26,297 articles · 267 videos found · page 281 of 886
Two Broke Watch Snobs
After reviewing the Seiko Turtle, Citizen NY0040, and Orient Kamasu, we compare which affordable dive watch has the best mix of character, value, and staying power.
SJX Watches
The Olympic Games are just around the corner, which means Omega is getting ready to time 116 events in 16 different disciplines as the Games’ official timekeeper, a title the brand has held throughout much of the past century. That association has resulted in a long line of increasingly tasteful commemorative watches, including the Seamaster Diver 300M Milano Cortina, which applies discreet Olympics branding to an appealing new white ceramic iteration of the Seamaster. Initial thoughts It’s hard to see the Seamaster Milano Cortina as an entirely new watch since an almost identical black version was released back in 2021. That said, the snow white ceramic cements the connection to the upcoming Winter Olympics, due to be held jointly by Milan and Cortina. A common critique of ceramic is that it can look like plastic; I find this to be especially true when it comes to glossy white ceramic. This is where the emblematic Seamaster case and the industrial prowess of Omega pay dividends. The case is sculpted exactly like its stainless steel counterparts, with contrasting brushed and polished finishes that distinguish it as a premium product. The milky white material is complemented by grade 5 titanium, which is used for the bezel frame, both crowns, the solid case back, and the pin buckle. The ceramic bezel insert is deeply relief-engraved by laser, giving it a satisfying tactility that is all the more appealing considering the ageless properties of ceramic. Naturally, the Se...
Hodinkee
I don't need my diver watch to slice, dice, and julienne fries. But I do think that everyone needs a watch like this.
Teddy Baldassarre
Watches differ widely not only in their designs, materials, and functions but also in their ability to resist the detrimental effects of water and moisture. Some watch enthusiasts, especially those who wear their timepieces for diving, know exactly what they're looking for in terms of waterproofing, but many others might be unsure exactly how safe it is to wear their watch in the swimming pool or even to wash the car. What do watches' water-resistance ratings like 5 ATM or 10 ATM mean in the real world, and how exactly do industry terms like "bars" and "atmospheres" help you determine how waterproof your watch is? Here we address some commonly asked questions about water resistance in watches and break down what the most common depth ratings mean in practical terms. What was the first water-resistant watch? Since the invention of the wristwatch, watchmakers have been coming up with solutions to address an inconvenient reality: namely, that water and tiny mechanical parts, such as those inside a watch movement, simply do not mix. The technical challenge of making a portable timepiece that could withstand exposure to water became even more prominent in the mid-20th Century, with the rise of diving as a tactical and eventually also a recreational pursuit. The first innovator to seriously take up the gauntlet was Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, who developed the now-famous Oyster case in 1926. Its groundbreaking design combined a threaded, hermetically sealed caseback and a cro...
Quill & Pad
Philippe Dufour is the master watchmaker you imagine. He’s scholarly, accomplished, revered, an eminence grise of the watch universe, and the guy all the up-and-coming craftsmen want to be. Tim Mosso gets up close and personal with both the man and his iconic Simplicity.
Worn & Wound
For the sixth year in a row, Oris has launched a watch on the anniversary of their founding. The Hölstein Edition watches, which debut each year on June 1, are an opportunity for Oris to celebrate their heritage, release a watch that’s perhaps a little outside the box, and have some fun in the process. Previous Hölstein Editions include an Aquis diver with a bold purple dial, the revival of a classic complication, and, most recently, an unusual and very cool blacked out edition of their classic Divers Sixty-FIve. A throughline through these watches is the appearance of the Oris Bear, and for this year’s Hölstein Edition we get a particularly fun cameo from the brand’s mascot via a fully lumed dial. This year’s watch is a fresh take on the ProPilot, Oris’s contemporary, aviation inspired watch. For this limited edition (as with previous Hölstein Editions, this one is limited to 250 pieces) the stainless steel case has been given an aggressive black DLC treatment. It’s still, of course, unmistakably a ProPilot, with the hallmark fluted bezel and the gently curved 41mm case. This is much more than a blacked out ProPilot, though. Oris is having a lot of fun with the dial, giving it a full lume treatment that appears white in the daylight and glows green in the dark when the luminescent material is activated. The Arabic numerals, dial text, and hands are all in matte black, which makes the dial easy to read in both well lit situations and, importantly, in the ...
