Latest watch news · Page 897

Ah yes, the skull watch. While not exactly what I’d call a “staple,” watches featuring skulls have been ever present in modern watch collecting for years. Most notably, we can look to independent watchmaker Fiona Kruger as something of a skull watch specialist, but other brands are in on the skull action as well. From Invicta (of course, Invicta) to Richard Mille, there are skull watches out there for every taste and budget. Indeed, one of my favorite watches from last year features a skull in a nontraditional way. But we can’t talk about skull watches without talking about Bell & Ross, who have released a variety of these watches in their relatively short history. Their latest release, the BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze, is one of the strangest yet.  First, let’s answer the question many are likely asking themselves right now: why? While different brands might have varying rationales for creating skull watches, we can at least identify that the skull itself as a symbol is recognized somewhat universally as dealing with the idea of mortality. A memento mori, a reminder that every living thing dies, is a theme that exists in art going back centuries. This is a natural thematic playing field for a watch, dealing as it does with the passing of time. Also, they just kind of look cool. I’m reminded of a heavily tattooed friend being asked about the symbolism behind the artwork on his body (including, you guessed it, skulls) and his curt response, indicating that he just ...

I’d like to start with a warning: what you’re about to read is going to be frivolous. This is not hard hitting watch journalism. It’s not a deeply felt opinion piece about a matter of great import to the watch world at large. And it’s not an in-depth review of a watch the community has its eye on. No, this little editorial is about something that’s been rattling around in my head for a while, and serves as an admission of sorts: I’m kind of fascinated by how watch brands use celebrity ambassadors.  Somehow, celebrity ambassadors have become the third rail of serious watch conversation. They aren’t taken seriously by hardcore watch enthusiasts, and bringing them up in a circle occupied by hobbyists will often garner an eye-roll. Hey, I get it. The deeper you are into any particular culture, the less impact advertising and the popular version of whatever it is you like has on you. In a previous life as an amateur Music Snob, I’d sneer at the suggestion that I’d enjoy anything that might be played on the radio. I’d begin to write bands off as past their prime when they gained enough traction to graduate from playing clubs to larger theaters. If 5,000 people want to see these guys at the same time, there’s no way they’re niche enough for me.  George Clooney would like to sell you a Speedmaster But over time, I’ve softened. I’ve even seen some of those bands I liked in college that were pretty obscure at the time go on to play arenas. Small arenas,...

In Brilliant Hard Titanium with a gorgeous urushi dial, Grand Seiko pulled out all the stops to commemorate a national milestone.

This past week ADPT held its very first meetup, kindly hosted and in collaboration with TOPO Designs. The meetup was at TOPO’s Base Camp store in Denver, Colorado. A perfect location, Base Camp is a new marketplace in downtown Denver focused on outdoor gear and active lifestyle brands. With brands like Thule, Danner, and TOPO, it’s a pretty sweet spot. The TOPO Base Camp store was then a fantastic setting for a get-together. Colorful, vibrant, and full of awesome gear. The post ADPT x TOPO Designs Meetup Recap (with Watch Spotting!) appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Black quietly makes its debut within the standard IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 collection. This latest iteration of the 2021 model measures in at 41mm in diameter and 51.8mm lug-to-lug. The watch features IWC’s 69835 calibre and the brand’s patented EasX-CHANGE system. The Pilot’s Watch is arguably the brand’s most recognisable line, and among the more … ContinuedThe post A black dial finally makes its way into the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

From an '80s "power watch" to a classic vintage Breitling chronograph with a unique feature, this week's vintage collection has it all.

Honoring innovation in horology, watchmaking students and school watches.

Jaeger-LeCoultre announces The Collectibles, their version of the maison's offering of restored vintage watches direct from the manufacture.

Many times, a horological invention is credited to a household watchmaking name. I bet that most of you won’t have heard of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, however. Among Breguets, Mudges and Danielses, his invention was less technically impressive, yet no less astonishing, which may partly explain his amazingly successful career as a magician. Following in the footsteps … ContinuedThe post Demystifying the mystery dial appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Saxon One Chronograph offers a lot of watch for the price (€4,600). It does so many things so well, but it is most of all, an original proposition. The big question for Martin Green is, strap or bracelet?

