1,588 articles · 1,672 videos found · page 36 of 109
Time+Tide
Awake unveils a special edition Sơn Mài with a smoky yellow blood-splattered dial that the Black Mamba would be proud of.The post Awake just made the watch The Bride would wear to Kill Bill appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
It’s been a while since my last appearance on Fratello. However, those of you who have been reading for a long time may remember me as the previous photographer. For those who don’t remember me, now you know. What you may also know is that Dubai Watch Week recently closed its doors, and I was […] Visit Dubai Watch Week Highlights Through The Lens to read the full article.
SJX Watches
One of the surprises of Dubai Watch Week was the chance to go hands-on with the Strata, the latest watch from Vyntage Horology. Slim, lightweight, and water-resistant to 100 m, the Strata nods to the cushion-case designs of the 1970s without reviving any specific model, instead pairing a radiant burgundy dial with a silky grade 5 titanium case and bracelet for a look that feels contemporary rather than nostalgic. Vyntage itself was conceived by Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, chief executive of Ahmed Seddiqi - the Gulf region’s largest retailer and a pillar of Dubai’s watch scene for 75 years. The brand was created to bring an Emirati sensibility to Swiss watchmaking, and its retailer backing gives it a degree of stability and visibility uncommon among small, typically internet-native marques. Initial thoughts The Strata is a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ watch par excellence, managing to be both slim and lightweight, while water resistant to 100 m. Despite its name, Vyntage is not in the business of remakes. The Strata nods to 1970-era cushion-case sport watches with integrated bracelets, but it is not a revival of any specific model. Instead, the combination of a rich burgundy dial and a silky titanium case and bracelet gives the watch a contemporary presence that sets it apart from conventional retro-themed offerings. Ahmed Seddiqi, the Gulf region’s largest watch retailer and a fixture in Dubai for 75 years, has long catered to a collector base oriented tow...
Monochrome
I’m pretty sure everyone with even the slightest interest in mechanical watches has often wondered what it takes to make a watch. What goes into a movement, and how do you assemble one? And I’m also pretty confident many of you have thought, “I could do that!”. Trust me, it is MUCH harder than it […]
Worn & Wound
If you’ve sensed a theme with my work throughout the last year or so here on Worn & Wound, you’re not alone. The 1980s and 90s Timex catalog has fully gotten a hold of my attention for the last year or so, with pieces from that era finding their way into my watch boxes and causing a seismic shift in my collecting habits. Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I’ll never stray away from my mechanical pieces and Seiko divers. However, the fun and quirky nature of Timex during the latter half of the 20th century is an era I will now hold forever near and dear to my heart. I added this Timex Hooks model to my collection only a few months ago after wanting one for several years. Though I’m not an incredibly passionate fisherman, there was always something about the watch’s design that piqued my interest. Go grab your fishing rod, get some nightcrawlers from the local gas station, and head out to your nearest bubbling brook, as we take a look into what makes the Timex Hooks such an underrated watch in the brand’s catalog. History and Design According to advertisements and catalogs, the Timex Hooks model was released in 1990 alongside other outdoor watches designed at assisting in specialized outdoor activities like skiing, surfing, cross-training, mountain climbing, and more. Possessing many impressive and high-tech features for that era that we’ll dig into shortly, the Hooks retailed for $65 (the equivalent of roughly $161 in 2025). Simultaneously, Time...
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Worn & Wound
Shinola is a thoroughbred American brand that has connected with its customers through storytelling for well over a decade. In this Windup Watch Fair panel, we learned more about how culture and community inform Shinola’s creative process from Marketing Director Dana Mosha-Basa, Senior Designer Molly Wang, and Director of Watch Design, Greg Verras. Watch the full video or read along below. The following conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. Kyle Snarr Hi, my name is Kyle Snarr. I’m the head of partnerships here at Worn and Wound. Thank you for coming to the last day of the Wind-Up Watch Fair. Give yourself a hand for being here. We’re so excited to have you here. We’re also very excited to have one of our lead sponsors joining us here on stage today. The team from Shinola. And I’m going to have each of you quickly introduce yourselves. Tell us just a little bit about how you came to Shinola and what watch you’re wearing. Dana Mosa-Basha Yes. Hello, everybody. Thanks for joining us. My name is Dana. I’m the director of marketing at Shinola. I’ve been with the brand for almost a year and a half now. So I’m probably the rookie of the group. Not probably. I am the rookie of the group. I am born and bred in Detroit. But I left for the last about 10 years. And I remember when Shinola started. I had been working at Nordstrom at the jewelry and watch. And we couldn’t keep a Shinola watch in stock. It just was like the hottest brand aroun...