Fratello
If you compare horology and science, Urwerk must be fundamental science. The house does not ask what people need. Instead, it asks what is possible on the fringes. The Urwerk UR-230 is a prime example. Its dual-turbine system allows the user to regulate the watch’s winding. Does anyone need that? No. But who cares? It […] Visit Introducing A Tougher Shade Of White: The Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique to read the full article.
Time+Tide
If you're hoping for anything worth less than a house deposit, don't bother reading the price info.The post The Biver Automatique is what “entry-level” looks like for the haute horlogerie brand appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Now boarding: everyone's favorite Swatch collab is now more widely available than ever before with online retail in the U.S. and China.
Time+Tide
The MoonSwatch is finally available online for purchase. Well... At least four models are, and exclusively in the USA and China.The post Swatch is finally selling the MoonSwatch on its website, but… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
A funky micro and funky independent make for a fruity collab.The post Studio Underd0g and H. Moser & Cie. make an exciting team up, but there is a catch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
The most significant example of independent watchmaking in Phillips’ upcoming New York sale is Philippe Dufour Duality no. 3 in white gold. One of just nine made, this Duality is unusual in several respects. For one, it is delivered with two dials, each representing one of Mr Dufour’s trademark style – silvered and a white lacquer resembling enamel. Besides being an exceptionally rare watch, this Duality is also significant for its provenance: the current owner is both a gentleman and a collector with a discerning eye. In fact, he recognised the importance and appeal of the Duality well before most others did. At the time he bought this watch, now almost 20 years ago, a Philippe Dufour Simplicity was selling for barely more than a Lange Datograph. In fact, there were sought-after Panerai and Audemars Piguet Offshore models selling easily for more than a Simplicity. The owner’s discerning and forward-thinking taste in watches can also be inferred from his other watches in the sale. Amongst them is an F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain ref. TN – with a special-order 38 mm case instead of the conventional 40 mm, as well as a matched, three-piece set of the F.P. Journe Vagabondage in platinum. A tribute to the Vallée Launched in 1996, the Duality is one of the two landmark double balance wheel watches in contemporary watchmaking, alongside the F.P. Journe Resonance that debuted four years later. While the Resonance is arguably more abstract and inventive in its concep...
Worn & Wound
In a move that would seem to indicate that no, they really never will stop with these things, Swatch has unveiled a new Bioceramic MoonSwatch featuring, you guessed it: Snoopy. This release has been teased for several weeks now, so it’s not exactly a shock, but it just kind of landing on a Wednesday night is, I have to admit, a little unexpected. What we have here is an all white Bioceramic MoonSwatch case (inspired by the full moon, according to Swatch), a form factor that at this point is nearly as familiar as a Seiko SKX007 or a Cartier Tank. The “Mission to the MoonPhase” at first glance looks like a typical MoonSwatch, but in a stark white treatment. I can’t be the only one for whom it immediately conjured the Guilty Remnant, right? If there’s a watch better suited to that particular, fictional, doomsday cult, I’ve never seen it. Anyway, this is most certainly not a normal MoonSwatch. No, this one not only features everyone’s favorite cartoon beagle in the subdial at the 2:00 position, but it’s a moonphase (yes, that’s Snoopy, apparently representing all of us, just trying to get some sleep in the moonphase indicator). I’m sometimes hard on the MoonSwatch, but Swatch has done something genuinely cool with the lume treatment here, adding a “secret” line of text that will only be visible under UV light. It’s charming, fitting with the Snoopy theme, and feels like the right way to execute something that could be perceived as gimmick. This kind...
Hodinkee
Dubbed the "Scuba Fifty," the latest collaboration from the Swatch Group is ready to produce complete pandemonium on September 9th.
