Results for The Dirty Dozen

A Case for the Royal Oak and Other Hot Takes on Audemars Piguet’s First Semester Novelties

I’ve been a freelance journalist for 14 years, and while watches have been part of my repertoire since the beginning, I didn’t fully niche into the horological sphere until 2018. One of the assignments I consider to be a breakout story that really gave my career in the watch world momentum came a year later in 2019. At the time, I was writing for The Hour Glass, and I had the opportunity to cover the inauguration of the Gérald Genta Heritage Association. In my then seven-year journey ascending to full horological obsession, I had come to revere Genta as one of the most influential figures in the history of watchmaking, and, in particular, I was charmed by the story of how the Royal Oak came to be. Yes, I have since referenced, been told, and retold the tale dozens of times over, but for me, Genta and the creation of the Royal Oak – the moment that arguably gave his career in the watch world momentum – will never get old and forever hold a special place in my heart.  With that said, I’m here to share my hands-on experience with Audemars Piguet’s first semester novelties thanks to a recent trip to AP House in downtown New York City. Among them are several new versions of the Royal Oak, and while none of these are the frontrunner of the lineup, they still bear recognition in my humble opinion. Yes, I will have to respectfully disagree with my Editorial Director Zach Kazan’s opinion piece defining the Royal Oak as “a pure flex.” Sure, like countless luxury ...

New: Parmigiani Tonda PF Automatic 36mm stainless steel Alta Rosa

Parmigiani releases a new reference as an extension to its smallest Tonda PF 36mm case. Now in a rost tone pink dial which they call Alta Rosa.

Rolex Land-Dweller surprise reveal + Credor, Cartier & more - Zach’s 3-WATCH THROW DOWN

Zach drops a bombshell: a brand-new Rolex Land-Dweller 36, kept secret for a full month. Can Andrew win this 3-Watch Throw Down?The post Rolex Land-Dweller surprise reveal + Credor, Cartier & more - Zach’s 3-WATCH THROW DOWN appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing - Lebois & Co Heritage Sector Chronograph Aventurine

Indie brand Lebois & Co expands its Heritage collection with the Heritage Sector Chronograph Aventurine, a new version of the brand’s vintage-inspired chronograph distinguished by a textured aventurine dial and a revised sector-style layout. The watch also debuts a better naming structure within the brand’s catalogue, with “Heritage Sector” becoming the designation for Lebois & […]

Hands-On With The Zenith Defy Revival A3643

During LVMH Watch Week in Milan, I was especially interested in the new Zenith releases. It is no secret that I love Zenith. The brand has managed to amaze me time and again with releases that combine the best in watch design with its legendary calibers. To my surprise, for this year’s LVMH Watch Week, […] Visit Hands-On With The Zenith Defy Revival A3643 to read the full article.

Hanhart Introduces a Pair of Desert Inspired Limited Edition Chronos

Despite frequently being (in my opinion, falsely) labeled as a boring, neutral color, beige has been making a splash across the watch world recently. When paired with the right auxiliary colors, beige can appear adventurous, rugged, and even classy, in the right circumstances. Perhaps I’m biased, as my 1983 Volvo 240 DL sports a handsome Rose Beige exterior, but it really is one of the most versatile colors, especially when paired with the right contrasting shades. One of beige’s best applications is in vintage-inspired timepieces, and Hanhart has jumped on the retro field watch trend with their latest, the 417 TI Desert Pilot Limited Edition, available in 39 and 42mm case sizes.  Hanhart has long been known for their military-style sport watches, and across the German brand’s 144-year history, they’ve had no shortage of classically-styled pilot watch variants. The 417 TI Desert Pilot combines sharp legibility thanks to black details on the beige dial, with robust functionality and case construction. Both sizes sport a Grade 5 titanium case with a matte finish, giving the watch a rugged, utilitarian look; this is furthered by the crown at 3 o’clock, flanked by two pushers that control the dual chronographs on the dial, positioned at 3 and 9 respectively. The hand-wound, Sellita-based AMT 5100 caliber movement is responsible for the flyback column-wheel chronograph functionality, and is visible through an exhibition caseback, which feels unusual but not unwelcome...

