Time+Tide
The Arc from Beaucroft might be the ultimate value proposition for an everyday watch
The Arc from Beaucroft takes everything the brand has learned from its previous Seeker range, and aims to deliver the ultimate everday watch
10,523 articles · 239 videos found · page 254 of 359
Time+Tide
The Arc from Beaucroft takes everything the brand has learned from its previous Seeker range, and aims to deliver the ultimate everday watch
Worn & Wound
Lots of ink has been spilled in the short span of time since the launch of the Formex Aria on the topic of small brands (microbrands, if you must) going upmarket and playing at significantly higher price points than consumers are accustomed to. When a brand releases a watch that is multiple times the cost of the watches they are already associated with, it can cause a near panic in the watch enthusiast community. Lots of “HOW COULD THEY?” type comments appear on websites like ours, Instagram, and over beers at local meetups as collectors grapple with the idea that watch brands, which are also businesses that support the lives of real human beings, might attempt to make the most of the increased popularity our hobby has received in these past few years. And that’s really what it is, right? The mainstreaming of watches has led brands like Formex, Christopher Ward, Atelier Wen, and others to feel confident in their expansion upmarket. Gone are the days when microbrands appeal solely to value conscious consumers – they have the eye of at least some traditional luxury buyers as well, and the ambitious watches they’ve developed and the prices being asked are a reflection of that. Timex, of course, is not a microbrand, but their Atelier line is a significant move into a higher pricing tier, and some of those same dynamics are in play, I think with the release of two new chronographs in the brand’s highest end line of watches. You might remember the Atelier collect...
Hodinkee
What We Know Among collectors I know and respect, Chopard has been somewhat quietly picking up steam. The launch of a dateless L.U.C. 1860 with a rosy salmon-toned dial in 2023 was a bit of a turning point, bringing the model—compact and beautifully finished—to a broader audience, and with it, Chopard. Revolution was early to the party with its own limited edition, featuring untreated 3N yellow gold and a Lucent Steel case. For that release, the dials were made by Metalem, which makes the dials for Philippe Dufour's Simplicity. Now, the idea is back with a new model with similar dial treatment, with a twist. The new L.U.C Quattro Revolution Re-Edition comes 26 years after the groundbreaking Quattro model, which featured a 9-day power reserve. This time, the same untreated 3N yellow gold dial is made in-house by the Chopard team, while the watch is still cased in Chopard's proprietary Lucent steel. There is a power reserve indicator at 12 o'clock, small seconds, and a date at 6 o'clock. The hour and minute hands are high-polished dauphine shapes with kite-shaped applied hour markers that have a faceted mirror-polished finish. One of the reasons that collectors value Chopard's L.U.C line so much isn't just the quality of the function of the movements, but the quality of the finishing. Yes, the caliber 98.01-L movement doesn't have sharp edges for interior angles like has become so popular these days, but the Côtes de Genève and anglage are still sublime. The four large...
Hodinkee
Following a whirlwind year of releases for Breguet's 250th anniversary in 2025, this year's recent updates to the collection play it a little safer, with some enamel-focused changes to the brand's iconic Tradition series of watches. The fan favorites, I'm sure, are the 38mm Tradition Seconde Rétrograde models. But when I had a chance to check out some of the novelties a few weeks ago, it was actually the larger, 40mm Tradition GMT that caught my eye. Priced at $82,900, the Tradition GMT is very much a seriously priced contender in the haute horlogerie arena. But one look at the watch shows off so much of what makes it special, and most importantly, it's unabashedly Breguet. Add in the visual update of this current generation, and I think it's the best version I've seen yet. Much of what makes this version stand out is the main subdial at 12 o'clock. It's not every day that Breguet opts for a shade of green in the series—in fact, it's the first time in the Tradition line, as blues, blacks, golds, and greys seem to define much of the older collection. The execution of the gradient green-to-black grand feu enamel dial in this model is absolutely sublime. Enameling is one of the strengths I associate with Breguet's in-house capabilities, and here it's done very well, with a pleasant shade of forest green shifting to the dark black perimeter, all executed and fired by hand. While the Breguet logo and other dial markings are printed in a metallic silver finish for legibility,...
