Best Open Casebacks of SIHH

Today’s fine mechanical watches are as beautiful from the back as they are from the wrist-up side. In fact, just to qualify as a fine timepiece, the movement has to be decorated. This includes chamfering, which means beveling the edges of components; perlage, or circular graining, usually done on the base plate; Côtes de Genève, […]

By Carol Besler

Carmelo Anthony’s Haute Time Watch of the Day: Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph 100

For those who remember the thrilling Bi-Frequence 1000, with the Villeret movement that measured elapsed times to 1/1000th of a second, this is a similar, more accessible version. It measures elapsed intervals to 100th of a second according to the same principle, with the newly developed Montblanc/Minerva Caliber MB M66.25. It vibrates at a frequency […]

Best Skeletonized Watches of SIHH 2014

Skeletonization means carving away the bridges and plates of a movement so that only the bones remain, offering a glimpse of the movement. Technically, a watch is “skeletonized” when what is left of the movement is decorated by engraving, gemsetting or filigreeing, and when it is viewed through sapphire crystals at both front and back. […]