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2,221 articles · 19 videos found · page 39 of 75

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Big Bang Hublot

Hublot's 2005 "Art of Fusion" chronograph that reshaped 21st-century luxury.
Dimensions · Guide
Case dimensions: Hublot Big Bang Unico 42 Hublot

42 mm × 14.5 mm, lug 22 mm, Cal. HUB1280
Dimensions · Guide
Case dimensions: Hublot Big Bang Unico 44 Hublot

44 mm × 14.5 mm, lug 22 mm, Cal. HUB1280
Dimensions · Guide
Case dimensions: Hublot Big Bang Integrated 42 Hublot

42 mm × 14.5 mm, lug , Cal. HUB1280
Zenith Introduces the Defy Revival A3643 for LVMH Watch Week Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Hublot Jan 19, 2026

Zenith Introduces the Defy Revival A3643 for LVMH Watch Week

Once again, LVMH Watch Week is upon us. For those of us who work in watch media, this week has become something of what you might technically refer to as a “big deal.” It’s the beginning, in earnest, of the new release season, which peaks with Watches & Wonders week, and is now just months away (yikes). Over the past several years, LVMH has carved out this period in late January to debut new novelties ahead of Watches & Wonders (which all of the brands making announcements this week participate in) and get a jump on the competition. Usually the LVMH Watch Week releases are a little more consumer oriented and less ambitious than those that debut at Watches & Wonders a few months down the road, but honestly that just makes this week all the more interesting to us here at Worn & Wound. We’ll have a bunch of news on the latest from TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Bulgari later in the week (as well as hands-on coverage of the new novelties) but we start with Zenith, which has designated LVMH Watch Week 2026 as a Defy centric experience.  There are several new Defy references dropping this week in the Skyline category that range from modest sizing updates to some pretty bonkers watchmaking, but we’ll start with this year’s Revival piece, the A3643. Zenith, in recent years, has done an outstanding job when it comes to raiding their own archives for inspiration, and always offer tasteful reinterpretations of classic references that are pretty much one to one recreations, at le...

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Fratello Talks: What The First Watch Releases Of 2026 Reveal About The Year Ahead Fratello
Jan 15, 2026

Fratello Talks: What The First Watch Releases Of 2026 Reveal About The Year Ahead

The year is off to a flying start with some big releases from fan-favorite brands. In today’s episode of Fratello Talks, we’re taking a look at the first watch releases of 2026 and, based on patterns they present, seeing what they reveal about the year ahead. Though we haven’t had many new introductions so far, […] Visit Fratello Talks: What The First Watch Releases Of 2026 Reveal About The Year Ahead to read the full article.

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Editorial: Tudor at 100 Worn & Wound
Vacheron Constantin Jan 13, 2026

Editorial: Tudor at 100

Tudor turns 100 this year. The same age as Dick Van Dyke and American Airlines. Anniversaries like this are a big deal in the watch industry – we’ve just been through a year where both Vacheron Constantin and Breguet celebrated major milestones, each with a series of special releases. That’s the playbook for a watch brand: milk the year for as long as possible with new releases that feel special. It’s a sensible strategy given that it inherently leans into heritage and prestige, both ideas that have been proven to sell watches successfully for years. This isn’t meant to be a prediction of what might be in store for Tudor this year – plenty of outlets and watch media figures have already weighed in on that topic. We don’t have any inside information, of course, so any guesses as to what Tudor might do would be just that. My hunch, though, is that we won’t see obviously anniversary inflected pieces dropped throughout the year in the same way we saw from the likes of Vacheron and Breguet in 2025. It doesn’t feel like that’s part of the Rolex DNA that Tudor shares. I expect we’ll see some very subtle 100 year mentions in Tudor marketing, a special watch or two that is not explicitly tied to the anniversary but as recognized as honoring it just the same, and perhaps something a little more celebratory around Watches & Wonders or an athletic event that Tudor is involved in (there will of course be many of those throughout the year). What I’m much more int...

