7,687 articles · 886 videos found · page 228 of 286
Monochrome
There’s more to the dive watch category than your classic, 300m steel model with a rotating bezel. Some brands have decided to pack dive watches with features that actually make sense underwater (and I’m not talking about a perpetual calendar here), as is the watch we’ll be looking at today. As its name suggests, the […]
Worn & Wound
Many products we come across today – that were invented and manufactured in the past, were originally born from some sort of pure necessity or primal need. I’m not talking about the heated blankets we watch Netflix under or those electric warming mugs that make sure our coffee is never cold; these are not necessary, but could be considered extremely nice to have by some folks. I’m talking about products and objects that were born from a pure survival need that evolved over time into what we know them as today. This is where we explore watches and pocket knives and come to find out that they have more crossover and shared intrigue than you might know. Let’s rewind back quite a bit from today. Homo sapiens (which is what you and I are-unless you are an AI LLM, in which case I say, these are not the insights you are looking for) needed to eat to survive, as do we. But our ancestors needed to have a tool to kill Woolly Mammoths, because as far as I can tell from my last visit to the Natural History Museum, they definitely didn’t have DoorDash. So in basic terms, to make said tool to kill their food, they used a rock to break another rock that became a sharper object called a Clovis point; and when this sharper rock was tied to a stick, they effectively turned it into a spear that helped them kill those Woolly Mammoths. This became the first sharp tool-and therefore “knife”-that Homo sapiens ever created and used. Now we rewind back a little less far from th...
Fratello
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! With Thanksgiving barely in our rearview mirrors, we decide to spend time giving thanks to the watch hobby. In this installment, you’ll hear what we love so much about this addiction and why. Settle in for this candid chat. This podcast player is blocked because you did […] Visit Fratello On Air: Giving Thanks To The Watch Hobby to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
While it’s more widely known for its jewelry these days, Piaget, founded in the small Swiss village of La Cote-aux-Fées by Georges Piaget in 1874, has been a watchmaker from the beginning. Its original trade, in fact, was making movements, and the company began making complete watches in In the 20th century. Before getting into the Piaget Polo, it's worth it to get into the brand's history in thin watchmaking. Since 1957, when Piaget created the historic 2mm-thick Caliber 9P, the company has been world renowned for the elegant thinness of its watches and movements. The world’s thinnest self-winding mechanical movement, Caliber 12P, followed Caliber 9P just three years later, in 1960, and Piaget has building upon these foundations ever since. Its most recent triumph in this area was the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, which debuted in 2018 as a prototype and hit the market in 2020; the entire watch, case and movement, is just 2mm thick, matching the wafer thinness of the original Caliber 9P. Along with Bulgari, another watchmaker known more for its jewelry, Piaget continues to embody the ne plus ultra of what ultra-thin watchmaking can accomplish. [toc-section heading="The Integrated Bracelet Era Begins"] However, while “thin and elegant” remains the calling card of the Piaget watch brand overall, the market was looking for something a little different - a little bolder, perhaps - in the 1970s. Audemars Piguet had introduced its groundbreaking Royal Oak “Jumbo...
Worn & Wound
Laurence Bodenmann has served as the Heritage Director of Zenith for a decade. She’s also a member of the scientific committee for The Watch Library, a non-profit public interest foundation established in 2021 to document, preserve, and share watchmaking archives. While Bodenmann has become a staple of the industry, her role in watches was mere happenstance or rather came out of necessity. It spurred from a summer job at the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds while trying to earn some extra money during her pursuit of a degree in anthropology. “I was always interested in logic – when I was young, I first thought I wanted to be a math teacher,” she recalls. “But as I got older, I realized what interested me most was how different people approached reasoning,” Bodenmann continues, “and how factors like cultural context and economical or sociological diversity informed their thought process. I found it fascinating to observe how one person would approach an object or problem in one way and another person would do it completely differently.” While Bodenmann didn’t initially expect to find herself in the world of horology, we can see why it’s been such a natural fit. The entire watch industry revolves around her astute observations as a teenager. Every person within a manufacturer – from the watchmaker sitting at a bench to the executives running the brand – is faced with the same object – a timepiece – and many of the same probl...
