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Results for The Royal Oak Launch Story

43,315 articles · 262 videos found · page 156 of 1453

First Look - The New Aged Panerai Luminor 8 Giorni PAM01733 Brunito Monochrome
Panerai Luminor 8 Giorni PAM01733 Apr 15, 2026

First Look - The New Aged Panerai Luminor 8 Giorni PAM01733 Brunito

Long before the civilian world discovered the brand, Panerai was producing precision naval instruments for the Royal Italian Navy. A military secret until the early 1990s, Panerai’s work with the Italian Navy led to the development, in 1916, of a radium-based luminous compound patented by the brand as Radiomir. Following the first-generation Radiomir combat dive […]

First Look - New References of the Piaget Polo Signature Date with Gadroons on the Dial Monochrome
Piaget Polo Signature Date Apr 15, 2026

First Look - New References of the Piaget Polo Signature Date with Gadroons on the Dial

Piaget’s iconic Polo watch debuted in 1979 as a slim, sensual, all-gold integrated bracelet watch covered from head to toe with horizontal gadroons. In 2016, Piaget resuscitated the Polo name and transformed it quite radically into a steel, cushion-shaped luxury sports watch closer in shape to the brand’s Emperador collection. Recouping some of the Polo […]

The Yacht-Master II’s Encore SJX Watches
Rolex unveiled Apr 15, 2026

The Yacht-Master II’s Encore

In a rather surprising move, Rolex unveiled a revamped and re-engineered version of the Yacht-Master II. Although the original was discontinued in 2024 the Geneva-based brand decided to give the quirky watch another chance at life, while also making the user’s life much easier.  Initial thoughts The original Yacht-Master II was undoubtedly a polarising timepiece. People would either love the bulky aesthetics or instantly dismiss it as an unpalatable timepiece. Add to that the complicated Command Ring bezel programming sequence for the regatta timer and the result is a perhaps the quirkiest Rolex creation in modern times.  Apparently the timepiece was performing well enough to warrant an encore. The Yacht-Master II was thus updated to include both Rolex’s latest innovations (such as the Chronergy escapement) and a revised user interface.  In terms of aesthetics, the 44 mm timepiece is still hard to love at first, but definitely not as excessive as past versions. The biggest change was perhaps the shift to a regular bi-directional 60 minute click bezel, which replaced the cumbersome Command Ring system used previously.  The ten-minute countdown markings were moved to a raised flange on the dial. The regatta minutes and seconds hands now turn counterclockwise, a suggestive way of approaching countdown.  Although few Yacht-Master II pieces will realistically be used for yacht race timing, the complication can be as useful as any given chronograph. The new caliber 4162...

IWC Adds New Ingenieurs To Its Collection At Watches And Wonders 2026 Fratello
IWC Adds New Ingenieurs Apr 15, 2026

IWC Adds New Ingenieurs To Its Collection At Watches And Wonders 2026

The Ingenieur has been a cornerstone re-release for IWC. For Watches and Wonders 2026, we see more additions to this line to satiate buyers looking for something slightly different. These cover smaller case sizes, case materials, and complications. The Ingenieur didn’t always look like what it does today. It actually debuted in the 1950s as […] Visit IWC Adds New Ingenieurs To Its Collection At Watches And Wonders 2026 to read the full article.

IWC Expands Ingenieur 35 Collection SJX Watches
IWC Expands Ingenieur 35 Collection Apr 15, 2026

IWC Expands Ingenieur 35 Collection

True to form, IWC has expanded the Ingenieur Automatic 35 with two new references: a blue dial that completes the mid-sized lineup’s colour palette, and the first gem-set Ingenieur of the modern era. Both are straightforward line extensions but should prove commercially successful, especially in the context of current trends favouring smaller watches. Initial thoughts Vintage watch enthusiasts and buyers with smaller wrists will appreciate these additions to the catalogue, though many mainstream watch buyers dismiss any watch under 36 mm out of hand. That instinct is understandable, but misleading here: integrated bracelet watches wear more substantially than their diameters tend to suggest, and the Ingenieur 35 is a watch best understood on the wrist rather than on paper. With the introduction of a diamond-set two-tone reference, it appears IWC is positioning this size as the unisex choice for both men and women while exploring new formats for a broader appeal. New references in the Ingenieur lineup have arrived in a recognisable pattern. Reintroduced in 2023, the current-generation Ingenieur draws on the design language of Gerald Genta’s original but in a 40 mm steel case, offered from launch with silver and black-dialled variants. The ever-popular blue dial joined the 40 mm lineup a year after the collection’s refresh. The 35 mm size is following a similar pattern after launching last year with black and silver dial options. Inevitably blue The ref. IW324907 will ...

