44,295 articles · 123 videos found · page 159 of 1481
Monochrome
Hajime Asaoka, the celebrated Japanese master watchmaker, is renowned for his bespoke, high-end handmade watches. Aware that his pieces are beyond the reach of most mortals, Asaoka created Kurono Tokyo, a small independent brand that offers more accessible watches with Seiko or Miyota movements, imbued with a strong Japanese spirit. However, Kurono’s success means its […]
Monochrome
With its motto of never producing quartz watches, its manufacturing capabilities and its rich heritage in dive watches, Blancpain is often spontaneously associated with technical, masculine watchmaking. But this overlooks an important chapter in the brand’s history. In the middle of the 20th century, its development was driven by Betty Fiechter, a remarkable figure at […]
Fratello
In a recent discussion I had with someone about Christopher Ward, the question of why the brand doesn’t have any mechanical chronographs in its collection came up. This stands out, as watch enthusiasts tend to love such pieces. But the English brand now has a new series of mechanical chronographs for the enthusiasts. The C63 […] Visit Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph to read the full article.
Fratello
Grand Seiko has just added the limited-edition SBGW325 to its Elegance Collection, paying tribute to the SBGW003 from 2001. That model was the first Grand Seiko to feature a manually wound 9S mechanical movement, the Caliber 9S54. The new watch revisits one of its most distinctive details, the blocky Arabic numerals, while introducing a deep […] Visit Hot Take: Grand Seiko Introduces The SBGW325 to read the full article.
Monochrome
Founded in 2010 by industrial designer Benoît Mintiens, indie brand Ressence stands out from the crowd with its original and contemporary way of displaying time. Like planets orbiting the Sun, time circles around the dial thanks to the brand’s patented Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS). For the brand’s latest Art Watch, Ressence has teamed up […]
SJX Watches
Grand Seiko is marking 25 years of its hand-wind 9S movement with the Elegance Collection SBGW325, a throwback to one of the earliest Grand Seiko limited edition models. The SBGW325 is modelled on the SBGW003, a 2001 limited edition that debuted the first-ever manual-wind 9S movement. Today’s SBGW325 is equipped with the latest generation of the same movement family, the 9S64, while reviving the distinctive dial design sporting raised Arabic numerals. Initial thoughts Grand Seiko rolls out limited edition on a regular basis, so the various editions tend to blend into each other. The SBGW325 manages to stand out because the dial design is distinctive; Grand Seiko has no employed this design on another model aside from the original of 2001. For that reason alone this would be one of the most appealing Grand Seiko limited editions in recent memory. But it’s not just the styling. Although the design is unique in today’s catalogue, the SBGW325 is relatively no frills in terms of movement and materials. The case is compact and steel, while the movement is the time-only 9S64, which makes this quite affordable, further adding to its appeal. Arabic numerals The original SBGW003 combined a cream dial with raised gold Arabic numerals and blued steel hands, resulting in an unusual look for Grand Seiko even today. The new SBGW325 preserves the design but iterates on the colours: the dial is matte blue with raised silver numerals, while the “GS” emblem and seconds hand are gil...
Monochrome
Some watches have shaped the perception we have of a brand in a striking way. At Grand Seiko, if we look at more recent times, the Spring Drive Snowflake SBGA211 is one of these watches. Some, however, did this in a far more discreet way, but nevertheless helped write the story. You can think of […]
Worn & Wound
The watch industry, as we know, never misses an opportunity to celebrate a milestone. This week marks 50 years of Gerald Genta’s Ingenieur, a watch that has existed in a variety of forms over the years, but was relaunched a few years ago in a widely celebrated new guise that feels almost spiritually connected to the original. The new limited editions released this week by IWC are available in both the standard 40mm size and the newer, more compact 35mm case, both with dials that play up the design’s inherent starkness. The Ingenieur’s dial is most commonly associated with a distinctive grid pattern, but these LEs depart from that playbook for a dial that feels very metallic with vertical brushing and silver plating. It’s a reference, according to IWC, to an obscure Ingenieur reference from the original launch in 1976. I’m struck by how simple and muted this dial is for a limited edition. We’ve been trained, I think, to think that special releases and limited editions should be louder than this, and recontextualize a watch into something that couldn’t exist in the main collection. This dial execution is about as simple as it gets, and while it presents quite differently than the mainline Ingenieurs with patterned dials, it wouldn’t be a challenge at all to imagine this watch as a permanent part of the IWC collection. It’s a clear play to history, which of course is fitting and expected for a 50th anniversary watch. It’s nice but maybe not particularl...
