4,786 articles · 39 videos found · page 27 of 161
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the best field watches under $600 with hands-on reviewed picks from Timex, Vaer, Marathon, and more, tested for daily wear, durability, and real-world usefulness.
Fratello
The Netherlands is not exactly known as a traditional watchmaking powerhouse. This is a small country of people practical by nature and generally not inclined toward excessive displays of luxury. Over the years, though, several Dutch watch brands have built impressive international reputations. Names like Christiaan van der Klaauw, Grönefeld, and Holthinrichs immediately come to […] Visit Hands-On With The Sero Silver Signature to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Taking place right next door to Watches & Wonders, Time to Watches is an annual fair dedicated to independent watchmaking. Among the exhibitors this year was Stéphane von Gunten, the watchmaker behind the Haute-Rive brand. Arguably the most technically impressive watch on display was the Honoris Meccanica, the most mechanical looking of Haute-Rive’s Honoris line. The timepiece houses a three meter-long mainspring which allows it to achieve a power reserve of 41 days — more specifically 1,000 hours. Unlike some other watches with ultra-long power reserves, the Honoris Meccanica remains a properly sized and wearable timepiece that doesn’t feel like a wrist-worn experiment. Initial thoughts Stéphane von Gunten is part of a new generation of independent watchmakers with a strong engineering background, rather than a career spent doing restoration work. Before launching Haute-Rive, Mr von Gunten worked as a Research and Innovation Director at the Sowind group, which owns Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin. His most notable work happened while at Ulysse Nardin, where Mr von Gunten filed a number of important patents, ranging from the oval-shaped hairspring still used by Ulysse Nardin today to constant force escapements and compliant flexure oscillators. As fate would have it, one of Mr von Gunten’s ancestors is Irénée Aubry, the watchmaker behind the “Hebdomas” eight-day pocket watch of 1888. Commercialised under many names, the movement only required winding...
SJX Watches
One of the most intriguing debuts in independent watchmaking this year is Nouvelle Chronometrie with its Montre Ordinaire. Despite the name, Nouvelle Chronometrie is actually Japanese, and the “ordinary” watch is a tourbillon chronometer inspired by 20th century observatory chronometer watches and dressed in formal Breguet attire. With its rigorously classical design, evident on both the front and back, the Nouvelle Chronometrie is distinctly Japanese at heart in how it careful reproduces and enhances traditional watchmaking – executed with a great deal of attention to detail. Moreover, the manufacturing of the watch is a combination of both old school manual methods and modern technology, reflecting a typically Japanese embrace of technology, not for cost efficiency, but for the sake of quality. Initial thoughts I first came across Nouvelle Chronometrie on Instagram. It was just images of the watch, with no information on the brand’s origins. Then I learnt Nouvelle Chronometrie was founded and led by Noritaka Sakurai, a longtime collector who pivoted to join the industry – which ironically left me a little sceptical. Though I have known Mr Sakurai for a long time and regard him highly as a collector, he was chief executive at Hajime Asaoka’s watchmaking outfit until 2020 – that employer was a red flag for me. Fortunately, Mr Sakurai has left that behind, and has now gone all in with Nouvelle Chronometrie, a project that deserves recognition and praise. Accor...
Fratello
At Watches and Wonders, we see many watches, of course. It’s actually not the best place to see watches, though. During the “touch & try” sessions, watches are passed around quickly as everyone tries to take as many pictures as possible. Cartier is notoriously one of the most watch-heavy sessions, as the brand usually presents […] Visit Hands-On With The New Cartier Santos-Dumont In Full Gold Or Platinum With A Bracelet to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
It’s been a few years since we last saw A. Lange & Söhne fold one of its lesser-known collections back into its catalog: the Cabaret. Making a comeback, the newest addition marks the only rectangular model among the brand’s current offerings. It also puts the maison’s proprietary alloy, Honeygold, on full display across the case as well as the dial for only the second time, with the first being the Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold “Homage to F.A. Lange” from 2020. The rectangular case shape of the Cabaret is certainly unique for A. Lange & Söhne, who’s become synonymous with more traditional round designs like its instantly recognizable Lange 1. However, for me, despite the highly wearable 29.5mm x 39.2mm x 10.3mm proportions, the material composition and finishings of this model are really the star of the show. Here, you have the pleasing alloy – not quite yellow gold, not quite white gold, not quite pink gold but a soft and beautiful shade all its own – featured in its original form across the case and dial accents. The material is also used for the dial but has received a black-rhodium treatment. At first glance, this looks like just another handsomely executed A. Lange & Söhne dial, but upon closer inspection, there are more layers to unpack (literally). The result is four subtle elevations on the dial giving it interest and depth. This dial composition consists of three parts: the main dial plus two auxiliary dials for the seconds and the power-...
