Latest watch news · Page 5

As we do every year when we come back from Watches & Watches, we asked our team to pick their favorite releases of the show. This article is always telling, because our team has a way of looking beyond the hype and zeroing in on watches with real personal appeal. As always, it’s fun to see the logic behind these picks, whether they represent watches our team members would actually want to own, or were simply novelties they were overwhelmed by in the moment.  Be sure to let us know your favorites from Watches & Wonders week in the comments below, we’d love to hear about them.  Zach Weiss – Grand Seiko SBGZ011 “Mystic Waterfall” So many watches, so many wonders, how does one even begin to choose a favorite? Well, for me, the test is after a few days of being away from the show, what I am still thinking about. And this year, while there are a few, the one that impressed me not just as a watch, but as a piece of art was the Grand Seiko SBGZ011 “Mystic Waterfall.” Every few years, Grand Seiko drops one of their breathtaking hand carved watches, but none have been quite like this, at least for me. You see, the SBGZ011 has two firsts: it’s based on the 45GS case, my personal favorite, and it’s the first time the dial has been hand-engraved, too. Inspired by the Tateshina Waterfall, the SBGZ011 has been meticulously hand-carved on all surfaces of its 950 platinum case with an undulating, organic motif of marks that, at once, appear like flowers or little explos...

If there's a watch that seemingly stole the hearts of many collectors this year at Watches and Wonders, it's definitely Chopard's new blue-dialed L.U.C 1860 dress watch. The funniest part is that the new model is really only a dial color change. That's it. And yet, among a sea of new designs and complications, Chopard managed to pull off something much larger than its description on paper, and ended up being one of my personal favorite releases from the show. If you're familiar with the previous, now-discontinued salmon dial version of the L.U.C 1860 released back in 2023, well, chances are you already know much about this watch. But its identical specs are very much a good thing, as I think Chopard has really hit a home run with the 1860 as a proper, compact, and thin (8.2mm) dress watch amongst its larger L.U.C. movement-powered siblings.  The 36.5mm case in Chopard's Lucent Steel alloy is very safe in its design, with smooth, curved lines and a fully-polished, rounded bezel and top lugs. While there aren't any little extra design touches that add any additional flair, the sides are vertically brushed to create a bit of contrast. Is the case boring as a result? Certainly not in my eye, as its subdued character works well in the 36.5mm format and, most importantly, it serves as a very nice frame for a spectacular dial. That dial, produced by Chopard's in-house dialmaker Metalem, is an absolute home run. And it surprises me to say this, given that I typically don't care a...

Some watches impress instantly, while others reveal themselves slowly. The Tsunami by Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka looks disarmingly simple, especially at first glance: a compact, time-only watch with classical proportions, a sort of high-end Japanese Calatrava, as sleek and discreet as it can be. Spend time with it, and it opens up, becoming a […]

What We Know It's spring, which means it's time for Naoya Hida's annual trunk show, where the brand tours the world to showcase its new watches. If you're in town for one of their few stops (like next week in New York), you can treat it like any tailor's trunk show and find out if the watch is a good fit. And every year, Hida-san and his team unveil a few new styles. In fact, you can see the ten releases on offer below. Some are familiar; others have small tweaks (the Type1 is now the Type1E because of the new domed crystal that makes it 10.9mm). But there are three watches that are so distinctly new that it's worth talking about. Let's go in numerical order, starting with a watch that is essentially just a dial revision, but it's a dramatic one at that. The Type2 series has been around for six years now as the brand's central seconds movement, followed by revisions in 2021 and then the coveted collaboration with The Armoury in 2022, called "The Lettercutter." I know a lot of people fought to get that piece, but there's a new Type2C-2 that's going to get some attention. While a big draw for Naoya Hida is the hand-engraved German or Argentium silver dials (in fact, that's where a lot of the price goes), they've pivoted here to their first-ever porcelain dial. The watch, powered by a Cal. 3020CS manually-wound movement with 45-hour power reserve and 4Hz beat rate, is cased in 37mm by 11.4mm stainless steel with a 44.8mm lug-to-lug. The glass is a curved sapphire crystal with...

