Hodinkee
Magazine Feature: The NBA Shot Clock Has Been Wrong From The Jump
Bad math led us to 24 seconds, an interval that compromises free-flowing play and makes a mockery of horology. Here’s what it should be instead.
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Quill & Pad
Our Predictions In The Mechanical Exception Category Of The 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): Clocks Rock! But Should They Even Be In This Category?
So what do we have here? A watch with an innovative escapement style, two minute repeaters, an ultra-thin timepiece, and two clocks: the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève has never seen such a wildly different bunch in one category – not even the Mechanical Exception category, which is kind of a fun free-for-all in terms of mechanical creativity. Join our panel's discussion right here.
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne Unveils the Saxonia Thin Aventurine in Pink Gold
Three months after Watches & Wonders 2021 (where it debuted the Triple Split in pink gold amongst others), A. Lange & Söhne is now back with more new releases, as is now the norm with watch fairs having gone online. Of the trio of new launches, the Saxonia Thin is the simplest, but no less striking. Clad in lively, blue aventurine glass and pink gold, the watch has a rich, sparkly aesthetic quite antithetical to the fuss-free style usually associated with the German watchmaker. Initial thoughts While flourishes like the aventurine-glass dial are uncommon for Lange in general, the sparkly glass dial is not new. In fact, the material was first used in the white gold Saxonia Thin back in 2017. The brand followed up with the same but with a black aventurine-glass dial last December, and then the pair of Little Lange 1 Moon Phase earlier this year. That’s four models with aventurine glass dials in as many years. The new model is a first, in that it matches the blue aventurine-glass dial with a pink gold case, giving the watch a warm aesthetic not found in earlier versions, or even the broader catalogue where the combination of pink gold and blue is found only on the recent Triple Split. This is no doubt a good news for collectors that already have everything from the brand and want something different. Still, the frequency of aventurine-glass inevitably chips away at its uniqueness. One nitpick I have about the watch is personal – I find the Saxonia Thin too wide and f...
Time+Tide
The new and improved Cartier Ballon Bleu deserves to blow up
Although it hasn’t even reached its 15th birthday, Cartier’s Ballon Bleu already holds an incredibly firm standing in the world of fine watchmaking, and amongst the litany of iconic designs stemming from the jeweller of kings. Its universal appeal, holding a perfect balance between masculinity and femininity, combined with the quintessential elements that make it … ContinuedThe post The new and improved Cartier Ballon Bleu deserves to blow up appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Time Trial: Wei Unboxes the New IWC Big Pilot 43mm
Wei unboxes the new IWC Big Pilot 43mm, and also walks us through their patented quick change system that makes changing straps hassle-free.
Video
5 NEW Watch Releases This Week - July 2026
Welcome to the watch releases update for the second week of July 2026. We have some new watches from Oris, Seiko, IWC and more. Enjoy the video:)
SJX Watches
Montblanc Introduces the Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon
One of the most interesting new releases from Montblanc at Watches & Wonders 2021 is the Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon, a technically impressive movement fused with a sparkly aventurine-glass dial. It’s equipped with a larger-than-usual balance wheel positioned above the dial, seemingly suspended but actually part of the tourbillon regulator. Initial thoughts Introduced at SIHH 2018, the Suspended Exo Tourbillon movement was most recently seen in an open-worked variant unveiled last year. Despite not being new in terms of mechanics, the new Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon is different enough from its predecessors – and still powered by the same fine movement. Very much living up to the Star Legacy model name, the aventurine-glass is restrained and modern, especially when combined with the white gold case, giving it a different look from the earlier models that were in rose gold. Typical of Montblanc’s higher-end watches made at the former Minerva manufacture in Villeret – as opposed to its more affordable timepieces, manufactured at the main facility in Le Locle – the Star Legacy Suspended Exo Tourbillon is remarkably well-finished. Worlds apart from Montblanc’s entry-level tourbillon in terms of movement decoration, the movement is also more traditionally finished than comparably priced alternatives such as the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Flying Tourbillon. However, because the movement was derived from the pocket watch calibres developed by M...
