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Photo Report: Watch Spotting At Monaco Legend Group's Fall 2025 Auction
In Monaco, all watches are welcome, but some really stood out. Here's what we saw.
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Hodinkee
In Monaco, all watches are welcome, but some really stood out. Here's what we saw.
Teddy Baldassarre
Among all of Rolex’s bracelet options, the Oysterflex is perhaps the most unconventional and arguably the most misunderstood. Now marking 10 years on the market, and encompassing attributes of both a sturdy steel bracelet and a supple rubber strap, the Oysterflex has gone from being a curious, one-off outlier on a niche Yacht-Master model to an integral element of some of the Crown’s most buzz-worthy timepieces of recent years. Here’s what you should know about it. History of Rubber Watch Straps The road to the Rolex Oysterflex bracelet really started with the invention of vulcanized rubber in 1839, attributed to chemist Charles Goodyear (below, whose name is now immortalized in the automotive world as a leading manufacturer of tires). Vulcanized rubber - a compound of natural rubber with other compounds, which offered enhanced resilience and pliability - was originally used in mostly industrial areas, as in the manufacture of o-rings, gaskets, and (of course) tires. The discovery of fluoroelastomers as an alternative to the difficult-to-source natural rubber led to the rise of synthetic rubbers that had even more advantages, such as resistance to water, oils, and temperature extremes. These rubbers found their way into more everyday products such as shoes, belts, and flooring, while also expanding further into applications in the automotive industry, for door seals, hoses, and other parts. Synthetic rubber first emerged as an alternative for wristwatch straps in...
Monochrome
As you might already know as of now, Breguet is celebrating this year its 250th anniversary. And the brand is doing so by releasing watches that are either evolutions of emblematic models – such as the two stunning hand-wound Type XX – or paying tribute to the countless innovations of A.L. Breguet, for instance the […]
Revolution
Revolution
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Quill & Pad
The WatchCharts Overall Market Index gained +0.6% in September 2025, continuing its gradual recovery trend. Patek Philippe led the way with a +2.3% increase, while Rolex edged up +0.2%. Over the past six months, Patek Philippe and Rolex have risen +5.7% and +2.0%, respectively.
Monochrome
Petermann Bédat is an independent watchmaking brand based in Renens, near Lausanne. The founders, Gaël Petermann and Florian Bédat, first met at the Geneva Watchmaking School. After gaining experience at prestigious houses such as A. Lange & Söhne, Harry Winston and Andersen Genève, or restoring vintage timepieces, they decided to create their own brand. The […]
Hodinkee
While the dial and case will get the most attention, it's what's under the hood that's worth a bit more attention.
Hodinkee
Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts report shows overall prices rose but lift may be short lived amid tariffs and primary price hikes.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Seiko SARB033 has joined the ranks of Seiko watches that are more popular and coveted than ever - despite never having been sold outside Seiko's home country of Japan and also despite exiting the market entirely back in 2018. In this article, we explore the SARB033 and its closest siblings from the elegant collection and try to uncover what makes these hard-to-find timepieces so appealing. Seiko SARB Collection History: Seiko introduced its SARB collection exclusively to the Japanese market in 2006, positioning it as a more upscale alternative to the sportier 5 Sport line, which also offered watches with the brand’s own automatic movements at very approachable prices. The SARB series (no, the letters don’t stand for anything, we checked) was built around the Seiko Caliber 6R15 movement, more on which below, introduced by Seiko one year prior. The first generation of SARB watches (SARB001, SARB002, and SARB005) appears to take inspiration from the King Seiko “Vanac” editions that made a brief but impactful splash on the market in the 1970s, with their angular cases, funky dial colors and textures, and faceted crystals. The next wave (SARB007, 009, 011) goes for more of a rounded, “Retro Modern” character, with vintage designs influencing the three-hand-date dials. On the heels of that trio came the first models in the series to really break through to widespread enthusiast acclaim outside their native Japan, the mountaineering-inspired “Alpinist” m...
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Teddy Baldassarre
Tudor has been on a roll in recent years with expanding its contemporary repertoire of watches, and has debuted several heaters across its collection this year alone. But if I were to pick out one model as a standout among the bunch over the past few years, I think that a release from 2024 still takes the cake as its most impactful addition to its modern catalog – the Black Bay 58 GMT. I know everyone might not agree with me here, and we’re all entitled to our own unique favorites (I will say the Black Bay Pro is a close second, for transparency), but there’s something about the Black Bay GMT that continuously impresses me. From its wearability to its versatility and great color palette, there’s a lot to love. So, as a testament to my Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT favoritism, today, I’m diving into the depths with this watch, exploring how it came to be, what works about it, what it possibly leaves to be desired, and, of course, some speculative guesses on where I think the brand might go next. Some Context and History As always, it’s necessary to begin at, well, the beginning, and do a little bit of digging into the brand’s legacy to chart the trajectory of how we get to the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT. For an even further exploration into the longstanding history of Tudor GMT watches, I will refer you now to this definitive guide on the subject here. Unlike its luxurious older sibling, Tudor’s connection with GMT functionality can’t really be traced back anywher...
