5,100 articles · 796 videos found · page 36 of 197
Monochrome
In 2016, Armin Strom rocked the watchmaking scene with the release of its Mirrored Force Resonance, an incredible technical breakthrough that miniaturised the centuries-old concept of synchronised motion into the confines of a wristwatch. Using two independent oscillators coupled by a patented resonance clutch spring, Armin Strom breathed life into Christiaan Huygens’ observation that two […]
Monochrome
Long associated with pilot’s chronographs and robust instrument watches, Tutima has, over the past decade, built a compelling “classical” collection. The Patria line, introduced in the early 2010s and coinciding with the brand’s return to Glashütte, offered refined cases, restrained dials and, most notably, beautifully executed hand-wound movements rooted in Saxon tradition. Following earlier executions […]
Worn & Wound
I’ll admit, I’m late to the party. I didn’t discover Atelier Wen until last year when a friend told me I should check out the brand and connected me with its founder, Robin Tallendier. The pair knew how to tug at my heartstrings straight away: enamel dials. For those of you who know a little bit about me, you are well aware that métiers d’art crafts are my passion, but I have a particular affinity for enamel dials. Perhaps it is more than an affinity and closer to an obsession. I have taken my love of enamel from admirer to aspiring artisan, completing three enameling apprenticeships in Switzerland to learn the artform myself. After going back and forth with Robin for a few months and musing over the watches from a distance, I finally had the chance to experience them in the metal for the first time at Dubai Watch Week last November. I was immediately struck by the technique of the Ancestra and Inflection dials with a hammered base that added further depth and texture to the enamel itself. While the beauty of enamel (especially when paired with techniques like guilloche) is its interplay with light, something about the organic nature of the hand hammering brought an even deeper sense of life and movement to these dials. Since then, Atelier Wen has branched out, expanding its expertise in stunning dials beyond guilloche, hand hammering, enamel, and (in the past) porcelain to its latest model showcasing natural stone: the limited edition Millésime 2025 Percepti...
Monochrome
German indie watchmaker Stefan Kudoke expands the HANDwerk collection with the Kudoke 3 Nocturne, keeping the core concept intact but changing its expression, much like the Nocturne edition of the Kudoke 2. This new variant builds on the Kudoke 3, previously available in various executions, including Sky Blue, salmon, and the Flakes edition with the […]
Hodinkee
Japanese heritage and a bit of whimsy make up the new affordable collaboration.
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Astor and Banks introduces an affordable field watch that rethinks design with layered dials, bold lume, and a modern automatic movement.
Hodinkee
A new look to a classic, very hot watch from Vacheron Constantin.
Monochrome
British indie brand Farer was founded in 2015 by four friends with backgrounds in watch retail. Using Swiss-made mechanical movements, Farer offers a portfolio of confident designs with an eccentric British twist and competitive prices, thanks to the brand’s direct-to-consumer approach that eliminates intermediaries. The name Farer, derived from Old English terms like seafarer and […]
Hodinkee
AP trades frosted cases for stone dials on these 23mm, quartz-driven pieces.
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...
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Revolution
Worn & Wound
Last year, Atelier Wen released one of my favorite watches of the year in the Inflection, a bold and ambitious integrated bracelet sports watch in tantalum. The reaction to that watch, to my mind, was puzzling. While there were certainly many supporters and admirers of the Inflection, there was also a vocal contingent of enthusiasts on Instagram and various watch blog comment sections (who, to be fair, were probably not customers for this particular watch anyway) griping about the price, and the fact that a brand centered on value and approachability would even make a watch like this (the retail price is just shy of $30,000). I’ve never cared much for the notion that a brand that makes affordable watches can’t also make watches that are very, very expensive. It’s all relative anyway, right? Rolex makes watches that are considered entry points to the brand at right around $10,000, but they also have watches in their catalog that sail into the six figures. That’s a pretty big delta, certainly larger than the one between Atelier Wen’s entry level pieces and the Inflection. But that’s a topic for another day. Today, we’re focusing on Atelier Wen returning their bread and butter, the Perception, an integrated bracelet sports watch they’ve been iterating on for several years now, this one in steel with a natural pietersite dial. It’s tempting to say that this watch represents Atelier Wen jumping on the stone dial trend, but the pietersite of it all changes ...
