Results for Microbrand Watches

Vintage Watches: A Look At Gérald Genta’s 'Postmodern' Period

How the legendary designer redefined taste under his own brand name.

Trends: Not All Watches are Created Equal - Reprise

Trends rule a larger part of our lives than many of us wish to admit. Sometimes we follow trends consciously, but often we are subconsciously influenced in the choices we make. All brands perform a delicate tightrope walk, but they differ in how successful they are. Martin Green takes a look at how trends affect or don't affect now-iconic timepieces.

Are small dive watches the next big thing?

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...

Hands-On: The New Baltic Hermétique Tourer Is A Late Entry For One Of The Year's Best Affordable Watches

Baltic's newest watch kicks off a new line from the brand and does it with a bang.

Grail Watches: The Holy Trinity (Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin) - And What is a ‘Grail Watch’ Anyway? - Reprise

“The Holy Trinity,” as any watch nerd knows, refers to the triumvirate of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin. Colin Smith takes a look at what we mean – or think we mean - when we describe PP, AP, and VC as the “Holy Trinity” of watchmaking and when we describe a timepiece as our “grail watch.”

Introducing: Louis Vuitton Watches Teams Up With Rexhep Rexhepi For The LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie (Live Pics & Price)

A world's first chiming chronograph from Akrivia kicks off a quintet of limited edition collaborations for Louis Vuitton.

Auctions: Sotheby's Watches Announces Its 'Most Historically Important Pairing Ever' With George Daniels And Roger Smith Watches This Fall

It's the last of Daniels' Millennium series – double signed – and the very first in the Co-Axial Anniversary series by Smith for Daniels, representing the best of British watchmaking.

The Most Expensive G-Shock Watches

Since its introduction in 1983, the Casio G-Shock has been a game-changer, both for its parent company and for the wristwatch industry in general. The brainchild of Casio engineer Kikuo Abe, who designed it to be “toughest watch of all time” after the traumatic experience of having a vintage pocket watch from his grandfather destroyed in a fall to the ground, the first G-Shock pioneered the “Triple 10” concept that is at the core of the models to this day - 10-bar (100-meter) water resistance, 10-meter impact resistance, and 10-year battery life. It was a watch that was unapologetically big, tough, and utilitarian, and yet those who embraced it found it irresistibly stylish as well. Today, the G-Shock has not only become the undisputed flagship of Casio’s watch portfolio; it has become a sub-brand of its own, encompassing watches with a seemingly infinite array of styles, sizes, and colorways and an endlessly evolving level of avant-garde technology at their heart. The vast majority of G-Shocks, like the very first models from the 1980s, are still very affordable to almost any prospective buyer (hence their ubiquity on the wrists of cops, soldiers, and other modestly paid professionals for whom a rugged, multifunctional timepiece is essential), but several models over the years have pushed aggressively into a more luxurious echelon, in terms of both materials and price - particularly in the collection’s MR-G and MT-G subfamilies. The most expensive G-Shocks...

Buying Watches in an Age of Hubris: One Collector’s Search for the Truth - Reprise

A friend called Michael Friedberg recently, thrilled that he had just bought a rare 50th anniversary watch at a local boutique. Michael shared his joy and asked him how he acquired it – which led him down a rabbit hole of boutique madness. Here he shares his frustrating experiences trying to buy a luxury watch today.

Seiko Launches Three US Exclusive Dive Watches Inspired by Cold Water American Diving Locales

