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Results for Lug-to-Lug

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Why lug-to-lug matters more than diameter (and how to actually pick a watch that fits)

Diameter is the number every product page leads with. lug-to-lug is the number that decides whether the watch stays on your wrist. a tour through the WristBuzz watch dimensions database.
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Lug-to-Lug

The single most important wristwatch fit dimension, more practical than case diameter. Comfort thresholds and reference numbers.
Introducing: Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver's Watch HBC011 Hodinkee
Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver's Aug 28, 2026

Introducing: Seiko Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver's Watch HBC011

What We Know Seiko has launched a new version of their popular vintage-inspired 1965 Heritage Diver, with a dial and color palette chosen by you. Okay, well, maybe not you directly, but through a fan-selection process that Seiko launched last year to mark the 60th anniversary of the original 62MAS diver. Seiko fans were presented with four variants of a watch that would eventually reach production, each inspired by a different tone and color the ocean can take on over the course of a day. In the end, the winner of last summer's campaign was this "Daytime Blue" color, which evokes the clear blue waters you'll find in tropical locales where the water is clear and the sun is shining. Other options included a bright yellow, deep green, and orange-y red. It's not wholly surprising that the blue dial would have won in a public ballot, but each is compelling, and I'll be curious to see whether Seiko, having developed and shown off the full range, ever chooses to release any of the other colors. The watch itself is a familiar one. The HBC011 shares a spec sheet with the enthusiast-favorite (and James') favorite SPB lineup of dive watches, specifically with the '20MAS' generation released in 2024, which brought with it a host of quality-of-life improvements, including a refined case and new movement. That case, which Seiko claims to be 40mm wide, 13mm thick, and 46.6mm lug-to-lug (and which James measured at 40.2mm wide, 13.4mm thick, and 46.6mm lug-to-lug in his Hands-On), is agai...

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Introducing: Studio Underd0g 02Series "Mantis" Hodinkee
Studio Underd0g 02Series Mantis What We Aug 28, 2026

Introducing: Studio Underd0g 02Series "Mantis"

What We Know Not even two months on from the initial launch of the updated 02Series Gen 2, Studio Underd0g is jumping headfirst back into limited editions with the Special Edition 02Series Mantis. The headline here is a bright green, full-lume dial, which Studio Underd0g claims is the brightest to ever grace a watch from the brand, but it's also worth reiterating some of the changes that the brand brought to this watch earlier in the summer. The biggest change separating the 02Series Gen 1 and Gen 2 is the new case used for the latter. Upsized by half a millimeter to 37.5mm, the case has also been thinned out and now measures just 11.5mm rather than 12mm, and a full 2.1mm of that comes from the domed sapphire crystal. With lug-to-lug holding steady at 46mm, the updated case finds itself squarely in the Goldilocks zone for many collectors. There are also some meaningful technical updates in the new watch. Tolerances are tighter, and the SW210 movement has been replaced by the SW200-2 M (modified to remove the automatic winding system), which brings with it an accuracy of ±7 seconds per day and 63 hours of power reserve. The whole watch is assembled in-house at the D0ghouse, Studio Underd0g's newly established workshop, and is an evolution of the Horologium. All that said, the real reason to buy this watch is the dial. Like most watches from Studio Underd0g, the 02Series Mantis uses a sapphire sandwich dial construction, with a transparent sapphire disc printed with the min...

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Introducing: The AnOrdain Model 1 Porcelain (Live Pics) Hodinkee
Anordain Model 1 Porcelain Live Aug 27, 2026

Introducing: The AnOrdain Model 1 Porcelain (Live Pics)

What We Know Today, Glaswegian brand AnOrdain, known for its handcrafted grand feu enamel dials, introduces the second entry in its porcelain dial series with the Model 1 Porcelain. Counterintuitively, it follows last year's Model 2 Porcelain, which marked the brand's first watch with a porcelain dial. While the dials are still produced by hand in AnOrdain's Glasgow workshop, using a traditional porcelain-making process (no zirconium ceramic sheets or injection-molded clay slurry), the firing of the clay and vitreous glaze at high heat for these porcelain dials can be done at a much larger scale. AnOrdain provides a comparison here of production rates—50 vitreous enamel dials per month across seven enamellers, while one ceramic specialist can produce 30-40 porcelain dials. And though it may be easy to assume porcelain dials are more forgiving and capable of higher yields, the brand notes that the final dials come from an approximate total of 300 produced, meaning there's still a mighty high rejection rate associated with porcelain dialmaking. The Model 1 Porcelain starts with, well, the brand's Model 1 case design in stainless steel. It is a reasonably compact watch, with a diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm, and a thickness of 11mm. The Model 1 silhouette features a short lug design with broad outer polished faceting, making the lugs feel even slimmer on the wrist. Polishing is also found on the smooth, rounded bezel, while the midcase and screwed-in cas...

