Hodinkee
Introducing: The Sylvain Pinaud Origine 'Ste Croix' Limited Edition With EsperLuxe
Pinaud and EsperLuxe have refined an already solid independent watch and made something very attractive.
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Hodinkee
Pinaud and EsperLuxe have refined an already solid independent watch and made something very attractive.
SJX Watches
The Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G is one of Patek Philippe’s most practical watches in the “Compilations” family because it combines two useful functions: a calendar that needs setting only once every four years along with a dual time zone display with double day-night indicators. Smartly constructed such that the calendar indicators move in sync with the local time hand, the ref. 5326G has a vintage-toned aesthetic on a smartly detailed dial, presented in an elaborately decorated case. All of that, however, is packaged with a hefty price tag. Initial thoughts Like its sibling the Calatrava ref. 5226G, the ref. 5326G captures Patek Philippe’s latest generation aesthetic, which is not just about design, but fancy execution of the dial and case. Compared to equivalent models from before, the ref. 5326G takes a more elaborate approach to the habillage, with the hobnailed case flanks being an example. It does, however, still feel like a Patek Philippe. Though it’s relatively large at 41 mm, the case is thin at just over 11 mm, giving the watch an elegant, if wide, profile. The ref. 5326G also stands out for having a movement from the 31-260 family of large calibres that represent the latest and greatest in self-winding Patek Philippe movements. In fact, it’s one of only five references with a 31-260 movement. The cal. 31-260 is unquestionably the most sophisticated of Patek Philippe’s automatic movements, and also the most appealing in terms of design wi...
Monochrome
The PRX collection continues to capture attention, with Tissot consistently introducing cool new designs that resonate with consumers. This series has become popular for its competitive pricing, appealing aesthetics, and solid performance features. Drawing inspiration from Tissot’s 1978 Seastar – a sports watch with an integrated bracelet – the PRX series (Precise, Robust, with the […]
Monochrome
Back in 2008, Union Glashütte introduced the square-cased Averin. This bold chronograph watch looked quite different from most, thanks to a unique display for the date. A central three-handed pointer followed a three-line scale. Different, unique and quite fun for sure! Now though, the brand has decided to simplify things a little and morph the […]
SJX Watches
The Jumping Hours Black Jade Stone is Andersen Genève’s new take on its minimalist, digital hour timepiece. Retaining the same specifications, it once against uses the wide expanse of the dial for visual effect. The dial is a large, seamless piece of black jade just 0.4 mm thick that’s been lapped to a perfectly flat, mirrored finish. The glossy black dial is unadorned save for the hour display 12 o’clock, along with a pink gold minute hand matched with pink gold-powder printing. Initial thoughts Bringing to mind vintage jump hour pocket watches with its clean dial, the Andersen Jumping Hours is a perfect canvas for dial decoration given the available space. Even though it looks plain at a distance, the black jade dial is striking in its colour and simplicity, while also revealing the natural grain up close. The time display, however, is unconventional. While the hours are easy to read, the minute register at six is easily and often mistaken for the seconds. Though I can understand the design-driven purpose of the minute sub-dial, I would have done it another way to make reading of the time more intuitive. The quality of work is typical Andersen, which is artisanal and visibly so. It doesn’t have the perfect execution found in a Voutilainen or Akrivia but is done well. The price is commensurate with the quality – at about US$59,000 is more or less mid-range amongst high-end independent watchmakers. Time only in black jade One of the pioneering independent watchm...
Fratello
The Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar is a beautifully designed annual calendar. Today, we’ll look closer at this 18-carat red gold beauty that blends functionality with an elegant layout. It features a stunning movement that’s put on display on the flip side. Glashütte Original is a brand that brings back fond memories. I was in Chicago with […] Visit Hands On: The Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar to read the full article.
Monochrome
The ref. 5236P, unveiled by Patek Philippe in 2021, is a veritable time capsule inspired by the linear perpetual calendar pocket watches of the 1950s and 1960s. Think of the ref. 725/4 with its American digital perpetual calendar or the ref. 699, which also boasted a minute repeater. The magic lies in its calendar display, […]
Monochrome
With the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing, and Omega being the official timing partner for the entire event, it’s impossible to ignore the brand. Especially when prior to and during the four weeks of epic sports on display, new watches are being released. Following the official 2024 Olympics edition of the Speedmaster Chronoscope and […]
Two Broke Watch Snobs
MeisterSinger, famous for its single-hand display, continues to iterate on its signature design. Despite the limitation of a single-hand movement, the German brand has proven to be very creative and versatile. Since 2001, MeisterSinger has pleased watch enthusiasts with calendar functions, chiming mechanisms, jumping hours, power reserves, and more, all in its own style. This month MeisterSinger is back with the Special Edition №3 watches and bright blue accents.