Worn & Wound
If you’ve met Chase Fancher, founder of Oak & Oscar, you probably know that he’s something of a bourbon enthusiast. I’m not saying you’ll be plied with the stuff if you come hang out at his booth at a Windup, but I’m not saying that’s definitively off the table, either. So it wasn’t a huge surprise when news came across the transom that Oak & Oscar’s latest limited edition is a thoughtful collaboration with FEW Spirits, whose founder and master distiller Paul Hletko is a personal friend of Chase’s. The new watch, a variation on Oak & Oscar’s popular Olmsted, the brand’s 38mm field watch, has plenty of little Easter eggs for bourbon lovers, but is also just a great looking execution of what has become a signature referenced. Those Easter eggs are threefold. First, the dial the color of the Olmsted FEW is a dark salmon tone lifted directly from FEW’s own color palette. It should be immediately recognizable to fans of the FEW spirits, but is also an altogether appealing shade in its own right, and represents Oak & Oscar’s first attempt at a salmon dial, a color that has taken off in popularity (and proven to be highly versatile in a huge variety of watches) over the last few years. Second, and this is somewhat standard on these types of collaborations, the FEW logo is displayed near the 6:00 position. Besides the FEW and Oak & Oscar branding, the dial is quite clean, without any excess text, and lets the color shine (but, not literally, because it...
SJX Watches
With “indies” all the rage now, auction catalogues usually have a generous helping of independent watchmaking. Amongst the many offerings from the genre this season, a handful stand out, including the Philippe Dufour Simplicity prototype no. 000 in Phillips’ Geneva watch auction that takes place on November 3 and 4, 2023. This is one of three prototype watches Mr Dufour made for the 2000 Basel fair when the Simplicity made its debut. Two of them were in white gold with a silvered guilloche dial – Mr Dufour himself frequently wears one of them – and the last was this watch, which is pink gold with a white lacquered dial. Initial thoughts Today Philippe Dufour has grown beyond the personality and is essentially a brand, an evolution that arguably took place after the 20th anniversary Simplicity was launched 2020. In contrast, this Simplicity prototype, along with the first 200 examples Mr Dufour made, encapsulates the artisanal beginnings of the man and his brand. At the time of the Simplicity’s launch, and for more than a decade after, Mr Dufour found neither fame nor fortune, given that he only made a handful of Simplicity watches each year and sold each for about US$40,000. The early watches are perhaps purer creations that capture the essence of Mr Dufour’s vision, which was to pay tribute to the heyday of Vallee de Joux watchmaking. Mr Dufour, of course, managed to do it slightly better, explaining why his creations are often regarded as having the best m...
Time+Tide
A simple and good-looking everyday watch, the Baltic Hermétique Tourer is ready for a few tougher challenges too.The post The new Baltic Hermétique Tourer is an excellent round-out for the brand’s collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
After two years of waiting, fans of the Arken Instrumentum have finally received a followup from the microbrand. At the time, it was one of the best-specced titanium divers around for the money, and the new Arken Alterum has a lot to live up to. Now that titanium has become a lot more prevalent in … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Arken Alterum is a dive-ready GMT in lightweight titanium appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Ok. So we just published a story on the new Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Moonshine, honing in on the reactions we compiled upon its unveiling. In the story, Zach touched upon a cheeky FAQ list we shared on Instagram. Interestingly, while we disclosed this was genuinely a Swatch-supplied frequently asked questions list, its rather playful … ContinuedThe post The Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Moonshine FAQ is not a joke. Here’s proof appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
The long-awaited release from the sister brand of the independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka is a marriage between vintage style and modern quality.
Time+Tide
Philippe Dufour. It’s a name any die-hard watch enthusiast should know. Considered by many as the greatest living watchmaker today, Dufour is known for his unrivalled level of movement finishing. One of the more well-known references he creates, The Simplicity, has a bit of a misleading name. Yes, it is, on the surface, a simple … ContinuedThe post Watchmaking legend Philippe Dufour looks to one particular brand for his daily wearer… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
Philippe Dufour is the epitome of traditional watchmaking, and it was his time-only Simplicity that really brought the Vallée de Joux-based watchmaker horological fame. Here The Naked Watchmaker deconstructs three examples of this watch for our pleasure.
