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Long considered a low-end production site for accessible timepieces (which is still partially true), the Chinese watch industry is fast changing and evolving in a positive direction. Besides industry giants such as Peacock and Seagull (the latter capable of making split-second chronographs), there’s a burgeoning indie scene that needs to be explored. We can name […]
Monochrome
Watches are built to tell time, but also to impress, and to connect. The Jui is a collaboration between Watch Ho & Co., a Hong Kong-based watch community and club founded by Jackie Ho, and indie brand Selten, and it belongs firmly in the latter category. Created to mark Watch Ho & Co.’s second anniversary, […]
Worn & Wound
It is a global phenomenon: some of the most exclusive independent watch brands have in the last five years created more accessible and more affordable sister brands or collections. These are undoubtedly linked to the main brand thanks to similar design features and a similar spirit. Just look at MB&F; and its M.A.D.Editions in Switzerland, Grönefeld and Grøne in the Netherlands, and Hajime Asaoka with Kurono Tokyo. Their normal offering is in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and now their sister brands offer watches for a few thousand – and you don’t have to wait for years to get a watch. Why are they doing this? What effect does it have on the general perception of the main brand? What are the collectors’ reactions to the more accessible offerings? Occasionally, it goes in the other direction. The Finnish brand Leijona’s Heritage 1907 Collection punches above its weight. It shows that a quartz based, mass market brand can make Swiss Made mechanicals together with a legend like Kari Voutilainen. We’ll get back to that. Just as we’ll get to Swatch’s recent collaborations with its fancier siblings within the Swatch Group. This phenomenon is all but new. Just look at Rolex and Tudor, the latter registered in 1926. “It was exactly the same as what we see today. Rolex founder (Hans) Wilsdorf wanted to offer high-quality watches at more affordable prices,” said watch expert Gianfranco Ritschel. Another example, half a century removed, is Cartie...
Teddy Baldassarre
Before getting into the so-called "Bruce Wayne Rolex," let's establish some context. The Rolex GMT-Master is one of the Crown’s most popular models when it comes to the Professional line. It’s been an icon going back to its release in 1954, born out of a partnership with PanAm (in reality, it was a masterfully executed piece of marketing) that gave way to a new jet-setting, time-zone-malleable timekeeper. Since then, the GMT-Master (now the GMT-Master II, incorporating an even more user-friendly dual-time indication) has stood alongside the Datejust and Submariner as a core icon for the brand. It has also represented a platform for innovation for Rolex, being the first model line to see the brand transition to its “Super Case” format and its use of Cerachrom bezel tech. This paved the way for the introduction of a new, steel GMT-Master II in the late aughts with a black Cerachrom bezel insert, a green GMT hand, and green dial text. This stood for years as the most under-the-radar option for potential GMT-Master II buyers that didn’t feel comfortable slapping on a "Batman" or a "Pepsi." However, like many other popular models, it was discontinued. We saw echoes of its design materialize in form of the “Lefty” GMT, with its bi-color green-and-black bezel and matching green GMT hand. But the “Sprite” didn’t strike the same chord as that discontinued OG. Then the 70th anniversary of the GMT-Master rolled around in 2024, and Rolex surprised us all when it re...
Time+Tide
The Anglo-Swiss brand's two high horology heavy hitters go head to head.The post The C1 Bel Canto versus the C12 Loco – which Christopher Ward are you? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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Monochrome
Unimatic is a relatively young yet popular Milan-based independent watchmaker with a loyal following. Thanks to its minimalist, military-inspired dive watches, the brand has attracted international attention through its own collections and various collaborations, most notably with Massena Lab, where archival design cues met Unimatic’s modern, utilitarian aesthetic. These projects have cemented Unimatic’s reputation as […]
Worn & Wound
While minimalism may be as trendy as ever these days (one look at any modern car interior will tell you that) a lot of brands miss the mark when it comes to balancing that aesthetic with function, or the lack thereof. Not so with Unimatic’s all-new Prodiver line, which promises both a streamlined design language and robust mechanical functionality. But do the watches actually pull it off? Let’s take a deeper dive and find out. Perhaps the biggest factor in Unimatic’s favor here is the Italian brand’s penchant for design cohesiveness across their lineup. Even before taking the new Prodiver into consideration, Unimatic watches share aesthetic hallmarks, namely chunky, round indexes, sans serif typefaces, and symmetrical dial balance. Even models that deviate from this norm, like the UT1 and UT4, which feature hour numerals instead, carry a uniformly round and hardy profile, which gives each Unimatic watch friendly-yet-tough dimensions. This is all personal conjecture, of course, but rarely does a brand manage to maintain consistency in design across their entire lineup quite as well as Unimatic does. Back to the Prodiver, though; like most other watches by the brand, it also bears the signature round indexes, though it adds some legitimate dive watch pedigree, too. Each of the three new Modello Uno models sports a democratically-sized case, measuring at 40mm in diameter and 49mm lug to lug. The case thickness is a healthy 14.4mm with the domed sapphire crystal, and...
