Latest watch news · Page 237

World time watches are notoriously imperfect, often out of sync with the realities of daylight savings and partial-hour time zone offsets. Yet their appeal endures thanks to their mechanical ingenuity and jet-set romance. The Richard Mille RM 63-02 Worldtimer stands out in both respects, with a planetary differential that enables the wearer adjust time zones with a simple twist of the bezel. Limited to just 100 pieces, the RM 63-02 offers commanding presence thanks to its 47 mm case in 18k rose gold and titanium, and its bold pink and burgundy colourway. While not a fit for every wrist or every budget, it’s nonetheless more wearable and accessible than expected. Initial thoughts From a strictly practical standpoint, the standard format for world time watches is inherently flawed, as about half the world observes daylight savings time for about half the year, and a fifth of the world’s population lives in time zones with partial-hour offsets. Flaws aside, they capture a certain jet set romance, and are frequently beautiful or clever. Richard Mille’s world timers are the latter, and maybe even the former too, depending on your disposition. The RM 63-02 is clever in its operational and conceptual simplicity, though the actual implementation is quite sophisticated, enabling the user to adjust to local time with a simple turn of the bezel. This functionality is reminiscent of the IWC Timezoner, which was itself based on a patent acquired from Vogard. Richard Mille’s app...

Acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola, best known for films like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, is selling the watch that bears his name, the F.P. Journe FFC – it is FFC’s FFC. Mr Coppola’s personal FFC prototype is expected to be the top lot at Phillips’ New York auction taking place in December. The timing of the auction is opportune for Mr Coppola, who funded his latest – and arguably most ambitious – film, Megalopolis by selling a vineyard and then borrowing against his other holdings in the California wine industry. Against a US$120 million budget, Megalopolis grossed only $15 million, and now the legendary director is auctioning off much of his prized watch collection. Initial thoughts Positioned at the top of the F.P. Journe collection alongside the Sonnerie Souveraine and Astronomic Souveraine, each FFC is engraved with the customer’s name. In this case, that name is Francis Ford Coppola. That makes it arguably the FFC to own, even surpassing the unique tantalum example made for Only Watch 2021, which sold for CHF4.5 million. In this context, the estimate of over US$1 million seems conservative. The unique FFC made for Only Watch in 2021. F.P. Journe rarely sells prototypes. Only a handful of the brand’s prototypes have ever emerged for sale publicly, and all of those were originally sold by Mr Journe well before the firm achieved the success it does today. F.P. Journe simply doesn’t need to sell prototypes anymore. The FFC, and Mr Coppola...

In 40mm black ceramic, it's a first for the brand.

It sure is a good time to be a watch enthusiast with smaller wrists, with so many brands finally scaling down popular references, or creating new, slimmer and smaller models to modernize their lineups. Though not explicitly marketed as a more minuscule version of the AquisPro 4000m, Oris’ new AquisPro 1000m dials down the bulkiness of the original for a newer reference that should be more wearable, and still incredibly capable.  When Oris first released the AquisPro 4000m in 2023, it boasted frankly insane water resistance-after all, who aside from the most daring divers are going 4,000 meters down-and a multi-piece titanium case that measured in at a whopping 49.5mm in diameter and about 23mm in thickness. Even as someone who enjoys large watches, that is bordering on unwearable in everyday circumstances, even though it is a fun piece to admire for its brawn and brutish capability. Still, it wore a beautiful ocean blue dial with a wave pattern that signaled its status as an appropriately pretty Oris timepiece, and featured the brand’s Oris Rotation Safety System (ORSS) to keep the bezel locked in place.  The new 1000m version carries forth the titanium construction and 49.5mm case size, but manages to slim down the thickness to a much more wearable 16.6mm. Additional measurements include 55mm lug-to-lug and 26.3mm lug widths, and the multi-piece titanium case is coated in gray PVD. The ORSS returns, too, with a ceramic bezel insert to spice up the familiar blue ...

When discovering new and exciting independent watchmakers, I am often surprised by how many of them come from outside the industry. While many pursue a life and career in engineering, mechanics, and so on, not everyone follows the most obvious path of going to a watchmaking school. The upside of this is that many bring […]

Swatch mixes up a few key elements with its What If? model to note its displeasure with the financial burden faced by Swiss watchmakers exporting to the key U.S. market.

