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Armin Strom introduces the Orbit Purple

MARCH 25 2025    |    Watches and Wonders 2025

With the Orbit, we’ve created the world’s first on-demand pointer-date on a bezel. And in doing so, we didn’t just rethink a complication — we introduced a whole new experience. Most watches just force the date on you. The date function is always present — whether you like it or not, it shifts at midnight, ticking off another day. The Orbit? It’s different. It only displays the date when you ask.


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JUNE 04 2026    |    Novelties

C BY ROMAIN GAUTHIER TITANIUM EDITION BRACELET LUMEN DIAL: LIGHT AS A CORE DESIGN MATERIAL

Independent manufacture Romain Gauthier illuminates its modern horological vision with the unveiling of the C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet Lumen dial (Ref. MON00585). For the very first time, the brand integrates a full Super-Luminova dial into its celebrated Freedom collection, using light itself as a core design material. Deliberately paired with the C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet—available for the first time in a limited edition of just 28 pieces—this creation redefines nocturnal legibility with ergonomic, everyday titanium luxury.

By day, the timepiece displays a refined, crisp white aesthetic anchored by sharp Grade 5 titanium numerals, indices, and hands. When darkness falls, the entire watch face transforms into a brilliant blue glow, creating a striking contrast that ensures effortless readability in any lighting condition. The integrated Grade 5 titanium bracelet—meticulously finished with alternating satin-brushed and hand-polished facets—flows seamlessly from the 41mm x 9.55mm case (47.8mm lug-to-lug), providing lightweight comfort and an uninterrupted, architectural silhouette.

Beneath the luminous dial lies an uncompromising expression of high-end Swiss watchmaking. Visible through the sapphire display back, the in-house hand-wound calibre crafted in natural Grade 5 titanium showcases Romain Gauthier’s heritage from the Vallée de Joux through modern "stepped" finger bridges. Each bridge is meticulously decorated with an exclusive hand-engraved dimpled texture, standing out against a hand-frosted movement mainplate while delivering a robust 60-hour power reserve.

Technical precision remains central to the manufacture's DNA, highlighted by the inclusion of a clever stop-seconds mechanism driven by a snail cam—a signature innovation inspired by the acclaimed Logical One. Pulling the off-center crown halts the balance wheel, while pushing it back in triggers the snail cam to deliver a subtle physical impulse, ensuring the movement restarts instantly. Strictly limited to 28 pieces worldwide, the C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet Lumen dial represents an extraordinary convergence of glowing nighttime drama and superlative independent watchmaking.

 

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JUNE 29 2026    |    Novelties

Greubel Forsey Introduces the Balancier QM: A New Pinnacle of Haute Horlogerie

Independent manufacture Greubel Forsey has unveiled the Balancier QM ($GF09cm$), marking a historic milestone for the workshop by officially naming its highest, most uncompromising hand-finishing standard: Qualité Musée (Museum Quality). While this meticulous level of execution has been quietly embedded into every single timepiece crafted by the Atelier since its founding in 2004, the Balancier QM is the first model to formally carry the designation. Driven forward by a dedicated research wing within the brand’s proprietary EWT (Experimental Watch Technology) Laboratory, this standard mandates that every individual component, whether fully visible through the sapphire crystals or buried deep within the gear train, must hold up as a standalone work of art.

The mechanical architecture of the Balancier QM is a tour de force of in-house micro-engineering and innovation. Most notably, the timepiece features a specialized hairspring manufactured entirely in-house from the raw alloy stage up—a rarity in modern watchmaking accomplished via restored antique machinery. This is paired with an impressive $12.60\text{ mm}$ variable-inertia balance wheel and a cutting-edge bi-level escapement system that utilizes unique convex pallet-jewels, allowing light to softly diffuse through the rubies rather than abruptly reflecting off flat surfaces. Illustrating the immense labor required for the Qualité Musée standard, the steel balance wheel bridge alone requires seven distinct hand-finishing techniques, ranging from flawless mirror barrel polishing to extra-large $0.40\text{ mm}$ hand-polished bevels.

Visually, the timepiece presents an intricately layered, three-dimensional landscape neatly organized within a highly compact 39.60mm white gold case. The movement architecture encourages deep visual exploration; the escapement is nestled into the lowermost depths of the chassis, while the eye naturally ascends past a high-set small seconds sub-dial, flame-blued polished steel hands, and a raised chapter ring. Beneath this upper track, a power-reserve indicator slips mysteriously across a dedicated sector to track the watch's 72-hour chronometric power delivery, sustained by two fast-rotating, series-coupled mainspring barrels. True to Greubel Forsey’s signature underplayed luxury, the words "Qualité Musée" are entirely absent from the dial, hidden instead on a secret internal plate deep inside the movement.

Limited to just 33 exclusive timepieces worldwide, the Balancier QM represents a deliberate strategic pivot for Greubel Forsey toward smaller, more wearable case dimensions without sacrificing an ounce of technical complexity. The manufacture openly acknowledges that achieving this level of structural perfection across all 298 movement parts demands an extraordinary expenditure of time, which will intentionally reduce the company's overall production volume heading into 2027. Looking ahead, the Qualité Musée standard will serve as the foundation for a series of compact releases, including a highly anticipated movement under development at the EWT lab featuring a gear train crafted entirely from solid gold.

 

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APRIL 01 2026    |    Watches and Wonders 2026

The Architecture of Two Worlds: Chronoswiss Unveils the PULSE GMT Collection

Chronoswiss marks a definitive leap into the future of independent watchmaking with the introduction of the PULSE GMT, a collection that represents one of the most progressive chapters in the brand's history. Inspired by the mechanical spirit of the 1999 Tora icon, this new series redefines traditional design codes through a radically modern lens while maintaining the brand's independent spirit. The collection is built specifically for global travelers and collectors who move between continents and time zones, requiring a sophisticated mechanical companion.

The PULSE GMT features a bold, sculptural case construction that seamlessly integrates the first full metal bracelet in Chronoswiss history. This architectural approach ensures a unified presence on the wrist, blending the iconic onion crown and coin-edge bezel with contemporary lines. Whether crafted from high-strength Grade 5 Titanium for daily wear or solid 18-carat 5N Gold, the 41mm case offers a powerful physical and visual statement.

At the heart of the collection beats the Manufacture Caliber C.6002, an automatic movement developed exclusively with La Joux-Perret. This dedicated mechanical construction provides a true dual-time display, featuring a 24-hour second time zone on the left and a 12-hour home time on the right, all unified by central minutes and seconds. With a 55-hour power reserve and water resistance up to 10 bar, the movement is designed for movement and mechanical clarity.

The collection showcases the height of Lucerne craftsmanship through two distinct dial interpretations. The Silver Guilloche edition celebrates pure mechanical texture with hand-guilloché patterns cut on century-old machines, while the Enamel Sky Gold features the rare art of paillonné enamel. This demanding craft embeds gold stars within layers of translucent fire enamel over a guilloché base, creating a celestial display designed to last for centuries.

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