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Monochrome
Looking back at the history of watchmaking, there are some inevitable names to be mentioned: Abraham-Louis Breguet, John Harrison, Thomas Mudge, John Arnold, Antide Janvier, Jean-Marc Vacheron and Christiaan Huygens, just to name a few. Moving up North, in the city of Copenhagen, to be precise, we have to talk about one of the most […]
Worn & Wound
If you’ve opened Instagram or TikTok in the last few weeks, there’s a very good chance you’ve seen the “Propaganda I’m Not Falling For” trend served up to you in one way or another. The format is relatively straightforward, and involves a creator listing the sacred cows in his or her particular area of expertise that they refuse to buy into. The watch community, of course, is filled with conventional wisdom, ideas passed from collector to collector, rarely if ever questioned. As I encountered these social media clips over the last week, I couldn’t help but think of the watch world propaganda, as it were, that we all just seem to take at face value. Here, then, are four principles I think are ripe for questioning. There are a lot more – credit here to Ben’s Watches and Pulse on the Wrist for being first out of the gate among watch industry personalities to participate. Be sure to let us know in the comments what watch related propaganda you refuse to accept. A Vintage Watch Must Be Unpolished and All Original Let’s get the most controversial one out of the way first. When I started collecting watches, it was an era when it was still relatively easy and straightforward to buy a nice, honest vintage watch on eBay for not a lot of money. Times have changed. The best examples, watches that are truly unpolished and all original, are harder and harder to find, and eBay is filled with watches that have been passed around and sold by pro dealers and amat...
Teddy Baldassarre
How well do you know your luxury watch brands? The timepiece industry is populated by many dozens of companies - a handful of them still independent, many others now members of a larger luxury-goods conglomerate - each with its own unique origin story, historical highlights, and technical and aesthetic brand DNA. Here we've gathered what we consider the 60 watch brands that should be on the radar of watch enthusiasts and given you a brief rundown of what makes each one special. In the interest of being informative (and transparent), we've divided them into sections: brands owned by the two major Swiss luxury groups (Swatch and Richemont), brands within the French LVMH Group, Japanese Citizen Group, and the small Swiss concern Sowind; the largest, best-known independent companies, and the leading brands among the rest of the independents. We've even added a little tidbit of trivia for each brand. TOP LUXURY WATCH BRANDS: SWATCH GROUP BLANCPAIN Blancpain was founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, making it one of the oldest watch brands in existence - one of the few, in fact, that can say it’s been making watches longer than the United States has been a country. The maison offers a plethora of small and high complications in its extensive and elegant Villeret collection, named for the Swiss village where it originated before moving to the Vallee de Joux in 1983, including a so-called “complete” calendar, a signature complication but these days Blancpain ...
Worn & Wound
For the sixth year in a row, Oris has launched a watch on the anniversary of their founding. The Hölstein Edition watches, which debut each year on June 1, are an opportunity for Oris to celebrate their heritage, release a watch that’s perhaps a little outside the box, and have some fun in the process. Previous Hölstein Editions include an Aquis diver with a bold purple dial, the revival of a classic complication, and, most recently, an unusual and very cool blacked out edition of their classic Divers Sixty-FIve. A throughline through these watches is the appearance of the Oris Bear, and for this year’s Hölstein Edition we get a particularly fun cameo from the brand’s mascot via a fully lumed dial. This year’s watch is a fresh take on the ProPilot, Oris’s contemporary, aviation inspired watch. For this limited edition (as with previous Hölstein Editions, this one is limited to 250 pieces) the stainless steel case has been given an aggressive black DLC treatment. It’s still, of course, unmistakably a ProPilot, with the hallmark fluted bezel and the gently curved 41mm case. This is much more than a blacked out ProPilot, though. Oris is having a lot of fun with the dial, giving it a full lume treatment that appears white in the daylight and glows green in the dark when the luminescent material is activated. The Arabic numerals, dial text, and hands are all in matte black, which makes the dial easy to read in both well lit situations and, importantly, in the ...
