Results for Manufacture vs Etablisseur

The Raketa Polar 0270: An Exploration of Collection vs. Consumption

Reviewing the Raketa Polar 0270 reissue. Get insights from the watch's owner along with specs and original photography.

Frederique Constant Introduces the Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake

Head to Head: Sporty vs Dressy GMT Watches

The traveler’s watch. The last truly useful sport watch today. The GMT watch has, as much as its sibling the dive watch, remained a cultural icon and a best-seller for brands both big and small. Every collector wants – or at least has considered – a GMT watch of some kind. There is good and bad news to that end. The good news is that watch brands have labored to create GMT watches of all sorts to appeal to every breed of watch enthusiast. The bad news is that money doesn’t grow on trees. Of all the classic watch archetypes, the GMT has always straddled that line between ritzy and rough, and we can separate them into two stylistic buckets: dressy and sporty. While the line between the two is often blurred and the definitions themselves somewhat subjective, we thought it would be fun to see how this useful complication has found its way into watches of all kinds. So without further ado, this is your Sunday Smackdown: GMT Edition. The traveler’s watch. The last truly useful sport watch today. The GMT watch has, as much as its sibling the dive watch, remained a cultural icon and a best-seller for brands both big and small. Every collector wants – or at least has considered – a GMT watch of some kind. There is good and bad news to that end. The good news is that watch brands have labored to create GMT watches of all sorts to appeal to every breed of watch enthusiast. The bad news is that money doesn’t grow on trees. Of all the classic watch archetypes, the GMT h...

Why the Frederique Constant Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Is Still Astounding Value

YEMA Launches a Kickstarter to Support a Manufacture Caliber in New Superman Bronze References

Watch brand YEMA has long been synonymous with French elegance and their latest model, the Superman Bronze CMM.10 is no exception. Utilizing crowd-funding through Kickstarter, YEMA has produced a limited edition watch that is as architectural in design as it is reliable when it comes to performance. Available in two sizes (39 and 41mm) and two dial color options (gradient blue and lacquered black), potential customers have the choice of a watch that best suits their individual preferences. Both dials are a striking contrast to the bronze, adding a balance of warm and cool tones that pair well with the rugged design of the Superman model. The watch itself has undergone a few changes from the original Superman models, most notable in the subtle upgrades to the dial, including the iconic “shovel” second hand has been replaced with a lollipop sweep hand, creating a more harmonious overall design. The timepiece now proudly exhibits French engravings and features the new “MANUFACTURE FRANÇAISE” signature thoughtfully placed at the 6 o’clock position. This change reflects YEMA’s updated brand positioning, resulting from their decision to internalize the manufacturing of components for the CMM.10 caliber. Speaking of the CMM.10 caliber, this movement promises 70-hours of power reserve and is rated to -3/+5 seconds per day is made from non-magnetic alloys to keep it from being impacted by magnetic forces during daily use. YEMA says that they worked in collaboration wit...

Introducing: Frederique Constant's Thirty-First Caliber: The Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture

It's a lot of bang for your buck in a solid package – just what we've come to expect from Frederique Constant.

TGIFridays: best of the best Alpagon/Rodenstock HR 50 vs value king Fujinon GF 50

We compare the megabuck Rodenstock HR50 lens to the value priced Fujinon GF 50. Both attached to the Fujifilm GFX 50S II as the digital back.

Tudor Opens the Doors of its New Manufacture and We Got to Step Inside

Tudor’s recent road is a case study on how to properly revive, or reintroduce a brand to the world. Just in the last 10ish years, we’ve watched them go from a vintage fascination but a contemporary obscurity to one of the leading modern Swiss watch brands. A brand that went from unavailable in the US, to globally reinvigorating and dominating the $3-5k price point. And now, in 2023, they’ve marked another milestone, the opening of their new assembling and testing facility in Le Locle. A massive structure, it houses in a split building with entrances on either side, Tudor and the movement manufacturer they created, Kenissi. Standing on 330, 30-meter tall concrete pillars to reach sturdy bedrock below, the building is 150-meters long, 30-meters high, and consists of 8,050 cubic meters of concrete and 960 tons of metal framing. State of the art in many ways, the project took five years from start to finish, including three for construction, with some transitions and new operations finishing in April of 2023. Airey, with large, automatically tinting glass windows and an intentionally industrial interior veneer, the structure spoke to mid-century architecture, if completed and outfitted with the newest technologies one can expect in a watch-making facility. In many ways, the building suits the products that Tudor currently makes, watches with vintage aesthetic cues, but firmly up-to-date construction. Watches that despite certainly qualifying as luxury timepieces, avoid t...

Frederique Constant Celebrates their 35th Anniversary and their Signature Complication with a New Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture

It’s hard to believe, but Frederique Constant celebrates their 35th anniversary this year. This is a brand that’s truly part of the old guard when it comes to the contemporary, affordable watch scene. Making the “nice Swiss watch” accessible to the masses was a big part of why the brand was founded, and over the course of their history the entire watch industry has changed multiple times over, currently finding itself in a healthy spot where more and better watches are finding their way onto the wrists of enthusiasts at a pace that couldn’t have have been imagined three decades ago. The line between “luxury” and “affordable” continues to shift, and there’s no doubt that Frederique Constant has played a role in those changes.  Specifically, Frederique Constant has broken new ground when it comes to making complicated watchmaking affordable. We all know about their excellent perpetual calendar, which they are still able to sell for a little less than $10,000 several years after its debut. But they also dabble in other historically significant and tech forward complications. Over the years we’ve seen everything from flyback chronographs to moon phases equipped watches, and of course their Slimline Monolithic with an ultra high frequency oscillator. But it could be argued that their signature complication, the one that the brand has leaned into the hardest and gained the most acclaim for, is the worldtimer. So it makes sense that for Frederique Constant...