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India Watch Weekend 2026 Happening in Mumbai SJX Watches
Grand Seiko but also independents like Jan 13, 2026

India Watch Weekend 2026 Happening in Mumbai

India Watch Weekend returns for the second time this year, underlining the growth of the luxury watch market in the country. While Indian clients have long been patrons of luxury watchmakers, many historically shopped outside the country in places like Dubai and London. Now clients are moving towards domestic consumption, explaining rising sales in-country and events like India Watch Weekend. India Watch Weekend is happening in Mumbai, the nation’s commercial capital. Amongst the brands taking part are big brands like A. Lange & Söhne, Grand Seiko, but also independents like Ming and Dunselman Watchmaking. Also present for the first time is the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), a trade body dedicated to horological education. The event will take place over the weekend of January 17 and 18 at the Four Seasons. It’s open to the public but tickets are required. For more, visit Indiawatchweekend.com, while tickets can be purchased online.  

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Why Car Enthusiast Joe Ottati Collects Cars and Watches for the Same Reasons Worn & Wound
Casio Jan 9, 2026

Why Car Enthusiast Joe Ottati Collects Cars and Watches for the Same Reasons

Joe Ottati is the owner of Ottati Car Detailing, a founder of VALT Auto Club, and a part-time Auction Specialist for Cars & Bids. He is also a co-host of the VALT podcast, which can be found on YouTube.  Soft-spoken but always ready for a chat, many Bay Area car enthusiasts have likely had a conversation with Joe Ottati from the other side of a folding table, beneath a big VALT Auto Club tent. As one of the club’s founders, Ottati’s dedication to growing the car scene in the Bay Area and keeping it as inclusive and positive as possible can easily be seen in the way he interacts with everyone that comes through the tent: with kindness and small hints of the vast wealth of car knowledge within. But cars aren’t Ottati’s only hobby; he extends that interest in all things mechanical to his wrist, too. Like most of us watch nerds, Ottati’s first timepiece came in the form of a Casio. As an 8th grade graduation gift, he received a green G-SHOCK, a watch that he still owns. “It still keeps accurate time on the same battery, fourteen years later,” he says. We are currency outside his shop in Concord, where he details cars as his main job. Inside, a smörgåsbord of European beauties lie in wait, but he steers the conversation back to watches, first. “After graduating high school, I was gifted an Autodromo Stradale, which was my first mechanical watch,” he explains, “I wore it literally every day for years.” The exhibition caseback displaying the Miyota moveme...

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Will 2026 Be Credor’s Year? Worn & Wound
Vacheron Constantin Jan 8, 2026

Will 2026 Be Credor’s Year?

As a new year begins, it’s always fun to think about which brands are poised to do something meaningful over the next 12 months. Obviously, every brand starts with high hopes and great intentions, but inevitably there are just a few who really become conversation drivers in the industry. It can be fun to speculate who is in a good position to do that. Lots of time, it will be a brand in the midst of a big anniversary celebration (Vacheron Constantin and Breguet in 2025 were great examples of this phenomenon). I’d like to posit that another way a brand can make a big splash is by simply having a presence at Watches & Wonders in the spring – any brand making their first appearance at the show is going to have a great deal of attention thrust upon them. This year, Audemars Piguet makes their first appearance at the show, and of course everyone will be keeping an eye out. But everyone’s always keeping an eye out for AP. I’m more interested in another brand coming to the Palexpo for the first time: Credor.  Credor of course is part of the Seiko family, and can be thought of as the high end, artistic, and craft forward expression of the watchmaking family. Credor’s watches are uncompromising and beautiful, but they are wildly underseen. They are rare, of course, and tough to find outside of Japan (similar to Grand Seiko a decade ago) but they also require a bit of a learning curve in how collectors and enthusiasts understand what the brand is all about. And that’s...

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The Bernhardt Watch Company Introduces the Cipher Diver Worn & Wound
Jan 6, 2026

The Bernhardt Watch Company Introduces the Cipher Diver

I’m not going to lie to you, I love a bit of intrigue. When I was a child, I would write notes to my mother in invisible ink made of lemon juice. When someone tells me to keep a secret (which is always a surprise, given my big mouth), I can hardly contain my excitement. And, even now, I fancy myself a real James Bond type when I hide the Amazon boxes from my husband before he comes home from work.  Luckily for me, Bernhardt Watch Company just announced their Cipher Diver, which sits right at the cross-section of two of my hobbies: watches and subterfuge. Inspired by Thomas Jefferson (and, impressively, made in partnership with Monticello), the watch nods more to the third president’s inventive streak than his political career – including the rotating wheel cipher, a mechanical concept designed to encode messages through a specific alignment of letters across a series of discs. The result is a diver that cleverly allows you to keep a secret message right on your wrist. Beneath the bezel, Bernhardt has included the alphabet printed on UV-reactive ink. By aligning the bezel to a designated hour key and referencing minute markers on the dial, one is able to use the clock’s timekeeping functionality to decode the message. If that’s not some National Treasure type of ingenuity, I don’t know what is. Each diver comes with a UV decoding torch and an initial cipher card, with new encrypted messages released weekly through July 4, 2026 (the 250th anniversary of the Unit...