Welcome to the first installment of a new monthly column called Spotted. Here, I’ll break down the latest themes I’m seeing in the horological landscape. While trends are inherently fleeting, the observations we’ll look at in this series may stay or go away – only time will tell if these are fads or in fact historical markers of this era of watchmaking. In addition to spying and identifying the overarching patterns taking shape in watch design, I’ll help us bring them down to earth in our own collections and on our wrists.  For our inaugural edition of Spotted, it feels important to distill some key observations from Watches and Wonders. Here, we have one of the largest sample sizes of new releases all hitting the market at once, and there are a few themes that struck me across the whopping 66 brands who participated in this year’s event. The first concept I want to look at isn’t super straightforward to articulate, so stick with me here – I’m going to start by succinctly naming it “complex superlatives.” Complexity in watchmaking can take many forms from actual horological complications that allow watches to perform functions beyond basic timekeeping to more subtle complexities like intricate finishings, record breaking feats, or material innovations. The examples that stuck out of this somewhat amorphous idea come from Jaeger-LeCoultre and its Gyrotourbillon Stratosphere Triple-Axis Tourbillon in contrast with Ulysse Nardin’s new Super Freak. Jae...

The Farer Pilot Series II rounds out the brand's tool watch catalog with four titanium references, three dial layouts, and a limited Eastern Arabic edition.

Continuing with a practice that began last year, Tudor has announced a limited edition as this year’s Formula 1 season kicks off. As with last year’s edition, the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” is modelled on the livery of the racing car of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB). It’s otherwise identical to last year’s model, which means it is lightweight, well priced, and equipped with the high-spec MT5813 movement. Initial thoughts The Carbon 26 is essentially last year’s watch with a new dial, but I like the new yellow and white livery than last year’s white and blue. The colours are subjective, but the value proposition of the watch remains objectively excellent (though the price has risen largely due to the strength of the Swiss franc). The Carbon 26 is still competitively priced next to its rivals. As an aside, I hope Tudor will eventually incorporate more design elements from its historical motor racing chronographs, like the Monte Carlo, into its modern-day F1 editions like the Carbon 26. The Carbon 26 is clearly a Black Bay – the “snowflake” hands are a giveaway – but the Black Bay is a dive watch rather than one for the road. Carbon inside and out The Carbon 26 gets its name from the carbon fibre composite case and bezel, which have a patterned surface typical of the material. The type of composite employed here is more subtle appearance-wise compared to other composites used in watchmaking, so at a distance the case appears a flat black. Thoug...

The watches that prove commercial and collector successes emerging from Watches and Wonders 2026 will have climbed a wall of worry. There was plenty to fret over heading into the watch industry's largest and most important annual salon this year. The eruption of war in the Middle East challenged travel plans and clouded the outlook for visitors from the region and beyond. Indeed, sales have certainly been impacted in the Middle East, and the question remains how quickly stability might return.The existing bugbears of the watch sector – rising input costs from raw materials, including record gold values, ongoing U.S. tariffs, not to mention the continued strength of the Swiss franc, as well as years of retail price increases – remained omnipresent. All told, these factors could have set the stage for a subdued, cautious event. Instead, the industry converged in Geneva, striking an optimistic and inclusive tone where it worked hard to show it's been paying attention to the demands of clients and customers with new watches that drove home a theme of demonstrating value in often, but not always, familiar packages. With public-facing events including Montreaux Jazz concerts in the Geneva city center, Watches and Wonders emphasized its role as a cultural tent pole for the industry and the Swiss watchmaking region, aiming to be more open and welcoming. The new, more public-oriented strategy certainly paid off as attendance jumped to nearly 60,000 unique visitors, a record for...