Monochrome
Only a few weeks ago, Omega released a new orange-accented edition of what is its most iconic dive watch and one of the brand’s most emblematic models to date, the Seamaster Diver 300M. Part of a comprehensive revamp strategy to restructure the collection and breathe new life into this classic (with new steel, titanium and […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Panda-dial watches - a category of chronographs that derive their nickname from their two-tone dial colorways, generally defined by black subdials on a white main dial - have gone from a niche favorite to a widely popular genre for collectors and enthusiasts, who prize their high-contrast sharpness and legibility. Even in an era of watchmaking when bolder and brighter colorways seem more dominant than ever, there is something about the black-and-white simplicity of pandas, and their mirror-image cousins, the so-called “reverse pandas” (white subdials on black dial), that still strike a chord. Here are 18 of our favorites. Dan Henry 1964 Chronograph Price: $300, Case Size: 38mm, Thickness: 12.9mm, Lug-to-Lug: 44.7mm, Lug Width: 19mm, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Seiko VK63 Mechaquartz A longtime watch collector, and founder of the historical-watch website Timeline Watch, Dan Henry established his eponymous watch brand in 2016, inspired by his extensive collection of vintage pieces to produce contemporary watches with recognizably retro design language. Each Dan Henry watch model is limited and numbered, and named after the year from which it draws its main aesthetic influence. The mechaquartz-powered 1964 Gran Turismo Chronograph brings to mind iconic racing watches born in the ‘60s like the Heuer Carrera and Rolex Daytona, and Dan Henry makes it in both 36mm and 38mm case sizes, with either a two- or three-register dial design, with o...
Worn & Wound
Rado’s participation in the Mubadala Citi DC Open has become a late summer tradition. Now in its third year, the descent of tennis fans (and a handful of watch media types) into Rock Creek Park is a sign that summer’s days are numbered, and the US Open prep is becoming serious. On the weekend of this year’s DC Open, you’d be forgiven for thinking summer was never ending. Blisteringly hot and muggy with humidity one minute, drenched in torrential downpours the next, it’s enough to make you wonder why anyone thought our nation’s capital should be built on a swamp in the first place. Photo courtesy Rado In any event, the annual tradition that’s been forming over these last few years with Rado extends to the release of a new, limited edition watch. I was fortunate enough to see their latest, the Rado Captain Cook x Tennis Limited Edition, in DC just a few weeks ago. The new LE makes use of the smaller, 39mm Captain Cook case to great effect. This is a compact, easy to wear dive watch that’s on the elegant side of sporty, which seems appropriate for a watch associated with tennis. A dive watch associated with tennis is, of course, a bit incongruous, even taking into consideration the downpours we experienced at this year’s Open. But with the beads-of-rice style bracelet and a smaller form factor, this version of the Captain Cook blends in nicely in a more elevated environment. There are little design cues throughout this Captain Cook that reference tennis in...
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Monochrome
Named after a mythical Norse blacksmith, Völund, and the best-preserved Viking blade, the Fullerö Sword, we’re looking here at a truly spellbinding watch. The inspiration for the Fullerö Sword comes from an ancient Viking blade, found in Fullerö, Sweden, in 1969. To this day, it remains the best-preserved Viking sword ever to be found and […]
Monochrome
The luxury watch industry is facing a period of uncertainty: global economic headwinds, shifting consumer behaviours, and escalating tariffs have all taken a toll. China, once the growth engine for the luxury watch industry, continues to falter. Meanwhile, the U.S. market – though long resilient – now faces the effects of rising tariffs… In this […]
Time+Tide
Is the A Matter of Time gang here to dethrone The Crown in episode 3?!The post A Matter of Time Episode 03: Is Rolex overrated? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
While it’s pleasing to see, wear or use something familiar, to some it’s not enough. Venturing beyond the beaten track, there’s ample joy to be found in things that break the mould, rewrite the rulebook, or throw it out altogether. This can be applied to the ever-popular mechanical chronograph watch, which usually has a bi- […]
Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Last Original Client For most people with an interest in architecture, the best you can do with respect to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright is to admire his buildings from afar, or perhaps get the guided tour experience if you visit his most famous pieces. Obviously, far fewer people actually get to live in the homes he designed, and fewer still are alive today that can tell you what it was like to work with the architect during the building process. This wonderful piece in NPR puts a spotlight on Roland Reisley, who recently turned 101 years old. He is, according to NPR, the last surviving original client of Frank Lloyd Wright, and he still lives in the home he designed. He’s been at the residence in Westchester County, NY for over 70 years, and has become a bit of a Frank Lloyd Wright scholar in that time. This one’s a must read for anyone with an interest in architecture. Huckberry Opens Shop: Brick & Mortar in Georgetown For over 14 years, the team at Huckberry has worked to curate a collection of clothing, gear, and home accessories like no other. While their offerings have drawn the attention of many, you were only able to shop online or...
