Two Broke Watch Snobs
Orient’s Affordable Dress Watch Finally Fixes My Biggest Complaint
The new affordable Orient Bambino features a smaller 36mm case and a cleaner, date-free dial. But one detail still gives me pause.
44,645 articles · 262 videos found · page 1046 of 1497
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The new affordable Orient Bambino features a smaller 36mm case and a cleaner, date-free dial. But one detail still gives me pause.
SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin has refreshed the Fiftysix Self-Winding and Fiftysix Complete Calendar with grey gradient dials and contrasting brushed and polished case finishes. The changes give the brand’s most accessible collection a stronger mid-century character, refreshing its distinctive case without altering the familiar movements inside. Initial thoughts There’s growing attention being paid to the K-shaped economy in the watch industry, as the spending power of wealthy collectors diverges from that of more price-conscious buyers. That hasn’t stopped Vacheron Constantin — a brand that has benefited from these market dynamics — from renewing its commitment to its more accessible offerings eight years after the debut of the Fiftysix. The appeal of these watches, however, begins with the design. For collectors who appreciate an interesting case, the Fiftysix offers considerably more than its apparently simple round form suggests, and the barrel-shaped silhouette and revised surface finishes are immediately appealing. Admirably, Vacheron Constantin has kept a lid on pricing, and the Fiftysix Self-Winding now costs US$14,300, compared with US$11,700 at launch. That’s a relatively restrained increase over eight years, and in fact represents a slight decrease in dollar terms after adjusting for inflation. Part of that accessibility comes from the economical cal. 1326, which is derived from the Cartier 1904 MC and does not carry the Geneva Seal. The choice of calibre has ...
SJX Watches
The Albishorn Voisin Aérosport brings the brand’s imagined histories into a simpler format, pairing a layered sector dial with a slim case and hand-wound movement in a design inspired by the era of French automotive designer Gabriel Voisin. The brand’s first time-only watch retains the unusual crown position and asymmetric display of its chronographs, establishing a recognisable identity beyond the complications that defined its launch. Initial thoughts There are number of good reasons why so many watchmakers return to the Art Deco era, and specifically the sector dial format, for inspiration. For one thing, the inherent purposefulness in the instrument-like design has allowed it to transcend trends and fads. For another, it was also one of the styles en vogue during the early wristwatch era, so the design has become embedded in the cultural heritage of watchmaking. These attributes make it attractive subject matter for a brand like Albishorn that interprets historical motifs through a contemporary lens. The Voisin Aérosport is Albishorn’s first time-only model after a string of vintage-inspired monopusher chronographs, each taking after a specific historical inspiration, from the Swiss expeditions to Everest in 1952 to the regattas of Lac Léman. The watch derives much of its personality from its bi-level seconds scale, legible thanks to the two ends of the asymmetrical seconds hand that count off the first and second halves of each minute in sequence. The format...
WristBuzz
MB&F; hands the LM101 to independent enamellist Gabriel Colliard, and the result is one of the most visually striking dials the brand has ever put under sapphire crystal
Monochrome
Imagine an enameller offered the chance to display his work on a watch dial, only to find the canvas already bears a 3D landscape of its own. For independent artist and enameller Gabriel Colliard, the LM101’s suspended balance wheel, sculptural bridges and off-centred displays posed an unusual compositional challenge. However, in an exceptional demonstration of […]
SJX Watches
MB&F; has introduced the LM101 Gabriel Colliard, featuring cloisonné enamel dials by the independent enamellist. Offered in three jungle-themed designs limited to eight pieces each, the new editions bring vivid colour to the familiar LM101 while extending the collection’s role as a platform for individual artists. Initial thoughts MB&F;’s decision to commission Gabriel Colliard has echoes of Philippe Stern’s support for enamel artists like Suzanne Rohr when commercial demand for enamel art was weak. Demand is no longer weak, but a collaboration with MB&F; would be a big break for almost any artist. A painter by training, Mr Colliard studied fine arts in Argentina before moving to Switzerland, eventually training in enamelling in Limoges, and working for Patek Philippe before establishing his independent atelier. Gabriel Colliard. Image — MB&F; As for MB&F;, the Legacy Machine collection is emerging as something of a platform for artists, notably engraver Eddy Jaquet, who decorated editions of the LM Split Escapement in 2020 and 2024. The tropical scenes created by Mr Colliard are original, as were Mr Jaquet’s engravings, but the jungle motifs belong to the tradition of mid-century cloisonné dials supplied by the likes of Stern Frères to brands including Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Omega. Though apparently arbitrary subject matter for a watch dial, tropical locales rank among nature’s most colourful landscapes, making them well suited to demonstrating the chromatic...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Find out how the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M and Timex Deepwater Meridian 200 compare in movement performance, build quality, bezel action, and everyday value.
