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Ming, How’s the Peeping? Introducing the 29.06 Peep Show Worn & Wound
Ulysse Nardin are 6 days ago

Ming, How’s the Peeping? Introducing the 29.06 Peep Show

Naming a watch is important. This goes without saying, probably, but it’s something we don’t really talk about or think about enough. Just last week I was having a conversation with a colleague about how unfortunate it is that Grand Seiko seems to keep missing the mark with naming conventions. With so many releases, it’s tough to keep individual reference numbers at the front of the mind, and “Tentagraph” has yet to permeate watch culture in the way the brand perhaps thought it would. Some brands have a knack for coming up with catchy and distinctive names for watches that both make a ton of sense and are easily remembered and associated with a given watch. The team at Ulysse Nardin are the kings of this. The Freak? The Super Freak?? The Blast??? All immediately iconic in my opinion.  Today, Ming joins the Watch Name Hall of Fame (side note: that’s an article idea we’ll be pursuing shortly, I’ve just decided) with the Peep Show. When the Ming team first showed us a prototype of the Peep Show at Geneva Watch Days last year, we were led to believe it was a working name, or a code word for a product that was not fully fleshed out. Obviously we all thought it was pretty amusing at the time. But just last month, during Watches & Wonders week, when I learned that Peep Show was indeed the official name of the watch, well, let’s just say I was surprised and delighted, because it’s honestly perfect.  What is the Peep Show, you might be asking yourself at this ...

Over the Hill: Understanding High-Tech Ceramic on the Material’s 40th Birthday Worn & Wound
Rado May 6, 2026

Over the Hill: Understanding High-Tech Ceramic on the Material’s 40th Birthday

Material innovation is increasingly becoming a core pillar within the watch industry. Whether borrowing and reconfiguring materials from different industries or composing your own from the ground up, it is clear materials matter when it comes to both technical feats and aesthetics achieved in watchmaking today. Sometimes, I like to think of these cutting-edge materials as mile markers on the highway of horology. I am always considering the world 50 or 100 years from now, when the watches of the present will become the watches of yesteryear, when what we consider modern will become vintage. I believe that the application of new materials will be a mark of this era of watchmaking that will serve as a milestone moment in the ever-unfolding history of horology. For Rado, the story starts with a sapphire crystal. While the brand was not the first to use this in place of acrylic or other weaker options, it was among the early adopters. However, Rado took it a step further by patenting a sliding water-sealed mechanism with a tension-fit construction. Here, the thick, faceted sapphire crystal was secured under high pressure into the oval-shaped hard metal case with a specialized gasket, designed to be exceptionally tight. Its effectiveness sparked further curiosity – what if this same scratch resistance and robustness could be applied to other parts of the watch or the watch in its entirety? With that guiding principle, the quest that would lead to the creation of high-tech cera...

The Business of Watches Podcast: Oris Chief Executive Officer Rolf Studer Hodinkee
Oris Chief Executive Officer Rolf May 6, 2026

The Business of Watches Podcast: Oris Chief Executive Officer Rolf Studer

This week on The Business of Watches, we're in Hölstein, Switzerland, near Basel, at the peach-rose colored headquarters of Oris to talk to Rolf Studer, the brand's Chief Executive Officer. One of the 50 largest Swiss brands by sales, Oris is a true independent, making mechanical watches at fair prices, conveying the brand's unique spirit.  Its history dates back to 1904, with boom times in the 1960s that were kick-started by the tireless legal and lobbying work of Dr. Rolf Portmann, an Oris executive (and honorary chairman today), whose efforts led to overturning the Swiss Watch Statute in 1966 that had prevented Oris and many other brands from using Swiss lever escapements in their watch movements. Oris CEO Rolf Studer. Photo courtesy Oris.  Some 60 years later, Oris is marking that milestone with its Star Edition, an updated version of the Star, the first Oris watch to use a Swiss lever escapement after the law was changed. Portmann and Ulrich Herzog (now the Chairman) went on to lead a management buyout of Oris in 1982, which solidified the company's position as an independent brand. Studer, who has been co-CEO since 2016 and was appointed CEO last month, discusses Oris' positioning and strategy in the current market, where the strong Swiss franc is challenging it and fellow watchmakers. Oris has responded with models that not only offer value to customers but also draw on its storied history and the unique community culture it has fostered. Studer makes the case f...

