Hodinkee
Introducing: Nivada Grenchen Celebrates 100 Years With A Load of New F77 Mk2 Releases
The brand's second century starts with a continuation of a tweaked deep cut from the archive, now made for a modern wearer, with a lot of options.
3,615 articles · 687 videos found · page 40 of 144
Hodinkee
The brand's second century starts with a continuation of a tweaked deep cut from the archive, now made for a modern wearer, with a lot of options.
Monochrome
In the ever-growing Seiko 5 Sports collection, there are classic models and then some pretty cool limited editions, either inspired by the past or produced in collaboration with brands or franchises that have not much to do with watchmaking (at least at first sight). That can be anything from Pepsi bezel watches actually made together […]
Teddy Baldassarre
In the wild and wonderful world of watches, many brands have made pieces geared towards just about every specific sport, adventure, and niche-within-a-niche under the sun. Down below, I’ll be embarking on a journey through the best watches made to brave the great outdoors, spanning from watches that make great light-hiking companions to those that are made to face the most punishing terrain. So there’s a little something for everyone here in this humble guide. I’ll be casting a wide net in terms of price point, ranging from the accessible entry points to the more luxury-leaning end of the spectrum. [toc-section heading="Timex Expedition"] Because I couldn’t choose just one watch from Timex’s collection geared towards outdoorsy folk, I’m going to rapid-fire through the highlights. If I were to pick out one watch for myself, I would probably go with the Expedition Chrono-Alarm Timer. It’s small and discreet, and realistically, I live in New York City, and my adventuring moments are usually quite tame. It’s water resistant 100 meters, I like the convenience of a digital display when I’m out on a leisurely hike upstate, and I like the added alarm and countdown timer functionality. It’s also $87, which is a comfortable price for me to spend on an outdoor watch. Pivoting to a more classic field watch option, I think the Expedition Camper is a pretty compelling, no-nonsense option. Its monochrome colorpalette is sleek, we got a nice fabric strap in case we w...
Monochrome
Whenever movements are discussed, attention tends to focus on the Swiss, which is understandable, but it excludes some of the biggest movement manufacturers. Seiko, Miyota and so on, let alone the Chinese, produce far more movements per year on their own than ETA or Sellita do, for instance. To put this into some form of […]
Teddy Baldassarre
As their name implies, sector-dial watches are recognizable for their vintage-inspired dial layout, with radial lines and concentric circles dividing the dial’s essential visual data - the hours, minutes, and seconds - into distinct segments. It’s a style that first made its way into watch design in the 1930s and ‘40s, the heyday of Art Deco, and at the time was almost certainly aimed at delivering an instrument-like legibility rather than any kind of stylish ornamentation. Today, however, the sector dial is enjoying a bit of a quiet renaissance mainly for aesthetic reasons, on a diverse array of timepieces. Whether the watch it adorns leans more toward “military tool” or “dressy accessory” in its appeal, the sector dial’s streamlined, subdivided look has proved to be anything but dated. Here are a dozen of our favorites on the market now. [toc-section heading="Seiko 5 Sports SRPH29"] Price: $315, Case Size: 39.4mm, Thickness: 13.2mm, Lug to Lug: 48.1mm, Lug Width: 20mm, Crystal: Hardlex, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic 4R36 Seiko’s 5 Sports line takes its cues from a classic model from 1963, the Seiko 5 Sportsmatic, whose five named attributes include automatic movements, day/date displays in a single window, water resistance, a recessed crown at 4 o’clock, and a case made of durable materials. The value-oriented series speaks to military mavens and aviation enthusiasts with the SRPH29 model, which straddles the line between a v...