Teddy Baldassarre
The watch industry only gets more and more competitive each year. Some brands have managed to thrive, and independent watchmakers are more game for the challenge than ever. Others, still, get somewhat lost within the mix. Today, I’m taking a deeper look at a brand that I honestly don’t hear much about, and, through the vehicle of its current flagship model, exploring what it has to offer. As you’ve already guessed from the title of this here article, the subject at hand is the Maurice LaCroix Aikon collection. Characterized by classic integrated bracelet style with a few specific quirks to the mix, the Aikon collection hasn’t managed to go mainstream like some similar competition. Down below, I’ll be walking you through a primer about the brand, the key ingredients of the Maurice LaCroix Aikon, and some personal ramblings on what the collection has to offer, and what it’s lacking. [toc-section heading="Context"] Like many Swiss watch brands, Maurice LaCroix has a history that can be traced back to the end of the 19th century. However, that historical journey is among the more atypical out there. This 19th-century connection is the Maurice LaCroix ties to its parent company, Desco von Schulthess, which was founded in Zurich in 1889, and for many years, had nothing to do with watches. Initially starting in the silk trade, after WWII, Desco von Schulthess expanded into luxury goods and acted as a distributor for Swiss watches to the Asian market. In 1961, the co...
Fratello
Admittedly, I don’t try many microbrand watches. I have nothing against them, but I haven’t found many here in the UK. This all changed when I attended the World Time UK event in late September with my buddies Dave (of Fratello fame), Lawrence, and Parm. I saw some nice things, but one of the standout […] Visit Hands-On With The New Clemence Photic MKII Divers to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
When our friends at Hamilton first approached us about teaming up for an event this year, we had no idea it would involve one of the most iconic gaming franchises of all time. Just last week, Hamilton released the Khaki Field Auto 38mm Call of Duty Special Edition alongside the global launch of Black Ops 7, and Worn & Wound was honored to help celebrate by hosting a special gathering for NYC-based enthusiasts at the Hamilton x Call of Duty pop-up in Manhattan. The space was fully immersed in Call of Duty atmosphere-gear, watches, and of course, gaming stations. At the center of it all was a stunning optical-illusion installation by artist Michael Murphy, immediately grabbing the attention of everyone who walked in. It set the tone: bold, immersive, and cleverly detailed. Knowing how much our audience loves pairing their watches with well-designed gear, Hamilton invited us to curate a supporting selection of EDC essentials that would complement the Special Edition Khaki Field both visually and functionally. We had a blast assembling a kit of items from OEG EDC, Able Carry, Maratac, Spring Made, and Big Idea Design. Midway through the evening-after a warm welcome from Hamilton’s new CEO, Francesca Ginocchio, and an overview of the watch-we presented the curated items… and then took things up a notch. Each item was individually gifted to lucky attendees, turning part of the night into a lively, watch and gear celebration. Guests were also handed a special mission: b...
Teddy Baldassarre
If the modern success story of Tudor can be attributed to the launch of one distinct collection, it is, undoubtedly, the Black Bay. Like any intelligent watch brand, Tudor has taken that success and run with it full speed ahead, riffing and launching distinct extensions and sub-collections within the Black Bay universe that, at this point, are designed to meet the wants and needs of just about every enthusiast out there. Today, I’m going to be putting two distinct lines within the Black Bay family head-to-head that are, to the untrained eye, quite similar, but take on the vintage-revival theme in two distinct directions: the Black Bay 54 and the Black Bay 58. Down below, I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of what these two members of the larger Black Bay family have in common, and the intricacies that, together, have profound effects on what they deliver. After our short and sweet history lesson, I’ll be diving right into the key details of the Tudor Black Bay 54 vs. 58, all while interjecting my own musings and philosophies on how to approach these subtle differences. [toc-section heading="Tudor Black Bay Context"] As always, I’m going to keep the history lesson as concise here as I can, but if you have a bit more time, I’d recommend checking out this complete guide to the Tudor Black Bay. Anywho, the story of the modern Black Bay begins at Baselworld in 2012 (initially dubbed the “Heritage Black Bay”). After years of struggling in the shadows of the Crown a...