Mido’s Affordable Rolex Datejust Alternative: Hands-On With The Datoday Two Broke Watch Snobs
Rolex Datejust Alternative Hands-On Apr 20, 2026

Mido’s Affordable Rolex Datejust Alternative: Hands-On With The Datoday

We’ve always had a thing for Mido. It’s a brand we talk about a lot at TBWS because, when someone is ready to break into the four-figure range without getting too wild, Mido usually has something worth looking at. They’ve got a huge catalog of fun divers, GMTs, and everyday pieces, and that variety has always been part of the appeal for us. So when Mido announced the refreshed Commander Datoday, I was stoked to hear we’d be getting one in for review. It looked like the kind of watch that could make a lot of sense as an everyday option, but still clean up well enough if you wanted to wear it a little differently. The post Mido’s Affordable Rolex Datejust Alternative: Hands-On With The Datoday appeared first on Two Broke Watch Snobs.

Introducing – The Matte, Monochromatic Gerald Charles Masterlink Boutique Edition Monochrome
Gerald Charles Mar 3, 2026

Introducing – The Matte, Monochromatic Gerald Charles Masterlink Boutique Edition

With the Masterlink Boutique Edition, Gerald Charles aims to reinforce its preference for controlled distribution and direct customer dialogue. Available only through the brand’s boutiques in Geneva and Nagoya, this limited edition follows the earlier Masterlink series. First introduced in 2024, the Masterlink asymmetric case builds on the Maestro design by Gérald Charles Genta, featuring […]

Hands-On: IWC Turns on Dark Mode with the Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium Worn & Wound
IWC Turns Feb 27, 2026

Hands-On: IWC Turns on Dark Mode with the Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium

I’m writing this just a few hours jetlagged from an IWC preview in Los Angeles, where I had the chance to see much of what the brand has in store for this year. Now while most of what I saw has to stay under embargo for now, one piece I can talk about is the new Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium, and it’s one I feel most watch enthusiasts didn’t see coming.  I should admit something up front: the Portugieser line has never been a true favorite of mine. I’ve always thought it was a little too dress-forward and formal. That’s not a criticism, just my own preference. I just typically gravitate toward pieces that feel sportier or more tool-like. Which is exactly why this release surprised me. This is the sportiest Portugieser we’ve seen yet, and it really shifts the tone of a collection that has previously leaned more elegant.  The Portugieser Chronograph Ceratanium (Ref. IW371631) keeps the familiar 41mm proportions of the modern Chronograph but the case, crown, and pushers are now crafted in Ceratanium, IWC’s proprietary titanium-based material. If you’re not familiar with Ceratanium, IWC developed this material over five years and it is a patented, matte-black material made by firing a special titanium alloy in a kiln, resulting in a scratch-resistant, non-coated surface.  Ceratanium has historically felt most at home within IWC’s more tool-like utilitarian watches, particularly in the Pilot’s Watch line. We’re big fans of this material at Worn & W...

Introducing – The Panerai Radiomir Viaggio Nel Tempo Experience Set Monochrome
Panerai Radiomir Viaggio Nel Tempo Feb 24, 2026

Introducing – The Panerai Radiomir Viaggio Nel Tempo Experience Set

When presenting a watch, we often talk about the wearing experience. Yet Panerai chose to expand the experience angle, and over the past few years, it has been transforming ownership into participation through its special program of curated journeys that put collectors inside the brand’s storytelling. The Submersible Chrono Marina Militare PAM01699, Radiomir 8 Giorni […]

Audemars Piguet’s Latest Gen Perpetual Open-Worked or All-Ceramic SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet s Latest Gen Perpetual Feb 4, 2026

