Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A '70s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, A Moonphase from IWC X Porsche Design, And A Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea
Another week, another round of watches from the web worth knowing about.
Results for Watch Crown Types
22,853 articles · 216 videos found · page 299 of 769
Hodinkee
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Ep. #104 Black Friday Wish Lists & 2 Years of TBWS
Kaz and Mike celebrate 2 years of TBWS and share a handful of watches they hope to see discounted during the wave of Black Friday sales. What do you have your eye on this year? Be sure to share the watches you're hoping to hunt down this holiday season.
Deployant
Baselworld 2018 Chief Editor’s Choice: Top 5 watches which may blow your budget.
The Chief Editor makes his picks from the crop of Baselworld 2018 watches. All likely to cause heart palpitations from your bank manager. Selection from Rolex, Grand Seiko, Andreas Strehler, H. Moser and Patek Philippe.
Deployant
New Release: Seiko Divers for Baselworld 2018, including the new green “MM300” SLA019
Seiko’s expertise in diver’s watches is celebrated in the new Prospex collection for Baselworld 2018: Six new Prospex creations honor two landmark Seiko Diver’s watches.
Revolution
Christmas Wish List: Suzanne Wong, Revolution Technical Editor at Large
Suzanne’s note to Santa isn’t just a list of watches, but a list of watches in very specific case/strap/dial combinations. Rudolph had better be good at helping take quick notes; just ONE day to Christmas now!
Monochrome
Introducing - Ochs und Junior Releases its Perpetual Calendar Holiday Edition 2026
Most high-end perpetual calendars are fragile creatures composed of hundreds of components, delicate levers and springs. The problem with many is that they are susceptible to damage, especially if the crown or pushers are manipulated during the watch’s date-change cycle. Master watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin tackled the problem with the Perpetual Ludwig, developed for Ulysse Nardin […]
Fratello
The Oris ProPilot Calibre 111 Returns More Than A Decade After Its Introduction
Oris revives one of its most distinctive in-house movements with the return of the ProPilot Calibre 111. More than a decade has passed since the 2015 launch of the original Big Crown ProPilot Calibre 111, powered by a manually wound movement boasting an impressive 10-day power reserve. That watch followed the release of the Oris’s […] Visit The Oris ProPilot Calibre 111 Returns More Than A Decade After Its Introduction to read the full article.
WatchAdvice
(Hands-On) Do Glashütte Original’s Senator Chronographs Hit The Mark?
Glashütte Original have finally expanded their Senator Chronograph line, but are they exactly what enthusiasts ordered? Let’s find out! What We Love: Clean, distinctive aesthetics Surprisingly wearable Impeccable movement What We Don’t: Issues screwing down the crown Flyback oscillates a lot when activated Can a dress watch dress down? Overall Rating: 9.5/10 Value for Money: 9.5/10 Wearability: 9.5/10 Design: 9.5/10 Build Quality: 9.5/10 As I mentioned during my visit to the Glashütte Original manufacture last year, the watchmaking town of Glashütte is a remarkably small place. This serves as a double-edged sword. On one hand, you’re able to take a comprehensive and condensed look at the defining history and characteristics of German horological craftsmanship. On the other, it’s all too easy for brands to be overshadowed by their next-door neighbours, even when they’re among the best in the region. Such has been the case for Glashütte Original. While I won’t get into the Ship of Theseus philosophical riddle underpinning the tug-of-war between them and their neighbour, A. Lange & Söhne, the Swatch Group marque has often found itself overlooked, somewhat unfairly so. In recent years, though, the narrative has changed. Drawing on its vastly accumulated and inherited knowledge, Glashütte Original has defined itself as a brand that stands apart from its competitors, in Germany and beyond. With fine craftsmanship, Saxon design and a surprisingly thoughtful p...
WatchAdvice
Review: Does The Cartier Roadster Deserve A Victory Lap?