Hands-On With The Remarkable Leica ZM 1 And ZM 2

The name Leica often comes up in the Fratello office. Usually, it’s in reference to its famous cameras, but ever since the German brand introduced its first mechanical watches, we’ve also begun associating it with horology. This shows how closely connected mechanical watchmaking and photography are. In both, high-precision instruments are vital, and Leica certainly […] Visit Hands-On With The Remarkable Leica ZM 1 And ZM 2 to read the full article.

Swatch Group Responds to Morgan Stanley Report in Open Letter

Hands-On With The Exciting New March LA.B AM2 “Nyctalope” Carbon

March LA.B initially caught my eye with the release of its AM2 GMT Grall Edition in 2024. But the French brand has been around for much longer than just a few years. It is the brainchild of three friends - Alain Marhic, Jérôme Mage, and Joseph Châtel. They share a passion for surfing and 1970s […] Visit Hands-On With The Exciting New March LA.B AM2 “Nyctalope” Carbon to read the full article.

Ruby Resonance from Armin Strom

Independent watchmaker Armin Strom has upgraded its flagship complication with a precious stone dial. The Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby is a five-piece limited edition with a dial cut from natural ruby. Initial thoughts Armin Strom is arguably the second-most prominent watchmaker (after F.P. Journe) to successfully bring “resonance” watches to market. We extensively covered the subject of coupled oscillator watches recently, which examines Armin Strom’s unique approach to achieving this mysterious effect.  Within this narrow niche, Armin Strom’s Mirrored Force series is certainly the broadest collection of resonance watches on the market, with multiple movements and many variations exploiting the almost magic coupling between two sprung balances. This new limited edition employs the familiar in-house caliber ARF21, which connects the two hairspring by a long, swivelling blade spring - dubbed the Resonance Clutch Spring. While the movement is certainly well known, this particular iteration of the watch is quite surprising: a thin slice of natural ruby serves as the dial, with all the imperfections and liveliness of a natural mineral.  Using a ruby dial is not only aesthetically appealing but poetic for a mechanical watch. The jewels serving as bearings inside every movement are synthetic rubies - a fancy sort of industrial mineral glass. The uneven bright pink and violet shades of the Mirrored Force Resonance Ruby’s dial assure us there is nothing artificial...

New: Gerald Charles Masterlink Boutique Edition

Gerald Charles extends their Masterlink collection with a new model in a black dial. This edition is a boutique only special..

Hands On: Breguet Expérimentale 1

The Expérimentale 1 debuted last year as the capstone to the first quarter-millennium of the house of Breguet. We attended the launch event and shared immediate hands-on impressions, but watches like this don’t come along every day, or even every year, so it’s worth a fresh look now that some time has passed and the dust has settled. On paper, the Expérimentale 1 arguably represents the highest form of the mechanical watch. To understand the technical details of what makes the watch so groundbreaking, this in-depth analysis should be considered required reading. In short, the cal. 7250 housed within introduces the first-ever contactless mechanical escapement that simultaneously achieves two feats that Abraham-Louis Breguet himself toiled to accomplish throughout his entire career, namely, an oil-free escapement and stable amplitude. The Expérimentale 1 delivers both, and more. That said, as a wristwatch the Expérimentale 1 is tantalisingly imperfect owing to its polarising design. In fairness, this arguably says more about the difficultly of communicating technical breakthroughs to a non-technical public than it does about the design process at Breguet. It could also be the result of Breguet learning lessons from its own past. A modern (Marine) chronometer The Expérimentale 1 is most notable for its novel escapement and what it signals about the future direction of the brand, but it’s also worth analysing the updated Marine-style case, which is the most challeng...

