Carol Besler

Carol Besler has written about watches for more than 20 years. From 1990 to 2005 she was editor and publisher of Canadian Jeweller magazine, while contributing regularly to several other publications, including International Watch, Robb Report, Patek Philippe Magazine, Financial Post and Worth. From 2006 to 2009 she was editor of the ladies edition of International Watch and remains a regular contributor to International Watch, Journal Haute Horlogerie, Haute Living, Watch Journal, Robb Report, Fashion Magazine, The New York Times (Watch Your Time), Sharp For Men, The Book For Men, Nuvo, Experience (for Bombardier) and the custom magazines about watches and jewelry published by Tufts Communications.

More About Carol Besler

POSTS BY Carol Besler

Hermès: The Birkin Bag of Watch Straps

Today, while touring the leather workshop at La Montre Hermès watch manufacture near Neuchatel, Switzerland, I learned why it takes two hours to make one leather strap the Hermès way. After checking out the leather vault and witnessing the choosing, cutting and shaving of the leather (a one-hour process), I was led to a work bench and treated to a lesson on the intricacies of finishing a barenia leather strap (another one-hour process). This will be easy, I thought, as I watched the artisan do a couple of saddle stitches, an Hermès specialty, and then finish an edge in a READ MORE

Hotel Palafitte: 5-Star Hotel in Watch Valley

Among the many things the Swiss do very well are two standouts: watchmaking and hospitality. The Swiss Jura, off the beaten track as far as tourism in this country is concerned, offers prime examples of both. Just as a trip to Neuchatel would not be complete without a watchmaking manufacture or museum visit, nor should anyone miss an opportunity to stay at the amazing Hotel Palafitte – while they still can. Slated for possible demolition in 2021, the hotel was built by the Sandoz family (Swiss media/pharmaceutical/hotel conglomerate that also owns several watchmaking enterprises, including Parmigiani Fleurier and Vaucher), READ MORE

Hermès: An Horological Veteran

I have been doing some research on Hermès, as I will be visiting the manufacture near La Chaux-de-Fonds and the design studio in Paris next week. Like many watch brands, Hermès only recently developed its own base caliber, but I was surprised to learn that, like most of the mor well-known top watch brands, Hermès has been branding its own timepieces for over 100 years – long before it started making silk scarves. The first watch was made in 1912. The iconic Kelly model was first introduced in 1975 and the Arceau in 1978, followed by the Clipper in 1981 READ MORE

Shine A Light: Glow In The Dark Luxury Timepieces

One of the brightest trends to emerge in the watch industry these days is the growing tendency of timepieces to glow in the dark. Tourbillons are fun to watch and repeaters are divine musical machines, but if you really want a useful function in a watch, you should get one that glows in the dark – it will help you read the time in theatres, dark airplanes or under water. The hour markers and hands of Ball watches, for example, contain micro gas tubes with tritium gas, coated with luminescent material. The H1 Hydromechanics from HYT employs clear circular tubes READ MORE

Omega Loves The Olympics

Omega’s sponsorship of the Olympic Games is a year-round affair, with parties to mark the lead-up to the Games. Most recently, the brand celebrated the 100-day mark and introduced three “London 2012” limited editions to its Olympic Timeless Collection, including the Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial London 2012, pictured here. The brand has been the official timer of the Olympics off and on for 80 years; this is its 25th time. The 2012 games will be held in London, and Omega president Stephen Urquhart recalls the involvement of Omega the last time the games were held there, in 1948: “That edition READ MORE

Breitling Ups The Warranty Ante

Breitling has extended the warranty on its watches with manufacture calibers to five years, from two. The message is an expression of confidence in its enhanced capacity for quality control now that the brand produces its own movements. Breitling made around 40,000 of its own manufacture calibers last year, including the caliber 01 chronograph, the caliber 04 with second time zone and the caliber 05 world timer. These movements now represent half of Breitling’s production, and the move to a five-year warranty “represents an exceptional measure at this level of production,” the brand says in its announcement. The industry standard READ MORE