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SJX Watches
Daniel Roth announced a subtle shift in its direction with the recent Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton. While the brand’s prior models like the tourbillon were essentially remakes of models made by the brand in the 1990s, the Extra Plat skeleton is an entirely new model that shares practically nothing with historical designs save for the case shape. Because the Extra Plat skeleton is, well, skeleton, it ably shows off the quality of execution on both sides. Beyond finishing, the movement also stands out for details that illustrate the taste of its constructor(s). It’s telling that the movement could have been done more simply without anyone noticing, but it wasn’t. Initial thoughts Daniel Roth’s resurrection got off to a strong start, underpinned by watches with top quality execution. The initial models, however, were remakes of 1990s originals. A brand with Daniel Roth’s ambitions (and well-resourced backer) won’t go very far with only replicas of historical models. The Extra Plat Skeleton illustrates the people behind the brand understand that. The Extra Plat Skeleton, in contrast, is the first all-new model rolled out by Daniel Roth in its current form. It encapsulates all of the strengths of the brand, namely the capable, high-end watchmaking of La Fabrique du Temps (LFT) and the distinctive double-ellipse case. While the Extra Plat Skeleton is powered by a movement derived from that in the Extra Plat, it is clearly a different calibre. And because the movemen...
Fratello
Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) is the largest Swiss independent testing facility for watch movements. Founded in 1973, this non-profit foundation aims to guarantee the precision of Swiss watches through a neutral, independent, and rigorous method. Watches with movements that passed the tests can be called “COSC-certified chronometers,” accurate to within -4/+6 seconds per […] Visit A Closer Look At COSC’s New Excellence Chronometer Certification to read the full article.
Monochrome
As we have seen recently, when we analysed the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry’s report and its export data, the watch industry isn’t at its best; exports are down, sales are declining for large conglomerates, and there are challenging times ahead for 2026. Outlooks remain cautious, as the industry is likely to continue facing […]
SJX Watches
Interesting news just out of Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the venerable Swiss chronometer testing body, which has just announced a major revamp to its testing to honour the COSC’s standard’s 50th anniversary. Excellence Chronometer, COSC’s new and improved certification program, goes beyond the ISO 3159 norm that has defined its tests for decades. Instead of just testing movements, Excellence Chronometer will require completed, cased watches to run within -2/+4 seconds a day, as well as pass wear simulation and magnetism tests. Initial thoughts While COSC remains the primary chronometer testing body in Switzerland, thanks largely to Rolex, its protocols have been due for an update for some time now. With the rise of alternative and in-house precision testing programs, the standard chronometer certification can sometimes feel left behind. Rolex’s own Superlative Chronometer certification first requires a COSC certificate, but then makes sure the watches run at -2/+2 seconds per day after further in-house testing. The METAS Chronometer program also requires the standard COSC certificate, but guarantees a regulation of 0/+5 seconds per day and a great resistance to magnetic fields. Seeing that COSC slowly updates and imposes more stringent criteria is a good sign, but it may still not be good enough. With the rise of advanced internal certification programs, it looks like some brands submit their models to COSC testing just to make sure they can...
Worn & Wound
The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC, the body responsible for certifying watch movements as Swiss chronometers) has just announced a new chronometry standard that will be rolled out over the course of 2026. The news comes at a time when the COSC has some competition for timekeeping certifications, most notably the METAS certification (which first requires a watch movement to be COSC certified) used by Omega and Tudor, as well as other certifications provided by the brands themselves. The new COSC certification is being framed as an additional level of certification that will accompany the familiar “Certified Chronometer” tag that is seen on the dials and paperwork of millions (literally) of watches that have been put through the COSC paces over the years. The new “Excellence Chronomenter” certification provides an additional layer of guarantee of reliability that goes beyond simple accuracy. As a refresher, COSC certification certifies the movement is working at an optimal level, not a fully cased watch. To achieve a Certified Chronometer certification, a movement must show average accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds per day over a 15 day period, tested across 5 positions and 3 temperatures. The Excellence Chronometer certification tightens the accuracy threshold from a spread of 10 seconds in total to 6 (-2 to +4 seconds per day). It also adds metrics for magnetic resistance and power reserve verification in fully cased watches. According to the COS...
