886 articles · 861 videos found · page 31 of 59
Monochrome
Hitting the road to Fleurier, the discovery of L’Atelier Bernard was not what I expected. Bernard is a rather dated first name – one you rarely hear anymore for young people in Europe’s French-speaking countries. So, when I pushed open the door of their workshop in Fleurier, I was expecting to meet two old Swiss […]
Worn & Wound
For the third year in a row, the Worn & Wound team will be heading to London in March for British Watchmakers’ Day. This event, in a very short period of time, has become one of the premier events on the watch enthusiast community’s calendar. A total of 48 UK based brands will be exhibiting at this year’s event, and just like last year we expect there will be collector gatherings and meetups both planned and more informal happening throughout the weekend across London. This, of course, is just a thing that happens when watch collectors converge as they will on March 7. As has been the case over the last two years, a big part of the story of British Watchmakers’ Day is likely to be the limited edition releases presented by brands and made available for sale on the day of the event. This year, 26 brands are expected to launch limited editions that you can purchase and take home with you as a memento of the big day. For the first time, the event organizers have stipulated that any limited edition launched on the day of the show be made in an edition of not more than 50, a move to protect the exclusivity of these releases to show attendees and to ensure that all of the LEs collectively amount to something genuinely limited in scope. We will of course have coverage on the ground in London when the show gets underway, including live photos and social media coverage of as many limited editions as we can get on our wrists. But for now, here are five British Watchmakers’ ...
Worn & Wound
One thing I loved about graduating from a relatively small district in rural Pennsylvania is that it wasn’t necessarily like the high school experiences I saw reflected in television. Due to the general population at my school never hitting above 200 students, cliques were permeable and caste systems were divided more by how often you had class with the same people versus, say, any general interests. While we are led to believe that high school is a microcosm of real life, and that people can generally be categorized by such surface-level things like hobbies or intelligence, I think my upbringing has allowed for me to see that one thing can contain multitudes. Because of this, I’d hate to box the new Vacheron Constantin addition to their Overseas Collection, a titanium tourbillon model, into one category or the other. It’s sporty and technical – or, if we’re keeping with the high school theme– a jock and a geek. Now that I’ve beaten that analogy to death, we can go onto the specifics of this latest reference from the Swiss watch brand. From a design standpoint, it has all the hallmarks of Vacheron Constantin design language: clean lines, a classic silhouette, and a balance of keeping it traditional without being boring. Even so, the design’s deep red sunburst dial, visible tourbillon movement, and use of titanium add just enough of an update to the collection to be notable. Of course, these aren’t all for aesthetiques. The use of Grade 5 titanium and an u...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean has represented a sweet spot in the now-sprawling Seamaster collection, a rarely achieved intersection between extra-rugged build and unapologetically luxurious design. The latest revamp of the two-decade-old series, which launched in late 2025, doubles down on both while also striving for new levels of comfort and wearability. Here’s a closer look, starting at the beginning. [toc-section heading="Origins of the Seamaster Collection"] Omega began making watches in 1848 (originally as La Genérale Watch Co.) and for its milestone 100th anniversary, a few years after the end of World War II, the brand founded by watchmaker Louis Brandt launched the first watch by the name of Seamaster. Not really a “dive watch” as we’d define that term today, it was marketed as a watch for “town, sea, and country” - i.e., a gentleman’s dress watch that just happened to be more waterproof than any other such timepiece of that era. (Omega had been dabbling in making wristwatches water resistant for more than a decade at that point, having released the Marine, below, an early divers’ watch with a sealed, rectangular double-case design, as early as 1932.) What distinguished the Seamaster from its contemporaries was its adoption of an innovative, O-ring-gasket device that sealed the crown into the case to prevent moisture from entering. Omega had developed that design for the tool watches it made for the British armed forces during wartime,...
