switzerland – Swiss Watch Makers

A Look Over the Watchmakers Shoulder

Nicolas Scatena — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:35:19 +0000

Many may wonder how a watch is even made. All the small components and parts, how are they even placed in a watch without breaking or falling apart. The watchmaking world is really very skilled and over the years has developed new techniques and machines to improve their work. As many may know, Switzerland is the Mecca of watchmaking. Watches and timepieces can take over months to be made and everything is completely man-made. From the in-house movement to the dial, everything is just completely made by the master watchmaker.

In the video below, NOMOS Glashütte shows how the master watchmaker creates the in-house movement. All of their movements are built in-house and by ourselves in Glashütte. This also applies to their watches—Tangente, Orion, Zürich and all the other models. This short film can give you a first impression of what they do.

Ultramarine Morse Utc – New Swiss Brand

Nicolas Scatena — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 17:40:10 +0000

It is always a good thing to discover new brands and their watches. Most of the time we are focused on the big brands and forget the wonders of smaller brands. Today I will introduce a new Swiss brand which they are releasing their first ever watch. Like bigger brands, Ultramarine makes their watch entirely in Switzerland. From the case to the dials to the straps, everything is made and manufactured in Switzerland. Main founder and designer, Lionel Bruneau, has designed a UTC watch, nicknamed the Morse UTC.

The movement used in this UTC is the Eterna Cal. 39 with 65h of power reserve. At first glance, this watch has beautiful colors that attracts the eye. The blue color on the dial has a great finish that shines amazingly in the light or sun. The watch has a water resistance of 100 meters or 330 feet.

What catches my eye most is the back of this watch. For such new brand with little experience in the market they have developed a very beautiful caseback. Engraved on the back is “Intégralement ouvré en Suisse” with its acronym « I.O.E.S. » on the dial. Which translates to English as “Entirely made in Switzerland”.

The price tag of the watch is inspired by Fair Trade. They have published the manufacturing cost which is € 950, and the selling price for the first 100 pieces is € 1,300 excluding tax. The next 200 will be on sale for € 1,600. And the Morse UTC is a limited edition of 300 pieces.

A beautiful things about this brand is that 10% of its profit is donated to NGOs committed to the conservation and protection of marine life. Also, they will provide each customer with a warranty of 3 years.

The name of the brand came to be because it was appealing to founder, Lionel Bruneau. In French, les territoires ultramarins, means overseas territories, represented by the blue.

Swatch Group To Leave Baselworld in 2019

Nicolas Scatena — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 09:47:03 +0000

The biggest watchmaking group, will be leaving the largest watch and jewelry fair in Switzerland, Baselworld as of 2019. This is not just ordinary news for Baselworld but rather breaking news as Swatch Group includes 18 brands such as Breguet, Omega, Tissot, and more. Over the past few years Baselworld has received many complaints and already several departures. With the biggest watchmaking group departing, this is a big blow for the Swiss fair.

Nick Hayek, CEO of the Swatch Group, has been recently interviewed by Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag and explains that such watch fairs like Baselworld create costs and expenses that could be avoided. Costs include travel expenses and accommodation that ring up CHF 50 million for the group. Over the years, the market has changed much of what it used to be, which is another reason Swatch Group will not be exhibiting their watches at Baselworld 2019.

Since 2015, Baselworld has seen many brand departures and the number of brands from 2015 went from 1,500 brands to less than 700 brands in 2018. These departures are a great impact on the watch and jewelry fair. Another problem faced by Baselworld is several management crises due to suspicion of nepotism.

As Rolex and Breitling will be present in 2019, everyone is curious to see the impact of the Swatch Group departing from the largest watch fair in Switzerland. This could be the start to the end of Baselworld.

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Omega

Nicolas Scatena — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 01:43:27 +0000

Omega was founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1848. The Swiss brand is known for its high-tech innovations and has won many awards in there 150 year history. Over the years sponsors such as NASA and The Olympic Games chose Omega to represent and be their official timekeeper.

Omega later released the first self-winding wristwatch with a central Tourbillon in 1994 which had many watch enthusiasts in awe. A great part of Omega’s success is through its magnificent movements imbedded in the timepieces. In this video below you will discover 15 things that you have probably never known about Omega. Enjoy!