Watch Sizes vs. Wrist Sizes: What’s the Right Size for You?

One of the most important factors one considers when choosing a new watch is the watch's size - as in, its appropriateness relative to the size of one's own wrist as well as the general statement that it's making on said wrist. Trying watches on before buying them is, of course, the easiest and most sensible way to determine these factors, but when you're buying watches online, like so many of us are these days, the eyeballing and hands-on experience must give way to some carefully conducted research instead. Here we pose and answer (to the best of our knowledge and experience) some of the questions a prospective online watch purchaser is likely to have regarding watch sizes and wrist sizes.  What watch size is right for my wrist? While there are obviously some practical calculations that you can make, it all comes down to comfort and personal style. Some people with very slender wrists like to rock a big, attention-grabbing timepiece, and occasionally a linebacker type with thicker forearms might prefer to keep it more subtle with a smaller watch that hides under a sleeve. Acknowledging that these tend to be the outliers, however, most watch wearers will want some aesthetic harmony between their watch size and wrist size, which means that you’ll want to get an accurate idea of both actual measurements. This is particularly important if you’re buying a watch online without actually physically trying it on. You can measure your wrist size easily by wrapping a ...

Inside The Manufacture: Jean-Pierre Hagmann's Akrivia Workshop, Switzerland's Last Stand For Classical Casemaking

Jean-Pierre Hagmann and Rexhep Rexhepi are active preservationists for one of the most traditional – and overlooked – crafts in watchmaking.

Steal Vs. Splurge: Toolish Titanium Timing With Tudor and Scurfa

Two similar takes with two very different price tags.

Steal Vs. Splurge: Intergalactic Design From Rado And Patek Philippe

Which watch would you wear on a mission to Mars?

Steal Vs. Splurge: Jaeger-LeCoultre Or Longines: Which Ultra Thin Gets The Win?

It feels good to have a whisper-thin watch on the wrist. Does it feel six times better when it costs $8,600 instead of $1,275? Today, the JLC Master Ultra Thin Date takes on the La Grande Classique de Longines.

Steal Vs. Splurge: Seiko’s New GMT Takes On A Travel-Ready Chronometer From Tag Heuer

Similar specs, colors, and GMT ability – which hits the spot for your time zone needs?

HODINKEE Radio: Consistency Vs. Variety In Watch Design (Rolex, Omega, and MB&F;)

In watch design, does fortune really favor the bold?

De Bethune: Inside the Manufacture

Watching Movies: Dustin Hoffman’s Two Watches From 'Kramer vs. Kramer'

Prep for this weekend’s Oscars with the 1980 Best Picture winner – featuring a PVD chrono and (sort of) a Rolex.

Inside The Manufacture: A Visit To La Fabrique Du Temps, Louis Vuitton's Audacity-Inspiring Temple To Fine Watchmaking

The world's largest luxury brand has an eye for detail.

Inside The Manufacture: Inside A METAS Master Chronometer Lab - Which Is Inside Tudor, Which Is Inside Rolex HQ In Geneva

Torture-testing Tudors.

Hey, HODINKEE!: Gold Vs. Gold, Hot Sweaty Watch Showers, Watches In SPAAAACE, And The Evolution Of Watch Culture

Who now remembers when watch magazines were on the newsstand next to doll collecting mags? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Steal Vs. Splurge: High-Climbing White-Dial Sport Watches From Rolex And Timex

Grab your mitts, I'm in a polar state of mind.

Hey, HODINKEE!: Odd Vs. Even (Lug Widths), Pilot Vs. Field, Mainsprings Vs. Time, And Co-Branding Vs. Everybody

"We have met the enemy and he is us." -Walt Kelly, Pogo

Steal Vs. Splurge: Stainless Steel Watches With Integrated Bracelets That Aren't From The Usual Suspects

But really, both are steals compared to their uber-famous counterparts.

Lewis Hamilton vs. Max Verstappen / IWC vs. TAG Heuer: The One Formula 1 Race Where Everyone Wins

With the 2021 Formula 1 season's last race taking place this weekend, December 10-12, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) tied for first place, the heat is on like never before. The battle between Hamilton and Verstappen is, in essence, also a competition between the two watch brands who sponsor them: IWC (Hamilton) and TAG Heuer (Verstappen), with both brands benefitting from the battles on the track. Martin Green takes a closer look.

Steal Vs. Splurge: Divers From Oris And Rolex

If you come at the Crown, you best not miss.

Carl F. Bucherer, the Manufacture

Steal Vs. Splurge: Heritage Pilot's Watches from Hamilton and IWC

Both pack a ton of value. Does one pack more?

Steal Vs. Splurge: Minimalist Madness With NOMOS And Junghans

High design, low prices.

Steal Vs. Splurge: Analog-Digital Icons From Breitling and Seiko

One screen or two screens? The choice is yours.