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Fratello
The Oris ProPilot Date receives an overhaul, future-proofing the brand’s modern tool watch. The new generation features a redesigned 41mm case and textured dials with a choice of three colors. The Oris ProPilot Date keeps the collection’s aviation DNA but leans into improved ergonomics and restrained detailing aimed at everyday wear. These are lofty ambitions […] Visit Introducing: The Redesigned Oris ProPilot Date to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
Do you love the Rolex Submariner, but just found its classic 41mm diameter way, way too small? Like, about 39mm too small? Have you looked at a barren corner of your desk and thought, Jeez, I wish my desktop had a jumbo-sized Submariner of its own, so people really know I’m about that Rolex Sub life? Well, if these questions have been keeping you up at night, I am here to deliver news of a possible solution to your problems. Though it didn’t get a ton of publicity (I think the Crown is saving its marketing campaigns for its wristwatches), Rolex quietly released its very first desk clock that is available for the general public. That’s right, you can now get your very own Submariner Date desk clock, given that a Rolex boutique near you has them in stock. Oddly enough, the Submariner Date desk clock marks the very first time Rolex has ever released a clock to the general public. You would have thought by now, the Crown would have a vintage archive of desk, wall, and other large-sized clocks somewhere in the heritage vault. I mean, just about every other major watchmaker with as much history as Rolex offered them throughout the 20th century, from Patek Philippe to Jaeger-LeCoultre and Omega to Longines and beyond. Even Bulova has an extensive repertoire of mid-century clocks, most significantly being its extensive array of mid-century clock radios (which you can find plenty of second-hand). But that isn’t to say that Rolex never explored making clocks – the Crow...
SJX Watches
In order to mark the spiral hairspring’s 350th anniversary and celebrate its inventor Christiaan Huygens (1629 – 1695), Japanese watch retailer Shellman presents a two-week exhibition event in Tokyo, The Origins of Time = Astronomy. Opening November 19 and slated to run through December 2, the Shellman exhibit is a collaboration with the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and showcases the larger extent of Huygens’ work, from horology to optical observation devices. Themed around the Dutch scientist credited with building the first pendulum clock and with inventing the hairspring, the exhibit also explores larger fields of horology, with a focus on astronomy and modern independent watchmaking. Original drawings showing early attempts at making a sprung balance. Beyond his practical applications in horology, Huygens left marks on many other scientific fields, from geometry to physics and astronomy. He notably discovered Saturn’s largest moon Titan and cemented the wave theory of light propagation. One could say that he was interested in the celestial bodies as much as he was in understanding motion and measuring time here on Earth. In his honour, the exhibit leans on the astronomical theme as well. The exhibition is accompanied by a selection of special watches available for sale. Visitors will have the chance to acquire the world’s smallest wristwatch planetarium, the Planetarium Christiaan Huygens Limited Edition, created by the Du...
Teddy Baldassarre
Watchmaking is a centuries-old craft, and as such, there are brands operating today with no shortage of heritage, not only stewarding the industry as a whole, but also fostering its continued cultural relevancy. Modern relevancy is vital to a crop of young brands looking to make their own mark on history. The complexity of the industry, and the purpose that watchmakers serve in a modern society, may have shifted, but their importance, and indeed their existence, says something deep about the value that humanity places on these things. Today, we find a vast landscape of watch brands and watchmakers operating, providing the most diverse range of watch offerings available to the public than any other time in history. This also begs the question: which are the best? Settling on the best watch brands operating today is no small task, and of course involves a heavy measure of subjectivity. That said, we can bring some structure to the table in an attempt to qualify the very best by an assortment of metrics, from industry leaders, to gateway brands, and even some wild cards that have the potential to shake things up. But what makes a watch brand great? Is it a consistent history of growth and innovation? Annual sales volume? Number of horological contributions made over time? Wholly verticalized manufacturing? Or is it something a little more amorphous, like public sentiment and goodwill, or risks being taken that net a positive influence on the industry as a whole? As with most ...
Fratello
When Hermès introduced the Cut at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2024, we said it arrived fashionably late to the integrated-bracelet party. However, the quirky 36mm pebble-like cushion case, in combination with the playful numerals, brought something exciting to the popular and overcrowded genre. At Watches and Wonders this year, the Parisian maison didn’t introduce any […] Visit Hands-On With The Hermès Cut Le Temps Suspendu And The Arceau Rocabar De Rire to read the full article.
