Latest watch news · Page 5

Before the Big Bang exploded on the watch scene in 2005, Carlo Crocco had already set the wheels of Hublot’s universe in motion. His 1980 watch, with its unorthodox mix of gold and rubber, introduced the Art of Fusion that would later become the brand’s calling card. Returning to the source, the Classic Fusion Tributo […]

The new Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo takes inspiration from Carlo Crocco's original MDM designs that launched the brand.

The Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo returns to Carlo Crocco’s original 1980 design, when Hublot was the name of a watch made by MDM Genève. The Tributo’s 38 mm gold case restores the original 12-screw bezel, while a Zenith-derived automatic replaces quartz beneath an austere black dial. The yellow gold variant sticks close to the original design, while its white gold sibling pairs a black onyx dial with blackened bezel screws for a high-contrast monochromatic look. Initial thoughts While today Hublot is almost synonymous with the Big Bang and other large, sometimes extravagant watches, the brand’s origin as a single model made by MDM Genève is rooted in Italian elegance. The original quartz-powered model from 1980 was the first watch to pair a precious metal case with a rubber strap, a then-unheard-of configuration that was nonetheless perfectly suited to la dolce vita in the Italian sun. The Classic Fusion Tributo honours founder Carlo Crocco’s original design, complete with 12 bezel screws and a low-profile feel on the wrist, while being sized up to contemporary standards and equipped with a competent automatic movement courtesy of sister brand Zenith. The white gold version’s onyx dial, an upgrade relative to both the original and the black lacquer of the 2023 remake, is another difference that taps into the ongoing stone dial trend. But it does so in a low-key way that makes sense for the design and doesn’t feel faddish. Curiously, the yellow gold version s...

Arnold & Son has forged its identity around the legacy of the 18th-century English chronometer maker John Arnold. Its collections are grouped into three categories (astronomy, chronometry and world time), each reflecting a different dimension of his work. One of the brand’s signature complications is the true seconds, also known as a deadbeat seconds mechanism. […]

Since its foundation in 1997, Urwerk has looked at mechanical watchmaking from a very unconventional perspective. Co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have developed an unmistakable style, with satellite hours, wandering displays, and retrograde indications. Their watches frequently take inspiration from astronomy, but the new UR-300 Time Quantum looks not to heavenly bodies but to […]

Urwerk’s latest interpretation of the wandering hours complication ventures beyond classical physics with the UR-300 Time Quantum, which debuts a cleverly constructed jumping display inspired by quantum mechanics. Housed in a sleek new titanium case with a choice of finishes, the UR-300 is almost as cutting-edge on the inside as its futuristic design makes it out to be, with LIGA-formed levers and wheels that catapult the display forwards in the blink of an eye. Initial thoughts According to Urwerk, the design of the UR-300 was inspired by the property of quantum entanglement, which informed the functional design of the new jumping wandering hours module. This explains why when one of the two “atoms” responsible for the hours flips, so does the other. I got a preview of the prototype movement earlier this year and was immediately taken by the new display and the elegance of its mechanism, which takes a familiar look and adds a surprising, jumping twist. The final design of the space ship-like case suits the concept, making it immediately recognisable as an Urwerk. Ultimately, the unique selling proposition of this watch is aesthetic, but it’s an aesthetic that only works thanks to clever engineering. That said, the roughly US$200,000 asking price is steep by the standards of high-end wandering hours complications, whether from Urwerk or larger brands like Audemars Piguet that, admittedly, have vastly different economies of scale. But no brand does futurism quite li...

What We Know If you know Urwerk, you know that they've always been looking toward the stars, making instantly recognizable watches with the brand's iconic satellite display that rotates around the dial, with the hour pointing to the minute track as the whole display turns and snaps to reveal each passing hour. They've played with a variety of approaches to this concept, widening the minute track and speeding up the snap as well, but today's release of the UR-300 "Time Quantum" introduces a new mechanic that the brand says is inspired by things at the atomic level. Not to be confused with Urwerk's other atomic-inspired watch (one of my top 10 favorite all-time modern watches, the AMC special), this watch draws from the concept of polarized entities—neutrons and electrons—swirling around. Instead of the rotating single carousel in the past, the new display features a "T-frame" structure. The current hour displays as usual; the flat portion of a triangular hour module is made of beryllium copper, brass, anodized aluminum, ARCAP AP1D, and titanium, and points to the current minute as it travels on a 108º arc. The other hours are rotated 120º on their axis to hide them for legibility. Once it approaches the 60th minute (and transitions to 0), three things happen. Power built up during the rotation forces the T-Frame into rotation in a split second. The frame jumps forward and rotates 72º to put the next hour display into position, also rotating the hour module to be visi...

Urwerk releases a new collection with a fresh new case and movement and an interesting story accompanying the UR-300 Time Quantum.

