Latest watch news · Page 31

The new Rolex Perpetual Padellone revives a legendary complete calendar with a 39mm case, moonphase display and all-new 5Hz calibre 7190.

It is not often that Rolex introduces a new watch outside of the industry’s main exhibition, Watches and Wonders (or Baselworld before it). In fact, in recent years, it has only happened on very rare occasions, such as the release of the Daytona Le Mans, the record-breaking Deepsea Challenge in titanium or the Deepsea D-Blue […]

It's a watch that has been long-awaited: Rolex has just announced the new Perpetual Padellone—a very classic and technically impressive instantaneous annual calendar with moonphase. The new release comes three years after the launch of the 1908, which replaced the discontinued Cellini collection and introduced the Perpetual line. Now, that new collection goes in a more complicated direction. James Stacey is in Milan for the launch—and even got to see the watch in advance—so read on for a section later in this article featuring his hands-on impressions. The new 2026 Rolex Perpetual Padellone.  Let's start with a piece of fun trivia. This is the first Rolex model—to my knowledge—to take its *actual* name from a nickname given by collectors to its historical predecessor. The ref. 8171—which Rolex explicitly cites as the inspiration for the new watch—was nicknamed the Padellone, Italian for "large frying pan," for its wide 38mm flat case and slightly domed dial. So it's appropriate that Rolex would return to Milan—arguably the birthplace of vintage watch collecting—to launch a watch that will likely make a lot of vintage lovers happy. A vintage Rolex ref. 8171 "Padellone." Even if you don't know the history of vintage Rolex or the 8171—which we'll cover in a minute—a new watch from Rolex (especially one launched off-cycle, so to speak, outside Watches & Wonders) is always a big deal. The only recent similar release was the surprise launch of the white go...

A true child of its time, Chopard’s 1976 Happy Diamonds watch captured the spirit of the decade, a period marked by rebellion against rigid traditions, the rise of disco culture and a shift towards ready-to-wear luxury. Breaking away from traditional static diamond settings, Chopard’s Happy Diamonds were liberated from metal claws and allowed to spin […]

The trajectory of my watch enthusiasm over the past several years can be boiled down to one basic principle: seeking things that are different. It’s what led me to Arcanaut, briefly owning a M.A.D.1S, a devotion to the works of Jiro Katayama, and, ultimately, boredom with brands owned by the big conglomerates. It’s been, honestly, an exciting time to reject the mainstream, as there seems to be a neverending stream of microbrands doing interesting things either well outside the norm or just slightly tilted away from it. Benjamin James is a Hong Kong based microbrand that falls into the latter category. Their watches are not avant garde or challenging works of outsider art, exactly, but they represent the distilled point of view of their founder, and the Deerhurst regulator surprised me with its overall quality and some of its touchpoints.  $1702 Hands-On: the Benjamin James Deerhurst Regulator Case Stainless steel Movement Sellita SW266-1 M Dial Burgundy Lume None Lens Sapphire Strap Leather strap or bracelet Water Resistance 50 meters Dimensions 36 x 42mm Thickness 9.1mm Lug Width 20mm Crown Push/pull Warranty Yes Price $1702 The Deerhurst is a slim, 36mm dress watch available in three dial variations. My sample is in burgundy, but it’s also available in “Old English White” and “Denim Blue.” The design feature of the watch that will either charm you or make you roll your eyes is the Clous de Paris bezel, which in 2026 is perhaps one of the most old-fashioned...

Here at Fratello, we get to cover all manner of watch-related stories. These include so many different watchmakers, from Rolex to Seiko to IWC. Omega, however, occupies a special place within the pantheon of watch brands for us. Today, we have a slightly different Omega story featuring stopwatches and a slice of New Zealand history. […] Visit Six Omega Stopwatches And A Lost NZ Racetrack to read the full article.

Ready or not, auction season is back. I don't know about you, but I wasn't expecting it so soon. While the auction cycle is generally synced up for Geneva and New York sales a bit later in the fall, Sotheby's is doing the earliest big sale of the fall with "Important Watches" in Hong Kong on September 18.  Personally, I'm still working through the best way to handle auction coverage, as the number of watches is often daunting. That challenge gets worse with Hong Kong sales, which we've generally struggled to stay on top of for a number of reasons. One of which, and this is a complaint for all auction houses, is that there are too many lots in Hong Kong sales. This is driven by both the market location (many of these watches were sourced locally—something I know because I know a decent number of these watches) and the forces behind the auction house and its metrics. Sometimes you have to make sellers happy and take what they want to get at other things (like taking random Hermès bags in a watch sale, as we see this time). It can be overwhelming for a buyer, and for you and me as readers. I want to find the interesting, great deals in the mid- and low-range and share them with you, but I also can't ignore the impressive pieces that might shape the broader market. One important note: for Hong Kong sales, I never get to see the watches in person. It's a lot easier for me to stand in front of a case of watches and pick things up by feel, closely evaluate condition and origi...

