Latest watch news · Page 125

Since its debut, Horloger Ming, the brand led by Ming Thein, has built its collections on light, transparency, and layered dial constructions. From early minimalist pieces to more technical watches like the 29.01 Worldtimer, Ming has explored how a dial can interact with its environment. Recently, the brand went even more expressive, resulting in the […]

On April 27th, 1976, NASA made 55 out of 97 of its Omega Speedmaster chronographs available to the National Air & Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, DC. Then and now, these Omega watches were considered a collection with significant artifactual value! This article is a contribution by space and watch enthusiast Philip Corneille, founder of […] Visit Here’s What Happened To The NASA-Issued Speedmasters! to read the full article.

Naming a watch is important. This goes without saying, probably, but it’s something we don’t really talk about or think about enough. Just last week I was having a conversation with a colleague about how unfortunate it is that Grand Seiko seems to keep missing the mark with naming conventions. With so many releases, it’s tough to keep individual reference numbers at the front of the mind, and “Tentagraph” has yet to permeate watch culture in the way the brand perhaps thought it would. Some brands have a knack for coming up with catchy and distinctive names for watches that both make a ton of sense and are easily remembered and associated with a given watch. The team at Ulysse Nardin are the kings of this. The Freak? The Super Freak?? The Blast??? All immediately iconic in my opinion.  Today, Ming joins the Watch Name Hall of Fame (side note: that’s an article idea we’ll be pursuing shortly, I’ve just decided) with the Peep Show. When the Ming team first showed us a prototype of the Peep Show at Geneva Watch Days last year, we were led to believe it was a working name, or a code word for a product that was not fully fleshed out. Obviously we all thought it was pretty amusing at the time. But just last month, during Watches & Wonders week, when I learned that Peep Show was indeed the official name of the watch, well, let’s just say I was surprised and delighted, because it’s honestly perfect.  What is the Peep Show, you might be asking yourself at this ...

What We Know Want to see a magic trick? No, not the kind the Joker pulls in "The Dark Knight," but instead something pretty cool that Ming has cooked up with their new 29.06 "Peep Show." The watches below look markedly different, but the only thing that's changed is the direction the hands point. When Ming Thein showed me this watch last fall, I immediately got what was going on as he turned the crown. If you were doing the same, you'd see that the guilloché dial with a multiphase color-shifting coating (like on the 57.04 "Iris") slowly fades in and out of visibility, turning from a dazzling view to pitch black as the hands move. Any guesses on how it works? Well, it's kind of a trick question, because the hands aren't actually hands. Instead, they're polarized sapphire discs with a hands made of Super-LumiNova X1 fill. The two pieces of sapphire are linearly polarized, so when they're aligned (on top of each other or directly opposite each other), the polarizer lets light in, and you can see that metal disc with color-shifting treatment. As the hands rotate, you see less and less of the dial until it turns black when the two discs are at 90º to each other. When you learn the effect, it's pretty simple, but it's certainly effective in person. All this is in a 29-series case, which is a bit more reserved than the 57-series case. It's made in lightweight Grade 5 titanium, measuring 40mm by 11.8mm, with a 22mm lug width. The case has a 50-meter water resistance. Inside the ...

How do you capture 100 years of the Oyster? That's the question at the center of Rolex's new 23-minute film celebrating the anniversary of one of the most important watches ever made. The film opens with incredible archival footage of Mercedes Gleitze swimming across the English Channel, then moves on to archival footage of many defining moments tied to the Oyster's history—speed records, Everest expeditions, deep-sea exploration, and much more. Most will know these stories, but seeing them presented together really captures the full breadth of what the Oyster has represented over the last century. One of the film's most impressive qualities is its sense of scale. Even something like the Daytona—one of the most iconic watches ever made and a subject that could easily support an entire film on its own—is only one small part of the larger story being told here. More than anything, it underscores just how broad and far-reaching Rolex's history with the Oyster really is. From there, the film transitions into the modern era, highlighting Rolex's ongoing ties to sport, the arts, and scientific exploration. It closes with a look at the brand's Perpetual Planet initiative and Rolex's environmental efforts, both in the field and within its own manufacturing operations, including a closer look at how the company is approaching sustainability in watchmaking.  There are also a few fun details throughout. At one point, the film references precision down to "a fraction of a billi...

