Hublot Big Bang 301.SX.2710.NR.JEANS

The beauty of a mechanical watch comes down to the movement ticking within, and for the most part it’s completely hidden from view. Even with a sapphire case back, it’s a shame to hide the mastery of this centuries-old technology from plain sight, and that’s a thought shared by watchmaker to King Louis XV, André Charles, who cut open his dials to expose the innards. Here are five open-dialled watches that continue the tradition.

The big news of Baselworld 2018, after thirteen years in the making, was the announcement of a stainless steel edition of the red-and-blue–bezelled Rolex GMT-Master II. Or, it would have been, had Tudor not undercut Rolex’s big story with a sneaky release of its own—the Black Bay GMT.

It seems that there’s a new high-end luxury company emerging every day, making diamond-covered mobile phones or clothes made out of crocodile faces or perhaps even yachts that turn into helicopters. It’s the clock-radio industry of the modern elite, creating desirability by combing two things that already exist to invent something that doesn’t—and more importantly, that you don’t already have. It’s no wonder, then, that so many of these brands disappear almost as fast as they materialise, so what does it take to stick around?

If there's one thing watch enthusiasts share a love for, it's the supercar. Whether powerful or beautiful, designed to stick to a track or swoop through the French Riviera, a supercar is—like watchmaking—engineering with soul, passion and excitement. We take a visit to the headquarters of VVS sports and prestige automobiles to sample three of recent history's finest.