Fratello
Longines introduces a new Legend Diver model inspired by the original 1959 Diver ref. 7042. The Legend Diver 59 is not the first tribute to the brand’s original dive watch with a Super Compressor case, but it might be the most faithful to date. Let’s take a closer look. Longines Legend Divers since 2007 I […] Visit Hands-On With The Faithful Longines Legend Diver 59 to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
These are the best starter watches under $250 we’ve reviewed hands-on, chosen for real-world wear, comfort, accuracy, durability, and long-term value.
Time+Tide
With the release of the Swatch x AP collaboration this week, the other novelties of the week have probably passed under the radar. We’re here to give them the light they deserve, and speaking about light, I’ll start with Ming, which uses two polarised filters as hands to have an ever-changing dial appearance. Oris remoderns … Continued
Fratello
Today has been a long time coming because the new Synchron Ti300M Poseidon I Limited Edition has been on my wrist for over a month! During that period, I’ve been able to put the watch through its paces, and I’m pleased to say that it’s a great option for anyone in the market for a […] Visit Hands-On With The New Synchron Ti300M Poseidon I Limited Edition to read the full article.
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne has been a sponsor of the Concorso de Eleganza Villa d’Este for 15 years now, but this year marks the first time a limited edition is debuting at the event: the Cabaret Tourbillon Honeygold. Staged annually on the shores of Lake Como, the classic car show has historically awarded a unique Lange watch to the “Best of Show” winner. This year’s winner will once again receive a watch with an engraved hunter case back, but for everyone these there is the new Cabaret Tourbillon, a limited edition of 50 pieces that is the most appealing iteration of Lange’s most unusual, and least popular, wristwatch with a tourbillon. Initial thoughts The Cabaret Tourbillon is probably the least popular Lange tourbillon due to its shape and size; the original version was also relatively plain in terms of appearance. The new limited edition, however, looks and feels entirely different. Thought the dimensions are the same, it looks like a whole new watch with the Honeygold dial. The relief elements on the frosted surface give the dial a subtle depth, while the colour contrasts well with the case. Though this is not a Handwerkskunst edition, the dial gives it a special something. Ordinarily, a modest cosmetic makeover like this would be uninteresting, but here the gentle redesign elevates a watch that previously felt a little flat into something more inspired. I only wish Lange had given the movement a little extra decoration to set it apart from the standard calibre. As...
Hodinkee
Niche Lange collectors, rejoice! The Cabaret is back! Well, sort of. Today, on this fine Saturday, Lange has brought back the Cabaret in its complicated form, with a 50-piece run of the Cabaret Tourbillon in the brand's proprietary Honeygold alloy. It is a hefty block of grey and Honeygold, with this rectangular silhouette making its first appearance after a 30-piece handwerskskunst run in 2021. The price point, like many of the past Cabaret Tourbillon editions, sits in the mid-six-figure range at around €300,000. When the Cabaret Tourbillon was first introduced to the world in 2008, it was quite horologically impressive, adding the world's first hacking tourbillon into the brand's rectangular design from 1997. It might sound quite surprising that a hacking tourbillon had not been produced until 2008, but being able to stop such a large mass like a tourbillon cage is certainly not an easy feat, especially when you require delicate parts to do so, and with the need to navigate around the tourbillon cage itself. After all, you'd need to be able to stop the cage at any orientation it's in, and at any point in the balance wheel's oscillation. So Lange's movement designers set to work and devised a V-shaped spring that would directly halt the balance wheel—not the tourbillon cage. Its V-shape, centered around a rotating pivot at the end of a lever, would mean that one side would make contact with the balance wheel or tourbillon cage post, and pivot the other side of the V i...
Hodinkee
Earlier in the week, I got a chance to see the new Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop collaboration in person, the hottest (and most hotly debated) thing since, well, Swatch did their first collaboration with Omega. There were some restrictions, like the fact that I couldn't handle some of them without gloves, but I did get enough of an impression to have a lot of thoughts. Yes, I think they're a lot of fun, and actually pretty impressive in some ways. I get that a lot of people will disagree, and that's fine. But to answer the last part of our headline first: you can get the Swatch x AP Royal Pop watches only at select retail stores starting May 16. You can find those stores on the Swatch website by going to the homepage, looking for the collab, and clicking the "See Stores" link. One version (with a crown at the right) is $420, while the other (with a crown at the top) is $400. Also, this is not an AP-led product, so don't call your local AP AD hoping to get one. Swatch is in charge here. Love it or hate it, the Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop is big news. How big? A few hundred comments on our site is a good measure. But how about the fact that, in 24 hours, our "Introducing" story on the collab got about 20x an average story would do in a month and 1.75x more page views than the Rolex "Pepsi" GMT cancellation (which was the highest-traffic story of Watches & Wonders to date). We love watches over here, but it can be a bubble. There are a few rare moments when the wa...