Fratello
When a watchmaker invests the time, capital, and artistry into building a tourbillon, the temptation to proudly display it on the dial is almost insurmountable. Yet, some brands resist the urge, and it pays dividends, proving that restraint is the ultimate luxury. Laurent Ferrier is a name that caters unequivocally to the discerning purist. With […] Visit Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Iceberg: Cool And Concealed to read the full article.
Monochrome
Vacheron Constantin launched the Fiftysix collection in 2018 as a casual, everyday luxury watch and promoted it as the brand’s most accessible, entry-level line for a new generation of collectors. Drawing on a model produced in 1956, the Fiftysix’s retro mid-20th-century appeal includes straightforward time-and-date references, day-date and complete calendar models, and even a high-end […]
Fratello
Vacheron Constantin introduces two new stainless steel additions to its Fiftysix collection. The 40mm offerings include a Self-Winding model with a date display and a Complete Calendar featuring day, month, moonphase, and pointer-date indications. First launched in 2018, the Fiftysix collection draws inspiration from mid-century watchmaking. Specifically, Vacheron Constantin cites the 1956 reference 6073 as its […] Visit Introducing: Two New Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix Watches With Tuxedo Dials to read the full article.
Hodinkee
What We Know It's a dial refresh, but it's a welcome one for the Vacheron Constantin Fiftysix, which gets a bit of new life with a new grey two-tone dial for the stainless steel case. For the self-winding version, this is now another option for the most affordable watch Vacheron makes, which previously had a blue dial and a monochrome grey. But alongside that new self-winding, there's now a new complete calendar model to complement it. Both watches have a 40mm steel case, with 9.6mm thickness for the self-winding version and 11.6mm for the complete calendar. On the former, there's a gradient opaline center, a gradient darker grey sunburst exterior, and a snailed peripheral minute track. On the complete calendar, this display is reversed, plus a darker, nearly black, external date track for the pointer date. The moon phase has gone monochrome as well. Both watches have applied white gold numerals and indices, which (like the hands) are filled with Super-LumiNova. The watches have display casebacks and a 30m water resistance. The Fiftysix Self-Winding uses the caliber 1326, produced by Richemont's Manufacture Horlogère Valfleurier and finished, assembled, and regulated by Vacheron Constantin. That movement has 48 hours of power reserve. The complete calendar movement, with automatic winding as well, is the 2460 QCL/1. It's actually a higher-grade movement, so it has a Geneva Seal mark for quality, but it only has 40 hours of power reserve. Both run at 4Hz. The pricing stays...
Time+Tide
Seiko celebrates its 145th anniversary in Sydney with collectors, exclusive timepieces, and exciting news from the world of Prospex.
SJX Watches
The ambitious new Orient Star Skeleton 75th Anniversary Flagship Model RE-BR0001N represents two major milestones for the brand — 75 years as a manufacture and 35 years of making skeletonised watches. A limited edition of 130 pieces, the Orient Star Skeleton introduces the new F9 movement family, which combines the best of the brand’s finishing and technology, including a prominent blue silicon escape wheel and gleaming diamond-milled chamfers, in a zaratsu-polished stainless steel case. Initial thoughts Orient Star cites no fewer than three inspirations for the design of the open-worked dial plate: Zen garden ripples, the use of negative space (“ma”/間 in Japanese) and the orbits of planets — the latter fitting into Orient Star’s overall astral theme. Regardless, the overlapping circular design is appealing and creates ample surface area for decoration. The Orient Star Skeleton is an inherently movement-forward watch, with its cal. F9B82 displayed proudly beneath its chamfered dial plate. But there’s more to the Skeleton than its open-worked dial. In particular, the gleaming case is as sharp and shiny as you’d expect of a Japanese luxury watch, addressing a relative weakness of past models and helping justify entry into a new price segment. While the interlocking ring motif brings order to the dial, the balance wheel is arguably overemphasised, breaking the symmetry. This pattern interruption feels abrupt in part because it reveals the less attractive und...
