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Fratello
For Geneva Watch Days 2025, TAG Heuer has brought a surprising number of new models. One of the favorites is the subject of this article. The Carrera Astronomer is a new addition to the lineup and is available in three references. As we’ll soon see, one is destined for serial production, while two are limited […] Visit Introducing: The TAG Heuer Carrera Astronomer to read the full article.
Monochrome
Laurent Ferrier is among the most laureled independent watchmakers in recent years, and for good reason. The brand seems to effortlessly blend shapes, colours and mechanics into fascinating yet elegantly discreet watches, even if we’re dealing with a world timer or a tourbillon watch. A prime example is the Sport Auto, one of Frank Geelen’s (our […]
Fratello
One of last year’s most surprising releases was Furlan Marri’s Disco Volante series. The trio of watches stylishly revived a classic case shape we rarely see these days. Now, Furlan Marri introduces the next Disco Volante model for Geneva Watch Days 2025. But it’s not just another dial color. For this new Disco Diamonds Onyx, […] Visit Furlan Marri Unveils The Striking New Disco Diamonds Onyx to read the full article.
Monochrome
Geneva Watch Days have become a major event on the watch industry’s agenda. The event is now a perfect platform to introduce new products and even new independent watchmaking brands. A case in point, the Geneva-based brand Akhor makes its public debut with an intriguing concept, Le Temps en Equilibre, built on a distinctive vision […]
SJX Watches
One of the headline releases from Geneva Watch Days is, without question, the Berneron Quantième Annuel, a symmetrical annual calendar that brings the brand’s vision into sharper focus. Expensively made and cleverly designed inside and out, the Quantième Annuel is a showcase for founder Sylvain Berneron’s attention to detail. A limited run of 480 pieces in platinum, with production spaced evenly over the next decade, the Quantième Annuel is available in two dial configurations; whether the buyer opts for lacquered silver or piano black, the dial itself, along with much of the movement, is crafted from 18k gold. Initial thoughts I’ve written effusively about user-friendly complications in the past so it should come as no surprise that I like the Quantième Annuel’s legible display and intuitive interface. Visually, it’s a world apart from the oozy Mirage, but it exhibits a similar degree of intellectual sophistication and attention to detail. A jumping hour watch with an instantaneous annual calendar, the Quantième Annuel is distinguished by its oversized windows for the hour, day, and month, with a sector-style dial for the minutes and a concentric retrograde date display. The running seconds dial at six o’clock contains the fourth jumping window for the day/night indicator; a useful addition for any calendar watch. The watch is designed for easy legibility, with the time read top-to-bottom and the date read left-to-right. The sector dial for the minute han...
Fratello
The folks at Ming showed us a host of upcoming releases and conceptual drawings during our time with them at Time To Watches in Geneva. As the two biggest fans of the brand on the Fratello team, Balazs and I have had the difficult task of keeping our traps shut until these pieces are eventually […] Visit Hands-On With The New Ming 57.04 Iris Chronograph to read the full article.
Monochrome
On Saturday, 6 September 2025, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will host a live charity auction at Geneva Watch Days to benefit the Pierre Amstutz Fund, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting apprentices at the Geneva School of Watchmaking. Now in its third consecutive year, the charity auction has become a fixture of […]
Hodinkee
Swiss executives and politicians expect significant economic consequences from the outsized levy imposed on Swiss exports to U.S. including watches but still hope deal can be reached.
Teddy Baldassarre
It's no understatement to say that the Rolex Land-Dweller was the talk of Watches & Wonders 2025, which took place in Geneva a few months ago. A new Rolex collection with an integrated bracelet and a brand new movement? Well, we would expect no less. There is something fundamentally earth-shaking about massive shifts in the Rolex atmosphere. Mixed metaphors aside, just because we have seen Rolex develop and launch an entirely new collection quite recently (with the 1908, released just two years ago, in 2023), it doesn’t make it normal. Before that it was the Sky-Dweller, and years before that, there were variations on the Yacht-Master. The launch of the Land-Dweller proved to be one of those milestone moments. The Land-Dweller is the product of 18 new patents specific to this watch, as Rolex has developed an entirely new watch both inside and out. No, this is not a new complication, but it is a brand-new approach to timekeeping. It marks the first development of a new escapement system at this scale since the arrival of the Co-Axial escapement from Omega some twenty-five ago. In short this is big news. As you likely have seen by now, Teddy and I had the chance to see this watch up close and personal ahead of this year's Watches & Wonders a few months ago (you can find our full video hands-on review on YouTube now) and were also lucky enough to do it prior to a lot of the pre-release noise really reaching peak volume. That is to say, we were able to learn about the mech...