One of the earliest wristwatches created by the modern-day Breguet company was the 3130, way back in 1983. Now for its 250th anniversary, Breguet has continued the lineage with the Classique 7235. Inspired by the historic No. 5 pocket watch, just like the earlier 3130, the 7235 reimagines a Breguet classic with the brand’s new design language that debuted with the first anniversary wristwatch earlier this year. Limited to 250 pieces, the 7235 is powered by a derivative of the same movement found in the 3130, but with one bestowed with several generations worth of technical and decorative upgrades. The calibre is also hand engraved with a 19th century streetscape of Paris that includes Abraham-Louis Breguet’s work on Quai de l’Horloge. The cal. 502.3.DRL in the 7235 Initial thoughts The 7235 is instantly familiar. A staple of Breguet’s catalogue over the years, the asymmetric dial with a power reserve, moon phase, and small seconds is quintessential Breguet in style. But the 7235 is not quite Breguet as it is now known, as while it retains the movement and dial design, it employs the new aesthetic of Breguet’s 250th anniversary line-up. While most will be accustomed to the “Breguet style” of coin-edged case with straight soldered lugs and silvered guilloche dial, the 7235 moves away from that to good effect – yet the 7235 is immediately recognisable as a Breguet. The new design marries the new with the old: the patterned case band is retained, but instead of...

Introducing the Maison Alcée Persée Fantôme Limited Edition For Hodinkee. Part watchmaking course, part clock, the Fantôme invites collectors to assemble, customize, and illuminate 233 finely crafted components into a mechanical clock.

Looking for a watch to match your Halloween costume? Get your spook on with these 9 that range from Gothic and grim to just plain goofy.The post Trick or treat! Here’s 9 of the spookiest watches just in time for Halloween appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Besides their accessible dress watches and fairly-priced yet robust retro-inspired divers, Baltic has long been all about race cars and vintage motorsport competitions (not really a surprise when you know the founders’ passion). The connection between cars and watches is obvious, and Baltic materialised it with several Tour Auto-themed models, the latest in line being […]

Just about a year ago, Christopher Ward released the C60 Trident Lumiere, a dive watch that impressed all of us here at Worn & Wound with its styling, bold lume, and easy wearability. Today, they’ve announced what amounts to a spiritual successor to that watch, and a natural evolution of it, the C63 Sealander GMT. With the new C63 Sealander GMT, Christopher Ward has made their version of a no compromises adventure watch in the vein of Rolex Explorers, Omega Planet Oceans, and the like, with, of course, the practicality of a GMT. If you were intrigued by last year’s Trident Lumiere but are after something that’s maybe a bit more tied to land (or air), the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT might be of interest.  It all starts with a 41mm stainless steel case with Christopher Ward’s signature “light catcher” finishing elements, found most prominently along the lugs. Two dial variants are available at launch, a simple black and a military green, both with grained, matte finishes to bolster the tool watch nature of the piece. Each version features a fixed ceramic bezel in black with a 24 hour scale.  But the real star of the show here is the impressive lume treatment on the dial. Once again, Christopher Ward has tapped their partners at Xenoprint, just steps away from their facility in Biel, to create bold blocks of lume to enhance dial legibility, both during the day and at night. The markers, hands, and even the brand’s logo are made up of solid blocks of Globolight l...

Nivada Grenchen releases limited edition stone dial variations of its popular F77 MKI in the "Last Series".The post Nivada Grenchen sees out the first-generation F77 with a two-tone and stone dial celebration appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Just released! The much anticipated EVF only Leica M. Dubbed the M EV1. We got our hands on a pre-release sample, and tested it for this review.

Steel, 41mm, anti-shock, and plenty of lume.

As one of the oldest names in the Swiss watch industry, Favre Leuba’s fortunes have fluctuated over the centuries. During the 1960s, Favre Leuba had a notable run of iconic, heavy-duty tool watches. Having changed hands several times, industry veteran Patrik Hoffmann was behind the relaunch of Favre Leuba staged during Geneva Watch Days 2024. […]

Casio has teamed up with one of cinema’s most beloved sci-fi adventures to create the new CA-500WEBF-1A, a digital calculator watch inspired by Back to the Future. This special edition pays tribute to the film’s 40th anniversary in the most appropriate style possible. In the 1985 movie, Marty McFly famously wears a Casio CA-53W. The […] Visit Synchronize Your Watches! The Casio × Back To The Future CA-500WEBF-1A to read the full article.