SJX Watches
Breguet concludes its 250th anniversary with the brand’s most forward-thinking watch, the Expérimentale 1 that boasts a magnetic, true constant force escapement. Equipped with a frictionless escape wheel and pallet lever driven by magnetic forces, the movement runs at 72,000 beats per hour, or 10 Hz – arguably making the Expérimentale 1 the ultimate Breguet chronometer. Impressively innovative with its use of silicon, magnets, and clever teeth geometry, the limited edition watch also marks the start of the Expérimentale line, a collection that will serve as a platform to debut new complications, technology, and designs. Initial thoughts While some might have been expecting an updated Sympathique, Breguet instead surprised with perhaps the most advanced wrist-borne mechanical chronometer in modern watchmaking. Taking cues from Abraham-Louis Breguet’s own “constant force” escapements, Breguet today harnessed the power of permanent magnets and unique teeth geometry to built a genuinely friction-less, constant torque escapement. In fact, the new escapement appears to be the only truly frictionless and constant force escapement on the market today. Magnets have been employed in escapements in the past, but this approach was historically unreliable. Breguet appears to have discovered the right formula for a magnetic escapement. Several functioning prototypes were on show at the launch event. Moreover, Breguet chief executive Gregory Kissling explained that the ma...
Fratello
Welcome to a new installment of Sunday Morning Showdown! This week, we pit two very similar watches from two very dissimilar segments against each other. The Tudor Ranger Dune White takes on the much cheaper Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Sand. We’ll see if the €2,425 price gap makes sense. Daan will take the Tudor’s […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Ranger Dune White Vs. Christopher Ward C65 Dune Aeolian Sand to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
If you’ve sensed a theme with my work throughout the last year or so here on Worn & Wound, you’re not alone. The 1980s and 90s Timex catalog has fully gotten a hold of my attention for the last year or so, with pieces from that era finding their way into my watch boxes and causing a seismic shift in my collecting habits. Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I’ll never stray away from my mechanical pieces and Seiko divers. However, the fun and quirky nature of Timex during the latter half of the 20th century is an era I will now hold forever near and dear to my heart. I added this Timex Hooks model to my collection only a few months ago after wanting one for several years. Though I’m not an incredibly passionate fisherman, there was always something about the watch’s design that piqued my interest. Go grab your fishing rod, get some nightcrawlers from the local gas station, and head out to your nearest bubbling brook, as we take a look into what makes the Timex Hooks such an underrated watch in the brand’s catalog. History and Design According to advertisements and catalogs, the Timex Hooks model was released in 1990 alongside other outdoor watches designed at assisting in specialized outdoor activities like skiing, surfing, cross-training, mountain climbing, and more. Possessing many impressive and high-tech features for that era that we’ll dig into shortly, the Hooks retailed for $65 (the equivalent of roughly $161 in 2025). Simultaneously, Time...
Monochrome
Launched in 2022, Zenith’s Defy collection bridges the past and future in one fell swoop. The name dates to 1902 and refers to a line of robust pocket watches known as Defi. Following the launch of Zenith’s world-first high-frequency El Primero automatic chronograph movement, the Defy name was resuscitated for a line of hyper-robust, bulky […]
SJX Watches
In the autumn of 1948, at Galerie Fischer’s auction house in Lucerne, a young Swiss watchmaker secured Lot 155, a Breguet pocket watch, No. 4763, circa 1848, with a straight-line club-tooth lever escapement. The case, fitted later by E. Brown at George Daniels’s suggestion to employ original movements and parts held in stock, aligned with his purpose. For most collectors, such a purchase might not have represented a pure Breguet. But for Gerd Ahrens, it was something altogether different: the first sentence in what would become a four-century narrative of mechanical ingenuity. Gerd Ahrens in his shop office on Schwanenplatz 7 around 1955. Image – Gerd Ahrens Foundation: a life built on wheels and springs Gerd Ahrens was born on September 18, 1920, in Hamburg, Germany, at a time when mechanical watches represented the pinnacle of portable precision. His father, Otto Ahrens, born in 1877, had already established himself as a highly respected watchmaker. Otto’s path, however, would be marked by the upheavals of the twentieth century. Before World War I, he had operated a successful shop in Paris and had built connections throughout the watchmaking centres of Inner Switzerland. The evidence of his skill was tangible: Otto personally built ten pocket watches, demonstrating not just commercial acumen but genuine mastery of the craft. Then the war came. Otto was forced to close his Paris shop in 1914, and the conflict left him penniless. A trained craftsman of the highest...
SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton expands the Escale line with a pair of limited editions featuring turquoise and malachite stone dials – and unusually, matching stone mid-cases. By integrating the case band in the same material as the dial, the brand elevates the familiar Escale silhouette into something more sculptural, while retaining the signature riveted form inspired by its historic trunks. The result is one of the more distinctive takes on the current stone-dial trend. The platinum-and-titanium construction allows for a double-walled case with a stone ring on the outside, giving the watch proper water resistance, while the larger 40 mm case creates space for colour and texture to shine. With only 30 pieces in each colourway, the editions reinforce Louis Vuitton’s ambition in high-end watchmaking. Initial thoughts This year has been a strong one for Louis Vuitton, an ambitious trunk maker seeking to prove itself as a serious watchmaker. It certainly has the industrial means to accomplish that through its control of Geneva-based La Fabrique du Temps and what is clearly a deep bench of design talent. The latest pair of Escales takes the stone dial trend to its logical next step: stone cases. Thanks to the upscale construction, it avoids the trap of feeling gimmicky, unlike, say, the Tissot Rockwatch. The quality is outstanding which helps rationalise the steep price tag. The distinctive construction of the Escale case makes it an almost ideal platform for the stone case band, so it is...
Wading through the sales emails this time of year is something of a Herculean feat. Whether you’re looking for the best outdoor deals, some new boots, or a fresh ‘fit, we’ve been on a mission to source the best deals to make your Black Friday worthwhile and your holidays merry and bright. A huge thanks to the Marathon squad for powering this operation. The post The Ultimate Black Friday Deals Guide Featuring Marathon appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
Atelier Wen has spent the past few years rewriting what “Made in China” can mean in watchmaking. Founded in 2018 by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the brand builds its pieces around Chinese crafts and culture (grand feu enamelling, guilloché, and case finishing) while partnering with serious movement makers. With the Ancestra line, introduced with […]
Monochrome
With its streamlined case, flexible integrated bracelet and sensual contours, H. Moser & Cie.’s sleek Streamliner luxury sports watch continues its journey onwards, and in this case upwards, with no signs of losing steam. Coinciding with Dubai Watch Week 2025, Moser unveils the new Streamliner Perpetual Moon Concept Meteorite, a hyper-accurate moon phase complication framed […]
Worn & Wound
Dubai Watch Week is upon us, and TAG Heuer is using it as a launching pad for for a new version of what is objectively one of the most impressive watches they’ve ever made. The Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph Air 1 builds on the Monaco Split-Seconds that was introduced at Watches & Wonders in 2024. That one, you’ll recall, had a movement fashioned largely from titanium and weighed in at just 85 grams. The retail price at the time was a head scratching CHF 135,000, but it was also an incredibly impressive caliber and feat of engineering. Rattrapante chronographs like this are indeed quite rare, and certainly one with a caliber made of titanium is unheard of and adds additional layers of complexity to whole endeavor. The new Air 1 version of the watch is still 85 grams, but it achieves that weight even with new solid gold components in the case. The design of the case, still in the iconic Monaco square, has been substantially reworked and inspired by design and manufacturing processes that are part of the Formula 1 landscape. The case has effectively been hollowed out, with intricately skeletonized case flanks designed to maximize the weight to performance ratio. TAG Heuer achieves this through a process they refer to as Selective Laser Melting (SLM). This is an additive manufacturing process that is typically applied in aerospace, medical, and automotive manufacturing, and like other forms of 3-D printing it’s essentially a cheat code in achieving otherwise impossi...