Worn & Wound
Some weeks, like last week, frankly, I look at the crop of new releases hitting my inbox and wonder about the state of things in the watch industry. Everything feels like an iteration, a slight tweak, or an attempt to return to the mean. So we get slightly more luxe Speedmasters (where the pricing immediately becomes the talking point), a cadre of new Defys that have us wondering “Didn’t they already make this one?” and Carreras that hint at the watch community sneaking back to the Big Watch Era. Is it possible I’m overreacting? Of course. None of the watches mentioned above are bad by any means, in fact all of them are quite good, objectively speaking. It’s just that they don’t represent a ton of creativity or innovation, and when you work in the industry you become attuned to just how rare genuine creativity in watchmaking really is. It makes sense though. This is a business that’s all about selling watches and the biggest brands in the world need to cast a wide net. Big risks when it comes to design can’t reasonably be expected as the norm. So we turn to the smaller makers, independents and microbrands, hoping they’ll be the ones to wave the proverbial Freak Flag. The new release from Toledano & Chan, the b/1.3r, with a custom made solid gold dial, is the kind of watch you love to come across in the midst of the big guys refreshing product lines and going through the motions. Their latest introduces a slightly smaller case in blasted titanium, meas...
Video
Fratello
Welcome back to another Sunday Morning Showdown! Daan and I are both stationed in the Netherlands, where winter is hitting hard. The skies are gray, and a layer of slushy, half-melted snow covers the earth. This has us dreaming of summer holidays in faraway exotic locations. We dream of wearing nothing but swim trunks and […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium Vs. Certina DS Action Diver Titanium 38mm to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s late afternoon on a Thursday in mid-December when the call comes in: monsters are closing in on Nazaré. State-of-the-art satellite technology has detected the perfect kinetic sweep across the Atlantic, creating ideal conditions. This monster swell is heading straight for a small fishing village two hours north of Lisbon. But it’s not alone in […] Visit Photo Report: Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge 2025 to read the full article.
Hodinkee
A famous Olympic timepiece hitting the auction block has us thinking about watchmaking, athletics, and endorsements.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Longines Heritage Classic Sector Dial has, in its relatively short time on the market, set itself apart from the rest of the Swiss brand's vintage-inspired Heritage series with its combination of retro charm, understated dimensions, and minimalist aesthetics, all at a very approachable price point, Here is a closer look at the watch, with a brief foray into other recent timepieces that just might have been inspired by its success. [toc-section heading="A Bit of Longines History"] Longines was founded in 1832 in the Swiss Jura town of Saint-Imier by Auguste Agassiz and two partners. Agassiz (above, left) became the sole proprietor in 1846 after both partners, attorneys by trade, retired from the watch business, and shortly thereafter, he brought his nephew, an enterprising economist named Ernest Françillon (above, right), into the company. It was Françillon, in 1867, who moved all of the firm’s various watchmaking disciplines - which were scattered throughout dozens of independent workshops called établisseurs - under one roof, to a factory that was situated in a scenic area called “Les Longines” or “The Long Meadows,” thus giving the company its now-familiar name. In 1889, Francillon registered the famous Longines logo with a winged hourglass - today the world’s oldest unchanged, active logo according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Among Longines’ many milestones under Françillon’s management were the company’s ...
Hodinkee
Time+Tide is heading into the black, inky dark days of winter and sending off the end of 2025 with a new release with plenty of firsts from Frederique Constant.
Video
Teddy Baldassarre
The Timex Expedition Scout is a military inspired watch that has been around for years now and is a staple in the affordable field watch space. In fact, this is probably among the least expensive quality field watches out there and while it’s far from perfect, it’s got a lot to offer. [toc-section heading="Some Timex history"] Timex dates back to 1854, when the Waterbury Clock Company first set up shop in Connecticut. Following World War I, the brand emerged as a leading producer of affordable wristwatches built for everyday wear, all centered around a reputation for rugged reliability. Their memorable slogan “takes a licking and keeps on ticking” was born in the 50s and was inspired by their well-known televised torture tests that cemented Timex as the watch that simply wouldn’t quit. These stunts became part of pop culture, reinforcing the idea that a Timex was resilient (in addition to affordable). [toc-section heading="Timex and Military Field Watches"] As for field watches like this one, Timex has some genuine (if modest) military credentials. In 1982, the brand produced low-cost, disposable mechanical watches in olive-green plastic cases, echoing the Benrus designs worn by U.S. service members during the Vietnam era. While Timex was never a major military supplier, it does provide some insight into their field-watch cred, and it helps explain why the brand’s modern Expedition line feels so grounded in that utilitarian, no-nonsense tradition. [toc-section ...