SJX Watches
Insight: Patents in Watchmaking
Patents in watchmaking are often brushed over by the brand themselves, except when tallying them in marketing material. But they are important, and can be foundational to a brand, as George Daniels’ famed co-axial escapement is synonymous with Omega. But there is a great deal more in watchmaking that can be protected with a patent than a lubrication-free escapement. A large proportion of the parts that make up a watch – from case materials to time-display mechanisms – can be patented, and often are. That begs the question: what exactly can be patented? The common obstacle encountered by a would-be inventor is that patents are notoriously difficult to secure, especially if applied for without specialist help. Going from application to approval of a patent often requires several years, and approval is not a certainty. Gaining a patent hinges on three criteria: the invention in question must be new, non-obvious, and useful. Beyond the necessary knowledge of prior inventions – in order to prove the patent-pending idea is new – the incredibly specific wording required for patents can be daunting to an independent applicant, so it usually falls to a patent attorney to lead the application process. But patents can be lucrative for an inventor, especially for an innovation targeted at the consumer, which is why new patents are registered every day. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, for instance, received just under 670,000 patent applications in 2019, and gr...
Time+Tide
The gold and the beautiful: the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold
Editor’s note: This year at Hublot has focused heavily on celebrating the 40th anniversary of the brand, but there was another important new chapter in the history book of the masters of fusion. The in-house Meca-10 movement, a caliber that has been restricted to the classically round Big Bang case, was set free into the … ContinuedThe post The gold and the beautiful: the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
In-Depth: Quantifying Performance and Trade-Offs in Movement Design Part II
Previously, in Part I of this series, we analysed and reviewed over 40 watch movements in terms of their potential chronometric performance – via the Horological Density Factor (HDF), which encompasses balance power and power reserve against the size of the movement – and debated the various trade-offs that had been made in order to achieve specific technical or aesthetic characteristics. Many readers then asked how more commonly known and accessible movements compare. To answer that we needed more data from the industry. Fortunately, Swiss movement makers Valjoux, Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon, Unitas, as well as their parent company Ebauches SA – now all part of ETA – once published beautifully comprehensive, detailed data sheets that included balance wheel inertia values. Armed with this data, we have been able to analyse and plot a further 25 movements alongside the previous group (with the disclaimer that it might not be fully up to date since the data sheets date from before the Quartz Crisis in the 1970s) to give a total of 68 to allow further investigation and review. The analysis Several popular movements have been added: the workhorse ETA 2824-1 and -2, the ubiquitous ETA Valjoux 7750 chronograph, the large diameter ETA Unitas 6497-1 and -2, and the ETA Peseux 7001. We also added, among others, the integrated chronograph cal. 4130 in the Rolex Daytona, and the modular chronograph versions of both the ETA 2892 (known as the ETA 2894) as well as...
SJX Watches
Auction Watch: Sotheby’s to Sell Legendary, Royal Breguet Pocket Watches
Sotheby’s watch auction at the end of October will be headlined by a trio of historically important and highly complicated Breguet pocket watches that were all once owned by royalty, and then part of the David Salomons Breguet collection. The top lot will unquestionably be Breguet no. 2788, nicknamed “The Prince Regent’s Resonance”, an experimental 1818 watch with twin balance wheels operating on the principle of resonance. [Update October 27, 2020: The sale of watches from The Museum for Islamic Art will be postponed until sometime in November 2020, due to the museum having decided to rethink the deaccessioning of part of its collection.] The twin balance wheels of Breguet no. 2788 Given their hallowed provenance, the trio of Breguet watches being offered for sale is surprising, but perhaps in keeping with the times. Despite the golden age of pocket watch collecting having seemingly come to an end – or perhaps because of it – several important pocket watches have sold well in the last two years. Amongst the recent highlights is one of the oldest watches known, the 369-year old Cremsdorff preserved in mint condition, and the 20th century masterpiece by George Daniels. The majority of those came from the massive collection put together by the late Erivan Haub, a supermarket tycoon who was perhaps the most important collector of pocket watches in his day. Sotheby’s upcoming London auction, however, has a handful of exceptionally important pocket watches from...