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Introducing: Straum Expedition Hodinkee
Straum Aug 26, 2026

Introducing: Straum Expedition

What We Know Straum has launched a new take on their integrated bracelet sports watch this week, shifting the focus from evoking nature to getting out and exploring. Fittingly named, the Expedition is the first watch in a new collection which Straum is calling "Built For". This will stand as a second pillar in the brand's offering, alongside the "Inspired By" collection, under which umbrella all the brand's previous releases fall. The most obvious visual cue that something here has changed is the redesigned dial, which swaps the deeply textured, colorful approach of previous Straum releases for a much more utilitarian vocabulary. With bright orange accents, huge amounts of lume, and subtly grained but largely flat dials, the emphasis is less on pure aesthetic appeal and more on legibility and practicality. The same approach has been taken with the case, which has been redesigned, but again, in largely subtle ways. The Grade 5 titanium case — which measures 38.2mm across, 45.7mm lug-to-lug, and is 11mm thick — has been reworked with broader case flanks, a stepped bezel, and a significantly enlarged screw-down crown meant to be usable in the cold or with gloves on. All together, the Expedition is decidedly new, but still clearly and recognizably a Straum. By default, the new watch comes fitted with a black FKM strap, though a new fully Grade 5 titanium case is also available for a modest upcharge, and since the watch uses Straum's strap system, any pre-existing straps an...

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Introducing: Ming's New 57.05 'Comet' Worldtime Is Out Of This World Innovation Hodinkee
Ming s New 57.05 Comet Aug 26, 2026

Introducing: Ming's New 57.05 'Comet' Worldtime Is Out Of This World Innovation

What We Know It feels like Ming has another hit on its hands here. The new 57.05 "Comet" immediately looked like a cool watch before I even looked at the press release, but once you dig into the specifics, it's pretty impressive, with all the usual Ming flair to boot. That means, yes, there's a pretty cool dial (that has a touch of vintage inspiration). There's an intensely stylized case. There's lume used aplenty (and creatively), and yes, there's innovation in a new patent-pending daylight saving time (DST) world time adjustment system. Let's start from the outside and work our way in. The 316L stainless steel case measures 40mm by 10.3mm with a 47.8mm lug-to-lug. This is a part of Ming's 57 Series design language, so it's got triple-stepped lugs (requiring nine individual components for the lug construction). The next step is the world time bezel. That's where the magic really starts. With a normal 24-hour world time display, you can get by just fine. Yes, not all DST adjustments happen at the same time (if they happen at all), but adjusting for any of them is a problem. Ming has arranged all cities with DST on the outer bezel; non-DST cities are on the inner bezel. You can rotate the outer bezel one click (15º) to move only the DST cities forward by one hour against the 24-hour scale. The bezel will stay fixed in either position, but if you're trying to figure out whether or not DST is engaged or not, you can just look at the small aperture between eight and nine on t...

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Hands-On: The Longines Master Collection Launches A New Monopusher Chronograph Alongside A Refresh Of The Triple Calendar Chrono Hodinkee
Longines Master Collection Launches Aug 25, 2026

Hands-On: The Longines Master Collection Launches A New Monopusher Chronograph Alongside A Refresh Of The Triple Calendar Chrono

Earlier this year, Longines started rolling out a refresh of its dressy, polished Master Collection. But while that update was relegated to a large array of time-and-date models, I think today's new product launch brings something much more noteworthy to the table. There are two main additions: one by way of an update to a classic Longines chronograph, and the other, the first monopusher chronograph designed for the Longines Master Collection. The Updated Master Collection Chrono Moonphase The first is a refresh of the Master Collection Chrono Moonphase, ref. L2.962.4.73.2, largely an aesthetic refinement over the outgoing model. First is the consolidation of two case options, 40mm and 42mm, meeting in the middle at a 41mm diameter for the new generation. The thickness of the stainless steel case measures 13.8 mm (down from 14.2mm), and the lug-to-lug comes in at a large but not oversized 48.6mm. The case silhouette remains largely untouched here, reflecting the soft, fully polished case design with little in the way of contrasting lines or faceting on the exterior, which is exaggerated by the polished concave bezel. Most of the changes come by way of the dial, which combines a whole slew of small design changes for what is, in my opinion, a significantly improved design. Iterating on the brand's familiar barleycorn-textured dial, Longines cleans up a lot of the typography for a much more balanced look overall.  It's essential for what is quite a busy dial, needing to cra...

