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MAEN Launches the Third Version of their Skymaster 38 with a New Movement and a Surprising Collaborator Worn & Wound
Maen Oct 9, 2023

MAEN Launches the Third Version of their Skymaster 38 with a New Movement and a Surprising Collaborator

MAEN Watches has relaunched their vintage inspired Skymaster 38 chronograph over the weekend, adding three new updated references to the collection, including a surprising limited edition. The Skymaster feels like a watch right in MAEN’s wheelhouse: a sports watch with an aesthetic that’s clearly inspired by the past, but executed at an incredibly high level with a surprising level of detail, all at a price point that makes these watches tough to ignore. I spent some time recently with MAEN’s Brooklyn 36 reference, an old school triple calendar, and was pleasantly surprised at the level of refinement on a watch that comes in at well under $1,000. The Skymaster, now in a MKIII version, contains many similar small details. There are two big changes with this third edition of the Skymaster 38. First, the watch now runs on the new Sellita SW510Mb manually wound movement, and the case has gone through a series of little adjustments to properly house it. Previous versions of the Skymaster used automatic movements, so the inclusion of a manually wound caliber here represents a significant change, and really plays into the heritage angle of a release like this.  Secondly, in addition to offering a 12 hour bezel, MAEN is now making the Skymaster with an optional tachymeter bezel as well. The more prominent tachymeter bezel changes the appearance of the Skymaster dramatically, and should prove popular with collectors who are after a more traditionally styled racing chronograp...

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Omega Constellation Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Omega Oct 9, 2023

Omega Constellation Guide

The Omega Constellation is not only the Swiss luxury brand’s oldest collection (if we’re tracing the Seamaster back to its first “Professional” dive-watch model in 1957); it’s also the dressiest, with a design heritage that hinges on two classic and very iconoclastic watches from two distinctively different eras: the cult-classic original from the 1950s and the influential revamp in the 1980s. Here’s an in-depth look at the Omega Constellation, its half-century-plus of revolutionary design, and what the collection looks like today. 1952: Making a Pie Omega, founded in 1848 by an ambitious young Swiss watchmaker named Louis Brandt, celebrated its 100th anniversary in the postwar year of 1948. The most memorable watch the company released during that milestone year, most would agree, was the first Seamaster, which introduced the innovative waterproof system that would give rise to today’s sprawling Seamaster Professional collection of dive watches. A rarer and more obscure timepiece introduced that year was the Centenary, Omega’s first chronometer-certified wristwatch. An iconoclastic gold dress watch, highly limited in production, the Centenary took its name from the 100-year anniversary it commemorated and its design would provide the template of a collection that would debut several years later, in 1952, called the Constellation. (Both the Seamaster and the Centenary, incidentally, were the brainchildren of watch designer René Bannwart, who would go on to...

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The Many Handwinding Flavors of Hamilton Worn & Wound
Hamilton There’s something special about Oct 8, 2023

The Many Handwinding Flavors of Hamilton

There’s something special about hand winding a watch. Sure, automatics are great, but the great thing about them is that they don’t really need you to keep doing their job. The most interaction you’d have with the crown on your automatic is maybe setting it should the power reserve run out over a long weekend. Handwinding watches require a bit more work, but that few minutes of winding in the morning before your day begins is a great opportunity to interact with your favorite watch. Romanticism aside, there are some key physical benefits as well. Most importantly being that since there’s no automatic winding rotor section needed for the movement, handwinding movements tend to be thinner and able to be housed in smaller cases that may wear better on your wrist. One iconic brand that’s still actively embracing handwinding watches is Hamilton. With the huge success of their Khaki Field Mechanical, it’s clear that enthusiasts still want handwinding watches, especially when they’re as solidly built, packed with features, and as functional as the Hamiltons below. Let’s take a look at three handwinding Hamiltons in the Windup Watch Shop and what makes them special. There’s something special about hand winding a watch. Sure, automatics are great, but the great thing about them is that they don’t really need you to keep doing their job. The most interaction you’d have with the crown on your automatic is maybe setting it should the power reserve run out over ...