Fratello
During Watches and Wonders 2025, we had the opportunity to meet with Gerald Charles and view the latest releases. The other news is the 25th anniversary of the brand’s founding by Gérald Genta in 2000. Therefore, some of the models we saw in Geneva were made to celebrate a quarter-century and contain a special logo […] Visit Hands-On With The Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition to read the full article.
About two hours away from Geneva, heading north and a touch east, just along the border with France, you’ll find the Jura region of Switzerland. One of the fabled centers of Swiss watch production, the scenery is idyllic, and the towns are old, small, and quiet. Compared to the urban centers of Geneva, Basel, Zurich, and Biel/Bienne, it would be considered rural, even if it is only a short distance away. And yet, this pastoral scene belies what is happening in many of the buildings dotted along the landscape. Inside, raw metals are transformed into incredible mechanisms and luxury goods through processes that are both coarse and delicate. In short, it’s where watches get made. On the tail end of my trip to Watches & Wonders 2025, rather than heading straight home, tired and needing a watch detox, I took a short trip to Jura to visit not a watch company, but a movement manufacturer: Soprod. Founded in 1966, as of 2008, Soprod has been part of the Festina group, and is one of a small handful of third-party, Swiss-made movement suppliers. Although the company undertakes behind-the-scenes development for large luxury brands, including module design, it is known among watch enthusiasts as an alternative to ETA and Sellita, one that is becoming increasingly prevalent among indie brands. The post Inside Soprod: Where Mechanical Movements are Made appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
The new Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Rose Gold adds a refined, luxurious reference to the brand’s Gravity Equal Force line. First introduced in 2019, the collection debuted with the groundbreaking Gravity Equal Force System 78, the world’s first automatic wristwatch with a stop-work declutch mechanism and Geneva cross inside the barrel, designed […]
Fratello
I remember the first time I saw the Armin Strom One Week. It was during Geneva Watch Days in 2023, and the setting couldn’t have been more memorable. While most brands hosted their meetings in the shaded, sepia-toned suites of the Beau Rivage, Armin Strom had something different in mind. I followed the address provided […] Visit Hands-On: The Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Titanium Is Stripped Back And Stepped Up to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The day I visited Biver started like any other – with breakfast. But it wasn’t a normal breakfast, because I was seated opposite Jean-Claude Biver, at his own kitchen table. A few days after Watches & Wonders wrapped up I had the opportunity to visit the brand’s atelier in the countryside near Geneva, and I was lucky enough to spend some time with the man himself before he went to the airport; he was headed to Boston to deliver a guest lecture at Harvard Business School. Dismissed in his early career as a ‘nostalgia salesman,’ Mr Biver helped pioneer the contemporary luxury watch industry in the midst of the Quartz Crisis by proving the consumer demand for artisanal mechanical watches. The story is well-known but it bears repeating; Mr Biver, together with his friend Jacques Piguet, head of the esteemed Frederic Piguet manufacture, paid CHF22,000 to buy the rights to a defunct brand from what would later become Swatch Group. Their deft products and marketing made Blancpain one of the stars of the mechanical watch renaissance, allowing the pair to sell the brand back to Swatch a decade later for CHF60 million. From left to right: CEO James Marks, Jean-Claude Biver, and Pierre Biver. Image – Biver The success of Blancpain was extraordinary and helped pave the way for the rebirth of other brands like A. Lange & Söhne. But this was just the opening act. After selling Blancpain back to Swatch, Mr Biver helped put Omega on the wrist of James Bond and transformed Hub...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Glashütte Original SeaQ debuted in 2019 alongside the German watchmaker’s then-new “Spezialist” family. The collection has grown to include the SeaQ Panorama Date, the smaller SeaQ 39.5mm, and the SeaQ Chronograph. I believe the SeaQ was the first new dive or sports watch from the brand since the Senator Sport Evolution from 2009. Inspired by the vintage Spezimatic Type RP TS 200 from 1969, the SeaQ has gone on to become one of the most lauded luxury dive watches out there. These are true luxury watches, though and they come with matching price tags. Still, the Glashütte Original SeaQ is one of the best options out there for someone with high standards but doesn’t want to join the sea (pun intended) of Submariners and Seamasters out there. There’s a funny quandary that reveals itself when looking at the SeaQ Panorama Date in comparison to the smaller SeaQ with the standard, less sexy date window. You can have the bigger case and the panorama date window or you can have the smaller case without the panorama date window. But, since you can’t have both, I made sure to add a section at the end with a brief comparative rundown of the SeaQ with the smaller 39.5mm case. Glashütte Original SeaQ Case Let’s start with the SeaQ Panorama which comes in at 43.2mm wide and 15.7mm thick with a 51.4mm lug-to-lug measurement (with 300 m of water resistance). Yes, that’s a big boy and anyone with a smaller (or even the smaller size of medium) wrist is going to have ...