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Color Rules the Day with the New Art Dial Detrolas from Shinola Worn & Wound
Fears have recently released pieces Aug 17, 2026

Color Rules the Day with the New Art Dial Detrolas from Shinola

With generative AI slop permeating even our most sacred of artistic spaces these days (don’t Google “AI in museums”, it will ruin your day), any honest-to-god expression of creativity can feel like a breath of fresh air. Watches can be a great escape in this regard, and watchmakers, from industry heavy hitters like Swatch to beloved microbrands like Fears, have recently released pieces inspired by aesthetic movements to bring a little bit of artistic integrity to your wrist. Detroit-based watch brand Shinola is throwing their hat in the multi-colored ring with two new vibrant models in their Detrola collection, inspired by the annals of American midcentury art, and at a price point that should appeal to many. Let’s take a gander.  The Detrola line is Shinola’s premier “pop” collection, featuring colorways that are a little bolder than the usual fare. With a clean field-dress design ethos, each Detrola watch comes in at 41mm in case diameter, making them ideal for everyday wear. Materials vary across the lineup, and the two new Color Theory models both feature polished cream TR90 resin co-molded with a stainless steel core. A thickness of 9.72mm keeps the watches slim on the wrist, and while the longer lugs add a bit of presence, giving the models a 45mm lug-to-lug width and allowing for 20mm straps. It’s a simple silhouette that allows the dial design to set the pace aesthetically, which works in the Color Theory models’ favor.  Each of the two models s...

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Introducing: The Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour 'Ultimus' Hodinkee
Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour Aug 10, 2026

Introducing: The Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour 'Ultimus'

What We Know Fears just announced the final chapter of its Brunswick Jump Hour collection, and this appropriately named Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour 'Ultimus' might just be the collection's most interesting execution yet. Designed in collaboration with British watch content creator Andrew Morgan, the Ultimus takes the modern design cues from the Brunswick Jump Hour all the way to eleven, with a stark black-and-white sensibility in a very sleek "Phantom White" dial execution. The focal point is the new jump hour dial, and yes, it's very lumed. Rather than in typical Brunswick Jump Hour executions, which hide all inactive numerals, this dial execution uses sapphire to reveal the oversized hour disc beneath and leans into it as part of the design. A black outer ring holds minimal branding, and within are two luminous ceramic discs—the lower disc is for the rotating (and jumping) hours, and the other disc floats above, housing the printed minute track and the oversized black minute hand. That center lumed ceramic disc above is also connected to a frosted outer ring, which holds the printed minute numerals and offers a subtle peek at the inactive hour numerals on the rest of the dial. At twelve o'clock is a magnifier, which replaces the typical framed window we've seen on the other Brunswick Jump Hours to highlight the current hour and its numeral(s) in full. The steel case is unchanged in this edition, with a diameter of 40.5mm, a thickness of 12.8mm, and a lug-to-lug of 47mm. I...

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Introducing: Unimatic UT1-PD Hodinkee
Unimatic UT1-PD What We Know Aug 7, 2026

Introducing: Unimatic UT1-PD

What We Know It's been two years since Unimatic announced their "Toolwatch" collection, and it's possible that you may have forgotten about it. Like all Unimatics, the watches have a strict design language that can make releases blend together. Small tweaks, like today's release of the UT1-PD (Prodiver, in their terms), might look like something you thought existed before, but this is very much a new watch. So what makes the Toolwatch line, and what makes this limited release of 250 pieces different? The UT1-PD has a sandblasted stainless steel case with a 40mm diameter (41.5mm including bezel overhang), 13.6mm thickness (13.3mm without the crystal), and a 49mm lug-to-lug. This is designed as a strict dive watch, meeting all your needs, with a unidirectional 120-click rotating bezel, 300m water resistance, a screw-down crown, and a reliable Seiko VH31A quartz movement. Yes, we love mechanical watches, but quartz does the trick for many needs.  The matte dial has white printing with round, triangular, and rectangular hour markers (unlike the previous version, which had Arabic hour markers), and the watch features Super-LumiNova C1 on the hour markers, hour and minute hands, and bezel pip. There are also drilled lug holes, and the watch comes with a black TPU two-piece strap. But the core of Unimatic's Toolwatch line is that the watches meet the U.S. Department of Defense MIL-STD-810H specs, which outline a range of environmental tests to evaluate the durability, ruggedness...