Audemars Piguet’s Latest Gen Perpetual Open-Worked or All-Ceramic

Audemars Piguet (AP) debuts a trio of new perpetuals calendars, led by the first open-worked version of brand’s cutting edge perpetual calendar launched last year with the skeleton cal. 7139 inside the Code 11.59 and Royal Oak. And rounding out the trio is the first all-ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar powered by the cal. 7138. Initial Thoughts The open-worked version of AP’s latest-generation perpetual calendar movement arguably does most justice to a clever movement that is one of the most notable such movements on the market. While there was little visual difference between solid-dial versions of AP’s new perpetual calendars and the preceding versions, the open-worked examples are less similar, at least up close, as the perpetual calendar works are so clearly different. The new open-work dial givers owners a look at what is going on under the hood as they adjust the calendar, which I see as a significant value add given the unusual and innovative mechanics. While AP could have been more daring, the last year’s crop of Royal Oak Perpetuals were good looking watches. The new pair, in both Code 11.59 and Royal Oak formats, look nearly identical from an arms length to their predecessors. The open-worked models are mostly monochrome, the Code 11:59 is rhodium-plated white gold with a black ceramic mid-case while the Royal Oak is titanium with polished Palladium 500 bulk-metallic glass (BMG) accents and rose gold dial furniture. Neither break new ground for the b...

Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Converges on Guilloché SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton s Tambour Converges Jan 19, 2026

Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Converges on Guilloché

Louis Vuitton iterates on last year’s surprise launch with the Tambour Convergence Guilloché. The brand’s unexpectedly elegant take on the montre à guichets now gains an engine-turned decor on its front. Initial thoughts  Louis Vuitton (LV) surprised when it unveiled the Convergence last year. Not necessarily the sort of watch one would expect from Louis Vuitton, the Convergence was a strong sign of the brand’s pivot towards in-house manufacturing and more creative high horology. The Convergence was chic and unique, leaning more into the craft of watchmaking, compared to the sportier Tambour on a bracelet. And the LFT MA01.01 inside serves as a good example of what time-only movements inside watches above a certain price point should be like.  The Convergence Guilloché builds on the appeal of the original. By using a radial, wavy decoration executed on a hand-operated rose engine, LV has kept the 1930s allure of the Convergence while adding value in terms craftsmanship with the hand-applied engine turning. And the engine turning is not merely an aesthetic feature but also experiential. Guillochage is typically found on dials, shielded behind glass, so the tactile interaction with the rose-cut pattern on the case is certainly interesting. While this is probably not the best idea for wear-resistance, it is beautiful and historical. Guillochage was traditionally meant to be experienced in a tactile manner: pocket watches in the past were often engine turned in or...

Hands-on – Union Glashütte’s Winning Duet of 1893 Johannes Dürrstein Anniversary Editions Monochrome
Union Glashütte Jan 5, 2026

Hands-on – Union Glashütte’s Winning Duet of 1893 Johannes Dürrstein Anniversary Editions

One of Johannes Dürrstein’s objectives when he founded Glashütter Uhrenfabrik Union in 1893 was to produce high-quality watches at affordable prices to cater to a broader range of customers. His philosophy of keeping movements simple and cutting down on superlative frills made Dürrstein an early champion of “affordable luxury.” Following the company’s demise in the […]

Down to the Wire: De Bethune’s In-House Hairsprings SJX Watches
De Bethune s In-House Hairsprings De Dec 10, 2025

Down to the Wire: De Bethune’s In-House Hairsprings

De Bethune plans to bring hairspring production in house, aiming to become one of the very few firms able to process alloy wire into a finished balance hairspring. This requires De Bethune’s new hairspring workshop to master wire drawing, rolling, cutting, heat treatment, and assembly. The rationale? “Externally produced hairsprings meet standards based on averages that do not enable fine adjustment of the dimensions to suit a particular balance wheel or its specific positioning in a calibre,” according to De Bethune. De Bethune’s “flat end curve” mated to a hairspring sourced from a supplier. Initial thoughts As De Bethune explains it, making its own hairsprings will allow the brand to tailor its hairspring to a specific balance or movement. Since its founding in 2002, De Bethune has presented itself as being on the cutting edge of chronometry, debuting a new balance design every year from 2004 to 2010. The brand was also quick to embrace silicon, and even briefly attempted a kilohertz magnetic oscillator system, Résonique. A new year, a new balance. Sometimes two new balances. Given De Bethune’s focus on chronometry, making its own hairsprings seems like a natural next step. However, there is a reason so few brands make their own hairsprings: the process is a difficult and demanding one that benefits greatly from economies of scale. For example, H. Moser & Cie. makes less than 4,000 watches per year, however, its sister company Precision Engineering claims...