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Fratello
Rado has a long-standing collaborative relationship with Les Couleurs Suisse. Until now, this has led to 12 releases that used Le Corbusier’s 63-shade color system, which he described in his book Polychromie Architecturale. For its latest collaborative effort, Rado took it a step beyond just using the Swiss-French architect’s color system. While these watches each […] Visit Introducing: The Rado True Round × Les Couleurs Le Corbusier Special Editions to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
I still vividly remember the first time I saw the Seiko Speedtimer SSC813. It felt like one of the most deliberate and thoughtful nods to the brand’s 1960s and 1970s sports timekeeping heritage. Nicknamed the “Seitona” (no prizes for guessing why), it wore its classic panda dial with absolute confidence, easily earning itself a spot among some of Seiko’s most attractive sports watches ever made. Even better, it delivered those heritage-inspired racing aesthetics without the premium price tag associated with a Daytona. Now Seiko introduces a new triumvirate to the Speedtimer lineup: the SSC961, SSC963, and SSC965. This trio of Prospex watches draws from the angular sports cars of the 1980s and 1990s, showcasing distinctive shades of white-silver, sandy salmon, and mint green. But can these experimental colors of the new Seiko Speedtimer "Youngtimers" as they've come to be known capture the same motorsport DNA that made the beloved panda chronograph such a standout? [toc-section heading="Three New Dials"] The dial is unequivocally the soul of the new Seiko Prospex Speedtimer watch. In all three references, it sets the stage for a tri-register layout in the usual 3-6-9 arrangement. Here, the “Youngtimer” models embrace a nuanced and highly experimental palette. Each model features a 24-hour counter at 3 o’clock, balanced by a running seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock. Nestled between the two is the 60-minute chronograph register at 6 o’clock, combined with a pow...
Monochrome
Jack Mason is a young micro-brand founded in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, and initially made its name in US retail before making a decisive turn towards enthusiast-focused, direct-to-consumer watchmaking. Recent releases have shown fewer fashion cues, more mechanical credibility, and an emphasis on real-world usability. The Strat-o-Timer GMT has been central to that shift. After […]
Teddy Baldassarre
A lot of women collectors we know have pieces made for men and unisex pieces. we want to look at watches that are labeled more as women’s pieces by the industry, as we talk about those other watches quite regularly, and want to talk about pieces we don’t highlight as frequently. We are watch enthusiasts, so most of th
Monochrome
Renowned for its rugged all-terrain watches for outdoor adventures, Alpina goes off-piste with its new Alpiner Manufacture Date watch made in collaboration with Geneva customisation expert, Label Noir. Reflecting Alpina’s close ties to the alpine world, the Alpina x Label Noir features a snow-white dial and an unprecedented (for the brand) hammered case. The 130-piece […]
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Monochrome
Independent watchmaking rarely stands still, but Horologer MING has made a habit of using evolution rather than repetition as its driving force. Since the brand’s founding in 2017, Ming Thein and his team have mastered light, form and restraint, while also pushing technical boundaries behind the scenes. With the recent launch of the fifth-generation design […]
Fratello
Studio Underd0g is one of the most refreshing success stories in modern watchmaking. What began as a plucky one‑man operation creating distinctive, cuisine‑themed watches has grown into a full‑blown enterprise producing more than 14,000 watches per year - and still growing. Even with Chinese‑sourced Seagull ST‑1901 calibers powering the popular 01Series and Swiss movements used […] Visit Studio Underd0g Establishes The D0ghouse, Its New British Watchmaking Facility to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Nestled in the Jura Mountains, La Chaux-de-Fonds has been a cradle of Swiss watchmaking ever since its watchmaking school, the Technicum, opened in 1865. For aspiring watchmakers, the climax of their training was traditionally the creation of a montre école – or what’s known as a school watch. This is the story of Hugues Bürki, a Technicum alumnus, who built what would become a record-breaking school watch, and who would later make horological history as a movement engineer. Hugues Bürki. Image – author The Technicum The watchmaking school of La Chaux-de-Fonds was founded in 1865. In its early days, the school occupied rooms inside the modestly named ‘Technicum’, a local vocational-technical school. By 1885, the school’s own building had been inaugurated, yet the name Technicum stuck. In 1933, in the wake of the global economic crisis, the nearby watchmaking schools in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were merged to form the Technicum Neuchâtelois. The Technicum in the 1960s. Image – author It demands attention that both divisions of the Technicum Neuchâtelois had a particularly strong focus on high-precision chronometry at the time compared to other watchmaking schools in Switzerland, which specialised in other domains, such as the construction of complications and traditional finishing techniques. In fact, some of the innovations in chronometry we associate with brands like Longines can actually trace their roots to the Technicum Neuchâtelois, including...