Cartier’s Y2K darling has returned to the fold, but has it done enough to pick up from where it left off? Let’s find out! What We Love: Unique, shapely case Seamless wearability Fun, quirky aesthetic What We Don’t: Lack of lume for a sports watch Slippery, hard-to-operate crown Did the Roadster deserve a comeback? Overall Rating: 8.25/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 8/10 Build Quality: 8/10 Of all the watch brands that have broken through into popular culture, Cartier stands as one of the most significant. Ever the champions and pioneers of quiet luxury, the French jeweller-watchmakers have built up a remarkable reputation over the course of 179 years. As part of that esteemed legacy are some of the most iconic silhouettes in watchmaking. Truly, models like the Tank, Santos, and Panthère are easily recognisable from their shadows alone! But while these collections possess obvious cultural cachet, perhaps equally as interesting are the designs that are no longer with us. The archival graveyard of Cartier is surprisingly rich, decorated with references as beautiful as they are unconventional. Model lines like the Pasha, the Calibre, and the criminally underrated Drive still maintain cult followings, with dedicated fans praying for their beloved collections’ return even years after their discontinuation. This year did see one such design finally escape the Shadow Realm. Of course, I am talking about the remastered Cartier Roadster, which held a ...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
I Know the Rolex Datejust Well. I’d Still Rather Wear This Oris
Oris gives the Big Crown Pointer Date a burgundy dial and Cervo Volante leather, creating an automatic watch I’d reach for over a Rolex Datejust.
Monochrome
First Look - Earthen Adds Three New Ceramic Colours to its Accessible Summit MK2 Collection
Earthen Company is still a very young watch brand, but it has already done quite a bit with the Summit collection. The Hong Kong-based brand launched in 2025 with three compact ceramic field watches, pairing a 38mm case with an oversized crown, clean dials, and a Miyota automatic movement, all for less than a thousand […]
Monochrome
First Look - The New Ulysse Nardin Freak One Blue Enamel and Freak One Guilloché
With Rolf Schynder at the helm, Ulysse Nardin released an unorthodox timepiece in 2001 that smashed conventions and rewrote watchmaking in one fell swoop. With no dial, no hands and no crown, the Freak, master watchmaker Dr Ludwig Oechslin’s renegade watch, indicated time with its linear gear train featured on the dial. The Freak also […]
Fratello
Exploring New Territory With The 42mm Panerai Luminor PAM01710, PAM01711, And PAM01714
Ask watch fans about typical Panerai characteristics, and one of the first things they’ll mention is size. The watches’ large cases have become synonymous with the brand, along with Panerai’s iconic design style, sandwich dials, and the signature crown-protection bridge. But what if you like the Luminor but can’t pull off a 44mm or 47mm […] Visit Exploring New Territory With The 42mm Panerai Luminor PAM01710, PAM01711, And PAM01714 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Insight: Screw-Down Showdown
Mechanical movements attract most of the technical interest in watchmaking, but considerable engineering also goes into keeping them dry. For an everyday watch, the waterproof construction of the case and crown is central to its reliability, yet the way these components keep water out is often misunderstood. Screw-down crowns and case backs are widely regarded as the best way to seal a watch. But the choice is not always straightforward. On a hand-wound watch, for example, a screw-down crown must be unscrewed and tightened regularly, adding an extra step to winding and potentially compromising the threads. The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, on the other hand, features a conventional crown and is rated to 50 m. Even so, some owners remain wary of exposing it to more than an occasional splash. So the question is, how much protection can a conventional crown provide, and what does a screw-down construction add? To understand the distinction, we take a closer look at the crown, its tube and the gaskets that form the seal. As a disclaimer, this discussion concerns modern watches with seals in good condition; vintage watches and those long overdue for service should be checked for waterproofness prior to contact with water. A common misconception The actual waterproofness of a joint relates to the uniformity of the seal pressure. In this case, “waterproofness” is used broadly as the ability of a mechanical joint to keep water from seeping in under normal functioning conditions...
SJX Watches
Insight: The Keyless Works
Having previously examined concepts related to energy flow inside watch movements, from automatic winding to barrel capacity and gear tooth profiles, we now turn and look at how energy enters the movement through the keyless works. For the majority of watches, the crown is the sole component through which the owner interacts with the movement, for both setting the indications and winding. While these operations have become a matter of routine, they wouldn’t be possible if not for the keyless works. This underrated mechanism — usually hidden — deserves a closer look. From key to crown We owe today’s user-friendly dual-purpose crown, which can be used for both winding and setting, to French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe, whose last name is certainly resonant with all horology enthusiasts. A keen technician who had not found success in his homeland, Philippe was approached in 1845 by Antoine Norbert de Patek, a Polish watch merchant from Geneva. Patek’s then-partnership with François Czapek was going sour and the merchant was looking for a new, technically oriented associate. Shortly thereafter, Philippe was appointed as technical director at Patek’s firm. This unexpected fast track was due to Philippe’s innovation: the keyless, stem-wound movement. Although his French peers weren’t taken with the invention, Patek recognised the potential of keyless timepieces and sought to capitalise on — and further develop — the concept. Later in 1851, Patek, Philipp...
