Latest watch news · Page 1706

If I had a million dollars, or maybe two, to buy a Rolex, I could perhaps buy a ref. 4113 split-seconds, which is very large, very flat – a bit too large and flat for me – and exceptionally rare. Or I could buy a ref. 8171 triple calendar in steel, one in almost “new old stock” condition, as Phillips has in its upcoming Geneva auction. The ref. 8171 in question reminds me of the 369-year old Jehan Cremsdorff pocket watch Sotheby’s sold in the summer – it’s hard to believe something that old, admittedly not quite four centuries, can be so well preserved. The “Padellone” is incredibly – incredibly – clean and crisp. Up close, the ref. 8171 speaks for itself. The dial looks like the watch left the factory recently. It is clean, neat and the date track is in pure, vivid blue. Similarly, the hands are free of marks, meaning they were seldom, or never, removed from the dial. The condition of the dial is all the more unusual due to the fact that the ref. 8171 is not an Oyster. Instead, it has a snap-on back, instead of the water-resistant, screw-on back found on the Oyster watch case. Over time, snap backs tend to lose their water-resistance as a consequence of corrosion or deformation from repeated opening, which is why most ref. 8171s have dials that show obvious ageing. An example of a ref. 8171 with a dial showing ageing, this one offered at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2017 The steel case is similarly well preserved. Fortunately, steel is nota...

We knew it was coming. To paraphrase former PM Paul Keating, this is the upgrade we had to have. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph. But before we dive into (sorry, can’t help it) what makes this watch special, a quick update for those not up to date with the news from Biel. Last year, … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Omega hit another home run with the Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Répétition Minutes Perpétuelle is a return to the classicism the Master collection emphasizes while still expressing the engineering expertise of the brand. And hearing is believing: it sounds superb!

Get ahead of winter with a Snowflake straight from Japan.

In this week's Throwback Sundays, we celebrate the tastebreakers by sharing six watch recommendations that are overlooked by the masses.

The Swatch Tresor Magique might have a platinum case, but it looks like something Harry Potter would have appreciated wearing while attending classes at Hogwarts. However, there is more that is even notable about this watch, which Martin Green divulges here.

Fifty years ago, Seiko released one of the first ever automatic chronograph movements in a watershed moment in watchmaking. To mark the occasion, Seiko has released the Seiko Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary SRQ029J, a watch that smartly dances the line between heritage and modern. We got a chance to take a closer look at the … ContinuedThe post Celebrating half a century with the Seiko Automatic Chronograph 50th Anniversary SRQ029J appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

When Patek Philippe announced that a Grand Exhibition was to take place in Singapore this year there was no doubt that GaryG would do his best to attend – and to convince some friends to come along and join the fun. Here he shares some of what he saw during his fascinating trip.

Felix spends some quality time with the Omega Speedmaster CK 2998.The post Spending some quality time with the Omega Speedmaster CK 2998 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

De Bethune brings back this revolutionary chronograph designed in 2006. The watch is uses the monopusher concept but pushes it farther by having all counters displayed centrally

I know, it’s a horrible prospect, and one that we don’t really want to seriously consider, but you know what, it makes an excellent proposition for a hypothetical, something that flies around the office a fair bit. Only this time, I took some notes … Nick’s choice – Cartier Why? Cartier looks good in any … ContinuedThe post What we’d wear if we could wear only one watch brand for the rest of our lives …  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Nick Gould spotted American actor Mark Wahlberg wearing an early-delivery Rolex GMT-Master II 'Root Beer,' once again putting his penchant for precious metal watches on display.

Editor’s note: Seiko’s limited editions are pretty legendary, and for good reason. Some of the most coveted are those in the sporty Prospex line. Like this Seiko Samurai ‘Save The Ocean’ SRPC93K …  The story in a second: Same great watch, brand new dial. The centrepiece of Seiko’s 2018 Prospex collection is, without doubt, the … ContinuedThe post Battle for the blue with the Seiko Samurai ‘Save The Ocean’ SRPC93K appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Five panelists, three to four predicted winners, and a possible Aiguille d’Or winner: the 2019 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève Mechanical Exception category has it all, including an atomic clock and another time indication that is likely to make you think you have taken LSD!

Your weekly drop of watches from around the web.

We took the Leica S Type 007 with the Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 ASPH CS for a spin and used it as a daily camera for three weeks. Here is our review.

There are few things that high-end watch brands love more than a certification of quality. Some, like COSC, are industry-wide standards, while others (much like the movement) are strictly an in-house affair. The Patek Philippe Seal is one such certification.  The new Patek Philippe Seal dramatically transcends the original hallmark’s notion of quality and perfection. … ContinuedThe post RECOMMENDED READING: Just what is the Patek Philippe Seal?  appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The proceeds from the sale of his collection, which includes Rolex and Patek Philippe pieces, are going to a great cause.

In the 50th year of the automatic chronograph, Seiko celebrates with two 1960s-inspired chronographs slated for December release this year.