SJX Watches
Longtime collaborator of Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) – and designer of the Ferrari Luce – Marc Newson recently helped created one of the brand’s under-the-radar new launches for 2026, the Memovox Travel Clock. The clock combines Mr Newson’s trademark functional, geometric style with JLC’s signature alarm that buzzes loudly enough to be an actual alarm. Notably, the Memovox clock is powered by a brand-new movement, rather than an existing wristwatch movement. Equipped with some clever features like a peripheral crown, the manual-wind cal. 256 inside has a useful 12-day power reserve. The Memovox Travel Clock is a reassuringly old-school analogue travel gadget, but priced like haute horlogerie at a little over US$30,000. Initial thoughts Even though an integrated-bracelet sports watch was JLC’s headline debut at Watches & Wonders, the Memovox Travel Clock is arguably more interesting. To start with the Memovox clock marries a historical concept – people actually travelled with small clocks back in the day – with Mr Newson’s useful, distinctive design. Moreover, the design is backed up by a new movement that incorporates clever functions that integrate into the design, like the crown-less case. Though a 69 mm travel clock is not exactly practical in the context of modern travel, this is certainly a cool object I would love to have on a desk in a hotel. But the appeal is mitigated by the price (which means the hotel would have to be at least a Four Seasons). Despi...
WatchAdvice
Does TAG Heuer’s Australian Edition Carrera Glassbox Tourbillon add enough sporty flavour to this traditional complication? Let’s find out! What We Love: Green and gold – our national colours! Gorgeously reframes the historic tourbillon Wears relatively slim and close to the wrist What We Don’t: No hacking seconds may turn off accuracy enthusiasts The inner strap colour is slightly off – a nitpick, but noticeable Is TAG Heuer competing too hard with itself? Overall Rating: 8.75/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 TAG Heuer has long been a major proponent of the Australian market. Ever since entering in the late 1980s, the brand has ingratiated itself within our laid-back, modest, and often adventurous lifestyles. Models like the Aquaracer and Formula 1 became standard fare for the Australian wrist, while others like the Monaco evolved into legendary, aspirational pieces for those who have “made it”. But there is another collection that has long offered the best of both worlds: the TAG Heuer Carrera. The perfect balance of high-end luxury and everyday robustness, the Carrera’s presence in Australia has been shaped by both local values and its own powerful heritage. Bought for celebrations, commemorations, commiserations, and everything in between, it too has become part of Australiana. With that in mind, TAG Heuer has released a smattering of timepieces that reflect its enduring connection with our great nation. La...
Worn & Wound
eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion. Vintage Manually Wound Seiko Going to start off this week with a simple yet brilliant vintage Seiko. I’ve had a couple of these over the years, and it’s a great looking and reliable model. The steel case is around 36mm if I recall correctly, and this one is in excellent, unpolished shape. Classic round case with nice strong lugs. The dial is a bold blue, with a white bullseye ring and applied steel markers. Steel dauphine hands and no date give this a sharp, unique look that isn’t too flashy. The watch comes on the correct original Seiko beads of rice bracelet, which is so comfortable and great looking to boot. This example dates to April 1974. No movement pictures but the seller states it runs well, and my experience with these is that the movements are quite robust, like most Seikos. View auction here Vintage Waltham Next up is a nice vintage Waltham sporty/dress watch. The 34mm steel case looks sharp and unpolished, with stylish thin lugs. The classic silver dial is super clean, with nice applied steel thin arrow markers. It has steel dauphine hands with lume lines in them, and the second hand has a nice red arrow tip to help it stand out. No pesky date window to mar the peac...