The SPB line in Seiko’s Prospex collection needs no introduction, and to many it represents old-school Seiko excellence: historic design with modern specs at reasonable prices. In particular, the SPB143, 145, and 147 are especially beloved thanks to their wearability and 62MAS lineage. Seiko is now introducing three new U.S. Special Edition models based on that reference, each corresponding to a cold-water American diving locale. The SPB419 makes the biggest statement of the three, and its striking gradient dial is intended to invoke the northern Great Lakes’ blue ice, notably in Michigan. A rare natural phenomenon, this blue ice is achieved when sustained temperatures allow water to freeze and thicken over long periods of time. When light then hits the ice, the red part of the light (i.e. longer wavelengths) are absorbed while shorter blue wavelengths are transmitted. This seldom seen sight is truly something to behold, and Seiko captures its essence here. The SPB421 and SPB423 take us from the Lakes to Alaska where we meet a different type of icy structure: glacial moulins. Also known as mills, moulins are well-like structures that form from weaknesses in the ice and can sometimes reach hundreds of meters to the bottom of the glacier. The SPB421’s dark blue dial with a subtle gradation captures the ice’s color at depth – you know, in case you haven’t seen it yourself, while the 423’s dial is meant to evoke the light gray tones of glacial ice as a whole. Al...

Vintage Watches: Freddie Mercury's Seiko, '90s Breguet, And Have High-End Indies Gone Too High?

From neo-vintage Breguet to Abercrombie and Roger Smith, we whip around the latest watch auctions as the falls season heats up.

The Tudor Pelagos FXD In Black Pays Tribute To U.S. Navy-Issued Watches

Tudor introduces a new black dial version of their mil-spec Tudor Pelagos FXD. Check out pricing, photos, model history, and more.

Stolen Watches: The F1 Drivers Who Fought Back

Tissot PRX Watches: The Ultimate Guide to the Collection

The Tissot PRX collection is one of the Swiss brand’s major success stories of the past decade despite its relatively recent introduction to the market. Engaging the 21st-Century watch aficionado zeitgeist with its crowd-pleasing combination of classical sport-luxury design, intriguing colorways, and accessible price points, the Tissot PRX has grown from a handful of models to become a modern pillar of the 170-year-old brand’s sprawling and diverse portfolio. Here’s a rundown of the Tissot PRX collection, with a spotlight on several of its most noteworthy models.  The Original: 1978 The original Tissot PRX debuted in 1978, and like many watches from that era, it was powered by a quartz movement. The watch was distinguished by its flat, barrel-shaped, multi-faceted case, which integrated smoothly into a flexible, articulated steel bracelet; it took its three-initial model name from its attributes: the “P” and “R” stand for “precise” and “robust,”respectively, and the “X” is actually a Roman numeral “10” depicting the model’s 10 atmospheres (aka 100 meters) of water resistance. The overall aesthetic was one that today’s watch historians will readily recognize, hearkening back to the groundbreaking design of a much pricier watch that had debuted several years earlier, in 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The latter had, in fact, exerted influence on a number of so-called “sport-luxury” timepieces that debuted in the Decade of Disco,...

Flieger Watches: A Brief History and 14 Modern Fliegers from Entry-Lev

“Flieger” is the German word for “flier” - contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, it’s not the direct translation of “pilot” (that would actually be “pilot”) - and if you’re a traveler visiting Germany, it’s a helpful word to know, as it helps to understand other related terms: German airlines call their flights “flugs” and Germany calls its airports “flughafens.” Flieger is also the term that’s been widely adopted as shorthand for a specific style of pilot’s watch - one that traces its origins to World War II and which is still popular among an avid group of watch enthusiasts today. Flieger watches trace their origins to a type of timekeeper developed in the 1930s for German military aviators called the B-Uhr, short for Beobachtungs-Uhren, which translates to “observation watches.” B-Uhr watches, the first of which were property of the German government rather than the Luftwaffe pilots who wore them, adhered to strict specifications. Their cases were enormous for a wrist-borne watch at the time, at 55mm in diameter, and they accordingly housed movements that were originally made for pocket watches. These movements all incorporated the mission-critical hacking seconds function and were protected from magnetism by soft iron inner cages to ensure their functionality in an airplane cockpit. The dials were designed to be ultra-readable, with large white Arabic numerals on an expansive black background and flame-blued, luminou...

Talking Watches: With Reza Ali Rashidian

The man who owns the greatest dive watch collection on the planet opens up the vault.

Favourite watches: Our most loved watch from our own collection

These are a few of our favourite things. Actually, we pick our the favourite watch from our collection. Some are grails, others are ofsentimental value.