Revolution
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) reinvents the chronograph with the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5. Inside the titanium and palladium BMG case – standing just 8.1 mm high – is the cal. 8100, a new take on the chronograph mechanism that employs spring-loaded racks to gather and store energy. The RD#5 is the fifth and final instalment in the “RD” series of watches that underline the impressive technical know-how of AP, particularly its Le Locle manufacture that evolved from Renaud & Papi (APRP). Conceived with the goal of creating a chronograph that is extra slim and easy on the fingers, the RD#5 boasts exceptionally light and comfortable pusher feel, an instantaneously-jumping minutes counter, and an exceptionally slim profile (thanks in part to peripheral winding), all while remaining amenable to industrial-haute horlogerie manufacturing. It’s one of the most technically interesting debuts of 2025, and we explain AP’s new take on the chronograph in detail below. The cal. 8100 with its unorthodox chronograph and peripheral rotor Initial thoughts Outwardly just another Royal Oak, with the same ideal proportions and class-leading bracelet as the iconic “Jumbo”, the RD#5 is actually one of the most innovative mechanical chronographs in recent years. Perhaps the only comparison for out-of-the-box chronograph construction is AgenGraphe that was unveiled almost a decade ago. The watch was evidently developed with two goals in ...
Worn & Wound
Early this year, I dove into customizable mechanical keyboards for the first time, adding yet another hobby to the growing list. While I wholeheartedly blame our CEO Blake Malin for this, it’s become one of my favorite hobbies to date. Along with physically building keyboards, I also began exploring various subreddits, Discord servers, and blogs, learning about the many different facets of my new hobby. Along the way, I learned about “artisan keycaps”, custom keycaps that are handcrafted from many materials (frequently resin or metal) for a specific theme, which are highly collectible and unique. At one point, I mentioned to Zach Weiss (who also got into keyboards thanks to Blake) that I wanted an artisan keycap with a fully functional watch inside. It turns out that I’m not the only one, as Zach would eventually discover a post on the r/MechanicalKeyboards subreddit titled “MIYO: 1u functioning analog watch keycap (2 year update)” which introduced me to MujiManiac and SNEAKBOX Designs. While there are many artisan keycaps on the market, the standout feature of the MIYO is that it houses a functional watch movement and analog display, built inside a standard 1U size keycap. As the project was designed to be a functional keycap, the movement sits inside a custom machined, two piece stainless steel case that both protects the movement and allows it to be mounted on a keyboard of your choosing (provided it has compatible MX style switches). At the heart of the M...
Hodinkee
In this article I will compliment the design and also give it a light roast.
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Monochrome
Vaer is an American brand founded in 2016 that specialises in accessible yet refined watches for all occasions. Sure, we’ve heard this theme countless times, but details add up to make Vaer’s offerings a bit different and special. The G5 Pacific Steel 39mm USA GMT is a prime example that offers true (or traveller’s) GMT […]
Monochrome
It seems like more and more, we’re uncovering new gems from the land of the Rising Sun. There seems to be a real surge in exciting independent watchmaking with an eye for tradition, craftsmanship and creativity in Japan, and we are loving it! Brands like Otsuka Lotec, Kurono Tokyo and Quiet Club are just a […]
Hodinkee
The brand's ever-popular retro-inspired diver has been updated, and the new design spans two attractive sizes.
Teddy Baldassarre
If you’re new to your appreciation of fine watches, you have undoubtedly read a lot of references to and heard a lot of opinions about watches’ bezels. It is somewhat of an esoteric term but it describes something very simple and essential. The bezel is the front part of the case (often but not always ring-shaped) that frames the dial and secures the crystal. Bezels can be made of the same material as the case middle and/or the caseback, but can also be made of a different material. Here we run down the various types of watch bezels you’re likely to encounter. Polygons and Exposed Screws Watch cases, of course, are not uniformly round, which means that bezels, the front-facing parts of those cases, can also be found in a variety of shapes - sharply squared or rectangular, like the Cartier Tank and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso (above); softy cushion-shaped, like the Panerai Luminor and Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921; oval-shaped, like the Breguet Reine de Naples and other luxury ladies’ models; tonneau (“barrel”-shaped), like the Hublot Spirit of Big Bang and many Richard Mille models; and a host of others that combine elements of these and other polygonal shapes. The shape that has proven to be the most popular and influential is the octagon: eight-sided bezels have proliferated ever since Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak (above) in 1972, and watchmakers have also dabbled in other unconventional shapes: the sharply faceted bezel of the Zeni...
Hodinkee
Data compiled by Everywatch shows used Patek sales doubled in the week after the latest tariff level was unveiled.
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Monochrome
There’s no denying that the love for independent watchmaking is on the rise. Throughout the past couple of years, we have also very happily seen a growing interest in artisanal watchmaking. Creating watches by hand, with traditional tools and techniques and hours and hours of labour. This time around, we have another new name lined […]
Revolution
Hodinkee
Spending a few days with the 2025 updates to the best-selling watches in the world.
Worn & Wound
I’m part of a generation that grew up appreciating Robert Redford, who passed away this morning at the age of 89, primarily through the lens of their parents. Specifically, in my case, through my mom, who I can remember renting The Sting for me and my sister when we were children, certainly too young to appreciate Redford’s cultural impact on a generation of moviegoers, but not too young to understand his movie star magnetism. That’s something that defies age. Over the years, as my movie education expanded and deepened, I began to see Redford in a series of different lights. At times, he was the consummate leading man. At others he exemplified a particular type of American authenticity and charm. As he aged, he grew into roles where he played learned experts, passing on knowledge (and movie star bona fides) to new generations of actors. Perhaps most importantly, he was an evangelist for movies, the founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and spent much of his later life promoting and elevating independent film in one way or another. He was also, of course, an important part of the watch community and over the years has been responsible for more watch spotting Instagram posts, articles, and podcasts, than perhaps any other celebrity. His Red Sub, to us, became an extension of Redford’s persona. It was as much a part of his image as the red jacket worn by James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, or Audrey Hepburn’s pearls in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The difference wi...
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