Latest watch news · Page 159

Baltic says goodbye to a great model with a glossy black dial and a splash of bling.

Baltic was founded in Paris by Étienne Malec and launched via Kickstarter in 2017 with a captivating duo of 1940s-inspired models. Onwards and upwards, the brand now has over ten collections under its belt, many with an emphasis on mid-20th-century aesthetics, and keeps prices in check by outsourcing movements and assembling them in Besançon, France. […]

I have a very clear memory of the time period around the launch of the Baltic MR01 collection, the first in their ongoing series of micro-rotor powered dress watches. It felt like a turning point for the brand, who up until then was really known as a heritage inspired sports watch microbrand. The MR series was a real left turn, and there was excitement around it across the watch community. The use of a micro-rotor powered automatic movement in a watch well under $1,000 was completely novel, and it signaled that Baltic had ambitions well beyond iterating on classic sports watch DNA. The intervening years have proven that out, as the brand no longer occupies such a narrow niche. If you had told me in 2021 that only a few years later my favorite Baltic would be their take on a cocktail watch, complete with stone dials, I never would have believed you.  The new MR Moissanite closes a chapter for Baltic. We’re told this is the final MR to be released in the current format, and that a refresh is coming. If that’s the case, Baltic has chosen to close out this incarnation of the MR with its most ostentatious execution to this point. The two dial variants seen here each feature bezels set with baguette cut moissanite gem stones, linking these watches in style and philosophy to the 1970s inspired Prismics linked above.  Moissanite, for the uninitiated, is a lab grown diamond alternative first introduced in the late 1990s. It has many physical qualities that are very similar to...

Baltic’s MR, which stands for “micro-rotor,” is the perfect affordable flex on the wrist. The 36mm watches in the collection feature a sturdy field-watch case paired with either a Breguet-style or dressy roulette-inspired dial and, to top it all off, a micro-rotor movement. For around €700, the Baltic MR offers unmatched style and attitude, even […] Visit Introducing: The Baltic MR Moissanite - The Final MR…For Now to read the full article.

"You can't make an integrated bracelet watch without doing something interesting with the bracelet," says Ming Thein... and that's what he's done.The post The 56.00 Starfield is exactly what you’d expect of MING’s first integrated bracelet piece appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Watches with jumping hour complications are all the rage these days, with hot-off-the-press contributions from Audemars Piguet and the recently revived specialist brand, Niton. However, the biggest surprise in the jumping hours corner came from Bremont with the introduction of its Terra Nova Jumping Hour models in 2025. A brand associated with rugged, aviation-themed instrument […]

The Crown adds to market share dominance despite lower production for the last two years running.

Grand Seiko extends their reach in the high accuracy, high end quartz watches with a new 9F movement encased in two new 33mm references.

Rado has a long-standing collaborative relationship with Les Couleurs Suisse. Until now, this has led to 12 releases that used Le Corbusier’s 63-shade color system, which he described in his book Polychromie Architecturale. For its latest collaborative effort, Rado took it a step beyond just using the Swiss-French architect’s color system. While these watches each […] Visit Introducing: The Rado True Round × Les Couleurs Le Corbusier Special Editions to read the full article.

Goliardo Della Balda’s dream of producing high-quality Swiss timepieces at affordable prices materialised with the founding of Delbana watches in 1931. Like many Swiss brands, the quartz crisis took its toll in the 1970s, but the brand was rescued in the mid-1990s and, in 2002, merged with Delma Watch Ltd. to focus on accessible, mid-century-inspired […]

These two releases mark the slimmest and smallest-in-diameter Grand Seiko 9F quartz watches ever produced.The post Grand Seiko introduces its new 9F51 quartz calibre with the stylish SBGX359 and SBGX361 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

You can be a fan of Van Gogh while knowing you will never, ever have one of his works hanging on your wall. Can you be a fan of watches while being aware that you can’t afford the objects of your desire? Yes, you can, but only if you can let go of the concept […] Visit Inclusive Exclusive Watchmaking - What’s It All About? to read the full article.

For many of us, there’s a clear line between the watches we liked and the first one we considered “serious.” Maybe it was the first mechanical piece we bought with our hard-earned money. Maybe it was the first watch that required actual research, comparison, and a deep breath before hitting “confirm order.” In today’s episode […] Visit Fratello Talks: Different Approaches To Buying Your First “Serious” Watch to read the full article.