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Introducing: The Ming 37.06 Royal Selangor Limited Edition Hodinkee
Ming 37.06 Royal Selangor Limited Jul 30, 2026

Introducing: The Ming 37.06 Royal Selangor Limited Edition

What We Know A funky new dial is probably the least surprising thing to come from Ming these days, but somehow, the new Ming 37.06 Royal Selangor still feels like a compelling play on the brand's two-hander 37-series design. This time around, Ming doubles down on its Malaysian roots for a collaboration with Malaysian pewter brand Royal Selangor. What we get is a dramatically hammered pewter dial, made by Royal Selangor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The grooves and scales of the hammering are quite exaggerated for the size of the dial, which offers an uninterrupted surface for the hammering without any printing or applied markers. With this expansive, highly textured dial, Ming's usage of the top sapphire crystal as an alternative place for dial markings is very useful, with the underside of the top sapphire crystal engraved and infilled with Super-LumiNova X1 for a luminescent track with hour markers and Ming's logo at the top that floats above the hammered pewter surface. It's complemented by the distinctive blued 37-series handset, also coated with a generous amount of Super-LumiNova. The luster of the dial is framed by the more demure look of a fully-brushed grade-2 titanium case, with a diameter of 38mm, a thickness of 11.05mm, and a compact lug-to-lug of 44.73mm. Engraved on the periphery of the exhibition caseback is Ming and Royal Selangor branding, and through the sapphire crystal, the automatic Sellita for MING SW300.M1 is seen in full view. Yes, on paper the movemen...

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Hands-On: The Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357 Hodinkee
Daniel Roth prior Jul 23, 2026

Hands-On: The Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357

If there was a way to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Breguet patenting the tourbillon, re-launching a version of the brand's iconic ref. 3350 was the obvious crowd-pleasing option. There was always something charming about that original tourbillon from the 1980s, but there were some downsides too. The new ref. 7357 is Breguet's best effort to solve those downsides, modernize, and give buyers what they say they've wanted for a long time. At a true-to-vintage 35mm diameter by 9.2mm thick (43mm lug-to-lug), with 30m of water resistance, it's the same but different. In a lot of great ways. For those not in the vintage or neo-vintage space, Breguet created an all-time great watch when Daniel Roth (prior to his own brand) worked for Breguet and modified a Nouvelle Lemania ébauche into a compact and impressive tourbillon wristwatch. You can see an original platinum ref. 3357 example below (the quick successor to the 3550). The tourbillon bridge design is different between these generations (both front and rear).  The guilloché pattern, finishing, and even the movement-side treatment are different, with a very neo-vintage hand engraving on the earlier example. That watch would forge the future of the Breguet brand and, after Breguet's then-owner, Chaumet, went bankrupt, push Roth to found his own brand, where the tourbillon became a focal point. So let's look at those changes a bit more closely. First things first, the new 7357 is, by no means, a budget option. Coming in at...

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DOXA SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler Takes the Adventure Icon into Titanium WatchRider
Doxa SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Jul 20, 2026

DOXA SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler Takes the Adventure Icon into Titanium

DOXA has returned to the world of novelist, explorer and shipwreck hunter Clive Cussler with its lightest tribute yet. Released on July 15—the day Cussler would have turned 95—the SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler is limited to 300 pieces and recasts the original 1967 SUB 300 in Grade 5 titanium. DOXA SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler. Image: WatchRider. A titanium dial with hidden history The most unusual detail is not the metal case but the dial. DOXA constructs it from two superimposed Grade 5 titanium plates. The upper plate is laser-cut, creating a layered relief, while the sandblasted finish gives the grey surface an appropriately industrial character. Black lacquered hands preserve contrast and the oversized orange minute hand supplies the familiar DOXA signal colour. The dual-plane titanium dial and two-scale bezel. Image: DOXA. The date disc and the numerals 15, 7 and 31 appear in orange, spelling out Cussler’s birth date: July 15, 1931. The unidirectional bezel is equally busy for a reason. Its polished outer scale shows DOXA’s no-decompression depths in orange, while the brushed inner track carries a conventional 60-minute scale in black. DOXA SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler. Image: DOXA. Familiar SUB 300 proportions, less weight The cushion-shaped case measures 42.5 mm across, 45 mm lug-to-lug and 13.4 mm thick. Grade 5 titanium is used for the case, bezel, screw-down crown and screw-down caseback, while an anti-reflective glass-box sapphire crystal preserves the domed profi...