Hodinkee
Not all collector events are made equal. Back in April, during Watches and Wonders, I got an invite to swing by the Tudor HQ in Geneva for a special dinner. I assumed this would be like most brand dinners, including Tudor examples from the past, a glass of wine, a flying buffet, and a seated dinner. I could not have been more wrong. Rather than hors d'oeuvres and the looming possibility of a mid-dinner dance presentation, I walked into a room absolutely packed with vintage Tudors, along with many of the personalities who had either collected the watches firsthand or helped establish the knowledge surrounding the collection. A group of singular 34mm Tudor Oyster, including a 1972 Cotton Bowl watch and matching hat. Honestly, after a long day at the Palexpo for the fair, the collection of watches and ephemera was entirely overwhelming. I did my best to shoot what I could as well as I could. In scenarios where a watch or two was lost to glare, flash, or both, I tried to add an additional photo to cover it. That said, I am 100% sure I didn't get to everything, and many of the watches you see below could be (or have been) the subject of entire stories. A Tudor Submariner 9411. So scroll on for a look at an insane array of Submariners, Rangers, Oysters, Chronographs, and more. Look closely for special dials, special bezels, military-issued examples, rare references, early models, notable school watches, and even a couple of ultra-rare watches with double-signed dials. Towa...
Deployant
Seiko updates their Prospex Diver's Watch collaboration with PADI to celebrate the 60th anniversary of PADI, with red and blue accents.
Hodinkee
Last year, we covered the launch of Marteau & Co., a new, small, independent-focused auction house that took a new perspective on what auction houses can (and, in their view, should) do for the watchmaking artists who have become such high-demand subjects. In Europe and the UK, artists are owed a portion of the sale fee when their work reaches the secondary market. It seems only fair, when a $100,000 watch these days can reach a million on the secondary market and the original maker doesn't get a penny. At Marteau, of the 20% fee added to the hammer price, the watchmaker receives 3% to acknowledge their work. Lot 6, a unique Voutilainen Regulator Decimal Repeater. Estimate of CHF 300,000 to 600,000. The current Marteau & Co. auction catalog recently went live, and bidding is open (online only) from June 10 to June 17. There are a lot of great watches to bid on, headlined by the return of an OnlyWatch collaboration, a unique Vianney Halter, and a unique Voutilainen Regulator Decimal Repeater. There are also a number of watchmakers who have only come to auction a handful of times, and I got to see a number of them in person. But I wanted to start with two watches that might potentially go for more affordable prices, watches from Baltic/SpaceOne and Furlan Marri. Lot 2, a Baltic x SpaceOne Seconde Majeure unique pieces. Estimate of CHF 3,000 to 6,000. Lot 1, a Furlan Marri Mechaquartz "Prototype" with a unique dial. Estimate of CHF 500 to 1,000. The Baltic x SpaceOne collabor...
Fratello
Another Friday, another list. Last week, we picked our five favorite iconic watches from the 1980s. This week, we move on to the 1990s. If the ’80s were the decade of bad, extravagant taste, the ’90s toned it down significantly. Having said that, we saw plenty of remarkable watch designs in the 1990s. Some of […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Iconic Watches From The 1990s to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Back in March, I found myself on an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to Lancaster, PA, a small city that many think of as the ancestral home of American watchmaking. I’d been to Lancaster before, with Hamilton, some years ago, and even though their old factory is no longer in use, the brand’s history is woven throughout the town in any number of ways. But I wasn’t traveling to Lancaster for Hamilton, I was there to see RT Custer, founder of Vortic. The coincidental nature of the line that connects Hamilton, RT, Vortic, and the city of Lancaster is almost beyond belief, and a new layer to that connection would be added in a matter of hours, as RT worked to secure a purchase of vintage pocket watch movements that would take his brand through another year (at least) of production. RT grew up in Lancaster, and his father still lives in town. Hamilton’s history there, of course, would have been something he encountered in his younger years, working its way into his memory the way a knowledge of baseball might if you happened to grow up in Cooperstown, or movies if you grew up in Hollywood. I don’t know, though, that anything could have predicted that RT would one day find himself running a company that would be so inextricably linked to the history of American watchmaking. A collection of very early Vortic watches Vortic is one of the most unique watch brands you’ll ever encounter. Founded in 2013 and based in Fort Collins, CO, Vortic repurposes vintage pocket wat...
