Latest watch news · Page 487

Those who know me personally, and perhaps those of you who regularly tune into the podcast and read my little ramblings here on the blog, know that over the course of the last year I’ve become somewhat disillusioned with large luxury brands and what I perceive as a general stodginess among the big luxury groups. I’m finding that there’s just a lot more innovation and original thought – at every price point – in the independent sphere. Not only that (because it’s really not surprising), but indies are truly having a moment. They aren’t just more interesting and “better” in most metrics than big group brands, they are peaking, and perhaps in the midst of a new golden age of boundary pushing watchmaking. But, of course, there are exceptions. There are still mass market brands that get me excited by taking risks and doing things that are inherently not mass market, and Hublot has long been Exhibit A. This is a brand that was unfairly maligned for a long time by the enthusiast community, but as the pendulum has swung from straightforward sports watches to more creative and inspired designs, many have come to appreciate the pure originality at Hublot. If I didn’t know better, it would be easy to assume they were an indie themselves.  Something that Hublot does better than just about any other brand, indie or otherwise, is position their watches as works of art. There’s probably a real debate to be had about whether watches, particularly modern watches prod...

Following a drastic change of strategy in recent years, Louis Vuitton‘s watchmaking division is being primed to become a serious player. As part of the new strategy, Arnault has taken the flagship Tambour watch, launched in 2002, and revisited it as a luxury sports watch, while the Louis Vuitton Escale was reintroduced as a time-only […]

Urwerk continues to push the aesthetic envelope with a new version if the 230 series, now using brilliant white: the ur-230 Polaris,

It has become a pretty recurring thing for Omega to release new models, or at least new editions of existing watches, with very little or no fanfare. While this has happened in the Planet Ocean and Speedmaster collections, it’s mostly the Aqua Terra family that sees these discreet releases dropping regularly. Following the addition of […]

Earlier this year, I wrote about a special watch from the International Watch Company Schaffhausen. That was the IWC reference IW3281-02, also known as the Pilot’s Watch Automatic RAAF (henceforth called “IWC RAAF watch” for brevity). This special timepiece pays homage to the original IWC Mark 11 watches issued to the Royal Australian Air Force […] Visit The IWC RAAF Watch Is A Reminder Of The Brand’s Rich Past to read the full article.

This is the story of GaryG's pursuit, and eventual capture, of a classic vintage watch: a Type 20 “big eye” flyback chronograph manufactured by Mathey-Tissot.

Whether you're a ring or no-ring kind of person, getting hitched is as good of an excuse as you could get to gift or be gifted a new watch.The post 6 of the best engagement watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Recently, we’ve introduced a rather promising all-rounder watch coming from the North, the Windseeker made by a young Swedish micro-brand named Tusenö Watches. On paper, everything seemed good: nice design, an extensive list of specs, a pleasant blend of casualness and refinement, a Swiss movement and a truly attractive price. But that was on paper. […]

Yes, you read that correctly. I think the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M, with its steel dial, titanium bezel, and mesh bracelet, is wrong. Allow me to explain myself. Historically, combining the 1990s case design with a mesh bracelet that originated a couple of decades before that doesn’t make sense. As a dive watch, it […] Visit Hands-On: The New Omega Seamaster Diver 300M With A Steel Dial And Titanium Bezel to read the full article.

Hi there, and welcome to Fratello Talks. Would you rather buy a watch from a microbrand or an entry-level legacy brand? That’s the question Nacho, Thomas, and Lex ask themselves today. As we’ve begun to see microbrands develop and offer better quality and undeniable value while entry-level big-name brands stand relatively still, this has certainly become […] Visit Fratello Talks: Microbrands Vs. Entry-Level Legacy Brands to read the full article.

It seems Omega just can't stop surprising us with new watches this holiday season, treating us with a tasty turquoise fumé Aqua Terra.The post Omega drop another surprise holiday release: a Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M in turquoise appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Submersible Elux LAB-ID PAM01800 is Panerai’s fourth LAB-ID “concept” watch, but probably the most interesting watch in its current catalogue from a technical standpoint. It’s a big, complex watch – inside the 49 mm ceramised titanium case is a movement with six mainsprings. More accurately, it has a conventional movement with twin barrels, plus an illumination module with four of its own mainsprings that generate enough to light up the dial, hands, and bezel for a lengthy 30 minutes. Initial thoughts For the most part I prefer traditionally-styled Panerai watches, either the vintage remakes or the 1990s-type 44 mm models (though I admit the brand’s recent calendar complications are done well). The Submersible Elux hardly resembles a vintage Panerai, but is one of the rare modern creations that is appealing, both in terms of concept and execution, but not so much price-wise. The Submersible Elux is both ridiculous and cool. It’s enormous at 49 mm and also costs just under US$100,000. But it’s arguably the greatest evolution of the historical Panerai speciality of glow-in-the-dark dive watches. And the price is explained in part by the small scale of production in Switzerland. Granted, at this price the PAM01800 isn’t a practical diving instrument, but the technology inside is interesting and notably sophisticated compared to past attempts at light-up watches, all of which suffered from impractically short illumination or power reserve. In time, the te...

