Longines and Ascot announce that the Swiss watch brand, Official Timekeeper at Ascot since 2007, has become an Official Partner of the racecourse. This will include use of the Longines logo on the Grandstand and permanent on-course and off-course branding, throughout the year. The branded chronometer close to the winning post and elegant clock in the Parade Ring will remain in situ. Each Official Partner has a day at Royal Ascot where their brand is given an elevated profile, which includes stalls branding. The day on which this will operate for Longines will be Wednesday 20 June.

What is the connection between Caran d’Ache and fine watchmaking?
The very fact that we are based in Geneva is one connection, but we also share a lot of common ground regarding some of the crafts we use. It was therefore quite logical to come even closer to the world of watchmaking with our 1010 Timekeeper writing instrument, in which our craftsmen pay tribute to the know-how of the Swiss watchmaker.

Released in 2017, the Astron executive series was the first Astron designed specifically for those who want a versatile watch suitable for any occasion or activity. At Baselworld 2018, Seiko revealed a new sports design. To be launched in June 2018, the executive sports series offers all the functions of Seiko’s unique GPS Solar technology but with a new level of durability, legibility and water resistance.

You have been a watch collector for many years and you are now turning your passion into a career. What are your plans for the new watch department in London?
We are going to evolve in terms of how we think collectors in the UK would like to be served. Until now it has been more of a dealer-based model in the UK over the past 10 to 15 years and we are very keen to have a presence in the UK so that Phillips becomes a destination in the UK for UK collectors. We want people to come to us not only for the auctions but for private treaty, for advice, information and education.

Launched in 1963, the first ever Comtesse collection consisted of automatic movements. The model became a connected watch four years ago and continues to evolve towards technology. The Comtesse Horological Smartwatch is the result of development between Alpina and the Swiss brand MMT. In 2018, two new versions of the Comtesse Horological Smartwatch, expressing a modern balance of a sporty elegance and the Swiss connected watchmaking, are added to the collection.

On 13 June, 2018, a few days before the start of the highly anticipated 24 Hours of Le Mans, TAG Heuer welcomed brand ambassador Patrick Dempsey to Monaco for an unusual training session. The actor, who’s also a driver and owner of the Dempsey Racing team– who are due to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend – travelled to the Var track in Le Luc in a viper green Porsche 911 RS from the private car collection of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, for whom TAG Heuer has been appointed Official Watchmaker.

Epitomising the Avant-Garde from its creation in 1963 right up to the brand new Heuer 02 line, and including innovative pieces such as the ultramodern Connected Modular, the TAG Heuer Carrera collection celebrates its 55th anniversary in 2018. On this occasion, TAG Heuer presented the Carrera Heuer 02 GMT, a new chronograph version equipped with a second time zone function.

Is it fair to say that the new Laureato family has fulfilled its mission?
What’s interesting is that it feels like Girard-Perregaux launched the Laureato ten years ago, but in fact it only dates back to the 2017 SIHH! Although the model was created in 1975, it was never exploited. The name of the watch is on the lips of many end clients, retailers, journalists and opinion leaders, as if it had been part of the landscape for years. Not only are they talking about it in an extremely positive manner, but sell-out [sales to the final customer] is very good. This product has made a place for itself in the life and the ethos of the brand. Many people say this is because of its positioning, its aesthetic quality, its design and its value for money, which have given Girard-Perregaux a significant presence in strategic points of sale which the brand had previously lost. These days, it’s vital to have extremely solid distribution partners. Wempe, for example, has opened the doors of its boutiques in Germany, London and the United States to us. They were seduced by the Laureato and its potential to general sales. It has sparked a resurgence of interest in Girard-Perregaux, which is enjoying improved consumer confidence, and is entering a new dimension.

Carl F. Bucherer announces a partnership with the Swiss national soccer player Ricardo Rodríguez. Tenacious left-back with Spanish and Chilean heritage, Ricardo Rodríguez grew up in Zurich. He signed his first professional contract with FC Zürich in 2010 before moving to VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) in 2012. He has been a regular on the Swiss national team since 2011 and, in 2014, was voted Swiss player of the year. His talents soon brought him to the attention of Europe’s leading soccer clubs, and he signed with Italian giants, AC Milan, in 2017.

This Frédérique Constant Manufacture Perpetual Calendar limited edition is sold exclusively by Bucherer in Paris, the world’s biggest specialised haute horlogerie store. It’s a steel version – with blue dial and silvered hands and markers – of the Frédérique Constant perpetual calendar that made such a strong impression on its launch at Baselworld 2016, largely because of its highly competitive price tag of not much over 8,000 Swiss francs. 

The Bol d’Or Mirabaud, the world’s biggest inland regatta, was founded in 1939 by Pierre Bonnet. At the first event, twenty-six crews lined up for the start. By 1987, not long before the event’s 50th anniversary, the milestone of 500 entries was reached. In 2018, more than 500 boats and 3,000 crew members participated in the 80th edition of this prestigious sailing regatta.

Since 2016, a dozen or so major watch brands have joined forces with Bucherer to pay tribute to the retailer’s signature colour – blue – through exclusive watches available only through Bucherer stores. Chopard, Audemars Piguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Panerai and Piaget, amongst others, have developed wristwatches with certain specific features for Bucherer’s Blue Editions collection, which today numbers around 20 pieces. Just under one month ago, another exceptional fine mechanical watch – the Harley-Davidson Blue Edition – was added to the collection. Designed in collaboration with the watchmakers of Carl F. Bucherer and the jewellers of Bucherer, this stunning machine is the first motorbike to come equipped with its own high jewellery watch and precious stones (l).

Richard Mille is the official partner of Le Mans Classic since its creation in 2002. Awarded with Two Motoring Event of the Year prizes at the International Historic Motoring Awards in 2014 and 2016, Le Mans Classic gathered together some 123,000 spectators, 8,500 European clubs, 1,000 drivers from around the world and 200 exhibitors on the French circuit over the weekend in 2016.

On Sunday, June 10, 2018, the city of Zurich has become the stage for an Olympian motorsport race. Inside their single-seater electric vehicles, 20 drivers travelled the urban circuit along the Limmat as part of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Those who took part included Swiss driver Sébastien Buemi, as well as Nelson Piquet, Edoardo Mortara and Nick Heidfeld, and the race was won by Lucas Di Digrassi from Audi Sport Abt Schäffler, followed by Sam Bird (+7.542 seconds) and Jérôme D’Ambrosio (+16.822 seconds).