Latest watch news · Page 32

When I hear the name Hamilton, dive watches aren’t the first things that come to mind. The Swiss brand with American roots is mostly known for its great lineup of military field watches. On top of that, the classic Ventura and the Intra-Matic Chronograph are among its more famous offerings. That said, the Khaki Navy […] Visit Do New Dials And Colors For Hamilton’s Khaki Navy Scuba Lineup Do The Trick? to read the full article.

While most Swiss watchmakers are taking their summer holidays, H. Moser & Cie. has unveiled the Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Cosmic Rain — the latest variant of the brand’s most complicated movement platform. The Cosmic Rain takes its name from its dial, which features mother-of-pearl inlays on an aventurine glass dial base. Devoid of a brand logo or wordmark — a long-running Moser motif — the dial effectively evokes a night sky filled with streaking comets. Initial thoughts H. Moser & Cie. is probably best known for its minimalist designs, but the Cosmic Rain’s openworked construction reveals another side of the brand. So, too, does its raden dial, which is dressed up with shimmering strips of mother-of-pearl. The Cosmic Rain is quite compact for such a complicated watch at 40 mm in diameter and 14.4 mm thick — barely larger than some time-only watches. These wrist-friendly dimensions, combined with a lightweight titanium case, should make for a comfortable wearing experience. The calibre HMC 909 features an off-centre time display that reveals both the strike train and the tourbillon, which has been elevated — literally and figuratively — with a cylindrical hairspring. Unfortunately, the vestigial centre wheel pinion is unnecessarily exposed, revealing the calibre’s roots as a movement designed for central hour and minutes hands. There’s a lot to like about the Cosmic Rain, but it’s hard to find justification for the CHF...

The return of the Vacheron Constantin Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar got us thinking about other technically interesting watches that showed promise but never truly found their footing. In episode 47 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon discuss recent releases from Seiko, IWC, and Swatch before turning to candidates for a second chance, including the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars AP Escapement, the TAG Heuer Monaco V4, and the elusive Breguet Hommage à Nicolas G. Hayek 7887. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

The fantasy every enthusiast has at least once a year: sell everything, keep one watch, never scroll again. if we had to pick, we would keep an Explorer 39mm. but is it still a collection with one, and can any watch enthusiast actually sit still?. Does the one-watch collection actually exist? Explorer 39mm as the pragmatic pick, and whether any watch enthusiast can really sit still with it.

Finding a truly small automatic watch is surprisingly difficult. Finding one in a refined, vintage-inspired “tank” (rectangular) silhouette is almost impossible in modern horology. That’s what makes the Orient FNRAP004W0 in rose gold such a special gem. Having owned and worn this piece for many years, I can confidently say it remains one of the most charming, reliable, and unique watches in my collection. The Secret in the Back Perhaps the most impressive feature is what you cannot see from the top. For me, the absolute standout feature of the Orient FNRAP004W0 is what happens when you take it off and flip it over. Most watchmakers assume that anyone wanting a small, dressy tank watch does not care about what is inside, usually opting to drop in a cheap, battery-powered quartz movement. Orient, true to its Japanese horological roots, took the harder path. Inside this tiny case beats an in-house Japanese automatic movement( Cal. 55742). The fact that Orient engineered a self-winding mechanical engine to fit inside such a slender, 11.95 mm-thick frame is a quiet flex of their watchmaking prowess.  Art Deco Charm While the technical feat under the hood earns respect from watch enthusiasts, the external design is what wins hearts on a daily basis:  The Warmth of Rose Gold: The rose gold-plated stainless steel case gives the watch an understated, warm elegance. It avoids the flashiness of yellow gold, making it easy to style whether you’re dressed up for an even...