Breguet’s 250th anniversary got off to a good start and the momentum continues with the Classique 7225, another take on one of the brand’s most inventive movements. Guaranteed to run within an impressive one second a day, the Classique 7225 contains the cal. 74SC that boasts a high-frequency balance wheel running at an uncommonly rapid 10 Hz, or 72,000 beats per hour. To achieve that without overwhelming friction, the balance pivot is magnetic, allowing it to “float” as it oscillates. The 10 Hz balance was launched some 15 years ago, but its predecessor, the Classique 7727, did not enjoy particularly attractive aesthetics. The Classique 7225 solves the problem with a striking dial modelled on an important series of tourbillon pocket watches from the early 19th century. To accommodate the dial layout, the cal. 74SC incorporates an additional constant seconds that can be instantaneously reset. Notably, the 7225 is not a limited edition, unlike its compatriot, the Classique 7235 launched at the same time. Initial thoughts The 7225 shows that Breguet’s revival is certainly well underway, stewarded by Gregory Kissling, who has been in the top job for slightly over a year. The 7225 isn’t a major revamp of the 7727, but it is far, far more appealing watch. The magnetic-pivot movement was ingenious at launch, and still is, but the 7727 was under-designed and over-logo’ed. With the 7225, Breguet’s ultra-chronometer finally has visual and tactile appeal. And it keeps...

Fabian Pellet emerged last year as one of the more interesting and unusual independents with the L’Essentiel. Where most new faces in the field are freshly-graduated watchmaking students, Mr Pellet was previously a watchmaking teacher. A Swiss native working in Tokyo since 2022, Mr Pellet is one independent watchmaker to watch. The new version of L’Essentiel looks virtually identical to the three-piece platinum limited run from 2024. This updated model is now housed in a titanium case, and even though the production is inherently limited, it extends beyond three pieces. Initial thoughts The watch itself appears unassuming at first: a simple time-only model with a white enamel dial and a case defined by fairly plain lines. But when taking a closer look at the finer details, especially when turning the piece over, this can’t be dismissed as just another time-only indie piece.   The movement inside the watch is clearly meant to be the center of attention, thoughtfully hidden underneath the simple, pocket watch-like dial. The calibre was crafted fully by hand; Mr Pellet does not use CNC machines even for the cutting of the raw blanks for the mainplate and bridges. The movement is clearly heavily influenced by a historical watches, both visually and in terms of its construction, which adds to its flair. All of its qualities aside, L’Essentiel remains a time-only watch, which has become somewhat of a trope with both new and established independents. It seems like a new ...

This Tissot offers a familiar look at an unfamiliarly accessible price point, with a few key differences to help it stand out from the pack.The post The Tissot Ballade now comes in 39mm with a COSC-certified movement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Although Airain only returned to the global horological stage in 2020, its roots, famously, go much further back. So much so, actually, that the classic Type 20 turns 70 this year. Naturally, Airain could not let that pass without an appropriate celebration, so here we have the Airain Type 20 70 ANS. Let’s have a […] Visit Introducing: The Airain Type 20 70 ANS - Celebrating The Model’s 70th Anniversary to read the full article.

It’s been 20 years since Parisian brand Bell & Ross released its emblematic BR-01 collection, a striking design – known as the “circle within a square” – inspired by dashboard instruments found in fighter jets. This strong connection with military planes and pilots of all sorts has long been the brand’s defining style, pushing the […]

Just after the introduction of the new Classique 7225, marking the return of the innovative magnetic pivot, Breguet releases another watch within its 250th anniversary collection. But this time, it’s not about shining a spotlight on one of the founder’s innovations, but rather to pay tribute to design principles defined by A.L. Breguet, to all […]

Christopher Ward has reinvented its adventurer's GMT, scaling it up and giving it a technical and aesthetic makeover.The post Extreme measures: Christopher Ward delivers a hardcore explorer’s watch with the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

As you might already know as of now, Breguet is celebrating this year its 250th anniversary. And the brand is doing so by releasing watches that are either evolutions of emblematic models – such as the two stunning hand-wound Type XX – or paying tribute to the countless innovations of A.L. Breguet, for instance the […]

We may be rolling toward the end of 2025, but Breguet is intent on releasing more stunners in celebration of its 250th anniversary as a watchmaker. Thus far, we’ve been treated to some lovely pieces within several of the brand’s collections. The reception has been positive, which is consistent with what is likely to occur […] Visit Introducing: The Breguet Classique 7225 And 7235 to read the full article.