Fratello
Fears Celebrates Its (Re-)Birthday With The New Brunswick 39 - The Brand’s First Perpetual Calendar
This year, Fears celebrates 180 years since its founding and 10 years since its revival by Nicholas Bowman-Scargill. Over the past decade, the British brand has established an understated and elegant collection, with the Brunswick as its most recognizable reference point. Now, the watch, with its signature cushion-shaped case, onion crown, and pipette hands, gets […] Visit Fears Celebrates Its (Re-)Birthday With The New Brunswick 39 — The Brand’s First Perpetual Calendar to read the full article.
Fratello
This Bezel Does It All: Introducing The Minerva The Unveiled Crownless
What’s the best watch-related invention ever? I realize it’s not an easy question to answer, but please, give it a go. I asked myself the exact same thing, and I concluded that it has to be the crown. We have Jean-Adrien Philippe to thank for that. Now we have the Minerva, The Unveiled Crownless, the […] Visit This Bezel Does It All: Introducing The Minerva The Unveiled Crownless to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Introducing: Panerai’s Luminor Marina PAM01707 Is All Classic Everything, Except For The High-Tech Composite Case
What We Know As one of the more recognisable watch designs, period, the current Panerai Luminor shape has been rendered in many different materials since the 1955 introduction of the crown protection device. This latest take, the Luminor Marina PAM01707, is cased in Carbotech, a composite material combining carbon fibre sheets and polyether ether ketone, resulting in excellent anti-corrosion properties and lightness. Though Panerai’s products now comfortably sit in the luxury watchmaking category, it hasn't stopped them from using avant-garde materials suited to the original intent of their designs. Measuring 44mm across and 14.5mm thick, the PAM01707 has all the hallmarks of a classic Panerai, with its cushion-shaped mid-case sandwiched by a round, striated Carbotech bezel and a DLC-treated titanium caseback. The signature bridge, which spans the right-hand side of the case and protects and locks the crown, is also rendered in carbon, matching the uneven, textured finish of the rest of the case. This sanga-based analogy can be expanded on for the dial, another Panerai hallmark. The textured, matte top plate features cut-outs for the stick indices and Arabic numerals at the cardinal points, as well as the small seconds indicator at 9 o’clock, allowing the fauxtinated Super-LumiNova bottom layer to shine through. Here pictured on brown calf leather, Panerai also includes an “Officine Panerai”-branded black rubber strap so you can actually take the watch swimming, th...
WatchRider
Seiko Gives the Honda Motocompo Its Own 5 Sports Limited Edition - HDB010
Seiko has turned one of Honda’s strangest ideas into a watch. The new Seiko 5 Sports Honda Motocompo Limited Edition HDB010 takes the colours and small details of the folding 1980s scooter then places them inside a compact automatic field watch. This is more than a yellow dial with two famous logos. The crown copies a label from the scooter’s fuel control, the strap borrows its loading instructions and the box looks like the carton used to ship the Motocompo. Even the caseback has been turned into a bright red display for the 4R36 movement. A 45-year-old scooter becomes a watch Honda introduced the Motocompo in 1981 alongside the first Honda City. It was a 49cc two-stroke motorcycle created to fit inside the City’s luggage area. The handlebars and footrests folded into its rectangular body, while special systems helped prevent fuel, oil or battery fluid from leaking inside the car. Honda described the idea as a new six-wheel lifestyle, combining a small car with a motorcycle that could be carried in its trunk. The scooter weighed 42kg dry, produced 2.5 horsepower and measured only 1.185 metres long. Its small wheels and box-like panels made it instantly recognisable. Production lasted from 1981 until 1983, yet the Motocompo continued to gain fans long after it disappeared from showrooms. The HDB010 arrives for its 45th anniversary and uses the yellow version of the scooter as its main source of inspiration. A compact Field Series case in Motocompo colours The HDB010 ...