Christopher Ward is one of those brands that’s been doing it their very own way from the beginning. Between its direct-to-consumer business model to its recent expansion into approachable haute horology, the Christopher Ward team has been willing to experiment with new technologies and marketing strategies, pushing the industry forward-whether they like it or not. We recently had the chance to sit down with a familiar face, Michael Pearson is Christopher Ward’s Brand Director for the North America region. We chatted about the brand, the watches, and most importantly we discussed the opening of the company’s first showroom outside of England, located near Dallas, TX. We were also honored to be the team chosen to officially photograph the space for the public. Please enjoy both our conversation and these first-glimpse photos of Christopher Ward’s ambitious expansion. The post Christopher Ward’s Dallas Showroom: Experience a Piece of England, Deep in the Heart of Texas appeared first on Worn & Wound.

The Talking Watches alum interviews Ben to kick of UBS House of Craft in NYC.

An enlightening chat with the CEO of the Americas for Audemars Piguet.

If you’re reading this article and MONOCHROME on a regular basis, you should certainly all about the tourbillon, this device where the regulating organ is placed in a constantly rotating cage, counteracting the negative effect of gravity. But we have to keep in mind that the tourbillon, conceived and patented by Breguet in 1801, was […]

There are niche watches, and then there are niche watches. A dive watch on its own, if you think about, is a very specific kind of thing, and in spite of their incredible popularity, we shouldn’t forget that they’re built for a highly specific purpose that almost nobody wearing one will ever participate in. A vintage inspired dive watch with an alarm that can be heard underwater is even more specific, and a dive watch with an alarm that can be heard underwater and has been designed to imagine what an example of this watch might have looked like if it existed ten years before the actual watch it’s inspired by – well, that’s about as far down the rabbit hole as most will care to go. But that’s what Massena LAB and Vulcain have cooked up for their new collaboration, and it’s one of the strangest and most charming watches of the year.  The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena LAB can perhaps be most easily understood as a new spin on the Vulcain Nautical Cricket, which was revived last year. The watch we covered last summer was Vulcain’s attempt at bringing back a truly strange diver that takes a genuinely different approach to the very idea of “timing” a dive. The Nautical effectively brings the no-decompression table to the dial itself, and through the setting of the alarm and matching it with the dive’s depth, the diver can calculate the length of their decompression stops as they make their way to the surface. Again, truly niche, and an early example of t...

In this video, we take a look at some of the best field watches on the market priced under $1,000. We look at 21 different watches in both a modern and traditional format from brands like Timex, Seiko, Citizen, and Formex, just to name a few. While the definition of field watch can be a little bit murky, we tried to pick a bit of a variety of watches to fit any personal preference while staying true to the core values of legibility, durability, and a sense of simplicity. Deep rooted in military tradition, the field watch tends to fit a certain bill though I am sure a few on this list will surprise you. We will be creating more content like this in the future, so be sure to follow along on our Windup Watch Shop YouTube channel for more! The post 21 Of The Best Field Watches For Under $1,000 appeared first on Worn & Wound.

A few new additions put a fresh spin on the classic Cricket Nautical.

For its latest collaboration watch, NYC-based design studio Massena LAB is teaming up with venerable, alarm-specialist watchmaker Vulcain, bringing its own take on an emblematic model, the Cricket Nautical. This watch, which relied on the brand’s signature chiming complication, was one of the first of its kind, merging diving credentials with the alarm feature that […]

The hulking, vintage-style Vulcain Nautical diver and its alarm function have been given a Massena Lab-flavoured makeover.The post The Vulcain Nautical Legacy Massena Lab presents an alternate history of Cricket diving appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

If you compare horology and science, Urwerk must be fundamental science. The house does not ask what people need. Instead, it asks what is possible on the fringes. The Urwerk UR-230 is a prime example. Its dual-turbine system allows the user to regulate the watch’s winding. Does anyone need that? No. But who cares? It […] Visit Introducing A Tougher Shade Of White: The Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique to read the full article.

Czapek CEO takes us on a tour of two suppliers: enamel dials at Donzé Cadrans and titanium case/bracelets at Ab Products & Ab Concepts.

Typically, Urwerk leans heavily on darker tones for its case designs, with few exceptions, such as the EMC Time Hunter in its Stormtrooper-like white ceramic. However, the new Urwerk UR-230 Polaris marks another bold and refreshing departure. With a case crafted from a ceramic-based white composite, this release feels surprising and perfectly natural, expanding the […]

Urwerk is best known for its all-black, sci-fi watches, so the UR-230 Polaris departs from the norm. Cased in white ceramic composite, the UR-230 Polaris incorporates several advancement in terms of materials: the white case is milled from a proprietary fibreglass-reinforced ceramic that is more resistant to impact than conventional ceramic. Notably, the material was developed in-house according to Urwerk. Initial thoughts Although Urwerk has introduced many iterations of the UR-210/220/230, the Polaris is arguably the most interesting to date because of the material. It retains the familiar design of the series, but represents an achievement for Urwerk with the proprietary ceramic-fibreglass composite. The fact that Urwerk is going beyond complications and case design is laudable. The composite addresses one of the weakness of pure ceramic, which is vaunted for its durability and immunity to scratches – that very hardness makes it fragile. Dropped onto a hard surface, for instance, ceramic may crack or break. Moreover, such damage is impossible to repair, making case replacement necessary (and inevitably expensive). The UR-230 Polaris is more expensive than the other models in the series that sport conventions case materials. The higher price is arguably justified considering the new material, although if this new material makes its way into more affordable Urwerk models, then the material would lose some of its novelty. Satellite complication Fibreglass-reinforced cera...