Toys

Toys

All Around the World

Why Nomos Glashütte’s Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer wowed the Watches & Wonders crowds

In just six years’ time, it’ll be a century since Swiss watchmaker Louis Cottier – in response to increasing use of transcontinental trains, ocean liners and passenger-based aviation –created a timepiece whose rotating and fixed rings reflected the world time-zones which had been established in 1883.

Since then, international transit has not only been democratised, but become a necessarily evil to many – and yet, the sheer romance of having how the earth’s rotation affects the time in major cities around the world hasn’t diminished one iota. Just ask those among the 55,000 visitors to this year’s Watches & Wonders trade fair in Geneva who visited Nomos Glashütte, and pored over the German manufacture’s latest upgrade to the Club Sport Neomatik: a Worldtimer function.

Most would-be owners will choose between a silver or dark blue dial, framed by a 40.5mm diameter (9.9mm thick) stainless steel case. There are also six limited-edition (175 pieces each) versions whose dials are in “Canyon”, “Dune”, “Glacier”, “Jungle”, “Magma” and “Volcano”: a chromatic mini-sequel to the 31-colour Tangente 38 Date collection the brand launched at Watches & Wonders…

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The Old Razzle-Dazzle

Watches & Wonders 2025 was all about the spectacle. And why not?

If Watches & Wonders 2024 was all about America’s Cup boats, 2025 was the year of the F1 car. On the IWC stand it appeared smashed and smoking – an actual crashed car from Brad Pitt’s summer blockbuster, F1. TAG Heuer went for a more traditional approach, giving it some stand space, while Tudor opted […]

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Go ahead and jump!

The fall and rise of the “wandering hours” complication

We tend to think of digital watches as a purely 70s phenomenon, the logical next step after the introduction of quartz at the beginning of the decade, the last stop before the future arrived – or at least that’s how I felt when I first strapped on my Texas Instruments LED (finished in leather-effect plastic […]

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Watches & Wonders 2024

Storytelling in the horological world

“We always start with the story,” explains Rainer Bernard, director for research and development at Van Cleef & Arpels. “Take our Brise d’Été. We wanted to create a garden in summer morning light with butterflies and delicate flowers moving in the breeze. It’s about poetry. We have to show how the most precious thing we […]

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Automata watches and clocks

Animated mechanical ingenuity

Automata are one of the most ancient and impressive ways to make a mechanical splash, as 2024’s latest animated wonders show. I-M TIME asked Sam Kessler to tell us more about these marvellous examples of horological creativity. Amongst all the various complications and functions of a fine timepiece, there’s one mechanism that stands apart. Compared […]

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Bovet Récital 28 Prowess 1

A world’s first in timekeeping

Globetrotters have always faced the problem of adjusting their watches when clocks go forward by an hour on the last Saturday of March. The reason is of course, that only 70 countries in the world do it, so if you are someone who travels across time zones as if they were stopovers in a cruise, […]

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MERCEDES Electric “G”

Every journey is an adventure

Few cars are as immediately recognisable as the Mercedes G-Class. Its tough, retro, boxy appearance – together with its considerable size – give it a road presence that’s difficult to ignore. Inside, the off-roader is as luxurious and comfortable as one would expect of a top-of-the-range Mercedes. All the advances technology provides in terms of […]

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Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce 2.0 turbo

Italian in body and soul

Having heard very high praise for the Alfa Romeo Giulia from several of my petrol-head friends, I felt compelled to experience it by myself. After driving it for a few days, I completely understand why. This is a very good looking 4-door saloon both inside and outside, and a thrill to drive. In terms of […]

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Sakura Time

The transient beauty of flowers

Every spring throughout Japan, busy citizens take time out to enact an age-old tradition: hanami. People flock in droves to parks, walkways, and gardens – wherever sakura (cherry blossom) blooms – to celebrate flowers that symbolise hope and new life. The ancient custom has its roots in the peasant’s belief that the gods of the […]

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Tissot Goes Full Throttle

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of MotoGP

Anybody that is a fan of MotoGP will be more than familiar with the Swiss watch brand Tissot, which has been a partner of the sport since 2001. Over these 25 years, Tissot has created a series of watches that celebrate the excitement of racing and the qualities it requires: precision, passion, power; all of […]

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British Watchmakers’ Day

The start of a revolution

When Roger Smith, Mike France and Alistair Audsley founded the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers in October 2020, their intention was to champion and represent the interests of British watch and clock makers, nurture the talent and promote the sector around the world. Less than four years later, the association has 93 trade members, 44 of which took part […]

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Bremont Bamford Aurora

Time full of magic

What could sound like the start of a joke: “George Bamford, Davide Cerrato and the English brothers walk into a room…” was actually the genesis of something quite magical, the Bremont Bamford Aurora. Let me give you some background here. Nick and Giles English, founders of Bremont watches, are well-known for their sense of adventure, […]