Monochrome
Schwarz Etienne is one of the rare independent manufactures that does everything under one roof: design, movement development, finishing and assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Since Florian Brossard took the helm in 2024, the brand has sharpened a clear, contemporary identity built on technical depth. That work was visible earlier this year with the launch of […]
SJX Watches
Matching sets are a motif of Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction, with the most spectacular being the Concord Saratoga Splendour, a set of four minute repeating, high jewellery wristwatches representing the four precious stones – diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald – each with a distinct movement made by Christophe Claret. Also on offer is a set of three watches from Glashütte Original with Meissen porcelain dials, and a Patek Philippe Pagoda quartet. Lot 857, a matching pair of Bovets depicting Hong Kong harbour by day and by night. Image – Phillips Such sets enjoyed popularity at the top end of the market during the 1980s and 1990s, often centred around the four precious coloured stones, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Perhaps the ultimate example of the matched set is the most complicated Patek Philippe watch, the Calibre 89, that was originally launched as a set of four in yellow, rose, and white gold, and platinum. Unfortunately, many of these sets have since been split up. Can these three escape that fate? Lots 858 to 862 – Concord Saratoga Splendour Set Concord was one of a few brands that saw great, but ephemeral, success during the 1980s and 1990s, in the same vein as Gerald Genta, Ebel, and Corum. In 1995 Concord launched the Saratoga Exor, a minute repeating tourbillon with perpetual calendar and bimetallic thermometer, set with 15.85 carats of baguette diamonds. With a price tag of CHF2 million, it was probably the second most expensive w...
Monochrome
It’s revival season in the watchmaking world, as revered names like Gérald Genta and Daniel Roth find a new lease in the capable hands of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton (LFTLV) manufacture. A pivotal figure in the rebirth of Breguet and the return of high-end mechanical watchmaking, Daniel Roth’s story makes for a fascinating […]
![Introducing: The New Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean - Freshly Revamped For Its 20th Anniversary [Live Images]](https://www.fratellowatches.com/cdn-cgi/image/anim=false/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Omega-New-Omega-Planet-Ocean-2025-18-2.jpg)
Fratello
Twenty years after the debut of the first Planet Ocean, Omega has introduced the fourth generation of this collection of professional dive watches. The update features a complete redesign, with significant changes to the case and bracelet architecture. There are also technical improvements that help bring it up to par with the brand’s ever-improving performance […] Visit Introducing: The New Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean - Freshly Revamped For Its 20th Anniversary [Live Images] to read the full article.
SJX Watches
In order to mark the spiral hairspring’s 350th anniversary and celebrate its inventor Christiaan Huygens (1629 – 1695), Japanese watch retailer Shellman presents a two-week exhibition event in Tokyo, The Origins of Time = Astronomy. Opening November 19 and slated to run through December 2, the Shellman exhibit is a collaboration with the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and showcases the larger extent of Huygens’ work, from horology to optical observation devices. Themed around the Dutch scientist credited with building the first pendulum clock and with inventing the hairspring, the exhibit also explores larger fields of horology, with a focus on astronomy and modern independent watchmaking. Original drawings showing early attempts at making a sprung balance. Beyond his practical applications in horology, Huygens left marks on many other scientific fields, from geometry to physics and astronomy. He notably discovered Saturn’s largest moon Titan and cemented the wave theory of light propagation. One could say that he was interested in the celestial bodies as much as he was in understanding motion and measuring time here on Earth. In his honour, the exhibit leans on the astronomical theme as well. The exhibition is accompanied by a selection of special watches available for sale. Visitors will have the chance to acquire the world’s smallest wristwatch planetarium, the Planetarium Christiaan Huygens Limited Edition, created by the Du...