A little over two years ago, Seiko introduced the first Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs. Following that, the brand gradually launched slightly updated versions featuring new materials and colors. For its 145th anniversary, Seiko revamped its Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs. With a new case and caliber, the series gets a proper update. The brand […] Visit Hands-On With The New Seiko Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs HAB001, HAB002, HAB003, And Limited HAB004 to read the full article.

Our British Watchmaker's Weekender event finally came to NY, with 400 ticket holders coming to check out some of the best in British watches.

Urwerk bids farewell to the Spacemeter with UR-10 Spacemeter Blue Final Edition. As the final series of the UR-10, the 25-piece limited edition features a dark blue dial that differentiates it from the black and silver editions released previously. The watch is otherwise identical to its predecessors, and features an instrument panel-like display that tracks the progress of the Earth around both the sun and its own axis. Initial thoughts The ‘almost conventional’ display of the UR-10 represents a departure for Urwerk, which made its name in satellite wandering hours complications. Like the quirky and impressive EMC, the UR-10 proves Urwerk’s space-age aesthetic works in a variety of formats. But the Spacemeter’s time on Earth was relatively short, having been launched less than a year ago. The limited production of just 75 pieces (25 in each of three colours) should reward collectors, but I’m hopeful the ergonomic case and bracelet will come out of retirement to house different complications in the future. The UR-10 borrows a number of stylistic cues from the UR-100, but the case construction is entirely novel. The 45.4 mm case is essentially a bi-level construction — stainless steel on the bottom for a stable weight balance, and titanium on top for a continuous look from case to bracelet. The two materials contrast slightly on the winglets on either side of the case, where they are fastened with bolts. This construction is similar to that of the original Pate...

Urwerk, the indie brand founded by Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner in 1997, is renowned for its futuristic, aerodynamic vessels with kinetic satellite hour displays.  In 2025, Urwerk released the UR-10 SpaceMeter, a watch that initially stumped fans with its round dial and conventional hour and minute hands. However, closer inspection revealed Urwerk’s fascination with […]

Today, I’ll take a look at an object that blends two of my favorite subjects — cars and watches! I’m not unique with those interests, but this watch takes it a step further. You see, it’s inspired by one of the greatest sports cars in history, the Porsche 911. The brand behind this creation is […] Visit Hands-On With The Stewart Dawson SD 911 Black to read the full article.

Rado’s foray into the world of dive watches in 1962 resulted in the Captain Cook, a somewhat quirky watch that didn’t emulate the rugged tool watches populating the underwater scene. Defined by its less utilitarian character, the Captain Cook had a compact 35mm case, an inward-sloping bezel, a domed acrylic crystal, a pivoting anchor at […]

When discussing super-affordable entry-level watches with enthusiasts, the name Citizen Tsuyosa is likely to come up. Since the Japanese brand first unveiled the Tsuyosa in 2022, the line has become incredibly popular. Over the past four years, we have seen striking new dial variations of the inaugural 40mm versions, smaller 37mm variations, and a series […] Visit Hands-On With The New Citizen Tsuyosa Shore Series to read the full article.

This year Audemars Piguet (AP) walked into Watches & Wonders Geneva for the first time in seven years, and it did so carrying a word it had not used in public for the better part of a century. The brand had departed the predecessor of the fair, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), in 2019 alongside Richard Mille, declaring its intention to forge direct relationships with collectors through its own channels and AP Houses rather than through the shared theatre of a trade fair. The return to Geneva in 2026, under CEO Ilaria Resta, was already a signal of strategic realignment, but the word it brought with it made the move more interesting: établisseur. The watches it presented — three of them — each made in very limited numbers by a network of named artisans working within and around the Musée Atelier in Le Brassus, were introduced under the name Atelier des Établisseurs, a project AP described in its launch communications as a revival of the collaborative spirit that had driven the watchmaking industry for generations. The établissage system The framing was historically accurate, as far as it went. The établissage system did shape the Vallée de Joux from the late 18th century onward. Farmers working through the long alpine winters crafted individual components like wheels, bridges, and screws in home workshops, coordinated by an établisseur who assembled the finished watch and brought it to market. The Audemars Piguet Établisseurs Gallets hand-w...

Ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500, the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Solargraph x Indy 500 Limited Edition makes its debut.

Swatch is planning a collaboration with Audemars Piguet, expected to be one of the most significant and talked-about watch releases of the year. Swatch began teasing the tie-up last week with social media posts featuring the distinctive font associated with AP's iconic Royal Oak model and the words 'Royal' and 'Pop.' That led to hordes of speculation online that the brand was preparing a collaboration with AP. And then, over the weekend, the two marques confirmed that indeed they would be releasing the new product on May 16.  Many Swatch boutiques, including its main store in Geneva, are displaying boxes or chests (presumably holding the watch models) promoting the new Royal Pop collab, in much the same way they did with the Omega and Blancpain collaborations ahead of the launches.  An Audemars Piguet X Swatch chest in the window at a Swatch boutique in Geneva. So, what will the Audemars Piguet x Swatch watch be? Well, we simply don't know at this point, but there are plenty of clues suggesting what it could be. The 'Pop' model line from Swatch has been around for decades and has served as a fashion-forward way to reimagine timekeeping and watches. First introduced around 1986, the Swatch 'Pop' watches could be removed from their straps and 'popped' into various accessory holders. These ranged from pocket watch holders, chains, and lanyards to refrigerator magnets and even a RECCO-branded accessory holder/transmitter for avalanche safety.  A current, Swatch 'Pop' pocke...

One of my most vivid childhood memories is sitting on my grandmother’s lap reading the comics, or “funnies,” as we called them. I grew up in Atlanta, but both of my parents are from Kansas City, and all our extended family remains there. We took at least two trips back each year for as long as I could remember: one over summer vacation and then every Christmas. Each morning during those stays, I would run from my bed in mom’s childhood room to the “new room,” a small sunroom my grandparents added to the modest 1950s ranch home. Here, my grandmother had what I consider to be the most quintessential grandmother’s chair: oversized, plush, pink, floral, spacious for one, and the perfect fit for her and me to cuddle up – it was made for us. On a small ottoman nearby, the day’s Kansas City Star would be neatly folded until I b-lined toward the paper, tossing away the superfluous sections until I extracted the comics from the bunch. We had several favorites, but the one that rose above the rest was undeniably Peanuts. I couldn’t tell you the last time I picked up a physical newspaper or read the “funnies” like we used to do. As I grew older, and went off to college, my grandmother would mail me clips, and I’ve since framed some of those and tucked them around my New York City apartment. Today, I perpetuate this memory in a way my grandmother would never understand or consider a comparable replacement for the comics section – I follow an Instagram accou...

Collaborations are an established part of the modern watch cycle: a new model is introduced, colors follow, maybe a complication is added, and eventually a collaboration enters the mix, often positioned as a moment of creative divergence within an otherwise predictable trajectory. With the Citizen Tsuyosa seconde/seconde/, the brand hits that phase in a way that feels both familiar and slightly off-script. Collaborations are also never entirely expected, yet the best ones have such a natural fit that they rarely come as a genuine surprise. While they can serve to keep a collection feeling fresh, there's a sense that many collaborations struggle to reflect a true meeting of perspectives.  Instead, they can feel like extensions of ideas that brands are already circling, gently guided by an external voice to test whether something slightly unconventional might resonate. Too often, these ideas feel like early expressions that brands later refine and incorporate into their main collections. As such, limited editions can feel like testing grounds, and collectors, whether knowingly or not, become participants in that process. That dynamic can feel slightly hollow, as what was once framed as exclusive can quickly become part of a broader rollout, which is what makes what seconde/seconde/ feels notably different. Because if there's one figure consistently delivering something closer to a proprietary and fully authored take on collaboration, it's Romaric André of seconde/seconde/....

