Blancpain has been a very fortunate brand. As one of the pioneers in the field of diving watches and that of automatic watches, they have a tremendously rich history. Even when the quartz crisis almost made an end to the brand, there was Jean-Claude Biver, who together with Jacques Piguet, son of Frédéric Piguet, took the company to new heights. Since 2002 the brand is in the capable hands of Marc A. Hayek, who has carefully build upon the history of the brand, yet with a keen eye to what modern consumers are looking for. While their current collectsion is vast, these are our Haute Time favorites.

The history of the minute repeater goes back to a time before electric light. As lighting an oil lamp was quite some work, watchmakers build repeating mechanisms in pocket watches so that they could sound the time on demand. The invention of the minute repeater was claimed by both Edward Barlow and Daniel Quare, but it was Quare who obtained a patent for it in 1687. Initially, watches equipped with a repeating mechanism used bells to chime the time, later to be replaced with wire gong, which took up less space. These weren't minute repeaters, at first, but quarter repeaters, chiming the time to the closest quarter.

When it comes to diving watches, Rolex has quite the reputation to uphold as they have not one, but two gold-references in this category in their collectsion. The Submariner and Sea-Dweller might soon have to tolerate a third Rolex joining their ranks, as the Deepsea is working hard on accomplishing this. For 2018 Rolex launched a slightly revised version of this watch, making it even better than before!

These watches from De Grisogono, Hublot and Jaquet Droz are appropriate for White Parties and more importantly can be worn year round

A GMT-watch is nice, but it only shows what time it is at home as well as in the time-zone you are currently in. With our world getting more interconnected every day for some people this might not be enough. While on the beach in Rio you might need to know if you can call a business partner in Asia, or if the markets in Europe have already closed. For that, a world time watch is most convenient, as it shows the current time around the globe.

Richard Mille launches the RM 25-01 Tourbillon Adventure—a collaboration with Sylvester Stallone, priced at $983,000 and limited to only 20 pieces.

It is hard to believe but the Richard Mille RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne Dual Time has already been on the market since 2010. Even among the progressive and impressive line-up of Richard Mille, it is a model that gets noticed. As is always the case the brand, the reason for this is the complications in combination with unusual high-tech materials and a futuristic and flawless execution.

There is a lot to say for the discrete color of white gold, but sometimes you just want gold to be gold. You want the pure look of yellow gold or the rich tones of rose gold, and not only for the case but for the bracelet as well. Sometimes you want to go all in, and these watches are all the way with you for that!

Zenith has been making impressive watches since 1865, but many of us know the brand especially because of the El Primero. Launched in 1969, it was the world's first integrated, automatic chronograph movement, and because its balance oscillates at the frequency of 36.000 vibrations per hour, it can measure time up to a tenth of a second. For Zenith this accomplishment was however only an inspiration to push the envelope even further, which results today in a collectsion that is as extensive as it is impressive, and their following watches are Haute Time favourites!

In the corporate life, watches are more than daily companions; they are tools, pieces of jewelry, as well as an important part in shaping up our professional image. Depending on the industry you are in certain watches are off bounds while others fit in perfectly. Here are four powerful creations that mean business as much as you do!

Colors play an important role in watchmaking. Often not so much on the technical side but for sure on the visual one. They greatly contribute to the character of a timepiece. While paints and lacquers can relatively easily be made in any color desired, other materials are much harder color, but that didn't stop some brands from pursuing it anyway!

When you have something to celebrate, you better do it right! That is what Grand Seiko must have thought when they created the Blue Ceramic Hi-beat GMT “Special” Limited Edition to mark the 20th anniversary of their highly acclaimed 9S-movement. With a diameter of 46.4mm, and being 14.6mm thick, Grand Seiko has created a serious sports watch, fully committed to performance and wearing comfort.

When Chronoswiss launched their first regulator model, 30 years ago, they brought a dial configuration mainly known from clocks to the wrist and created an icon in the process. While during those years Chronoswiss created many other beautiful, and even more complicated, watches, the Regulator remained one of their signature models. And now, with the Flying Regulator Night and Day, Chronoswiss writes a new chapter in the history of the model.

It's easy to notice the beauty and elegance of watches with enamel dials

When travelling it is very nice to be able to depend on a watch that is made for that purpose. It can make your time abroad that much more comfortable, and easier. So when I recently set off to Hong Kong from Geneva, I was very pleased to be able to strap on the Hublot Big Bang Unico GMT Carbon and take it through its paces in what I consider one of the most captivating cities in the world.

Some watches are big for the sake of being big. Other then a large diameter they have very little to offer. There is, however, a category of watches that not only uses all the real estate they have available, but they also need it! They feature movements that fill the case and require large dials to show a multitude of complications in a fashionable order. They are the behemoths of the Haute Horlogerie, and they are large for a good reason!