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Monochrome
Even without going back to the roots of the brand, when it was founded in 1960, there are more than one emblematic model within the current Grand Seiko catalogue. You can, of course, think about the Snowflake, the SBGW231 and SBGW301 and, one that is all the more important to me, the GMT Elegance SBGM221. […]
SJX Watches
On Episode 17 of the SJX Podcast, Brandon has just returned from WatchTime New York, an event that has emerged as the flagship watch fair in the United States since its debut in 2015. SJX shares his hands-on impressions of Breguet’s new ref. 7225, which features the return of the brand’s magnetic pivots and is the highlight of the 250th anniversary releases so far. We also examine the hamburger-sized 77 mm J. Player & Son ‘hypercomplication’ at Phillips – one of the most complicated and impressive British watches ever made, before wrapping up with a discussion about some of the pieces from JP Morgan’s own collection coming up in the same auction. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
Worn & Wound
Watches & Wonders can be a blur of new releases in and of itself. So, when a brand asks if you want to preview some upcoming introductions for the year ahead, it can start to make your head spin. However, at my Raymond Weil appointment this past spring, I relinquished. The brand had a small display of archival pieces in a vitrine at their booth, and its Chief Marketing Officer Jeremie Bernheim assured me the reveal would be worth viewing alongside the mini museum of vintage designs. What he shared with me was a new capsule within Raymond Weil’s Toccata collection drawing from the retro models and aptly named Toccata Heritage. Today, this collection comes to you in nine styles, each more beautiful than the next, and with the option of either quartz or mechanical, manually wound movements for the first time. If you have followed Raymond Weil through any point of its nearly 50-year history, you know the brand loves to play with shape and case architecture. The existing Toccata collection explores this with a combination of rectangular and round models. For the new Toccata Heritage capsule, the maison has refined this design language even further. Here, you have a shape the brand simply calls oval, but in my humble opinion, this description does not do the case justice. The case design of the new Toccata Heritage models is decidedly not the harsh, egg-shaped oval profile you might associate with other watch brands. Instead, it takes the structure of the current rectangular m...
Worn & Wound
Every Windup has its share of surprises, and the recently completed New York edition of the fair (in our big 10th anniversary year) was no exception. Something I was definitely not expecting was the newest release from Lorier, the Roosevelt. Lorier is a brand that’s on my personal Mt. Rushmore of microbrands – I just find their watches endlessly charming and Lauren and Lorenzo Ortega are among my favorite people to run into at a watch event. The existence of the Roosevelt itself isn’t so much a surprise, but the way it was presented felt different. Lorier didn’t have a booth at this year’s NYC show, but introduced the watch through their partners at Grand Central Watch, who had a space on the second floor of our venue, showing off the Roosevelt and doing some bracelet adjustments and strap changes on the side. The Roosevelt feels in some ways like a cousin of the Zephyr, Lorier’s Art Deco inspired dress watch from a few years back that felt like a real departure from their midcentury sports watch roots. I was a huge fan of the Zephyr, and remember thinking at the time it could signal an entirely new lane for Lorier to experiment in. Now we get the Roosevelt, which feels like a departure in many of the same, satisfying ways. Inspired by the design of Grand Central Terminal, the Roosevelt is a cushion cased design reminiscent of sports watches from the 1920s. Today, it presents like a dressier piece, but in a lot of ways this watch is very much in line with Lorie...
SJX Watches
This December at its New York auction. Sotheby’s will bring one a hitherto secret collection of complicated Patek Philippe watches to market, The Olmsted Complications Collection. Accrued by late financier Robert M. Olmsted over six decades, the collection includes watches commissioned by the most prominent American collectors of the early 20th century, including Henry Graves Jr., Thomas E. Emery, James M. Morehead III, and Elliot C. Lee, some of which were completely unknown to the public until now. An “Extra” quality observatory watch made for Henry Graves Jr. It couldn’t be better timed either, with the flagship lot being a previously undocumented Patek Philippe perpetual calendar desk clock, just months after the brand launched its modern equivalent. Better still – at least for American bidders – these watches are already stateside, avoiding the hefty import taxes levied against Switzerland. In addition to rare and exotic pocket watches, the auction also makes room for a few watches with more mainstream appeal, including a Rolex ref. 6100 with a cloisonné enamel dragon dial. The Thomas E. Emery Desk Clock The headline lot is a Patek Philippe desk clock made for one Thomas Emery – the same client who commissioned Patek Philippe’s first wrist-borne perpetual calendar in 1925. Until now there were only two publicly known Patek Philippe perpetual calendar desk clocks, those made for James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr. Like its siblings, Emery’s desk ...
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Worn & Wound
The Chicago based brand Haim celebrates their five year anniversary this year with what is certainly their most ambitious watch to date, the Annum. When brand founder Zakir Miah showed me an early prototype of the watch months ago at a Windup Watch Fair, I was surprised and impressed that he would even think to attempt making a watch with such a niche complication. It resets the brand in some ways, and will likely force people to consider Haim in a different way. As surprising as an annual calendar from Haim is, if you pull back far enough, there were signs that Miah wanted to move the brand into a slightly higher end and more refined direction going back a few years. The Legacy Automatic, for example, featured a custom decorated movement by an American company, Maryland Watch Works, and the whole watch was a significant step up in terms of finishing and build quality compared to prior efforts. But the real shift came with the Viajero Worldtimer released last year. This watch featured a rather clever modification of a common Seiko-made GMT caliber, replacing the hand for the second time zone with a cities ring akin to what you’d find on a classic world timer. The old-school “globe” dial was meant to recall the most famous worldtimers from the Jet Age, and while the Viajero doesn’t have nearly the watchmaking complexity of those timepieces, it was able to mimic the style of those watches to an impressive degree when you consider the price tag of $799. The Annum ar...