Monochrome
Introducing - The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage” Ceramic
Audemars Piguet has long embraced new materials and continues to expand its ceramics expertise, revealing a striking new version of the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon. While the base of this 41mm model itself is familiar, the news is its material: the entire watch, case, bezel, crown and integrated bracelet are executed in “Bleu Nuit, […]
Monochrome
Hands-on - Minerva The Unveiled Crownless, Rethinking One of Watchmaking’s Simplest Controls
The crown is one of those watch components we rarely think much about. It has been there for well over a century, mainly performing two essential tasks: winding the movement and setting the time. We now have all sorts of crowns, including hidden crowns and even retractable crowns, yet very few have questioned whether any […]
Fratello
The Top 5 Current Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Models
Another Friday, another list! This week, we dive into the world of the modern Rolex Daytona. It’s one of the most debated watches among watch enthusiasts. Whether it’s about the Daytona’s aura, the fact that it’s become an unobtainium, or its design, people have a lot to say about The Crown’s iconic chronograph. Despite all […] Visit The Top 5 Current Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Models to read the full article.
Fratello
The Titanium Treatment: Introducing The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler
Doxa is marking what would have been Clive Cussler’s 95th birthday with a new take on its most emblematic dive watch. The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler keeps the shape of the 1967 Sub 300 but features a case, crown, case back, and even the dial crafted from Grade 5 titanium. This COSC-certified chronometer […] Visit The Titanium Treatment: Introducing The Doxa Sub 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler to read the full article.
Fratello
Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yellow Rolesor Vs. Oyster Perpetual “Jubilee”
It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for a fresh cup of coffee to accompany a good ol’ watch brawl. This week, we picked two Rolex Oyster Perpetual models to go up against each other. Both were introduced during Watches and Wonders in April and were The Crown’s main releases for this year. The two new […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yellow Rolesor Vs. Oyster Perpetual “Jubilee” to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Oris Introduces the Lou Gehrig Limited Edition, a Tribute to the Yankee Legend
Following a tradition that began with a limited edition Big Crown Pointer Date made in tribute to Roberto Clemente, and later continued with a similar watch honoring Hank Aaron, Oris has just unveiled a new baseball themed watch in honor of New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig’s legacy is bigger than baseball. His address to a Yankee Stadium crowd upon his retirement from the game is one of the most famous moments in the history of the sport, and often referred to as “baseball’s Gettysburg address.” When Gehrig retired from baseball in 1939, he ended what at the time (and for decades) was thought to be an unbreakable record of consecutive games: 2,130 in a row over a 15 season span. Nicknamed the Iron Horse for his durability throughout his playing career, his retirement due to complications from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is all the more poignant. Gehrig passed away at the age of 37, just two years after retirement, and in the years since the Yankees and Major League Baseball have raised millions of dollars for ALS research. Like the Clemente and Aaron watches before it, the Lou Gehrig Limited Edition is a tasteful tribute that can be appreciated well outside the sphere of baseball fandom. The watch has a number of details that fans will recognize as tributes to Gehrig’s life and career, but they are pretty subtle in their execution. The “4” in the date ring on the dial’s perimeter is highlighted in blue, which honors Gehrig’s jers...
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Oris Lou Gehrig Limited Edition
What We Know We're in the thick of baseball season, and Oris has pulled a doubleheader, of sorts. Yesterday brought us the new Hölstein edition, and today we're getting a new baseball-themed watch. Oris is the official watch sponsor of the New York Yankees, and this year, they're releasing a special watch to support one of the team's all-time legends, Lou Gehrig. The newest Big Crown Pointer Date is a special watch supporting the Lou and Eleanor Gehrig Family Foundation. The watch, in 40mm-by-12.2 mm stainless steel (with a 48.2mm lug-to-lug), is certainly inspired by the colors of the Yankees. The silver dial is surrounded by a black date ring with the "4" in blue (for Lou Gehrig's number), a blue minute track that matches the blue surrounding the hour markers. They've used a combination of Arabic numerals and stick hour markers for a sporty look. The movement is the Oris Caliber 754, with a 41-hour power reserve and automatic winding. It's delivered with a NATO strap in Yankee colors and a brown double-stitched strap that looks like a baseball glove. The caseback is engraved with a portrait of Lou Gehrig and the watch's number within the production total. There are 2130 pieces available, one for each of the consecutive games he played across 15 seasons, before his death in 1941 at the age of only 37. The retail price is CHF 2,400. Oris says that they will contribute to the work of The Lou and Eleanor Gehrig Family Foundation. What We Think The Pointer Date is probably O...