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Introducing: The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler Limited Edition Hodinkee
Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Jul 15, 2026

Introducing: The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler Limited Edition

What We Know If you're a Doxa fan, you might be familiar with the brand's connection with the late explorer and novelist Clive Cussler, along with his literary creation of Dirk Pitt, an explorer in Cussler's books known to sport a Sub 300 Professional on the wrist. This relationship has manifested itself in a few Clive Cussler limited editions going back to 2023, and this year's edition is probably the coolest one yet. It's a special edition Sub 300 in grade 5 titanium, meant as a tribute to Cussler. It's a big departure, design-wise, from a few of the previous editions, as it does away with the distressed finishing and compass motifs for something much more in line with what Cussler's literary creation Dirk Pitt would have worn. I know there are some intense Doxa fans probably reading, so I won't bury the lede here—this watch is limited to only 300 pieces, and you can get one through Doxa's online shop or select authorized retailers. While past editions were produced in editions numbered to align with Cussler's age, Doxa knew that 95 pieces were simply not going to cut it this year, hence the much larger—yet most certainly not large enough—production size. The silhouette of the watch remains extremely familiar. It is still a Sub 300 after all, with a 42.5mm case and a 45mm lug-to-lug distance. The compact lug-to-lug, paired with the extreme lightness of grade 5 titanium for the case, screw-down caseback, and crown, means that this should be an extremely easy-wearing...

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Zenith Adds Two Colorful New Options to the Defy Extreme Collection Worn & Wound
Zenith Adds Two Colorful New Jul 9, 2026

Zenith Adds Two Colorful New Options to the Defy Extreme Collection

It’s a complaint heard often among the aesthetically-inclined: modern design just isn’t colorful enough. Cars come in white, black, or silver, houses are painted white with black sills, and our phones are just sleek black rectangles. But that tendency towards “millenial gray” (sorry millennials, it’s not really your fault) hasn’t dug its claws into horology yet. In fact, it seems to be quite the opposite, with bold new colorways and designs capturing headlines post-press events. Zenith isn’t new to the bright and vibrant trend in watches, but their latest DEFY Extreme Ultraviolet and Lapis Lazuli II certainly bring the hueful hammer home. At their core, the two new DEFY pieces are sisters, so to speak: both are housed in an angular 45mm case in microblasted titanium, and a carbon and titanium combination respectively. The aggressive design of said case sets the stage for Zenith’s “more is more” mentality with the DEFY models, which come in at a chunky (but lightweight) 15.4mm in thickness and 51mm lug-to-lug. These are not wallflower watches, and every point of the design proves that.  The Extreme Ultraviolet does a lot of work with its name, which is a more than adequate descriptor for the watch itself. The dial is a visual cornucopia, with a violet-tinted sapphire crystal that showcases the matching violet subdials and layered geometric construction. The Zenith name and star logo at 12 o’clock is the only visual breather on the dial, with the movem...

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Introducing: The Studio Underd0g 02Series Gen 2 Hodinkee
Studio Underd0g 02Series Gen 2 What Jul 6, 2026

Introducing: The Studio Underd0g 02Series Gen 2

What We Know Today, British microbrand Studio Underd0g, known for its uniquely conceived and constructed dials, introduces the second-generation update to its 02Series time-only field watch-ish design. Though new dial colors kind of feel like the brand's major schtick, there are a few surprising changes this time around. First, and a change that's sure to appeal to everyone, is a slight reduction in the case height of the 02Series. It's not the craziest of reductions, going from 12mm to 11.5mm, but shaving off this much is still a welcome improvement, especially considering the case itself is 9.4mm without the pronounced crystal. The new case measures 37.5mm in diameter, with the new 11.5mm thickness and a 46mm lug-to-lug. Yes, the diameter has also increased by half a millimeter, but the revamped proportions should work well across a large variety of wrists. The tighter tolerances also mean that the dial is now closer to the crystal, and this was accomplished thanks to the brand's acquisition of assembly workshop Horologium, now transformed into Studio Underd0g's own in-house workshop, aptly titled The D0ghouse. The caliber inside has also received a subtle update—the Sellita SW210 has been replaced by the SW200-2 M Power+. It's a mouthful, but what that means is an extended power reserve, increased from 42 hours to 63 hours. But in keeping with the execution of the previous generation, the rotor is removed to keep this second-generation manually wound. Across the four ...

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Hands-On: The Havid Nagan HN02 Hodinkee
Ming Jun 30, 2026

Hands-On: The Havid Nagan HN02

Last year, you may have remembered our coverage of the Classic One from US-based independent watch brand Havid Nagan. It was the brand's first round watch, marking a departure from its earlier cushion-cased HN series. But founder Aren Bazerkanian is turning back to the distinct, almost square silhouette of its earlier models with Havid Nagan's latest endeavor, the HN02. But that's not to say that the Classic One was simply a blip in a collection of cushion cases—rather, it's clear that the new HN02 actually draws from a lot of the aesthetic developments that the Classic One brought to the table, most notably in the very unique layered dial design as well as the case. This grade 5 titanium case, while still cushioned, is quite an evolution from the earlier HN00 and HN01 designs with its significantly more traditional lugs. And while the previous shape was distinctive, I think the more classic lugs help tone down the overall feel of the HN02 on the wrist, lending it a more conservative wearing experience and shortening the lug-to-lug length on smaller wrists. I think the more traditional case shape is quite welcome in letting the flamboyancy of the dial shine here without overwhelming the entire watch. The HN02 also brings forth the compact, dress-watch-like sizing found in the Classic One, with a 38mm diameter and a thin 9-millimeter case height. The HN02 comes in two variations, with one in standard titanium and the other in a dark DLC-coated finish. DLC coating means th...

