Results for Sapphire Crystal

Longines Redesigns The PrimaLuna Collection, Introduces Its First Sapphire Gem-Set Model

Introducing - The new Bianchet UltraFino Sapphire

Bianchet is a relatively young high-end brand founded by Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa-Bianchet, and based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Since 2021, the brand has been offering modern tonneau-shaped watches powered by architectural openworked tourbillon movements. Early 2025 marked the launch of an important model for the brand, the UltraFino, its first ultra-thin model, its first […]

A Closer Look: F.P. Journe Répétition Souveraine with Smoked Sapphire Dial

First Look - A Titanium Or Colouful Sapphire Case for the ArtyA Purity Curvy HMS Mirror

Yvan Arpa is not your conventional Swiss watchmaker. Eccentric and imaginative, he founded his brand, ArtyA, in 2010 with a portfolio of exotic models. Arpa’s taste has matured over the years, and his latest creative direction is characterised by openworked movements housed in diaphanous cases congregated in the Purity collection. A new model, the Purity […]

Introducing: Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Blue

An icy blue update to Armin Strom's signature timepiece.

First Look - The New Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Blue

When Serge Michel and Claude Greisler acquired Armin Strom, they took the bull by the horns. Without abandoning Mr Strom’s famous hand-skeletonised movements, the pair developed a full-scale vertical manufacture and successfully addressed the phenomenon of Mirrored Force Resonance in a wristwatch format. Another horological success story was the brand’s Gravity Equal Force watch of […]

First Look - The New Amida Digitrend Open Sapphire Reveals All Its Tricks

The retro-futuristic Amida Digitrend is a horological UFO arriving straight from the 1970s. This unique driver’s watch stands out with its digital display read horizontally through an optical inverting prism. The model was brought back with a rather faithful reedition in 2024, retaining the original look and powered by a dedicated jumping hour mechanical movement […]

Amida Introduces the Digitrend Open Sapphire

When the Amida Digitrend arrived last summer, it was part of a crop of new releases from independent brands making interesting designs and complications accessible to a wider audience, and it really won me over. In my review last year I cited watches from Toledano & Chan, SpaceOne, and Holthinrichs as comps, either in spirit, technical features, or both. Those brands of course are still very much in the mix, and a year later there are even more examples of watches that offer unique value at competitive price points by introducing enthusiasts to new ways of thinking about what a watch can be. This is a long-winded way of saying that the market for these types of watches is more competitive than ever, so a follow up release becomes that much more important. Amida, for their part, is seeking to keep the momentum going by introducing a new version of the Digitrend that sheds some literal light on how they achieve their unique complication.  The Amida Digitrend Open Sapphire is essentially exactly what it says it is – a Digitrend with a large sapphire window affixed to the case that allows the wearer to see the jump hour mechanism inside. Previously, this area was covered by a solid sheet of metal, an aesthetic drawn from the brand’s interest in automotive design. They are applying similar principles to the new version that leaves the “engine” (their terminology) exposed, referencing removable Targa tops as a point of inspiration.  The Digitrend, for those who need a ...

Introducing: Amida's 'Digitrend Open Sapphire' Shows You All Its Tricks (Live Pics)

After a year of fastbacks, it's targa time for the Digitrend.

Hublot and Takashi Murakami Team Up for the New MP-15 Tourbillon Sapphire Rainbow

There is always something so intriguing to me about a collaboration when the brands really just go for it. But, I guess if one of the collaborators is Takashi Murakami, it’s sort of hard not to. For those uninitiated, Murakami is a contemporary Japanese artist whose work is at once psychedelic and joyful – but leans just a tad into the grotesque. But even if you don’t know the name, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the artist’s work. Murakami has collaborated with a wide range of celebrities, from Marc Jacobs to Kanye West (long before his anti semitic rants, for the record) to Pharrell Williams. And now, Murakami adds yet another collaboration with Hublot. The MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire Rainbow is really one of those watches that makes you pause. It will, undoubtedly, have its naysayers who might prefer a more conservative style; but there’s something incredibly charming about this one for me. On the one hand, there is a level of craftsmanship that’s evident even from the photos; but it’s also an element of playfulness that intrigues me – especially when we’re talking about a watch that’s in the *ahem* $374,000 price range. You may remember that Murakami and Hublot have previously collaborated in the past, most notably on the Classic Fusion model with a decidedly Murakami lean. But that was just putting Murakami’s art within the context of Hublot. In 2023, they had released an MP-15 that showed the floral design but in a skeletal ca...