In a sea of black-dialed divers, a white dial stands out as a considered choice. And one of the most well-executed has to be the frostiest variant of the collector-favorite 39mm Longines Legend Diver. Longines is a Swiss heritage brand that tends to fly under the radar, most likely due to its massive catalog, but withi
SJX Watches
Having celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2025, Audemars Piguet (AP) has kicked off 2026 with a slate of new models, including one of the most complicated watches in its history. But it was a simpler watch that that generated the most buzz at the glamorous launch event in the Swiss alps: the Neo Frame Jumping Hour, which is both a new watch and the beginning of a new collection that replaces the [Re]master series. The Neo Frame is a regular production wristwatch in 18k rose gold inspired by the Pre-model 1271, a historical AP reference from 1929. Though rooted in the Art Deco era, the Neo Frame is an eminently modern watch with a novel case and dial construction and the brand’s latest-generation automatic movement. Initial thoughts The name Audemars Piguet is nearly synonymous with that of its signature product, the Royal Oak. While many brands would probably trade their entire catalogues to have a single hit like the Royal Oak, AP has sought to diversify its product line up with the introduction of collections like the Code 11.59 and the short-lived [Re]master series. Despite these efforts, the Royal Oak family remains AP’s commercial engine, making the introduction of a new collection, anchored by a rectangular jumping hours watch, especially notable. The jumping hours complication seems to be enjoying renewed interest among collectors, which makes release of the Neo Frame feel timely. But up close and on the wrist, it doesn’t look or feel like anything else on t...
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Worn & Wound
Recently, over the course of a brutally cold weekend here in Concord, NH, I rewatched last year’s F1, the Brad Pitt vehicle that is essentially a very long advertisement for the sport for which it is named. It’s a fun movie, and even though it was made for giant screens and deafening surround sound systems, it played just fine at home as a fairly standard sports movie. I had been wanting to give the film another look as it was recently nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (a bit of a surprise to most observers) and figured it was time to see how it stood up to a repeat viewing. The answer is that it’s still really enjoyable popcorn fare, but my one real reservation is in the almost nonstop product placement. IWC watches factor heavily into the texture of the film itself. If you look closely, you can see a watch or the IWC logo in more scenes than not. It speaks to the importance of the relationship between IWC and F1, so I was not at all surprised when I learned that IWC’s first big novelty release of the year would be a pair of watches representing a collaboration between the brand and F1 driver George Russell, who races for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team, which IWC has had a longstanding relationship with. Unlike previous watches IWC has released as part of their partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, this one is tied to a specific driver. Rather than the teal color highlighted in those earlier watches, these feature a more traditional blue hue, ...
Worn & Wound
I have what you might call a love/hate relationship with Audemars Piguet. They are, without a doubt, makers of some of the finest watches in the world. Objectively speaking, there’s a level of craft involved with the production of AP watches that is hard to match at the scale at which they operate. Every Royal Oak I’ve ever handled feels like a perfectly made thing without any compromises. I honestly can’t say the same about equivalent watches from other brands in the so-called Holy Trinity. And yet, there’s so much baggage with Audemars Piguet in our current watch culture. I wrote about it here, specifically as it relates to the Royal Oak and how it has become a signifier of wealth and status that has overshadowed watchmaking and watch culture. I find this flex culture to be a huge turn off, and the way AP seems to lean into it, by producing more and more varieties of Royal Oak, some with mini sculptures of Marvel characters on the dial, to be a signal that they’re a willing participant in the watering down of their brand. But then Audemars Piguet will go ahead and release something beautiful that is not a Royal Oak and I’m reminded that derisively referring to them as The Royal Oak Company (something I’ve done frequently over these last few years) is ultimately unfair. Earlier this week, as part of a larger drop that included several exotic Royal Oaks, a pocket watch, and more, AP launched what might be one of the riskier watches they’ve introduced in...