Hodinkee
A look at the past, present, and future of spaceflight with the Omega Speedmaster.
SJX Watches
Although Francois-Paul Journe is best known for his inventions like the Tourbillon Remontoir d’Egalite and Resonance, not to mention the whole suite of Octa models, the Chronomètre Souverain was also arguably one of his brand’s foundational models. This year F.P. Journe is marking two decades of the watch with the Chronomètre Souverain 20th Anniversary, which is essentially the original in new dress – the dial is now dark blue with applied gold numerals. Initial thoughts When the Chronomètre Souverain debuted in 2005 – the same year as the Breguet Tradition that was recently revived – it was novel and exciting; I remember the buzz amongst enthusiasts then. The F.P. Journe brand was barely six years old. The Chronomètre Souverain was then one of the rare few time-only watches from an independent watchmaker, and it had an all-new movement to boot. Today it is less exciting for sure, but the movement remains surprising novel for a basic calibre. As an entry-level watch, the Chronomètre Souverain remains excellent (even if availability is an obstacle). Although the Chronomètre Souverain is the simplest mechanical F.P. Journe watch, the cal. 1304 inside still retains the technical hallmarks of the brand, namely elegant, concise engineering and symmetry. Clever touches include the “invisible” gear train; only the regulator and barrels are visible on the main plate. From its conception, the cal. 1304 was conceived for chronometry. The utility and strength of t...
SJX Watches
While the invention of the spiral hairspring by Christiaan Huygens in 1675 kickstarted a revolution in terms of portable precision timekeeping, the concept was far from fully developed. It was arguably only with the later invention of the overcoil hairspring that the ideal oscillator in portable watches emerged. For many years horologists - theoreticians and artisans alike - worked to perfect the balance-hairspring assembly to optimise its performance, notably in terms of isochronism. True isochronism became a sort of holy grail for watchmakers all around the world, who all sought to ameliorate the inherent quirks of the sprung oscillator. The recent Breguet Soucription features an overcoil hairspring of non-magnetic Nivachron alloy The need for end curves The quest for isochronism was a true challenge for horologists. Isochronism is the ability of the balance-hairspring assembly the have the same period of oscillation for small and large amplitudes alike. In other words, the balance oscillation takes the same period of time regardless of the degree travelled. This is very important, since a balance usually swings with high amplitude with a fully wound mainspring and then runs at progressively smaller amplitude as the barrel unwinds. As a timepiece is required to keep good time regardless of its winding state, an oscillator whose period is independent from its amplitude is needed. (Another solution to this is to optimise the energy delivery from the mainspring with a...
Fratello
More than a platinum creation with an ice-blue dial, the combination of yellow gold and green is the ultimate expression of Rolex luxury. Luscious and alluring yellow gold dates back to ancient civilizations, and green is the brand’s signature color, often used in a celebratory way, that puts Rolex connoisseurs on high alert. Mix the […] Visit Hands-On: The New Yellow Gold Rolex Daytona With A Green Dial - Don’t Call It The “John Mayer II” to read the full article.
SJX Watches
As the Hong Kong auctions have wrapped, we move to the final sales of the spring season in New York City. Phillips will offer a healthy mix of new and old, common and rare, across 144 lots. The sale includes many of the expected top-of-the-line offerings, with the headline lot a Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in yellow gold, and staples like a pair of ref. 5004s. But there are plenty of interesting watches to be down catalog too, including some fresh faces and value buys. Highlights include the best of English watchmaking made by Charles Frodsham a century apart, the auction debut of American independent Keaton Myrick, an unusual F.P. Journe Résonance, along with a Cartier pocket watch made by complications specialist THA. We round up these and a few more from The New York Watch Auction: XII, which takes place from June 7-8, 2025. The full catalogue is available on Phillips.com. Lot 11 – A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph “2022 Best of Show, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este” Since 2012, A. Lange & Söhne has been a sponsor of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, a classic car shown that takes place in spring on the picturesque shores of Lake Como. Each year, the owner of the event’s best car is presented with a unique Lange watch. While past winners have received a fairly conventional Lange 1 Time Zone, the brand upgraded the prize in recent years to a striking 1815 Chronograph. In 2022, the winner was Andrew Pisker with a Bugatti 57 S from 1937. He received th...
