And here’s this week’s edition of The Sunday Horophile Times, a summary of what’s been going on this week in the watch world, as well as a list of recommended reading from other watch blogs and sites.

 

 NEWS:

Arnold & Son DSTB

Arnold & Son have certainly been on a roll these past few weeks! This week it was the unveiling of the all-new DSTB (Dial Side True Beat) piece from the Instrument Collection. Like the other pieces from that lineup, the DSTB pays homage to the secondary part of John Arnold’s watchmaking career, when he and his son produced highly accurate marine chronometers. The DSTB features a an offset True Beat or “dead” seconds hand, and for the first time in any watch (atleast that I’m aware of), a dial side true beat seconds mechanism using a single-pallet and the brand’s signature anchor-shaped counterweight. This one definitely calls for a video during Baselworld!
arnold-and-son-dstb

 

 

MCT Sequential 2

A few weeks ago we showed you the back of the new movement, and now MCT have finally revealed the watch it belongs to: the Sequential 2. What is essentially a round version of the original square-cased Sequential watch does in fact take on a whole new character, with a raised sapphire glass and more pronounced lugs; not to mention the in-house developed and manufactured micro-rotor automatic movement.

mct-sequential-two

 

 

Breva Génie 02 Air

inspired by the aesthetics of pilot watches, Breva have released a new version of their Génie 02 (the original Terra reviewed here). The Génie 02 Air is done in a black treated Grade 5 Titanium case with the most legible dial we’ve seen from Breva to date.

breva-genie-02-air

 

 

Hublot Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono: Official FIFA 2014 Watch

With FIFA 2014 brand ambassador Pélé, Hublot presented the official watch of the FIFA2014 World Cup, the Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chrono. Featuring the in-house Unico chronograph movement and an in-house developed 45-minute (with 15-minutesfor “extra time”) bi-retrograde chronograph module, the watch also displays the halves of a game instead of the chronograph hours.

 Hublot-Big-Bang-FIFA-Gold-8

 

 

Maurice Lacroix + FC Barcelona

 And speaking of football (or soccer for those of you from across the pond), Maurice Lacroix just announced a three-year partnership with FC Barcelona as “Official Watch Partner”. An affordable “fan’s” watch is in the works, as well as higher-end “player’s” and “executive” models to be sold at FC Barcelona boutiques and authorised Maurice Lacroix retailers worldwide.

maurice-lacroix-fc-barcelona

 

 

RECOMMENDED READING: 

The Hodinkee boys kicked off their new “Three on Three” video series by comparing three manually wound dress watches from three very different brands, all under the $20k USD mark. http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/three-on-three-manually-wound-dress-watch

 

Revolution Online also posted a very interesting read, asking 4 of the greatest independent watchmakers Philippe Dufour, Roger Smith, Kari Voutilainen and Laurent Ferrier which watch they would be with a budget of $10’000 USD. Some of the answers may surprise you! http://revo-online.com/budget-recommendations-from-watchmaking-grandmasters/

 

Because no watch reading list would be complete without a good ol’ fashioned watch review, here’s ProfessionalWatches.com’s review of the Tudor Heritage Blue Chrono. http://professionalwatches.com/2014/03/review-tudor-heritage-blue-chrono.html 

 

Not that we really need convincing, but Quill & Pad give us 12 reasons why “Why Jaeger-LeCoultre Is A Master Of Art And Mechanics”. Some serious eye-candy in there! http://quillandpad.com/2014/03/11/when-art-ticks-why-jaeger-lecoultre-is-a-master-of-art-and-mechanics/

 

And finally something a little different to end the week, with timezone.com member “Donut” sharing his collection of watches by independent watchmakers. Keep a napkin at hand, for there will be drool… http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=msg&goto=6738556&rid=47151#msg_6738556

 

Have a great Sunday my fellow horophiles!