Monochrome
MeisterSinger has made the single-hand time display its signature design feature, which some might view as limiting creativity. However, this German company has consistently proven otherwise. Since 2001, MeisterSinger has introduced various exciting series that incorporate calendar functions, chiming mechanisms, jumping hour displays, and power reserves, all while preserving the brand’s original spirit. Furthermore, MeisterSinger […]
Fratello
I’m all for a tough sports watch with a muscular design accompanied by a matte black or blue dial, a solid depth rating, and big, blocky lume-printed indices. But the Beaufort Pulsatimer is a conflicting mix of this and dressy vintage, and it frazzled my watch-brain neurons. I have a confession to make: sometimes a […] Visit Hands-On With The Beaufort Pulsatimer - A Brawny Blend Of Retro Delights And Tool Vibes to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
MB&F; movement constructor for LM Perpetual,Stephen McDonnell’s focus was split between ease of use, durability, and packaging. Ease of use comes in the form of an independent corrector for each of the day, date, month, and leap year. Unlike most perpetual calendars, the MB&F; LM Perpetual has a permanent freestanding button for advancing each display; no separate tool is required.
Time+Tide
I knew the Citizen exhibition in NYC was celebrating its 100th anniversary, but i didn't know 100 watches would be on display.The post 100 Years, 100 Watches: Zach visits private Citizen exhibition in NYC appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
German brand Hanhart began manufacturing stopwatches in Switzerland before relocating to Germany in 1902, where it gained renown as a producer of Flieger (pilot’s) chronographs for pilots and naval officers during World War II. With a solid repertoire of vintage-inspired models, the new Fly Navy Aerosphere is a more contemporary watch and flies the insignia of Germany’s […]
Monochrome
Certina is a go-to brand for resilient, well-designed, decently-priced sports watches. The latest model to join the Certina family is the DS Action Diver Chrono, which combines the solid diving specifications of the DS Action Diver with the functionality of a chronograph. Robust enough to fathom depths of 300 metres, the stylish two-tone golden sand […]
WatchAdvice
The Cartier Santos Dumont is a watch beautifully frozen in time – aesthetically and functionally true to the original, and it’s still as relevant as ever in 2024. What We Love Classic and timeless design Thin, elegant, and comfortable on the wrist Movement is smooth and appropriate for a dress piece What We Don’t Wears larger than anticipated (due to my small wrists) The pin buckle is finicky at times and hard to adjust A display case back would be great! Overall Rating: 8.5/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 9/10 Ah, Cartier: One of the pillars of modern watchmaking as we know it. Even though they are a High Jewellery Maison, their knowledge of horology is storied and epic, and through their achievements, sparked some of the most important innovations in the history of this beautiful art. I’ve known about Cartier and their reputation my whole life, but other than occasionally peering into their boutique and looking through the window, I always thought my opinion of them would never extend further than their occasional appearances in rom-coms, music, and other pop culture. The Cartier Santos Dumont Getting into the watch business gave me a whole new perspective on what I knew about the Parisian brand. Getting into Watch Advice also allowed me to take a massive deep dive into Cartier’s history, which naturally garnered a new respect for them. The Santos was the first ever wristwatch? How crazy is that? I won’t nerd you o...
SJX Watches
While Laurent Ferrier originally made its name with timepieces that paid homage to traditional watchmaking, the brand has recently evolved towards to a more contemporary style, especially with its Sport collection that marries solid, classical mechanics with sporty case designs. The latest addition to the line is the Grand Sport Tourbillon Sincere Platinum Jubilee Edition, a limited edition in rose gold and green guilloche that celebrates the 70th anniversary of Singapore-based retailer Sincere Fine Watches. Initial Thoughts The Sincere edition is essentially a Grand Sport Tourbillon dressed in a warm and appealing palette. The green dial complements the 5N rose gold case, a rich combination that conveys a sense of old-school luxury and refinement, which suits the commemorative occasion well. Unusually, it is presented on a strap, instead of a bracelet that has been the norm for most of Laurent Ferrier’s sports watches to date. The strap makes the watch more wearable – a bracelet would mean a lot of gold – and also slightly more accessible in terms of price. In typical Laurent Ferrier style, the quality of execution is high. The dial is made by Voutilainen’s Comblemine while the movement is decorated to an impressive level (though the bridges have a simpler linear brushed finish instead of the more traditional striping). Intrinsically, the Sincere edition is an appealing iteration, but the Laurent Ferrier Sport line in general feels ambiguous as the design not e...
