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New with impressions and hands on: Franck Muller Round Triple Mystery
The 3rd in the series with mysterious gemstone clad Franck Mullers. This latest watch is called the Round Triple Mystery. Here are our hands-on impressions.
Results for WWI Trench Watch
20,336 articles · 5,621 videos found · page 346 of 866
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Hodinkee
Hands-On: Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d’une Montre 3: A Return To How Watchmaking Used To Be Done
A handmade watch that pushes the boundaries of not just modern watchmaking but the history of watchmaking in general.
SJX Watches
In-Depth: Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in Stainless Steel
Many superlatives have been ascribed to what might be the most valuable watch this fall auction season – the Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in stainless steel. Headlining Phillips’ upcoming auction in Geneva, the steel ref. 1518 is paradoxically extraordinary and ordinary all at once. As the first serially-produced perpetual calendar-chronograph wristwatch, the ref. 1518 is already a landmark Patek Philippe wristwatch, one that spawned a lineage that includes the refs. 2499, 3970, and 5970. And then there’s the ref. 1518 in steel – only four are known. The steel ref. 1518 has rarity, historical importance, and an eight-figure value; but on the wrist, this “holy grail” is compact, lightweight, and monochromatic, discreetly low-key. At a diminutive 35 mm in diameter, the ref. 1518 is small by today’s standards. The watch doesn’t look like much on the wrist from across a room; in fact, it isn’t immediately obvious to a layperson (or even a casual watch enthusiast) that the watch is worth more than most houses and vintage Ferraris. Yet the ref. 1518 in steel is appealing for many intellectual reasons: extreme rarity, historical lineage of the perpetual calendar chronograph, even sheer value. This is a trophy in many senses. Historically, the ref. 1518 was important even in its time. It was once Patek Philippe’s most complicated regular production wristwatch, and the steel ref. 1518 was likely the most expensive steel Patek Philippe when it was in the catalogue. ...
Monochrome
Introducing – The New, Futuristic Hamilton Ventura Edge Skeleton
Most of us associate Hamilton with robust military field watches employed by the US Army during WWII and their successful second lease of life in the Khaki collections. One of the quirkier models to emerge from Hamilton’s American era was the Ventura, the world’s first publicly available battery-powered watch, with a crazy, futuristic, asymmetrical case […]
SJX Watches
SJX Podcast: Sylvain Berneron – All In
For episode 18 of the SJX Podcast, we sit down with Sylvain Berneron, founder of one of the most talked about new brands of the past few years. Fresh off the launch of the brand’s first complicated model, the Quantième Annuel, Mr Berneron breaks down what it takes to start a watch business and stay on pace to produce a new model every year. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
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Watch Photography w/ IWC Big Pilot 43 & Mr Porter
Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko Marinemaster SJE101 Review: Divisive But Wears Like A Dream
The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SJE101 1965 Diver’s Modern Reinterpretation is definitely a mouthful, but it’s definitely with purpose. Part of the higher-end Seiko Luxe family, the SJE101 evokes two icons - the 62MAS and Marinemaster - but can it live up to those lofty expectations? The answer, as you can imagine, is mixed. What’s for sure, though is that this is a uniquely wearable Seiko Prospex dive watch that measures less than 40mm and has some really impressive finishes. That said, the Marinemaster title carries a lot of expectations with it, and there has been a fair share of discourse about whether it lives up or not. Seiko Marinemaster Context What exactly is the big deal with the Seiko Marinemaster? Let’s take a look at how it came to be such a lauded name in the diver category. The first watch in the collection was actually the Seiko Marinemaster Quartz SBCN005, aka the Transocean from 1999. This was a 44mm-wide titanium watch that was highly functional with barometric pressure measurement and barometric trend display. A year later in 2000, the Marinemaster SBDX001 was released, boasting 300 meters of water resistance and no helium escape valve. The Marinemaster family would continue in production until about 2018, when it began to disappear in favor of the larger Prospex family. But about five years later, the Marinemaster would come back in the form of this collection. More than a couple of people have asked whether this is “really a Marinemaster...
Fratello
Spending Time With The Distinctive Omega Speedmaster FOiS
I could make this a concise hands-on review. However, what I wanted to do when the Omega Speedmaster First Omega in Space (FOiS) landed on my desk was answer the question of whether this would be the Speedmaster for me. Ever since Omega unveiled the Speedmaster FOiS, the watch has intrigued me. First, I love […] Visit Spending Time With The Distinctive Omega Speedmaster FOiS to read the full article.