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Monochrome
Few countries can hold a candle to the Italians when it comes to cars. With brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and so on, there’s no shortage of four-wheeled beauties. Just mention names like Bertone, Pininfarina, Zagato, Ghia, Giugiaro, and the hearts of most Petrolheads will start racing with excitement. It’s no wonder, then, […]
Worn & Wound
Sherpa has announced a pair of new Ultradive references, expanding their core dive watch line. Sherpa launched in 2021 with a relatively narrow focus, which is honestly something I appreciate in a time period where too many watch brands want to be all things to all people. They make extremely specific dive watches, with compressor cases, and infuse each watch with principles of Buddhism literally built into the movement (the brand’s founder, Martin Klocke, is a practicing Buddhist). The new Ultradive watches, the Tuxedo and the Atoll, bring some variety to the collection without changing things up too dramatically. Before getting into the specifics of each watch, it’s important to step back a bit and familiarize ourselves with the compressor case concept. It’s a technology that has been nearly lost to time as manufacturing has improved across the board and creating highly water resistant watches has, in general, become easier. But it’s an important part of dive watch history and watchmaking history in general. These cases, originally developed by Ervin Piquerez SA (otherwise known as EPSA), essentially employed a specially designed caseback that would seal under light pressure when not submerged in water, but under increasing pressure, the seal would become tighter and tighter. These cases rather ingeniously used the force of the water pressure against the case to its own benefit. Over the years, several versions of this EPSA case were developed, and Sherpa has a...
Teddy Baldassarre
Any listing of the best world time watches on the market today is best prefaced by explaining the difference between this type of travel watch and the more common GMT watches category. Whereas a GMT watch is designed to simultaneously display the time in both a traveler's local time zone and his or her home time zone, a world-time watch allows its wearer to quickly glimpse the time in numerous other time zones across the world in addition to the local and home time, often in visually spectacular fashion with globe-themed dial designs. Here we've found 25 world-time watches that are worthy of your notice, with price tags ranging from eminently affordable (Tissot, Ball, Nomos) to exclusive and expensive (Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe). Unlike our roundup of GMTs, we didn't disqualify watches with additional complications but we did err on the side of watches more recently introduced to the market. And you'll be happy to discover a few of them that you can purchase directly from our online store. (In the case of the limited editions showcased here, some of which may now be available only on the secondary market, prices listed reflect the MSRP at the time of release.) A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone Price: On Request, Case size: 41.9mm, Thickness: 10.9mm, Lug Width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Manually Wound L121.3 The now-iconic Lange 1 has been the flagship of the reconstituted A. Lange & Söhne brand since its introdu...
Worn & Wound
I purchased my first Arcanaut, the Arc II Fordite, on April 29, 2023. I know the exact date thanks in part to Instagram, where I documented the acquisition, as one does, at that year’s Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco. In the two years and change that I’ve owned the Arc II, my fondness for it has only grown, and Arcanaut has become, to put it plainly, one of my very favorite watch brands. I wrote a pretty thorough review of the Arc II a few months after buying it, and scrolling through it today I really can’t see any particular assertion I’d take back now that I’ve lived with it for even longer. But I thought two years would be a good time return to the watch and evaluate it again, this time in context with another Arcanaut that I added to my collection at the end of last year: the Experimental Arc II Tiger Sh’arc. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zach Kazan (@zkazan) The first thing I’ll say here about the Tiger Sh’arc is how unlikely, under normal circumstances, that I’d choose to own one. I don’t have a strict “no duplicates” rule when it comes to keeping multiple watches from a single brand in my collection, but it’s something I’m a bit leery of. As someone who generally speaking prioritizes variety and originality in my watchbox, owning two or more watches by one maker ultimately seems like a waste of (my) resources. My philosophy has always been that I want to experience as much as possible. How different could one Arc ...
