Latest watch news · Page 117

A lot smaller, a little thicker, and exactly what people have been begging for.

For decades, the stainless steel Rolex Daytona has been one of the most desirable watches from the Crown’s catalogue. The brand’s chronograph, born in 1963, has been available in hundreds of versions, but when it comes to steel versions, the choice has always been limited to two options: silvery-white with black contrasting counters or rings, […]

Two months out from the world's biggest watch fair, Watches and Wonders Geneva outlines a broader, more city-wide program for 2026.

A brand new generation of the regatta-themed chronograph features streamlined functionality that is more useful and easier to use.

Bulgari’s biggest release for 2026 is, ironically, the smallest member of its Octo Finissimo lineup. In just twelve years, Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo legion has conquered more terrain than any other contender in the ultra-thin watch arena. While Bulgari is the undisputed Imperator of ultra-thin horology, it has always understood that a collection cannot survive on […]

For 2026, Zenith celebrates five years of one of its defining modern watches. Since its 2021 debut, the Chronomaster Sport has pushed the El Primero automatic chronograph into a new era. Its contemporary, sporty design has also made it a perfect platform for experimentation. This year, Zenith leans into that potential with its most avant-garde […] Visit Introducing: The Zenith Chronomaster Sport Two-Tone And A New Skeleton Collection With An Updated Clasp to read the full article.

During Watches and Wonders 2025, Grand Seiko unveiled two Spring Drive models powered by a new Ultra Fine Accuracy (U.F.A.) caliber. This year, the Japanese watchmaker follows up on last year’s novelties with two Ushio 300 divers housing a new U.F.A. movement. On top of that, the brand finally granted enthusiasts’ wishes for a smaller […] Visit Grand Seiko Unveils The New Evolution 9 Spring Drive U.F.A. Ushio 300 Divers to read the full article.

Last year was a big one for Zenith, celebrating the manufacture’s 160th anniversary. For the occasion, the brand introduced the impressive Zenith G.F.J. The release brought back the legendary caliber 135 and marked the start of a new series of dress watches. But after that release, it remained quiet until today. Today, the inaugural G.F.J. […] Visit Zenith Turns The G.F.J. Into A Collection With Two Stunning Stone-Dial Limited Editions to read the full article.

The only sense of nature you can experience when spending days on end in Geneva’s Palexpo event center is by handling Grand Seiko novelties. Yes, we sometimes joke about the plethora of nature-inspired dial designs that the Japanese brand releases. Still, they’re most welcome during Watches and Wonders. After a couple of steamy sessions in […] Visit Introducing: Grand Seiko’s 38mm 62GS SBGH376 “Sakura-Wakaba” And 37mm Evolution 9 SLGB006 “Ice Forest At Dawn” to read the full article.

Brands are fully aware that mechanically minded car enthusiasts tend to appreciate mechanical watches, leading to countless sponsorship gestures and collaborations. After a 14-year hiatus, Cartier is set to delight petrolheads with the return of its automotive-inspired Roadster. Renowned as the master of shaped watches, Cartier’s curvaceous, streamlined Roadster has been refined by a team […]

After introducing the G.F.J. Caliber 135 last year, Zenith has expanded the line with two new models and created a new collection in the process. Following closely in the footsteps of the platinum debut model, the new additions are dressed in 18k yellow gold and tantalum, with richly furnished natural stone dials. The cal. 135 returns - now finished in a more traditional manner - boasting impressive performance that does justice to the movement’s enviable competition record. Initial thoughts The return of the legendary cal. 135 was something I always hoped I’d see, but never thought I would. But in a moment akin to Omega’s recreation of the famed cal. 321 chronograph, Zenith brought back one of the most successful observatory calibres in history. The movement made its return last year in grand style to mark the brand’s 160th anniversary, well built but priced well above Zenith’s typical domain. The style was also an acquired taste, with a hand-guilloche chapter ring, with a matching pattern machined into the movement bridges. The dial treatment was one thing, but the finishing of the movement arguably dulled what could have been an ascendant moment. For 2026, two new dial configurations - bloodstone and onyx - join what can now be called an official collection, both equally as luxe as the model’s blue debut. Fortunately, when it comes to the cal. 135, Zenith left the brick-style bridge finishing behind, opting for more ordinary - but more attractive ...

In 1996, Patek Philippe introduced one of the most practical complications in modern watchmaking: the Annual Calendar. First seen in the reference 5035, the mechanism automatically distinguishes between months with 30 and 31 days, requiring only one manual correction per year, at the end of February. Between the “simplicity” of a full calendar and the […]

Following a belter of an anniversary year during which the brand launched, among other things, the world’s most complicated wristwatch and a quarter-ton astronomical clock, Vacheron Constantin (VC) kicks off Watches & Wonders with something more low-profile, both literally and figuratively - the Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin. While small in stature at just 7.35 mm thick, it’s what’s inside the counts - namely, an all-new micro-rotor calibre with 80 hours of power reserve and seemingly limitless potential. Initial thoughts The new Overseas Ultra-Thin is little different from the model that preceded it, though the ref. 2000V remained rare enough throughout its production run that the format still feels fresh. It also helps that despite the visual similarity, the ref. 2500V is a completely new watch inside and out, catapulting a model that arguably lagged behind its one obvious competitor into instant parity. The ref. 2500V is best understood from the inside out. Audemars Piguet replaced the well-loved historical cal. 2121 with its more modern cal. 7121 in 2022, and now it’s VC’s turn, being the last of the big three purveyors of mass-market fine watchmaking to replace its aging Jaeger-LeCoultre cal. 920-based movements with an in-house alternative. The reluctance to replace this venerable platform is understandable. What VC calls the cal. 1120 is one of the last movements of its generation still in use, and carries a historical weight missing from many moder...

