Results for Swiss Lever Escapement

The Best Entry Level Diver Under $500? – Citizen Promaster Dive Eco-Drive 41mm Review

The post The Best Entry Level Diver Under $500? – Citizen Promaster Dive Eco-Drive 41mm Review appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Hamilton’s Iconic Field Watch Gets a Quiet but Clever Upgrade

Hamilton updates its Khaki Field Mechanical with a power reserve indicator for the first time. Discover how this complication enhances the iconic field watch.

Auctions: Sotheby's to Sell a Complete Set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 Pocket Watches for the First Time, With The Second-Highest Estimate Ever In Watches

Quoted in excess of $10 million, this is a rare chance to see a Star Caliber 2000, let alone the unprecedented chance to buy all four metals.

Favre Leuba Introduces The Chief Skeleton, The Brand’s First-Ever Skeletonized Timepiece

The 5 Best American Watch Brands We’ve Ever Reviewed

After years of hands-on reviews with American watch brands, these ones stood out for their build quality, fair pricing, and everyday appeal.

Fore Of The Greatest Golf Watches Ever To Hit The Green, Inspired By Happy Gilmore 2

Introducing: Unimatic Updates The Prodiver Line, Including Its First-Ever 600m Diver

A new record for the Italian brand, as well as a fresh orange dial with a lower price point.

Creating A Collection Of Lasting Value In An Ever-Changing Market

In the past five years in particular, the market for watches and jewelry feels like a rollercoaster – here's how to make the best of the ride, according to the experts.

How The Tambour Taiko Spin Time Took Louis Vuitton’s Watchmaking to the Next Level

The Hulsman Easy Perpetual is the most complex-looking yet simple QP you’ve ever seen

Is this the most user-friendly perpetual calendar on the market?The post The Hulsman Easy Perpetual is the most complex-looking yet simple QP you’ve ever seen appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Exploring Mid-Level Independent Brands: a Collector’s Perspective

I recently read Zach’s article on “Micro Indies,” in which he explains how small independent brands are challenging the bigger watch companies in terms of design and innovation, and yet offering watches in the $3,000 – $5,000 price range. This made me think about another category of brand that does not fall squarely into the “Micro Indies” bucket, but is a level above in terms of watchmaking and challenges the higher-end independent brands. I could not clearly decide on how to label this category – it is not accurate to call them “affordable independents” since they are not that affordable, therefore I landed on referring to them as “mid-level independents” or MLI for short.  How do I define the MLI category? These are brands that fall in the $5,000 – $15,000 price range and offer a combination of various aspects of high horology – from in-house movements, dials, and finishing, to complications often seen in the higher spectrum of independents. Even though I selected this price range where the majority of the watches fall, there are outliers based on precious metals and complications, that can go well over $15,000, and sometimes into the six figures. I selected three very different brands to highlight in this category since their specialties cover different aspects of watchmaking: D. Dornblüth & Sohn, Laine, and Sartory-Billard. I will go into details on how each of these brands has their own niche in watchmaking, and how their strategy differs ...

Seiko Samurai Review: Smaller And Better Than Ever

Last year, we saw a trio of new Seiko Samurai watches that aimed to broaden the collection’s appeal within the Prospex family. It’s fairly well understood that the Samurai has been seen as the odd man out among the “Seiko with a nickname” family, but why exactly is that? Well, it doesn’t have that vintage heritage, having only debuted in 2004. Also, the second generation has been around since 2017, and since then, tastes have certainly changed. The 44mm-wide case is a little too big for today’s tastes, where conventional wisdom puts anything above 42mm safely in the “huge” category (the case has been pretty thick, as well) . And while models like the Turtle, SKX007, or Willard (or even Tuna and Arnie) have rounded cases, the Samurai’s case has a very sharp and almost aggressively angular design that, again, is not for everyone. Wisely, Seiko’s third-generation Samurai addresses that persistent case-size issue while giving the dial a refresh too. Fortunately, the angular case is a bit more refined, yet no less geometrical. Sorry, that’s just part of the Samurai’s identity. Seiko Samurai Case and Bracelet First off, yes - the new Seiko Samurai has taken design cues from the Shogun. If that makes it not a “true Samurai,” then so be it, but the end result is one good-looking watch. The case improves over that of the second generation in just about every meaningful way (the older case is still available alongside this new iteration). First off, it ...