Monochrome
It’s mind-boggling to think that Bulgari’s legion of Octo Finissimo watches has conquered the landscape of ultra-thin watches with ten world records in just 11 years. Equally impressive is the Octo Finissimo’s potent cocktail of horological virtuosity and contemporary Italian style. While the Octo Finissimo Skeleton 8 Days did not break any ultra-thin records, it […]
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Time+Tide
Russell took a tour of the fun-loving Mr. Jones workshop in South London to find out what makes this creative brand tick. The post Inside the artistic world of Mr. Jones Watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
While most of you are familiar with Sarpaneva, the indie watch company created by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva, his other brand, S.U.F Helsinki, is slightly more confidential. Standing for Sarpaneva Uhren Fabrik, said to be “Finland, through and through,” S.U.F Helsinki is Stepan’s vision to explore simpler, sportier and more accessible watches… but still inspired by his […]
SJX Watches
Part I of our story on the evolution of hairspring materials covered temperature compensation along with the development of the first specialised balance spring alloy, Elinvar. The story brought us to the 1920s, when scientist and horologist Charles-Edouard Guillaume (1861-1938) finished his work on nickel-iron alloys and watchmakers begun embracing Elinvar springs paired with mono-metallic balances. In this second part we turn to newer hairspring alloys, like the now-ubiquitous Nivarox. Then we look at today’s landscape and the future, touching on research done by the Swatch Group with alternative, niobium-based alloys and also the specialised but obscure Seiko SPRON 610 hairspring. Lastly we discuss silicon springs, which are growing more prevalent across a range of timepieces. Elinvar’s weaknesses Elinvar was by far the greatest breakthrough in self-compensating alloy hairsprings at the time. Guillaume considered Elinvar good enough and not needing further improvement - unsurprisingly since he was its inventor - but other watchmakers and engineers continued to experiment with iron-nickel compounds because Elinvar’s inherent properties made it a good, but imperfect, material. Even though the alloy behaved predictably with temperature changes, its physical properties were not ideal to begin with. Elinvar was a soft metal, which posed its own suite of problems for spring applications. The importance of softness in terms of hairspring performance is not related ...
Teddy Baldassarre
Back in 2016 Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Reverso Tribute collection to celebrate the 85th anniversary of their iconic reversible rectangular-cased watch. Last year they added four new Reverso watches to this collection, two of which finally get us back to a case size that is nearly identical to that of the original Reverso from 1931. The Reverso has been a canvass for so many of JLC’s designs and watchmaking innovations over the years but I have to say it is so nice to get back to the basics with a legitimately unisex size and a monoface dial. As nice as the duoface Reversos are, the watch was conceived for polo players who wanted to protect their watch while leaving room for some personalization on the enclosed side. Here I am looking at the Reverso Tribute Monoface in steel with a blue dial, though it is also available in a white dial version. JLC Reverso History The year is 1931: Herbert Hoover is President, the Empire State Building in New York City is nearing completion, and the Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as America’s National Anthem. Of course, something entirely different is going on in the world of Swiss watchmaking when businessman and watch distributor Cesar de Trey attends a polo match while traveling in India. He notices one of the players watch crystal shattered while playing so he he pitched an idea to one of his colleagues who just happened to be Jacques-David LeCoultre. LeCoultre enlisted his partner Edmond Jaeger and the rest is, as they say,...
Worn & Wound
It’s time to say goodbye. As the poet Rose once said, “nothin’ lasts forever, and we both know hearts can change.” That watch you once lusted after, saved for, and finally bought has run its course. It’s time to let it go, as sad as that might seem. You no longer reach for it in the morning. You no longer post it to Instagram. It has been absent from recent meetups, making room for newer pieces. It just sits there, reminding you of who you used to be. Once, you thought, this is it, I’ve found my one and only. A watch that represents me: my specific tastes and knowledge. It says, “I’m no casual watch fan,” but it isn’t flashy either. You’re an enthusiast, not a hype beast. This watch is for you, and those like you. A badge that says “I’m an insider.” You still like the watch and feel proud to own it, but you have to face the fact that you’ve outgrown it or changed altogether. you know the time has come You stop and think, “it’s not fair to the watch. A watch like this shouldn’t be collecting dust in a box or living its life in the darkness of a drawer.” You want to set it free. You say to yourself, “Hey, maybe there is someone who was just like me X years ago when I first bought it.” Younger, bright-eyed, still discovering who they are, horologically speaking. Maybe this watch can do for them what it did for you. After all, it wasn’t easy to get. You spent time finding it, waiting for the right reference in the right condition to ...
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