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Results for Swiss vs Japanese Watchmaking

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The 10 Best Gold Chronographs in 2026 Teddy Baldassarre
Feb 24, 2026

The 10 Best Gold Chronographs in 2026

Let's face it: a gold chronograph is not exactly the most subtle style of wristwatch you can sport. Combine the high complication, the complex multi-level dial, and the gleaming precious-metal execution of the case (and, in some instances, also the bracelet), and the result tends to be a prominent, weighty, and expensive timepiece that inevitably attracts attention. Unlike standard, three-handed gold dress watches, gold chronographs are not built to be shy, discreetly hiding their assets beneath a shirt cuff. All the more reason, then, to make sure that if you're bold enough to rock one of these watches, that the face it's presenting to the world is one that inspires awe and admiration. Here are 10 of our favorites from an elite lineup of respected watchmakers.  [toc-section heading="Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding Chronograph"] Price: $95,400, Case Size: 41mm, Case Height: 11mm, Lug Width: 23mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic Audemars Piguet Caliber 4401 Audemars Piguet’s frosted white gold, used here for the 41mm case of a vibrant, blue-dialed chronograph within Audemars Piguet’s flagship Royal Oak collection, is achieved through a process of hammering the gold with a diamond-tipped tool to create tiny indentations - a process that dates back to ancient Florence. The dial’s surface is enhanced with the signature Royal Oak Grand Tapisserie texture and highlighted by contrasting golden-toned subdials at 3, 6,...

The Best Outdoor Watches For Every Budget Teddy Baldassarre
Feb 18, 2026

The Best Outdoor Watches For Every Budget

In the wild and wonderful world of watches, many brands have made pieces geared towards just about every specific sport, adventure, and niche-within-a-niche under the sun. Down below, I’ll be embarking on a journey through the best watches made to brave the great outdoors, spanning from watches that make great light-hiking companions to those that are made to face the most punishing terrain. So there’s a little something for everyone here in this humble guide. I’ll be casting a wide net in terms of price point, ranging from the accessible entry points to the more luxury-leaning end of the spectrum. [toc-section heading="Timex Expedition"] Because I couldn’t choose just one watch from Timex’s collection geared towards outdoorsy folk, I’m going to rapid-fire through the highlights. If I were to pick out one watch for myself, I would probably go with the Expedition Chrono-Alarm Timer. It’s small and discreet, and realistically, I live in New York City, and my adventuring moments are usually quite tame. It’s water resistant 100 meters, I like the convenience of a digital display when I’m out on a leisurely hike upstate, and I like the added alarm and countdown timer functionality. It’s also $87, which is a comfortable price for me to spend on an outdoor watch.  Pivoting to a more classic field watch option, I think the Expedition Camper is a pretty compelling, no-nonsense option. Its monochrome colorpalette is sleek, we got a nice fabric strap in case we w...

Meistersinger Introduces the Archao Worn & Wound
MeisterSinger Feb 17, 2026

Meistersinger Introduces the Archao

The one handed watch is a curious thing. On the face of it, it seems illogical. On a mechanical watch, stripping away a more precise minute hand in favor of a single hour hand negates one of the things enthusiasts covet most: precision. Or, at least, the relative precision. Things like COSC certification and the hard work and ingenuity that go into making mechanical movements become secondary when you pull back sufficiently far from an ability to clock the time to the exact second (indeed, the COSC will not certify any watch without a seconds hand).  But removing that hand is additive, as well. It forces the designer of a watch to think very critically about how that hand is going to tell the time, and the thing that actually defines one handed watches is not so much the fact that they only have a single hand, but the way in which that hand interacts with any timing markers on the dial. There are different approaches, of course. Avant-garde designs might strip out markers altogether, so that a dial’s texture or material can be the singular focus of a piece. This, to me, feels like the most jewelry oriented option possible. Another approach, and the one most often favored by Meistersinger, a brand known primarily for their one handed watches, is to focus like a laser on readability at a glance, designing markers and indices that are large enough and graduated to a degree that makes it relatively easy to get the precise time at a glance. I often think about the time I spe...

Hands-On With The Extravagant Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic Series Fratello
Feb 16, 2026

Hands-On With The Extravagant Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic Series

Sometimes, extravagant timepieces come along and light up my life as a watch writer. You should have seen the look on my face when three Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic models landed on my desk. I knew that they were coming in, but they still surprised me. These extravagant watches display bold Italian design that looks like […] Visit Hands-On With The Extravagant Gagà Laboratorio Labormatic Series to read the full article.

