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The Rolex chronograph born on the racetrack. History, references and specs.
The first self-winding waterproof wristwatch with a date window - and the reference Rolex.
The 1953 Rolex diver. James Bond's watch and the template every dive watch copies.
Founder of Rolex (1905) and Tudor (1946). Invented the Oyster case and the Perpetual rotor.
Monochrome
Wristwatch manufacturers focus on keeping cases air and watertight so the movements can operate trouble-free in daily use. This started in earnest in 1926 with Rolex’s robust Oyster case, but even delicate dress watches today have a degree of water and dust resistance for splashes, rain and so on. However, a small handful of brands […]
Fratello
We’ve been following the horological adventures of Vincent Bonnaud (1991, France) since 2021, when he introduced his first BND dive watch. What caught my attention was that Vincent received a lot of praise for his BND watch from former Rolex ambassador and COMEX diver Théo Mavrostomos. Someone who worked for COMEX for two decades and […] Visit Meet The Third Iteration Of The BND Dive Watch to read the full article.
Monochrome
If you’ve ever travelled to Shanghai or Thailand, you might be familiar with the ease of acquiring a convincing fake Rolex for pennies on the dollar. Asian counterfeiters (particularly in Guangdong Province, China) often have access to the original machines used for cases, bracelets, and so on (not for Rolex specifically), as some Swiss brands […]
Worn & Wound
The vintage watch market is constantly littered with timepieces featuring organizational logos, slogans, and company mascots on their dials. Wristwatch anniversary gifts and promotional products were incredibly common throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries because of their ability to advertise on someone’s wrist, similar to cars with advertising wraps for insurance and real estate companies nowadays. Many of these watches have degraded in value over time as a result of their engraved case backs and personalizations that some collectors find unappealing. However, there are some timepieces of this genre that hold their value to this day, my favorite example being the iconic Domino’s Pizza Rolex Air King that always seems to worm its way onto my Instagram feed. The watch at the heart of this article would easily be passed by many collectors on their escapades through online auction websites. I’ll admit it: I glanced right over the listing several times when it was first posted, foolishly thinking it was another inexpensive piece of advertising from the 1970s. It wasn’t until I put two-and-two together, realizing that the Italian-American Civil Rights League was an organization I had previously researched and had established an interest in, that I went back and instantly added the watch to my cart. For those of you unfamiliar with this organization and its history, allow me to introduce you to them and illustrate just how rare this watch’s existence is today. A...
Time+Tide
Less is not always more: Andrew O'Connor demonstrates how you can build some rather impressive 3-watch collections for the price of a Rolex.The post The case for quantity over “quality”: building a whole collection for the price of a two-tone Datejust appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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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...
Time+Tide
Spoiler alert! Rashawn's Rolex basically saved his marriage...The post The Wrist Check Pod guys join us for a 3-WATCH THROW DOWN appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
While the news today is dominated by big releases from Holy Trinity brands that will be nearly impossible for mere mortals to see in person, let alone buy, Traska has what feels like an antidote, or at least a cleansing breath when it feels we’re being flooded with watches that fall into the dreaded “hype” category. Their first new watch in nearly four years is also their first chronograph (conveniently named, the Traska Chronograph) and it applies much of the brand’s ethos into a platform that we’re honestly surprised they hadn’t pursued to this point. If you need a refresher on Traska, we invite you to read up on Venturer GMT, which Griffin reviewed recently here. While this is a look at one specific watch, Griffin gets to something about how we understand Traska, which is that they produce watches that are part of a long lineage of purpose built tools. The word “Rolex” is invoked multiple times in that Venturer review not because Traska has a connection to that brand’s current status as the most well known luxury object in the world, but to a previous state when watches were prized for their simplicity and usefulness. Rolex made great leaps from the middle of the last century onward simply by standardizing a design language for sports watches that has become definitional to the category at this point, and I think what Traska is doing with a commitment to using steel hardening treatments and offering other points of value in every watch while adhering...
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
Let’s be honest, virtually no one who buys a Rolex Submariner or any 300m dive watch actually dives below 50 metres. In fact, the majority of dive watch owners today rarely, if ever, engage in diving. Most serious scuba divers use wrist computers, so traditional dive watches are often fashion statements as watch enthusiasts like […]
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SJX Watches
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...