Introducing - The Bianchet B1.618 Grand Date Sapphire Edition Pulls Back All Covers

Bianchet has been carving out a name for itself for crafting high-tech shock-resistant sports tourbillon watches, with a signature tonneau shape. The curved profile, integrated rubber straps, and ultra-resilient construction ensure optimum comfort and performance under pretty much any circumstance. To showcase its watchmaking capabilities well beyond the complex openworked movements, Bianchet now presents the […]

Hands-on - The Exceptional Duo of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm with Crystal Sand Dials

Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm in 2020 as the smallest-sized option with mechanical movement. Since its debut, AP has expanded the range with several variations, ranging from simple stainless steel to diamond-covered pink gold versions. For 2024, Audemars Piguet added two new models to the Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm series-one […]

First Look - The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Purple

Armin Strom (1938) has gone down in the annals of watchmaking as a pioneer in the art of hand-skeletonisation. Now in the hands of Serge Michel and master watchmaker Claude Greisler, the independent watchmaking brand with 17 in-house calibres continues the master’s legacy of “transparent mechanics” with showstopping models like its Mirrored Force Resonance and […]

Hands-On: The Chanel J12 X-Ray In Pink Sapphire Is Not A Barbie Watch

How Chanel is using the J12 as a canvas for modern design.

First Look - The Louis Vuitton X Frank Gehry Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon Sapphire

It’s full steam ahead for Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking division, an appropriate metaphor for a brand founded on Monsieur Vuitton’s revolutionary stacking canvas trunks and long associated with the ‘art of travel’. With the incorporation of the high-end watchmaking manufacture, La Fabrique du Temps in 2011, the brand can produce spectacularly complicated timepieces underscored by a […]

In-Depth: Comparing Moonwatches: Hesalite Versus Sapphire

We make this choice not because it is easy, but because it is hard!

Review: The New Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Blue Sapphire

The L.U.C Full Strike is one of, if not the most amazing mechanical watch ever conceived by Chopard. When it was introduced seven years ago in 2016, it was the brand’s very first minute repeater timepiece. Hiccups are normally part and parcel of firsts, but not at Chopard, apparently. Because in the following year, theRead More

Hublot’s MP-15 Takashi Murakami is looking crystal clear

Auctions: This Unique Patek Philippe Uses A Diamond For Its Crystal And Could Sell For $1 Million

Giving a whole new meaning to 'bejeweled.'

The New Casio Oceanus Pays Tribute to the Deep Blue Sea with Spiral-Cut Sapphire Bezel Anchored by Hardened Titanium Case and Bracelet

The Oceanus might be the last thing you think about when you hear the brand name, Casio. Their elevated range of watches aren’t built with the familiar tough resin case accompanied by a soft urethane band and a digital display. Instead, Casio has elected to encase the Oceanus with titanium paired with distinguishable features that stray away from the utilitarian feel while still integrating their technological know-how in a more analog fashion. In short, this concept is what Casio refers to as, “Elegance, Technology”. The four latest additions include a limited reference and three regular production models that harness the dynamic cerulean hues of the ocean packaged in a coated titanium case and equipped with a suite of familiar features. Like the Manta S500 Series, the Oceanus OCWS6000SW2A takes the bezel and uses it as a canvas to uniquely represent the various features of the ocean. This limited production model in particular displays the movement of the ocean with a spiral-cut sapphire bezel representing the crest and trough of a traveling wave. The blue gradient of the bezel also gives the impression of the continuous motion of the ocean. Although masked by color, the sapphire bezel still allows light to penetrate through, powering the solar panel fixed beneath. As mentioned above, the case is constructed out of titanium and coated with a carbide treatment giving a powdery, sandblasted effect across the non-polished areas. Another distinguishable feature of the ...

Hublot Unveils the MP-15 Takashi Murakami Only Watch Sapphire

Introducing Hublot Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami Sapphire Rainbow

Collaborating with Takashi Murakami is a safe bet for sell-out editions of smiling flower Classic Fusion watches; everything Murakami touches turns to sold

Introducing: The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Orange Sapphire

Insert orange pun here.

Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925, With A Silver Case & Sapphire Caseback

You had me at "Taupe Black Bay."

Sunday Rewind: Crystal Gazing: HODINKEE Founder Ben Clymer's Vintage Value Picks, From 2013

A long time ago, on a watch blog not so very far away ...

Introducing: The Ming 27.02 With Sapphire And Guilloché Dial

The 27.02 will be the very last of the 27 series Ming watches.

Introducing Hublot’s Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire

Introducing the Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Orange Sapphire

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Hublot’s Been Tangoed – The Big Bang with a Twist The humble orange is something of a celebrity Chez Revolution and The Rake, thanks to its integral role in...

Just Because: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Acrylic Crystal

And it's a not-so-strange love after all.

Introducing the Platinum, Diamond and Sapphire Grand Seiko SBGD205

Precious metal, stones and technology meet in the Grand Seiko SBGD205