Fratello
Today, we’ll take a brief look at an exciting set of updated releases. The new Certina DS Action Diver 38mm collection continues as one of the best values around and now adds a ceramic bezel. A host of dial colors and case materials come along for the ride. Let’s get to it! While we bemoan […] Visit Introducing: The Updated Certina DS Action Diver 38mm Collection to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Marking its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin has approached the milestone with uncommon ambition. The anniversary programme continues with a duo of one-of-a-kind Les Cabinotiers pieces - Celestia Homage to Ptolemy and Celestia Homage to Copernicus - developed under the brand’s ongoing “The Quest” theme. These one-off creations showcase the manufacture’s dual mastery of horology and métiers d’art. Presented here is a rare hands-on look at both before they disappear into private collections. The pair follows an already packed year that opened with the debut of the Solaria, a landmark wristwatch that claims the title of the most complicated ever made thanks to its 41 functions. Soon after came La Quête du Temps, a monumental astronomical clock that recently wrapped up its exhibition at the Louvre in Paris. Taken together, these creations underscore not only the scale of VC’s technical reach but also the brand’s talent for blending engineering, artistry, and traditional craft. Initial thoughts Each of the new Les Cabinotiers watches expresses a different facet of VC’s watchmaking identity. The new Celestia references utilise the brand’s earlier cal. 3600, but elevate it through intricate case engraving that links science with art. As a pair, these watches reinforce the idea that VC’s greatest strength lies in synthesis. Few manufactures can move so fluidly between engineering precision and artistic refinement. As unique pieces, pricing is largel...
Fratello
There’s a small, stubborn truth that keeps resurfacing whenever you walk into a boutique, scroll pre-owned listings, or stare at your wrist: the best daily watch is often the one that sits at a brand’s “entry point.” Big Swiss maisons spend years distilling their DNA into a watch that captures the soul of the brand […] Visit When A Watch Brand’s “Entry Point” Is The Best Option to read the full article.
Time+Tide
This Peren chronograph is also the brand's first watch without an overt Transylvanian source of inspiration - but that's no bad thing.The post The Peren One brings mechaquartz practicality to a clean bi‑compax design appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
WatchAdvice
A tourbillon with attitude and a dial that refuses to be ignored. Zenith takes the DEFY Skyline to a whole new level with this rose-gold powerhouse. Bold, modern, and seriously impressive on the wrist! What We Love The combination of a brick-red dial with 18kt rose gold is the perfect combination. Rich, warm, and instantly eye-catching. High-frequency movement and a flying tourbillon is an extremely rare combination that Zenith has executed with some serious technical finesse. From the mirror-polished chamfers to the brushed facets and the rose-gold rotor, everything feels intentional, premium, and beautifully executed. What We Don’t Limited versatility when on the full-gold bracelet. It pushes the watch firmly into “special occasion” territory. A premium model with stunning looks and highly technical movement, the price, however, might put the watch out of reach for many. While the rotor and caseback finishing are gorgeous, much of the movement is still closed off, and some collectors may wish for a more open view. Overall Rating: 9.1/10 Value for money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 9.5/10 Design: 9.5/10 Build quality: 9/10 Zenith has long stood as a brand that has valued itself on precision and bold mechanical innovation, all the way from its roots back in Le Locle in 1865. This has become apparent even more with the invention of the El Primero movement, cementing the brand’s position as one of the leaders of high-beat performance. In the modern era of watchmaking, Zenith...