Teddy Baldassarre
What is a Co-Axial Movement? More specifically, what is the now-famous Co-Axial Escapement that has become a standard feature on most all Omega watches? In short, it's both a radical concept by one of the modern era's most revered watchmaking geniuses and the culmination of a Swiss watch brand's longtime dedication to improving watchmaking accuracy. Here is the story of Omega's co-axial movements. [toc-section heading="Early Omega Movements"] While it is best known these days for its signature watch models, like the Speedmaster “Moonwatch” and the James Bond-worn Seamaster, Omega has also been a pioneer in movement-making since nearly the beginning. The company was founded in 1848 by 23-year-old watchmaker Louis Brandt (with family, above) in the Swiss village of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Originally called La Genérale Watch Company, and eventually renamed Louis Brandt et Fils after Brandt’s sons joined the business, it originally produced key-wound pocket watches from parts supplied by local artisans, After the growing company moved from La Chaux-de-Fonds to the more bustling town of Bienne, in the Swiss Canton of Bern, it pioneered a series of industrial watchmaking techniques and also began making its own in-house movements. The first one, called the Labrador, launched in 1885 in a now-legendary series of pocket watches. Nearly a decade later, in 1894, came the company’s chef d’oeuvre, the 19-ligne Omega Caliber, which was notable at the time for its enviable acc...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Rolex "Wimbledon" Datejust is a relatively recent fan-favorite among Rolex enthusiasts, with a distinctive design blending classical elegance with the spirit of sporting competition - much like the game of tennis that it celebrates. Here is what you should know about the Rolex Wimbledon watch, from the history behind it to the modern elements that can help you recognize one Wimbledon version over another. [toc-section heading="Datejust Origins"] The Datejust model that underpins the Rolex Wimbledon editions is not only one of the oldest and most enduringly popular models from Rolex but also one of the most significant and influential wristwatches in the world. When it debuted in 1945, the Rolex Datejust was the first watch that combined the robustness of the Crown's waterproof Oyster case (introduced way back in 1926) with the user-friendliness of its self-winding "Perpetual" movement (unveiled in 1931) - hence ushering in the telltale descriptor "Oyster Perpetual" that is now a ubiquitous presence on many Rolex watch dials. The Datejust was also the first watch to feature the now-widely adopted date display at 3 o’clock, the first automatic (i.e. self-winding) watch with a quick-change function for that date display, and the first to be mounted on Rolex’s now-famous five-row Jubilee bracelet. A few years later, in 1948, came the first Datejust with the bubble-shaped “Cyclops” lens directly above the date aperture, which magnified the date numeral by a ...
Teddy Baldassarre
The story of Tornek-Rayville is one that represents a significant chapter in both watchmaking and military history, from the earliest purpose-built watches for divers in the 1950s up to the re-emergence of the cult-classic brand (in a notably new form) in the 21st Century. And it begins with the development of the world’s first modern dive watch: the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. [toc-section heading="Blancpain Fifty Fathoms History"] Founded in 1735 in Villeret, Switzerland, Blancpain is the oldest luxury watchmaker in the world, but its most famous timepiece in this modern era began its life as a tool watch for military divers in the (relatively) recent year of 1953. Jean-Jacques Fiechter, who headed Blancpain at the time, was an avid diving enthusiast who had long wanted to develop a watch that would be ideal for his hobby. Fiechter worked with Captain Robert Maloubier, a French naval officer, to design a reliable, mission-ready timepiece that Maloubier’s elite combat diving team could wear. The watch’s 42mm steel case - exceptionally large for the time - was water-resistant to 91.45 meters, or 50 fathoms, the maximum depth recommended for scuba divers. Its dial was black and its numerals were luminescent for greater legibility underwater. It was the first divers’ watch with a self-winding movement, the first with an antimagnetic case, and the first to employ the patented, double-sealed crown that Fiechter had developed. Most notably, the Fifty Fathoms was the ...