Time+Tide
If you’ve already turned your horological nose up at the S word in the headline above, please remind yourself of the title of this column. T&T; teems with timepieces that will set back four, five and even six figures – if that’s you, congrats on the start-up/inheritance/proceeds of crime. If, however, you feel like adding … ContinuedThe post Cheap Bastard: The Swatch Bioceramic C-White is an oversized bargain that’s eco-friendly, too appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Zelos Watches stand out for their well-honed design vision and obsession with details that puts them firmly on the microbrand podium. Elshan Tang, the owner and designer, releases a steady stream of new stock on their website, ranging from chunky bronze divers to dress watches with elaborate ETA movements. But whatever Zelos offer, it’s quickly … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Zelos Watches Blacktip 200m is one of the best-value divers around appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Next week is Swatch Week. We will be focussing on the top 6 Swatch brands as we go live from Switzerland with "Time to Move"
Deployant
This is the iconic watch of the century…created by grand master watchmaker Philippe Dufour…after many years of only making super complicated watches…his portfolio before the Simplicity was the world premiere of a Grand et Petite Sonnerie on a wristwatch, and the world premiere of a wristwatch featuring dual, escapements to a single train known asRead More
SJX Watches
Interesting news just out of Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the venerable Swiss chronometer testing body, which has just announced a major revamp to its testing to honour the COSC’s standard’s 50th anniversary. Excellence Chronometer, COSC’s new and improved certification program, goes beyond the ISO 3159 norm that has defined its tests for decades. Instead of just testing movements, Excellence Chronometer will require completed, cased watches to run within -2/+4 seconds a day, as well as pass wear simulation and magnetism tests. Initial thoughts While COSC remains the primary chronometer testing body in Switzerland, thanks largely to Rolex, its protocols have been due for an update for some time now. With the rise of alternative and in-house precision testing programs, the standard chronometer certification can sometimes feel left behind. Rolex’s own Superlative Chronometer certification first requires a COSC certificate, but then makes sure the watches run at -2/+2 seconds per day after further in-house testing. The METAS Chronometer program also requires the standard COSC certificate, but guarantees a regulation of 0/+5 seconds per day and a great resistance to magnetic fields. Seeing that COSC slowly updates and imposes more stringent criteria is a good sign, but it may still not be good enough. With the rise of advanced internal certification programs, it looks like some brands submit their models to COSC testing just to make sure they can...
Monochrome
There’s hardly a category of watches that is as disputed as the diver. Every year, in all price ranges and all possible styles, we’re seeing hundreds of new dive watches released by watchmakers from all over the world. Choosing the best models in this segment of the watch industry is not an easy task and […]
SJX Watches
Although it’s been less than two years since its founding, Biver has already launched its second model, the Automatique. Using that as the base, the brand created the Automatique “Echoes of this Moment”, a unique piece crafted in collaboration with a Swiss artist for TimeForArt, a charity auction taking place in November to benefit the Swiss Institute, a nonprofit focused on contemporary art education. Initial thoughts The standard Automatique is undeniably a finely executed watch, especially the micro-rotor automatic calibre within. Although the aesthetics of the regular-production model aren’t perfectly cohesive, the exquisite quality of the movement and attention to detail make it one of the most interesting new time-only creations from an independent. This unique piece improves the aesthetics of the Automatique because it simplifies the design. The standard version has an elaborately finished dial that combines too many elements – faceted indices, brushed sectors, an engraved seconds track, and sharp polished hands. In contrast, the unique Automatique keeps the look simple, while still having a complex, artisanal dial decoration. Here the handmade dial – that’s both engraved and enamelled – can be admired for what it is, with no distractions. An artful dial The New York-based Swiss Institute was set up to promote contemporary art through events and exhibitions. Now in its second edition, TimeForArt was conceived to benefit the non-profit. Biver is one o...
SJX Watches
While the history of the Rolex diver’s watch begins with the Oyster Perpetual Submariner of 1953, one of the brand’s landmark achievement in water-resistant cases is more recent: the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea launched in 2008 that incorporates the Ringlock system. With the innovative Ringlock system, Rolex surmounted an enduring obstacle in building a deeper-diving watch – a case that grew in proportion to the depth rating. The Ringlock system is a patented case architecture that fundamentally rethought the traditional approach to a diver’s watch, which allowed the Rolex Deepsea to achieve a water-resistance rating of 3,900 m with a 44 mm case. The utility of the Ringlock was proven in 2022 with the Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge that took the Oyster case to the limits of horological engineering. Featuring a 50 mm case in RLX titanium, the Deepsea Challenge is water resistant to 11,000 m – the all-time water-resistance record for a mechanical wristwatch. The latest addition to the deep-diving collection, the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea in 18k yellow gold. Image – Rolex A deep history The history of Rolex is inextricably intertwined with the water-resistant wristwatch. Six years after establishing the brand in 1908, Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf wrote to Bienne-based movement maker Aegler, “We must find a way to create a waterproof wristwatch”. By 1926, Wilsdorf had achieved his goal with the launch of the Oyster, a waterproof wristwatch which ha...
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