Monochrome
IWC forged a fruitful partnership with the heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 2006, the famous French author of Le Petit Prince, who was also a pilot and adventurer. The first Big Pilot’s Watch to seal the relationship appeared in 2013, setting the flight path for the Le Petit Prince sub-collection with retro styling and […]
Worn & Wound
Editor’s Note: Earlier this week, Rolex held an event in New York City to showcase their latest 2025 releases. We saw most of these watches in Geneva at Watches & Wonders a few months ago, but this was the first time going hands-on with the latest from Rolex for Devin Pennypacker and Garrett Jones. These are their reactions and impressions, as well as a whole bunch of photos (with natural light!) from Garrett. Devin Pennypacker: There is a saying that gets murmured around the start of Watches and Wonders: The show goes as Rolex goes. This year, however, I was left with a feeling that Rolex was chasing trends rather than setting them for the first time in a long while. New announcements saw them leaning into pastel colors, stone dials, and even integrated bracelets to highlight their 2025 collection. To put it mildly, I was disappointed that there wasn’t immediately a model that stuck out to me as a winner of the bunch. That being said, I also didn’t have the opportunity to go hands-on with the new collection, so every thought was mere speculation. During a recent event in New York, I had the chance to spend some time with many of the new releases, form genuine opinions, and model the watches for our photography by Garrett Jones. Afterwards, Garret and I sat down to discuss a few releases we had time with, delivering our thoughts and feelings towards some of the collection, which we will have staggered below. As always, please leave your takes on these new releases ...
SJX Watches
The Geneva sales have wrapped up, but the spring auction season continues in Hong Kong, where Phillips will offer a collection of unexpected and wonderful pocket watches made for the Chinese market in the 18th and 19th centuries. As Europeans became enamored with Chinese goods such as tea, silk, and porcelain, the Chinese were equally enraptured by European watches and clocks, often adorned with miniature enamel painting, pearls, gemstones, and hand engraving. Genevan enamelling, in particular, was world-leading and adorned some of the most elaborate timepieces of the 19th century. Proof of that can be found in the Patek Philippe Museum’s extensive collection of Chinese market watches and clocks. Today, Chinese market watches seem alien in their lavish and ornate decoration. Collectors’ tastes have become homogenized over time, particularly today, which makes historical Chinese market watches stand out as a world unto themselves, both in style and mechanics. A mini collection of such watches will be sold during the first session of Phillips’ The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX at 6:30 pm on May 23, 2025. The extraordinary miniature enamelling found on a clockwatch by L. Vrard & Co. Lot 801 – Perfume Sprinkler Pistol by Moulinié & Bautte & Cie Geneva historically specialized in the manufacture of oddly shaped “fantasy watches” watches during the early 19th century. Common forms include fruits, musical instruments, animals, and flowers. Some of the more exotic fanta...