Video
Mido’s New Diver Under $1,000
On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com
Time+Tide
VIDEO: Oh, hello there Raymond Weil Freelancer Calibre RW1212 in Green, looking sharp in the metal
Well, the enthusiastic comments on the video, the site post and the socials have confirmed it – this new Raymond Weil Freelancer in a pitch perfect olive green, with that eye-catching exposed balance well and truly have your attention. Which is why we thought we’d upgrade the Hands-On review and bring it to you in … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: Oh, hello there Raymond Weil Freelancer Calibre RW1212 in Green, looking sharp in the metal appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Rolex Introduces the New Oyster Perpetual (in Bright Colours Too)
A direct descendant of the first waterproof wristwatch that debuted in 1926, the Oyster Perpetual has long been the most straightforward offering from Rolex, a fuss-free, time-only watch that still retains the brand’s quintessential technology and design. Rolex has revamped the Oyster Perpetual – now available in in 41 mm, 36 mm, 34 mm, 31 mm, and 28 mm – giving it new dials, including colourful lacquer in candy pink, turquoise blue, yellow, coral red, and green, as well as the latest generation movements for the largest sizes. But not that all colours are available in every size; candy pink for instance is available only for the 36 mm and 31 mm models. The Oyster Perpetual 36 in the new colours Initial thoughts It is heartening to see the return of fun, brightly-coloured dials on affordable models, especially in solid colours instead of being combined with quirky patterns such as the concentric decoration found on earlier generations. The bright-colour dials on the largest 41 mm model in particular make for a lively look that is very different from the usual conservative style of the Oyster. More sedate dial colours – namely metallic silver, blue, and black – are also available, but it’s the silver the stands out. In fact, the silver dial is as interesting as its colourful counterparts. The use of gilded hands and indices on silver dial in a steel watch is unusual. Add to that the pale champagne wash over the silver finish, the result is a warm look that is...
Revolution
Introducing the Girard-Perregaux Cosmos Infinity Edition & Other Novelties at Geneva Watch Days 2020
Girard-Perregaux presents its 2020 Infinity editions: Cosmos, Free Bridge, Vintage 1945, 1966 and the Laureato
Time+Tide
New study: your smartwatch is making you more insecure
The notion that “knowledge is power” has arguably become the guiding principle of our professional lives. Organisations are more reliant than ever on numerical evidence to gauge how they’re shaping up. Businesses study balance sheets, governments scrutinise trade figures, media networks analyse traffic growth and revenue streams. Sport, too, has become ever more data-obsessed after … ContinuedThe post New study: your smartwatch is making you more insecure appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
In-depth: Time Consciousness and Discipline in the Industrial Revolution
One of the most indelible scenes from Modern Times, the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film about the dreary life of an oppressed factory worker in Depression-era America, has Chaplin’s character strapped to a contraption that feeds him automatically, leaving his hands free to continue working on the assembly line below the dining platform. In the film, the scientists behind the feeding machine market it to the factory owner as “a practical device which automatically feeds your men while at work. Don’t stop for lunch: be ahead of your competitor. The Billows Feeding Machine will eliminate the lunch hour, increase your production, and decrease your overhead.” The “Billows Feeding Machine” in Modern Times While Modern Times was a caricature of a factory worker’s life, the film contains much truth, especially in how it illustrated the burgeoning preoccupation with time during the Industrial Revolution. An era marked by drastic shifts in culture, economics, politics, and technology, the Industrial Revolution was also characterised by an evolution in how time was perceived. Propelled by the needs of industry, time as a concept became synonymous with profit. Eventually growing to permeate all levels of society and industry, this time consciousness had a profound impact on the world that continues today. A landscape of factories Predominantly agrarian and rural societies were transformed during the Industrial Revolution, becoming industrialised and urbanised. This started in...
Video
You will make these 7 Mistakes collecting watches
I asked my subscribers for their biggest Watch collecting regrets, these were the top 10.
Time+Tide
His & Hers: 4 of the best couples watches money can buy, including Audemars Piguet, Omega and TAG Heuer
Recently, a reader from the Land of the Free dropped us a line asking if we could help with a conundrum he’d been having. You see, this lovely fellow and his wife are soon to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, and he wants to purchase a matching his and hers set of timepieces to mark … ContinuedThe post His & Hers: 4 of the best couples watches money can buy, including Audemars Piguet, Omega and TAG Heuer appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Hands-On: Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H
Now five years old, Montblanc’s 1858 collection has proven to be both on the nose and on the money – and the line-up now includes an unusual single-handed, 24-hour wristwatch that doubles as a solar compass. From the entry-level automatic to the top-of-the-line split-seconds chronograph, the 1858 watches offer respectable value in their respective price categories, while possessing a pleasing balance of retro details reliant on clever use of tone, font, and finish. At Watches & Wonders 2020, Montblanc continued the theme, but with a twist, when it introduced the 1858 Automatic 24H. Initial thoughts Mechanically simple but functionally and visually unusual, the Automatic 24H doesn’t cost very much more than the base-model, three-hand automatic. Admittedly it only tells the time approximately, but the look and feel is reminiscent of an oversized vintage instrument, rather than just a vintage-inspired wristwatch. In order words, it is probably the most interesting entry-level watch from Montblanc. In fact, it’s a compelling proposition in the broader sub-US$5,000 category, being more interesting than the usual fare in this price segment. 24 hours and uncommon While not new, watches with a 24-hour time display where hour hand makes one revolution a day are uncommon, especially outside of specialised timers for professionals who operate on a 24-hour time such as pilots and astronauts. As a result, 24-hour watches are often no-nonsense instruments. Such watches typic...