Why I Bought It It was different to a SubmarinerI like slightly larger watchesAll the Rolex heritage with a modern look The Ownership Reality It would help if you had a medium-sized wrist to pull it offNot great with a suit and cuffWe need to part with over $4000 more to own vs a Sub with a date! Overall rating: 8.25 /10 Value for money: 7/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Build quality: 9/10 I was never a Rolex lover. There I said it. I thought Rolex was a brand for people that wanted to show off and tell people they had money and didn’t really know about watches. For some people, this is still probably the case, but this all changed for me many years ago once I started delving a lot more into the watch world, brands and their history, as well as their manufacturing techniques. And when I started researching Rolex a little, I started to understand just what made them tick, so to speak (yes, bad pun intended!) Now, I have a lot of respect for The Crown, what they stand for, and the processes and materials they use. The fact that they are one of the very few brands that develop and make their watches fully in-house, end to end, including metallurgists who develop the specific properties and proprietary blends of metals that go into them, including a foundry, I was a convert. These days I see Rolex for what Hans Wilsdorf originally intended – a tool watch that is able to handle whatever you throw at them and is designed for specific industries and occupations. Whilst mos...

With elements of cameras and watchmaking, the Horage Lensman 1 is clearly crafted with a lot of love, and won’t cost you a mortgage.The post The Horage Lensman 1 is inspired by mechanical cameras, but it’s no loose Canon appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The latest special edition of the Chronograph 1 for GP Ice Race 2023.

A dive watch with an historical pedigree nearly as impressive as its modern specs.  

Grand Seiko has unveiled a new limited edition paying tribute to their very first watch, released in 1960. The occasion, of course, is the celebration of Seiko’s 110th anniversary, for which the traditional gift is allegedly something cast in Brilliant Hard Titanium. Ok, that might not actually be true. But the new SBGW295 makes tasteful use of Grand Seiko’s signature lightweight case metal while also incorporating some traditional Japanese craft in a way that Seiko and Grand Seiko have become known for.  Let’s take a look at the big picture first and state the obvious right away: this isn’t exactly new ground for Grand Seiko. They’ve returned to the design of the “First” (an on-the-nose nickname for an initial release if there ever was one) a number of times over the years. They’ve even made a version of the First in titanium, as an anniversary model, just three years ago. You would be forgiven for a rolling of the eyes if you remember that release and think to yourself that perhaps Grand Seiko should be trying something new. The new SBGW295 is, like many new Grand Seikos, an iteration on something that came before with only small changes. That’s a fair critique. But in a vacuum, the SBGW295 has a certain undeniable appeal.  That comes largely from the gorgeous black dial, which has been made using an Urushi lacquer process that incorporates several layers of lacquer for a dial with real depth and a handmade quality. Use of this particular type of lacq...

There was one watch we saw at the LVMH Watch Week still under wraps, and it was also one of our favorites, even though it’s based on an existing model. The perfectly odd Defy Revival welcomes the new A3690 reference, with a brilliant teal dial with vignette effect that darkens towards the perimeter. If you’ve followed the first two releases of this Defy Revival, you won’t be surprised to hear that this is also based on a historic reference from 1969. This is a dial color that saw usage throughout the Defy collection of the era, another example of which you can see in this Affordable Vintage spotlight on the Defy from 2015. Side note, when are we getting the Revival treatment on the A781, A782, and A783? There’s not much left to say about the A3690 from a technical perspective, as it’s identical to the A3691, and A3642 we’ve seen released in recent months. The 37mm octagonal case and 14 sided bezel piece remain as funky as ever, and if you liked it on the other references, you’ll likely find a lot to love with this one. The dial is the biggest departure here and it makes just as big a statement as the case. While the teal dial thing has kind of jumped the shark at this point (hasn’t it?), Zenith gets a pass thanks to the historic reference point, and the fact that the Defy was doing integrated bracelet sport watches since the ‘60s. Plus, this is a great teal dial. It stands up to the bold design of the case and the accordion hour markers demanding equal at...

This is the fourth release of the Hublot Big Bang Zermatt Hublot haven’t used steel in a Hublot Big Bang Zermatt since 2018 The Matterhorn is displayed in the running seconds subdial Between the Hublot-Express cable car, the Hublot-sponsored mountain restaurant of Chez Vrony, and the luscious wooden boutique in the centre of the town, … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The new Hublot Big Bang Zermatt appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