Watches & Wonders: TAG Heuer Reinvents (a part of) the Chronograph with the Monaco Evergraph Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Reinvents Apr 14, 2026

Watches & Wonders: TAG Heuer Reinvents (a part of) the Chronograph with the Monaco Evergraph

When I think of Heuer, or TAG, or TAG Heuer, for that matter, I think of chronographs. You probably do too. Carreras, Monacos, Autavias, Monzas, Veronas, Montreals, etc… All iconic models, their pursuit of the stop-watch-in-a-wrist-watch goes far beyond just that of aesthetics. Famously, in 1969, they were among the first three brands to introduce an automatic chronograph with the Caliber 11. Then, in the 2010s, they pushed chronograph innovation to its limits with high-concept, high-frequency calibers like the Mikrograph, Mikrotimer, and Mikrogirder. In the last few years, TAG has focused more on the commercial side, honing in on a contemporary design language with the glass box Carreras, as well as a workhorse caliber of their own, the 80-hour, column-wheel, automatic TH20. 2026, however, marks a return to more innovative, if high-end times. Earlier this year, they introduced the six-figure Carrera Split-Seconds Chronograph, a 36,000bph rattrapante made in collaboration with Vaucher, under the category of “avant-garde horlogerie.” A curious development that was perhaps undermined by having such a daunting price, it did serve as an amuse-bouche to their big Watches & Wonders novelty: the Monaco Evergraph, which includes at least one first in watchmaking. There is a lot to unpack with the Evergraph, but the movement is a good place to start. Inside is a new caliber called the TH80-00. An integrated chronometer-certified automatic chronograph with 47-jewels, it featur...

Watches & Wonders: The Chopard L.U.C. 1860 Chronometer, Like the Original from Three Decades Past, May be Worth The Wait Worn & Wound
Chopard L.U.C 1860 Chronometer Like Apr 14, 2026

Watches & Wonders: The Chopard L.U.C. 1860 Chronometer, Like the Original from Three Decades Past, May be Worth The Wait

Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded his eponymous watch company in 1860, but it took over 100 years for the brand to truly come into its own. In 1996, and after three years of development, the company debuted its own in-house movement. The wait seemed to have been worth it. The L.U.C 96.01-L immediately drew acclaim for beautiful finishing, embracing the microrotor, and COSC certification. It, and the subsequent L.U.C. 1860 dress watch, marked a sea change from reliance on third parties to true independence, arriving at a resurgence in fine mechanical watchmaking. Thirty years later, the L.U.C. family has expanded into dozens of variants, complications, and movements. But at 2026’s Watches & Wonders, Chopard pays tribute to 30 years of in-house manufacturing with a continuation of that vaunted original. The L.U.C 1860 Chronometer uses the same dial and microrotor movement from 1996, albeit with their own upgrades and unique design tweaks.  The intricate white-gold dial features guilloché finishing in the center, emanating in scalloped waves from the Chopard logo and nameplate. The concentric circles are separated by thin bands of white gold, and delicate spear-shaped markers point inward, toward the dauphine hands. At 6 o’clock, the small-seconds dial echoes the twin-circle pattern of the overall dial, and Chopard specifically mentions the lack of a date window “to preserve purity.”  Where the first L.U.C. 1860 had a white dial with gold accents, this Chronometer wears...

