Watches and Wonders 2023 Archives - Revolution Watch

Introducing the Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition

Andre Frois — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 16:27:38 +0000

For Watches & Wonders 2023, Oris, known for their purpose-built Pilot’s and exceptional tool watches goes green, and just a little froggy.

Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition

Although there is another famous watch by another famous brand that is nicknamed the “Kermit,” the Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition is an official collaboration between Oris and Disney’s The Muppets that brings together Kermit, the world-famous verdant protagonist who has inspired virtue in generations of children since 1955, and the ProPilot X Caliber 400, Oris’s pride and joy.

Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition

Disney’s The Muppets, Kermit

Rolled out in October 2020, the Caliber 400 is Oris’s second in-house movement after the manual winding Caliber 110, which had a single mainspring barrel. A definitive milestone for Oris, the Caliber 400 packs five days of power reserve and comes with an extended warranty of 10 years. Its lever and balance wheel are silicon, and despite not having a silicon balance spring, this antimagnetic movement showed a deviation of less than 10 seconds per day after exposure to a 2,550 gauss magnetic field. The Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition’s official accuracy is -3/+5 seconds a day.

No reversers in the automatic Caliber 400 means it only winds in one direction, but this system also experiences less wear and tear than a bidirectional winding rotor. Ball bearings of the winding system have been swapped out in favor of a sleeve bearing. Designing the Caliber 400 to have low torque and low inertia has also reaped the reward of higher efficiency.

A momentous accomplishment by Oris, the Caliber 400 has just been reinterpreted in an attractive color and with a light-hearted theme. The Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition is meant to remind everyone to have some fun. On the first of every month, Kermit’s face pops up on the Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition’s date window, bearing a big, big smile. The watch’s 39mm titanium ProPilot case contrasts a dial in a Kermit shade of green.

Closed up of Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition

Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition caseback

Says Oris’s creative director Ken Laurent, “What is a mechanical watch for? We talk a lot about functions in a literal sense, but really, the purpose of an Oris watch is to make people smile. That’s it. And with the ProPilot X Kermit Edition, there’s nothing else to it. OK, yes, it’s powered by a brilliant movement and the case design is spectacular, but the function of this watch is really simple: to bring joy.”

Purportedly, Ken Laurent met the real Kermit the Frog (who is more than 68 years old) and Kermit composed and sang a song for Oris called “Gotta Make Time For Me.” There’s even a short film about this meeting and collaboration that you can watch on the Oris website.

Says Laurent, “It was so much fun. On set, you have to be so careful because all you want to do is laugh, but of course that would ruin a take. Everyone feeds off Kermit’s energy. Anything he does or touches, it just becomes funny. I didn’t want the day to end. We spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of brief we should give The Muppets. We could have written a script or something, but Kermit and The Muppets know how to entertain better than anyone. So we left them to it. In a couple of days, they came back to us with a song — the lyrics, the music and the idea that Kermit would sing it while playing his banjo. It was perfect. And so catchy…”

A high-precision aviation-themed timepiece, the Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition is meant to remind everyone not to take life too seriously

The Oris ProPilot Altimeter and Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition are affordable, hardy, legible, reliable and versatile timepieces that are designed for activities like hiking, mountain climbing and ultra marathoning. Best of all, when you depart nature and go back indoors, they double up as subtly elegant conversation pieces suitable for both formal or casual functions.

Tech Specs

Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition

Reference: 400 7778 7157 07 20 01 TLC
Movement: Self-winding Caliber 400; 120-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds and date
Case: 39mm; multi-piece titanium with satin and sandblasted finishes; water resistant to 100m
Dial: Green; Super-LumiNova filled indexes
Strap: Titanium bracelet with Oris-patented “LIFT” system
Price: CHF 4,400

The post Introducing the Oris Propilot X Kermit Edition appeared first on Revolution Watch.

VIDEO: Behold, the Freak ONE by Ulysse Nardin

Revolution — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 22:50:10 +0000

Join the CEO of Ulysse Nardin, Patrick Pruniaux, and the Founder of Revolution, Wei Koh, as they discuss how the Freak changed watchmaking history and how its latest iteration, the Freak ONE, continues to champion irreverent horology.

The Freak by Ulysse Nardin was originally invented by Ludwig Oechslin in 2001. It was truly a freak because it told time very differently from any other watch of its era, and this was way before the futuristic watches trend. Oechslin placed the balance of the Freak on the front instead of hiding it at the back, and its movement rotated on the surface of the dial to indicate the time. Furthermore, the original Freak comprised surprisingly few components and was the first watch to incorporate a highly efficient silicium escapement.