Hodinkee
Adding a bit of luminous levity to a black and white design.
Deployant
We discuss what is an independent watch brand, and make recommendations with 3 picks each from Robin, Stanley, and Peter to start your journey.
Monochrome
If you’re like me, passionate about watches and Formula 1, I’m pretty sure you’re eyeballing the wrists of drivers, team principals and mechanics to see what they’re wearing. Some of them have a strong reputation for their wrist game, such as Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff. And since there has been an almost complete reshuffle for official […]
Fratello
Last year, Citizen debuted a series of Super Titanium chronographs with integrated bracelets. The watches were received well for their looks and affordability. Since then, the brand has formally changed the names of these chronographs to Zenshin Senkei. Four more references now join the collection, but as we’ll see, new colors are only a part […] Visit Introducing: The Edgy New Citizen Zenshin Senkei Chronographs to read the full article.
Time+Tide
We all know and love Seiko and Casio, but what about lesser-known, but equally as amazing brands from Japan?The post 17 of the best Japanese watch brands from rugged value to Dufour-praiseworthy wonders appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
In part one, we cover everything there is to know about the ref. 2497, its dials, cases, and general design history.
Fratello
The Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09 is a limited edition of just nine watches, and it’s the result of bringing together one Slovak and two Czech watch-loving parties. Young Slovak watch brand Biatec started its operations in 2016. Chronoshop has been in business since 2007, and journalist Jan Lidmaňský has been writing about watches for 20 […] Visit Introducing: The Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09 With A Color-Changing Embossed Dial to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Being able to track multiple time zones at once is both practical and romantic - here are some of the best watches that can.The post 12 of the best GMT watches for tracking the time all around the globe appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Ollech & Wajs is a brand that is not covered all that often. There is much to like, though, when one starts to investigate the brand’s history as well as its current offerings. Indeed, it is a brand that resonates with me. Something about Ollech & Wajs’s no-nonsense tool-watch designs and rich past makes for […] Visit How Ollech & Wajs Watches Contributed To A 1960s Arctic Diving Expedition to read the full article.
Fratello
Artem unveils four new colors for its range of Signature Nylon watch straps. These colors - Burgundy, Sandstone, Atlantic Blue, and Khaki Green - arrive in time for the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season. With a choice of brushed, polished, or black DLC-coated hardware in either 19–20mm or 21–22mm widths, the straps offer a tremendous variety […] Visit Artem Drops Some Fresh Colors For Its Signature Nylon Watch Straps to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Simplicity and elegance. So much so that it may have flown under your radar.
Monochrome
Mido, a mid-level brand owned by the Swatch Group, is well known for its capacity to deliver solid horological content at a fair price, but also with a rather cool sense of design. Check the recent Ocean Star 39 and you’ll have a great idea of what we’re talking about. Another watch that always made […]
Fratello
Breitling and Fratello hosted an event at the brand’s beautiful boutique in The Hague a few weeks ago. During this event, guests could try out the new Breitling Top Time B01 models, including the new Martini Racing edition. To boost the event, Breitling arranged for a Lancia Delta HF in Martini execution to serve as […] Visit Photo Report: Fratello × Breitling Martini Evening to read the full article.