Fratello
Tissot Adds One Damascus Steel PRX And Two Titanium Versions To The Lineup
The Tissot PRX is one of the watch industry’s biggest success stories of the past few years. However, at this point, you might wonder how the brand can continue to surprise us with new PRX models. We have seen a string of new dials, collaborative efforts, and smaller sizes, creating an extensive collection. However, Tissot […] Visit Tissot Adds One Damascus Steel PRX And Two Titanium Versions To The Lineup to read the full article.
Monochrome
First Look – Vacheron Constantin Releases Unique Les Cabinotiers Pieces for its 270th Anniversary
When it comes to complications, Vacheron Constantin is a veritable Titan in the arena and has earned its rightful place in the pantheon of high complications. Celebrating its grand 270th anniversary this year, Vacheron has outdone itself in 2025. Following the release of the world’s most complicated pocket watch last year, Vacheron Constantin has pulled […]
Fratello
Introducing: A Complicated Trio Of One-Offs From Vacheron Constantin With Astronomical Themes
If you’re celebrating 270 years of uninterrupted watchmaking history, you’ve seen it all, and sometimes you need to find new challenges to keep things exciting. A new collection of Les Cabinotiers timepieces titled La Quête (The Quest) keeps the watchmakers at the world’s longest continually operating watch brand on their toes and the collectors happy. […] Visit Introducing: A Complicated Trio Of One-Offs From Vacheron Constantin With Astronomical Themes to read the full article.
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5 Things Every Watch Collector Should DO or Have - NOT so Obvious Watch Collecting Essentials
SJX Watches
Micro-Brand Fair Spring Sprang Sprung Returns to Singapore
Now taking place for the fifth year, Spring Sprang Sprung (SPRG) is a watch fair dedicated to micro-brands that is returning in November 2025. The Singapore-based event has grown from 22 brands in its first year to over 50 this year. The exhibitor list this year includes brands from Finland to China, as well as names that are arguably more established than the average micro-brand, like Oris, Nivada Grenchen, and Seagull. Also exhibiting are accessories makers, like Yi Leather that makes watch straps. As with past iterations of SPRG, the event includes workshops, one of which is a leather working class led by the proprietor of Yi Leather. SPRG’s founders are a pair integral to the micro-brand scene in Singapore: Sugiharto Kusumadi, who was a pioneering retailer of micro-brands when he founded Red Army Watches in 2004, and Yong Keong Lim, who owns Feynman Timekeepers and runs retailer BIG Time. According to its founders, SPRG aims to be “casual, welcoming, and inclusive… [bringing] together independent watch brand owners, enthusiasts, and newcomers to share their passion for horology”. SPRG takes place at the at the National Design Centre, November 8-9, 2025, from 11 am-7 pm. National Design Centre 111 Middle Road Singapore 188969 The event is open to the public, but workshops are ticketed with tickets available at Spring-sprang-sprung.com.
Hodinkee
Hands-On: The Atelier Wen Inflection Pushes The Boundaries With A Full Tantalum Design And Grand Feu Enamel Dials
The French-Chinese microbrand's most ambitious watch to date is offered at an equally ambitious price point.
Teddy Baldassarre
30 Of The Best Titanium Watches
Titanium is by no means a new material in the watch industry. In fact, it’s been used on a commercial level in case construction for more than 50 years. Titanium in its raw form as a structural metal is 40% lighter than stainless steel while still just as hard. Among its appeal for watchmaking purposes are the facts that it is also highly resistant to corrosion by the elements as well as being hypoallergenic. There are different grades of titanium as well, which offer different characteristics based on how it’s alloyed with other metals. Titanium ranges in color from dark gunmetal grey to a steely silver which gives it versatility in different applications. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of titanium, particularly from the consumer side, is that despite its high-quality characteristics, there isn’t a massive discrepancy between its price versus that of stainless steel. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of 30 outstanding titanium watches in a range of price categories. Citizen Promaster Super Titanium Armor Case Size: 41 mm, Integrated 23.5 mm Bracelet, Thickness: 10.5 mm, Lug-to-Lug: 43.7 mm, Water Resistance: 100 m, Movement: Eco Drive J810, Crystal: Sapphire, Price: $625 In 1970, Citizen launched the very first titanium wrist watch called the X-8 Cosmotron Chronometer. Today, Citizen uses what it calls Super Titanium, a titanium alloy coated with a proprietary hardening agent that increases the hardness of the metal to five times that of stainless steel. ...