A Technical Perspective – Sellita Introduces The SW200-2 Power+ Family Of Calibres, An Updated Version Of The SW200 Monochrome
Feb 1, 2026

A Technical Perspective – Sellita Introduces The SW200-2 Power+ Family Of Calibres, An Updated Version Of The SW200

Sellita has introduced a new evolution of its most ubiquitous automatic movement: the SW200-2 Power+. This new calibre is designed to sit alongside the well-known and widespread SW200-1 during a transition phase, before progressively replacing it across collections. At first glance, nothing seems to have changed. The SW200-2 Power+ shares the same dimensions, architecture, and […]

Going Yellow: Why I Bought A Doxa Sub 300T Divingstar Fratello
Doxa Sub 300T Divingstar Buying Jan 25, 2026

Going Yellow: Why I Bought A Doxa Sub 300T Divingstar

Buying a watch you already know is a very different experience from buying one you’re curious about. There’s no discovery phase, no anxious waiting for the honeymoon period to either validate or undermine the decision. Instead, it’s quieter, more deliberate. In many ways, that’s exactly how I felt when I purchased my Doxa Sub 300T […] Visit Going Yellow: Why I Bought A Doxa Sub 300T Divingstar to read the full article.

Introducing – Blancpain Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar “Year of the Fire Horse” Monochrome
Blancpain Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar Jan 21, 2026

Introducing – Blancpain Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar “Year of the Fire Horse”

Blancpain unveiled its Villeret Traditional Chinese Calendar in 2012, an extraordinarily complex watch that fuses the traditional lunisolar Chinese system, elements of the Gregorian calendar, and a moon phase. A world first, Blancpain’s masterpiece coincided with the Chinese Year of the Dragon. For 2026, Blancpain returns with a 50-piece limited edition in platinum dedicated to […]

Best Mickey Mouse Watches: History and Highlights Teddy Baldassarre
Dec 22, 2025

Best Mickey Mouse Watches: History and Highlights

Mickey Mouse is one of the world’s most iconic and recognizable characters and the smiling face of Disney Entertainment, whose vast universe of properties today encompasses everything from Cinderella to Spider-Man to Star Wars. The world first discovered Mickey way back in 1928, in the groundbreaking  black-and-white cartoon Steamboat Willie. It was one of the very first cartoon films with synchronized sound and a milestone achievement for Mickey’s co-creator, Walt Disney, who had founded his eponymous animation studio with his brother Roy O. Disney five years earlier, in 1923. Today, that studio is a worldwide force in entertainment and Mickey Mouse’s image can be found on just about every type of merchandise you can imagine - including wristwatches from a surprisingly diverse range of producers and at a wide range of price points. Nearly a century after first appearing on a watch’s dial, Mickey Mouse continues to claim a small but enduringly popular niche in the world of horology. Here is a brief overview of Mickey Mouse watches from the 1930s to Disney’s centennial year of 2023. [toc-section heading="Ingersoll-Waterbury and the First Mickey Mouse Watch"]   Photo Credit: Secondhand Horology Mickey’s instant popularity with audiences was such that it was only five years after his debut that the character found himself on the dial of a wristwatch. The circumstances behind the creation of the first Mickey Mouse watch, produced by the American watchmaker Inge...

The Watch Lord Nelson Left Behind SJX Watches
Hamilton their daughter Horatia Dec 17, 2025

The Watch Lord Nelson Left Behind

When Sotheby’s closed its Fine Watches online auction in London on December 17, the Victory Watch made by James McCabe and presented to Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson by the officers of HMS Victory sold for £152,400, fees included; below the low estimate. The price was unexpected for an object with an unusually intimate Nelson provenance: a gift from his officers that belongs to Nelson’s last weeks on land, before his victory and death at the Battle of Trafalgar, and to the choice he made to keep the watch at home. The Victory. Image – Sothebys (Turner, the battle of Trafalgar) Wikipedia Understanding the Victory The case bears the presentation inscription, “Pres. to Adml. Lord Nelson By the Officers of HMS Victory Aug 20 1805”. That date sits in the hinge of his final summer. Nelson had returned to England after a long, grinding command, and the country treated him as a national hero. He slipped away to Merton Place in Surrey to live, briefly, in the domestic scene he valued: a house shaped around his wife, Emma Hamilton, their daughter Horatia, and the familiar ritual of guests, dinners, and the small civilities of being ashore. The officers who commissioned the watch gave it to the man they knew at sea, and to the man they sensed existed elsewhere; the man who also wanted beauty, music, and calm within reach. Within a fortnight the strategic situation tightened. News that the French and Spanish fleets had combined at Cádiz brought recall. On September 14, 1805,...