Every year in watchland we’re treated to a fresh crop of heritage reissues - modern interpretations of designs of yore. It’s a market category that’s grown from a niche inclusion intended to appease the hardcore collectors to a major pillar in many brand catalogues. And while the year is not over yet, we’re pretty confident … ContinuedThe post The heritage heavy hitters – 10 of 2019’s best vintage reissues appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Only Watch founder Luc Pettavino is a very persuasive man. Every two years, he manages to convince small watchmakers to risk neglecting paying customers, and instead to spend a lot of time and effort to exercise their creativity in building a one-off timepiece – and then give the resulting watch to the Only Watch charity auction. Most watchmakers regard it as an honour to be asked for a contribution, after all, the list of participants include boldface establishment names like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. While Luc also receives many offers from brands, he wants to curate an interesting mix of watches for each Only Watch auction, capped at a maximum of 50 watches or so each time – he alone decides what’s in and what’s out. A few brands have been dedicated supporters of the charity since the very beginning, and they are usually invited to return year after year. In the inaugural Only Watch auction in 2005, lot 1 was the unique Eros “Navigation Pleasure” wristwatch. It was the work of Andersen Genève, the brand founded by Svend Andersen, a 77-year old veteran independent watchmaker best known for co-founding the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI). When Luc visited Svend at Baselworld earlier this year to solicit a contribution for Only Watch 2019, he received a swift “yes”. With the watch required to be finished for a world tour starting just three months after Baselworld, quick decisions were necessary a...

Casio’s G-Shock (gravitational shock) watches have earnt a reputation for being one of the most robust and durable watches available on the market today. The concept of the sturdy G-Shock goes back to 1981, where a Casio Engineer named Kikuo Ibe was in charge of designing the G-shock prototypes.  Kikuo Ibe wanted a watch that would have water-resistance of 10 bar (100 meters), triple 10 resistance (10-year battery life) and to be able to survive a 10 feet fall. Kikuo Ibe put together a team of 3 individuals to test 200 different prototypes, to be able to meet all three criteria as set out by the engineer. Unfortunately, the team after vigorous testing were not able to meet these requirements.  The idea for the final design of the G-shock watch came when Kikuo Ibe observed a rubber ball in motion. He discovered that in a rubber ball, its centre is unaffected when the ball is moving and doesn’t suffer any shocks when it’s bouncing. Kikuo Ibe implemented this idea and was finally able to achieve all three criteria in the first G-shock model released in 1983; The G-shock DW5000C.  There have been many different designs of G-shock watches over the years with nearly all of them sharing the core principles that originated from the very first model; toughness, durability and reliability. In 2018, Casio released a set of GMW-B5000 watches which came with a solid stainless steel face and bracelet or rubber strap to suit. The GMW-B5000 models have the iconic square face desi...

Longines continues its streak of solidly made and eminently affordable vintage remakes with the Heritage Classic featuring a “sector” dial. The segmented dial design revisits a style, sometimes known as a “scientific” dial, that’s currently popular, one that has been done by brands as diverse as Habring2, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Laurent Ferrier. The sector dial was fairly common in the first half of the 20th century, and unlike most other companies doing remakes, Longines actually did produce such watches back in the day. According to Longines, the Heritage Classic is modelled on a watch from 1934 that’s in the company museum. As with the original, the sector dial on the remake is two-tone, with the chapter ring for the hour markers having a concentric brushed finish, while the central portion is finely grained. The markings are all printed, while the hands are blued steel. The Heritage Classic (left) and its 1934 inspiration The modern day remake is a faithful approximation of the original, right down to the typography for the Longines logo. It’s correctly proportioned as well, with a steel case that’s larger than the original but not too large, measuring 38.5mm in diameter and 10mm high, including the domed, “box glass” sapphire crystal. And because the case is matched with an appropriately sized movement that’s 25.6mm (or 11 1/1”’) wide, the subsidiary seconds does not sit too close to the centre of the dial, as is the case with large cases an...

Demand for the luxury sports watches that were born in the 1970s – all with integrated bracelets and designed by Gerald Genta – is now red hot. That has fuelled the development of such watches from every corner the industry, from Chopard to Urban Jurgensen to Bell & Ross (B&R;). While many of these watches have sparked criticism for their derivative design, B&R;’s entry into the genre comes with a distinct price advantage. The BR 05 is probably the most reasonably priced watch in this design category, starting at under US$5000. No doubt it owes a great debt to Genta’s designs, but it would be futile to compare it with the alternatives given the price gulf. But the standard BR 05 is a pretty conventional watch – well done for the price but not something that jumps out at you. The BR 05 Skeleton, on the other hand, is striking, with a look and feel that is distinct – priced at about 20% more than the base model. Well dressed Like all watches in its category, the BR 05 is largely all about the case and bracelet. The BR 05 Skeleton is identical to the base model on the outside, with a rounded-square case and a bezel with visible screws at its corners. While it is appears to be a mishmash of Genta’s classics, it bears a strong enough resemblance to the brand’s signature BR 01 and BR 03 cases – which were inspired by aircraft instrument panels – that it can pass as a rather natural evolution. But in contrast to the BR 01 and BR 03, the BR 05 ha...

Detailed comparison of Elastic Watch Straps from Erika's Originals, The Watch Steward, and Nick Mankey Designs - is it worth spending the extra money?

Editor’s note: I’m on record as being quite the fan of TAG Heuer’s contemporary take on the Classic Carrera, but I’m fully willing to admit that the original version was a beast on the wrist - 45mm is a big mood, and not everyone is up for that. Which is why the 43mm is such … ContinuedThe post A slightly smaller statement watch, the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 43mm appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The clarity of the minimalist, yet artistic dial of Stefan Kudoke's Kudoke 2 makes this watch extremely appealing. But when you turn it over and see the gorgeous movement, it’s all over: you’ve fallen in love.