Worn & Wound
The Seiko A031-5019: Seiko’s First Digital Alarm Wristwatch
A rabbit hole that I’ve always loved delving down within the watch hobby is one of firsts––the trailblazers of horology that pioneered the use or creation of new functions, features, materials, etc. (especially when they’re pieces I can afford). I had always kept my eye on the market for when one of these A031 models popped up because, as I’m sure you’ve seen from the title already, this movement was Seiko’s first digital watch with an alarm function. I’m not one for actually utilizing the functions included in or on the watches I own, but that doesn’t mean I can’t or don’t appreciate their ingenuity; the same rings true (pun intended) for this watch. Besides being the first digital alarm Seiko, is 1977’s A031-5019 worth picking up for your collection? Let’s take a deep dive together. The A031’s History, Aesthetics, and Functionality As is custom for a lot of the watch models I have a fascination with, very little information is available regarding the A031’s creation and initial popularity on the market. Thankfully, however, my favorite database for digital timepieces, Rare Digital Watches, has a copy of the A031 Parts List and Technical Guide available for free on their website. I cannot recommend taking a look at these materials enough. I always hunt down physical or digital documents like this for Seiko pieces I pick up. Typically, another passionate hobbyist has taken the time to photocopy them and make them available for the public to ad...
Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko SPB149 Review: The Blue Dial Prospex Diver
An outsized part of Seiko’s history is within its dive watch heritage, going all the way back to 1965 with the company's first dedicated diver, the 150-meter 62MAS, released as the 6217-8000, and later, its larger-crowned sibling, the 6217-8001. It was the beginning of a lineage that went on to include legendary references like the Willard, the Turtle, the Marinemaster, the Tuna, and the SKX, just to name a small assortment of them. Today, Seiko’s broad dive-watch lineup is well-known for its rugged dependability: from the entry-level Prospex models to the elevated Luxe variants like the Seiko SPB149, there’s a Seiko diver for every enthusiast. Seiko has paid tribute to the 62MAS design in the past with limited editions, but in the 2020s, the brand has seen a slew of regular-production, and short-lived models – like the SPB143, 239, and 149, which stand as the most faithful renderings of the 62MAS, characterized by the brand as the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch. Although this model family came with different dial variants at its 40.5mm case size, today, we’re going to showcase the discontinued SPB149 before looking at the current production SPB143 and other modern day options which continue the 62MAS legacy. We will go through the standard points of its case, wear, dial, and movement, and then share concluding remarks about its overall legacy in 2025. Seiko SPB149 Context In Spring of 2020, Seiko dropped a quartet of watches - the SPB143, SPB145, SPB1...
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A Do it All Everyday Watch With A Great 36mm Case - Baume & Mercier Riviera 36mm
Monochrome
First Look – The New Louis Erard x Astro Boy Brings Pop Culture to the Wrist
Released just three weeks ago, Louis Erard surprised the watchmaking scene with its first integrated sports watch, the 2340. A sporty-chic titanium and steel watch with a sophisticated integrated bracelet, the 2340 marked a radical, new direction for the brand, which has relied extensively on its classic Regulator watch for numerous collaborations. Surprising us yet […]
Two Broke Watch Snobs
6-Year Review: Does The Seiko 5 Sports Live Up To The Seiko SKX?
Our long-term wear tests compare the Seiko 5 Sports and the Seiko SKX on comfort, reliability, pricing, and who each watch is really for.
Monochrome
Introducing – The New Lebois & Co Heritage Small Seconds Collection
A historical name of the watch industry (founded in 1934), Lebois & Co was revived in 2015 by Tom van Wijlick, a Dutch entrepreneur who’s also responsible for the comeback of Airain and its Type 20 and 21 pilot’s watches. Although still hesitant at the beginning, the brand truly found its stride with the 2022 release of the […]
Fratello
Introducing: The Maen × IFL Watches Manhattan After Dark Limited Edition
IFL Watches and Maen are back at it again! After the success of last year’s Graffiti collaboration, it seems that fans were clamoring for a follow-up. While the first watch focused on the bright, vibrant colors of street art during the day, the new Manhattan After Dark envisions the city when the shadows come out […] Visit Introducing: The Maen × IFL Watches Manhattan After Dark Limited Edition to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Complicated Collectors: John Pierpont Morgan
As part of a continuing series on great watch collectors, following the first studies dedicated to Elliott Cabot Lee and Thomas Engel, the third instalment turns to the horological world of John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (1837-1913). Based on the famous 1912 Chiswick Press catalogue, this analysis reflects the range and typological structure of his collection. These watches span devotional and allegorical forms, astronomical instruments, and multi-functional works of mechanical synthesis. While Morgan’s approach has sometimes been described as encyclopaedic rather than selective, the collection itself tells a different story, one in which historical resonance and technical refinement consistently overlap. The selection offers a tangible expression of Morgan’s collecting logic, in which cultural meaning, mechanical ingenuity, and symbolic intent were sought in equal measure. The man In the pantheon of American capitalists, J. Pierpont Morgan occupies a singular place: titan of industry, consolidator of empires, and paradoxically, one of the greatest cultural preservationists of his age. Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1837, the son of an ambitious transatlantic banker, he came of age amid the expanding architecture of American finance. His education, from early childhood, was European. He studied in Switzerland and later in Germany, where a brief period at the University of Göttingen introduced him to the German language and the foundations of art history. These formative ...