Worn & Wound
The Swedish brand E.C. Andersson is one of my favorite “IYKYK” watchmakers. They had a modest hit a few years ago with their Mytilus, at least among a very specific type of watch collector who was ahead of the curve on the current trend for industrially finishished, retro-futuristic designs in odd case shapes that are having a moment right now (see: Otsuka Lotec and others). What makes E.C. Andersson compelling to me though is not just their aesthetic and design language, which is certainly very interesting, but their business model, and what they actually do as a brand. They are, essentially, a machine shop, fabricating cases and other components from their own designs, and selling watches off a reservation system. Interested parties add their names to a list, and when a watch is available, you get an email letting you know your watch is ready. Their new watch, introduced this week, is called the Timepod, and like the Mytilus before it, the case (and crystal integration) set the design apart and make it unique. The quirkiest thing about the Timepod is the lug release system, which allows the user to detach the wire lugs via the push of a button on the caseband. The lugs simply pop out of the square shaped case and (presumably) reattach easily by hand. E.C. Andersson says the system is specifically designed to inhibit debris from entering the case while still allowing ease of access to the movement and other components in the event a service is needed. Is this lug ...
Monochrome
With the Projekt 01 Variant H, Kollokium puts an end to its first chapter, the watch that marked the independent platform’s debut. Since its introduction in 2023, the Projekt 01 has been offered in several iterations, with different materials and colours. Variant H returns to the black-dial aesthetic of the earliest editions, with the more […]
Monochrome
Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog is one of those works that has become part of popular culture, taking the form of a balloon animal and turning something quite temporary and playful into a permanent, almost monumental object. Hublot‘s new collaboration transforms the normally sleek Classic Fusion into a watch that, like the balloon dog, looks inflated: […]
Fratello
Today, Louis Moinet continues its fascination with the cosmos. The brand’s latest creation, the Moon Meteor, is a limited edition of just 12 pieces that turns the dial into a miniature cosmic scene. Hand-painted nebulae, real meteorite fragments, and a precise astronomical moonphase display come together under a domed sapphire crystal in a lightweight Grade […] Visit Illuminating The Cosmos: The Louis Moinet Moon Meteor to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Hublot is no stranger to opening its doors to outside creativity, with some of its most memorable (and often infamous) releases of the past few years in collaborations with artists and designers—Takashi Murakami, Daniel Arsham, and Samuel Ross, to name a few. Late last week, the brand dropped the news that the next big name in line for a collaboration would be the contemporary American artist Jeff Koons, most widely known for his series of bright, shiny balloon dog sculptures in a whole range of colors. Image courtesy of Hublot Balloon Dog (Orange) - Image courtesy of Christie's Rabbit - Image courtesy of Christie's Koons' name has reached a certain level of infamy and popularity alike in the art world, as the world's most expensive living artist today. His Balloon Dog (Orange) piece hammered at Christie's in 2013 for a whopping $58.4 million dollars, breaking auction records for an artwork by a living artist. Then, in 2019, his 1986 Rabbit piece shattered that result, selling for more than $91 million and taking the title. To this day, both pieces remain among the top ten most expensive artworks by living artists. Naturally, Koons faces criticism from critics and the wider public, from the overt commercialism and kitchiness of the art to the factory-style production methods he employs. Regardless, it's impossible to deny how iconic and recognizable the Balloon Dog series is worldwide. With that iconic look and a touch of infamy, the Balloon Dog feels like the perfect su...
Monochrome
It looks like Charlie Paris has been updating its catalogue one collection at a time. It was only recently that it refreshed the Alliance line-up with new sapphire-dial models, and now the French brand takes up the Concordia. This collection in the past has delivered the blacked-out Concordia Automatic Kraken, as well as the original Concordia […]
Fratello
About two weeks ago, during Geneva Watch Days, I visited the Singer atelier in Geneva. It’s a beautiful place, slightly hidden on a street near the lake, where Singer Reimagined works on its watches. There, I got a first glimpse of what the brand introduced today — the Singer Reimagined 1970 DualTrack. The Singer Reimagined […] Visit Singer Reimagined Keeps The GMT Hits Coming With The 1970 DualTrack to read the full article.