Worn & Wound
Albishorn Introduces the New Type X-Graph
Swiss brand Albishorn is known for their rather daring mission of recreating vintage watches that never existed; a goal that seems confusing until you see their wide swathe of “imaginary vintage” offerings, each of which draws from iconic timepieces of the past while forging their own new identities. It’s an exercise in parallel history with an added touch of impossibility, and it’s what makes Albishorn watches a category of their own. Carrying on that hypothetical tradition is the new Type X-Graph, which borrows elements from the legendary Type 20 design, while adding features that were simply not possible in the era that Type 20 pieces were being built. Rather than taking a Type 20 silhouette and cramming new features in, Albishorn has taken to imagining what a predecessor “Type 10” may have looked like instead. Calling it a “missing link” in the history of the Type 20, the Type X-Graph is, of course, a pilot chronograph, with stylings from the late 1940s to pre-date the Type 20’s 1950s introduction. A monopusher military chronograph design, the Type X-Graph measures in at 39mm (a first hint of the modern innovations that remind us that it’s of an imagined history) in case diameter, and 20mm in case thickness. The lug width is a democratic 20mm, with the final lug-to-lug measurement coming in at a wearable 47.7mm, and kept slim by the 12mm thickness. But that’s just the boring stuff; the visuals and functionality of the X-Graph are what make it st...
WatchAdvice
Does Cartier’s Tank Américaine Live Up To The Legacy? (Review)
The short answer: Yes! The Cartier Tank Américaine is a standout watch that looks and feels a lot more versatile than it lets on. Let’s find out why! What We Love: A versatile yet elegant design A sportier remix of a legendary icon Wears comfortably on the leather strap What We Don’t: Readability suffers in the first and third quarters The crown is small and fiddly Where’s the display caseback? Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 8/10 I think that, since I began working at WatchAdvice, my opinion on Cartier has changed the least. I’d already heard so much about it from every corner of culture; rap songs and rom-coms sing equal praise of the Parisian powerhouse. So, when this opportunity came along, it simply allowed me to get closer to a brand I had already learned to appreciate. With closeness, though, comes closer scrutiny. Cartier bears the weight of a rich legacy on its shoulders, and even the smallest deviation can have Cartier fans questioning their loyalty. Its model lines, in both jewellery and watchmaking, have become so iconic that remixing them is a massive risk. Getting it wrong, depending on who you ask, is intolerable. These are the stakes Cartier faces with the Tank Américaine. How could they possibly change the formula of such a universally popular watch collection while preserving the original DNA? That’s what I aimed to find out when I took the Tank Américaine for a spin some time ago...
Fratello
Fratello’s Top 5 Alternatives To The Rolex Yacht-Master II
Another Friday, another list. This week, we decided to dive into the world of regatta timers. Rolex’s big introduction this year during Watches and Wonders was the updated Yacht-Master II. In itself, the updated watch proved to be a huge improvement compared to the previous generation of The Crown’s regatta timer. In both usability and […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Alternatives To The Rolex Yacht-Master II to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Ming 29.06 "Peep Show"
What We Know Want to see a magic trick? No, not the kind the Joker pulls in "The Dark Knight," but instead something pretty cool that Ming has cooked up with their new 29.06 "Peep Show." The watches below look markedly different, but the only thing that's changed is the direction the hands point. When Ming Thein showed me this watch last fall, I immediately got what was going on as he turned the crown. If you were doing the same, you'd see that the guilloché dial with a multiphase color-shifting coating (like on the 57.04 "Iris") slowly fades in and out of visibility, turning from a dazzling view to pitch black as the hands move. Any guesses on how it works? Well, it's kind of a trick question, because the hands aren't actually hands. Instead, they're polarized sapphire discs with a hands made of Super-LumiNova X1 fill. The two pieces of sapphire are linearly polarized, so when they're aligned (on top of each other or directly opposite each other), the polarizer lets light in, and you can see that metal disc with color-shifting treatment. As the hands rotate, you see less and less of the dial until it turns black when the two discs are at 90º to each other. When you learn the effect, it's pretty simple, but it's certainly effective in person. All this is in a 29-series case, which is a bit more reserved than the 57-series case. It's made in lightweight Grade 5 titanium, measuring 40mm by 11.8mm, with a 22mm lug width. The case has a 50-meter water resistance. Inside the ...