Swiss watch manufacturer Zenith has a century and a half behind it and is resolutely taking its place in the third millennium with a new 100th of a second chronograph movement. While remaining true to its legendary roots, the 21st century Defy El Primero flaunts standout performance: a COSC-certified in-house movement driving a hundredth of a second display by means...

Launched in 2012, the Datograph Up/Down is endowed with milestone technical features: A classic column-wheel control mechanism, a precisely jumping minute counter and a flyback function come together in a movement that showcases true engineering finesse. The aesthetic quality of the caliber is reflected by the balanced dial layout with the characteristic Lange outsize date and the two subsidiary dials...

The fifth masterpiece in A. Lange & Söhne’s “Pour le Mérite” series combines the fusée-and-chain transmission with a tourbillon, a chronograph, a rattrapante function and a perpetual calendar. The combination of these five complications makes the Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite” a peerless timepiece. In October 1994, A. Lange & Söhne presented the first collection of the new era, including...

Hiding his work from his father Ettore, Jean Bugatti built the Bugatti Aérolithe, creating it from a highly flammable magnesium alloy that made welding impossible. The body was designed in two parts joined by an ingenious riveted dorsal seam. Shortly after it was unveiled in 1935, this incredible car which fell from the sky - hence its meteorite-inspired name -...

By Victoria Gomelsky As Parmigiani Fleurier celebrates 20 years, it continues to uphold the highest standards of Swiss craftsmanship. Michel Parmigiani, a master watchmaker with a gift for restoring antique watches and clocks, founded his eponymous firm in the Swiss village of Fleurier in 1996. Over the past two decades, the brand has risen to become a respected player on...

By Stephen Pulvirent The Piaget Polo S breaks with tradition, but maintains the bold style that makes Piaget watches so iconic. Some watch brands try to do a little bit of everything. One year it’s all about dive watches, the next it’s nothing but chronographs. The year after that, it’s tuxedo-level dress watches or bust. It might sound obvious, but...