Grand Seiko SBGJ275 and SBGM253 GMT watches commemorate 25 years of Caliber 9S

Paulin Watches acquired by anOrdain

Introducing: G-Shock And Undefeated Collaborate On A Streetwear-Meets-Watches Limited Edition

Get ready to change the strap on this one.

Talking Watches: With Daniel Dae Kim

From vintage icons to modern cult classics, this collector really knows his stuff.

Vintage Watches: How We Got Here: Why Everyone Seems To Be Talking About Neo-Vintage, Traditionally-Styled, ‘Dress’ Watches On Leather Straps

And why I think we're still just getting started.

In-Depth: Copying, Creativity, And Copyright: Are We Ready To Call Watches Art?

The thin line between inspiration and imitation.

FIFA Women’s World Cup - Football Stars and Their Watches

Hart Davis Hart Watch Auction Co. is a new digital-first watch auctioneer focusing on independent watches

Swatch Asks “What If?” with their New Collection of Square, Bioceramic Watches

Alternative realities have long held the imagination of humans. From ancient Roman historian, Livy, to 20th century physicist, Hugh Everett, to Marvel movies of today, we have long tried to answer the question of, “What if…” Now, Swatch has taken it upon themselves to ask this very question in their latest collection, aptly titled WHAT IF? To understand this new release, one must look back into Swatch’s history for a moment. In 1982, the Swiss watch brand had a choice between a round or square model that would be their inaugural design. While we all know the circular design that has become standard for Swatch, WHAT IF? is an alternative reality of sorts, showing us what could have been, had they gone with a square dial from the beginning. Four colorways are available in the WHAT IF? collection, including black, gray, beige, and green. While these may seem like a complete 180 from the vibrant colorways that are now synonymous with Swatch, the neutral tones of the WHAT IF? series reflect the design sensibilities of the early 1980s – which somehow still feel modern today. Each model in the series is made from Swatch’s proprietary bioceramic material (a phrase you’ll know if you were a fan of their MoonSwatch release last year). Mixing ceramic powder with bio sourced materials, bioceramic is inherently durable without added weight or bulk, making it a perfect material for an everyday timepiece like those in the Swatch collection. Each reference clocks in at 33mm,...

5 More Affordable Tool Watches I’d Buy if I Didn’t Want to Spring for a Rolex Submariner - Reprise

If John Keil was to recommend a brand-new functional diver’s watch to a friend who was looking to spend within a certain price range, these would be his suggestions. Or, more specifically, here is what he would purchase himself in a variety of price categories.

Men's Business Watches: 20 Timepieces for 20 Professions

We've all heard of "dressing for success," and the sage advice on dressing for "the job you want, not the job you have." These wardrobe rules of thumb also apply to the watch one wears to go to work, whether your workplace is a corporate office, a restaurant kitchen, a science lab, an aircraft cockpit or anywhere in-between. Here we've listed 20 occupations and suggested a proper timepiece for each. The list is, of course, quite subjective, so please feel free to add your own alternatives in the comments. We'll likely be updating this list regularly, so if you've got an occupation that's not covered here, plus an idea of the perfect watch for it, do chime in with that as well.  Bank CEO: Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 6119R ($31,940) A corner-office executive needs a watch that projects understated style as well as classical luxury, and perhaps no brand embodies that ethos better than Patek Philippe, which recently added a hobnail “Clous de Paris” bezel, first used on the classic Ref. 3919, to its iconic Calatrava (Ref. 6119R). The watch comes in at 39mm in either rose gold or white gold - larger than its 36mm predecessors but still elegantly sized and also very thin at just over 8mm high. The harmoniously balanced, creamy white dial - with Roman hour numerals on the rose-gold model, gray-to-black with applied indexes on the white-gold - features a recessed small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and a railroad minute track on the periphery. Inside is Patek Phil...

Vintage Watches: What This Vintage Cartier Tank Cintrée Tells Us About The Future Of Restoration

A platinum Tank Cintrée recently sold for more than $350,000 – but should it have?