What We Know Ahead of this weekend's Miami Grand Prix, Tudor has announced the Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 26," a follow-up to last year's Carbon 25. While Tudor's ties to motorsport date back to the late 1960s with the Tudor Watches Racing Team, its current partnership with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team began in 2024, and they have been quick to make the most of it, with two limited editions in two consecutive seasons. The Carbon 25 marked the first limited-edition release from that relationship, with the Carbon 26 continuing the same approach in 2026. At its core, the update centers on a revised color scheme reflecting the livery of the VCARB 03 car. The watch retains a 42mm carbon fiber case with a fixed tachymeter bezel, along with a titanium caseback, crown, and pushers with a black PVD finish. The dial remains "racing white," now with yellow accents and carbon fiber subdials. The carbon fiber case, introduced last year, carries over unchanged. It replaces the steel case used in standard Black Bay Chronographs, while keeping the same 42mm diameter, fixed tachymeter bezel, screw-down crown, chronograph pushers, and overall case profile. Inside is the Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, an automatic chronograph with a column wheel, vertical clutch, silicon balance spring, and a 70-hour power reserve. It is COSC-certified, and it also meets Tudor's more rigorous standards of -2/+4 seconds per day. The Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 26" is priced at $8,625, produced in a...

With Christopher Ward, we spend a lot of time talking about the Loco and Bel Canto, and rightly so. Those are both watches that have radically reshaped how we think about the brand, and set expectations for new releases at an impossibly high level. But realistically, it’s the Sealander that is the defining watch in the Christopher Ward catalog. It’s existed for a long time and is almost a brand unto itself. But the core of the line has been relatively unchanged for several years at this point and was due for a refresh. That comes this week, as the brand has launched what they describe as a “comprehensive re-engineering” of the Sealander GMT and Sealander Automatic that includes both subtle aesthetic updates as well as significant mechanical improvements.  The Sealander GMT adds a 42mm case size to the existing lineup that includes 36mm and 39mm sizes. The case has retained its fluid, classic sports watch lines, but the bezel angle has been shifted to be less angled than previous iterations of the watch.  Dial options include white and sky blue in all three case sizes, with a pistachio option available only in 39mm, and a black dial available in 39mm and the new 42mm size. The dials are polished lacquer and now include longer indices and a GMT hand that has been redesigned to be more proportionate and is also fully lacquered. The “Sealander” wordmark also appears on the dial, at 6:00, for the first time. The Sealander GMT is powered by the Sellita SW330-2 cali...

We review the new Panerai Luminor 31 Giorni PAM01631 month long power reserve watch from Watches & Wonders 26. Live photographs and comprehensive review.

Our search for the most intriguing artisanal, independent watchmakers takes us to the far corners of the world. While the majority is still in or around Switzerland, we regularly take virtual excursions to Japan, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and beyond. Back in 2021, we introduced you to Bradley Taylor, an upcoming, talented watchmaker based in Vancouver, […]

These 7 vintage-inspired field watches deliver old-school military character with modern reliability and everyday wearability.

In 2024, Tudor announced its partnership with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team, which first resulted in the Black Bay Ceramic Blue, and most importantly, the Black Bay Chrono Carbon 25, a powerful chronograph in a lightweight attire inspired by the distinct livery of the 2025 Visa Cash App Racing Bulls car. We […]

Tudor is back with another motorsport-inspired chronograph, with the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” debuting as its latest limited edition tied to the 2026 Formula 1 season. If last year’s “Carbon 25” set the tone, this new version builds on that same idea with a few visual tweaks and the same lightweight construction. Once again, […] Visit Hot-Take: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” to read the full article.

Tudor is back with another motorsport-inspired chronograph, with the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” debuting as its latest limited edition tied to the 2026 Formula 1 season. If last year’s “Carbon 25” set the tone, this new version builds on that same idea with a few visual tweaks and the same lightweight construction. Once again, […] Visit Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” to read the full article.

At this year's Watches & Wonders exhibition, the brand is presenting the Sport Traveller, arguably the most practical watch in its collection.

Audemars Piguet was back in Geneva after a seven-year absence, and it felt like it had never left. A watch salon at which the biggest and most prestigious watch companies strut their stuff just isn’t the same without AP. And that’s why its return to the show felt so natural. But while every other participant […] Visit Inside The Wonderful World Of Audemars Piguet During Watches And Wonders 2026 to read the full article.