Grand Seiko has installed its high-end quartz calibre 9F in a 33 mm stainless steel case with fan-favourite textured dials, making one of the most advanced analogue quartz movements available in the smallest and slimmest format to date. The compact proportions of the Grand Seiko Heritage Collection Quartz 33mm “Snowflake” SBGX359 and “Skyflake” SBGX361 are possible thanks to a new member of the 9F family: the cal. 9F51. Though smaller, the new calibre retains all the technical bells and whistles of this class-leading quartz platform. Ref. SBGX359 (Snowflake). Initial thoughts While Grand Seiko’s quartz models are generally known as good value propositions, with the cal. 9F in particular representing a lot of movement for the money, that has generally been less true of the brand’s smaller models. These maintain the brand’s standout case and dial work but with relatively pedestrian cal. 4J movements. Though above average in terms of quality and technology, the cal. 4J lacks the torque necessary to accommodate the exceptionally large and refined hands found on most Grand Seikos. Ref. SBGX361 (Skyflake). Given the brand’s recent emphasis on Spring Drive technology, seemingly at the expense of battery-powered quartz movements, that seemed unlikely to change. In this context, this duo is a pleasant surprise, with more likely to follow, and offers a no-compromise Grand Seiko experience in a smaller size without the high price tags of the ladies automatic line. A ...

Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 has spent much of its life living in the shadow of the Royal Oak, but the latest 38 mm iteration suggests the collection might be finding its footing. The smaller Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding 38 mm refines the line’s distinctive case architecture with more convincing proportions, slimmer leather straps, and richly textured embossed dials. Neither overtly sporty nor conventionally dressy, the 18k rose gold Code 11.59 positions itself as a modern dress watch with real character that is quite convincing on the wrist. Initial thoughts It’s no secret that the Code 11.59 lives in the shadow of AP’s flagship product, the Royal Oak. In the seven years since its debut, the Code has yet to have its breakout moment. Many may remember the troubled launch of the collection, which met with an unnecessarily negative response from the market. But there’s a thin line between love and hate, and AP has been steadily improving the proportions, textures, materials, and complications over the past few years, and the tipping point could be imminent. The Code claims the middle ground in the false dichotomy between dressy and sporty, which makes it difficult for casual enthusiasts and collectors to fully understand. The 38 mm size, now with a new strap design, helps position the Code more concretely in the the dress watch camp, where its 9.6 mm thickness and 30 m water resistance rating feel more appropriate. Despite the criticism that’s been l...

To celebrate the partnership with the World Surf League, Breitling has released a new SuperOcean Heritage Oceania limited edition in 42mm and 36mm, the perfect summer watch pair! What We Love The white dial is great for summer Blued hands and indices are a really nice touch The new Milanese bracelet is super comfortable on the wrist What We Don’t The domed crystal is still an issue, but less so with the white dial No comfort adjust on the bracelet for the warmer days A rubber strap option could have been a good inclusion as well Overall Rating: 8.75 / 10 Value for Money: 9/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 9/10 According to the latest data, around 85% of Australians live no further than 50km from the coast. And the majority of those are based on the East Coast. We are an island nation after all, with most of the interior of the country uninhabited. So, for those reading this who live in Australia, the ocean isn’t a backdrop; it’s a way of life for many. From the long, rolling breaks of the Gold Coast to the raw, reef-lined coastlines of North Queensland, to the rugged beaches down south. We, along with our New Zealand cousins, love the sand and surf. So it is no surprise that the Breitling SuperOcean is a great-selling watch in this part of the world. Originally conceived in the 1950s as a professional dive watch with a distinctly elegant edge, the SuperOcean Heritage has since evolved into something broader: a watch that speaks to ocean cultur...

So vast and varied is the Citizen lineup, that it’s easy to miss new releases, even when they definitely shouldn’t be missed. It’s that breadth and diversity of models that make Citizen such a storied brand, and two new Promaster models are fresh on the scene to add even more flavor.  The Promaster Land GMT touts travel-ready capabilities of the Promaster Air GMT, but focuses it on grounded robustness instead of pilot task-managing. All of that sounds complicated, but really boils down to aesthetics, materials, and sizing. With two dial color options, the Promaster Land is burly and simple, but bold enough to catch some attention on the wrist. Both models feature a 39.5mm stainless steel case with a fixed 24-hour GMT bezel, giving the watch a muscular, no-nonsense silhouette, whether on the provided bracelet or strap. Even numbers receive the numeral treatment on the bezel, with indices marking the odds. The crown sits at 6 o’clock, matching the date window, and providing a standard, balanced profile that appears almost soft, given the dimensions of the case, and the typeface used.  The two dial colors reflect the practicality-first design ethos of the Promaster Land: red and blue, or reference BJ7150-50W and BJ7150-09L respectively. Both feature the same detail accoutrements, with large, effortlessly visible white numerals and hour, minute, and second hands, and a yellow, arrow-tipped GMT hand. A relatively subtle minute track circles the dial, but doesn’t dra...