A brushed silver-plated dial and two case sizes pay quiet tribute to one of Gérald Genta's most underrated designs. IWC Ingenieur 50th Anniversary Limited Edition arrives in 40mm and 35mm, honoring the 1976 Genta-designed SL with a clean brushed silver dial.

The watch that set diamonds free turns 50, and Chopard is marking the moment with a Heritage edition that looks back without losing its nerve. The Chopard Happy Diamonds Heritage celebrates 50 years of the iconic floating diamond concept, revisiting the 1976 original with period-correct design and modern finishing.

A legendary name, a brand-new movement, and a very Rolex take on the annual calendar with moonphase. The Rolex Perpetual Padellone revives a collector favourite with a 39mm case, instantaneous annual calendar, moonphase, and the new 5Hz calibre 7190.

The slate of truly new releases from Geneva Watch Days was fairly limited, but among the many new variants of existing models, the Ferdinand Berthoud FB 3SPC.4-1 stood out for its lightweight and richly tactile ceramised titanium case and casual, almost sporty look. Initial thoughts Ferdinand Berthoud (FB) is no stranger to exotic case materials, having used ceramised titanium before (for the FB 1RES.4) as well as carburised stainless steel and bronze. But the FB 3SPC.4-1 is just the second FB 3SPC to come dressed in a non-precious metal case, and the first with a ceramised coating. The FB 3SPC arguably gives up some ground in the looks department, though this is subjective; many collectors find the exposed movement preferable to a conventional dial, since it makes it easier to appreciate the finishing without taking off the watch. That said, the design impacts legibility and some aspects of the layout seem counterintuitive, such as the upside-down orientation of the dial-side balance wheel. The FB 3SPC debuted in 2022 and remains the high-end brand’s entry level model, though with a retail price approaching US$200,000, it’s priced in line with complicated models from established brands. The value proposition of this time-only watch hinges on the appeal of the cylindrical hairspring — which while not unique in contemporary watchmaking is executed superbly — and the no-expense-spared approach to finishing that FB is known for. The pricing also reflects the low-volum...

MeisterSinger has built most of its catalogue around unhurried, single-hand time-reading. The brand’s latest special edition enters a faster lane, where key indications like the car’s speed are shown with just one hand on traditional displays. Route 66, officially opened in 1926, celebrates its centenary, and MeisterSinger marks the occasion with a limited edition inspired […]

Serena Williams has been playing professional tennis since 1995. In the decades since, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, but perhaps more importantly, she has broken through barriers of race, age, and background while upending tennis's traditional dress codes. Clothes, and by extension accessories, have always been part of that story. In 2022, New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman called Williams "the game-changing tennis player" who used her clothes "as a statement of self and a weapon of change." Williams understood early on that what she wore on court could be another form of expression: sometimes provocative, sometimes playful. At the 2002 US Open, she broke conservative norms in a skin-tight black Puma catsuit, accessorized with a Harry Winston diamond bracelet. Seventeen years later, at the 2019 French Open, she wore a Nike look designed by Virgil Abloh for Off-White printed with the words "Mother, Champion, Queen, Goddess" in French, an especially pointed choice given that, just a year earlier, the tournament had taken issue with the black Nike catsuit she wore on court. Serena Williams at the 2024 Met Gala, wearing an Audemars Piguet Sandgold Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked . That influence has extended far beyond the baseline. A Vogue cover star, Met Gala co-chairwoman, perennial tennis-court style-setter, and personal friend of Anna Wintour, Williams occupied the increasingly porous space between sport and fashion long before the res...

Tissot expands the PRX collection with a new 41mm quartz chronograph, featuring three ultra clean, vertically brushed dials.

Gérald Genta designed many masterpieces during his lifetime, but the IWC Ingenieur SL is often mentioned in the same breath as two of his greatest designs from the same decade. The IWC Ingenieur SL1832 was introduced in 1976, and 50 years later, it might be even stronger than ever. To celebrate this milestone, IWC has […] Visit 50 Years Of IWC’s Ingenieur SL Designed By Gérald Genta — A New IWC Ingenieur Automatic In Two Sizes to read the full article.