Worn & Wound
My first exposure to Awake came in 2024 at Geneva Watch Days. It was one of those moments when I had the privilege of simultaneously meeting the founder, Lilian Thibault, and discovering the watches all at once – getting to learn about the designs directly from the person who developed them. This was around the time the brand was really catching its stride after being more experimental with its collections through its first few years of business. This was when Awake really began tapping into what has now become its signature design language, which is largely centered around artistic craft techniques – if you’ve been reading my stories for a while now, you know this immediately pulled at my heartstrings. The technique Awake has chosen to focus on comes from Thibault’s travels to Vietnam, and it’s called Son Mai. As a refresher, this lacquer method is one of the oldest traditional arts in Vietnam, dating back several millennia. Here, Vietnamese artisans often integrate other materials into the lacquer to add texture and relief. Awake has been perpetuating these ancient traditions, using the dial as a canvas. The Son Mai – Silver Leaf collection made its debut at Geneva Watch Days back in 2024, and now, we see its next evolution. For Awake’s latest launch, each dial is handcrafted using a combination of the traditional Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer along with silver leaf gilding to give that added interest that incorporating other materials provides. Here, you have...
SJX Watches
The Ming 51.01 Halo takes the brand’s experimental approach to materials in a dressier direction, pairing a pink gold-coated crystallised titanium case with a slim, hand-wound La Joux-Perret calibre. Compact proportions and a restrained black-and-gold palette bring the unusual case texture into focus, while 5N lacquer-filled indices, still etched into the underside of the crystal, replace Ming’s customary lume without sacrificing its recognisable identity. Initial thoughts As a collector, I tend to be wary of gold plating and coatings from a durability standpoint, but in the case of the Halo that personal preference confronts my affection for crystallised titanium, which I wrote about last year. This treatment process subjects grade 5 titanium to intense heat in a vacuum chamber, reaching 1,200°C. That heating and the controlled cooling that follows have the effect of ‘crystallising’ the metal. Finally, acid etching brings out the texture, much as it reveals Widmanstätten patterns in wafers of meteorite. Rather than creating crystals, the treatment enlarges and exposes naturally occurring crystals already present in the metal. The result is a marbled matte finish that looks more like forged carbon than a metal alloy. Appealingly, Ming’s distinctive tuck buckle is rendered in the same material, right down to the 5N coating. Ultimately, the brightness of the gold PVD coating enhances the look of the crystallised titanium case and, to my eye, makes the pattern mor...
Hodinkee
What We Know What We Think The Basics Brand: Model: Reference Number: Diameter: Thickness: Case Material:Dial Color:Indexes: Lume:Water Resistance:Strap/Bracelet: The Movement Caliber: Functions: Diameter: Thickness: Power Reserve: Winding:Frequency: Jewels:Chronometer Certified:Additional Details: Pricing & Availability Price: Availability: Limited Edition: What We Know What We Think The Basics Brand: Model: Reference Number: Diameter: Thickness: Case Material:Dial Color:Indexes: Lume:Water Resistance:Strap/Bracelet: The Movement Caliber: Functions: Diameter: Thickness: Power Reserve: Winding:Frequency: Jewels:Chronometer Certified:Additional Details: Pricing & Availability Price: Availability: Limited Edition:
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A hands-on look at the Breitling Superocean Automatic 42, exploring its bold blue dial, stainless steel bracelet, wrist comfort, and everyday performance.
Fratello
I’m guessing the gold-colored Ceramos bezel acts as a heat shield. During landing, the bezel must protect the object from scratches too, because Ceramos, a ceramic-metal composite also known as “cermet,” is very hard. It consists of 90% high-tech ceramic and 10% binder metal, hence the term “cermet,” resulting in a hardness of 1,750 Vickers. […] Visit Hands-On With Two Rado DiaStar Original Skeleton Watches: Have You Ever Seen A Gold UFO? to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre Videos
Today, we’re looking at one of the most unique Speedmasters in the modern Omega catalog, known as the Speedmaster Pilot. It was released in 2024 as part of the Two-Register sub-collection, and honestly, it couldn’t be more different than the Moonwatch Professional we all know and love. Check out the video to see how th
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Our favorite Citizen watches of 2026, from the Tsuyosa Shore and a 39.5mm Promaster GMT to the Photon, a washi-dial perpetual, and the Attesa.