Fratello
With the Fratello Dress Watch Season competition in full swing, our site has seemingly been full of expensive, heavy-hitting, precious-metal formal watches. That’s why, for today’s Sunday Morning Showdown, we decided to do something a bit different. This is the featherweight bout between two affordable integrated-bracelet sports watches. This is the Citizen Super Titanium Zenshin […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Citizen Super Titanium Zenshin Small Seconds Vs. Tissot PRX Titanium 38mm to read the full article.
Video
Worn & Wound
We’re heading into a big new release period as much of the watch industry descends on Geneva for the upcoming GPHG awards ceremony, and then heads to Dubai for the Dubai Watch Week festivities. There’s sure to be a ton of news made in the next two weeks as this year’s best watches receive their flowers and we get a first look at many of the new novelties that will close out the year as head into the holiday rush, and tempt us for 2026. Czapek, the Swiss indie best known for their Antarctique line of integrated bracelet sports watches, is first out of the gate among higher end independents with a new novelty just announced today. The Time Jumper is an audacious new piece made to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary, reaching back into Czapek’s roots before the current incarnation of the brand was incorporated, and also putting a new spin on a complication that has been all the rage this year. When I first heard that Czapek would be releasing something new and splashy to celebrate their tenth anniversary, my mind immediately began wondering “I wonder what kind of Antarctique they’ve come up with?” I should not have been so cynical, but it’s an unavoidable fact that the brand has really leaned into the popularity of the integrated bracelet sports watch platform since the first of these watches was introduced around five years ago. There have, of course, been many iterations, limited editions, and complications, and it probably would have been easy enoug...
Time+Tide
JLC's impressive vintage exhibition is heading stateside, and our friends in the watch media cover our Tudor x Time+Tide Library & Lounge.The post Jaeger-LeCoultre’s ‘The Adventure Spirit’ Travelling Collection is now in Las Vegas! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Fall is hitting us hard here in the Netherlands this week. Temperatures are dropping, and so are the leaves. But autumn doesn’t have to be a season defined by rain and storms. In Canada, especially, the period from September to November can be quite enjoyable, with the sun hitting the multicolored leaves on the country’s […] Visit Hands-On: The New Oris × Cervo Volante Big Crown Pointer Date With An Indian Summer Dial to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
At the end of summer 2014, Dad gave me my first mechanical watch. There was nothing ceremonial about it; he simply handed me the box in the car. “I’m starting a new tradition, and it’s a grown-up gift since you’re heading to college,” he said. I looked down at the box. It said Seiko. I was familiar with the brand. In fact, it was what I had been wearing up to that point: reference SNE039, a mid-sized solar-powered watch that Grandpa gave me when he saw me showing interest in it. I still have it. But this Seiko was different. It was a reference SKX173, a sibling of the beloved SKX007 dive watch that has led many a good man down the rabbit hole. It had a waterproof case, rotating dive bezel that I had no clue how to operate, and most importantly, an automatically winding movement. “It’s easy – just shake it a bit to get it going,” said Dad. (OGs will remember the caliber 7s26’s lack of hand winding). I took the watch out of the box and shuffled it back and forth gently to coax it to life. It did, and as I stared at the sweeping seconds hand, I marveled that a microscopic team of gears, levers, and springs were all working harmoniously just to tell time. As an incoming engineering student, I couldn’t have asked for a better gift. I secured the black rubber strap on my wrist, and that was that. The remainder of the summer was spent reading everything I could get my hands on about Seiko watches and mechanical timekeeping at large. The excitement of movin...