SJX Watches
Dubai Watch Week (DWW) returned for its seventh edition with a scale and ambition that surpassed every prior year. Staged in Burj Park under the shadow of the Burj Khalifa, the fair brought together 90 brands - roughly 60% more than the last edition in 2023 - and welcomed a remarkable 49,000 visitors over five days, up from just 23,000 two years ago. It was a week of new launches, discussion, and serendipitous encounters, all set against the backdrop of a temporary venue built in just six weeks but executed with the polish of a world-class exhibition. The mood was upbeat. Despite a challenging market environment, the energy at DWW suggested a resilient, forward-looking industry. Notable figures attended, including Dubai’s ruler His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Rolex chief executive Jean-Frédéric Dufour, further signalling the fair’s growing stature under the leadership of the event’s chief executive, Hind Seddiqi. This year’s event was held in Burj Park, which contributed to the jubilant atmosphere. Image – Dubai Watch Week Initial thoughts Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the impressive DWW venue was erected in just six weeks. The new Burj Park setting transformed a simple strip of waterfront into a miniature city, complete with large air-conditioned structures, full-service restaurants, and a visual identity befitting a major fair. Step outside at night and you were greeted with the laser shows of the Burj Khalifa reflected across t...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Watchmaking is full of gratuitous claims and overinflated marketing. One of the oldest is Rolex’s claim, still on their website today, that the Oyster Perpetual was the world’s first waterproof watch in 1926. These claims were the basis for Rolex’s reputation for reliability and ruggedness. While Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual was highly water resistant, it was not the first company to create a successful water-resistant design. That title belongs to Charles Depollier, who was fulfilling orders for the U.S. Army as early as 1919.
SJX Watches
Episode 20 of the SJX Podcast comes to you live from Dubai Watch Week 2025, which has just concluded. The event brought together many leading independent watchmakers, industry executives (including a rare appearance Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour), and perhaps most importantly a big audience of collectors from around the world. The new venue in Burj Park brought a more sophisticated feel to the event, which was by far the largest in its history. SJX and Brandon share their quick reactions on the final day of the fair. Note that given the recording environment, this episode has no video. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Worn & Wound
The GMT watch is a bonafide product of the jet age. Though examples of dual-time watches go back to the 19th century, it was the advent of jet-powered commercial aircraft in the 1950s that drove the introduction of this icon of modern watchmaking. Perhaps the best-known example is the Rolex GMT Master, the watch that gave the genre its name. Introduced in 1955 in collaboration with the “World’s Most Experienced Airline,” Rolex designed the watch for Pan-American World Airways pilots that would allow them to have a reference for Greenwich Mean Time (also referred to as UTC or Zulu Time) while maintaining the ability to track local time. This collaboration also resulted in the most recognizable colorway for dual-time watches, Pan-Am’s blue and red colorway. The GMT watch is a bonafide product of the jet age. Though examples of dual-time watches go back to the 19th century, it was the advent of jet-powered commercial aircraft in the 1950s that drove the introduction of this icon of modern watchmaking. Perhaps the best-known example is the Rolex GMT Master, the watch that gave the genre its name. Introduced in 1955 in collaboration with the “World’s Most Experienced Airline,” Rolex designed the watch for Pan-American World Airways pilots that would allow them to have a reference for Greenwich Mean Time (also referred to as UTC or Zulu Time) while maintaining the ability to track local time. This collaboration also resulted in the most recognizable colorway f...
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Fratello
The days are getting shorter, and November is approaching. That means the year-end Geneva watch auctions will happen again soon. Not all the houses are showing all their cards yet, but there are previews containing some interesting lots. Sotheby’s will auction the Rolex Oyster watch that accompanied long-distance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze during her attempt to […] Visit Previewing The Lots Of The November Watch Auctions In Geneva to read the full article.
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...
Worn & Wound
The “One Watch Collection” is one of our favorite thought experiments. Thinking through whether we could scale back, or if we started over, if we’d do things differently, helps many of us hone in on what makes the watches we love special in the first place. Today, our contributors wrestle with the idea of a one watch collection, making their choices for the watch they’d wear forever, and explaining their thought process. As always, we want to hear from you. Let us know in the comments if a one watch collection is even feasible, and what your one watch choice would be. Alec Dent – Rolex Datejust “Wimbledon” I have what you might call a theoretical fondness for the one-watch collection. I love the idea, but I also have more than one watch and can’t imagine selling most of the watches in my collection. If I could go back to the beginning of my watch collecting journey, though, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d be a one-watch guy and that that watch would be a Rolex Datejust. It’s water resistant to 100m, it’s durable, it can be dressed up or dressed down, and it epitomizes classic design. What more could you need from a watch? I’m particularly partial to the 36mm two-tone “Wimbledon” dial with a fluted bezel and a jubilee bracelet, but the Datejust has been around for so long - 80 years this year! - there are countless variations from which to choose. (If I wasn’t here advocating for the Datejust as a one-watch collection, I might adva...