When you were a kid, did you ever attempt that prank where you’d move the clock in the classroom ahead in an effort to trick the teacher into letting you out of class early? I feel like that’s a thing that almost every kid has tried, or at least it feels that way. It’s one of those activities that’s burned into our collective consciousness from sitcoms, comic strips, and stories told in the school cafeteria whether or not you were an active participant. This is what the latest release from Timex immediately made me think of. It’s playful and almost subversive in the way it taps into your inner juvenile delinquent.  The new watch is a collaboration with Pop Trading Co., a Dutch apparel company I was heretofore unfamiliar with that is deeply rooted in skateboarding culture. The watch, dubbed simply the Timex MK1 x Pop Trading Co. takes the familiar 36mm Timex field watch design and shifts the hours such that the “1” is at the 12:00 position, “2” is at 1:00, and so on around the dial. Pop’s unique wordmark, a grouping of the letter “P” in a square with an “O” at the center, is recreated on the dial with the hand stack standing in for the “O.” A black resin case matches the tone of the dial and keeps the focus on the unusual layout.  There’s no other way to say this, but looking at the dial of the Timex x Pop collab is an immediately disorienting and disconcerting experience. It really reminds you, if you look at watches everyday, like we do...

The grande maison hits rewind for a refresher on some of their most coveted wristwatches.

TAG Heuer is certain to rank highly among lists of the most recognisable watch brands. Their commercial success in recent years, especially among our fellow Aussies, is rivalled only by a select few. The story is the same when one considers their rich and storied past, from their founding in 1860, until today. Patenting their … ContinuedThe post TAG Heuer is still in the driving seat when it comes to their racing sponsorship outreach appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

New independent Junge, established in 2019 releases their first watch - the Prestige, with their own movement from their atelier in Dresden.

Twenty twenty-three is the 110th anniversary of the first-ever Seiko wristwatch, an occasion that has resulted in series of limited editions, starting Presage SBP359 and continuing with Prospex SPB333 “White Birch”. Now the anniversary edition goes upscale with Grand Seiko. The brand has debuted a remake of the first Grand Seiko, the ref. 3180 nicknamed “First”, but with a twist. The Grand Seiko Watchmaking 110th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGW295 takes after the vintage original in terms of design, but does so with a titanium case and striking dial finished in black urushi with gold-powder markings. Initial thoughts Grand Seiko has done several reissues of the “First”, most of which look virtually the same. So yet another limited-edition remake of the 3180 would certainly be much less compelling. The SBGW295, however, is notably different, in a good way. At first glance, it’s apparent that the dial of the SBGW295 is special. Urushi has a deep, glossy finish that will contrast perfectly with the markings in sprinkled gold powder, also known as maki-e. Add to that the titanium case and the result is a handsome watch with a high-contrast aesthetic that is atypical of Grand Seiko. But the SBGW295 does cost US$13,800, which is expensive for a time-only watch of this quality and specification, as well as being pricey relative to Grand Seiko’s own offerings. It costs 50% more than the equivalent titanium model of the most recent “First” remake, albeit ...

GaryG looks back over 2021 to share his travels, acquisitions, thoughts, and even some of the more interesting swag he picked up in this delightfully comprehensive overview of a watch nut's year.

Grand Seiko celebrates the 110th anniversary of Japan’s first wristwatch. The SBGW295 is inspired by Grand Seiko’s first watch from 1960 known as the “First”. Its black urushi lacquer dial and maki-e (sparkling picture) 24K powdered gold indices are crafted by master Isshu Tamura. I know it may seem like deja vu, after all, we did … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: Honouring the “First” with maki-e magic – the new Grand Seiko SBGW295 Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Fashion and watch lovers unite. Louis Vuitton just updated its classic coffret for the latest Kusama release.

Ulysse Nardin is a peculiar brand. They have long been at the forefront of horological innovation, from marine chronometers in the 19th century, to creating stuff like DIAMonSIL in the 21st. However, they lack a singular, cohesive aesthetic that’s coalesced in broader culture in the same way watches like the Speedmaster, Submariner, or Royal Oak have. Except for a watch called the Freak, that is. A concept first released upon the world in 2001, the Freak was as impressive technologically as it was shocking to behold. With a movement that pivoted on itself to display the time, it was (and remains) daring, innovative, and downright novel. But, it never quite enjoyed a ‘hip status’ in the same way other exotic watches from the likes of MB&F; or Urwerk have since. This is likely due to a few reasons, but with the release of the Freak X in 2019, Ulysse Nardin is a whole lot closer. The Freak is a watch that has always commanded attention, both technically and visually speaking. The concept placed the gear train atop the mainspring, within a carousel that itself served as the minute hand. There was no dial to speak of, but rather a rotating plate containing the hour hand underpinning the structure. Winding and setting was managed via the deeply scalloped, somewhat steampunk-ish bezel unit. The launch of the Freak also marked the very first appearance of silicon within a watch movement, something the brand has been a pioneer of developing. This is a dramatic watch to behold ...