WatchAdvice
The IWC Ingenieur is, in my opinion, one of Gerald Genta’s most underrated designs. But does it hold up compared to some of his most iconic pieces? Let’s find out! What We Love: Breathtaking design Moulds perfectly onto my wrist Genta heritage, but feels unique What We Don’t: A micro-adjust butterfly clasp would be nice Would love a display back Would be nice to have a COSC movement Final Score: 8.75/10 Value for Money: 8/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 10/10 Build Quality: 8/10 IWC is a watch brand that for me personally, I hadn’t really done a deep dive into before. I feel that it is a brand that if you know, you know, and once you get into the brand, many people are hooked. But when I joined Watch Advice, I began to delve deeper into the industry and watchmaking itself. To my surprise (and nobody else’s), I discovered that IWC had contributed much more to horology than I had ever cared to know before. This and the fact that the guys visited the Manufacture in Schaffhausen in April, and regaled me of their adventures there! The giant perpetual calendar movement on the wall in the entry of the IWC Manufacture in Schaffhausen which we visited earlier this year before Watches & Wonders 2024 Founded in 1868 by Bostonian watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones, the International Watch Company found its roots during Jones’ time in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. From there, they would combine American manufacturing with Swiss craftsmanship to produce high-quality timepiece...
Monochrome
An emblematic name for the dive watch community, Squale has gained great credibility with its solid, no-nonsense models and recognition from military forces. Created in 1959, when Charles Von Büren registered the Squale name, this year, the brand celebrates its 65th anniversary. A few months ago, Squale released the Master Titanium 120 ATM, an appealing […]
Quill & Pad
At its core, the O.G. Deep Space is a very simple watch without any gimmicks masquerading as features, allowing it to be observed and appreciated for what it is, a solid time-only watch. It displays the hours and minutes on a supremely clean dial that lacks pomp or flourish, with just enough going on to create a strong first impression.
Worn & Wound
Astor+Banks has debuted the long awaited Sea Ranger M2, a watch that brand founder Andrew Perez has been working on, tinkering with, and previewing for over a year. At this weekend’s Windup Watch Fair in Chicago, he finally had production versions on display for all to see, and it was well worth the wait. It’s easily the most refined and well thought out watch in the Astor+Banks catalog, a natural evolution of what came before and a logical extension of the Sea Ranger line. This is a dual crown diver in four colorways: black, blue, army green, and a rich brown the brand refers to as “tobacco.” As you’d expect, one crown controls the time setting and winding duties, while the other rotates the internal bezel, which is lumed on all four variants. This is a really fun effect and the lume is applied liberally for a bright glow that will be genuinely useful in low light situations. The dials all have a matte finish. The case is 40mm in diameter, 12.5mm tall, and 45.5mm lug to lug. On the wrist it feels very well proportioned, and the overall machining quality and finishing is top notch, and feels like a step up from previous Astor+Banks efforts. The bracelet is a match for the case in finishing quality and has a lovely taper from 20mm down to 16mm at the clasp. Astor+Banks, responding to feedback from collectors, is using the NodeX clasp by Nodus on the Sea Ranger M2, which offers easy micro-adjustments up to 10mm. The Astor+Banks Sea Ranger M2 has a retail price ...
Fratello
At the end of last year, we had three Sartory Billard flying tourbillons in the office. I remember how impressed I was with those watches. Seeing them in person was also a good showcase of the bespoke work that Sartory Billard has become known for. The brand’s latest release is another interesting display of traditional […] Visit Introducing: Two New Sartory Billard SB07 Models With Striking Maki-e Dials to read the full article.
Hodinkee
A comparison of two solid new additions to Chopard's dressy high horology lineup.
