German watchmaker Alexander Shorokhoff is marking its 25th anniversary in 2017, and is inviting visitors to IJL to join it on its stand to celebrate the occasion. Star of the Alexander Shorokhoff stand will be the Tourbillon Tomorrow watch, which demonstrates the watchmaker’s mastery of advanced horology, gemology and luxury design. The €45,000 (£40,000) watch, which […]
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BREAKING NEWS: Laing jeweller empire reunited
Scottish jeweller Michael Laing OBE, owner of Laing The Jeweller Ltd and Parkhouse The Jeweller Ltd (LEPH) has announced his retirement and the sale of the business to Laing Glasgow Holdings Ltd and Subs, (Laings of Glasgow. Laings of Glasgow is run by Joe and Wendy Walsh (nee Laing). Wendy is 6th generation Laing, Michael’s […]
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Germany’s Sinn Spezialuhren celebrates move into a purpose-built headquarters
German watchmaker Sinn Spezialuhren is celebrating the opening of a new company headquarters today that includes a showroom for current collections and an exhibition of historic models from the archive. The company has also created an anniversary model of its first mission timer, which was first worn by the German Central Customs Support Group ZUZ 20 years ago. […]
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Christopher Ward fires up a motor racing-inspired range of timepieces
Christopher Ward has introduced a brand new range of watches that take their cues from the motor racing world. The C7 Rapide Collection, which goes on sales today, is described by the Anglo-Swiss watchmaker as its most coherent and technologically significant range to date. The collection initially launches with a family of six watches all […]
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Digital media and style guru Dezeen says Brexit wiped out margins for its watch business
Dezeen co-founder Marcus Fairs made the decision to close the company’s pioneering online watch shop this summer as margins were squeezed by rising competition and the weakness of the pound following the Brexit vote. WatchPro caught up with the style guru and digital publisher to learn more about the challenges facing the fashion watch market. WatchPro: […]
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BREAKING NEWS: Richemont sales surge by 50% in the UK
Richemont UK Limited recorded a 49.4% rise in sales of in the 12 months to March 31, 2017. Turnover for the luxury watch and jewellery group surged from £73.31 million in the 2016 financial year to £109.53 this year. Operating profit rose in line with turnover by 50% from £6.3 million last year to £9.4 million. […]
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Visconti combines Italian art with advanced dive watch technology
Visconti has created a limited edition dive watch with a striking gothic dial. The Sport Dive 3000 Skull & Roses, in a limited edition run of 39 pieces, is a striking work of Italian art, as well as a serious diving instrument. “The watch is a time instrument featuring both high technology and deep craftsmanship […]
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Favre-Leuba accompanies eco-explorers aiming to sail across the North Pole
Arctic explorers Pen Hadow and Erik de Jong are aiming to sail across the North Pole to draw attention to how global warming is shrinking the ice sheet. The 10-member crew will be wearing Favre-Leuba Raider Harpoon watches as the historic Swiss watchmaker is the official timekeeper of the mission. The team set sail on two […]
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MyKronoz reveals its first smartwatch with analogue hour and minute hands
MyKronoz, which burst into life following a $6 million round of crowdfunding, will unveil its ZeTime hybrid smartwatch at a consumer electronics show in Berlin tomorrow. The ZeTime, which was shown in prototype form at Baselworld, has mechanical hands in front a TFT colour touchscreen. Its proprietary ‘Smart Movement’ technology enables ZeTime’s always-on hands to function […]
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Cutthroat competition in Scandi-design watches causes Dezeen to close store
Dezeen Watch Store has closed after eight years pushing design-led watches via its website. Dezeen is primarily a digital publisher specialising in design and architecture, but launched a watch store in 2009 to promote affordable, stylish timepieces and played a key role in the launch of many new boutique watch brands. It quickly became a launch […]
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Weak pound drives rise in e-commerce shoppers from overseas
Cross-border e-commerce has surged since Britain’s vote to leave the European Union crashed the pound. Online retailers in the UK now sell almost a third of their goods overseas, according to the latest data from the IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index. It was July last year that the early impacts of the Brexit decision were starting to […]
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Maurice Lacroix makes an Aikon out of bronze
Who says Swiss watchmakers can’t move with the times? Maurice Lacroix has shown it can keep pace with modern trends, not only by creating an Aikon timepiece in fashionable bronze, but also giving the watch its own hashtag, #Beyouraikon. “‘Cool’ is a term which is frequently overused, however, with the new Aikon Bronze, the word seems […]
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Manufacture Royale injects modern design DNA into dual timer collection
Manufacture Royale has embraced a more modern aesthetic for its Royale ADN collection that is hitting retail this month. ADN is the acronym in French for DNA. The collection uses the company’s ninth calibre — the MR09 — which was designed, built, and assembled in its workshops located in Vallorbe, Switzerland. The skeletonised watch with flying […]
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Harry Winston helps jet-setting women keep track of dual time zones
Harry Winston has declared 2017 as the year of its Avenue Collection, and marked it this month with the introduction of the Avenue C Dual Time that gives jet-set women an elegant Art Deco piece to keep track of two time zones. The watch shows the time on two dials, the larger one with Roman numerals […]
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Loomes welcomes back work-experience teenager to full time watchmaking
Loomes of Stamford has appointed Tommy Wilkinson as a full-fledged watchmaker. Mr Wilkinson first came into contact with the British watch company when he spent time in the business as a 14-year-old work experience student. He caught the horology bug and went on to earn a first class honours degree in watchmaking from Birmingham City University. “From […]
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Omologato Watches makes a watch for Ferrari Formula 1 team fans
Motor racing-themed watchmaker Omologato Watches has launched a collection called #TIFOSI, a term associated with fanatical fans of the Ferrari Formula 1 team. The collection comes in a number of designs that pay homage to famous racing names including Stuttgart, Hethel, R, Weissach and Fiorano. There are five designs of the £149 watch, each in a 40mm […]
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Ingersoll connects with global music stars with backstage lounge at Fusion Festival
Ingersoll is reaching out to some of the biggest names in music this weekend by hosting them backstage at the Fusion Festival. The festival, which takes place in Liverpool on September 2-3, includes sets by headliners Take That and Little Mix along with performances by Tinie Tempah, John Newman and Ella Eyre. Backstage, they will be […]
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IN PICTURES: O.W.L reveals upcoming looks ahead of Hong Kong Watch fair
UK Brand O.W.L’s is unveiling collections of its AW17 and SS18 releases prior to Hong Kong Watch fair showcase in September. The brand is introducing four new styles for both women’s and men’s ranges. The new offerings are expected to arrive in stores in mid October. New to the portfolio is the Sutton, which is […]
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Fitbit launches rivalry with Apple as it enters smartwatch market
Wearable technology company Fitbit is preparing to debut in the smartwatch market with the launch of its first smart timepiece this year. The company, which is known for its wrist fitness trackers, will officially launch its first bona fide smartwatch the Fibit Iconic in October for $299 (£230). In a bid to stand out from […]
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Rare George Daniels’ piece lands in Sotheby’s in bid to secure £1.2m sale
Sotheby’s is preparing to flog four timepieces created by watchmaker George Daniels as part of its ‘Fine Timepieces including George Daniels Masterpieces’ auction. The sale, which is taking place in London on September 19, will be headlined by the George Daniels 1982 Space Travellers’ Watch, an 18k yellow-gold chronograph with Daniels’ independent double-wheel escapement. Named in […]