Breguet Ends a Big Anniversary Year with the Impressive Expérimentale 1 Worn & Wound
Breguet Ends Dec 1, 2025

Breguet Ends a Big Anniversary Year with the Impressive Expérimentale 1

As if winning the top prize at the GPHG were not enough, Breguet has capped off their big 250th anniversary year with the launch of what is surely their most horologically interesting and cutting edge release in years. The Expérimentale 1 is an ambitious foray into contemporary haute horlogerie from a brand that more than most is associated with classicism. It incorporates and merges multiple technologies and advancements into a remarkably cohesive idea that might even have those of us who have always bristled at the controversial Marine collection rethinking its potential.  The showstopping feature of the new Expérimentale 1 is the tourbillon, the first ever to beat at 10 Hz. Bregust is quick to remind us that most tourbillons run at a rate of 2.5 Hz, so this represents a dramatic increase and in theory should provide a variety of chronometric benefits, including rate stability over the duration of the power reserve and a better baseline level of accuracy. But it’s not just a high frequency tourbillon. Breguet has also developed and introduced a new magnetic escapement that is designed to provide constant force to the balance. The logic here is fairly straightforward even if the mechanics themselves are, frankly, somewhat difficult wrap your arms around without real watchmaking experience (this, by the way, is essentially my constant of being as I observe similar watchmaking advancements – wide eyed and impressed but quite frequently confused by all the math and ph...

Zenith Continues Its Lupin The 3rd Series With The Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition Fratello
Zenith Continues Nov 22, 2025

Zenith Continues Its Lupin The 3rd Series With The Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition

Talk about releases you didn’t see coming! When Zenith released the third model of the much-praised Lupin the Third series in early 2022, it looked like the remarkable trilogy was complete and the series had concluded. But more than three years later, Zenith surprises us with a fourth model! The new Zenith Chronomaster Revival Daisuke […] Visit Zenith Continues Its Lupin The 3rd Series With The Chronomaster Revival Daisuke Jigen Edition to read the full article.

WU25 Panel: A Conversation with Bremont CEO Davide Cerrato Worn & Wound
Bremont CEO Davide Cerrato Windup Nov 11, 2025

WU25 Panel: A Conversation with Bremont CEO Davide Cerrato

Windup Watch Fair 2025 NYC might be over, but we’re still experiencing the high. One of the most popular aspects of the fair is the live panels, where industry leaders and insiders can share insights and dialogue directly with collectors and enthusiasts. There was no better way to kick off the weekend than with Bremont CEO Davide Cerrato, who graciously sat down with Worn & Wound’s Sam Amis to discuss Cerrato’s unique perspective on the industry and vision for Bremont. There is also an audience Q&A; at the end. Enjoy the full video of the interview below, or read along with the following transcript. The following conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. Sam Amis: Thanks for being here, Davide. This is going to be fun. Davide Cerrato: Thank you for inviting me. Sam Amis: Let’s start with the classic first question: what’s on your wrist today? Davide Cerrato: Today I’m wearing a very special watch that’s dear to me-a new version of the Terra Nova Jumping Hour. We launched the first version at Watches and Wonders in bronze, limited to 100 pieces. It sold out in two and a half weeks. Now we’re releasing a 904L steel version. It perfectly embodies the bold design direction Bremont is taking. Sam Amis: Love it. If you haven’t seen this watch, it’s on display upstairs. I was admiring the vertical brushing on the dial-it’s beautiful. I’m wearing a Tudor FXD, which I got when my second son was born, so it means a lot to me. I know you...

Hands-On With The Stunning New Atelier Wen Inflection Fratello
Atelier Wen Nov 7, 2025

Hands-On With The Stunning New Atelier Wen Inflection

Truth be told, I’ve waited for a long time to talk about the new Atelier Wen Inflection. I first saw the watches this summer in London and again a month later in Geneva. Before we go further, it’s important to note that what you’re going to see represents a major shift for the brand. I’ve […] Visit Hands-On With The Stunning New Atelier Wen Inflection to read the full article.