Monochrome
Over the past few years, Patek Philippe has been continuously reshaping the Calatrava. What was once the ultimate ultra-classical dress watch – well, it still is with the 6196P – has evolved into something more textured, more casual, and, importantly, more practical. References like the 5326 Annual Calendar Travel Time and the 5328 8-Day introduced […]
Fratello
Listen up because today, we’re talking about another new brand on Fratello. Briston, a small French brand, was established in 2013, but it’s seemingly ready for the big stage. Frankly, after going hands-on with several of the company’s pieces at Time To Watches in Geneva, I think they’re worth a look. Happily, we start our […] Visit Hands-On With The Briston Clubmaster Legend Diver Ocean to read the full article.
Fratello
This year is a regal one indeed, as both Tudor and the Rolex Oyster case celebrate their 100th anniversary. For this grandiose occasion, Tudor presented a completely new model during Watches and Wonders 2026 to underline the significance of its century of existence. The Tudor Monarch is a hard-to-define watch, but when you look at […] Visit Hands-On With The Tudor Monarch — Are You Down With The New King? to read the full article.
SJX Watches
German independent watchmaker Marco Lang launched the Seven Spheres, the first multi-axis tourbillon wristwatch from Germany, and one of the few made with traditional materials and techniques. While the rotational speed is necessarily gradual, the central position of the massive seven-axis regulator affords a good view of the fine Saxon finishing from all sides. Initial thoughts Multi-axis tourbillons tend to be the domain of industrial brands, or independents that rely on industrial suppliers. It’s also a genre that’s overwhelmingly Swiss — Thomas Prescher is German, but produced his pioneering multi-axis tourbillons in Switzerland. In this context, the Seven Spheres is a departure from the norm in several respects. It’s Marco Lang’s first tourbillon since branching out on his own in 2019, and it’s the first multi-axis tourbillon made in Saxony. Without historical precedent to contend with, Mr Lang has produced something quite unlike any other German watch — a central, multi-axis tourbillon suspended within a donut-shaped movement. Despite its artisanal quality and low-volume production, the Seven Spheres costs no more than an equivalent from a big brand. It’s counterintuitive to suggest that a wristwatch that costs a quarter-million Euros is a good value, but on a comparative basis the pricing makes sense. Seven spheres, front and back Marco Lang cites the work of both Ptolemy and Carl Sagan as inspiration for the Seven Spheres’ architecture. The seven ...
Worn & Wound
One of the most memorable additions to Windup Watch Fair San Francisco 2026 wasn’t a new release, a panel discussion, or even a brand activation. It was the twist of tiny screwdrivers, movements clicking into place, and attendees experiencing the satisfaction of building a mechanical watch with their own hands. For the first time ever at a Windup Watch Fair, DIY Watch Club hosted live watchmaking workshops throughout the weekend, giving attendees the opportunity to assemble their own watches from the ground up right on-site at Fort Mason’s Gateway Pavilion. Led by DIY Watch Club founder Quinn Lai and his partner Rebecca Lai, the classes quickly became one of the Fair’s most talked-about experiences, drawing everyone from seasoned enthusiasts curious about the mechanics behind their collections to total newcomers looking for a deeper connection to watchmaking. Each workshop guided participants step-by-step through the process of assembling a functioning mechanical watch, including casing the movement, setting the hands, and completing the final assembly. Participants each built one of DIY’s White Dial Stainless Steel GMT, giving them not only a hands-on introduction to watchmaking, but also a genuinely wearable travel-ready mechanical watch to take home at the end of the session. While some attendees arrived slightly intimidated by the process, the atmosphere in the workshop area quickly became collaborative, energetic, and surprisingly relaxed as participants reali...
Monochrome
Ever since its release, A. Lange & Söhne’s superb 1815 Tourbillon is a genuine horological heavyweight. While it might not have the complexity of the Tourbograph or the Triple Split, it certainly carries its weight, and not just by material. This latest edition is refined, elegant, technically impressive and aesthetically beyond words. Dressed in all […]
Fratello
Swedish brand Maen has been optimizing its collection by returning to its roots. The brand has taken an in-depth look at its rapidly expanding catalog to see how far it has strayed from its beginnings. With that perspective, the team started reworking the Hudson series to better reflect what the brand had set out to […] Visit Hands-On With The Improved Maen Hudson GMT MKII to read the full article.
