Latest watch news · Page 34

One of the most appealing releases of Geneva Watch Days was the Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage Regulator. While not an altogether new model, the watch incorporates a number of welcome updates, including a smaller case and a more refined dial that resembles an instrument panel on the wrist. The L.U.C 98.02-L movement remains in service, and is both COSC and Poinçon de Genève-certified. Moreover, the calibre achieves an impressive nine days of power reserve and is neatly finished, as is typical for Chopard’s higher-end offerings. Initial thoughts Chopard has long been a steward of the regulator format. In fact, the 1963 Heritage Regulator marks 20 years since the brand’s first contemporary regulator wristwatch. The regulator format is strongly associated with precision clocks, but Chopard’s interpretation reminds me of an automotive dashboard — perhaps intentionally, since the brand’s co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is known for his affinity for vintage cars. The latest example is substantially improved over prior generations, with several nips and tucks that result in a move wearable and less busy package overall. The watch is tangibly well made, with an expensive bill of materials and refined execution. The 1963 Heritage Regulator is priced at about US$50,000, and is limited to a concise run of 25 pieces in (ethically sourced) 18k white gold. By current standards, it’s a reasonable proposition, but still slightly above the going rate for a Patek Philippe...

In case you somehow missed it, last week was Geneva Watch Days. While not the absolute busiest week of the year for new watch releases, it's not far off the mark, and 2026 saw dozens of brands converging on Geneva to show off their latest and greatest novelties. We covered a lot of those watches as they dropped, but now that we've had a few days to process what we got to see (some of us in person, the rest vicariously), we thought it would be a good moment to share some of the watches that stood out to us from a week full of new watches. And please forgive us: while we did our best to hold ourselves to Geneva Watch Days proper, as was inevitable, a few ancillary picks made their way into the mix, but I think we can all agree they're still watches worth talking about. Of course, our ragtag team of editors can only cover so much here, so once you've seen all our picks, be sure to drop a line in the comments — we'd love to know which watches from Geneva Watch Days stood out to all of you. Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Dusk in Yellow Gold (plus the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese) [Ben Clymer] Can I pick two? I have to. Because this year kinda felt like the old days – the two watches I'd actually buy of GWD 2026 are from brands I've loved (and owned) a long, long time - Laurent Ferrier and MB&F;. The first is Laurent Ferrier's new limited run of "Dusk" annual calendar moonphases in yellow gold. As you probably know, I love yellow gold, and this is the first iteration of a lovely w...

As part of their Geneva Watch Days presentation, Alpina unveiled several new solar quartz references in their Solarmetre line, which effectively places solar quartz movements made by La Joux-Perret in familiar Alpina references. It’s about the most natural move possible from a business perspective. Alpina and La Joux-Perret are both owned by the Citizen Group, who of course make Citizen watches and have been leaning heavily into solar quartz technology for years. The Alpina watches sit at a higher price point than the average Citizen, so the expansion of solar quartz across Alpina’s collection naturally begins an interesting conversation about value for enthusiasts who might have an interest in both brands.  The core of the release last week would have to be a trio of new Startimer Pilot Solarmetre watches. These are solar quartz powered versions of the still new Alpina pilot watch introduced earlier this year at Watches & Wonders. I think the value here is in the particular way these watches take advantage of the smaller La Joux-Perret quartz movement compared to their mechanical counterparts. The mechanical versions of these watches measure 40mm in diameter and a hair over 10mm tall, while the Solarmetre watches come in at 38mm wide and 9.3mm thick. That’s a meaningful difference in size, with the added grab and go benefits of solar quartz (Alpina says the AL-140 movements here will run for 10 months in total darkness, and of course it doesn’t take much light to...

About a year ago—or maybe two—I remember sitting in an Uber with Ben and some of the Hodinkee team as we drove down the Rue de Lausanne in Geneva, heading to Watches & Wonders. We had just grabbed a quick breakfast when Michael Friedman unexpectedly joined us. Yes, that Michael Friedman. The "AP, Michael Friedman, my friend's cooler" rap lyric guy. The guy who just so happened to have also formerly been a curator at the Willard House & Clock Museum and the National Watch & Clock Museum, Head of Watches at Christie's New York, a client advisor to people like Eric Clapton (during his pièce unique Patek years), and most recently the Head of Complications at Audemars Piguet. Okay, maybe you don't know Michael Friedman. But I knew him well and had some formative early-career experiences bumping into and getting to know him. I also knew he was working on a new brand, but had absolutely zero idea what it was. "It's wild," said Ben—or some approximation of that. "It's not so much a watch as a cuff, with a bunch of diamonds." What could that even mean? I had ideas in my head, but as they spiraled, they got further from the truth. As of a few months ago, we have the answer, and it's not what I had envisioned. The B-Theory Series 1 from Friedman's new brand Pattern Recognition is, as Ben said, far from a watch in most respects, but closer than I expected. Yes, it's jewelry. There are diamonds. And yet it's got the bona fides of technical watchmaking and connections with the pa...