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Hands On: Hermès Cape Cod Titanium SJX Watches
Hermes Jun 30, 2026

Hands On: Hermès Cape Cod Titanium

For those headed down the cape this summer, Hermès has unveiled an upscaled Cape Cod in brushed titanium. In some ways, it represents something of an ‘Offshore’ moment for the Cape Cod — a bolder, sportier version of one of the brand’s most emblematic models. While Henri d’Origny’s original 1991 design has evolved over the years to become more of a unisex concept, the latest execution is more overtly masculine than any prior variant in both size and finish. Initial thoughts Watches like the Cape Cod illustrate the strides taken by a handful of so-called ‘fashion brands’ that have successfully crossed over into watchmaking in the past few decades — Hermès is a poster child of this movement. The brand’s original designs — especially its emphasis on details like typography — and high-end movements have enabled it to make significant inroads with serious collectors, to say nothing of its broader success with its primary clientele. Despite the light weight of the 41 mm titanium case, the upscaled Cape Cod has substantial wrist presence on account of its design, which emphasises the lug-to-lug distance — perhaps a bit too much. But thanks in part to its monochromatic case and dial — the vivid orange seconds hand is the only pop of colour — the personality of the Cape Cod transforms easily with a strap change. Despite the strength of the Hermès brand and the obvious quality of the Cape Cod, the watch is priced well at US$7,900. That’s significan...

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Introducing: The Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate (Now In 38mm) Hodinkee
Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate Now Jun 25, 2026

Introducing: The Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate (Now In 38mm)

What We Know Today, Blancpain has downsized its ultra-thin Villeret Ultraplate dress watch, with new options in 38mm for greater wearability. The previous 40mm options of the 'Golden Hour' series, which I covered last October, remain, but the 38mm options are going to be much more appealing all around as proper dress watches. The case still remains incredibly thin, especially for a self-winding watch, at 8.35mm, but the 38mm downsizing now offers a short 43.35mm lug-to-lug measurement for small wrists and those who prefer the more traditional proportion of how a dress watch should look on the wrist. Here, four options are presented within these new measurements: three with stainless steel cases, and one in 18K red gold. The dial design continues the visual update introduced last October in the Villeret series, with simplified Roman numerals, the applied "JB" logo at 12 o'clock (standing for Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, who the brand credits as the founder), slim but still lumed leaf hands, and a skeletonized rotor. In stainless steel, there are three dial colors available. Salmon is a first for the Villeret collection, with a copper-hued dial paired with anthracite-coated 18K gold numerals. My favorite of the lineup, the Villeret Ultraplate featuring a warm champagne-hued dial with 18K yellow gold numerals set within a steel case with a green nubuck strap, will be offered as a boutique exclusive. More classic pairings of white gold numerals in a steel case and red gold numeral...

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Hands-On: The Ressence Type 11 Hodinkee
Ressence Type 11 Jun 19, 2026

Hands-On: The Ressence Type 11

At a glance, the Ressence Type 11, which launched earlier this year at Watches and Wonders, might feel like every other Ressence. That's kind of the point. Distinct as it is within the collection, the Type 11 keeps the brand's visual language intact while changing what's underneath it. The biggest change is under the hood—it's the first Ressence to feature the brand's own integrated caliber, replacing the usual combo of an ETA base with Ressence's Orbital Convex System on top. Before we get to more on that, let's take a look at the Type 11's exterior. The 41mm by 11mm case, in grade 5 titanium, continues the trend seen in many of Ressence's recent releases toward more compact cases and feels like an evolution of the Type 9, in a sense. A fully polished, almost tonneau-shaped case features a short 45mm lug-to-lug measurement, while the lack of downturning of the lugs means the case still maintains quite a bit of presence on the wrist. On the Type 11, the lack of a bezel means the dial and crystal extend to the edges of the 41mm diameter. It's this kind of seamless visual effect that has lent models like the Type 1 and the Type 3 a distinctively futuristic look, and here it works very well with these lugs. Water resistance is bumped up to 3 ATM (as opposed to the typically "splash resistant" rating of its non-dive watches). On the dial side, we get the satellite display that Ressence is best known for, showing the hours, running seconds, and a power reserve indicator withi...

