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HODINKEE Radio: Reviewing Six Of Our Own Watches With Ben And James
We cover the entire range of watches, from Swatch to Seiko to maybe the hottest indie around.
Results for Swatch
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Wiki · Guide
The 1985 Swatch Consolidation
How Nicolas Hayek\'s ASUAG/SSIH merger (1983) and Swatch brand launch (March 1983) rescued Swiss watchmaking from the quartz crisis.
Wiki · Guide
The Swatch Group
Largest Swiss watch employer (~17,000 staff). 18 brands from Breguet/Blancpain at the top to Swatch at entry. ETA SA + Nivarox-FAR. Hayek family controls.
Hodinkee
Monochrome
Industry News – Richemont Reports Record Sales for the Year 2023-2024, Appoints Nicolas Bos as new CEO
While the global economic situation might feel rather pessimistic, the luxury business and the watch and jewellery industry continue to post strong results for the year 2023. Following the announcement of a record year for Swiss watch exports in 2023, as well as strong revenues for both LVMH and Swatch Group, it is now time for […]
Monochrome
Introducing – Rado Goes Blue, with New Skeleton Captain Cook and True Square Models in Navy Blue Ceramic
By now, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that Rado, a Swatch Group brand, has gained (well, self-attributed, but justified) the title of The Master of Materials, being one of the leading representatives of the ceramic watch – thanks to sister company ComaDur. Ceramic has multiple qualities – it is durable, scratch-resistant, light, […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Counting Down the 15 Oldest Watch Brands in the World
Watchmaking is a trade that goes back to the 16th Century, and building mystique and legitimacy on a long, historical legacy is a common theme we find in many companies that make watches today - particularly those whose roots reach back for a century or more. But which companies have really been making watches the longest? In a way, it’s a sticky question, one that can lead one into a minefield of semantics and trivia. Jaquet Droz, for example, claims a founding date of 1738 but the modern version of the company was established in 2000 when Swatch Group acquired the name. A. Lange & Söhne carries on the tradition of the original company founded in Saxony in 1845 but has really been in operation only since 1990 (and to be fair, the company is very transparent about this). The Swiss-based Graham brand traces its legacy all the way back to the London atelier of British watchmaker George Graham in 1695 but has no connection to it other than design inspiration. In assembling the following list of the oldest watch brands still making watches today, I went with the companies that, in my judgment, can legitimately claim a direct lineage to the original founding, even allowing for ownership changes and periods of dormancy along the way. Without further ado, here is a countdown of the 15 oldest watch brands in the world today; you may be surprised by who is included as well as by who is excluded. 15. Zenith (1865) Zenith's founder Georges Favre-Jacot was only 22 when he founded...
Teddy Baldassarre
The 10 Best Hamilton Watches for Every Type of Enthusiast
While it’s been making its timepieces in Switzerland since the 1970s, Hamilton Watch Company, founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, has few peers when it comes to being a vital thread in the historical tapestry of American watchmaking. The heritage brand, today a part of the Swiss Swatch Group conglomerate of companies, continues to lean heavily into its New World roots for its diverse collection of product families, which ranges from military tool watches to sporty divers, from elegantly appointed dress pieces to retro-futuristic curiosities - while also maintaining a price-to-value ratio for which the brand has long been renowned. It can fairly be said that there is a Hamilton watch for just about everyone, no matter what style they’re seeking. Here, in the tradition of our previous guide to the best Longines watches, we run down 10 of our favorite Hamilton watches that run the stylistic gamut from sporty to dressy, from high-tech to classically mechanical. For the Military Buff: Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Price: $595, Case Size: 38mm, Thickness: 9.5mm, Lug width: 20mm, Lug to Lug: 47mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Mechanical Hamilton Caliber H-50 Field watches are an enduringly popular category of timepiece, and without Hamilton, the style as we know it might not even exist. Hamilton basically invented the genre with the “trench watches” that it supplied to American troops during World War I, kicking off a long tradit...
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Hands On: Swatch x Peanuts Collection
Worn & Wound
Hands-On with the New Hublot Novelties at Watches & Wonders
Over the course of three years visiting Geneva with the Worn & Wound team, a handful of traditions have begun to take shape. We carve out a night for a team dinner at Jeck’s, a hole-in-the-wall Singaporean restaurant that we stumbled upon in year one, and is consistently the best meal of the entire trip. We cover Tudor first, every year. I am in the habit of buying a Swatch at the Geneva airport on my way home. And every year, I have a meeting with Hublot, and I write a breathless article about the weird and wonderful stuff I’m shown. It’s consistently the meeting that underscores the “Wonders” bit about the week more than any other. When I first took on the task of writing about the new Hublot novelties at Watches & Wonders, it felt like a defense of sorts. Of the brand, the watches, and even our decision to cover them. I think, thankfully, we’ve all moved on a bit from a time when Hublot was just universally lambasted as a loud and unserious brand for loud and unserious people. They have never really been that in my opinion, but there was a time when the watches, if not really interrogated, could have given you that impression on a surface level. Hublot is covered differently now, and in recent years I’m glad to see them getting their flowers from a watch media that previously skipped them entirely or openly derided them. There are a variety of reasons for that, but a key one has to be that Hublot has, perhaps, calmed down a bit at the entry point in th...