Fratello
On August 18th, 1853, a buyer recorded only as “Capitaine Denny” paid 700 francs for a gold Breguet hunter pocket watch in Paris. More than 170 years later, Breguet No. 2226 has surfaced and is up for auction at Webb’s in Auckland. Its journey from the Quai de l’Horloge to New Zealand remains a mystery, […] Visit A Breguet Pocket Watch Mystery: From Paris To New Zealand to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s Sunday morning, so grab a coffee and join us for another installment of our Sunday Morning Showdown series. This week, Germany takes on Switzerland as Jorg pits the Sinn U50, which debuted in 2020, against Daan and the Oris Aquis Date, revamped in 2024. Neither is a new release, but Jorg’s recent hands-on experience […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Sinn U50 Vs. Oris Aquis Date to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Find out how the Citizen Promaster Diver and Bulova Caravelle Sea Hunter compare in movement reliability, build quality, wrist comfort, and everyday performance.
Time+Tide
Baume & Mercier joins Time+Tide in NYC for the launch of its new Clifton, with vintage highlights and a candid look at the brand’s future.
Worn & Wound
Engineered Garments x Chrome MED PAC & SHOULDER EG Like adding a banana to a smoothie or a xenomorph to the Alien franchise, when Engineered Garments collaborates with a brand, it tends to permeate the brand entirely, making the end result something new and often that much more substantive. Take, for instance, its latest project with Chrome. The MED PAC & SHOULDER EG borrows from the vintage U.S. Army Medical Bag, right down to the numbered-pocket layout, though Engineered Garments pushes the count from 16 to 17. Large side pockets and a dedicated laptop compartment give it plenty of room for daily use, while three removable straps along the bottom can carry additional gear. The shoulder and backpack straps can also be rearranged or removed entirely, giving Chrome’s functional approach a distinctly Engineered Garments treatment. Both colorways, black and olive, are available now through Chrome’s online store. Signature CS-1 Master Calendar Chronoquartz FOSSIL just launched the Signature CS-1 Master Calendar Chronoquartz, a 42mm master-calendar chronograph, marking a new chapter in the brand’s Swiss watchmaking story. Three recessed subdials sit alongside day and month windows at 12 o’clock, with a red-tipped central hand pointing to the date around the outer edge of the grooved dial. It’s powered by a Swiss Ronda 5040.F 13-jewel quartz chronograph movement and topped with a domed sapphire crystal. Flip it around and you’ll find a minted caseback with its pla...
If you have been into watch collecting for a few years, you may have noticed an emerging subculture of Japanese microbrands rapidly gaining traction. While still representing a minuscule percentage of Japanese watch production, these smaller brands have made significant inroads with enthusiasts. Watch the video to for
Time+Tide
While Geneva hosts the Fall season of the auctions, focusing mostly on vintage pieces, the novelties don’t stop. From Louis Vuitton relaunching the successful Tambour Guichet in a different metal, Andersen continues its worltimer line inspired by cities around the world with a London edition, and Roger Dubuis blends myths and watches with the latest … Continued
Fratello
Welcome to another installment of Watch Strap Review. Normally, my podcast partner in crime, Balazs, is behind the keyboard for these articles. Today, however, it’s me. Don’t worry, though, as this is strictly a cameo appearance! In this article, we’ll take a closer look at StrapKlub, a relatively young concern from Berlin, Germany. Germany-based strap […] Visit Watch Strap Review 74 — StrapKlub to read the full article.
Deployant
The NOMOS Club Sport neomatik 34 all silver features an ultra-thin in-house automatic calibre DUW 3001 with 200m water resistance in a 34 mm steel case. Retailing from €2,780.
Hodinkee
What We Know Cabot Watch Company (better known as CWC) has launched a new take on its classic military-spec dive watch, this time inspired by some of the earliest watches CWC supplied to the British Ministry of Defense. The result is the CWC Navy Eighty CD-1 Diver, which blends one of the most sought-after and rare early CWC unit watches with a host of modern updates to make for a compelling — and spec-heavy — take on a classic formula. At a high level, this latest release from CWC is not a radical departure from previous CWC offerings. You still get the familiar (and wonderful) 41mm fixed-bar Royal Navy Diver case, with its shrouded crown, chunky rounded lugs, and broad, grippy bezel. You also still get the familiar dial layout originally prescribed by the MOD for watches in the 1950s, plus a handful of vintage-inspired details that help the watch stand apart from the standard Royal Navy Diver available today. These include a handset as close as I’ve seen to the original 1980 CWC-issued divers, including the diamond-tipped luminous seconds hand (a feature largely replaced over the years by a Speedmaster-style teardrop second’s hand) and an old-school, non-serif, non-oval CWC logo. There are big changes here, but they largely come down to finishing and material choices. Possibly the most dramatic update is the move to applied markers with metal surrounds, but the switch to a ceramic bezel is also impactful. To my knowledge, this is the first time CWC has used a cer...
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