Opinions

Europa Star

Opinions

New waves

New waves

EDITORIAL

In our latest issue we offer a series of portraits of some of these new-generation artisans, who will certainly make some waves. You’ll enjoy reading about (...)

The spirit of Basel, in Geneva?

The spirit of Basel, in Geneva?

EDITORIAL

The demise of the Basel fair left a void. It felt as if the watchmaking community had been cast adrift. And yet, it would seem that the “spirit of Basel” is (...)

Web3: dream or delusion?

Web3: dream or delusion?

EDITORIAL

The new version of the internet that we’re told will be immersive and decentralised, encompasses such a broad range of realities (or “virtualities”, perhaps) (...)

Are you ready for radical solutions?

Are you ready for radical solutions?

EDITORIAL

Only radical solutions can create real change. But how do you steer an iceberg the size of Ireland, for example, never mind the entire world? What are (...)

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From ego to eco

From ego to eco

EDITORIAL

The 2000s were all about tourbillons; the 2010s were a race for vintage; the decade that has just begun looks set to be all about who can be greenest. But (...)

The second life of watch archives

The second life of watch archives

EDITORIAL

Just imagine: a new, horological Library of Alexandria, accessible at the click of a button to journalists, collectors, designers, historians and (...)

Swatch x Omega: what madness is this?

Swatch x Omega: what madness is this?

EDITORIAL

All it took was the announcement of an unprecedented and vaguely incestuous marriage between Swatch and the Speedmaster Moonwatch, Omega’s iconic timepiece, (...)

Looking back, to move forward

Looking back, to move forward

EDITORIAL

The act of digitising archives not only dusts them off and freshens them up; by cataloguing them digitally, with the help of artificial intelligence, it (...)

NFW = Non Fungible Watches

NFW = Non Fungible Watches

EDITORIAL

Welcome to Non Fungible Watches. Watchmaking’s final frontier. OK, it doesn’t tell the time and, between you and me, it’s a bit ugly. And even though it (...)

Rekindling the spark of hope

Rekindling the spark of hope

EDITORIAL

Time seems to repeat itself. Two decades into the 21st century, it’s as if we have fallen back into the most worrying periods of the previous (...)

Post-industrial watchmaking?

Post-industrial watchmaking?

EDITORIAL

2021 was not just a year of catching up; it was also a record year for Swiss watch exports. Nevertheless, the post-Covid watchmaking industry is not the (...)

UNESCO: a new starting point for watchmaking

UNESCO: a new starting point for watchmaking

OPINION

In December 2020, UNESCO added the “craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics” to its representative list of the intangible cultural heritage (...)

The failed football Super League: some lessons for watchmaking

The failed football Super League: some lessons for watchmaking

OPINION

As we have seen in recent days, football is more than just a business: it is a living, breathing piece of collective heritage that belongs as much to its (...)

Should watch suppliers go into direct sales?

Should watch suppliers go into direct sales?

EDITORIAL

This somewhat provocative and paradoxical question is prompted by the birth of watch incubator Watch Angels, backed by subcontracting group FM Swiss (...)

We're all collectors now!

We’re all collectors now!

REPORT

It has never been easier to start collecting watches. And there is no shortage of desire, with a vibrant and growing global community of (...)

A powerful new voice

A powerful new voice

EDITORIAL

A new voice has entered the conversation. This promises debate and controversy, but above all it ensures that the industry maintains its social and (...)

Learning from jewellery's successes

Learning from jewellery’s successes

EDITORIAL

In what is still a highly fragmented sector, where “no-name” brands dominate, the jewellery heavyweights – Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari and Van Cleef (...)

Fogged up

Fogged up

EDITORIAL

We’re all of us, all fogged up. Literally, because wearing a mask makes your glasses steam up, and metaphorically because the horizon is looking very murky (...)

A decade lost, or a decade won for watchmaking?

A decade lost, or a decade won for watchmaking?

EDITORIAL

The watch industry is going through its sharpest decline ever recorded over the last 80 years. How to make a “lost decade for watchmaking” a decade won in (...)

Ariel Adams on the digital evolution of the watch industry

Ariel Adams on the digital evolution of the watch industry

CONVERSATION

The founder of aBlogtoWatch shares his thoughts as new digital initiatives are piling up this year in reaction to the pandemic crisis. A candid (...)

A fragile fabric

A fragile fabric

EDITORIAL

When the fabric of a dress dries out, it is weakened, unravels and tears, becomes shapeless and rapidly falls apart.

Innovating in times of crisis

Innovating in times of crisis

EDITORIAL

Innovations are perhaps were we need to look, if we are to overcome the major challenges of our time. In our latest report we identify some of the major (...)

Towards a “deglobalisation” of watchmaking?

Towards a “deglobalisation” of watchmaking?

OPINION

The implosion of the industry’s calendar, with the prospects of a global event becoming ever more remote, is a symptom of the erosion of the globalisation (...)

Our horological “paper fair”

Our horological “paper fair”

EDITORIAL

Watchmaking is a physical art! In the absence of real-life watch fairs, with their greetings and handshakes, laughter and controversy, we invite you to (...)