Monochrome
Introducing – The BBS-Inspired Union Glashütte Noramis Date Deutschland Klassik 2024
Part of the Swatch Group and close to sister brand Glashütte Original, Union Glashütte is a slightly more accessible take on German watchmaking, with a younger, sportier appeal – but still with great horological content. Over the years, the brand has built a strong connection with the world of classic cars. A partner of the […]
Monochrome
Introducing – The Tissot Seastar Wilson WNBA Powermatic 80
With a more than consolidated reputation for producing well-built, fully equipped watches at competitive prices, Tissot is Swatch Group’s entry-level gateway to mechanical watches. The latest release, a customised 40mm Seastar model, marks a three-way collaboration between the Swiss brand, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). With the WNBA draft […]
SJX Watches
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Styles the MB&F; M.A.D. 1
The first limited edition from MB&F;’s affordable sub-brand is the M.A.D.1 “Time to Love”, created in collaboration with French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, also known as JC/DC. A variant of the standard model endowed with Mr de Castelbajac’s touch – including numerals in his handwriting – the M.A.D.1 “Time to Love” is a 999-piece edition that will be sold via an online raffle. A designer whose heyday in the 1970s and 1980s saw him collaborate with brands like from Swatch and design a coat made of teddy bears for Madonna, Mr de Castelbajac was most recently artistic director for Benetton. The M.A.D.1 “Time to Love” reflects his trademark colourful and whimsical style. Initial thoughts Conceptually and aesthetically, the M.A.D.1 “Time to Love” makes sense. Mr de Castelbajac’s style complements M.A.D. Editions’s affordable, fun brand of watchmaking, making this the most interesting M.A.D.1 edition to date. The fact that it’s a relatively small run of 999 pieces and priced almost the same as the regular version enhances the appeal. More broadly, the collaboration also chimes with parent brand MB&F;’s retro-nostalgia philosophy, where many of its creations are inspired by founder Maximilian Büsser’s youth. According to the brand, “the young Maximilian Büsser was a huge fan, saving up his pocket money for one of the designer’s bathing suits featuring pandas on it”, when Mr de Castelbajac’s brand was at its peak in the ...
SJX Watches
The Ulysse Nardin Freak – The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part III
An outlandish concept that originally sprang from the mind of Carole Forestier Kasapi, the Ulysse Nardin Freak of 2001 was perfected by Dr Ludwig Oechslin and then made reality thanks to the advent of silicon in watchmaking. Lightweight and magnetism resistant, silicon was used for the escape wheels but that was only the beginning of the story. [This story, the third and final instalment in the series, details the history of silicium, the proprietary Ulysse Nardin silicium hairspring, and the patented Grinder rotor. The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part I covers the origins of the Freak, from its conception to realisation, as well as its distinguishing characteristics, namely the inventive movement construction and unique escapement. Part II deals with the evolution of the unique, high-performance escapement.] Silicon, Silicium, Silinvar Now used interchangeably with silicon, silicium is actually French for “silicon”, but now it is also used as the trade name for the proprietary form of silicon used by Ulysse Nardin for movement components, namely silicon with a hard oxide outer layer that gives the material thermocompensating properties. Silicium was developed by Swiss scientific institute Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) in collaboration with Ulysse Nardin. Notably, the material is also known as Silinvar, which resulted from a separated but related CSEM project backed by a consortium made up of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Swatch Group. As a ...
Video
Don't know what I expected to be honest: Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Collection 2022
Time+Tide
The MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase finally brings Snoopy into the fray
Swatch unveils the long-rumoured Snoopy variant of the MoonSwatch, with a brand new moonphase complication.The post The MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase finally brings Snoopy into the fray appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Snoopy MoonSwatch teased for March 26, 2024 in print advertisement
Recently, a print advertisement insert from Swatch was discovered - bearing a paw print pressed into the surface of the moon.The post Snoopy MoonSwatch teased for March 26, 2024 in print advertisement appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
A Hands-On Introduction To The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 In A New 40mm Size
Even for us watch journalists, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with all the new releases out there. That’s why it’s nice that brands sometimes invite us over to take a look at their new stuff instead of simply sending press releases. Last Monday, for example, the entry-level brands of the Swatch group invited us […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 In A New 40mm Size to read the full article.