Precious Pocket Watches at Sotheby’s, Including a US$7.7 Million AP SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet dubbed “Grosse Pièce” Dec 8, 2025

Precious Pocket Watches at Sotheby’s, Including a US$7.7 Million AP

Pocket watches were the main driver of value at Sotheby’s New York auction that just concluded today. The four most valuable lots of the sale were three pocket watches and one clock, totalling over US$16 million with fees. Notably, all four were accrued by the late Robert M. Olmsted over more than six decades, along with numerous other pocket watches in the sale. In all the Olmsted Collection brought over US$20 million, underling the late Olmsted’s discerning eye. The top lot was the most complicated watch ever made by Audemars Piguet, dubbed “Grosse Pièce” for its size. The oversized watch set a record for the brand, selling for just over US$7.7 million including fees. It seemed a rising tide lifted all boats as many other pocket watches in the sale, including those from brands with little cachet today, blew past their high estimates. The big results included a 1930s school watch with a flying tourbillon by German watchmaker Heinz Eberhard that sold for US$355,600 and an oversized tourbillon clockwatch by Charles Frodsham that sold for US$1.12 million. Interestingly, many of these pocket watches went to the same paddle. Patek Philippe The “Grosse Pièce” wasn’t the first timepiece in the sale to clear seven figures. That distinction went to lot 32, a previously unknown Patek Philippe paperweight desk clock made for Thomas Emery, which sold for US$2.73 million. It is one of only three known Patek Philippe desk clocks of this type, with the other two – made...

First Look – The New Zenith Defy Extreme Chroma Editions Monochrome
Zenith Defy Extreme Chroma Editions Dec 2, 2025

First Look – The New Zenith Defy Extreme Chroma Editions

Zenith continues to evolve its high-frequency El Primero chronograph platform with two new references that combine the brand’s core technical identity with a sharper, more architectural use of colour. The Defy Extreme Chroma Limited Editions mark the next phase of the Chroma concept, introduced in 2022 with the Defy 21 Chroma and followed by the […]

Insight: Shaping the Rolex Identity with a Century of Strategic Positioning SJX Watches
Rolex Identity Dec 2, 2025

Insight: Shaping the Rolex Identity with a Century of Strategic Positioning

The marketing history of Rolex shows a brand building its public face step by step through symbols, carefully chosen moments, and tightly controlled messages. From its beginnings in 1905, Rolex shaped a clear, recognisable image, with a strong emphasis on visibility, control and consistency. The company spent real effort defining what the name Rolex should evoke and how that image would appear in print, in shop windows and on people’s wrists. Where many watchmakers leaned on language around heritage and handcraft, Rolex developed a communication style rooted in achievement, trust and broad recognition. The brand favoured association: with pilots, swimmers, climbers, tennis players, orchestras, laboratories and prize-giving institutions. Sponsorships, endorsements and even model names formed a linked pattern, presenting the Rolex watch as the natural companion of records, frontiers and public success. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder, treated promotion and product as parts of the same task. He saw that a claim about performance gained weight when tied to a visible test or public event, and that reputation could grow through displays of endurance, accuracy and elegance under pressure. The waterproof Oyster case, observatory trials, Channel swims, aviation flights and Himalayan expeditions all served as stages on which the watch and the story moved together. Across the decades this approach produced one of the most coherent brand stories in modern watchmaking. Through long-standi...

News – The 6th and Last Konstantin Chaykin White Rabbit Watch to be Auctioned by Ineichen Monochrome
Konstantin Chaykin Nov 20, 2025

News – The 6th and Last Konstantin Chaykin White Rabbit Watch to be Auctioned by Ineichen

Announced in 2023, the Konstantin Chaykin White Rabbit Watch is an exceptional complication watch inspired by the enchanting world of Alice in Wonderland. Featuring no fewer than 16 complications, it takes the form of a reversible, transformable case (pocket watch to wristwatch and vice versa). This complicated and poetic “wristmon” was released in a limited […]

First Look – The New H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Moon Concept Meteorite Monochrome
H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Nov 20, 2025

First Look – The New H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Moon Concept Meteorite

With its streamlined case, flexible integrated bracelet and sensual contours, H. Moser & Cie.’s sleek Streamliner luxury sports watch continues its journey onwards, and in this case upwards, with no signs of losing steam. Coinciding with Dubai Watch Week 2025, Moser unveils the new Streamliner Perpetual Moon Concept Meteorite, a hyper-accurate moon phase complication framed […]

