3,548 articles · 563 videos found · page 108 of 138
Quill & Pad
Watches like the De Bethune DB Kind of Two Jumping GMT aren’t exactly the backbone of the luxury watch hobby. Finding one is hard; buying one is harder. Tim Mosso takes a deep dive.
Worn & Wound
It’s officially Space Watch Season. We just saw G-SHOCK release their latest collaborative release with NASA, and now Bulova returns with a new version of their popular Lunar Pilot, this one in a “blood moon” colorway. While the Lunar Pilot doesn’t have “first watch on the moon” pedigree like the venerable Omega Speedmaster, it does have its own legitimate spacefaring history. In 1971, Dave Scott, mission commander of Apollo 15, wore a similar Bulova Chronograph when he became the seventh man to walk on the moon. Unlike the Speedmaster, which was conceived originally as a racing chronograph, the Bulova on Scott’s wrist was designed specifically for use in space, specifically for timing related to critical life support systems. The Lunar Pilot has some aesthetic similarities to the Speedmaster (in their purest form, they are both black dialed chronographs, after all) but Bulova has shown a willingness to experiment with the Lunar Pilot recently, and it now feels very much like its own thing, existing well outside the long shadow of the Speedy. This latest iteration is a good example of how Bulova uses this platform to play with color and our expectations for a sports watch like the Lunar Pilot should be. As you can plainly see from the images in this post, what we have here is a very red version of the Lunar Pilot, with a bright red main dial and three silvered subdials at 9:00, 3:00, and 6:00. The inspiration here, according to Bulova, is a total lunar ecli...
Monochrome
Launched in 2013 as the German brand’s sportiest model, the Ahoi collection has always been something of a black sheep at Nomos. Loosely defined as an old-rounder sports watch, the Ahoi watch marries its robust 200m water-resistant case to the understated and elegant design of Nomos watches, elevating it from the burly dive watch category […]
Monochrome
A deep dive watch from a brand with a name referring to Europe’s highest mountain, specialized in making high-end fountain pens…? Surprising, to say the least. Surely, there’s more to Montblanc than what I just described. Indeed, the brand has long been active in watchmaking, producing appealing dress watches and superb chronographs equipped with Minerva […]
Hodinkee
Old friend and dive expert Jason Heaton shares some underwater wisdom.
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Monochrome
An emblematic name for the dive watch community, Squale has gained great credibility with its solid, no-nonsense models and recognition from military forces. Created in 1959, when Charles Von Büren registered the Squale name, this year, the brand celebrates its 65th anniversary. A few months ago, Squale released the Master Titanium 120 ATM, an appealing […]
Monochrome
Most days, you’ll catch me wearing a dive watch or a classic chronograph. This is what I most enjoy as a watch collector (yes, we are first and foremost watch fans at MONO). I like to wear watches that I don’t have to worry about, and I love a timepiece with some heft. Not necessarily […]
Fratello
The Tudor of today has a raised voice and speaks its mind loudly and confidently. It doesn’t look like the brand it was before 2012, the year in which Tudor launched the Black Bay, the foundation of the manufacture we see today. Seeing a retro-styled dive watch with a burgundy bezel at Baselworld was confusing […] Visit What’s Next For Tudor? - Is It After Omega, Or Will It Take Rolex’s Former Spot? to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Since Doxa’s relaunch in 2001, there have been multiple iterations and limited editions of their classic dive watches. These include contemporary versions with various depth ratings, multiple dial colors, and new case materials. In May of last year, Doxa launched the Sub 300T Clive Cussler, paying tribute to the legendary author and explorer. This model has classic proportions and is made of distressed stainless steel. It has a matching distressed beige dial with a compass rose motif at its center. The case back features inscriptions, specifically the names of shipwrecks and other historical artifacts discovered or surveyed by NUMA, the non-profit agency founded by Cussler. New for 2024, Doxa is releasing the SUB 300T Sharkhunter Clive Cussler edition as a follow up. Sharkhunter is the name they use to identify their black-dialed dive watches. This watch has the same wonderful details as the previous Clive Cussler homage but with, you guessed it, a black dial. The case is 42.5mm in diameter and only 44.5mm from lug to lug, with a thickness of 14mm. Its trademark cushion case makes this large watch suitable for nearly any wrist size. The Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 powers the watch, which beats at 4hz and has a power reserve of 38 hours. It is also water-resistant to 300 meters, as all SUB 300T’s should be. The Clive Cussler connection began almost 50 years ago when he took a $400-per-month gig at a dive shop after quitting his job as a creative director at an advertisin...