Monochrome
First Look – The Union Glashütte Belisar Chronograph gets a Modern Refresh
Union Glashütte might be one of the lesser-known brands of the Swatch Group, but it is nevertheless one that has recently caught our attention, and for very good reasons. It shouldn’t be overlooked. Headquartered in the small town of Glashütte, Germany, close to sister brand Glashütte Original (also owned by Swatch), UG acts in a […]
Monochrome
Introducing – The Stylish Ice Blue Dial of the Mido Multifort M Freeze
Mido has done a commendable job updating its Multifort collection to 21st-century technical standards and contemporary tastes. As the brand’s best-selling automatic model from 1934, boasting resistance to magnetism, shocks and water, the refreshed Multifort M is a rugged, accessibly priced, all-terrain watch powered by Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80 movement. An attractive new dial colour […]
Video
Swatch x HODINKEE x FLIK FLAK Neon Remix SISTEM51 HODINKEE STOPLIGHT Neon Remix Collaboration 2021
Monochrome
First Look – The New Olive-Green Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton
With its Captain Cook, Rado, a brand part of the Swatch Group, is merging two important sides of its history. First, this watch collection revived one of the brand’s greatest watches of the past, a 1960s dive watch with a rather peculiar yet attractive design. Second, it is used as a vessel to showcase the […]
Fratello
Introducing: The Seiko 5 Sports Rally Divers SRPK65 And SRPK67
The Seiko 5 Sports line, especially when using the SKX case, has inspired hundreds of references over the past several years. Whether they’re inspired by manga, music, motorsport, or vintage watches, this line is like Japan’s version of Swatch. To be fair, many of the releases pass me by. However, two models inspired by the […] Visit Introducing: The Seiko 5 Sports Rally Divers SRPK65 And SRPK67 to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Hamilton Ventura and Elvis: A Comprehensive Guide and History
One of the most enduring associations between a world-famous star and a legendary timepiece is the one between Elvis Presley and the world's first electric watch, the Hamilton Ventura. A bold horological gamble when it debuted in 1957, the Ventura is now a mainstay of Hamilton's sprawling portfolio of watch families, and the influence of the King of Rock 'n' Roll on its modern incarnations continues to this day. Read on to discover more about the Ventura and the musical icon who made it famous. Origins: The World’s First Electronic Watch (1957) Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, during an era in which the United States was a world leader in timepiece production, the Hamilton Watch Company has played a key role in American watchmaking and innovation throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries - even though the company itself migrated its production to Switzerland in 1969 and became part of the Swiss Swatch Group in 1984. By the early 1950s, Hamilton joined other watchmakers, in the United States and around the world, in the quest to conquer the newest frontier of portable timekeeping – making a wristwatch with a fully electric movement. It was Hamilton’s U.S.-based competitor, Elgin, which originally took the lead in such a project, along with the family-owned French watchmaker Lip. Elgin’s “Watch of Tomorrow,” which was unveiled as a prototype in Chicago on March 19, 1952, was powered by Caliber 725, a movement with no mainspring or winding mechani...
Teddy Baldassarre
36 Affordable Swiss Watches for 2026
Swiss watches are regarded by many as the finest timepieces in the world, and finding truly affordable Swiss watches can be, to put it mildly, somewhat challenging. Watches mass-produced in Japan and other Asian countries have cornered much of the market in the affordable realm, which we're defining here as watches with prices roughly topping out at $2,000; even Switzerland's neighbor, Germany, might be able to claim more "serious" brands that aim for this price segment. But due to the sheer size and diversity of its watch industry, Switzerland does offer its own fair share of value-oriented watches, all of which meet the globally respected "Swiss Made" standard. To coin a cliché, you just have to know where to look, and which labels to focus on. Here are 36 affordable Swiss watches, from some of the world's most admired Swiss watch brands, in a handful of popular categories. FASHION Swatch Sistem 51 Price: $155, Reference: SUTN405, Case Size: 42 mm, Case Height: 13.9 mm, Lug To Lug: 50.6 mm, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Crystal: Mineral, Movement: Automatic Swatch, often dismissed as the maker of plastic-cased, quartz-driven, mass-marketed timepieces for limited budgets and trend-driven youth, made the watch world sit up and take notice when it unveiled the Sistem 51 in 2013. Priced at an astounding $150, the watch contained an innovatively designed 51-part mechanical movement with five assembly-line produced modules held together by a single central screw. Swatch...