Citizen Promaster Aqualand Review: The Most High-Tech Diver

The Citizen Promaster Aqualand 200M Depth Meter is part of a long tradition of dive-watch innovation but is also a model distinct from the rest of its peers. Japan’s Citizen Watch Co. has been making watches for more than 100 years, and started making purpose-built watches or divers in the early 1980s. Since then, Citizen has been expanding the variety of styles, functionalities, and even movement types available in its dive watches, which have become a significant pillar of the brand’s rather large product portfolio.  [toc-section heading="A Brief History of Citizen Dive Watches"] The Japanese watchmaker, today renowned for technical innovations like Super Titanium, satellite-controlled timekeeping, and its signature solar-driven Eco-Drive movement technology, was an early contributor to making wristwatches waterproof. It released the Parawater, regarded as the first “water-resistant” Japanese watch, in 1959 - several years before its main Japanese rival, Seiko, released its first dedicated diver’s watch, the . Parawater watches (as above) were waterproof to 50 meters of depth, an impressive feat for the era, and they were the forerunners of Citizen’s contemporary line of dive watches, which began in the 1960s but really kicked into gear with the release of the Promaster Marine in 1982. (Citizen dive watches, despite their diversity, all fall under the “Promaster” category today.) That same year, Citizen released its 1300m Professional Diver’s Watch, ...

Is the COSC Excellence Chronometer Certification late to the party? Or just what the watch world needs?

Andrew O'Connor interrogates who and what COSC's stricter new chronometer certification is actually intended for.The post Is the COSC Excellence Chronometer Certification late to the party? Or just what the watch world needs? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing - Mother-of-Pearl Dials for the Czapek Antarctique S Ice Cloud and Promenade Midnight Pearl

Among the incredible variety of materials used to decorate dials, mother-of-pearl is an all-time favourite. Obtained from the inner lining of oyster and mollusc shells, mother-of-pearl is a captivating, naturally iridescent material that adds a unique shimmer to dials. Working with GT Cadrans, a specialist Swiss dial manufacturer, Czapek embellishes its Antarctique S and Promenade […]

Hands-On With The Rado Anatom Automatic Skeleton

It’s time for a short confession: generally, I am not the biggest fan of skeletonized watches. While I greatly appreciate the possibility of witnessing a caliber in action, I much prefer to see it in action through a sapphire display in the case back. It’s purely an aesthetic thing because, as a design fanatic, I […] Visit Hands-On With The Rado Anatom Automatic Skeleton to read the full article.

TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 X Formula 1 Edition: The Smartwatch Built for F1 Fans

As the F1 season for 2026 is about to get underway, official timing partner TAG Heuer has released a special Connected Calibre E5 X Formula 1 edition that puts you right in the action! What We Love 45 mm case size is perfect for a fitness-oriented smart watch for those with average and above wrists The ability to customise the interface and displays Interconnectivity with the F1 app – perfect for F1 fans What We Don’t Spoiler alerts if you want to watch the races after they have run (like I do) Smart watches are not for everyone, so consider if this is for you It is not designed for smaller wrists, but the 40 mm Connected range fills this void now Overall Score: 8.9 / 10 Value for Money: 9/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 The Formula 1 season is upon us again, and 2026 marks TAG Heuer’s second year as the sport’s official timing partner. To kick off the season, which starts next week in Melbourne, TAG Heuer has released a special edition Connected E5 smartwatch designed with Formula One fans in mind. Based on the new Connected E5 45mm models released last year, this isn’t just a cosmetic redesign. The watch delivers real-time Formula One data, giving fans up-to-date information throughout the season and across each race weekend via a direct link with the F1 App and the FIA. The new TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 x F1 Edition First Impressions I reviewed the Connected E5 last year in the 40 mm case size, and it proved excellent for track...