Fratello
In 1996, Patek Philippe launched a watch to bridge the gap between its dress watches and perpetual calendars. The brand needed more sales; the Nautilus was not a hype watch yet, so what did Patek do? It launched a classic calendar watch that looked like a perpetual calendar, but it actually was a watch with […] Visit Hands-On With The Stylish And Practical Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5396R-016 Annual Calendar Moon Phase to read the full article.
Fratello
Seiko is celebrating its 145th anniversary this year, and that results in new watches paying tribute to this respectable age. Among them are these two new Presage Classic Series watches, both limited editions, available in 36mm and 39.6mm sizes. Let’s have a closer look at the HCC004 and HCC007, shall we? Seiko Presage Classic Series […] Visit Hands-On With The New Seiko Presage Classic Series HCC004 And HCC007 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The Vacheron Constantin (VC) Overseas Dual Time “Cardinal Points” was one of the most talked about releases of Watches & Wonders — despite being a somewhat predictable, incremental upgrade to an existing model. The response is indicative of strong product/market fit and the transformative power of colour and texture. Initial thoughts By all accounts, the Overseas Ultra-Thin ref. 2500V should have been the talk of the VC booth at Watches & Wonders. The copper-dialled platinum edition recalls one of the most sought-after models in the Overseas canon, and introduced a new micro-rotor movement that feels destined to be a big part of the brand’s movement strategy going forward. But it was the Overseas Dual Time that seemed to get people talking, despite its predictability and the fact that it’s a much more incremental update to an existing model. In my view, there are three reasons for this. First and foremost, it’s a perfectly targeted product, aimed at a well of unmet demand that has been simmering since the the titanium Dual Time was first teased seven years ago. The high/low contrast between the industrial-haute horlogerie build quality and the sporty aesthetic is inherently appealing. In some ways it feels like the perfect watch for locales like Sun Valley or Davos — the dual-time functionality is purpose-built for vacations (and economic forums) and the colours and textures will pair well with Mammut or Patagonia. Second, all four editions — named for the ...
Hodinkee
Last year's launch of a new Reverso Tribute Monoface "Or Deco" in pink gold (with a gorgeous Milanese mesh bracelet) was probably the most outstanding release from Jaeger-LeCoultre in a while. Its time in the sun was somewhat brief, though, as it was a bit upstaged this year by the new Master Control Chronometre line (for which a Hands-On is forthcoming soon, I promise). Yet, at Watches and Wonders last month, the brand showed it could do more with the "Or Deco" platform, introducing three new Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds "Or Deco Cocktail" watches, including two in a new material. Last year's release is still a stunner. You may have missed these new watches. That's in part because the brand is set to make a more complete announcement in a few weeks, with an immersive pop-up of its "Reverso Stories" series from May 21 to May 31 in the Miami Design District, ahead of the opening of a new boutique there this summer. The idea is to focus on rare pieces, including historic high-jewelry models, and to premiere some new Reverso pieces that play into that concept, including this trio. However, before the watches were shipped to South Beach, we got to see them in New York and get to spill the tea, as the kids say, before their Miami feature debut. The standouts, at least in terms of novelty, are the two new white-gold versions. The framework remains the same, a 45.6 x 27.4 x 7.56mm case, now in white gold, housing a manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 822 movement....
Worn & Wound
The watches made by Dutch independent De Rijke & Co. are all charming and considered designs, but it’s difficult to trace any defined throughline between them. While most upstart brands tend to find their lane and iterate on a concept ad nauseam, De Rijke has consistently kept us on our feet while avoiding the creative quicksand that can come with a successful watch. The brand first made a splash with the Amalfi, a smart, Bauhaus-informed driver’s watch with a clever two-piece case design that could be rotated through 90 degrees to orient the dial at the ideal angle for the wearer to read while their hands gripped a steering wheel or handlebars. The Amalfi had a timeless design and a romantic origin story that involved the brand’s founder, designer and engineer Laurens De Rijke, embarking upon an 11,000 kilometer Vespa tour of the Amalfi Coast. It was a basic design that De Rijke could’ve played with and re-editioned to death, and while the brand has iterated on the Amalfi concept, the approach they’ve taken was wholly unexpected. The watches that followed the debut Amalfis were a series of limited edition collaborations featuring the iconic Dutch cartoon character “Miffy.” The Miffy collabs have featured everything from moonphase designs, to enameled dials, to ceramic cases. While they were a surprisingly playful and whimsical way to follow up an elegant, functionalist watch like the Amalfi, these limited editions all became bonafide hits–to the point ...