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Introducing the Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport, the Brand’s First Ana-Digi Watch Worn & Wound
Jun 10, 2026

Introducing the Autodromo Group C Turbo Sport, the Brand’s First Ana-Digi Watch

Few innovations in automobile engines have been as impactful as the turbocharger, first brought to production cars in the 1960s and popularized in the United States largely thanks to the iconic turbodiesel 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300SD. With a telltale whistle accompanying that extra boost of power, the turbocharger soon became synonymous with motorsports and performance cars of the 1980s: the Audi Quatto’s breathy flutter, the 930 Porsche 911 Turbo’s heartpounding lag, and the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth’s European rally dominance all helped propel the decade into the “golden era” of turbocharged performance.  With their latest release, motorsport-inspired watchmakers Autodromo are bringing another homage to a period of automotive innovation, this time highlighting the Group C “prototype” class of sports cars from the 1980s, many of which featured bold (and sometimes dangerous) turbocharged power. The basis of this new collection is their already-successful Group C digital watch, initially released in 2023, and the new Turbo Sport models draw inspiration from the analog tachometers of turbocharged ‘80s motorsports legends to create an ani-digi design that straddles the classic and modern eras of automotive and horological design.  First, the dimensions: measuring in at 38.5mm in case diameter and 40mm lug-to-lug, the Group C Turbo Sport is compact, and sits fairly lightly on the wrist with a 11.4mm case thickness measurement. The case itself is anodized aluminum ...

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Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 "Bumblebee" Hodinkee
Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 Jun 3, 2026

Introducing: The Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 "Bumblebee"

What We Know There's a new Tudor chronograph in town, and guess what, it's smaller. After kicking off the format in 41mm back in 2017, Tudor has now downsized the brand's dive/drive chronograph design to a new 39mm case width. The new Tudor Black Bay Chrono 39 "Bumblebee" sports a bright and vivid yellow dial with black counters, giving the new reference (79310N) a link to the preceding Pink and Flamingo Blue versions of the Black Bay Chronograph.  We can get to the dial in a moment, but for a smaller take on any Tudor, let's start with millimeters. The new Black Bay Chronograph 39 measures 39mm wide, 13.1mm thick, and 47mm lug-to-lug. Compare that to 41 x 14.4 x 49.9 of the current 41mm model, be it white, black, blue, black & gold, pink, or flamingo. Water resistance remains at 200m with screw-down crowns for the chronograph controls, and that bright yellow dial is framed by a fixed tachymeter scale rendered in black aluminum.  On to the dial, which is colored a bright and punchy yellow as a nod to the brand's "Tiger" chronographs of the 1990s. The markers and hands have black surrounds, and the water resistance is shown in red (as it is on the Black Bay Chrono 39's larger counterparts). Tudor also notes that the snowflake hands have been redesigned to aid in chronograph legibility. While I have yet to measure more accurately, if you compare the reach of the hour hand toward the 60 marker on the running seconds subdial, it appears shorter than in the 41mm models.  Tic...

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Introducing: The Oris Lou Gehrig Limited Edition Hodinkee
Oris Lou Gehrig Limited Edition Jun 2, 2026

Introducing: The Oris Lou Gehrig Limited Edition

What We Know We're in the thick of baseball season, and Oris has pulled a doubleheader, of sorts. Yesterday brought us the new Hölstein edition, and today we're getting a new baseball-themed watch. Oris is the official watch sponsor of the New York Yankees, and this year, they're releasing a special watch to support one of the team's all-time legends, Lou Gehrig. The newest Big Crown Pointer Date is a special watch supporting the Lou and Eleanor Gehrig Family Foundation. The watch, in 40mm-by-12.2 mm stainless steel (with a 48.2mm lug-to-lug), is certainly inspired by the colors of the Yankees. The silver dial is surrounded by a black date ring with the "4" in blue (for Lou Gehrig's number), a blue minute track that matches the blue surrounding the hour markers. They've used a combination of Arabic numerals and stick hour markers for a sporty look. The movement is the Oris Caliber 754, with a 41-hour power reserve and automatic winding. It's delivered with a NATO strap in Yankee colors and a brown double-stitched strap that looks like a baseball glove. The caseback is engraved with a portrait of Lou Gehrig and the watch's number within the production total. There are 2130 pieces available, one for each of the consecutive games he played across 15 seasons, before his death in 1941 at the age of only 37. The retail price is CHF 2,400. Oris says that they will contribute to the work of The Lou and Eleanor Gehrig Family Foundation. What We Think The Pointer Date is probably O...