Hands-On: F.P. Journe's Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie Rubis – The Largest Baguette-Cut Rubies Ever Used In Watchmaking

Journe's maximalist approach to a tourbillon meets a maximalist approach to gem-setting for one of the most outrageous watches the brand has ever made.

Introducing – The Two Smoked Blue AP Royal Oak 41mm You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

If you’re a recurring reader of MONOCHROME, you’ve probably seen that we’re normally very reactive, and we try our best to deliver the freshest news possible. However, from time to time, we’re still caught by surprise when a brand releases new editions without prior communication. Today is a perfect example of this situation, as Audemars […]

The Most Expensive Richard Mille Watches Ever Sold

Known for their cutting-edge use of lightweight materials and extravagant prices, Richard Mille is arguably the most exclusive watchmaker in the world. Before getting into the most expensive Richard Mille watches, it's good to get a little context on both the brand and the man. While not a watchmaker by trade, Mille and his brand co-founder Dominique Guenat understood the importance of having a vision and making it a reality. An obsession with lightweight materials and design that push the boundaries of what’s possible in a package as small as a wristwatch, along with some excellent marketing (not to mention good luck), have resulted in a brand that is at the pinnacle of the very highest end of the market. Image by Sotheby's Yes, the six- and seven-figure price tags of Richard Mille watches continue to baffle people (we covered why here). Exclusivity is key, especially in a world where the number of billionaires jumped 500% between 2000 and 2024, and the number of ultra-high-net-worth-individuals (UHNWI) with at least $30 million in net investible assets has grown to 626,619 globally. Of course, Richard Mille watches do not fetch record-breaking prices simply due to exclusivity but because of the exhaustive R&D; process that is unlike any other in watchmaking. Here, we will take a look at some of the most expensive Richard Mille watches ever. By the nature of how these things work, just about all of these sales are coming from the auction market, where the already mind-bo...

Introducing: Breguet Launches Its First-Ever Flying Tourbillon In The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255

Exactly 224 years to the day after Abraham-Louis Breguet patented the tourbillon, Breguet reveals a host of firsts.

The DWISS Model A1 is an integrated bracelet beauty from a brand known for crazy, affordable time displays

Does the Model A1 have what it takes to enter a crowded market?The post The DWISS Model A1 is an integrated bracelet beauty from a brand known for crazy, affordable time displays appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Citizen Celebrates 40 Years of the Aqualand, One of the Most Unique Dive Watches Ever Made

There are lots of dive watches out there – it’s perhaps the most ubiquitous of all the watch genres. Frankly, it’s easy to see why. In addition to being highly specialized for a very specific task, they tend to work incredibly well as casual, everyday watches regardless of what you happen to be doing with them. The reason for this is very much because of the design traits these watches share that make them so highly specialized: ultra clear legibility, robust water proof cases, and a generally nondescript design that allows the watch to be worn easily with a wetsuit and also blend into the fabric of our everyday lives.  But then there are a handful of truly unusual dive watches that give away their specialized nature even at a passing glance. They look less like watches and more like obscure devices or instruments that should only be used by people who really know what they’re doing, have received the necessary training, and perhaps have signed a liability waiver. The Omega Ploprof immediately comes to mind, as does something like the Singer Divetrack – these are watches that play with the form of what we understand a watch to be in the name of functionality. Citizen, for 40 years, has also made a watch that fits neatly into this category: the Aqualand. The name is a bit of an oxymoron, but the watch itself is less confusing. It has always been a uniquely specialized instrument tailored to the specific needs of divers.  This year marks the 40th anniversary of t...

The Entry-Level Ulysse Nardin Freak Gains a Grand Feu Enamel Dial

Ulysse Nardin gives its most affordable Freak a new look with a blue flinqué enamel dial and rose gold case. The brand has launched three other Freaks with enamel dials over the past two years, but all were small-run, retailer-exclusive limited editions. The Freak X Gold Enamel, on the other hand, is not retailer-specific and will be limited to 120 examples. The watch puts Ulysse Nardin’s investments in silicon fabrication and dial making to good use, and with good results. The combination of traditional métiers d’art with state-of-the-art technology also makes it more approachable to traditionalists than a typical Freak. Initial Thoughts Even as it nears 25 years on the market, Ulysse Nardin’s Freak remains avant-garde in aesthetics and technology. The Freak looks and feels like a small-batch concept watch, rather than the collection staple it’s become. It’s hard to believe you can walk into a retailer and walk out with something like this from a major Swiss brand for less than six figures. A rarely mentioned refinement is the use of clear sapphire jewels, rather than the typical reddish-purple rubies. It’s rare for brands to harmonize jewel colors with the rest of the watch, but it always results in a more cohesive look. Besides striking looks, its also a surprisingly practical watch, with a reasonably sized case, respectable lume, and 50 m water resistance. Overall, a well-rounded package, though the US$10,300 premium for the enamel dial over the regular ...

