Innovation in mechanical watchmaking is alive and well—bursting at the springs in fact—as we saw at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (often referred to as SIHH). Few people “need” a fine mechanical timepiece, though the desire to own a mechanical work of art is something that no digital smartwatch can satisfy. The artisans at the top of their game continue to create …
Kari Voutilainen made his first watch in 1994. In 2002, he would launch his eponymous watch brand for which nearly every component is made in-house. A brand that over the years would release firsts, from complications to finishes and beyond. Voutilainen—who hails from Lapland, Finland but resides in Môtiers, Switzerland—continues to impress with his vision and execution—his finishing is among the best in the industry. …
For almost 150 years now, IWC Schaffhausen has produced some of the most popular and well-received Swiss-made watches. Over the last few years, and simultaneous with a global consumer trend toward bigger-is-better, IWC began producing timepieces with larger cases—some of which referenced the larger-cased watches from their heritage. In fact, their original Pilot’s watches from the ’30s and ’40s (built for the military) were 55mm …