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Year in Review: Predictions for 2026 SJX Watches
Christopher Ward Dec 26, 2025

Year in Review: Predictions for 2026

Twenty twenty-six is just days away. Most in the watch industry are hoping the new year will bring better times than 2025, though most equally don’t quite expect that to happen. That said, it will be a great year for some brands, big and small. Architectural and affordable Independent watch brands have had a great run, and that looks like it’ll continue, especially for (expensive) time-only watches with decorated movements and frequently, open or no dials. Plenty of independent watchmakers cater to this demand, all for more or less the same money. Personally, I find many such watches uninteresting – though a few stand out and feel like they will stand the test of time – but the strength of demand will propel this trend. I expect two more interesting developments to emerge from this. One is watches priced lower, or much lower, than the typical CHF65,000-90,000 range for such watches. Ironically, while lower priced options might offer better value, they might be less appealing precisely because they are cheaper. That said, there is still opportunity in this segment, especially since lower prices often go hand-in-hand with higher volumes, so the market will gradually fulfil it, particularly since the way forward is obvious. Functionally, such watches are not complex. Computer-aided design makes it even simpler by allowing manufacturers to rework existing calibres with relative ease; Christopher Ward is already doing something along these lines with the C12. And decora...

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Recap - The Best Integrated and Elegant Sports Watches of 2025 Monochrome
Dec 26, 2025

Recap - The Best Integrated and Elegant Sports Watches of 2025

Watches with integrated bracelets and elegant-sports designs remain popular. While the hype seems to have cooled slightly, the category continues to be very competitive, but also creative. From big watchmaking brands refining icons to young independents challenging the rules, 2025 has produced a stellar mix of timepieces that combine innovation, design, and craftsmanship. We’ve selected […]

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Ruhla: The East German Watch Brand That Went to Space Worn & Wound
Dec 26, 2025

Ruhla: The East German Watch Brand That Went to Space

For decades now, watch collectors have become enamored with the significance, popularity, and (perhaps most importantly) the absurd affordability of Soviet-era watches. There’s the ingenious Vostok Amphibia dive watch; the various Poljot and Strela chronographs vital to the Russian space program; and the minimalist, glossy-white Raketa Big Zero that signified “the end of history.”  What’s lesser known are the timepieces from another part of the Iron Curtain-East Germany, which once encompassed two of the most significant areas of the historic watch industry. Today we associate German watches with the town of Glashütte, where Walter Lange set up a watchmaking school in 1841 and evolved it into one of the great horological houses.  Meanwhile, about 300 kilometers to the west is the town of Ruhla. Like Glashütte, Ruhla was also known for metal mining and a tradition of blacksmithing and metalworking. After World War II, it also happened to fall into the Soviet occupation zone, even though it was as far west as one could get. Perhaps it was always fated for this.  Image via Ostalgie-Ruhla: Watches of the GDR Both sides faced the evolution of pocket watches to wristwatches, on opposite sides of the World Wars. After 1945, the watch factories in Glashütte and Ruhla were reorganized into publicly-owned enterprises-having endured reparations back to Moscow (to jump-start the USSR’s own watch industry) and the general devastation of the war. Glashütte was a mor...

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Fratello’s Favorite Solar-Powered Watches Of 2025 - Including TAG Heuer, Tissot, And More Fratello
TAG Heuer Tissot Dec 25, 2025

Fratello’s Favorite Solar-Powered Watches Of 2025 - Including TAG Heuer, Tissot, And More

We mostly write about mechanical watches here on Fratello. However, we certainly get excited about the occasional solar-powered watches we see released. Solar-powered watches are ideal grab-and-go pieces. They are always running and often come in very capable configurations to withstand most everyday situations. It’s no wonder that big brands, such as TAG Heuer, Seiko, […] Visit Fratello’s Favorite Solar-Powered Watches Of 2025 - Including TAG Heuer, Tissot, And More to read the full article.