Teddy Baldassarre
Breitling announced today that it has become the Official Watch Partner of British luxury carmaker Aston Martin and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One racing team. The multi-year global partnership, which marks the Swiss watchmaker’s return to the high-octane world of F1 motorsports after many decades, kicks off with a wristwatch milestone: the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, which is no less than the first timepiece in the iconic Navitimer series with a case made of lightweight titanium. The two world-renowned companies have some ties throughout their prestigious histories. Breitling, while it has not been as visible in the racing world over the years as brands like Rolex and TAG Heuer, was an early contributor to motorsport timing. In 1907, Léon Breitling, who had founded his eponymous watchmaking firm in 1884, invented a device called the “Vitesse” (French for “speed”), a mechanical chronograph capable of measuring speeds up to 250 miles per hour. Its utility and precision spurred the Swiss police to adopt it for speed enforcement, which led to the world’s first speeding tickets. Just six years later, in 1913, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford drove their hand-built automobile to a defining victory up the treacherous Aston Hill, giving their company a name and kicking off a long tradition of making cars built for both performance and luxury. The paths of the Swiss high-horology house and the British marque cr...
Worn & Wound
Longines is a storied and well-respected Swiss watch manufacture that formed in 1832 and has continued uninterrupted to this day. From the first wrist chronometer in 1911, to groundbreaking flyback chronographs in the 1930s, to the world’s first hi-beat wrist chronometer in 1959, Longines holds their own in the watchmaking world. My favorite period for watches is the 1950s through the 1970s and Longines was one of the top accessible brands during that time. In 1954 Longines began a marketing strategy of product families, launching the Conquest line of watches. In 1957 they introduced the Flagship line, adding to what would become a large group of watch families, many of which are still made today. Other lines that came later include the Admiral, the Ultra-Chron and the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize line was named in honor of the multitude of watchmaking awards and honors that Longines had accumulated over the decades. It was a relatively short-lived family, produced from about 1958 to 1964 according to my research. I have found that the majority of Longines watches produced during these decades were all fairly equal in quality and craftsmanship, with most of the differences in the families being design related. The Conquests were rugged and sporty, on par with the early non-diver Omega Seamaster watches. The Flagship series were dress watches, while the Admiral line was a mixture of both. The Grand Prize family were pretty much all thin, elegant everyday type dressier w...
Teddy Baldassarre
Watches with enamel dials rarely fail to impress with their exquisitely finished surfaces, their impressive durability, and a level of artisanal craftsmanship that might not even be readily apparent to the naked eye but somehow elevates the entire timepiece to a higher level of luxury. Enamel dials - which are made by fusing finely ground, colored glass powders onto metal substrates through repeated firings in a kiln at high temperatures - are still fairly rare in the watch world, and almost (but not entirely) impossible to find below a certain echelon of pricing, Often, as in some of the limited editions below, an enamel dial is one essential component of a timepiece that combines several notable elements, including elite or unusual case metals, high-complication movements, or any number of special features. Here are 10 watches with enamel dials that have caught our eye over recent years. [toc-section heading="A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Handwerkskunst"] Price: 315,000 euros at release, Case Size: 29.5mm x 39.2mm, Thickness: 10.3mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Manually wound Caliber L042.1 In 2008, German haute horlogerie house A. Lange & Söhne brought a technical upgrade to the tourbillon - an 18th century invention originally designed to shield a watch’s balance from the ill effects of gravity - that was both subtle and substantial. The Saxon brand’s Cabaret Tourbillon featured the first tourbillon movement with a st...
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