Ulysse Nardin presented the Freak ONE at Watches and Wonders 2023, which has a high-efficiency winding system with four blades. Turning its bezel sets the time and turning the case back winds the watch. As a tribute to Oechslin’s silicium innovations and the first Freak, the 2023 Freak ONE has a balance wheel made from one single piece of silicon, and a lever escapement made of DIAMonSIL.

The post VIDEO: Behold, the Freak ONE by Ulysse Nardin appeared first on Revolution Watch.

VIDEO: The Highlife Worldtimer and Classics Tourbillon Manufacture by Frederique Constant

Revolution — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:51:33 +0000

Niels Eggerding. Managing Director at Frederique Constant, shares with Revolution Founder Wei Koh the novelties that his brand presented at Watches and Wonders 2023. These include the 41mm Highlife Worldtimer in 18k rose gold or steel, powered by the automatic FC-718 Manufacture with 38-hour power reserve and limited to 35 pieces for the gold model;… Continue reading VIDEO: The Highlife Worldtimer and Classics Tourbillon Manufacture by Frederique Constant

The post VIDEO: The Highlife Worldtimer and Classics Tourbillon Manufacture by Frederique Constant appeared first on Revolution Watch.

VIDEO: New Reverso Chronographs and Tourbillons unveiled by Jaeger-LeCoultre at Watches and Wonders 2023

Revolution — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:25:57 +0000

Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre, takes Wei Koh, Founder of Revolution, through the Watches and Wonders 2023 novelties of Jaeger-LeCoultre. Timepieces that La Grande Maison presented at this preeminent watch fair included the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon, Reverso Tribute Small Seconds and the 10-piece limited edition Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179.

The Reverso has been an important pillar of this storied manufacture, ever since Jaeger-LeCoultre designed this flipping case that protects the dial from the rigors of polo and whatever one might face in life.

An esteemed manufacture based in Le Sentier, Jaeger-LeCoultre has built some of watchmaking’s most complicated mechanical timepieces and continues to champion Edmond Jaeger and Antoine LeCoultre’s tireless pursuit of technical excellence.

In this spirit, Jaeger-LeCoultre created a certified vintage program recently called The Collectibles, which restores and certifies vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces. Every Collectibles timepiece is presented with an extract from the Jaeger-LeCoultre archives, a new watch strap and box, a two-year warranty, and a complimentary copy of The Collectibles book.

The brand is also releasing insightful videos on its website as an ongoing series called In The Making, which lends insight into the many traditional watchmaking techniques of La Grande Maison.

The post VIDEO: New Reverso Chronographs and Tourbillons unveiled by Jaeger-LeCoultre at Watches and Wonders 2023 appeared first on Revolution Watch.

VIDEO: Grand Seiko presents new chronograph, diver and métiers d’art watches at Watches and Wonders 2023

Revolution — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 16:19:46 +0000

Let’s take a moment to appreciate the technical complexity of the new Grand Seiko Tentagraph SLGC001, the brand’s first fully mechanical chronograph that Grand Seiko developed entirely in-house. This vertical clutch column wheel chronograph has been rigorously tested and boasts a standard +5/-3 daily deviation. Its 9SC5 movement is a high-beat 5Hz movement accurate to one-tenth of a second and packs a three-day power reserve. Its dial is inspired by Mount Iwate, the mountain that faces in the Grand Seiko manufacture in Japan.

In this video, you’ll also get to see the new blue dial variant of the SLGA023 “Ushio” dive watch. Its 43.8mm ‘high-intensity’ titanium case houses the caliber 9RA5 that packs 120 hours of power reserve.

Up next is the hand-engraved 50-piece limited edition SBGZ009 in platinum. Its intricately handmade dial and meticulously grooved case are meant to evoke the white birch forests located at the eastern foot of the Kita-Yatsugatake Mountains.

Lastly, you’ll get to enjoy the new 100-piece limited edition SBGY026 “Hana-ikada,” which is powered by the Spring Drive caliber 9R31.

The post VIDEO: Grand Seiko presents new chronograph, diver and métiers d’art watches at Watches and Wonders 2023 appeared first on Revolution Watch.

VIDEO: New Hublot timepieces presented by CEO Ricardo Guadalupe at Watches and Wonders 2023

Revolution — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 04:49:33 +0000

Revolution Editor-at-Large Eleonor Picciotto and Revolution Founder Wei Koh met up with Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe to get a closer look at Hublot’s diverse array of novelties that the brand presented at Watches and Wonders 2023. They got their hands on eye-catching new Hublot timepieces like the Big Bang Integrated Blue Sapphire, Big Bang Integrated… Continue reading VIDEO: New Hublot timepieces presented by CEO Ricardo Guadalupe at Watches and Wonders 2023

The post VIDEO: New Hublot timepieces presented by CEO Ricardo Guadalupe at Watches and Wonders 2023 appeared first on Revolution Watch.