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Best of 2025: Surprises and Unexpected Developments SJX Watches
Rolex Land-Dweller Dec 23, 2025

Best of 2025: Surprises and Unexpected Developments

From one-off artistic creations to new escapement technologies, 2025 delivered more than its share of surprises and unexpected developments. Brands with institutional research and development departments led the way with unexpected material breakthroughs, while Geneva’s oldest watchmaker surprised (and delighted) with a clock of astronomical proportions. Rolex Land-Dweller and Dynapulse Escapement - SJX Given its institutional nature, Rolex rarely surprises, but when it does, the brand does so in a big way. The Land-Dweller was unquestionably one of the biggest debuts from Rolex in a long time. The integrated bracelet design is certainly a departure from the prevailing house style, but the Land-Dweller is a landmark mainly for the movement inside, the cal. 7135 that boasts the Dynapulse escapement. While Rolex movements have enjoyed largely incremental improvements for years, the cal. 7135 in the Land-Dweller is a radical break because it’s an all-new movement with an all-new escapement. The Dynapulse escapement is one of the most forward-thinking inventions by Rolex, arguably ever. A double-wheel, detached and indirect-tangential impulse escapement, the Dynapulse is arguably among the most advanced escapements on the market today – and the cal. 7135 is probably the most precise self-winding movement on the market. More crucially, it is being produced at scale. A new escapement is an achievement, but a new escapement manufactured in large numbers is a bona fide fea...

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Our Favorite Divers Of 2025 Teddy Baldassarre
Longines Legend Diver"]  Dec 22, 2025

Our Favorite Divers Of 2025

With 2025 coming to a close, the editorial team at Teddy is eager to share some of our favorite new releases of the year. We’ll be starting with one of the more competitive and popular categories out there: dive watches. Really any given year is a big year for divers but 2025 had some refreshed heavy hitters as well as some new entries that push the limits of watchmaking technology. We attempted to keep our final picks somewhat tight but there is, of course, a honorable mentions section at the end where we go through some notable new releases from the year. So, without further ado let’s get into our favorite new divers from 2025. [toc-section heading="Longines Legend Diver"]  The category of vintage-inspired divers has only gotten more competitive in recent years, but Longines has managed to deliver a truly wearable and memorable lineup with its Legend Diver collection. Fully refreshed and reimagined in 2024, this white dial take on the line is the latest addition to the family, and has become the missing piece to making the entire collection feel complete, well-rounded, and versatile. It feels right at home with its other family members, carrying on the 39mm diameter, and slim 12.7mm case profile that makes it easy to wear when you aren’t about to dive into the deep, though its 300 meters of water resistance means you very well can without worry. The mid-century design cues look particularly handsome with the crisp white backdrop of the dial, and, combined with the...

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Introducing: Two Simply Irresistible 36.5mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Watches Fratello
Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultr... Dec 22, 2025

Introducing: Two Simply Irresistible 36.5mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Watches

The big trend is “small.” And “thin.” Well, those two words perfectly describe the new 36.5mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Not only is the diameter a size “S,” but it also has an 8.43mm case thickness, making it worthy of the “Ultra-Thin” moniker. The pink gold version is the most modern of the […] Visit Introducing: Two Simply Irresistible 36.5mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Watches to read the full article.

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First Look - The Spectacular Pink Gold Edition of the Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement Monochrome
Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement Dec 19, 2025

First Look - The Spectacular Pink Gold Edition of the Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement

A conundrum shared by watchmakers for centuries concerns the issue of constant force, or how to produce a steady, unwavering stream of power from the mainspring to the regulating organ to prevent rate variations and maintain amplitude consistency. The big question is how? Taking the bull by the horns, Girard-Perregaux tackled the dilemma with the […]

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Best of 2025: Complications SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin Dec 19, 2025