Fratello
Is there such a thing as an endgame watch? It’s not something we often consider. But just about two weeks ago, Henry wrote an article about his new Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600, referring to it as the ultimate diver and his “endgame” watch. This got us thinking about what this would be for us, so today […] Visit Fratello Talks: Endgame Watches to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
When it comes right down to it, there’s no more important watch brand to the enthusiast community than Seiko. Sure, Rolex is the biggest brand in the world, and the most recognizable brand name (for any product) ever. But no other brand matches Seiko for variety, accessibility, quality, and pure fun. There’s truly something for everybody under the Seiko tent, and it’s a brand that we find ourselves unable to quit, even when they frustrate us for any number of reasons. But this isn’t about those frustrations. This post is about the Seikos we love the most. We asked our contributors to pick their favorite Seiko of all time, and we think as you read through these selections you’ll find that the thing that ties them all together is a deep personal connection to a watch. That’s what’s at the heart of this hobby, and what makes Seiko so special. We want to know the Seikos that you love the most, so let us know in the comments what you’d pick. Elodie Townsend – Seiko Flightmaster SNA411P1 I can’t hear the name Seiko without getting misty-eyed about the watch that introduced me to the wider world of horology fandom: the Seiko Flightmaster SNA411P1. It’s big, brazenly busy, and admittedly over-packed with features that I would never use (calculus, anyone), but that pop of yellow and the charm of its over-complications make it a joy to wear, use, and show off. My dad got me my “Flighty” as a gift for my 21st birthday years back; when the price hadn...
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Fratello
Back in the ’90s, I got really into watches. I remember sitting across from a guy on the train who was wearing a Rolex Explorer - one without the white gold surrounds on its hour markers, so probably a reference 1016. I asked him about it, and he said he had owned it for a […] Visit Earthen Co.’s New Summit Collection Convinced Me About Ceramic Watches to read the full article.
Time+Tide
From Genta's Offshore gripes to getting Rolex to revive a moonphase, Emmanuel tells all.The post “You killed my Royal Oak!”: Emmanuel Gueit reveals the stories behind his legendary watch designs appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
We live in a golden age of watch knowledge. Never before have so many people known so much about watches, or cared about them so deeply, and it’s genuinely remarkable. Have a specific question about a rare Rolex from 40 or 50 years ago? The answer is probably just a Google search away. Need to check that the watch you’re looking to buy was made in exactly the spec you’re seeing on eBay? There’s almost certainly a forum post somewhere breaking it down for you - no subject is too esoteric, no prompt too singular. There’s enough watch knowledge out there to fill a lifetime, and probably more, if you go looking for it. Then there’s the other… stuff. Open up Instagram and you’ll immediately be inundated by accounts professing to represent ‘watch experts’ peddling surface-level observations as hard-earned insights. Start to absorb enough of this, and it’s easy to convince yourself you should count among them, that you’ve done the real work required to achieve expertise. It’s a trap, and an easy one to fall into at that. Because unless someone in your life brought you into this world, you’re probably the foremost watch expert in your life. You’re almost certainly the one your friends and family come to when (cough, cough… if) they have questions about watches. Just being able to tell the difference between a quartz and a mechanical watch probably puts you in the top quartile of watch knowledge. And if you’re reading articles like this on sites ...
Fratello
When you think of horology houses involved in tennis, the immediate name that comes to mind is Rolex. However, the Genevan watch brand is not the only one active in the sport. Over the past four decades, Rado has actively supported tennis and served as the official timekeeper of numerous tennis tournaments on both the […] Visit Looking Back At Four Decades Of Love For Tennis With the Rado Captain Cook × Tennis LE to read the full article.
Fratello
When people mention Pepsi in the watch world, they refer to the red and blue colors on a GMT or dive bezel. Rolex’s GMT-Master was the first watch with such a bezel, but Seiko also made numerous watches with red and blue bezels. In a surprising turn of events, Seiko has now launched two new […] Visit Introducing The Seiko 5 Sports × Pepsi Limited Editions - Are These The First Watches With Official Pepsi Bezels? to read the full article.
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