Henry Flores, the founder of Classic Watch Club, grew up in East Harlem in a household where he was raised to appreciate well-made items. “My family didn’t come from money but my mom loved good quality things,” Mr. Flores, 44, said over a pizza at a short walk from his childhood home. “She’d say, ‘If…
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Often described as “the most beautiful avenue in the world,” the Champs-Élysées is finally undergoing a long-overdue makeover, with luxury watch brands that dot the boulevard helping to lead the way. Though it’s been a popular destination for strolling since its renovation by Georges-Eugène Haussmann in the mid-19th-century, the Champs enjoyed an especially glamorous heyday…
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What will 2024 mean to the luxury watch business? On a video call last month arranged by The Times, some best guesses were offered by two well-known resale dealers: Silas Walton, founder and chief executive of A Collected Man (A.C.M.), a company in London that specializes in rare pieces by independent makers, and Austen Chu,…
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The latest grail category in luxury watches does not involve a specific design or function, but a material: Hard stone dials have become one of the most sought-after — and hardest to find — elements of both new and vintage timepieces. Although hard stone dials are too rare to be labeled a trend, they’ve popped…
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When it comes to watchmaking, Logan Kuan Rao is motivated by a Chinese proverb that, loosely translated, says your character is shaped by your environment. And by another, much less philosophical phrase: Made in China. Both have been on his mind recently as Mr. Rao, an independent watchmaker based in China’s southern port city of…
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Breitling’s announcement in December that it had acquired the all-but defunct Swiss watch company Universal Genève was an early Christmas gift for the watch community, much of which had been calling for the brand’s revival. But onlookers were left guessing what was in the package. In a recent video call, Breitling’s chief executive, Georges Kern,…
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On a sun-drenched, windswept afternoon in mid-December, as temperatures hovered well below zero, two men crossed the finish line of the 18th annual Antarctic Ice Marathon hand-in-hand, taking seventh place in the 26.2-mile run, the world’s southernmost race. One was Simon Messner, the 33-year-old son of Reinhold Messner, the legendary Italian mountaineer who was the…
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Seek so much as a kernel of advice on the internet in 2024 about conflicts in a relationship, a situationship or even an affair, and you may find yourself inundated with recommendations to “stand on business.” A Hinge match asks to reschedule your first date with 30 minutes’ notice? Stand on business. Your ex continues…
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The cockatoo, one of Tiffany & Company’s most recognizable motifs since Jean Schlumberger created the original Bird on a Rock design in the 1960s, made its way into some of the house’s watches last year. It was just part of a continuing trend among jewelry brands that also manufacture watches: Translating successful designs for use…
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For a decade now, Ressence has been putting a new spin on how its customers read the time. For the 10th anniversary of its Type 1 model, the Belgian watch brand has brought pops of color to a 212-component mechanical timepiece that looks as deceptively simple as a smartwatch. It is also an upbeat outcome…
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