With Baselworld just weeks away, we take a look at some of the new watches to have surfaced recently. We begin with Hublot’s fantastically awesome MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire watch. If you thought the original MP-05 watch and its 50-day power reserve was extreme, this will surely knock your socks off as it is really just that same watch but with a case that’s constructed almost entirely out of sapphire. Next, we take a look at something more classic and restrained, and that’s Girard-Perregaux’s new Laureato watch. If a high-end stainless steel sports watch is on your to-get list this year, you’ll want to scroll down now and take a look at this new watch from Girard-Perregaux.

New watches aside, we also take a look at servicing. Servicing is an important aspect of watch ownership, and if a watch is taken care of properly, it will easily outlast you. However, servicing is also something that many owners take lightly. Here, we have a video that shows you exactly what happens during a full, complete service.

1. Christophe Claret Marguerite Watch Hands-On

As we already begin looking forward to 2018’s SIHH novelties, we thought it high time to take a better look at some of this year’s favorites, which include the gloriously over-the-top 15202, left for the very first time as a contemporary, non-limited reference completely in 18-carat yellow gold. It is not merely the all-gold situation that brings the 15202 relevance though — there are a few additional (albeit much more subtle) visual cues that set this specific reference aside, and might make it more desirable for collectors in the future. Perhaps most obvious, is that the very simple time plus date-only dial setup, completed by the ‘AP’ logo at 6:00, which pays direct homage to the initial steel 5402 released in 1972. This aesthetic also tips its hat towards the yellow gold 5402BA Jumbo released five decades later — the very first time Audemars Piguet rendered the Jumbo in this precious metal.However, more notable is that the depth — the new 15202 steps a hair over 8mm, 0.2mm thicker than the original 5402, and the closest we’ve seen to people pioneering ultra-thin measurements because the 40th Anniversary editions from 2012 — hence the ‘Extra Thin’ naming convention. This new-but-really-old profile, coupled with all the eminently wearable 39mm case size truly feels like the sweet spot for your Royal Oak, and has much to do with why this iconic layout managed to become such a future-proof classic at the first place.The Jumbo Royal Oak in its most classic arrangement is a watch that historically, by all dimensions, should wear tremendously thin. People who are searching for a slightly more toned-down aesthetic nevertheless rendered within this precious metal will appreciate the second of those 15202’s two new dial variations: a stunning blue, and this, given the spate of blue-on-bronze sports watches we have seen this year, is as much on-trend, as it’s slightly less ostentatious.

Christophe Claret makes some wonderfully complicated pieces and we were pleasantly stunned by the Margot, the brand’s first ever watch for women in 2014. The Marguerite is Christophe Claret’s more youthful take on the Margot. After all, the Margot watch was named after Queen Margot, who was known as Marguerite in her young days. The Marguerite is essentially the more accessible version (relatively speaking, of course) of the Margot. It features the same “he loves me, he loves me not” game, but does away with the striking mechanism found in the Margot. Even so, it remains a remarkable and highly technical watch for ladies who appreciate high watchmaking.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

2. Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire Watch Hands-On

Regardless of your thoughts about Hublot as a brand, it’s hard to argue against some of their very high-end technical pieces. The Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari is a fine example. It features a 50-day power reserve and the entire movement has been architected to resemble an engine from a Ferrari car. This makes perfect sense, after all, as Hublot is the official high-end watch brand associated with Ferrari. Now, Hublot is taking the MP-05 even further with the MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire watch. Yup, the watch case is constructed almost entirely using sapphire crystal. It offers an unobstructed view of the magnificent movement within and is quite a sight to behold. You know you want to see more of this watch, so hit the link below.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

3. Girard-Perregaux Laureato 2016 Watch Hands-On

It’s a pity that when people mention iconic stainless steel timepieces, one usually does not immediately think of Girard-Perregaux. You see, the brand’s Laureato watch was actually one of the earlier stainless steel watches to come out after Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak – just three years after the Royal Oak and a year ahead of the iconic Nautilus from Patek Philippe, in fact. Furthermore, when it was launched, Girard-Perregaux wanted to show off their technological prowess and released it with an in-house made quartz movement. That’s pretty badass, in my books. For 2016, Girard-Perregaux is returning to the roots of the Laureato and has released a new Laureato watch that shares many design cues with its forebear, but with a mechanical movement, of course.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

4. Art Student’s 407-Piece Hand-Carved Wooden Clock Literally Writes The Time

The contraption you see above is simply amazing. For starters, it consists of over 400 hand-carved pieces of wood. Next, it tells the time by using four magnetic pens to write on a magnetic drawing board, and it does this every minute. Perhaps what’s most amazing of all is that this remarkable clock is the work of 22-year-old Suzuki Kango, a senior student at the Tohoku University of Art and Design. Give that boy his degree already, I say!

Source: aBlogtoWatch

5. Study Confirms Watch Industry Retail Sector Hurt By Gray Market & Excess Inventory

The watch industry is generally quite secretive, on the whole, in many regards and for different reasons. I think one of the most misunderstood aspects of the watch industry is the gray market and how excess inventory is dealt with. This creates a unique scenario in which there is no price parity between regions, which results in watch lovers heading to non-authorized avenues to buy watches that they like. This, of course, causes a problem for watch brands. But this is a bit of a Catch-22 situation for them because the gray market is also essential to their business. If you are interested in the watch industry generally or if you want to understand more about the gray market, this is well worth a read.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

6. Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic True Second Watch Hands-On

Often referred to as the watchmaker’s watch brand, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Geophysic True Second watch is one of our favorite, and most unique, dress watches in recent memory. The design is unmistakably conservative and classic, though the movement is anything but. To begin, though it has a mechanical movement, the seconds hand ticks instead of sweeps. That’s because it has a “true second” or “dead seconds” complication. The other thing is that it has a new type of balance wheel that Jaeger-LeCoultre calls a Gyrolab balance wheel, which was designed to reduce friction and improve efficiency. So you see, underneath the conservative facade actually beats a movement that is really cutting-edge. There’s a lot more to discover about this piece, so have a read.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

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