839: On May 1, Antoine Norbert de Patek and Francois Czapek founded the firm Patek, Czapek & Co. in Geneva, with head offices located at 29 Quai Des Bergues.1842: Jean Adrien Philippe made the first watch which could be wound and set by means of crown. 1843: On May 29, Antoine Norbert de Patek obtains Swiss Citizenship. 1844: Antoine Norbert de Patek meets Jean Adrien Philippe at the universal Exhibition in Paris. 1844: Jean Adrien Philippe is awarded the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris for his revolutionary system of keyless winding. 1845: On April 22, Philippe is accorded Patent no:1317 for his first system of winding by means of the crown. 1845: On May 1st, Antoine Norbert de Patek with his partners Jean Adrien Philippe and Vincent Gostkowski found in Geneva the firm Patek Philippe & Co, located at 15 quai Des Bergues. 1845: On May 17, The firm Patek, Czapek & Co changes name, officially adopting the name Patek & Co.

IWC reminds us of the real reason why our time is valuable.When my son was born, I, as a hardcore watch enthusiast, began the process of figuring out what his first watch would be. It had to be the right watch for the right reasons. Many of the moneyed choose a Rolex for this occasion because, and I quote them on this, at least it can always be pawned. A perfectly good reason you have to admit, but not one I necessarily want as prominent in my thought process. You could also go the extreme expense route, looking at only the Pateks and Vacherons of the horological world. While that from an enthusiast view is fine, it didn’t fit well with my own vision of what I wanted the watch to say. About myself and my dreams and priorities, and about what I thought about when I looked at my son. I ended up choosing something that spoke of history, heritage, expertise and even a bit of humor and fun.

Horacio Pagani has up and done it again. As if he wasn’t busy enough with building his Zonda supercars, he is opening a new facility half a block away from his headquarters in Modena. The new facility is three times larger with carbon fiber ovens consequently three times the size they are now, it will help speed up the production line immensely along with the space to develop entirely new products. If there was even a smidgen of doubt whether the Pagani Company was healthy or not, the presentation of the expansion program was enough to convince me of Horacio’s resolve. Horacio completely understands that it’s imperative for him to break into the US market to thrive, so you will see more than the 2 official cars in that country too, hence the extensive investments back into the factory for expansion.