Worn & Wound
If you’ve seen me around in the watch community, it’s very likely you’ve noticed me wearing a Girard-Perregaux Laureato. While I’ve fooled many into thinking I own one of these beauties, the model is in fact my number one requested loaner whenever I have the privilege to borrow a timepiece for a special event. In my years adoring the Laureato, I’ve had the pleasure of trying out several iterations from the bold 42mm (proving that yes, even my rather small 5.75-inch wrist can rock a 42) to the more pared down 38mm. In all the sizes and dial colors that have graced my wrist, one of my favorites has to be the 38mm copper, which, in my humble opinion, is the ideal twist on a two-tone look. Today, Girard-Perregaux is complicating things for me yet again with some incredibly compelling new takes on the Laureato. First up, we have two variations with a solid 18-karat rose gold dials, one in 39mm and one in 36mm. Unsurprisingly, these deeply rival my former-favorite with the copper dial. I would say the copper is a bit more subtle and subdued with a slightly more matte appearance and a rich shade that lands somewhere between yellow and rose gold. The dial of the new models is decidedly shinier and more reflective with a true rose gold color that is both bright and soft at the same time. In addition to feeling torn between the previous copper dial version and the new 18-karat rose gold, I’m equally undecided on my favorite proportions for the Laureato. I thought the 38m...
SJX Watches
The Girard-Perregaux (GP) Laureato Fifty collection adds four new references in crowd-pleasing configurations. The original 39 mm size is joined by a compact 36 mm option, available with our without diamonds, while a range of expensively made dials are on offer from solid 18k rose gold to deep blue flinqué enamel. The first four permanent members of the Laureato Fifty collection are powered by the brand’s latest automatic calibre, the GP4800, which illustrates GP’s capabilities as a manufacture. Initial thoughts Last year’s launch of the Laureato Fifty felt promising, but it was clearly just an opening act. GP is a brand intent on resurgence, and the Laureato Fifty represents an important part of the brand’s future. In this context, the four new Laureato Fifty references — in 2 sizes and 3 popular colourways — feel somewhat inevitable, though the high level of execution is anything but. Under the leadership of Marc Michel-Amadry GP seems to be building momentum in the right way — by emphasising what makes the brand unique. Specifically, its design icons like the Laureato and Three Gold Bridges, and its capabilities as a manufacture. In a few short months, the brand has delivered in each of these categories. The Laureato was one of the original luxury sports watches with an integrated bracelet, and helped establish the now-familiar format. Today, however, the field is crowded, a fact that invites comparison. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak comes to mind first,...
Fratello
Around 1990, one of my friends was lucky enough to receive an Ebel Sport Classic watch for his birthday. At the time, I was more focused on Swatch and Casio, and I knew nothing about Ebel other than that its watches looked cool. It wasn’t until a few years later, when my interest in mechanical […] Visit Is It Worth It: Pre-Owned Ebel Sport Classic Chronograph to read the full article.
Hodinkee
It's become a Watches & Wonders tradition: Ben Clymer sits down with A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmidt to walk through the brand's latest releases from this year's show. This year, that means the two new 36mm Saxonia Annual Calendars and the Lange 1 Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen. Schmidt walks through each, and the conversation touches on a broader thread running through Lange's recent work—a push toward smaller, more wearable proportions, following last year's 1815 in 34mm. On the 36mm Saxonias, Schmidt explains the thinking: "The intention was always to go as small as possible, but there were two elements that we wouldn't sacrifice to get smaller or thinner. One is legibility, and the other is robustness." 36mm Saxonia Annual Calendar The Lange 1 updates are subtle but deliberate—"small changes, but important changes," as Schmidt puts it. The two discuss what those differences actually are and how they add up, with Schmidt drawing on the brand's long view: "We've learned a lot in the last 20 years about case sizes and how to make watches sit comfortably on the wrist." Schmidt also shares some insight into the biggest challenge the team faced on the dial. For the full video, click here.
Hodinkee
It's become a Watches & Wonders tradition: Ben Clymer sits down with A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid to walk through the brand's latest releases from this year's show. This year, that means the two new 36mm Saxonia Annual Calendars and the Lange 1 Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen. Schmid walks through each, and the conversation touches on a broader thread running through Lange's recent work—a push toward smaller, more wearable proportions, following last year's 1815 in 34mm. On the 36mm Saxonias, Schmid explains the thinking: "The intention was always to go as small as possible, but there were two elements that we wouldn't sacrifice to get smaller or thinner. One is legibility, and the other is robustness." 36mm Saxonia Annual Calendar The Lange 1 updates are subtle but deliberate—"small changes, but important changes," as Schmid puts it. The two discuss what those differences actually are and how they add up, with Schmid drawing on the brand's long view: "We've learned a lot in the last 20 years about case sizes and how to make watches sit comfortably on the wrist." Schmid also shares some insight into the biggest challenge the team faced on the dial. For the full video, click here.