Hermès introduced the H08 collection in 2021 as a different take on the sporty-chic watch, first launched as a time-and-date series, then updated with a monopusher chronograph and, more recently, a skeleton model. The H08 stands out for its rounded square case, original Arabic numerals on the dial, and a mix of surfaces and materials […]

IWC Schaffhausen has marked the Chinese New Year with some interesting special editions in recent years, most of them featuring burgundy dials, from the burgundy-and-gold Portugieser for the Year of the Rabbit to the dragon-themed edition that followed and the latest Year of the Horse watch. Up next for the occasion is yet another themed […]

The Year of the Goat starts on February 6th, 2027, but IWC is getting a head start on the festivities. Today, the brand from Schaffhausen announces the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 ref. IW388310, a 500-piece limited edition for those who want to celebrate this Chinese zodiac sign with an iconic chrono. The IWC Pilot’s […] Visit Meet The IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year Of The Goat to read the full article.

Fortis takes its revamped dive chronograph and dials up the lume, hard. The Novonaut N-42 Halo is exactly what the name suggests. The Fortis Novonaut N-42 Halo is a fully luminous take on the brand's space chronograph, with updated dial treatment and movement refinements.

This is not the first time you’ve read about cônillons. Do you still remember what a cônillon is? Let me jog your memory. It is a tilted tourbillon regulator with a tilted balance that follows a conical path rather than a conventional flat plane. It’s not a new concept. The American watchmaker Andrew Holden Potter […] Visit Hands-On With Two Cônillons: Trying Out The ArtyA Complexity Métiers d’Art to read the full article.

Spirit Halloween stores are popping up around the city, pumpkin beer has hit the shelves, and 80-plus-degree highs in Brooklyn are in the rearview mirror (please remain true). I’ve returned my most worn summer watch to the display box and this one included quite a few “firsts”. I received my Jan Mayen Stormy Seas, a collaboration between the Norwegian brand and The Real Time Show (a podcast I’ll admit I’m still ignorant of) in late May after a production issue with the rubber straps delayed the promised delivery date by about three months. I grew up on the west coast sailing with my parents (who until very recently lived fulltime on their 43ft Hans Christian Ketch named “Galatea”) so perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to a watch called “Stormy Seas”, but regardless I found the contents of the precision machined capsule absolutely stunning. This was the first watch I’ve ever pre-ordered. While it’s not my favorite business practice, I knew the risks involved and was quite happy when they included a second strap gratis for the inconvenience. It remained on my wrist almost exclusively for the next three months. As well as my first pre-order and first Straum, it is also the first watch I’ve owned on a rubber strap, my first titanium case, and first integrated bracelet (more on that later). Straum has been on my radar since a Limited Edition Jan Mayen they released with Fratello back in the Spring of 2023. I loved the textural details in that fiery red dia...

What We Know There's a new miniature watch in town, and it's the Jaeger-LeCoultre 101 Chain. Inspired by a 1955 Duoplan model nicknamed the "Chain" for its "braided" gold-link bracelet, the new high-jewelry watch reinterprets that design with a sculptural 18K pink-gold bangle. It features diagonal bands that alternate between black HyCeram (a high-gloss ceramic material) and rows of brilliant-cut diamonds, offering a contemporary take on the original's sinuous chain motif. The bangle is cast in a mold made specifically for each watch, with 36 cavities filled by hand with liquid HyCeram. A master gem-setter then drills and sets the alternating diagonal bands with brilliant-cut diamonds. The finished bangle frames a diminutive watch with a black lacquered dial, which has a "JL" monogram above the hour and minute hands, all surrounded by a diamond bezel—bringing its overall diamond weight to an approximate 2.73 carats. But despite all the jewelry surrounding it, the real star is the Calibre 101, the world's smallest manually wound mechanical movement. The story dates back to the Duoplan, which was invented and patented in 1925, before JLC introduced the Calibre 101 in 1929 using the same two-level architecture (hence the name "Duoplan"). At just 14mm long, 4.8mm wide, and 3.4mm thick, the movement weighs barely a gram, and remarkably, its dimensions and architecture remain unchanged nearly a century later. Today, each movement takes around 40 hours to assemble by hand, maki...

Every year in early October, the car world descends on Newport, Rhode Island, for a weekend of revelry at the Audrain Newport Concours d'Elegance. We've covered the event in years past: Malaika had a dispatch in 2023, James strolling the lawn in 2024, and last year, TanTan took a ride with A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid. This year, it was my turn, and I was thrilled—it was my first time at Audrain and my first time in Newport, and over four days, set against the town's dramatic, historic backdrop, I was immersed in the smell of gasoline and the sound of pre-war cars shifting from first to second, trying not to stall. The weekend kicked off on Thursday at the Faxon Lodge, and set the tone for the rest of the week.  Now in its fourth year as a sponsor of the Concours, A. Lange & Söhne, the partnership feels like a natural one. While the cars got top billing, I kept glancing at wrists. Plenty of Langes were on display, naturally, including Jay Leno's Datograph Perpetual Calendar and Tony de Haas's limited-edition Triple Split. There was even a surprise appearance from former President Joe Biden, whose Goodwood Green 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Corvette was on display (sadly, I couldn't get a wrist shot). Scroll through for photos from the weekend, and stay tuned in the coming weeks for an itinerary to help you plan your own trip to Audrain next year, something I highly recommend. A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Moonphase. Maserati Khamsin. A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilh...

For more than four decades, Miyota has been quietly powering watches from brands around the world. As the watch industry evolves, however, the movement manufacturer is increasingly stepping into the spotlight – highlighting not only its technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities, but also the role movements play in the identity, reliability and long-term value of […]