Issue 32

REVOLUTION DIGITAL

Celebrating the Machine with a Heartbeat

REVOLUTION DIGITAL4 min read
Founder’s Note
When it comes to codas for one’s life there are few as poignant as the one spoken by dying replicant Roy Batty played by the incomparable Rutger Hauer in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min read
Editor’s Note
Confession: I’m a little obsessed with pub quizzes and trivia nights, but in no way am I remotely good at it. Which is a terrible thing, because editors are, as I’ve told friends in the past, professional Internet surfers and jacks of all trades, but
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
Only Watch Breaks Records For The Biennial Auction
Last month saw numerous collectors, brands and auction representatives convening at the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues Geneva for the eighth edition of the Only Watch Auction and its most successful yet. The biannual event, organised in benefit of Du
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min readFashion
Celebrity Watchspotting
Big Sean dropped his trippy music video for “Bezerk” featuring A$AP Ferg, Hit-Boy and a giant Jacob & Co. Five Time Zone reimagined as a clock tower. One of the maison’s iconic and heritage pieces, the watch is powered by a Swiss quartz ETA with four
REVOLUTION DIGITAL5 min read
A. LANGE & SÖHNE: GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
In 1896 Henri Mazel applied the term la synergie sociale in his argument against Darwin’s theory of evolution, which he felt did not take into consideration “social love,” or the capacity for two human beings to, together become greater than the sum
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min read
Introducing The Excalibur Spider Unique Series Minute Repeater
The keeper of the story of the Excalibur Spider Unique Series minute repeater is none other than the brand’s product strategy director, Gregory Bruttin. Because if it weren’t for him sticking to his guns to insist that Roger Dubuis should go ahead to
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Cartier London: A Great Vintage
As one of precious few brands with the initiative (and the confidence) to look after clients who love their vintage pieces, a recent announcement gives a further boon to collectors. Having restored and curated a selection of historic pieces for sale
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Blancpain Celebrates The Art Of Living In Asia
Swiss watchmaker Blancpain has long championed the seas, but less known is its celebration of haute cuisine with notable chefs such as Gérald Passedat and Joël Robuchon. Across the world it’s developed a language and conversation with high watchmakin
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readAutomotive
Everything But The Watch
German automobile maker Porsche has been exploring electric drivetrains for some time now, and the concept Mission E that was first shown to the public in 2017 was finally realised and announced as the upcoming Taycan. More recently, it’s announced t
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min readFashion
And The Winner Is… Highlights Of The ‘Watchmaking Oscars’
One of the more prestigious watch industry awards celebrations took place in early November, the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), celebrating the cream of modern horology in 19 categories. The victors were chosen from a list of 84 pre-select
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min read
WHISKY HOUR: THE MACALLAN BOUTIQUE COLLECTION 2019 & AUDEMARS PIGUET CODE 11:59 MINUTE REPEATER
Macallan likes to create whisky for every kind of person and perhaps the expressions they have the most fun with are those for the jet set. To mark the launch of The Macallan Boutique programme, a new expression has been unveiled that will be exclusi
REVOLUTION DIGITAL9 min readFashion
The Lovers Assemble
The gentle rain splashed lightly on the cobblestones in front of the Hotel Lutetia, causing the guests, decked out in tuxes and evening gowns, to squirm slightly as they attempted to avoid getting wet. Outside the hotel, a platoon of executive cars a
REVOLUTION DIGITAL10 min readAstronomy & Space Sciences
The Sun, The Moon And The Stars
Since human prehistory, we’ve been fascinated as a species with the night sky. I’m curious as to how our earliest predecessors must have reacted to the myriad of transformations in the heavens, but it’s easy to forget how these celestial movements he
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
40 Years On
Singapore’s watch retail scene is one of the most mature across the world, fueled by a large number of keen collectors based in this locale as well as the dedication of a few key watch retail firms, one of which is The Hour Glass. Founded in 1979 by
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Nomos
Nomos first started to retail with The Hour Glass in Singapore, back in 2015. Prior to that, anyone in the region looking to get their hands-on a timepiece from the German watchmaker would’ve had to resort to Nomos’ online shop. So welcomed and succe
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Sinn
Sinn marks The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary with the 356 Pilot The Hour Glass Commemorative Edition, limited to 100 pieces. Continuing on with the limited editions created to mark The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary, Sinn presents today a special execut
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min readFashion
Chopard
The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary watch announcements continue today courtesy of Geneva-based jeweller and watchmaker, Chopard. Contributing to the lineup now, Chopard has created one for the fairer gender: a special rendition of their well-known Happ
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Ulysse Nardin