Time+Tide
INTRODUCING: The new Chopard Mille Miglia and L.U.C Perpetual Twin 2020 present masculinity two ways
For their spring novelty releases this year, Chopard have reinvigorated two of their most popular collections: the Mille Miglia and the L.U.C families. We are offered something for everyone, with the more refined L.U.C collection featuring attractive new perpetual calendar references with tastefully balanced dial proportions and a beautifully decorated movement, while the sportiness of … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The new Chopard Mille Miglia and L.U.C Perpetual Twin 2020 present masculinity two ways appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Cartier Introduces the Santos-Dumont Limited Editions
Hot on the heels of the Santos-Dumont XL hand-wind, Cartier has dropped four limited edition variants of the same at Watches & Wonders 2020, each dedicated to one of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s most significant aircraft. Within just a decade, the pioneering Franco-Brazilian aviator designed and piloted diverse methods of conquering the skies, from balloons and dirigibles to heavier-than-air aircraft. The four flying machines commemorated by the new limited edition Santos-Dumont watches each represent a different milestone in his career, starting with his first balloon, the Brésil of 1898, to his greatest feat, the La Demoiselle plane of 1908. Increasing in edition size as the price decreases with the preciousness of the case, all four editions are mechanical, powered by the ultra-thin 430 MC found in the Santos-Dumont XL, which is actually a Piaget 430P. Though they share the same movement, the editions are not all the same size. The first three are in the large Santos-Dumont case, with dimensions of 43.5 mm by 31.4 mm, perfectly appropriate for a modern-day dress watch, offering just the right balance between elegance and presence. The last and most expensive edition, on the other hand, is platinum and XL size, meaning it is 46.6 mm by 33.9 mm. Santos-Dumont XL in platinum (extreme left), and the trio of large-size editions Santos-Dumont “Le Brésil” Limited to 100 pieces, “Le Bresil” is named after Santos-Dumont’s first flying machine, a hot-air balloon not...
SJX Watches
Stefan Ketelaars Introduces the 3D Terra in Motion
Twenty-nine year-old Stefan Ketelaars started his eponymous brand in 2017, producing watches based on the ETA Unitas 6497 and 6498 but modified in a novel manner while still being affordable, starting at just €3,800, or about US$4,300. His signature complications are the “flying regulator” time display and spherical day and night display, but most notable is the balance wheel repositioned to the front of the watch. The most recent model unveiled by Ketelaars Watches, the 3D Terra in Motion with Reverse Balance. The new watch builds on his earlier creation that features a miniature Earth that functions as a day and night display, but adds on the elevated balance wheel. Like the rest of his watches, the 3D Terra in Motion is powered by a heavily modified Unitas 6497. But unlike the usual modified-Unitas fare in this price range that reshape the bridges for a new look, Mr Ketelaars retains most of the components on the back and instead reworks the front. From the back, the distinctive Unitas bridges retain the same shape, but enhanced with pronounced, sloping bevelling on all the edges. The anglage is wide enough that its top edge almost touches the countersinks for the nearby screws and jewels. A Ketelaars Unitas 6497 with a standard balance wheel on the back; the bridges are finished with radial graining and anglage The Reverse Balance The most significant modification on the new 3D Terra in Motion is the repositioning of the balance wheel. Instead of being on the...
Video
How Hodinkee & Silicon Valley RUINED Watch Culture
For over a decade, Silicon Valley tech culture and publications like Hodinkee tricked the watch community into believing that gold and two-tone watches were tasteless, pushing a careless "sweatpants" aesthetic as the...