Monochrome
Since its founding, Atelier Wen has positioned itself as a link between contemporary watchmaking and Chinese cultural heritage. Created by Robin Tallendier and Wilfried Buiron, the brand has steadily built its own design identity, drawing from architecture, traditional crafts and modern manufacturing. The Perception collection, its integrated-bracelet sports watch, has become the core expression. Introduced […]
Worn & Wound
One trend in the microbrand/small independent category that I’m glad to see more of already in these early days of 2026 is brands doing more on their own, in-house. Those words, “in-house,” have developed an almost toxic reputation in some circles as they’ve been used liberally to imply a level of craft or development that is not really there when you strip away all the marketing talk. But a handful of brands are taking it back, using it to designate certain manufacturing processes that they’ve taken ownership of over overseas factories. Oak & Oscar has just announced a new watch, the Humboldt ExP-02 that reflects some of the ten year old brand’s new manufacturing capabilities in an exciting and unique way. At a glance, you could be forgiven for thinking this is an ordinary version of the Humboldt, Oak & Oscar’s “classic adventure watch.” Subtly, however, it shows off real watchmaking skill and a willingness on the brand’s part to experiment with new techniques. The centerpiece of the ExP-02 is the dial, which keeps the familiar sandwich style construction that Oak & Oscar is so well known for, but refines it and personalizes it for this piece. Every aspect of the dial manufacturing is done to a very high level in the Oak & Oscar workshop, using new watchmaking equipment that the brand has invested in specifically to create unique components for watches like the ExP-02. According to Oak & Oscar, the rehaut and main dial plate are both cut from alu...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Tissot adds white and aqua blue dials to the PR516 38mm Powermatic 80, reinforcing it as an accessible automatic watch for new collectors.
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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...
Hodinkee
Colors taken from the brand's first watch with a tide indicator grace the brand's first non-limited version of the modern Seafarer.
Monochrome
Credor, a high-end division of the Seiko Group, was founded in 1974 with a focus on refined, ultra-thin timepieces that emphasise artistic and artisanal techniques. Originally catering to the Japanese domestic market, Credor has begun to expand internationally only recently (mostly with the Locomotive, based on a Genta design) and will make its debut at […]
Monochrome
It has been a while since we last saw a tonneau-shaped Seiko Presage… The last to surface on MONOCHROME was the Presage Enamel SPB049 from 2017, a quietly unusual model that stood apart from the round, conservative silhouettes that dominate Seiko’s classical offerings, or the 2019 Zen Garden SARY111 (SRPD05/07) series. But here we are […]
Hodinkee
A data-driven deep dive into the most collectible Rolex ever made.
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Monochrome
Albishorn is a young brand with a rather peculiar concept. Created by Sebastien Chaulmontet, ex-La Joux-Perret, in charge of the revival of Arnold & Son and Angelus, and now serving as the Head of Innovation and Marketing at Sellita Watch Co SA and Manufacture AMT, the brand launched with a rather cool idea: imaginary vintage. […]
Monochrome
As the only French manufacturer to design and produce its movements in France, Pequignet flies the Tricolour with pride. With four in-house calibres under its belt, Pequignet’s ambitious plan to become an integrated manufacture became a reality in 2011 with the presentation of the Calibre Royal, followed by the Calibre Initial of 2021. The latest […]
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
Along with their more refined timepieces, Swiss luxury brands have staked their claim in the field watch space as well. Tudor’s offering in the category is the contemporary 39mm Ranger, a name that features prominently throughout the brand's history. Descended from the 1950s Tudor Oyster Prince Reference 7909, Tudor introduced the 34mm Ranger Reference 7995 in 1965, with the model name remaining in the lineup all the way through the 1980s. It was the 7995 that established the Ranger’s design language, with its 12-3- 6-9 dial layout and iconic spade hour hand, all of which later made a comeback in 2014 in a somewhat oversized 41mm version. The Ranger got a reboot in 2022 as a 39mm model, with a fully brushed case and COSC-certified MT5402 movement, and it serves as not only a nod to Tudor field watches of yore, but also as a throwback to the tool-watch aesthetics of the Rolex Explorer 1016 from Tudor's parent brand. Released in July of 2022 to mark the 70th anniversary of the British North Greenland Expedition, the modern Ranger 79950 is a welcome update from that discontinued 41mm model of 2014. With a versatile 39mm case and a COSC-certified manufacture movement, the Ranger is a strong value play, hovering around $3,500 on the bracelet. Much like the vintage Ranger (and the original Rolex Explorer that provided much of its DNA), it’s a fantastic daily driver, with a fully satin-brushed finish and 100 meters of water resistance. And if you crave a more authentic tool...
Monochrome
A slightly more discreet member of the Tudor collection, with the Black Bay stealing the show, the Ranger is the brand’s vision of an all-rounder exploration watch, inspired by a model first seen in the late 1960s. Tudor brought back the model in 2014, with the Tudor Heritage Ranger 79910, measuring 41mm in diameter and […]
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