Monochrome
Last November, Piaget announced a licensed collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This allowed the brand to officially rename its cult 1970s black tie dress watch “The Andy Warhol Watch“. Indeed, the revolutionary artist and undisputed king of Pop Art, was the owner of seven Piaget watches, including a 45mm yellow gold […]
SJX Watches
Ming has unveiled the Polymesh strap, described by the brand as the world’s first 3D-printed titanium watch bracelet. Blurring the line between bracelet and strap, it’s comprised of 1,693 articulating grade 5 titanium components. Designed to fit any Ming case with 20 mm lugs, the Polymesh strap reflects the brand’s growing ambitions. Initial thoughts The Polymesh strap illustrates the important function that independent brands like Ming play in the watchmaking ecosystem; they can explore concepts that big brands cannot. Large industrial brands are, to some extent, locked in a cage of their own making. On one hand, they have scale and distribution, but on the other, any innovation must be tested exhaustively to ensure it won’t complicate service channels. Ming exists in a sweet spot, with enough market traction to confidently invest in the development of new ideas, and the nimble size to take decisive action. In this context, it’s not surprising to see the first 3D-printed wristwatch bracelet come from a brand like Ming rather than an industrial powerhouse like Rolex or the Swatch Group. The concept itself is inherently interesting. It might be called a bracelet or a strap, but regardless of the nomenclature, it’s intended to offer both the dense, draping feel of a bracelet with the supple flexibility of a strap, made possible through additive manufacturing. As with any truly novel concept, the Polymesh strap likely needs to be experienced firsthand to be fully...
SJX Watches
Zenith’s 160th anniversary celebration continues with the Defy Zero G, a sapphire-cased watch equipped with the brand’s latest generation, gimbal-like “Gravity Control” escapement module. Available in either clear or deep blue sapphire – both with a lapis lazuli dial – the 46 mm anniversary model is a literal showcase for the innovative cal. 8812 S, which features a gimballed escapement platform that keeps the balance wheel in a horizontal position at all times. Originally developed in 2008 and refined in 2018, the Zero G mechanism is a modern homage to Zenith’s legacy in competitive chronometry and marine navigation. Initial thoughts Today, the Zenith brand is synonymous with the El Primero chronograph movement, launched back in 1969. But outside of that, the manufacture has always been a major force in Swiss precision watchmaking. For decades the brand regularly took home the top prizes at chronometry trials from Neuchâtel and Teddington. Zenith already paid tribute to its past success in competitive chronometry with the G.F.J. cal. 135, which also features a lapis lazuli dial, but it’s reassuring to see the brand made time to bring out one of its more recent developments for its anniversary year. While the days of chronometry trials are long past, Zenith has still managed to make a name for itself when it comes to the accuracy of wrist-worn timepieces - at least theoretically. Back in 2008 the brand unveiled a curious mechanism, with the escapement fu...
Worn & Wound
The idea of a “one watch collection” has been a fascination of mine as I’ve gotten deeper into the hobby. Part of the reason, I’m sure, is the growing anxiety I feel when I look down at my similarly growing watch collection and realize that many of these things are simply not getting worn as much as I’d like them to be. This, I’ve learned, is an extremely common sentiment among those with our affliction, and it’s perhaps what leads to every “for sale” post on the various enthusiast forums where we try desperately to thin the herd. So a one watch collection, which is admittedly not really a collection at all, feels a bit like a utopic fantasy for someone with a herd of watches spiraling slowly, and then quickly, out of control. “Fantasy” here is the key word. I’ll point out right up front that I have no real intention of selling everything off, or limiting myself to one watch in any way, shape or form. The variety that has always been part of this hobby is what draws me in deeper and deeper, and I’ve come to accept to a degree that I’ll always have a number of watches at my disposal, even if I can’t quite come to a decision on what that number should actually be. And yet, as a thought experiment, the one watch collection persists. We discussed it on a podcast recently and we got so much feedback I wanted to expand my thoughts a little on my own choice for this hypothetical one watch collection, and pretty soon you’ll see our contributors ...
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