Fratello
The Venezianico Nereide Aureo is the latest release from the small Venetian brand. It’s also a dive watch with interesting materials and processes that come together at an affordable price. Let’s check out this intriguingly colored watch. We’ve looked at several Venezianico watches on Fratello and have been impressed with them. Today’s Nereide Aureo uses […] Visit Introducing: A Flash Of Gold With The Venezianico Nereide Aureo to read the full article.
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SJX Watches
Among Tudor’s new releases for 2024, the most conservative is undoubtedly the Black Bay 41 METAS ref. 7941A1A0NU, which offers a monochrome, black-and-white alternative to the gilt-and-burgundy ref. M7941A1A0RU-0003 introduced last year. Initial thoughts The new Black Bay 41 (BB41) feels instantly familiar. In fact, it’s a little surprising that it wasn’t already in the collection, being about at straightforward as a contemporary dive watch can be. But what it lacks in surprise, it makes up for in simple, tangible quality. While the BB41 was the original Black Bay – launched a dozen years ago now – it now sits atop a range that also includes the smaller Black Bay 58 and even more compact Black Bay 54. The BB41 METAS’ dimensions of 41 mm by 13.6 mm thick mean it wears similar to a modern Rolex Submariner; those looking for vintage proportions should consider the BB58 and BB54. Of course, the big news is METAS certification for the MT5602-U movement, which now carries a “U” suffix to identify it as a METAS-certified Master Chronometer. The differences from the standard MT5602 used to date are likely minimal, since the movement has always had a silicon hairspring, one of the most important features for resisting the METAS standard’s 15,000 gauss anti-magnetism test. The difference, therefore, is that the movement’s high-performance specs have been confirmed by an independent test. Tudor is all about value, and the BB41 METAS is no exception. Available with...
Monochrome
Nothing does more for a brand’s image than having a famous name spontaneously endorse your product. Although Doxa was not the first Swiss brand to produce a professional dive watch, it was the first to introduce a dive watch with a unidirectional rotating bezel to ensure safe no-decompression ascents in 1967. Doxa’s SUB 300, with […]
Fratello
Another Sunday morning, another showdown! This week, Thomas and Daan pit two popular dive watches against each other. Thomas fights for the Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400, while Daan defends the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date. These two watches are similar in price, function, and concept but are worlds apart in style and execution. […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 Vs. TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date to read the full article.
Fratello
I sat on a stool in a Brooklyn dive bar on a rainy Wednesday evening, sipping a Negroni. Two of my friends were with me as we just had dinner a few hours earlier in a nearby restaurant. We were chatting, enjoying our drinks, and eagerly waiting for someone (who shall remain nameless) to pull […] Visit Hands-On With The Tuul Filthy 13 to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Christopher Ward has just released the latest in their popular retro-dive line-up, the C65 Super Compressor Elite. With technical upgrades and a new color palette, it’s one of the most exciting new additions for the UK-based watchmaker this year. In terms of design, the C65 Super Compressor Elite has knocked it out of the park. There’s a playful use of color here, mixing a vibrant color palette that somehow doesn’t tip into garish territory. The main palette is orange and blue, complementing the stainless steel case. Most notable on the dial are the orange and light blue bands which contrast against the darker blue dial base. These bands aren’t just a stylistic choice, of course, but a functional throwback to previous dive watches. While dive computers are now common for dive safety, the compression dive timer scales outlined in blue and orange were once used to avoid decompression sickness. Divers would find their dive depth (marked at 12 o’clock on the Super Compressor Elite) and follow the scale clockwise. This showed the maximum time they could stay underwater without needing decompression. If they exceeded this time, the scale showed how long they needed to decompress before resurfacing. This is just one of the features which show that this reference is as much a stylish watch as it is a performance watch. Like the original from 2020, the C65 Super Compressor Elite features a true super compressor case mechanism that increases water resistance as you desce...
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Fratello
Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we return to highlighting some of the best watches of the first half of 2024. After already having discussed recently released dive watches, it’s now time to look at GMTs. With most people getting ready to travel for the summer holidays, this is a timely topic. We have […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 GMT Watches Of The First Half Of 2024 - Featuring Tudor, Christopher Ward, RZE, And More to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Christopher Ward has long been known for bridging the gap between high-end watches and accessibility. Their latest release, the C65 Super Compressor Elite, is a masterclass in this philosophy. A tribute to vintage dive watches, it blends cutting-edge technology with a nostalgic design that harkens back to the golden era of underwater exploration. Let’s dive into the details.