Continuing on with limited editions created in line with The Hour Glass’ 40th anniversary, we now have Ulysse Nardin, with a special execution of their Freak X. The Hour Glass and Ulysse Nardin are longstanding partners, with The Hour Glass having be
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Longines
Aviation tugs at our heartstrings on several levels, not least the freedom promised by open skies, the romance of adventure and also the heart-stopping pace with which this field of endeavour has blitz from balloons and dirigibles of bygone eras to j
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
De Bethune
The Hour Glass has long been a champion of independent watchmakers. One such brand is De Bethune, a highly revered name in the realm. To speak of just some of their achievements and original contributions to the knowledge set of watchmaking, we can s
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Urwerk
In the early 2000s, group managing director of The Hour Glass Michael Tay encountered two creative talents of the industry, Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner, who had just set up URWERK. The avant-garde designer and watchmaker duo had devised a new w
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
MB&F
Since the ingenious inventor that’s Maximilian Büsser established MB&F, he’s found a reliable and notable retail partner in The Hour Glass, so naturally the 40th anniversary celebrations finds Büsser in the works. As he says, “the early days of MB&F
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Audemars Piguet
The Hour Glass has made some epic announcements and launches planned to mark this special year. The entire year’s proceedings kicked off with several video interviews that were published on their YouTube channel, featuring some remarkable names from
REVOLUTION DIGITAL4 min readFashion
STEELY DAN: THE A. LANGE & SÖHNE ODYSSEUS
25 years on from the launch of the four references that marked a new life for A. Lange & Söhne, guided by the hands of industry legends Günter Blümlein and Walter Lange, the Saxon watchmaker is now primed to introduce a fresh collection into its fami
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min readFashion
Face Value
Métiers d’art are the delectable darlings amidst elaborate horological mechanisms, but don’t let that fool you. The tradition of decorative crafts is an important part of a watchmaker’s legacy, the savoir faire that elevates watchmaking to its pinnac
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min readFashion
The Arc Of Time
“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective point of view it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey… stuff,” said David Tennant’s Doctor in an episode of Doctor Who
REVOLUTION DIGITAL4 min readFashion
The Whirlwinds Of Change
Before I begin this piece, I have to offer a confession: I’ve always had a very soft spot for Breguet’s watches, because it was one of the first high watchmaking brands I encountered as a young man writing about watches around 14 years ago. It’s diff
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Styling It Up
Formulating a design language for a nascent watch collection can be a difficult challenge. Refining an existing one is far more complex. But that’s what Davide Cerrato, the managing director of Montlbanc’s watch division, has spent the last four year
REVOLUTION DIGITAL4 min readFashion
Black Is The New Black
Chanel is known for its ability to turn what are perceived as gender-specific products into objects that the other gender covets. It really started with the late Mr. Lagerfeld and his penchant for putting male models in Chanel tweed suits, but with a
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Winter Scenes From Iwate: The Grand Seiko Sbgr319
If Japanese penmakers can create whole collections of delightful inks inspired by the colors of seasons and scenery in Japan, it is no surprise that Grand Seiko should produce limited editions of watches with special dials that evoke the memory and c
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Moon Rise
The Moon has always had a dramatic flair in watchmaking, in part because of its historical association with timekeeping, but also because of its depiction in tales. Lately, our obsession with moon phase watches has ranged from focusing on precision t
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Full Metal Fugu
The original 1993 Citizen Promaster NY004 diver made an impression with two signature elements: the left-hand positioning of its crown, and the smooth and serrated-edged bezel that inspired its pufferfish moniker. This first “Fugu” remained unchanged
REVOLUTION DIGITAL6 min read
The Aerodynamism Of Richard Mille
Our founder Wei Koh often likes to joke that after God created the personne unique that is Mr Richard Mille, he broke the mould on that development. Every so often and in each generation, we’ve discovered leaders and unconventional thinkers in each i
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
2019 Revolution Awards
Revolutionary Watch of the Year One pivotal question we ask ourselves when choosing the Revolutionary Watch of the Year is not only whether the nominated watch is an incredible feat of watchmaking. It also needs to represent a real breakthrough in th
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
Urwerk X De Bethune
The best collaboration of the year is also one that contains a charitable aspect to it, which provides another great reason to give this award to the De Bethune x URWERK Moon Satellite for Only Watch 2019. This unique piece, auctioned during the Only
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Patek Philippe
Since its inception, the Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot — launched in 2015 as the 5524 — has been the subject of divisive comments and heated discussions, both for and against this daring aviator-type watch. With its brilliant dual time functionality