Birthdays are to be celebrated, so it’s no surprise IWC Schaffhausen honours the 50th anniversary of one of its most pivotal watches, the Ingenieur SL. Introduced in 1976 and penned by Gérald Genta, the Ingenieur SL was one of the early adopters of the integrated sports watch ethos. Lasting until the late 1990s, the Ingenieur […]

A smooth, brushed, silver-plated dial in both 40mm and 35mm cases brings back a rare Ingenieur from the past.

Founded by Toni Brodführer, DUG Glashütte focuses on producing watches in accordance with the requirements of the Glashütte designation of origin, and the inaugural Purist was conceived as a straightforward proposition built around the traditions of Saxon watchmaking. The brand is now expanding the collection with a smaller case. The new Purist 37 retains the […]

What We Know Today, to mark 50 years of Gérald Genta's Ingenieur SL design, IWC has released two limited-edition modern Ingenieur revival models in stainless steel. Both versions feature the same new dial design in the main 40mm size and a smaller 35mm case. It's a tribute to IWC's slice of Genta history, a throwback to 1976, when Genta's design of the Ingenieur SL, ref. 1832, was first born. The original integrated-bracelet "Jumbo" Ingenieur SL's 40 mm size was ambitious for its time, and sadly the market did not reward it—the release was a commercial failure. IWC notes that it made only 598 pieces between the Ingenieur SL's launch in 1976 and 1983. But today, given the public's general affinity for Genta's iconic integrated-bracelet designs, the fiftieth anniversary of the SL design may be well timed. It references a more obscure dial variant of the Jumbo SL, one with a vertically brushed silver-plated dial rather than the more familiar grid pattern. The exhibition caseback of the 35mm model. In this modern iteration, the specs remain identical to the current 40mm and 35mm models, with the 35mm featuring an exhibition caseback to showcase the Caliber 47110 inside. The 40mm model, with its IWC-manufactured 32111 caliber, has a closed caseback and a soft-iron inner case for increased magnetic-field protection. In a nod to the anniversary, a "50" is printed right below the Ingenieur logo at 6 o'clock, where the "SL" would have been on the original. Each reference is limi...

Tutima releases a new Patria with a two tone aesthetic - a titanium case, with a silvered dial, gold hands and a gilt movement.

Benrus isn't just reissuing old hits this time. The Type 3X is something genuinely new, and it has some serious input behind it. The Benrus Type 3X is a brand-new military-inspired watch developed with U.S. Special Forces veterans, pushing Benrus's storied MILSPEC lineage forward.

Venezianico has been raising the bar constantly with its varied collection of watches. While my favorites from the Venetian brand are in the Arsenale collection, we have seen some impressive developments in the Bucintoro and Redentore lines. The high-end models in those two show the brand’s interesting progress with Italian-made calibers and special dials. With […] Visit Modern Venetian Elegance Gets A Name: The Venezianico Redentore Levius to read the full article.

The Benrus Type I and Type II are among the category of iconic military watches that first took root in the 1940s around WWII with the famous Dirty Dozen. The Type I and II are an extension of this lineage with designs that met the U.S. military’s formal specifications for wristwatches better known as MILSPEC during the Vietnam War in the 1970s and later throughout the special operations community, particularly among CIA paramilitary forces, Navy SEAL, and UDT teams conducting maritime missions. Benrus has kept this piece of horological history alive in its contemporary catalog, with modern interpretations of both models becoming part of the brand’s permanent collection in the new millennium. Now, that legacy continues with a brand new twist and a brand new collection: the Type 3X. Today, the needs of military forces look very different than decades ago when the Type I and Type II were originally developed. Technology has transformed warfare, but there’s still a need for simple, dependable tools that work if technology fails. This sparked a simple question among a group of former special operations veterans: what would a modern version of the Type I and Type II look like if it was designed by the people who actually use it? Instead of beginning in a design studio, the project started the way many special operations ideas do – around a table, with this small group of individuals who had spent their careers solving problems in demanding environments. Their approach w...

Since its launch in 2022, the Citizen Tsuyosa (a Japanese word for strength) has been a strong success for the brand and is now a leading option in the value proposition segment. Originally released in 40mm steel cases with a 3-link steel bracelet and a rough-looking entry-level movement, Citizen has vastly expanded the collection over the years […]