SJX Watches
Marking its 270th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin (VC) has celebrated in grand style, exemplified by the year’s latest, a pair of double-dial grand complications: Les Cabinotiers Cosmica Duo and Les Cabinotiers Moon Dust. Initial thoughts Each of the new Les Cabinotiers watches expresses a different facet of VC’s watchmaking identity. The Cosmica Duo stands out as a true wrist-worn observatory, combining 24 astronomical indications with a reversible construction that makes it unusually wearable for its complexity, while the baguette-set Moon Dust translates horological ambition into pure jewellery, with hundreds of diamonds framing a movement that remains uncompromisingly mechanical. As a group, these watches reinforce the idea that VC’s greatest strength lies in synthesis. Few manufactures can move so fluidly between engineering precision and artistic refinement, or treat engraving, gem-setting, and chiming mechanisms as parallel forms of expression. As unique pieces, pricing is largely outside the scope of this hands-on evaluation. As is typical for VC’s bespoke Les Cabinotiers department, each watch was almost certainly developed in close collaboration with its eventual owner, making them more commissions than catalogue items. Their value, therefore, lies not only in their material complexity but also in the fact that each represents a personal chapter in the continuing story of Geneva’s oldest watchmaker. The layered architecture of the Cosmica Duo. Image ...
Worn & Wound
One of the very common knock-on effects of diving deep into any hobby or enthusiast pursuit is that eventually you’ll find yourself kind of obsessed with something that most would likely perceive as a waste of energy, or not actually all that interesting. I liken it to a cinephile finding a deep appreciation for the films of Michael Bay, constantly reminding everyone that Armageddon is in fact in the Criterion Collection (and has one of the best commentary tracks ever recorded – but that’s beside the point). Sometimes I feel like all of my watch interests are deeply niche. As my taste has evolved and, dare I say, matured, it’s also gotten a little bit weirder. But one niche of a niche that I know is underappreciated by many of my peers and perhaps even derided by some are the watches of the Ralph Lauren “Fine Watchmaking” division, specifically those in the American Western Watch Collection (but I have soft spot for the ones with the bears, too). A new release from Ralph Lauren in this very collection bolsters my position, I think, that these watches are actually quite special. It’s important to start, though, with an understanding that while you’re likely to see “Polo” branded fashion watches anywhere Ralph Lauren apparel is sold, and certainly in the vitrines of big retailers at malls, and so forth, these are absolutely not what we could typically call fashion watches. The Western Watch Collection features movements made by Piaget, lots of handcraft, ...
Worn & Wound
Brown is a divisive color; get it right, and it can make whatever it adorns seem luxurious, rich, and warm. Get it wrong or pair it with a color that doesn’t go well with earth tones, and you end up with something either dull or downright ugly. Fortunately, German watchmaker Hanhart has gone the right route when designing their 417 ES Mocha Flyback date, with a naming convention and brown and silver color pairing that conjures cafes on a rainy day. Made in collaboration with the Porsche Fahrer magazine, the Mocha Flyback is actually a handsomely-masked nod to motorsport, albeit with a coffee-centric aesthetic twist. The 42mm stainless steel case measures in at 49.75mm lug-to-lug, with a smooth stainless steel bezel, and a crown at the 3 o’clock position. Flanking the crown are two pushers-one matching steel at 2 o’clock, and one in a daring HyCeram red at 4. The red pusher is the sole deviation from the moody brown and silver design, and the first indication of the Mocha Flyback’s infatuation with speeding automobiles. It’s not just for optics, either; the bright red is a hallmark of flyback watches, intended to warn pilots (or race car drivers) before they accidentally reset the stop timer. The dial is a deep mocha brown, with two subdials inset at 3 and 9 o’clock for small seconds and 30-minute counter functionality; a date window sits at 6, replacing the numeral. Around the dial is a military-esque minute track, echoing the pilot watch origin of the model....
Monochrome
The Impulsion by Louis Moinet is already one of the more extroverted ways to pair a chronograph and a tourbillon. For Dubai Watch Week 2025, the brand dials up the theatre with a sharp new act: the Impulsion Titanium Green, a limited edition that blends carbon, smoked sapphire and green-and-red colourway with the same openworked […]
Fratello
Jack Mason has certainly been busy! The American brand has taken huge steps in renewing and improving its offerings. Recently, I had a chance to review both the updated Canton and the new Pursuit Pro. The next two releases that landed on my desk were new versions of the popular Strat-o-Timer GMT. After introducing a […] Visit Hands-On With The Jack Mason Strat-o-Timer Titanium Diver GMT to read the full article.
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