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
The Tudor Black Bay Chrono Dark
To mark the Rugby World Cup 2019, Tudor teamed up with the New Zealand All Blacks to present the Tudor Black Bay Chrono Dark. And while the All Blacks never made it past the semi-finals, clearly, at least with Revolution’s Instagram followers, the Bl
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical
Earlier in the year when Hamilton shared the Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical with Revolution behind closed doors, we knew right then that we wanted to help launch the watch in some manner. The Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical is a faithful modern recrea
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
Grand Seiko Elegance
Grand Seiko’s 20th anniversary celebration of the Spring Drive this year brought about several incredible pieces, most notably the highly limited SBGZ001”Snowflake” that wowed critics across the world and was immediately snapped up by collectors, eve
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Chopard Alpine Eagle
Given the predilection of the entire world towards sports luxe or sports elegance models, we figured that it was appropriate to have a segment and award dedicated to the category. And with the litany of options out there, we debated internally if we
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Chronographgmt Automatic
There’s plenty that’s been covered about this watch both within the pages of Revolution as well as across the entire industry. When it comes to refreshing the watch collection of the brand, CEO of Bvlgari Jean-Christophe Babin has done a magnificent
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min read
MB&F LEGACY MACHINE FLYINGT
When the genteel Mr. Büsser first told us that the FlyingT, the brand’s first female-oriented Legacy Machine timepiece, had been developed without any input from the fairer sex, we were admittedly a little skeptical of the outcome, or at least, how t
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Blancpain Air Command
Our first encounter with the 2019 Air Command was at the Blancpain Le Brassus manufacture, in the hands of the man at the helm, Mr Marc Hayek. In that moment in time, it did not matter that this is a recreation of a past rarity, it did not matter tha
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min readFashion
Wilhelm Schmid
If it were merely for the launch of the polarising, yet wonderfully daring Lange Odysseus (the word, a sobriquet bestowed upon the watch by none other than Johann Rupert) — a watch whose penchant for striking into unknown territory, rivals only the e
REVOLUTION DIGITAL2 min read
Richard Mille
In 1947, some 45,000 feet above the Mojave Desert, the world’s first sonic boom split the sky apart, signaling Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier by achieving the speed of Mach 1.05. The world would never be the same again. Similarly, some 18 ye
REVOLUTION DIGITAL9 min read
Revealing The Planet Earth
On 29 May, 1953, a team of bold gentlemen took the final steps to summitting the highest peak in the world, nearly a century after it was identified as the highest point on Earth and after eight previous attempts to summit it by the British and 11 ac
REVOLUTION DIGITAL4 min read
Looking Into The Future
While Rolex’s support of exploration and its development of the Perpetual Planet campaign has persisted, it’s gone further by further sponsoring and supporting entrepreneurs with great solutions for the future. Through the Rolex Awards for Enterprise
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min read
Omega
What if today Aston Martin launched a special series of DB4 Zagatos, their lightweight aluminum panels hand beaten to the exact design specifications of Ercole Spada incorporating the stunning double air tunnels in the car’s distinctive bonnet. But t
REVOLUTION DIGITAL6 min readFashion
The Ibe Factor
“I like jogging and growing organic vegetables.” Oddly mild words coming from an individual who is today known to have created one of the most rugged wristwatches the world has ever known. But this was how the man — now the research and development c
REVOLUTION DIGITAL8 min read
The Lion King
Who doesn’t know Seiko in this part of the world? The brand was a part of my life and childhood growing up, from the wall clocks I had at home growing up to the earliest watches I owned. Yes, my collecting days started early, with a selection of Flik
REVOLUTION DIGITAL8 min readFashion
Time Tamed
The passage of time is a concept that has captivated the attention of Mankind since the Stone Age. Throughout history, our attempts to measure and define the time of day has constantly and repeatedly collided with the powerful influences of art and c
REVOLUTION DIGITAL1 min readFashion
Time To Wear
I met Alessandro few years ago and I discovered we shared the same passions regarding vintage watches and vintage clothing. Over the years, he’s amassed a great quantity of very interesting watches, to name a few: Omega Speedmasters and Seamasters, m
REVOLUTION DIGITAL8 min readFashion
The Rolex Bling Thing — Daytona Days
For a while now, certain people have been sharing pictures on social media of Rolex sports models that would look more at home of the wrist of Liberace, driving a gold Rolls-Royce through the streets of Saint Tropez than they would on the wrist of a
REVOLUTION DIGITAL3 min read
It Makes You Wonder
“SIHH Is No More!” So screamed the headlines in one of the watch industry trade sites, heralding the change of the watch fair’s name to Watches & Wonders, signifying a hook-up with the existing, open-to-the-public horological road show held in Miami

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