Worn & Wound
I’ve always had a fascination for peeking behind the curtain. Whether it was tearing apart broken electronics, rebuilding car engines, or opening the caseback of my first Seiko, I’ve always wanted to see and know how things work. As I’ve gone deeper into the horology rabbit hole, I’ve become more interested in the physical process of assembling a movement. While I can watch any number of YouTube videos, there’s something special about seeing it done in person, especially when you get to watch a Grand Seiko Watchmaker at work. Last week, I was invited to Grand Seiko’s boutique for a live assembly of their new 9SA4 movement, a high-beat, manually wound high frequency movement featuring Grand Seiko’s proprietary dual impulse escapement and 80 hours of power reserve. If you’d like to learn more about the 9SA4 and how it was created from the 9SA5, Zach Kazan covers that in detail here. This event was hosted at Grand Seiko’s Madison Avenue boutique (we celebrated the grand opening of this boutique in March, click here for the recap article) which features a gorgeous open concept main level, and an intimate lower level they’ve dubbed “The Cellar”. Unlike any cellar I’ve ever been in, this lower level features multiple lounge spaces, a full bar, a dedicated presentation space and, of course, plenty of watches. You’ll also find various items of cultural significance from the towns surrounding the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, which inspire the design o...
Fratello
Some of us have had enough of vintage inspiration, while others can’t get enough, even after ’60s diver reissue number five. Spinnaker has just released some colorful takes on the Spence 300 Automatic, allowing the vast line to cater to both groups. The Spinnaker Spence 300 Automatic is a solid Miyota-powered wrist buddy that can […] Visit Hands-On With The Spinnaker Spence 300 Automatic - A Modern Sports Watch With Vintage Chameleon Vibes to read the full article.
Monochrome
You thought all dive watches were the same round watch topped by a unidirectional bezel with a classic time-only display over a black dial, right? Well, Benoi?t Mintiens from Ressence is here to prove you wrong. Not all dive watches need to look like a Submariner or a Seamaster. Not all dive watches need to […]
Fratello
The Gravitymaster isn’t the best-known model in G-Shock’s Master of G series, but it is just as capable and impressive as its collection mates. The newest addition to the Gravitymaster lineup is the GR-B300 series with a design inspired by fighter jets. These three watches feature a fully analog display focused on providing info for […] Visit Hands-On With The Affordable New Casio G-Shock Gravitymaster GR-B300 Series to read the full article.
WatchAdvice
We spend a week with the new Santos De Cartier Large brown dial released at this year’s Watches & Wonders and see how this timeless piece wears in the hustle and bustle of daily life. What We Love The timeless design Ingenious quick change and quick link system The slim profile on the wrist What We Don’t Lack of fine adjustment on the bracelet The brown dial may not be to everyone’s tastes A see-through caseback would be a great addition Overall Score: 8.75/10 Value for money: 9/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Build quality: 9/10 As far as watch releases go, there are few brands that garner global attention come the first day at Watches & Wonders. One of these is Cartier. The second biggest watch brand by sales in the world and a brand synonymous with luxury, Cartier always manages to surprise with both their “everyday” pieces, as well as their Cartier Privé, and High Jewelry collection from their Maison Mètiers d’Arts. So this year I was excited to see first hand what the Maison would bring out, and hopefully, get my hands on these as I’ve not reviewed a piece from Cartier before. One of these pieces was the Santos De Cartier Large with a 70’s vibe brown gradient dial, and being something very different to what I’m used to wearing, was keen to put it on the wrist Related Reading: Cartier Drops Their New Santos Collection Initial Thoughts I always write down my initial thoughts when first handling a new watch. It’s a great way to effectively “Judg...
Monochrome
Cuervo y Sobrinos is the only major watch brand with solid Cuban roots, celebrating specific time periods and locations in Cuban history. For example, the previous Robusto Churchill Limited Edition honoured Winston Churchill’s fondness for Havana tobacco. The new Robusto Sans Souci looks back at 1950s Cuba, specifically the Sans Souci night venue just outside […]
Monochrome
MeisterSinger hardly needs an introduction. This award-winning German brand is renowned for its distinctive single-hand time display design, which makes it instantly recognizable. The latest additions to the MeisterSinger lineup are blacked-out versions of the robust and solidly built Unomat series, featuring generous splashes of colour – with a twist. The two new Unomat watches […]
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