Did Tudor Read Our Minds? The Ranger is Now Available in a 36mm Size (With a New Dial Color) Worn & Wound
Tudor Read Our Minds? Nov 19, 2025

Did Tudor Read Our Minds? The Ranger is Now Available in a 36mm Size (With a New Dial Color)

Tudor just released a watch that fans have been clamoring for and perhaps manifesting since at least 2022. That’s the year Tudor released a new 39mm Ranger to a great deal of fanfare and also a great deal of “Well, this would be even better if it was just a little smaller.” To be fair, that 39mm Ranger was perceived by most as an improvement over the 41mm Ranger, introduced in 2014 during an era when the enthusiast voice demanding vintage inspired watches match actual vintage proportions was much quieter. Now, with a new Ranger in 36mm, it feels like it’s finally back to the correct size.  What’s more, Tudor has taken this as an opportunity to release the Ranger in a new dial color. The “Dune” colorway is a really appealing, creamy off-white with contrasting black indices and Arabic numerals. The hands match the color of the dial but have been given a black outline to improve legibility, which looks great. The key difference between the black dial (also available in a 36mm size and unchanged in layout from the larger version) is that the Dune dial does not have lumed numerals, but small lume plots next to each numeral.  The case, of course, is smaller, but the general design and proportions do not appear to have changed. It’s dominated by a brushed finish which bolsters the tool watch roots of the Ranger, and has a water resistance rating of 100 meters. The Ranger runs on the COSC certified MT5400 automatic movement, which has 70 hours of power reserve on...

GPHG 2025: The Aftermath - LVMH Is A Big Winner, But Breguet Takes Home The “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix Fratello
Breguet Takes Home Nov 15, 2025

GPHG 2025: The Aftermath - LVMH Is A Big Winner, But Breguet Takes Home The “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix

Nothing is as disputed as an award ceremony. The outcome of an opinion will always face another opinion, and people will have opinions on the ceremony itself. You know what they say about people and opinions, so I won’t elaborate on that. What I will elaborate on are some of the winners of the GPHG […] Visit GPHG 2025: The Aftermath - LVMH Is A Big Winner, But Breguet Takes Home The “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix to read the full article.

The Wild Watches of German Polosin SJX Watches
Nov 14, 2025

The Wild Watches of German Polosin

The Kopf watch is the brainchild of German Polosin, a self-taught independent watchmaker who left Moscow for Bristol, England, where he runs Horological Underground. Conceived in 2016 and still in (limited) production today, the Kopf watch embodies the belief that a watch should be a form of mechanical sculpture. Its design feels more cybernetic than classical, combining an anthropomorphic ‘face’ with a hinged, jaw-like crown guard, hammered metal surfaces, and tritium-lit eyes. While the Kopf’s aesthetic recalls science-fiction icons like The Iron Giant or Futurama’s Bender, its construction reflects a deeply traditional craft ethos. In terms of style, German Polosin is far removed from the biker or heavy metal aesthetics one might expect from the creator of the Kopf watch. Initial thoughts It’s been more than six years since I first saw the Kopf while visiting German Polosin, the Russian [now English] independent watchmaker, who was still working in Moscow at the time. I was impressed that from the outset, the concept behind the Kopf watch was to express the art of metalworking. In this respect, he shares similarities with another independent watchmaker, the Finn Stepan Sarpaneva, who drew inspiration from biker subculture for his own creations. Mr. Polosin conceives watches as mechanical sculptures, with their shape and finish reflecting their functionality: “I would love to see it finished like… a Beretta or a Desert Eagle.” Kopf watch – the aesthetic...

In His Own Words: François-Paul Journe on the Clock That Started It All SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Museum François-Paul was determined Nov 4, 2025

In His Own Words: François-Paul Journe on the Clock That Started It All

Exactly one auction season ago, the Breguet Sympathique no. 1 made by François-Paul Journe became the most expensive timepiece sold in 2025, though the upcoming sales include other F.P. Journe creations that might give the Sympathique a run for its money. Inspired by Abraham-Louis Breguet’s greatest invention, the Sympathique no. 1 sold in May 2025 at Phillips in Geneva for CHF5.51 million including fees, at the time equivalent to US$6.61 million, to none other than François-Paul Journe. The price was just shy of the US$6.8 million that the Duc d’Orleans Sympathique sold for in 2012 – the buyer of that was the Patek Philippe Museum. François-Paul was determined to have Breguet Sympathique no. 1 for his upcoming F.P. Journe museum that is slated to open in 2026. Despite bearing another name on the dial, the clock will take pride of place in the museum, underlining its importance to the history of F.P. Journe. The tale of F.P. Journe as a brand is naturally inseparable from the eponymous watchmaker. Like his inspiration, Abraham-Louis Breguet, François-Paul Journe is more than a watchmaker, he is an entrepreneur who has built a brand, a legacy, and more than likely, a place in history. From the very beginning, decades ago as a young watchmaker in Paris, François-Paul Journe already possessed the vision that has now come to pass. Inextricably intertwined with that vision and the story of François-Paul Journe is Breguet Sympathique no. 1, for its origins encapsulat...