A brand new movement supports a downsized spin on a classic GS design.

There are two types of watch reviews I particularly enjoy writing. One is a review for a watch that is truly bonkers. Something either outrageously expensive, avant-garde in its design sensibilities, off the beaten path and kind of rare, or some combination of all of the above. These are the types of watches I personally gravitate towards as a collector (well, not the outrageously expensive part, but the rest of it) and I find that typically I have an awful lot to say about them. It’s fun to write these reviews because it feels like I’m sharing my actual enthusiasm for something in a really pure and direct way.  The other type of review I like to write is for watches that are basically on the opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to my taste. It’s a challenge (if not necessarily fun in the same way) to write about a watch that brushes up against my own biases. It’s a useful exercise as a writer to evaluate something that is outside of your wheelhouse and comfort zone. And it certainly makes for better and more interesting copy than writing about a watch that is simply generic, neither a challenge to your taste or something you’d plunk down the credit card for to purchase yourself.  The new watch from Jack Mason is, for me, decidedly in that second category, a watch that I can tell from one photo is objectively nice and will have a strong following among enthusiasts, but is just not the type of thing I typically go for. The new Strat-o-timer GMT Frontier i...

Hitting the road to Fleurier, the discovery of L’Atelier Bernard was not what I expected. Bernard is a rather dated first name – one you rarely hear anymore for young people in Europe’s French-speaking countries. So, when I pushed open the door of their workshop in Fleurier, I was expecting to meet two old Swiss […]

There is nothing more effective than the swap of a digit on the calendar to send the whole world into self-reflection mode. As we collectively adjust to a six that replaced a five, many of us have the best intention of making changes that stick around long enough to see that six turn into a seven. Personally, I find there is no better exercise to guide new resolutions than to take stock of the old ones. Non-watch related, dry January turned into dry 2025, and I’m down two links (normal people measure progress in pounds, but bracelet size has become my preferred watch nerd metric). I resumed progress on that half-finished MBA that’s been hanging over my head, and I spent more time playing board games with my kids than the year before. Watch-specific, after five years of constant buying and selling, I decided to go an entire year without purchasing any new watches. Even though it was a lofty goal and one that collectors seeking change often fantasize about without following through, I actually managed to spend 2025 without a substantial #NWA  (new watch announcement) post on Instagram. In full transparency, I did pick up a couple of cheap vintage quartz pieces. But us watch enthusiasts have clever ways of rationalizing why certain purchases don’t count (I think we can all agree G-SHOCKs fall into this bucket), and I’m pretending like those pickups don’t exist. After all, neither were “new” and one has already found a new home.  During this prolonged period of...

Zach interviews Matthieu Sauret, Jaeger-LeCoultre's Head of Product & Heritage, to get more insight into JLC's vintage curation programme.The post If an original decade Reverso is your grail, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ‘The Collectibles’ has you covered appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Jack Mason is a young micro-brand founded in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, and initially made its name in US retail before making a decisive turn towards enthusiast-focused, direct-to-consumer watchmaking. Recent releases have shown fewer fashion cues, more mechanical credibility, and an emphasis on real-world usability. The Strat-o-Timer GMT has been central to that shift. After […]

An interesting porpoise for this new release with a mother-of-pearl dial.

The latest addition to Bianchet’s UltraFino lineup is closely tied to the world of electric powerboat racing. In practice, though, the UltraFino Monaco stands comfortably on its own. Even if, like me, you don’t actively follow the E1 Series or Team Monaco’s exploits on the water, there’s plenty here to appreciate about the UltraFino Monaco […] Visit Introducing: The Bianchet UltraFino Monaco - More Than Just A New Colorway to read the full article.

Franck Muller adds four new models to their Vanguard Sport line, with this Asia Pacific Exclusive. The novelties are presented as new dials.