Time+Tide
Why Blancpain is the brand that won 2023
There's more to Blancpain in 2023 than just their headline-stealing collaboration with Swatch.The post Why Blancpain is the brand that won 2023 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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OMEGA x SWATCH Over Hyped? I tried to get the new MoonSwatch Speedmaster It didn't go as planned...
Monochrome
Hands-on – The Funky Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date Golden Bay and Ocean Breeze
There are only so many square-shaped timepieces that we dare call contemporary classics. Yet, the watches in the Seventies collection from Glashütte Original, first presented by the Swatch-group-owned brand in 2011, are worthy of the title and the praise. Unfortunately, the current Seventies line-up is limited to only 11 variations of the Chronograph Panorama Date, […]
Worn & Wound
Certina Enters the Affordable Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Arena with the New DS-7 Powermatic 80
The affordable integrated bracelet sports watch wars have been waged on multiple fronts for many months at this point, and now, in a surprising development to some, they’ve hit the Swatch Group in a major way. Since its introduction, the Tissot PRX has been the standard bearer in the value driven integrated bracelet sports watch market, offering a huge variety of dial colors, sizes, and movement options at a price point that makes them compelling for collectors curious to try out what is undoubtedly still the hottest variety of sporty watch in the greater horological landscape. But now, a new challenger has emerged from within, with the introduction of Certina’s DS-7 Powermatic 80. Certina, at least in the United States, is frequently overlooked, as the brand doesn’t have significant distribution here, but they hold a key spot in the Swatch Group’s roster of brands on the more affordable side of the spectrum, and the new integrated offering here is an interesting and subtle contrast with the vaunted PRX. The PRX is notable for its highly angular case shape, inspired by a distinctly 1980s design language. Particularly in quartz variants, it feels decidedly retro while still giving more than a whiff of Royal Oak if you just give it a quick glance. The DS-7 as seen here is a very different animal, with a much softer and rounder case shape and bracelet integration. If the PRX conjures the 1980s, the DS-7 feels more like a 1970s throwback, particularly considering som...
Time+Tide
WHAT IF… Breguet were also able to use the co-axial escapement?
Forget teaming up with Swatch: Zach speculates what would happen if Breguet took a leaf out of Omega's book.The post WHAT IF… Breguet were also able to use the co-axial escapement? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
A Look at the Latest from Horage in Spain
When writing about brands, we often use the words “micro” or “independent” to describe any brand that is not a Swiss luxury powerhouse or part of a mega conglomerate. Think of Rolex, Richemont or the Swatch Group for example. Most micro and independents we write about are, more often than not, brands that are more about design and a certain lifestyle philosophy than engineering and manufacturing. 99% of brands I love are the former. This doesn’t mean, however, that the latter don’t exist. Instead, an independent brand can be qualified as being one which goes beyond design to create stuff. A lot of new and cutting-edge stuff. This brings us to Horage, the Swiss that has been covered in these pages extensively, and more recently, most recently when Ed Jelley reviewed the Lensman 2. What we know about Horage is this: they make their own movements, good ones at that, and unique looking watches. I recently attended an event hosted by Horage through which I discovered that the brand actually does much more. Not only does Horage make its own movements, but it’s also at the forefront of technology to make watch manufacturing more sustainable. Or, should I say, watch collecting more sustainable. Through the discovery of their newest model and caliber-which I will tell you about in a second-I realized that everything in life does indeed work in cycles. Think about this: Rolex started as what we now describe as being a microbrand. It bought parts from many places to...
Teddy Baldassarre
The 48 Best Automatic Watches Under $500
Let’s be honest: not everyone can spend thousands of dollars on every new watch purchase, especially someone who might just be getting into the watch collecting hobby or perhaps looking to spend $1,000 or so to assemble his or her first three-watch collection. Fortunately, there are a plethora of options out there in the sub-$500 watch category, with choices from the usual suspects like Seiko, Citizen, Swatch, Timex, and Orient, as well as from several microbrands that offer worthwhile options in that narrow price range as well. Here we have compiled a selection of the best automatic watches under $500 that deserve to be on your radar - and perhaps even in your collection. Before we begin, some important ground rules: Our curated list will feature watches costing under $500, and equipped with an automatic movement inside. The very few exceptions to the under-$500 rule will be called out in the descriptions below. As always, we can’t include every potential watch that meets the criteria in this range, but you can find some others in several other guides on our site, such as our lists of The 60 Best Seiko Watches and The 51 Best Microbrands. Finally, in order for this list to flow properly, the watches will be grouped together according to the following style categories: 1) Dive, 2) Dress, 3) Everyday Finally, at the end of the list, we will shout out a handful of watches that are worthy of notice but just missed the cut on price. Dive Watches: S...
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