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The future of luxury watch marketing is 3D Time+Tide
Oct 7, 2023

The future of luxury watch marketing is 3D

Watches are big business, and despite periodic highs and lows, the industry is estimated to wind up 2023 at nearly US$100 billion. Naturally, competition is fierce, and brands are always looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd. Of course, this can happen when you release a great product, but getting consumers’ attention … ContinuedThe post The future of luxury watch marketing is 3D appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Hands-On: the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Automatic in Rose Gold Worn & Wound
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Automatic Oct 6, 2023

Hands-On: the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Automatic in Rose Gold

Something I think about quite a bit in this hobby is the idea that the watches we wear are often just part of a costume that we’re presenting to the outside world. They exist as aspirational symbols of what we’d like our life to be. There’s a cosplay aspect to wearing certain watches that I’m never quite able to shake, even watches I love. I wear, on most days, either a pilot’s watch or a diver, and I don’t fly a plane and I don’t even really like to swim. I wear these watches because I genuinely enjoy them as watches, but I’d be lying if a small part of me didn’t feel like a pretender, a guy asking himself who he thinks he’s kidding with this super tactical pilot’s instrument strapped to his wrist. I’ve never felt that feeling more acutely than in my time with the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Automatic in rose gold. This watch, let’s just say, is not in my normal wheelhouse. While I appreciate it aesthetically (in fact, I find it quite beautiful) it’s not the kind of thing I’d choose to wear. But more than that, this watch is part of a micro-genre of watches that is very specific, one that I’m fascinated by, but am personally so far removed from, I am legitimately probably closer to the pilot walking into the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program than I am the dude who this watch was made for.  The Tonda PF Sport Auto is part of a class of watches I think of as “leisure sport,” with a heavy emphasis on the leisure. Th...

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Horage Mission Independence – what you need to know Time+Tide
Oct 6, 2023

Horage Mission Independence – what you need to know

Have you ever dreamed of designing your own watch? I sure have, but as much of an enthusiast as I am, I do not have the tools or knowledge to do so. If I could, the best-case scenario would be the ability to create watches uninhibited and unencumbered by conglomerate politics and red tape. Full … ContinuedThe post Horage Mission Independence – what you need to know appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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anOrdain Combine Woodwork and Enamel in the Model 3 Method SJX Watches
anOrdain Oct 6, 2023

anOrdain Combine Woodwork and Enamel in the Model 3 Method

The latest release from Scottish microbrand anOrdain continues its run of interesting enamel dials. The Model 3 Method combines a stamped silver dial covered with translucent enamel to create a deep, textured finish similar to that of flinqué enamel. Created in collaboration with Method Studio, a Scottish woodworking studio, the pattern resembles a wooden block that has been artistically chiselled away.  Initial thoughts This is not the first time anOrdain has used a textured silver dial base covered in translucent enamel. We have seen it before in the Model 1 Fumé, which boasted a hand hammered finish. In the new Model 3 the indentations are far more pronounced, giving a more dramatic look.  I have been a fan of the Glasgow-based brand for a while now, and its willingness to try new things arguably shows a mindset that is lacking in the wider industry. While nothing technically new has been done here, the combination of a woodworking texture and technique, with the miniature canvas of a watch dial has given us this brilliant look that sits perfectly within the anOrdain aesthetic. While the dial is fantastic, there is one area that I could conceivably suggest an improvement from studying the imagery that we’ve been provided. And that is instead of pad printing the markers onto the dial surface, instead printing them onto the underside of the crystal which would have left the dial texture completely untouched. But that is really the only room for aesthetic improvement...