SJX Watches
Parmigiani Fleurier introduces the Carillon Tourbillon to mark three decades of the brand, and to celebrate how it all began — by restoring antiques. Inspired by an early 19th-century watch founder Michel Parmigiani brought back to life decades ago, the watch repeats the minutes on four serpentine gongs with exposed repeater work, and a tourbillon, and somehow manages to fit 12 days of power reserve into a case that’s just 41.6 mm in diameter and 12.6 mm thick. Initial thoughts My first thought on seeing the movement was that it looked like something from the early 19th century, with exposed repeater work and serpentine gongs. That was, of course, the intent. In 1980, Michel Parmigiani became a steward of Maurice Yves Sandoz’s collection of antique watches and automata. There he worked on a wandering hours quarter repeater signed Perrin Frères, which inspired the present watch. The Perrin Frères repeater that inspired the Carillon Tourbillon. Image – Parmigiani Fleurier Modern collectors have relatively little interest in this genre, and a nearly identical watch — this time signed Vaucher Frères, the firm after which the modern Vaucher company is named — sold for only CHF21,000 at Christie’s two years ago. But the watch’s esoteric design and unique story made it ripe for revival. But of course it’s not an exact replica. This modern homage is a keyless winding lever watch, while the inspiration was key wind with a cylinder escapement. As a pleasant surp...
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Zenith introduces a new "Double Signed" program for its Calibre 135-powered G.F.J. collection, and its first entry in this series is a collaboration with a Japanese independent that might not require all that much introduction around these parts—Naoya Hida. The evolution of the G.F.J. line has not taken all that long, with its origins starting in 2022 with the Zenith Caliber 135 Observatoire Limited Edition, where ten Calibre 135 movements from the 50s were restored by Kari Voutilainen and introduced in watches done as a triple collaboration between Zenith, Voutilainen, and auction house Phillips. Just three years later, the Calibre 135 was revived as a modern caliber for a line called the G.F.J. (after Zenith's founder Georges Favre Jacot). In just a little over a year, we've seen three small runs of this watch introduced in different stone-dial and metal combinations—platinum with a lapis lazuli dial, tantalum with an onyx dial, and an upcoming yellow-gold GFJ with a bloodstone dial. In the meantime, this new Double Signed concept with Naoya Hida takes the G.F.J. in a very different visual direction. The hefty 39.15mm platinum case, with a thickness of 10.5mm and a compact lug-to-lug of 45.75mm, remains the same as other G.F.J. models. But that dial is unabashedly Naoya Hida, constructed out of solid silver with the distinctive hand engraving coming from the hand of master engraver Keisuke Kano, the man responsible for the hand engraving across al...
SJX Watches
The standout piece from Patek Philippe at Watches & Wonders 2026 was certainly the Celestial Sunrise and Sunset Ref. 6105G-001. The astronomy-oriented watch was a decade in the making and compared to its more conservative predecessor, the ref. 6102, the new model benefits from a complete makeover, both aesthetically and mechanically. Hidden within the 47 mm white gold case is an unusual component that didn’t get the attention it deserved at launch: a butterfly-shaped compliant cam-and-rack mechanism. The system is used for the sunrise/sunset indicators and proves Patek Philippe’s almost savant-like mastery of compliant micro-mechanics. The Celestial ref. 6105 is pictured showing a sunrise of around 8 AM, and a sunset time of about 7 PM. Note the date ring pulls double duty as the sunrise/sunset scale. Fixing something that may be broken Although still quite rare compared to other complications, there are more sunrise/sunset watches on the market than seemingly ever before. They mostly follow the same basic construction: a cam that works with a follower. As the year progresses, the cam slowly turns, displacing the follower. In pairs, such systems are used to show both the sunrise and sunset times, which synchronously vary throughout the year. So why fix something that doesn’t appear to be broken? Or more specifically, why use an elaborate compliant system when a basic cam and follower is a fixture in classical watchmaking? European patent EP3740821B1 granted to ...