Seiko and HUF Revisit the Playful and Affordable Time Sonar

Seiko and American streetwear brand HUF team up to reimagine a classic from Seiko’s back catalogue with the affordable Seiko 5 Sports HUF Limited Edition. Inspired by Seiko’s Time Sonar flyback chronographs from the 1970s, the sunburst translucent dials have been given a new look in HUF green that works particularly well with the sonar theme. Initial thoughts Seiko’s latest streetwear collaboration is with HUF, an American brand founded by professional skateboarder-turned-fashion designer Keith Hufnagel. This is Seiko’s fourth outing with HUF, following a trio of diver-style “5KX” limited editions. The dial is inspired by a pair of Time Sonar flyback chronographs with translucent plastic dials that Seiko sold during the 1970s. Despite not being a chronograph, the design is essentially the same as the original, which also had only three hands despite being a chronograph. The Seiko 7015-6010. It initially came with a compass that attached to the strap – most were lost with time. Image – Seiko Design 140 In its original chronograph format, the user could leave the Time Sonar’s chronograph running to act as a sweep seconds hand while reducing wear on the vertical clutch, and a flyback function enabled immediate timing of intervals up to one minute. In this sense, the unusual functionality was similar to that of the more recent Patek Philippe ref. 5975. Seiko offered the originals with brown and blue-green translucent dials (meant to appeal to teenagers) which...

Zodiac and GiantMouse Collaborate on a Unique Super Sea Wolf and Dive Knife Set

We’ve discussed the connection between watches and knives at length in these pages, and I think at this point it’s pretty clear why the overlap between knife and EDC enthusiasts and watch collectors is so strong. There’s a clear shared interest in well made things between both communities, and a sense that the tools you carry with you and wear matter in a way that’s both practical and sentimental. Given all that, it’s perhaps a little surprising that we don’t see more releases like this collaboration between Zodiac and GiantMouse Knives, which seeks to make that connection explicit rather than simply implied.  The GiantMouse x Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Watch and Dive Knife set consists of, well, a Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Pro Diver and a dive knife created by GiantMouse for this specific release. The origin of the collaboration rests with GiantMouse founder Jim Worth, who connected with the Zodiac team at a Windup Watch Fair event, where the seeds of a collaborative project were planted. If you’ve had a chance to talk to Jim at a Windup event or elsewhere, you know that he’s not just playing a watch guy at our shows – he’s a true enthusiast. He’s particularly interested in vintage dive and sports watches, and a vintage Zodiac in a similar color way provided the inspiration for this release.  We’ll start with the watch. The Super Sea Wolf Pro Diver is a 42mm stainless steel diver with 300 meters of water resistance, and this edition features a black dial,...

Porsche’s “perfect-spec” 911 might also have the perfect Porsche Design Chronograph to date

The Porsche 911 GT3 Touring is the perfect combination of luxury and performance, and its associated flyback chrono is similarly specced.The post Porsche’s “perfect-spec” 911 might also have the perfect Porsche Design Chronograph to date appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing - Mido’s Accessible Multifort 8 One Crown Integrated Sports Watch Gets a Two-Tone Look

With the Multifort 8 One Crown, Mido turned its angular, integrated-sports model, the Multifort 8 Two Crowns, into a more streamlined, more versatile watch. The collection now expands with a two-tone edition that keeps the fundamentals that define the One Crown. Rose gold-coloured accents provide this latest version with a slightly softer, lifestyle-oriented character; the […]

First Look - The New Ulysse Nardin Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2

Collaborations between watch brands and lifestyle events are frequent, some have become commonplace, and a few feel naturally coherent. Gumball 3000 is one of them. Since its launch in 1999, the 3,000-mile rally has become a moving (quite literally) platform for performance, individuality and spectacle, rather than a traditional competition; this year, the 100 selected […]

The ABCs of Time - The Top Five Countries Where Watchmaking Reigns Supreme

There was a time when America was one of the dominant horological countries, from the mid-19th to the early 20th century. That’s no longer the case, of course, but there’s been a small yet impressive comeback in the high-end space from RGM Watch Company, J.N. Shapiro and Keaton P. Myrick, among others. Switzerland is synonymous […]

An untold history of Tudor military watches

With a spread of vintage Tudor military pieces laid out before a room full of devoted enthusiasts, James Dowling guides us through them.The post An untold history of Tudor military watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Best Outdoor Watches For Every Budget

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...