Timex and affordable quartz watches are synonymous and have been since the brand ceased mechanical watch production in 1982, following the Quartz Crisis. Few brands have found as much success as Timex with quartz, and innovations like Indiglo (bright, uniform dial electroluminescence introduced in 1992) have kept them on top for decades. Only a few […]

Among top-level, mainstream Swiss-made watch brands, few can match Cartier's performance over the last half-decade. The Paris-based jewelry marque has vaulted ever higher to become the second biggest watch brand by sales, according to analyst estimates from both Vontobel and Morgan Stanley. While the jewelry unit of Cartier remains its primary driver, analysts say estimated sales from the watch division grew about 10% in 2025 to exceed CHF 3 billion, up from less than CHF 2 billion in 2019. What's perhaps more notable is the performance of Cartier's watch division relative to the broader market. As most brands have surfed the undulating wave of the post-COVID boom, followed by a downturn in demand, Cartier's watch unit has outpaced the market while remaining relatively affordable and accessible, with prices averaging about CHF 6,000 per watch and implementing lower price increases than most competitors, according to analysts. That has allowed Cartier to consolidate its position as one of just a handful of high-volume, long-established, and approachable-priced brands that are top choices on mainstream watch consumers' want lists, particularly among younger buyers.  Tortue Chronographe Monopoussoir with oversized "XII". At the same time, Cartier has also grown in standing among watch enthusiasts and collectors, with prices for models on the secondary market gaining 8.6% in a year, according to WatchCharts.com's Cartier index. Auction results for vintage pieces have performe...

Last week was a big one for Baltic, as it saw the release of their collaboration with SpaceOne, the Seconde Majeure, which is easily one of our favorite watches of the year so far. With all the teases for that watch in the lead up to its release at the end of the week, you may have missed another Baltic launch that took place right before it. To celebrate the brand’s fourth consecutive year as the official timekeeper of the Tour Auto (the modern version of the classic Tour de France Automobile, which began all the way back in 1899) Baltic has released a limited edition rally timer, a combination stopwatch and dashclock, that in its own way is every bit as idiosyncratic as the Seconde Majeure.  This of course is not the first time Baltic has released a limited edition for the Tour Auto (see our coverage of their 2024 and 2025 releases here and here), but it is the first time that release hasn’t included a wristwatch. The 2024 release did include a similar rally timer combo, but not as a standalone effort – it was bundled with a chronograph that surely would have been the main draw for most buyers.  Here, Baltic is centering an unusual timing device, but one that is core to racing, much more than a wristwatch. The rally timer as conceived by Baltic consists of two separate instruments. First, a stopwatch, with a light blue dial, which is powered by a manually wound Hanhart caliber with flyback functionality. The flyback mechanism is particularly well suited to racing...

For the 40th episode of the SJX Podcast, we sat down with Rexhep Rexhepi in Geneva to learn more about his latest watch — the RRCHF Chronograph Flyback. Rexhep explains why he wanted to make a chronograph, and how the self-imposed constraint of a symmetrical layout resulted in a more refined overall construction. He also discusses the RRCHF’s in-house escapement, and the trade-offs that were considered in its development. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

De Bethune DB28XS Sea Tourbillon, now in in the xs 39mm mirror polished titanium case with a random guilloché blue accented dial inspired by the sea.

Less well known than the brand’s popular dive and pilot watches, Oris has a dressier, more formal watch line, some powered by the brand’s in-house calibres, such as the refreshed Artelier Complication we covered a few weeks ago. The Artelier Date, a classic time-and-date model, has also been selected for a design makeover. Keen to […]

What do Mark “The Manx Missile” Cavendish, Djamolidin “The Tasjkent Terror” Abdoujaparov, and André “The Gorilla” Greipel have in common? Nicknames that say something about their character and their profession — winning sprints. In pro cycling, sprinters are a different breed. They hide in the belly of the peloton, only to emerge in the final […] Visit Crossing The Finish Line With The Bravur Grand Tour Sprinter to read the full article.

Chanel's J12 Superleggera returns, this time with a stealthy, matte black ceramic finish and a detail-packed, motorsport-inspired dial