Introducing - The New Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, with New Movement Monochrome
Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture Apr 14, 2026

Introducing - The New Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, with New Movement

Since its debut in 2012, the Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, like its Perpetual Calendar, has become one of the brand’s defining watches. Combining a practical travel complication with in-house mechanics at accessible pricing, it quickly became a cornerstone of the catalogue. Now, more than a decade later, Frederique Constant introduces a thoroughly updated version […]

First Look - The Piaget Polo 79 Returns in White Gold with a Blue Sodalite Dial Monochrome
Piaget Polo 79 Returns Apr 14, 2026

First Look - The Piaget Polo 79 Returns in White Gold with a Blue Sodalite Dial

Yves Piaget, fourth-generation member of the Piaget family, joined the company in the 1960s and cultivated the brand into a visible and global luxury player. Pushing the brand’s historical ultra-thin mechanical calibres 9P and 12P, and its ultra-slim quartz 7P movement into jewellery terrain, a new generation of fashionable jewellery watches with bright-coloured hardstone dials […]

Watches & Wonders: Grand Seiko Introduces the SBGY043 “Iwao Blue” Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko Introduces Apr 14, 2026

Watches & Wonders: Grand Seiko Introduces the SBGY043 “Iwao Blue”

At Watches & Wonders 2026, Grand Seiko’s newest addition to the Elegance Collection brings together the things it does best. Namely, intricately textured dials with a nod to Japanese artistry, and its flagship Caliber 9R Spring Drive.  Engraved to resemble a weathered rock face, the SBGY043’s striking dial suggests the appearance of a mountain at dusk: Grand Seiko calls this pattern iwao, which translates to rock or crag. Depending on the angle it’s viewed from behind its domed sapphire crystal, different facets take on intermingling light and dark tones of blue, purple, and black. Its color is inspired by the tradition of katsuiro dyeing, a centuries-old technique and reportedly a favorite among the samurai class, which produces a deep indigo hue. Set against bright silver markers and hands - no blued seconds hand here, which is almost its own Grand Seiko tradition - it makes for an especially understated contrast.  This Iwao Blue version runs on the Caliber 9R31, a manual-wind Spring Drive movement with a 72-hour power reserve and visible through a clear caseback. The case is among the slimmest in the Elegance Collection, with standard zaratsu polishing and soft, rounded lugs. A nine-row stainless steel bracelet is the only option, which reflects the craggy-faced dial’s aura of ruggedness.  Grand Seiko enthusiasts, of which there are many, might remember this dial from 2021 - albeit in a sharp-angled Heritage case and with a Caliber 9R65 Spring Drive mov...

Tudor Launches The Royal In Three New Sizes With An Updated Design And Upgraded Calibers Fratello
Tudor Launches Apr 14, 2026

Tudor Launches The Royal In Three New Sizes With An Updated Design And Upgraded Calibers

For 2026, Tudor has updated its extensive Royal lineup with new sizes, refreshed dial designs, and manufacture movements. The upgrade in calibers, in particular, is an anticipated and welcome step forward. But the aesthetic updates are also quite nice, giving some of the models a retro touch. Let’s take a closer look at the revitalized […] Visit Tudor Launches The Royal In Three New Sizes With An Updated Design And Upgraded Calibers to read the full article.

Watches & Wonders: the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar Returns with a New Case Size and Caliber Worn & Wound
A. Lange & Sohne Apr 14, 2026

Watches & Wonders: the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar Returns with a New Case Size and Caliber

A. Lange & Söhne had one of my, and many others’, favorite releases at Watches & Wonders 2025. It wasn’t a super complication and had no bells-and-whistles. Rather, it was simple and small. The 34mm 1815 three-handers in white or rose gold exemplified confident, understated luxury like no other watches at the fair. For 2026, Lange has brought back a watch that had been out of production with a new movement and in a new, smaller size, following suit from last year’s release. Unlike the 1815s, these feature one of the less common complications in the Lange catalog: the annual calendar. The Saxonia Annual Calendar was a very cool watch. It combined its eponymous complication with Lange’s signature outsized date and was powered by a since-retired “Sax-0-Mat” three-quarter-rotor automatic movement. These funky movements were featured in the Langematik watches and represented Lange’s first foray into automatic calibers. In addition to a distinctive look, they featured a hidden complication: zero-reset seconds, meaning that when the crown was pulled out, the seconds hand would jump to zero. In 2011, the Sax-O-Mats began to be replaced by central rotor calibers with up to 72 hours of power reserve, an increase from 46 hours, but the zero-reset seconds disappeared. Though comprising many different calibers, most of Lange’s currently in-production automatics have a central rotor. I am unsure when the previous generation of the Saxonia Annual Calendar went out of pro...