Longines have created a new spin on a heritage design, but have they done enough to give the unique watch a modern kick? Let’s find out! What We Love: A modern but non-generic colour & finish Universal, easy-wearing dimensions Unique heritage-inspired complication What We Don’t: Questionable lume Movement finishing somewhat lacking How new can an ‘old’ watch be? Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Value for Money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 8.5/10 Design: 8.5/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 Heritage revivals have become a huge part of the modern watch industry. Everywhere you look, there’s another release that’s either an exact copy of, or inspired by, a design from a bygone era. While these watches have returned to varying degrees of success, they typically all share one common thread: they put their fingers on the pulse of the watch community to see which past designs have proved wildly popular, then remaster them accordingly. Longines, however, has started to behave a little differently. While the brand has found plenty of success bringing back watches from its vast archive (case in point, the Ultra-Chron) they use them as a celebration of its brand identity, inviting the watch community to celebrate alongside it. That doesn’t mean chasing what’s popular, but rather embracing what makes Longines so distinctive in a sea of sameness. Perhaps the best example of this is the Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve. Inspired by a design from 1959, the watch was brought bac...

Raymond Weil celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Weil founding his eponymous brand in 1976. And the brand’s first integrated-bracelet watch is a nod to the seventies era of experimentation: where, in the face of impending quartz dominance, watchmakers produced bold designs like they had nothing to lose. This was the era of the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, both launching the concept of the luxury sports watch—in essence, a classier and far pricier interpretation of the Go Anywhere, Do Anything ethos that once took its inspiration from military and field watches. Only this time, going anywhere is to Monaco or St. Moritz, and doing anything is jumping off the back of a yacht into the waters of Bali.  Fifty years later, the integrated bracelet watch has never been more popular. Perhaps it’s the trickle-down effect from the cachet of those two OGs, which have taken off so much that people are willing to snap up an anniversary Nautilus desk clock, or storm your nearest Swatch store for a plastic Royal Oak. Or it’s the promise of a certain inherent and integrated toughness, eschewing the notion that we won’t ever reach 1,000-ft deep-water depths and still make it back to the boardroom. In fact, skip the beach-to-boardroom mentality. This category is all upscale by comparison, and the A.R.T. series — which, according to Raymond Weil, stands for “art, refinement, and timekeeping,” with the latter perhaps seeming redundant — captur...

What We Know A funky new dial is probably the least surprising thing to come from Ming these days, but somehow, the new Ming 37.06 Royal Selangor still feels like a compelling play on the brand's two-hander 37-series design. This time around, Ming doubles down on its Malaysian roots for a collaboration with Malaysian pewter brand Royal Selangor. What we get is a dramatically hammered pewter dial, made by Royal Selangor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The grooves and scales of the hammering are quite exaggerated for the size of the dial, which offers an uninterrupted surface for the hammering without any printing or applied markers. With this expansive, highly textured dial, Ming's usage of the top sapphire crystal as an alternative place for dial markings is very useful, with the underside of the top sapphire crystal engraved and infilled with Super-LumiNova X1 for a luminescent track with hour markers and Ming's logo at the top that floats above the hammered pewter surface. It's complemented by the distinctive blued 37-series handset, also coated with a generous amount of Super-LumiNova. The luster of the dial is framed by the more demure look of a fully-brushed grade-2 titanium case, with a diameter of 38mm, a thickness of 11.05mm, and a compact lug-to-lug of 44.73mm. Engraved on the periphery of the exhibition caseback is Ming and Royal Selangor branding, and through the sapphire crystal, the automatic Sellita for MING SW300.M1 is seen in full view. Yes, on paper the movemen...

The latest from Ming is a collaboration that I think most enthusiasts could never have predicted, but makes quite a bit sense when you take a few steps back and look at the participants from a high level. The new 37.06 Royal Selangor is a new limited edition made in partnership with Royal Selangor, the well known pewter manufacturer, by some accounts the largest in the world. Both brands have roots in Kuala Lumpur, and the collaboration took shape after Ming Thein helped a client collect his camera, reskinned by Royal Selangor in Malaysia. Thein and Royal Selangor CEO Yong Yoon Li shared a meal, and that was enough to generate the seeds of a collaborative watch. Pewter is not commonly used in watchmaking. Used since antiquity to craft a variety of objects including decorative metal items and tableware of all kinds, it is an alloy that is largely made from tin, which is highly malleable and has a low melting point. That makes it relatively easy to work with compared with some metal alloys, but the process is necessarily undertaken largely by hand, which opens up all kinds of craft opportunities which is what Royal Selangor excels at. Pewter does not generally tarnish or corrode, but it does develop a patina after long periods of use.  The 37.06 Royal Selangor features a pewter dial with a hammered texture, similar to those used in Ming watches in the past. According to Ming, the filing, polishing, and finishing of pewter is all traditionally done by hand, even now at a tim...