SJX Watches
Sotheby’s upcoming Geneva auction that takes place on May 11 is a relatively compact affair. But the 124 lots includes notable highlights, with the top lot of the sale being the especially unique Rolex Daytona “Zenith” ref. 16516 in platinum with a pink mother-of-pearl dial. This watch is one of just four Daytonas combining the El Primero movement and platinum case – the only platinum specimens in the 16500-series Daytona – all of which were made at the behest of former Rolex chief executive Patrick Heiniger in 1999. Famous for being powered by the cal. 4030 derived from the Zenith El Primero, the 16500-series was the first-ever self-winding Daytona. The model was never commercially available in platinum; the four examples in platinum are truly unique. Moreover, each of the four are one-of-a-kind, each fitted with a different dial in exotic materials. Sotheby’s sold the prior three examples, starting with black mother-of-pearl in 2018, lapis lazuli in 2020, and turquoise in 2021. While those three featured applied Arabic numbers, this example has diamond hour markers. Initial thoughts The unique nature of this Daytona is unquestionable. Amongst automatic Daytonas this ranks amongst the rarest and most valuable. Two of its platinum siblings sold for over US$3 million each, making them the priciest modern-day Daytonas. Of the four platinum Daytonas, however, this example is the most paradoxical. It’s the most unusual in having diamond indices, but also the most...
SJX Watches
The spring auction season kicks off in less than a week, and while there are many interesting lots worthy of attention, there are a few museum-grade Cartier clocks at Phillips that demand a close look. All made between 1905 and 1940, the most exceptional pieces date to the roaring twenties when Cartier was synonymous with Art Deco extravagance. The lots are spread across two auctions – Geneva Watch Auction: XXI, which takes place on May 10th and 11th, and Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX which takes place from May 23rd to May 25th. There are three important mystery clocks hitting the block, the most significant being portico clock No. 3, along with a handful of artfully engraved jade desk clocks. Rounding out the bunch, an amusing prism clock should keep things interesting for those bidding with smaller budgets. An introduction to Cartier mystery clocks In the early twentieth century, Cartier was on top of the world. England’s King Edward VII had just granted the firm a royal warrant, calling Cartier the “jeweler of kings” and, perhaps more significantly, “The king of jewelers.” But the Parisian firm wasn’t coasting on this praise, and shortly thereafter stunned the world with a clock with hands that appeared to float in space. This ‘mysterious’ effect was achieved by attaching the hands to rotating glass plates that were driven from the edge. The first such clock was the Modèle A, which debuted in 1912. A Cartier Modèle A. Image – Phillips The mystery cl...
Monochrome
With all attention focused on Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025 last month (one of the most important industry events of the year), it’s important to remember that some very interesting events also take place in the United States, such as Windup Watch Fair and WatchTime New York. You won’t see the likes of Rolex or […]
SJX Watches
While the most valuable lot at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction will likely be the Breguet Sympathique clock no. 1, the sale also includes a few unexpected and interesting lots. One standout is the Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time “Only Watch”, a unique piece created for the Only Watch charity auction in 2019. Consigned by the original owner – who is a prominent collector whom I greatly respect – the Spin Time is a flamboyant, gem-set take on Louis Vuitton’s signature complication. The centrepiece is a miniature enamel dial by Anita Porchet depicting a motif inspired by tattoo art. This unique Spin Time originally sold for CHF280,000 at Only Watch 2019. Now carrying an estimate of CHF40,000-80,000, the watch will go on the block at Phillips’ upcoming Geneva auction taking place on May 10, 2025. Initial thoughts I was a fan of this Spin Time when it was first revealed in 2019. In fact, I bid on it at Only Watch, but I was laughably uncompetitive and far from the CHF280,000 hammer. In contrast to the latest generation of Spin Time that is both refined and discreet, this watch is over the top and I like it because of that. The aesthetic is a lot, maybe too much, but it works. Most importantly, the watch is not just about extravagant styling. The dial is the work of Anita Porchet herself, combining both miniature painting and champleve. Certainly the motif is not for everyone, but the quality of craft is unmistakeable. A rose among the thorns This unique Spin Time...
Monochrome
Last month, the Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025 fair was the occasion for us, and all watch enthusiasts, to discover the new collections of approximately 60 brands. As the successor to the SIHH, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, most exhibiting brands are top-tier segment players. As fascinating as it is, there was not […]
Fratello
Doxa is back again with a new release! This time, it’s a variant of the popular and affordable Sub 200. The 42mm dive watch was released in 2019 at Baselworld, and this is the first major update. While in Geneva for Watches and Wonders and the adjacent events, we visited Doxa on our first night. […] Visit Introducing: The Doxa Sub 200 Polished Steel Bezel Collection to read the full article.