Monochrome
While Glashütte Original‘s Seventies collection has become associated with its bold, square-shaped chronographs, the German manufacture also once offered Seventies Panaroma Date models without the chronograph function. Revisiting the decade with a substantially reworked watch, the brand returns to that time-and-date simplicity and presents the new 70s collection of integrated sports watches, alongside the existing […]
Fratello
The rubber-clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch is a montre à tact, but not as you know it. The original tactile watch was invented by Breguet in 1799. It was a pocket watch featuring a hand that could be touched, allowing one to read/feel the time. You can touch the new Big Bang all […] Visit Do You Have a Soft Spot For The Rubber-Clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch? to read the full article.
Monochrome
Independent watchmaking has attracted designers from outside traditional horology before. Still, few have arrived with such a clearly defined architectural vision as Neode (from neod, an Old English word meaning desire and earnest endeavour). Architect Marius-Daniel Dumitrascu founded Neode, stepping away from architecture to devote himself entirely to developing the timepieces. Driven by a desire […]
SJX Watches
Rolex expands its complicated offerings with the unexpected Perpetual Padellone, a vintage-inspired, instantaneous annual calendar named after the ref. 8171, a saucepan-shaped triple calendar from Rolex’s past. Despite the padellone nickname, first coined by Italian collectors, the Perpetual Padellone is a very different watch from its namesake. It is a modern Rolex through and through, with the quality and functions expected of a modern Rolex. The mechanics are latest generation, with aesthetic choices give the watch a contemporary look, putting the Perpetual Padellone at the intersection between vintage collectors and the wider public. Initial Thoughts Rolex is a forward-looking brand, which explains why this Padellone goes without the namesake sauce pan-esque case, and employs a base movement at the frontier of mechanical timekeeping. The Padellone of today is naturally a far better watch than the ref. 8171 “Padellone” of the 1950s. It is modern and it is a Rolex, which means essentially perfect quality. A very well-preserved 8171 in steel But it is more than just a triple calendar built to Rolex standards. The new Padellone contains an incredible base movement shared with the Land-Dweller, a new calendar that changes instantaneously around midnight and can handle both 30- and 31-day months on its own, and a moon phase that will err by a day in 122 years. Then, there are also the dramatic upgrades to finishing – both outside and in – and build quality, especia...
Fratello
Without a doubt, one of the most talked-about recent releases is the Formex Aria Manufacture Chronometer, or simply Aria, as most people will refer to it. After I wrote the introductory article based on the press info, I was curious to learn more. While the design didn’t necessarily make me swoon, I know Formex well […] Visit The Formex Aria Proves The Phrase “Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It” to read the full article.
SJX Watches
IWC’s magnetism-resistant Ingenieur SL is now 50 years old so the brand is marking the occasion with the Ingenieur Automatic 50th Anniversary, a pair of limited editions that unsurprisingly take inspiration from a historical model. In 40 mm and 35 mm respectively, the two editions share the same brushed silver dial. The two are otherwise identical to the regular production versions, which means a sharply executed case and bracelet, but an industrial movement that doesn’t live up to the price. Initial thoughts Today’s Ingenieur is a derivative design, being based on Gerald Genta’s original of the 1970s (which explains the resemblance to the Royal Oak et al). But it is still a good looking watch, with a case and bracelet that are tangibly well done. The 50th anniversary edition isn’t creative by any stretch of the imagination, but still appealing in look and feel. But at launch in 2023 the Ingenieur was already pricey, especially considering the industrial, cost-effective ValFleurier movement. Still, the price then was forgivable given the wider landscape and integrated-bracelet-sports-watch fad. Now the larger, 40 mm version is US$15,000, which is pricey and difficult to rationalise. The 40 mm and 35 mm, both of use employ different but equally industrial calibres SL reborn The anniversary editions are based on the standard 40 mm and 35 mm models respectively. The two are essentially identical in design and quality; both contain different but comparable movements....
