Seiko’s Alpinist story begins in 1959, on ridgelines where white clouds skim cedar peaks and climbers carry little more than hemp rope, iron crampons and the fierce optimism of post-war Japan. Engineers in Tokyo realised those “yama-otoko” needed a watch that could shrug off snow,...
Step into any Mayfair watch lounge and mention Patek Philippe Nautilus. Conversations hush, wrists are subtly raised, and seasoned collectors exchange knowing smiles. Launched during the head-spinning upheaval of the 1970s Quartz Crisis, the Nautilus proved that real prestige was forged by inventive design and...
Everest Origins and Early Testing Ask a climber what time it is on the final push to 8,848 metres and the answer matters more than etiquette. On the 1953 British Everest expedition, wristwatches were survival tools, and Rolex supplied several prototypes to measure not just...
Stroll past the windows of London’s most exclusive jewellers and a question often surfaces on search bars afterwards: “How much are Richard Mille watches?” The answer, invariably staggering, is only half the story. When the first Richard Mille reference appeared in 2001, it shook a...
The Western Front of 1917 presented a tableau of churned mud and thunderous machinery that seemed light-years from the scented salons of Rue de la Paix. Yet it was here, staring at the angular silhouette of the new Renault FT-17, that Louis Cartier saw order...
In early May, the chandeliers inside Phillips’ Geneva saleroom glowed like freshly polished balance wheels. Bidders lined the wooden benches, clutching numbered paddles, while anxious specialists whispered last-minute estimates. When the hammer finally fell on the Breguet Sympathique No 1, applause echoed under the vaulted...