Hodinkee
What We Know The cat is out of the bag on what is likely to be the biggest watch news of the year. The Swatch x Audemars Piguet "Royal Pop" just launched, ahead of its official availability on May 16, 2026, at selected Swatch stores. There are no wristwatches here, just eight unique pocket watches in two different styles, cased in brightly colored Royal Oak-shaped bioceramic cases, powered by manually wound mechanical SISTEM51 movements. Eight watches, for each side of the iconic Royal-Oak bezel. All the watches are instantly recognizable as Royal Oak-inspired. They have a "Petite Tapisserie" dial and a Royal Oak octagonal bezel with eight hexagonal screws. Every watch comes with a 40mm case (without the clip) and measures 44.2mm by 53.2mm when mounted in the clip. The thickness is 8.4mm. The hands and indices on all watches feature Grade-A Super-LumiNova. The watches can be dropped in your pocket, worn in the pocket, or popped into a holder attached to a calfskin lanyard (in three lengths), attached to a bag, or placed in a removable stand that lets the watch function as a desk clock. Swatch and AP say this will change the way we wear watches, breaking free from the wrist (suggesting the expected wristwatch collaboration is unlikely at the moment). The new Swatch x Audemars Piguet "Royal Pop" comes in two main variants. There's the "Lépine" style, where the crown is at 12 o'clock on the pocket watch, which come in six varieties: Otto Rosso (pink case and dial with red ...
Hodinkee
Held on the mountainous slope of Vancouver's North Shore, the Vancouver Timepiece Show offered its second-ever installment this past April. The event offers a true enthusiast-driven platform for a variety of value-driven brands and is part of a now three-show-strong portfolio for Canada's Timepiece Shows, spanning Vancouver, Toronto, and, later this month, Montreal for the first-ever appearance. Less than a week after the big show in Geneva ended, I hopped on a plane and flew to Vancouver for a very different type of watch show. Held in a bright and airy space in The Shipyards of North Van, the Vancouver show evolved this year, with fewer brands showing but attendance up by about 20%, to roughly 3,000 people over the weekend. A smaller, more casual show than the Toronto event held in September, the Vancouver Timepiece Show reflects the local watch scene while attracting brands and attendees from a much wider range. Scroll on for highlights from the brands at the show and a good handful of local watch-spotting. A pastel Halios Seaforth with the 12-hour bezel. Very Vancouver. Some Marathon wares glowing under UV light. The newly released Marathon CeraShell Navigator evolves a 40-year-old classic with a new case material that offers improved bezel performance, conventional springbars (vs. fixed), and a lighter weight on the wrist. Micromilspec continues to impress with versions of their multi-talented Milgraph, seen here as a special 75-piece version called "Proj...
Fratello
A little over two years ago, Seiko introduced the first Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs. Following that, the brand gradually launched slightly updated versions featuring new materials and colors. For its 145th anniversary, Seiko revamped its Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs. With a new case and caliber, the series gets a proper update. The brand […] Visit Hands-On With The New Seiko Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs HAB001, HAB002, HAB003, And Limited HAB004 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Urwerk bids farewell to the Spacemeter with UR-10 Spacemeter Blue Final Edition. As the final series of the UR-10, the 25-piece limited edition features a dark blue dial that differentiates it from the black and silver editions released previously. The watch is otherwise identical to its predecessors, and features an instrument panel-like display that tracks the progress of the Earth around both the sun and its own axis. Initial thoughts The ‘almost conventional’ display of the UR-10 represents a departure for Urwerk, which made its name in satellite wandering hours complications. Like the quirky and impressive EMC, the UR-10 proves Urwerk’s space-age aesthetic works in a variety of formats. But the Spacemeter’s time on Earth was relatively short, having been launched less than a year ago. The limited production of just 75 pieces (25 in each of three colours) should reward collectors, but I’m hopeful the ergonomic case and bracelet will come out of retirement to house different complications in the future. The UR-10 borrows a number of stylistic cues from the UR-100, but the case construction is entirely novel. The 45.4 mm case is essentially a bi-level construction — stainless steel on the bottom for a stable weight balance, and titanium on top for a continuous look from case to bracelet. The two materials contrast slightly on the winglets on either side of the case, where they are fastened with bolts. This construction is similar to that of the original Pate...
Fratello
Today, I’ll take a look at an object that blends two of my favorite subjects — cars and watches! I’m not unique with those interests, but this watch takes it a step further. You see, it’s inspired by one of the greatest sports cars in history, the Porsche 911. The brand behind this creation is […] Visit Hands-On With The Stewart Dawson SD 911 Black to read the full article.
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