Hodinkee
What We Know The last time I covered something from Formex was over a year ago, when the brand released a highly finished, full-ceramic sports watch, complete with a ceramic bracelet and even a ceramic micro-adjust clasp, at an unrivaled price point. Today, the brand continues its upmarket trend with a brand-new watch design called the Aria. The Aria takes the form of a broad, integrated-bracelet design in full grade 5 titanium. The 40mm case feels broader than normal, thanks to an impressively thin case height of 6.9mm, even though the lug-to-lug is still quite reasonable at 45.45mm. While the silhouette gives a smooth look, there's quite a bit of contrasting finishing going on here, with brushing of the titanium case and bracelet links done entirely by hand. Though the styling certainly leans towards its identity as a bold sports watch, there's a lot of subtlety in the design, for example, with the individual bracelet links being slightly curved or the extra dimensionality of the layer of titanium peeking out from each link's milled-out spaces. The clasp includes Formex's proprietary micro-adjust system, which provides extra space on both sides of the bracelet by pulling or pushing each side. There are three dials for the Aria: "Selva Green," "Ardesia Grey," and "Denso Blue." All three have a certain muted look to the hue, matching the slightly darker nature of titanium. Dimensionality is achieved through contrasting indices in rose-gold coloring, set on applied raised p...
Hodinkee
What We Know Big, bold, and unapologetically brash, the Royal Oak Offshore has never been the watch for everyone. But with three fresh colorways for 42mm chronographs in steel and titanium, and a triumvirate of brand-new 37mm models in titanium and pink gold, the vaunted watchmaker from Le Brassus is giving us a few more reasons to consider its dedicated diver. There are three new 42mm models in three new color combinations, all featuring luminescent white 'bathtub' style hands, Arabic numeral hour markers in 18 carat gold, a flyback chronograph with hour, minute, and second counters, and a tachymeter scale rehaut inner bezel and date window at 3 o'clock. First up, the only new titanium model at this size, it features a dark grey méga tapisserie dial with dark grey and silver-toned counters with yellow and turquoise accents. The Arabic numeral hour markers are turquoise while the yellow chronograph hand matches the counter hands at 9 and 12 o'clock with a white seconds hand at 6 o'clock. Sections of the tachymeter scale are printed in yellow and white, while the AP logo in white sits just left of the date window. The silver hour and minute chronograph counters are accented in turquoise and grey. The case is 15.3mm thick and features a sapphire open caseback, a black-rubber and titanium screw-down crown with contrasting yellow and black rubber push pieces, and boasts water resistance of 100 meters. The new titanium Offshore chronograph comes on an interchangeable dark ...
Monochrome
The Hölstein Editions are Oris’ annual limited-edition watches, released each June 1st to celebrate the brand’s birthday and honour its roots in Hölstein, Switzerland. Introduced in the early 2000s, the more elegant Artelier family was fully redesigned this year to become a more contemporary and versatile lineup. Marking its 122nd birthday, Oris releases the Hölstein Edition 2026, […]
Fratello
Spend enough time around watch enthusiasts, and you’ll notice an interesting pattern. While discussions often revolve around the usual heavy hitters, at some point, seasoned collectors begin searching for something different. People can become tired of wearing the same pieces as everyone else. Yet, they crave an elegant everyday watch and perhaps something that prioritizes […] Visit What Makes A Truly Elegant Everyday Watch? to read the full article.
Time+Tide
With four hammers and four gongs, this is one of the most complicated repeaters you will find on the market today.