SJX Watches
If you want to own the world’s thinnest mechanical watch, the Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing, you’ll have to fight for it at The Geneva Watch Auction: XXI, which will see the first production example go under the hammer. The 1.65 mm stature of the ThinKing is even more impressive coming from a small Russian independent watchmaker, considering previous records were set by big Swiss brands ranging from Piaget to Richard Mille. Notably, this is not the first time a landmark release has been trusted to an auction that isn’t linked to a charity. The most famous example of this was the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 (ref. 989J) back in 1989 at Antiquorum’s thematic sale. The ThinKing will be sold in the first session of the auction, which starts on May 10, 2025, at 2 pm. The ThinKing in profile. Image – Phillips Mr Chaykin achieved the record-setting height with clever construction, including a “double balance wheel” system that places an intermediate wheel between the balance and escapement, allowing both to sit on the same plane. Another notable technical feature is a barrel that is open on both sides, and no thicker than the mainspring itself. And unlike most serially-produced Konstantin Chaykin watches, each ThinKing is made, finished, and assembled by Mr Chaykin himself. Wearability is enhanced by the bolt-on protective shroud in titanium christened “PalanKing”. This increases the height to 5.4 mm, but adds key-less setting and winding, and automatic winding by a...
Deployant
We met up with Guido Terreni, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier during Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025, and got him to discuss this year's novelties.
SJX Watches
Patek Philippe came to Watches & Wonders 2025 with a deep bench of strong new releases, but for fans of the classic Calatrava, the standout was without question the Calatrava Ref. 6196P-001. It’s an easy watch to love, with good proportions, a hefty 38 mm platinum case, a lively “salmon” dial, and is powered by the brand’s latest generation movement. Though the brand was arguably overshadowed this year by its suburban Geneva neighbors Rolex and Vacheron Constantin, at lower and higher ends of the price spectrum, respectively, Patek Philippe demonstrated its ability to deliver in every category, from simple dress and sport watches to mid and high complications. Initial thoughts In February 2017 I was asked what I wished to see from Baselworld that year. I said I’d like to see a successor to the ref. 5196 with a case-filling movement and a large balance. Eight years later, Patek Philippe delivered more or less exactly what I imagined, keeping the proportions and details of the classic Calatrava with a more advanced movement than the outdated cal. 215 that was used at the time. So in a sense, this watch was made for me. But I had not anticipated a “salmon” dial. Officially labelled “rose-gilt opaline” by Patek Philippe, such dials have become popular among collectors, and are now a staple across the Patek Philippe collection. Naturally, a vivid colour like this helps an otherwise simple watch stand out, but personally I look forward to more toned down iter...
Fratello
We met with Ming at Time to Watches in Geneva and left excited about all the releases in the pipeline. In addition to some innovative higher-end upcoming introductions, the brand still knows how to cater to its core audience. The new 37.02 Ghost exemplifies this as an automatic, time-only watch, but it’s still infused with […] Visit Hands-On With The New Ming 37.02 Ghost to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
A few months back I was given an opportunity to get a little preview of Zenith’s Watches & Wonders novelties in New York. More and more brands do this every year – it’s a great help to those of us in the media charged with photographing and writing about dozens upon dozens of new releases that all appear in the span of a few hours on an April morning in Geneva. So photographer Garrett Jones and I made our way to meet with our Zenith press contacts in midtown Manhattan, not knowing for sure what we’d see. In short order, the bright blue ceramic “Chronograph Trilogy” anniversary models were unveiled. In discussing the watches I casually mentioned that these would probably be a big hit at Watches & Wonders, and I must have inferred that these three watches would be this year’s halo pieces for the brand. I was quickly corrected, and told that there was something else coming that Zenith was holding back – the first watch in an entirely new collection – that would be a big surprise as we got closer to its release. I didn’t even try to elicit a hint about what it might be – I was happy to be surprised. Eventually the press release for the new G.F.J. hit my inbox, and I was indeed surprised. While Zenith, as a brand, has always been quite chronometry forward, I had gotten into the habit of thinking of them as a sports watch brand. Yes, the movements are very good, but lots of brands have very good movements. I admit that the yearslong focus on building out ...
Fratello
It’s time for our first Sunday Morning Showdown after the craziness of Watches and Wonders 2025. As you can guess, we will create new matchups based on the watches introduced in Geneva. These provide us with plenty of picks for the upcoming weeks. In this first post-Watches and Wonders matchup, Mike and Jorg go head […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex 1908 Yellow Gold Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds Pink Gold to read the full article.
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