Why the Oyster Bracelet Became an Icon
A bracelet born of necessity: reliability, movement, real life In watchmaking, some innovations impose themselves because they answer a simple question: how do you wear a watch without thinking…
Julien Aguettaz
449 posts
I am passionate about watchmaking, having worked for Swiss watchmakers and as a digital strategy consultant.
What watch does Tibo InShape wear? (yes, he wears one)
After presidential wrists, politicians’ watches and their more or less “republican” timepieces, it’s time for a change of scenery: here, we leave gilt behind for cast iron, protocol for protein,…
Which watches does Rachida Dati wear?
As part of our “Who Wears What” column, after taking a look at Sarah Knafo’s wrist (read it again here: what watch does Sarah Knafo wear), we move on to…
How Quartz Watches Nearly Killed Swiss Watchmaking
The day precision became a weapon Some revolutions arrive with trumpets blaring; others settle in as if self-evident, quietly, until the moment they flip the table. At the end…
How Military Watches Shaped Modern Design
From Constraint to Style: When Tools Set the Standard In the history of watchmaking, few arenas have shaped design as profoundly as the battlefield. Military watches were never meant to…
How Diving Influenced the Creation of Modern Dive Watches
Beneath the surface, a simple idea: measuring time to survive Before they became style signatures in the office, dive watches were born of a vital imperative: knowing how many…
How Are Perlage and Geneva Stripes Applied to Movements?
The gestures that sculpt light Even before you read the time, the eye likes to wander. On a perlage-covered mainplate, light clings as if to fine sand. On a…
Pequignet Royale Paris Manual: When Hand-Winding Restores Meaning to Time
I’ll admit it outright: my heart instinctively beats for automatic watches. No doubt out of habit, and comfort too. You slip them on your wrist, they live, they feed on…
What Is an “In-House” (Manufacture) Movement?
The myth of “all in-house” Two words are enough to electrify a conversation among enthusiasts: “in-house” (or “manufacture”). A technical and symbolic password that has become a blunt instrument…
Why Are Some Watches COSC-Certified?
The word “chronometer” isn’t just a veneer Two lines on a dial are enough to make an enthusiast’s heart race: “Chronometer Officially Certified”. Behind that phrase lies more than a…
How Does a Moon Phase Complication Work?
On a dial, the moon is not merely a romantic motif. It is slow mechanics, a millimetre-perfect ballet between steel and sky. The moonphase complication tells the story of the…
How to Read a GMT Bezel Correctly?
Why the GMT bezel still fascinates The GMT bezel is the elegance of a 1950s transatlantic flight translated onto a wrist. Born from Pan Am pilots’ needs and immortalised by…
Why Do Some Watches Have Domed Crystals?
The curve that changes everything A tiny detail, an instant sensation: a domed crystal transforms a watch. It rounds the light, softens the angles, slips under a cuff like a…
What Watches Does Jean-Luc Mélenchon Wear?
In the “Who wears what?” section, we’ve already talked about Macron, Sarah Knafo, Jordan Bardella, Édouard Philippe, Eric Zemmour… Let’s look at a case apart: Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the tribune who…
What Is a “Super Compressor” Watch?
A simple idea, a stroke of genius In the history of dive watches, the term “super compressor” is no marketing affectation. It refers to a patent developed by Ervin…
What Is the Lifespan of a Mainspring?
A Coiled Heart: Understanding the Mainspring In a mechanical watch, the mainspring is more than just a component. It’s the invisible muscle, curled inside a slim steel drum—the barrel—that releases…