Monochrome
Bell & Ross, with its extensive range of highly graphic pilots’ watches inspired by cockpit instruments, consolidated its identity with the BR-01 and BR-03 references (and subsequent derivations). Moving from high-altitude missions to underwater adventures, in 2017, Bell & Ross adapted its archetypal “circle in a square” aesthetic to create the BR-03 Diver, a 300m […]
Fratello
It’s Friday, and we are back with another list! After skipping it last week because of the new TAG Heuer releases, we are back with another Top 5. With June just a few days away, it’s already time to start looking back at some of the best releases so far in 2025. We’ll kick off […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Releases From Small Independent Brands So Far In 2025 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
For its partnership with the Alpine Formula 1 team, H. Moser & Cie. debuts a pair of firsts for the brand: the Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition is its first skeletonized chronograph, and the Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition is an entirely new model and the brand’s first true smartwatch – not counting the Swiss Alp Watch – with special digital functions tailored to the needs of an F1 team. While the regular production Streamline Flyback Chronograph already has a racing aesthetic, it’s been dialed up to match to the Alpine team colors, with the blue-coated steel case being notable. And the digital Streamliner is more than just a commemorative watch. Most Formula 1 sponsorships are just that, but Moser decided it wanted to contribute a tool the team can rely on during the season, just as mechanical watches were decades ago. Both will be sold as a set, though the smartwatch will be available individually to owner’s of the Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton “Alpine”. Initial Thoughts Nothing is off the table for Moser, whose past “concept” watches included a watch made from a cheese-filled composite, one covered in living plants, and the infamous Swiss Icons watch. Even with that in mind, a smartwatch is unexpected, though it makes sense given the brand’s stated goals with the collaboration. Referring to the smartwatch, Chief executive Edouard Meylan says “we wanted to create a measuring instrument that meets the demands of a Formula 1 team,...
Monochrome
French watchmaking is enjoying a renaissance today marked by the revival of extinct names and new micro-brands braving the arena. However, none of them can boast Pequignet’s claim to fame as “one of the only French Manufactures of Haute Horlogerie.” Following a period of trials and tribulations, Pequignet is back in business with a refreshed […]
Quill & Pad
Joshua Munchow rediscovered the Tudor Pelagos, specifically the Pelagos FXD, a very practical and attractive watch. And it has caused him to reevaluate his position on Tudor and thinks that this one would look pretty darn good on his wrist.
Fratello
It must have been 1999 or 2000 when the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 16710 was incredibly high on my wishlist. I even had the official Rolex advertisement for this model as the wallpaper on my Windows desktop. But I was a student, and the Rolex GMT-Master II was out of reach. The Rolex GMT-Master II […] Visit Why I Bought A Five-Digit Rolex GMT-Master II (Again) to read the full article.
SJX Watches
At Watches & Wonders 2025, all eyes were on Rolex. But the polarising Land-Dweller grabbed most of the headlines, relegating new versions of existing models, including the mighty Cosmograph Daytona Turquoise Blue ref. 126518LN, to second billing. Regardless, the Daytona remains one of the most iconic watches in the industry and its inherent quality makes any new version worthy of a close look. In this case, those who probed the depths of the Rolex catalogue were rewarded with the unusual combination of an 18k yellow gold case and a turquoise lacquer “Stella” dial. (And those lucky enough would have seen the “off-catalogue” Daytona ref. 126538TBR with an actual turquoise stone dial and diamond-set case.) Initial thoughts Let’s just say this was not love at first sight. I initially found this new colourway overly garish, but I am a sucker for turquoise, whether natural stone or, in this case, lacquer, so the look has grown on me over time. I think I’d have preferred a different treatment for the sub-dials, which to my eye dull the vibrancy of the turquoise, but this is a subjective critique of an objectively well-made watch. Dial colour aside, the new Daytona benefits from the model’s 60th anniversary updates rolled out two years ago, including the gold rim for the ceramic bezel. The case offers roughly ideal proportions for a sporty chronograph, 40 mm in diameter and around 12 mm thick. It also comes equipped with the brand’s rubberised Oysterflex bracelet, ...
Fratello
When Rado announced the comeback of the Anatom series, it brought back many memories. I vividly remember that my mother was a big fan of the black ceramic Rado watches in the 1990s. So while I was checking out the promo materials of Pete Sampras and his Movado Museum Watch back then, my mother was […] Visit Hands-On With Three Striking Rado Anatom Models With High-Tech Ceramic Bracelets to read the full article.
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