Best of 2025: Complications

After a slow year for complications last year, big brands showed up in force in 2025. Spurred by a number of major anniversaries celebrated by the likes of Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet, the year witnessed a range of record-setting and never-before-seen complications. The breadth and ambition of new complicated watches, some from unexpected corners, proved to be one of the defining themes of the year. Within this crowded field, a few stood out. Vacheron Constantin Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – Brandon Moore For collectors who keep a close eye on the record books, the year ended almost as soon as it began. At Watches & Wonders 2025, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication – La Première, a unique wristwatch that immediately became one of the most talked-about watches of the fair. The buzz was justified: the Solaria is the most complicated wristwatch ever made. Developed over eight years, the Solaria leverages 13 patents to bring together 41 complications across two dials. While the headline figure is the sheer number of functions, the Solaria’s true distinction lies in its astronomical indications. Four of its rare complications track the apparent path of the Sun, displaying its position, height, culmination, and declination – as observed from a specific location on Earth. Turning the watch over reveals another first: a celestial object tracker linked to a split-seconds chronograph. Twin rotating sapphire disc...

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Best Luxury Watches For Women Teddy Baldassarre
Dec 15, 2025

Best Luxury Watches For Women

There comes a time in every watch-loving girl’s life in which she’s ready to take the plunge into the pool of luxury. To ascend from the endless eBay lowballing and bidding on eBay watches under 100 bucks, and start stashing away cash to save up for the big purchase. For the “future heirloom” watch that haunts her dreams. While that day has yet to come for me, I have amassed an ever-growing wishlist of pieces that might one day be my first, big watch splurge – once I stop dipping into the proverbial piggy bank, that is. Below, I have gathered what I believe to be the best luxury watches for women available today.  Before we get into the fun part, I want to state first that I like to think of luxury as a state of mind. There are going to be some pretty “pie in the sky” watches on this roundup, which, no matter how frivolous I dare be, I will probably never be able to go into a store and purchase. But what we can distill from these extravagant, top-tier luxury watches is certain design codes, case shapes, and aesthetic choices that catch our eye, and bring us closer to finding a more reasonably priced option. If you, like me, cannot drop thousands of dollars on a watch without bringing shame and ruin upon yourself and family, think of this as digital window shopping. I have thrown some pieces on the list that are a little more reasonable as well, which to me, capture the essence of luxury and have made me feel luxurious while trying them on, in pursuit of maki...

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The Best Watches Of 2025 - RJ’s Picks From Breguet, Chopard, Rolex, And More Fratello
Breguet Chopard Rolex Dec 13, 2025

The Best Watches Of 2025 - RJ’s Picks From Breguet, Chopard, Rolex, And More

We’ve almost reached the end of 2025, and what a year it was for horology! First of all, I have the feeling it really flew by. It started with a bang when LVMH hosted its watch week last January, and just last week, I returned to Paris for Breguet’s 250th-anniversary celebration. My picks for the […] Visit The Best Watches Of 2025 - RJ’s Picks From Breguet, Chopard, Rolex, And More to read the full article.

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Five Watch Writing Cliches that We Need to Retire Worn & Wound
Dec 9, 2025

Five Watch Writing Cliches that We Need to Retire

According to Worn & Wound’s content management system, I’ve authored over 1,500 articles for this website. That’s a lot! A big percentage of those articles have been spent simply describing watches, and giving you my impressions and thoughts on how they succeed and fail in doing whatever it is they’re trying to do (besides keep time – that’s basically assumed going in). Over the course of 1,500 articles, I’m 100% positive that I’ve been guilty of using many of the watch writer cliches that all of us try to avoid. But it’s hard! There are only so many ways, after all, that you can communicate in writing that a particular color provides an accent on the dial, or that a bit of finishing is impressive but not mind blowing, or that the specs don’t tell the whole story of how a watch is experienced when you’re wearing it.  Over time, I’ve tried to mitigate the use of cliches by simply not writing about the things that are so obvious they fall into the realm of cliche. For example: if a watch has a red seconds hand, you can see that it has a red seconds hand in the photos. There’s no need for me to characterize the red as a “splash” or a “pop” or anything else. It’s there. You, the reader, are intelligent and can decide if you like it or not, whether it needs to be splashier or poppier. I try to give you my thoughts on the whole package, cohesively. If I have any! I have to admit, sometimes, a watch is just a watch to me. It can be a perfectly...