SJX Watches
Phillips’ spring auction season heads east for The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXII on May 30 – 31. In addition to a strong roster of complications from big brands, and interesting indies as usual, there is a strong showing from the more artistic side of watchmaking spanning gemsetting, enamelling, hand engraving, and wood marquetry. Lot 1010 – Jaquet Droz Magic Lotus Automaton Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721 – 1790) was an extraordinarily skilled automata maker from La Chaux-de-Fonds, his most famous work being The Writer, which can write up to 40 pre-programmed characters, dipping his quill into an ink pot at intervals. Today, Swatch Group uses his name for métiers d’art watches and automata; this watch is both. The onyx dial adds lapidary into the mix. It is a two-train watch — turning the crown one direction winds the movement, while the other winds the animation, which is tripped by a button in the crown and runs for an unusually long four minutes on a full wind. The koi swims around the dial, moving its tail back and forth and dives slightly to pass underneath the floating foliage (which is made of gold). A floating lotus flower opposite the koi acts as a visual counterweight. The petals clutch a yellow sapphire — or is it a red ruby, or a blue sapphire? It changes as the flower passes under the leaves or dial. Finally, while the koi is cavorting around the dial, the dragonfly is hard at work keeping track of the movement’s 68-hour power reserve. That movement...
SJX Watches
Kollokium returns with the Projekt 02 Variant C, hot on the heels of the A and B variants. For this third edition, Kollokium is bringing some colour to the (beach) party, rendering its topographic dial in a striking shade of Mediterranean blue. Initial thoughts Kollokium — an independent micro-brand from Manuel Emch, Barth Nussbaumer and Amr Sindi — continues to find ways to rethink dial and case construction at an affordable price. As its name suggests, the Variant C is the third edition of its second model — Projekt 02 — which introduced the topographical motif last year. True to form, Kollokium is once again letting the dial do all the talking and has left the Variant C unsigned, save for the model abbreviation cast into the case band. Like another independent brand with Manuel Emch at the helm, Kollokium keeps a tight leash on pricing. As a result, the Variant C is priced the same as prior editions, at CHF3,666.66. It’s a limited edition of 299 pieces, which means it will be less common than similarly priced watches like the Tudor Black Bay 54 in ‘Lagoon Blue.’ Of course, cross-shopping a Kollokium against something like the technically advanced Tudor feels a little like missing the forest for the trees. The appeal of the Projekt 02 Variant C lies in its three-dimensional design and unusual textures — on these grounds, there are few alternatives. The Variant C can be pre-ordered starting today for Kollokium subscribers, and will be available to the ...
Fratello
Another Friday, another list. After finding alternatives to some of the industry’s biggest icons over the past few months, we decided to switch things up. In the past week, some of the Fratello team members had a nice discussion about forgotten watches from the 1980s, so we thought, “Why not make that into a nice […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Iconic Watches From The 1980s to read the full article.
Monochrome
Ever since Favre Leuba has been relaunched at Geneva Watch Days 2024, the brand has been going back to its archives and giving old favourites a fresh spin. Unveiled at this event was the Deep Blue collection that hosted two watches: the Deep Blue Revival (39mm) and Deep Blue Renaissance (40mm). This comeback collection was […]
SJX Watches
Jérôme Biard is good at keeping secrets. As chief executive of Roventa-Henex (Roventa), he needs to be. The historic manufacture in the sleepy Swiss village of Tavannes builds watches for dozens of watch brands — some are internet-native ‘micro-brands’ while others are historic names with 19th-century roots. Naturally, few of the firm’s customers choose to reveal this arrangement, preferring the unstated implication of in-house expertise. We went inside this secretive manufacture to see a different side of the Swiss watch industry. Roventa-Henex CEO Jérôme Biard in his office in Tavannes. A short history of Roventa-Henex To better understand Roventa, it’s worth examining the history of watchmaking in Tavannes, a small village in the canton of Bern just 16 km from Biel/Bienne. Watchmaking came to Tavannes relatively late — in the 1860s — nearly two centuries after the first Swiss watches were made. Despite its late start, Tavannes quickly became a major centre of industrial watchmaking in the 1890s when Henri Sandoz — with the backing of two prominent families from La Chaux-de-Fonds — opened an industrialised factory based on the American model of production, complete with the latest American machine tools. By 1905, Tavannes Watch Co.’s factory employed more than 600 workers, making it Switzerland’s third-largest watch factory after Longines and Omega. By 1914 its staff had doubled, and the factory was producing more than 3,000 watches per day. Tav...
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