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BEST Ways to Check Luxury Watch Authenticity in 2023
SJX Watches
Hands-On: Rolex Perpetual 1908 Settimo
Rolex has expanded the 1908 collection with the Perpetual 1908 Settimo, a yellow-gold dress watch with an all-new seven-link bracelet. Settimo, Italian for ‘seven’, refers to the number of links across the bracelet; five slender links in the centre framed by two broader links on each side. The result is a supple, tightly constructed bracelet that complements the refined proportions of the 1908. Powered by the advanced cal. 7140, the watch remains impressively slim at just 9.5 mm, combining Rolex’s famous industrial precision with genuine elegance, filling a long-standing gap in the brand’s line-up. Initial thoughts When I think of Rolex, the image in my mind is one of long-term thinking, industrial expertise, over-built movements, and iconic (but fairly chunky) designs. The 1908, especially the Settimo version, shows the brand also understands elegance. The Settimo bracelet recalls vintage ‘beads-of-rice’ bracelets and works well with the vintage-feeling aesthetic of the 1908. The slightly glistening lacquered dial and crisply faceted hour markers provide a bright, vivid appearance; perhaps its the sub-seconds at six and the lack of a date window, but it feels more refined than the dial of a typical Datejust or Day-Date. The case is very sleek on the wrist thanks to the cal. 7140, which, at just 4.05 mm in height, is 34% thinner than the brand’s own cal. 3235. No watch is perfect, and there are a few details that I find mildly annoying, like the plug atop the...
Fratello
Artem Takes A Bold Step With The Introduction Of Barenia Leather Straps In Its Loop-Less Style
Having iterated upon its Sailcloth and Signature Nylon ranges to near perfection, Artem turns its attention to unexplored territory. The typically adventure-focused Australian strap maker seeks to put its spin on classic leather straps. Its well-renowned Sailcloth and HydroFlex watch straps suit all climates and excursions, standing up to whatever you can throw at them. […] Visit Artem Takes A Bold Step With The Introduction Of Barenia Leather Straps In Its Loop-Less Style to read the full article.
Deployant
New: Sartory-Billard SB04-E Tantoster
Sartory-Billard releases the SB04-E Tantoster, with a tantalum ghilloché dial in a steel watch. This is possibly the first tantalum dial we have ever seen.
Fratello
Sunday Morning Showdown: Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage Vs. Serica Parade 1174
You would be forgiven for thinking you’d landed on another one of our Dress Watch Season battles, but, no, this is a regular Sunday Morning Showdown. Still, we’re sticking with a new dress watch released this week, the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage. Thomas will defend it against the Serica Parade, represented by Daan. If you […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage Vs. Serica Parade 1174 to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Best Rolex Blue Dial Watches
When you think of Rolex, the first colors your mind usually conjures up are green and gold, long the emblematic colors of the Swiss power brand and its world-famous “crown” logo. (Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf is said to have settled on these colors because they symbolized wealth and success.) Blue, on the other hand, is not a color that most watch aficionados readily associate with Rolex, though many will associate it with other watch brands, like Breguet, Breitling, and Rolex’s own little brother, Tudor. However, when Rolex does decide to do blue - whether it’s for dials, bezels, or some combination of both - it does so in a way that really speaks to the brand’s avid fan base. Over the years, some blue-dialed Rolex watches, in fact, are not only popular but have become recognized as classics. Here are seven Rolexes with blue dials - some discontinued and collectible, others still available in the current collection - that have demanded enthusiast attention. (Price estimates for the discontinued models on the list are courtesy of WatchCharts.) Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41, Ref. 126334 ($11,100) Rolex released the Datejust in 1945, and the model is today regarded as one of the world’s most classically elegant dress watches. The Datejust brought two now-familiar elements to the world of watch design, one of which can be found throughout the watch industry, the other being still closely associated with Rolex. The first was the addition of a date disp...
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