Few now remember the Swiss watchmaking name Sicura. Founded in Grenchen in 1939, the brand enjoyed success during the 1960s and 1970s under Ernest Schneider, producing affordable, unconventional watches that combined unusual functions with bold styling. Sicura experimented with everything from compressor-style divers and jump-hour displays to LED watches, solar-powered and multi-function tool watches, all […]

A rare military reference reimagined for everyday wear, this is the DOXA SUB Army 200T For Hodinkee Limited Edition — Our take on one of the most elusive references in DOXA

In the past decade, we have seen many once-defunct Swiss brands return to the watch industry. A few recent returnees that come to mind are Gallet and Universal Genève. Today, another legendary brand joins the ranks. It’s the return of the classic Swiss brand Sicura. Under the leadership of the famous Ernest Schneider in the […] Visit Sicura Makes A Comeback After 47 Years With The Hexa 400 to read the full article.

What We Know It feels like eons ago, but it was only three years back when TAG Heuer first collaborated with Team Ikuzawa and Bamford to release a Carrera chronograph. Just like Tetsu Ikuzawa in a Porsche 906 back in 1967. Oh, how time flies. Now the trio is back with a second collaboration from the minds of Tetsu's daughter and the team's principal, Mai Ikuzawa, brought to life by Bamford and TAG Heuer. With the compact 39mm Carrera "Glassbox" shape and the team's white-and-red accents, the watch draws on Mai Ikuzawa's decades of experience blending design, fashion, and motorsports. First things first. The watch is 39mm by 13.86mm in brushed and polished stainless steel, with that domed "glassbox" crystal that magnifies the dial and creates a 3D effect on the flange. The dial is white with a really unexpected Clous de Paris finish, the Team Ikuzawa branding at 6 o'clock, just above a date window with red text, and red text for TAG Heuer and Carrera at 12 o'clock. The edge of the dial has black-printed minute markers and numerals. The 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock has an unusual pinball-and-roulette-wheel design, and the hands have touches of red with luminous filling. Even the crown has a red stripe around it—the whole thing is unabashedly bold. Inside the case is the TH20-10 movement, with an 80-hour power reserve and a 4Hz frequency. You can see the automatic movement through the caseback, but it's slightly obscured by printed branding on the caseback for Team Ikuzaw...

The Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate is now available in 38mm. We got a quick look and here is our impressions on the salmon dial variant.

Bell & Ross has introduced the BR-05 GMT Green Steel, bringing a layered sage-green dial to its square travel watch. Announced on 29 July 2026, the new model keeps the familiar 41mm steel case, automatic GMT movement and choice of integrated bracelet or rubber strap. The colour and dial finishing are the real news. This is not a limited edition. It joins the regular BR-05 GMT range and is identified by the reference BR05G-GN-ST, with the usual SST and SRB endings used for the steel-bracelet and rubber-strap versions. All images are courtesy of Bell & Ross. A new green for the BR-05 GMT Bell & Ross introduced the BR-05 collection in 2019 as the Urban branch of its range. It kept the brand’s well-known “circle within a square” design but softened the case and connected it directly to an integrated bracelet. The GMT model followed in 2021, adding a second time zone without changing the basic shape. The BR-05 GMT Green Steel on its matching green rubber strap. Image: Bell & Ross. The 2026 Green Steel is the first BR-05 GMT to use this sage colour. It is not a simple layer of green paint. Bell & Ross starts with a metal dial plate, gives it a sunray-brushed finish, applies a tinted green varnish and then adds a clear glossy varnish. The final layer protects the surface and adds depth. The result changes noticeably with the light. Some angles produce a brighter green, while others reveal softer grey and silver tones. It is more restrained than a bright emerald dial and wor...