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Francis Ford Coppola’s F.P. Journe FFC Breaks US$10 Million SJX Watches
F.P. Journe FFC Breaks US$10 Million Dec 6, 2025

Francis Ford Coppola’s F.P. Journe FFC Breaks US$10 Million

Francis Ford Coppola’s personal F.P. Journe FFC prototype shattered expectations at Phillips’ New York watch auction today when it achieved price of US$10.8 million including fees. One of the most talked-about lots this auction season, FFC’s FFC is the most expensive watch sold in 2025, and now the most valuable example of independent watchmaking by some margin. Big result in the Big Apple Despite chilly weather in New York, the action in the saleroom quickly turned hot. Auctioneer Aurel Bacs opened at US$1 million, but the bid instantly jumped to US$2 million. Several bidders then piled on, but the contest condensed to just four phone bidders past the US$4 million mark, including bidders represented by Tadzio Nuno and Paul Boutros, of Phillips’ Geneva and New York offices respectively. The action then settled into a head-to-head between bidders represented by Alex Ghotbi and Isabella Proia, once again of Geneva and New York respectively. Mr Ghotbi emerged the winner with a US$9 million bid, which brought the total to US$10.755 million with fees. The bidding was notable for being entirely on the phone – though one bidder was in the room but bidding on the phone – and also for being driven by clients outside of Asia. A record The result makes Mr Coppola’s prototype - one of only two made, and the only one in private hands - the most valuable wristwatch from an independent watchmaker ever sold at auction, exceeding the US$8.36 million achieved by the landm...

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Hands On: Breguet Classique 7225 SJX Watches
Breguet Classique 7225 Breguet has Nov 28, 2025

Hands On: Breguet Classique 7225

Breguet has enjoyed a great 250th anniversary year – one that promises to end with a big reveal in early December – with several commemorative editions launched for the occasion. The best of the lot, however, is undoubtedly the Classique 7225. Equipped with one of the most advanced time-only movements on the market, the Classique 7225 combines cutting edge modern watchmaking of the best industrial-haute horlogerie variety with an unexpectedly captivating aesthetic. Some of its details don’t quite make sense, yet the 7225 as a whole makes a lot of sense. Initial thoughts The Classique 7225 has a great deal of tactile appeal – it feels good on the wrist. In fact, the 7225 is probably the first Breguet in a long time that is sexy. If there’s one Breguet in today’s catalogue I really want, it’s this one. At 41 mm, the 7225 might measure large for such a watch, but the proportions are just right. The case is thin enough, while the wide dial maximises the impact of the guilloche on a gold base. If anything, the design might look odd with a smaller format, since the look comes from a pocket watch after all. Visually, the 7225 is striking and employs the classic Breguet style to great effect. Almost all the elements are familiar so the watch is recognisably “Breguet”, yet it different from the rest of the catalogue. The 7225 instantly looks like a Breguet, which shows its creators have an instinctive understanding of the brand. With its “floating” magnetic ba...

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[VIDEO] Hands-On: The Incredibly Wearable Grand Seiko SLGW007 Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko SLGW007 It’s very telling Nov 28, 2025

[VIDEO] Hands-On: The Incredibly Wearable Grand Seiko SLGW007

It’s very telling to me to see what my initial reactions were to a watch when it was announced. At Watches and Wonders 2024, Grand Seiko launched the SLGW003 “birch bark” featuring a new movement, the manual-wound 9SA4, and a new case within the Evolution 9 series. Looking back at the video that Zach Kazan and I shot to accompany the announcement post, you can see just how excited we were about it, despite being jet-lagged and inundated with new releases. The interesting part is that the new movement, which by all measures is the more significant development for the brand in terms of R&D;, played second fiddle to the case, which addressed some enthusiast issues with Grand Seikos. At 38.6mm x 45mm x 9.95mm, the SLGW003 had idyllic proportions, particularly in terms of thickness, which has long been a thorn in GS’s Zaratsu-polished side. Additionally, the 003 featured 20mm lugs, an uncommon feature for a GS, yet the most common strap width. It’s funny how big a deal a couple of dimensions can be, and yet, as you can see, it’s what we cared about most. Since that release, Grand Seiko has only used the 9SA4 in one other set of watches, the epically cool 45GS tribute SLGW005 and its precious metal sibling, the SLGW004, but not until the SLGW007, the watch I’m actually supposed to be writing about, have we seen a return to that new case design. Although I’ve encountered the SLGW003 in person a couple of times, I haven’t had the chance to wear it for more than a ...

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