Hodinkee
In a sea of nostalgic design, English brand Fears does a great job of hitting the mark.
Video
Fratello
From the record-breaking thinnest-ever tourbillon in the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon to the genre-defying Christopher Ward Twelve 660, thin is in! It seems manufacturers are heeding our outcries for slim watches across (almost) all categories and segments. This is a trend we can get behind at Fratello! It seems like only yesterday when almost […] Visit Thin Is In! - The Return Of Slim Watches Across (Almost) All Categories to read the full article.
SJX Watches
De Bethune narrows the diameter of the bestselling DB25 Starry Varius but broadens its horizons with an entrancing red-leaning-purple dial achieved by heating titanium. And it’s more than just a pretty face, the DB25xs Starry Varius packs one of the most advanced two-hand manual wound calibres on the market. Initial Thoughts A personal favourite of mine, the Starry Varius line is gorgeous, technically adept, and meaningfully customisable. De Bethune justifies this variant as representing the night sky after a volcanic eruption, and colour perfectly matches viral, and hauntingly beautiful, images taken after the Tonga volcano eruption in 2022. As a chronometry-focused movement that paradoxically lacks a seconds hand, I find the cal. DB2005 very interesting. I’d even argue it makes sense as the six-day power reserve paints it as an endurance timekeeper. It’s also more technically interesting than most of the – very finely decorated – three handers from younger independents, even if Be Bethune’s R&D; efforts have dwindled recently. Under A Sea of Stars The dials are mirror polished titanium, which De Bethune heat oxidises for colour. While the brand’s specific method is proprietary, the thickness of this oxide layer determines which wavelengths of light transmit back to the observer, and this Burgundy dial must have a thinner oxide layer than the brand’s typical blue. Next, artisans set dozens of tiny gold pins into the dial to marks starts, before a micro-mill...
Fratello
In 2010, Laurent Ferrier launched his independent career with the Classic Tourbillon, a watch that immediately won the Men’s Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. That first creation set the tone for the Geneva-based brand - understated designs hiding serious horological substance. Now, 15 years later, Laurent Ferrier celebrates this milestone with […] Visit Introducing: The Ultra-Limited 15th-Anniversary Laurent Ferrier Classic Tourbillon Teal to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s hard to believe that 2025 is heading into the home stretch, but here we are in September. For watch fans, that means it’s time for a flurry of new releases. One brand getting in on the action immediately is Sinn. Today, we’ll quickly highlight the new EZM 3 S, a set of colorful 556 […] Visit Sinn Introduces A New EZM 3 S, 556, And 104 Classic 12 to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Just a few months ago, Dennison launched their first ever collaboration with Collectability, John Reardon’s Patek Philippe focused retail operation. That watch was an exercise in subtlety, and all about shape. It evoked classic Patek references without hitting you over the head with obvious historical nods, and felt like a true reflection of Reardon’s taste. This week, they’ve announced their second collaborative watch, a time limited edition with Time+Tide, and this one is equally impressive while being anything but subtle, featuring an impressive execution of a rarely seen mother of pearl marquetry technique. This feels like it might be the second week in a row where a mother of pearl limited edition takes over our social media feeds. It was just days ago that Selten premiered their own engraved MOP dial in partnership with Watch Ho & Co. Like the Selten, this new Dennison doesn’t stop at a simple slab of mother of pearl, but seeks to transform the material into something unexpected. That’s where designer Emmanual Gueit comes in. He’s created a dial featuring a repeating motif of unique, rectangular, mother of pearl filaments. The result is an irregular surface that shimmers like a traditional MOP dial, but in unexpected ways through a geometric pattern. This type of dial making is far more labor intensive than using a single piece of mother of pearl, as each filament had to be precisely inlaid by hand. Time+Tide has released a number of limited edition...
Video
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.