Panerai's Florence Boutique celebrates its 100th anniversary with two limited editions inspired by the famed ref. 6521 prototype.

In 2026, Panerai celebrates 100 years of its boutique in Piazza San Giovanni, Florence. Originally opened in 1926 as “Orologeria Svizzera”, the boutique became an important part of the Panerai family’s history, a place where watches were sold but also assembled and repaired. The preserved location, reopened to the public in 2001 following the renovation, […]

This year is an important one for Panerai. The brand is commemorating the centenary of its long-standing store, Orologeria Svizzera, in Florence. To celebrate 100 years of the famous boutique with its breathtaking views of the Florence Cathedral, Panerai unveils the Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794. This new limited edition of 1,000 pieces takes inspiration […] Visit Back To The Roots With The Panerai Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794 to read the full article.

If you've never collected Rolex Bubblebacks before, you should probably forget nearly everything you know about vintage watches. At least, that's what it feels like you should do when you start wading into the space. Things like reference numbers are much less valuable to remember than movements, case designs, printing details, and a general ability to just remember everything you've seen to get a sense of feel for what is right and what isn't. And trust me, a lot isn't. You could spend decades looking at these watches, but "Bubble Back" by Masahiro Endo, the owner of vintage retailer Private Eyes in Tokyo, is a great reference to jump-start your understanding of an iconic (and currently underappreciated) model. I mentioned this in last week's review of John Nagayama's "96," but the only watch I'd be more afraid to deep-dive into than the Patek ref. 96 is the Rolex "Bubbleback." It's not even an official model, but a nickname for Rolex watches made from 1933 to the mid-1950s with a domed, "bubble-like" caseback. So when you open Endo-san's book, you'll probably immediately be struck by the fact that none of the examples (except the later ref. 6062 and ref. 8171) have reference numbers. According to collectors, that's not the most useful thing for understanding the Bubbleback. Basically, every other detail matters more. We've previously published a story about the bubbleback with a lot of thoughts and tips for understanding these models, courtesy of Ken Jacobs and Justin Gr...

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet some of the team from Matador and was let in on a massive secret: Matador had plans to replace almost its entire line of soft goods. Unlike other manufacturers, this wouldn’t be a slow rollout or gradual discontinuation of lines; it was a hard stop, set for early August, almost an “end of an era,” if you will. Among the list of packs that were nearing their end was the GlobeRider line, which has become a regular in my rotation of bags. Thankfully, the Matador team had production samples on hand and was able to walk me through the changes and dispel my worries, and I’ve been putting one of these new models through its paces for about two months now. Back in June of 2025, I took Matador’s GlobeRider 35-liter on an almost two-week-long trip to Atlanta and Alaska and was genuinely impressed by the bag’s performance. In my initial review, I mentioned that while being larger than I needed, the Globerider never felt out of place, whether I was using it for EDC, bringing home groceries, or hauling around a hefty bit of camera kit.  Since then, I’ve taken the GR35 on a weekend trip to Paris, used it countless times to haul gear and groceries throughout the city, and it’s earned itself a constant place in my small but packed gear closet. Having spent nearly two months with the new GTP, it has become clear to me that while this bag is something new, a significant amount of previous design DNA has remained. Most notably...

Two weeks ago, we managed to fit in one more Hodinkee Happy Hour before summer slips away. We gathered at the Watches of Switzerland store in SoHo, where friends old and new escaped the rain to enjoy an evening of good conversation, food from Upside Pizza, and beer from our local friends at Grotta. Despite the weather, the turnout—for both people and watches—did not disappoint. If you made it out that night, thank you for coming. Please note that the next Hodinkee Happy Hour won't be until October, so please keep an eye on the site and our Instagram for the October RSVPs. Until then, scroll through the photos below for a recap of the night and to see some cool watches. Our Editor-in-Chief, James Stacey, sporting a Doxa Sub Army 200T for Hodinkee Limited Edition t-shirt.  A vintage Movado Triple Calendar. An Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding with a blue "Grande Tapisserie" dial. A Sinn T50 titanium diving watch and a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a black dial and contrasting subdials. F.P. Journe Octa Automatique Réserve De Marche. From left to right: a Doxa Sub Army 200T for Hodinkee Limited Edition, a Rolex Daytona Ref. 16520 with a "Patrizzi" dial from 1996, and a Grand Seiko. From top to bottom: a Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Regulator Ref. 5235G, a Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time "Deep Stream," and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15510 ST Green Dial from 2022. Rolex Zenith Daytona Ref. 16520 "Arabic prototype." From top to bottom: the Rolex Zenith Dayto...