SJX Podcast: The Titanium Episode SJX Watches
Cartier Santos Oct 20, 2025

SJX Podcast: The Titanium Episode

On Episode 15 of the SJX Podcast, Brandon shares insights picked up at Citizen’s Super Titanium event in Paris, where he had the opportunity to speak with the brand’s materials engineer. Still on the theme of titanium, SJX shares his views on the new Cartier Santos in the lightweight metal, and the different strategies of these brands which are playing to their respective strengths. Another big story from this week is the launch of the new Petermann Bédat Reference 1825. Though it’s not made of titanium, it’s a strong third act (and a hint of what’s next) for the brand. Is there still white space in the market for highly finished time-only watches? Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.  

Introducing – The New Breguet Reine de Naples 9935 & 8925 for the Brand’s 250th Anniversary Monochrome
Breguet Reine de Naples 9935 Oct 16, 2025

Introducing – The New Breguet Reine de Naples 9935 & 8925 for the Brand’s 250th Anniversary

Celebrating its grand 250th anniversary, Breguet turns its attention to the Reine de Naples, a women’s collection with a royal backstory and a distinctive oval-shaped case. Fit for a queen, the new moon phase reference 9935 and the time-only 8925 are packed with novelties, a new gold bracelet and a generous sprinkling of diamonds. As […]

Blancpain Facelifts the Villeret Quantieme Complet 6654 SJX Watches
Blancpain Facelifts Oct 15, 2025

Blancpain Facelifts the Villeret Quantieme Complet 6654

As the first complication launched by the revived Blancpain in 1983, the triple calendar with moon phase is arguably the brand’s signature. Now Blancpain has reveal the latest generation of the model, the Villeret Quantième Complet Phases de Lune. The new version is primarily a cosmetic facelift, which includes a blue ceramic moon phase disc, but it builds on solid foundations. The model retains the innovative and patented under-lug correctors for the calendar that make for easier setting and a clean case outline. The new Villeret Villeret Quantième Complet Phases de Lune (centre) is being launched alongside the the Quantième Phases de Lune, a 33.2 mm model for ladies (left), and Extraplate, the time-and-date base model (right), both of which have been similarly facelifted. Initial thoughts The triple calendar is a simple complication, but functions and aesthetically pleasing in the traditional layout that Blancpain employs. Though it is widely found across brands, Blancpain probably offers the most advanced triple calendar watches on the market thanks to its sophisticated movements. And Blancpain manages to do so at a reasonably competitive price relative to its peers. At a distance, the facelifted models look pretty much identical to the earlier generation – a good thing if you like the look, but the classical style might look dated to some. I find the aesthetic appealing, especially with details like the serpentine date hand and recessed dates scale. The facelift...

Hands-On With The Ultra-Slim Christopher Ward Twelve 660 Fratello
Christopher Ward Twelve 660 Christopher Ward Oct 8, 2025

Hands-On With The Ultra-Slim Christopher Ward Twelve 660

Christopher Ward is not scared to go against the grain with its new releases. It has become a big part of its success. The brand seemingly slapped purists in the face with a manual-winding integrated-bracelet sports watch not too long ago. In itself, that’s nothing spectacular. However, if you are a Gérald Genta devotee, you […] Visit Hands-On With The Ultra-Slim Christopher Ward Twelve 660 to read the full article.

SJX Podcast: Quest of Time SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin just unveiled Oct 1, 2025

SJX Podcast: Quest of Time

On episode 11 of the SJX Podcast, SJX and Brandon Moore discuss the monumental La Quête Du Temps astronomical clock that Vacheron Constantin just unveiled in Paris alongside the companion Quest of Time wristwatch. We also tackle Tudor’s first moon phase complication and what it means for the brand’s collection of dress watches. SJX also shares his views on the news that Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour will be giving the keynote at Dubai Watch Week, a move that’s largely unprecedented for the industry’s most impenetrable brand. We also chat about the other big news in the world of watch fairs, Audemars Piguet’s return to Watches & Wonders in 2026. Last but not least, we discuss what Girard-Perregaux’s new movement platform might reveal about the future of the brand. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.