TAG Heuer, Team Ikuzawa and Bamford Watch Department have reunited for a second watch, but this is much more than a new colour for the 2023 collaboration. Launched on 30 July 2026, the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa uses the 39mm Carrera Glassbox case and takes its dial design from the Roadmaster stopwatches used in Japanese motorsport during the 1970s and 1980s. The new reference CBS221M.EB0435 is limited to 150 individually numbered pieces worldwide. Its white-and-red design is easy to recognise, but the smaller case, textured dial, revised movement and unusual presentation set make this a distinctly different watch from its predecessor. All images are courtesy of TAG Heuer. The new 39mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa. Image: TAG Heuer. A second chapter, not a reissue Team Ikuzawa was founded by Tetsu Ikuzawa, one of the most important Japanese racing drivers of his generation. His career included the Japanese Grand Prix, Formula 3, Formula 2, Le Mans and work as a Porsche factory driver. The team became closely linked with a clean red-and-white identity that remains central to the brand today. His daughter, Mai Ikuzawa, has carried that history into a wider creative business covering cars, fashion, photography and design. George Bamford and Bamford Watch Department complete the collaboration, helping translate the graphics of old racing equipment into a modern Carrera. Tetsu Ikuzawa with cars and photographs from his racing career. Image:...

Founded in 2017 by photographer Ming Thein and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Ming is a design-driven independent watch brand distinguished by a contemporary aesthetic in which minimalism, luminescence and layered construction all play defining roles. For the latest release, Ming strays from its usual course, turning to traditional craftsmanship for the dial of the new […]

Three years after the launch of the original 42mm Carrera Chronograph x Team Ikuzawa by Bamford, TAG Heuer renews its collaboration with a new limited edition, this time based on the brand’s modern 39mm Carrera Glassbox Chronograph and inspired by Team Ikuzawa’s iconic Roadmaster stopwatches of the 1970s and 1980s. The story of Team Ikuzawa […]

I will admit it: when Bianchet first launched quietly in 2017, the idea of another openworked tourbillon watch wasn’t overly intriguing. Then again, as a traditionalist, I tended to dismiss watches like this in the past. But, as they say, the past is the past. Now, I enjoy more theater in my timepieces. Painstaking finishing, […] Visit The Bianchet Rotondo UltraFino Rose Gold: A Stunning Take On Contrast to read the full article.

For the second time, we see a racing combination that brings together some of the most evocative motorsports references around.

I was never a fan of the Seiko SKX. There, I said it. I know this will get me into trouble with a lot of watch lovers because the SKX’s legacy is grand. For many enthusiasts, the SKX007 or SKX009 was the gateway into the world of mechanical watches. As such, Seiko’s legendary diver was […] Visit Don’t Get A Seiko SKX — Buy This Classic Model Instead! to read the full article.

First impressions matter, but they aren’t always the last word. In the watch world, some of the most enduring designs are also among the most divisive. A watch that initially seems too large, too unconventional, or simply not to your taste can slowly grow on you as your experience develops. In many cases, understanding a […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Watches That Won Us Over to read the full article.

The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States did not escape notice from the nation’s fledgling watch industry. To mark the occasion, 1776 Atelier released the Liberty 250, a watch credibly claimed to be more than 90% US-made. The brand’s most American-made and technically ambitious watch to date, the Liberty 250 also illustrates the difficulty of building a complicated mechanical product without an established domestic supply chain. Its HP 917 movement is the product of extensive iterative development, incorporating newly manufactured components, a free-sprung balance and a markedly more elaborate finishing programme. We sat down with the brand’s co-founders, Jason Lu and Zach Smith, to unpack the 90% figure, discuss the challenges of manufacturing watches in the United States and understand what the Liberty 250 means for the future of the brand and American watchmaking more broadly. The Liberty 250 is the most American-made product yet from Atelier 1776. The interview was edited for length and clarity. Brandon Moore (BM): Why start a watch company in the United States, particularly given the limited domestic supplier network and the additional cost involved? Jason Lu (JL): Because this is where we live, and this is where we wanted to build it. The United States was founded on ingenuity, and American watchmaking has a remarkable history. The fact that much of the former infrastructure no longer exists does not mean it cannot be rebuilt in a new form. Th...