Teddy Baldassarre
Many watch companies have a history of supplying timepieces for military units around the world, from Blancpain and Tudor’s dive watches for the French Navy to Hamilton’s field watches for World War II troops to IWC’s pilot watches for German and later British air forces. However, only one watch company has been an official supplier to the U.S. armed forces throughout nearly its entire existence, and it’s a company that many watch enthusiasts might be hearing about for the very first time: Marathon Watch Company. Read on for more background and a comprehensive rundown of the brand's collection. The Marathon Watch Company, one of the very few family-owned watch brands in existence and one of the even fewer based in Canada, traces its lineage all the way back to 1904. Its predecessor, the Weinstrum Watch Company, was founded by the Wein family, Russian immigrants who originally settled in New York City. (Another branch of the family changed their last name to “Wenger” and founded another Canadian watch business under that name, though it’s not to be confused with the better known Wenger company in Switzerland, today part of Victorinox.) In 1939, family scion Morris Wein carried on the family trade with the founding of Marathon, basing it not in New York but in Montreal, Canada, where the family had moved during the 1920s - not exactly a hotbed of watchmaking even at the time, but an ideal home base for the mission that the company began in 1941: supplying dep...
Fratello
Singer Reimagined had quite a surprise in store for us with the introduction of the Divetrack chronograph. It’s not a typical dive watch and even goes beyond the dive watches we already find unusual (okay, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms X Fathoms might be an exception to a certain extent). The Divetrack offers a dial that […] Visit A Dial For Diving - The Singer Divetrack Is One Of The Most Impressive Watches I’ve Seen In 2024 to read the full article.
Monochrome
Since its comeback in 2020, Nivada Grenchen has become one of the most active accessible brands on the scene, with a focus on reviving classic designs of the past in faithful vintage-inspired watches. After bringing back icons such as the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver, the Depthmaster Pac-Man dive watch or the Super Antarctic, it is […]
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Fratello
In the 1980s, IWC introduced a series of highly specialized dive watches for the Kampfschwimmer, an elite German military dive unit. Made in conjunction with Porsche Design, these titanium watches had IWC technology and ingenuity behind them. As military-issued versions of the IWC Ocean 2000, they are now referred to as the “Ocean Bund” among […] Visit Fratelli Stories: Serving In The Kampfschwimmer With An Issued IWC to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Down-sizing Longines' heritage dive watch makes all the difference.
SJX Watches
Blancpain just unveiled an all-ceramic bracelet to match the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe models in black ceramic: the time-and-date, flyback chronograph, and Quantième Complet (or triple calendar). Positioned as the entry-level model in the Fifty Fathom collection of historically-inspired dive watches, the Bathyscaphe has long been available in ceramic, so a bracelet is long overdue. According to Blancpain, each link of the bracelet unique in shape and size, so each link has to be manufactured individually, requiring an enormous amount of skilled labour – which helps to explain the price of almost US$8,000 for the bracelet. All three are now available with a matching bracelet Initial thoughts Though it was a pioneer in the dive watch as we know it, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms has remained fairly under the radar, despite its relatively strong price-quality ratio. The ceramic bracelet for the Bathyscaphe helps it stand out, as few brands offer a matching bracelet for ceramic watches. While ceramic watch cases are common and found across the price spectrum, ceramic bracelets remain relatively uncommon, especially bracelets that are hand finished with a brushed surface like this. All links are manufactured individually, with each link differing in shape and size The ceramic bracelet is expensive – it costs just under US$8,000 extra compared to the same on a strap. That means the three-hand diver costs US$21,300, while the flyback chronograph and triple calendar are both US$...
Monochrome
Founded in 2017 by Etienne Malec and friends, Baltic continues its rapid expansion to the point of not being able to use the term micro-brand anymore… Now an established watch brand with a comprehensive collection, ranging from racing chronographs to dive watches and adventure-themed models, Baltic also ventured into the world of dress watches with […]
Fratello
This review was tough as this Zelos made a big impact with its materials and slim, demure case. Going hands-on with the Zelos Nova 37mm Tantalum has been a pleasure regardless of value, brand image, and size, so staying objective was quite challenging. First impressions from press shots left me with an image of too […] Visit Hands-On With The Zelos Nova 37mm - A Tantalum Watch With A Grail-Like Presence to read the full article.
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