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Introducing: The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed with Naoya Hida & Co Hodinkee
Voutilainen Jun 2, 2026

Introducing: The Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 Double Signed with Naoya Hida & Co

What We Know Today, Zenith introduces a new "Double Signed" program for its Calibre 135-powered G.F.J. collection, and its first entry in this series is a collaboration with a Japanese independent that might not require all that much introduction around these parts—Naoya Hida. The evolution of the G.F.J. line has not taken all that long, with its origins starting in 2022 with the Zenith Caliber 135 Observatoire Limited Edition, where ten Calibre 135 movements from the 50s were restored by Kari Voutilainen and introduced in watches done as a triple collaboration between Zenith, Voutilainen, and auction house Phillips. Just three years later, the Calibre 135 was revived as a modern caliber for a line called the G.F.J. (after Zenith's founder Georges Favre Jacot). In just a little over a year, we've seen three small runs of this watch introduced in different stone-dial and metal combinations—platinum with a lapis lazuli dial, tantalum with an onyx dial, and an upcoming yellow-gold GFJ with a bloodstone dial. In the meantime, this new Double Signed concept with Naoya Hida takes the G.F.J. in a very different visual direction. The hefty 39.15mm platinum case, with a thickness of 10.5mm and a compact lug-to-lug of 45.75mm, remains the same as other G.F.J. models. But that dial is unabashedly Naoya Hida, constructed out of solid silver with the distinctive hand engraving coming from the hand of master engraver Keisuke Kano, the man responsible for the hand engraving across al...

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Introducing: The Aria Manufacture Chronometer From Formex Hodinkee
Formex What We Know Jun 1, 2026

Introducing: The Aria Manufacture Chronometer From Formex

What We Know The last time I covered something from Formex was over a year ago, when the brand released a highly finished, full-ceramic sports watch, complete with a ceramic bracelet and even a ceramic micro-adjust clasp, at an unrivaled price point. Today, the brand continues its upmarket trend with a brand-new watch design called the Aria. The Aria takes the form of a broad, integrated-bracelet design in full grade 5 titanium. The 40mm case feels broader than normal, thanks to an impressively thin case height of 6.9mm, even though the lug-to-lug is still quite reasonable at 45.45mm. While the silhouette gives a smooth look, there's quite a bit of contrasting finishing going on here, with brushing of the titanium case and bracelet links done entirely by hand. Though the styling certainly leans towards its identity as a bold sports watch, there's a lot of subtlety in the design, for example, with the individual bracelet links being slightly curved or the extra dimensionality of the layer of titanium peeking out from each link's milled-out spaces. The clasp includes Formex's proprietary micro-adjust system, which provides extra space on both sides of the bracelet by pulling or pushing each side. There are three dials for the Aria: "Selva Green," "Ardesia Grey," and "Denso Blue." All three have a certain muted look to the hue, matching the slightly darker nature of titanium. Dimensionality is achieved through contrasting indices in rose-gold coloring, set on applied raised p...

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Introducing: Oris Celebrates Its Birthday With The 2026 Hölstein Edition Hodinkee
Oris Celebrates Jun 1, 2026

Introducing: Oris Celebrates Its Birthday With The 2026 Hölstein Edition

What We Know Every year on June 1, Oris celebrates the founding of its brand by releasing watches named after its hometown. This time, they're doing so with 250 numbered pieces based on the brand's new Artelier watch. The new version features small seconds, a 120-hour power reserve, the Caliber 401 movement, and an interesting retro-futuristic style. The new Oris Hölstein Edition 2026 has a stainless steel case measuring 39.5mm by 11.1mm, a 45.5mm lug-to-lug, and 30m water resistance. The dial is light grey with a subtle fumé effect from its shape, with a brighter subsidiary seconds dial in a mirror finish and a small red seconds hand. That silver, domed dial and claw-style hour markers make the watch feel a bit like a throwback to the late 1960s, but with modern specifications. The hour and minute hands have Super-LumiNova. As a bonus, the movement (while not COSC-certified) has an accuracy of 3/+5 seconds per day and is highly anti-magnetic. It's also automatic winding. The caseback uses a special laser treatment that engraves the Oris Bear, features the words "Hölstein Edition 2026," and produces a mirror-like, iridescent rainbow finish. To steal the description from one of the greatest haircuts known to man, it's business in the front and party in the back. The watch retails for CHF 3,800. What We Think Oris has been doing these limited editions, as far as I can tell, since 2020, and each one has been anything but traditional. Obviously, the Oris bear often plays a ...

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