While Tutima gained popularity thanks to its purposeful pilot watches, aviation-themed chronographs and robust adventure-driven collections, one of the brand’s lineups certainly stands apart from the rest and shouldn’t go unnoticed. A tribute to the German school of watchmaking and the manufacture’s roots, the Patria collection celebrates classic designs and in-house watchmaking, done the Glashütte way. Elegant, […]

Three pastel dials give the brand's quirky handless regulator a softer, more wearable personality - without touching what makes it tick. The Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Pastel Code arrives in Rose, Sky, and Mint, bringing fresh colour to the brand's mechanical jumping-hour digital display.

A boutique centenary gives Panerai an excuse to go deep on heritage, and for once, it actually lands. The Panerai Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01794 marks 100 years of the Orologeria Svizzera boutique with a 1,000-piece limited edition worth your attention.

Launching at FounderFest, meet the Furlan Marri Outback Songlines, with a chocolate dial, hunter caseback and a new three-link bracelet.

Back in 2020, TAG Heuer introduced the Carrera Chronograph Sport for its 160th anniversary. The collection consisted of 44mm chronographs with either a stainless steel or ceramic bezel. Of course, they were attractive, with designs inspired by TAG Heuer’s rich racing history. However, I feel the 2023 Carrera Glassbox took much of the attention away […] Visit A Lap Around The Track With The Facelifted And Downsized TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Sport to read the full article.

Reuben picks three standout releases from Geneva Watch Days 2026: the GP Laureato Fifty Tourbillon, MING 57.05 Comet and L’Epée The Football.

Chronoswiss founder Gerd Lang will forever be remembered as the watchmaker who produced the world’s first serially produced wristwatch with a regulator layout in 1987. Without a shared central axis, the separation of hours, minutes and seconds characteristic of regulators connects directly to the Digiteur of 2005, a digital regulator with jumping hours at noon, […]

The way we tell time matters, and not just because we want to miss the train. The way we read time is also an experience. Digital time is just a series of numbers, while an analog timekeeper sweeps through time, showing you where it has been and where it is going. Call me a hopeless […] Visit The Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Pastel Code Puts A Softer Spin On A Peculiar Watch to read the full article.

The Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Pastel Code collection brings Rose, Sky and Mint dials to its distinctive handless mechanical digital display

An inclined flying tourbillon, carbon construction, and a flame-kissed dial that makes this DC6 variant unlike anything else on the market right now. The David Candaux DC6 Wildfire is a carbon-cased haute horlogerie piece with an inclined flying tourbillon and a bold, sun-scorched aesthetic. Here's our take.

For over two decades, Hublot has embraced the ‘Art of Fusion’, blending unexpected materials like rubber, gold, ceramic, and sapphire into bold visual statements. The latest Big Bang Original Soft Touch pushes the boundaries even further, inviting us to experience how a watch feels. More than just a coating, Hublot has integrated a microscopic, textured […]

For the first time in the Astron collection, Seiko introduces gray ceramic. The shiny non-alloy appears on the bezel, crown cap, and bracelet center links of two new Seiko Astron GPS Solar Dual Time Chronograph watches. While these models share the ceramic parts, they have differently colored titanium components. The HAB007 is the full-gray version, […] Visit Gray Ceramic Debuts On Two New Seiko Astron GPS Solar Dual Time Chronographs to read the full article.

Vintage watches can seem intimidating when you first start looking. There are unfamiliar references, decades of production changes, questions about originality, and the ever-present possibility of an expensive service bill. But you don’t necessarily need a huge budget to get into vintage watches. In fact, €5,000 opens up a surprisingly broad selection. In this episode of Fratello […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Vintage Watches We’d Buy Under €5,000 to read the full article.

Girard-Perregaux (GP) is on the rebound after a few quiet years, and the Laureato Fifty Tourbillon Micro-Rotor 39 mm is a compelling addition to the premium sports watch arena. Featuring an all-new automatic tourbillon calibre and expensively crafted dials — with optional grand feu enamel — the Laureato Fifty Tourbillon embodies the strides GP has taken to reposition itself in the industrial-haute horlogerie segment. Initial thoughts I tend to feel somewhat jaded about tourbillons squeezed into sports watches, but I was pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful execution of the Laureato Fifty Tourbillon, from its grand feu flinqué enamel dial to the (surprisingly) solid gold bridges of the all-new cal. GP8410. Moreover, the brand managed to maintain the nearly ideal proportions of the Laureato Fifty while adding a finely finished free-sprung tourbillon to the lower half of the dial. While the 39 mm format is familiar, the cal. GP8410 is one of four new automatic calibres the brand has introduced in roughly the past year, after the workhorse GP4800, the automatic minute repeating cal. GP9530, and the GP9620 with the brand’s emblematic “three gold bridges” architecture. The nearly simultaneous release of these four distinct platforms hints at the investment put into GP since the group’s management buyout in early 2022. Priced at almost exactly US$100,000, both variants of the Laureato Fifty Tourbillon are positioned squarely against watches like the Vacheron Consta...