SJX Watches
Up Close: Grand Seiko Elegance Collection ‘Thin Dress’ SBGK007
Grand Seiko’s newest design style – the “Thin Dress” – combines a slightly retro case and dial with the signature hallmarks of the brand like diamond-cut hour markers, while being original in that is not obviously based on a vintage Grand Seiko model. Launched in early 2019 as part of the Elegance Collection, first with quartz and then mechanical models, the new design is used for the flagship Spring Drive SBGZ001 and SBGZ003 – magnificently-crafted watches that unfortunately start at US$57,000. Fortunately, the line-up is diverse enough that it includes an entry-level, mechanical model with a robust price-to-performance ratio, the Elegance Collection “Thin Dress” SBGK007. The SBGK007 is a compact, hand-wound wristwatch with a fairly minimalist design along with a handful of retro elements – in short, it is handsome and slightly vintage in feel. And the SBGK007, along with the rest of the Elegance Collection, was designed after Grand Seiko was spun off from Seiko to create an independent brand. As a result, the watch was designed from the ground up as a Grand Seiko, and perhaps for that reason the dial feels more visually balanced than earlier models that had “Seiko” removed from the dial. Elegant retro The SBGK007 is a compact watch, but sized very well, neither too big nor too small, measuring 39 mm in diameter and 11.6 mm high. Because of the case style and construction, it feels thinner than it measures, while also having a strong vintage vibe i...
Quill & Pad
Flor de Caña V Generaciones: Extremely Limited 30-Year-Old Single Barrel Rum
Flor de Caña V Generaciones with its amazing balance gives the impression that it is neither dry nor sweet, just absolute dead center. It is, by any standard, one of the finest rums that Ken Gargett has ever sampled. And then there's that volcano stamp, a story that changed the course of history.
SJX Watches
A Guide to the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019
Having only begun yesterday and open until October 13, the Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Singapore is a watchmaking extravaganza – with free entry to the public – that’s already a box office hit on its opening weekend. Reputed to have cost some 20m Swiss francs, the vast historical and cultural showcase is the biggest Patek Philippe has staged to date, with 10 rooms spread over 1900m2, or over 20,000ft2. Pre-registrations for the event exceeded 35,000 people, with the total tally after two weeks expected to substantially surpass that; the first day alone saw some 4000 visitors pass through. The venue: Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands But as important as its broad appeal is the fact that the exhibition has drawn some of the world’s most important watch collectors to the city state. Outside of a factory event in Geneva, there probably hasn’t been this many custom Patek Philippe wristwatches together in one place. A custom dial ref. 5970J owned by the gentleman collector known as @horology_ancienne One of the major contemporary timepieces on show: the Star Calibre 2000 And arguably the most major watch of any sort in the exhibition: the landmark Calibre 89, the most complicated portable watch ever at the time of its creation in 1989 The six limited edition watches created especially for the event have garnered the most headlines, but the exhibition itself is worth a long visit because there’s a lot to see. It covers not just Patek Philippe, but...
SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Les Collectionneurs in Singapore
Les Collectionneurs is a small, but special, line of watches offered by Vacheron Constantin. Made up of select vintage watches that have been restored to pristine condition at the factory, Les Collectionneurs is made up of about 75 watches. A selection is available year-round at three Vacheron Constantin boutiques – the two in Geneva and one in New York City – with the balance travelling and making stops at other boutiques around the world. From now till the end of October, a pick of Les Collectionneurs watches, including the exquisite ref. 4261 minute repeater, are in Singapore, over a year since the line-up last came by. As a whole, the 19-piece selection in Singapore presents a rich and interesting overview of Vacheron Constantin’s midcentury history. The brand’s mastery of case and lug styles is well illustrated, from the dramatic, wing-shaped “Batman” Chronometre Royal to the familiar “teardrop” lugs of the ref. 4178 chronograph. Factory refreshed While the models in Les Collectionneurs are diverse, and also acquired from a variety of sources, ranging from private collectors to auctions, they are all selected based on shared criteria: rarity, provenance, and of course, current trends. More importantly, the watches are fully and correctly restored, and delivered with an archive extract as well as a two-year warranty. For the client, that’s essentially the same assurance as when buying a brand new watch. Importantly, the factory approa...
Time+Tide
ANNOUNCING: Complete the Time+Tide 2019 Reader Survey, have a chance at winning a TAG Heuer Autavia
Welcome to the Time+Tide 2019 Reader Survey! That time when we put some hard-hitting questions into a survey program, work some internet magic and set it free, for all you good people out there to answer. One lucky Australian survey respondent will win a TAG Heuer Autavia chronograph for their troubles. Take the survey now … ContinuedThe post ANNOUNCING: Complete the Time+Tide 2019 Reader Survey, have a chance at winning a TAG Heuer Autavia appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Video
A Revamped Dress Watch Contender Under $1,000
On this channel, we review watches that are available for purchase on TeddyBaldassarre.com