Worn & Wound
Big news from Rolex today as the brand has released a complicated dress watch, their first in recent memory. The Perpetual Padellon is an instantaneous annual calendar with a moonphase complication and sits within the 1908 collection, which launched three years ago. This new watch appears to be a very explicit and direct homage to one of the brand’s most revered vintage references, the 8171 “Padellone”. It shares more than a few visual characteristics with that piece, and of course the name of the new watch is lifted straight from the nickname given to the vintage piece by collectors and dealers. The Perpetual Padellone is available in 18k Everose gold and 950 platinum, and measures 39mm in diameter, 12.2mm tall, and 45.1mm from lug to lug. It’s worth noting that the original 8171 was a fairly large watch for its day, measuring 38mm in diameter, so the new reference comes surprisingly close to being right on the money in terms of sizing if we’re comparing it to the vintage watch. The biggest difference between the 8171 and the Perpetual Padellone is likely mechanical. The 8171 was not a true annual or perpetual calendar, but a “simple” triple calendar, which was quite common in the 1950s. Each indicator simply advanced in sequence and not in relation to any other, which means a correction is going to be necessary virtually every month. The Perpetual Padellone is a true annual calendar and only needs to be corrected once per year. The case, whether plati...
Fratello
Rolex has added a rather unexpected complication to its Perpetual collection with the new Perpetual Padellone. Taking its name from the vintage reference 8171, the watch combines a 39mm case with an annual calendar and a moonphase display. At first glance, it is perhaps the dial that grabs your attention, particularly the blue enamel moonphase […] Visit Hot Take: Rolex’s Perpetual Padellone Annual Calendar Takes A Nod From The Past to read the full article.
Time+Tide
The Squale Galeazzi Artiglio combines 1960s skin-diver style, 600m water resistance and a cool Wet Indicator in a 500-piece limited edition.
Time+Tide
The new Rolex Perpetual Padellone revives a legendary complete calendar with a 39mm case, moonphase display and all-new 5Hz calibre 7190.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The new Benrus Type 3X rethinks the brand’s military watch formula with titanium, composite carbon, GMT functionality, and a bold green execution.
Monochrome
It is not often that Rolex introduces a new watch outside of the industry’s main exhibition, Watches and Wonders (or Baselworld before it). In fact, in recent years, it has only happened on very rare occasions, such as the release of the Daytona Le Mans, the record-breaking Deepsea Challenge in titanium or the Deepsea D-Blue […]
Teddy Baldassarre Videos
We debut the Rolex Perpetual Padellone, the latest brand new release from Rolex that digs deep into the brand's history.
![Introducing: The Rolex Perpetual Padellone [Hands-On, Live Pics, Technical Brief, Competition, & Personal Thoughts]](https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/2480c45f-6114-4c76-ab81-106e31ebbecd/Rolex-Perpetual-Padellone-2026-1-2.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&fm=jpg&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&w=2000)
Hodinkee
It's a watch that has been long-awaited: Rolex has just announced the new Perpetual Padellone—a very classic and technically impressive instantaneous annual calendar with moonphase. The new release comes three years after the launch of the 1908, which replaced the discontinued Cellini collection and introduced the Perpetual line. Now, that new collection goes in a more complicated direction. James Stacey is in Milan for the launch—and even got to see the watch in advance—so read on for a section later in this article featuring his hands-on impressions. The new 2026 Rolex Perpetual Padellone. Let's start with a piece of fun trivia. This is the first Rolex model—to my knowledge—to take its *actual* name from a nickname given by collectors to its historical predecessor. The ref. 8171—which Rolex explicitly cites as the inspiration for the new watch—was nicknamed the Padellone, Italian for "large frying pan," for its wide 38mm flat case and slightly domed dial. So it's appropriate that Rolex would return to Milan—arguably the birthplace of vintage watch collecting—to launch a watch that will likely make a lot of vintage lovers happy. A vintage Rolex ref. 8171 "Padellone." Even if you don't know the history of vintage Rolex or the 8171—which we'll cover in a minute—a new watch from Rolex (especially one launched off-cycle, so to speak, outside Watches & Wonders) is always a big deal. The only recent similar release was the surprise launch of the white go...
Monochrome
A true child of its time, Chopard’s 1976 Happy Diamonds watch captured the spirit of the decade, a period marked by rebellion against rigid traditions, the rise of disco culture and a shift towards ready-to-wear luxury. Breaking away from traditional static diamond settings, Chopard’s Happy Diamonds were liberated from metal claws and allowed to spin […]
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