H. Moser & Cie and Formula 1’s Alpine are taking motorsports watches to a whole new, unexpected level

This pair of Streamliners - one a mechanical flyback chronograph and the other a hybrid mechanical/digital smartwatch - are high-octane.The post H. Moser & Cie and Formula 1’s Alpine are taking motorsports watches to a whole new, unexpected level appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing – The Ever-Shifting Colours of the new Chronoswiss ReSec Snake Manufacture

Chronoswiss, founded in 1983 by the late Gerd R. Lang, has always been associated with regulators. Following the brand’s acquisition by Oliver Ebstein and its relocation from Munich to Lucerne, additional complications, including the ReSec, a retrograde seconds indication, joined the lineup. Its combination of old-school decorative techniques with kinetic displays and some of the […]

Collectability teams up with Dennison and Emmanuel Gueit for its first-ever watch creation

Dennison and Collectability team up for both of their first-ever collaborative creations.The post Collectability teams up with Dennison and Emmanuel Gueit for its first-ever watch creation appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Greatest Horologists You’ve Never Heard Of: James Cox (c.1723–1800) – Early Entrepreneur & Creator of Elaborate and Decorative Timepieces

James Cox (c.1723-1800) was a British jeweler, goldsmith and entrepreneur and the proprietor of Cox’s Museum. Cox produced lavishly ornamented automata for trade with the Far East, first with India and then with China, where the reception of his ‘toys’ or ‘sing-songs’, as the Chinese are believed to have called them, was at first a huge success. Cox was an extraordinary gentleman living in 18th century London. This was a time of great opulence with the wealthiest showing their status through objects they commissioned and owned. Cox was a clockmaker, jeweler, and entrepreneur known for creating elaborate and decorative timepieces, automata, and mechanical curiosities. He gained fame for his luxury goods, which were highly sought after by the elite. Cox’s work blended mechanical innovation with exquisite craftsmanship, producing items that were not just functional but also ornamental and artistic. Cox’s career as a jeweler began as early as 1751, and his automata were designed by leading artists including Johann Zoffany and Joseph Nollekens. In the 1760s, John Joseph Merlin became his apprentice. Though he declared himself a goldsmith, he employed several jewelers and manufacturers who would have done much of the work. Jewel cabinet with watch signed James Cox, c.1765-70. Image courtesy of the Met Museum This cabinet is an excellent example of an exquisite item made by Cox and bearing his signature. On its doors are enameled personifications of Winter and S...

Lookbook: Level Up Your Watch Game with Boundary Layer Studio’s Latest Strap Collections

The post Lookbook: Level Up Your Watch Game with Boundary Layer Studio’s Latest Strap Collections appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Studio Underd0g Introduces the Av0cado and Guacam0le Chronographs, a Clever Response to their Imitators

In our current age of disingenuous AI and copyright controversies, sometimes the best way to beat a design thief is to…imitate them right back? In perhaps the cheekiest move we’ve ever seen a watchmaker execute in response to an influx of copycat designs from no-name brands, Studio Underd0g has done just that. Instead of taking the legal route-an endeavour that is time-consuming, costly, and largely pointless in today’s world of mass-production and dropshipping-the British watchmaker has employed a tactful play of horological judo, and  produced two new models inspired wholeheartedly by the very designs stolen from them. Enter the Av0cado and Guacam0le, just as colorful, cheerful, and charismatic as the rest of their lineup, with an extra dollop of good humor on the side.  Take one look at the knockoffs from a myriad of random “brands” and you’ll see what Studio Underd0g is talking about. The color schemes, design cues, and even text details are shamelessly ripped straight from the authentic watchmaker’s catalog. This is, of course, the sharp side of the double-edged sword for a brand with a visual style as instantly recognizable as Studio Underd0g’s, even given their relative youth as a company; when you create a style that resonates with so many people, you’re bound to have imitators.  They haven’t cut any corners with the Av0cado and Guacam0le, though, despite the comedic backstory. Both are in direct response to a company called Proxima’s k...