Sure to be among the most talked-about releases of Watches & Wonders, TAG Heuer has just unveiled the Monaco Evergraph. The openworked Monaco marks the debut of the calibre TH-80, one of the most advanced chronograph movements on the market. The Evergraph’s movement is notable for several reasons, but the most surprising is the use of an innovative compliant structure to simplify the chronograph mechanisms. Initial thoughts Beginning with the relaunch of the TH-Carbonspring last year, TAG Heuer has been on something of a road to redemption. Not long ago it seemed like the brand’s brightest days might be behind it, but the Evergraph provides further evidence that TAG Heuer has been retooling to become a new leader in technical innovation. The famous Breitling-Heuer-Buren Calibre 11 - one of the first automatic chronograph movements to hit the market back in 1969 - debuted in a Monaco, and so it’s fitting that the new TH-80 movement is first glimpsed through the transparent dial of the Monaco Evergraph. In more ways than one, the Evergraph pays proper hommage to original Heuer Monaco while remaining decidedly future-oriented.  It is also great to see the TH-Carbonspring literally front and centre on the dial side, proof that TAG Heuer is finally delivering on the promise of carbon hairspring industrialisation.  Even before digressing into the distinctive mechanics of the new cal. TH80-00, any chronograph aficionado will greatly appreciate the particular crown and...

Since the introduction of the annual calendar in 1996, Patek Philippe has owned this clever middle ground between simple calendars and perpetual calendars. The annual calendar complication, requiring just one correction per year, has since appeared in multiple layouts, from the classical reference 5146 to the more modern 5205, while the reference 4946 has established […]

Few complications are as closely associated with Patek Philippe as the World Time. Born in the 1930s and based on the invention of Louis Cottier, the system allows reading of the 24 time zones via a rotating city ring and a 24-hour disc, while local time is indicated centrally. Over the decades, Patek has refined its […]

An update to the dressy pilot's watch from Cartier brings a slinky new bracelet and a deep stone dial option.The post Cartier releases new large Santos-Dumont models with metal bracelets and in-house mechanical movements appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Last year was a huge one for Vacheron Constantin, as the house celebrated its 270th anniversary. This occasion was highlighted with a string of special anniversary releases. Among them was the breathtaking Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, which became the world’s most complicated wristwatch. But what could we expect from Vacheron Constantin after last […] Visit Vacheron Constantin Unveils Two Pink Gold Versions Of The Historiques American 1921 to read the full article.

IWC releases a new Le Petit Prince range, including Mark XX Pilot's Automatic models as part of Watches and Wonders 2026.The post Le Petit Prince returns to the IWC Pilot’s line with new Mark XX models appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Space is having a huge moment right now, and if you’re at all like me, you’ve been transported to a time in your youth when you were soaking up anything space exploration related as much as the sun. Well, IWC is going to keep space at the forefront of everyone’s mind here at Watches & Wonders as they’ve just released their Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, their first watch engineered and certified for spaceflight.  I actually got to see this watch back in February while I was out in Los Angeles with IWC at Vast’s headquarters. Vast is the company building what is set to become the first commercial space station, Haven-1. And that context matters, because this isn’t just a “space-inspired” watch. The Venturer Vertical Drive was designed for actual use in orbit, and it’s already been certified for flight in partnership with Vast.  Historically, space watches have basically just been modified aviation watches, but IWC took a different approach here. Instead of adapting something that already existed, they started from a much simpler question: what does a watch actually need to do in space? The answer led to a few decisions that feel genuinely new, starting with the most obvious one - there’s no crown. From an outsider’s perspective, this feels almost like a flex (and it kinda is). But the way that IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr explained it during our live presentation was that in a zero-gravity environment, as astronauts are moving through tight spac...

Vacheron Constantin has gently updated one of its most distinctive time-only watches, the Historiques American 1921. Now kitted out with a silver grained dial, the 1921 retains its characteristic dial layout, along with blue Breguet numerals and hands. Like its predecessor, the new 1921 is also available in two sizes, 36.5 mm and 40 mm, but only in pink gold for now. Initial thoughts Ordinarily, cosmetic variations would not be that interesting, but the 1921 has not been iterated upon too often, despite being almost 20 years old. In fact, the 1921 is a fixture in the VC catalogue, yet has varied little given its tenure. As a result, the facelifted model is appealing and also arrives in a timely manner. Though the changes are subtle, namely to the dial texture plus hand and numeral colour, they give the dial a little more life. The updates also make the watch feel a little more modern, but the result still sits comfortably with the historical design. A driver’s watch Sometimes known as a “driver’s watch” for its off-the-vertical dial layout, the 1921 was modelled a small number of watches made by VC in 1919 and subsequent years. The unusual dial alignment was reputedly to improve legibility while driving, or while preaching at the pulpit for one of the owners of the 1920s originals was an American clergyman. The latest version retains the same design and layout as past iterations, with the dial 45 degrees off the vertical and the crown at two o’clock. Instead of a...