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The Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag Is A Future Classic Worn & Wound
Zodiac x Worn & Wound Oct 5, 2023

The Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag Is A Future Classic

Coming off the first 90’s-inspired collaboration with Zodiac Watches is a new player in the lineup. The Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag edition is chock full of 90’s nostalgia goodness. Inspired by the sights and sensations of gearing up and hitting the laser tag area, this watch features a ton of unique design cues that neither Worn & Wound nor Zodiac have done before. While our presentation of the watch is pure laser tag-induced fun, it’s a surprisingly versatile timepiece that’s sure to bring some color into your collection. Let’s take a closer look. Coming off the first 90’s-inspired collaboration with Zodiac Watches is a new player in the lineup. The Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag edition is chock full of 90’s nostalgia goodness. Inspired by the sights and sensations of gearing up and hitting the laser tag area, this watch features a ton of unique design cues that neither Worn & Wound nor Zodiac have done before. While our presentation of the watch is pure laser tag-induced fun, it’s a surprisingly versatile timepiece that’s sure to bring some color into your collection. Let’s take a closer look. The post The Zodiac x Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag Is A Future Classic appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Baltic Unveils the All New Hermétique Collection Worn & Wound
Baltic Unveils Oct 5, 2023

Baltic Unveils the All New Hermétique Collection

The classic field watch has served as a blank canvas of sorts over the years for all kinds of brands in the microbrand space. It’s a sneakily challenging format to iterate on. Like the dive watch, it’s one of those platforms that was, arguably, perfected right out of the gate. And, like the dive watch, those new iterations tend to work best when a brand doesn’t try to reinvent something that isn’t broken, but simply puts their own unique stamp on a traditional design. That’s what Baltic seems to be going for with their new collection, introduced today, which they’ve dubbed the Hermétique. These first four “Tourer Edition” variants take classic field watch tropes but spin them through Baltic’s own sensibility, which itself has become only more clearly refined in recent years as the brand has continued to mature.  What I’ve always liked about field watches is that they are relentlessly unfussy. They are the objectification of the idea of “neutral” in watch design. Simple to wear, simple to read, unobtrusive, but always good looking in their purest form, a simple arrangement of Arabic numerals against a high contrast dial. Baltic has taken the approach with the Hermétique leaning into those things that make field watches field watches, but have added tasteful accents that tweak the formula just a hair. First and foremost, these watches seem to be designed to disappear. The stainless steel cases come in at a very traditional 37mm diamater, and Baltic...

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The ArtyA Curvy Purity Tourbillon is a great example of artisanal sapphire watchmaking Time+Tide
Oct 5, 2023

The ArtyA Curvy Purity Tourbillon is a great example of artisanal sapphire watchmaking

The ArtyA Curvy Purity Tourbillon embraces symmetrical and whimsical design. The Purity Tourbillon movement boasts a huge 17mm tourbillon cage that beats at 4Hz. Close inspection of the openwork movement reveals a lot of hand-finished detail. Although it remains quite a niche genre for the wealthy elite, the list of sapphire-cased watches is quickly growing. … ContinuedThe post The ArtyA Curvy Purity Tourbillon is a great example of artisanal sapphire watchmaking appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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Exclusive: Jean Arnault and Alexandre Mille In Conversation with Wei Koh Revolution
Richard Mille Oct 5, 2023

Exclusive: Jean Arnault and Alexandre Mille In Conversation with Wei Koh

We had the distinct privilege of hosting two influential luminaries from the next generation of watchmaking leaders: Jean Arnault, the Marketing and Product Director for Watches at LVMH, and Alexandre Mille, the Sales Director of Richard Mille and the son of the brand’s founder, join us to delve into their respective journeys, the foundational principles […]

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The new Speake-Marin Academic Rouge offers their entry design in a new hue Time+Tide
Speake-Marin Oct 5, 2023

The new Speake-Marin Academic Rouge offers their entry design in a new hue

Speake-Marin offers their entry-level Academic in a new Rouge configuration. The distinct red of the dial is achieved through 14 layers of Pantone 188C-coloured lacquer. Grade 5 titanium cases in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm, and neither is a limited edition. Dressier timepieces have been overshadowed in an era where sports watches reign supreme, an … ContinuedThe post The new Speake-Marin Academic Rouge offers their entry design in a new hue appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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A Roundup of High End IWC Releases from the Last Month Worn & Wound
IWC Releases from Oct 4, 2023

A Roundup of High End IWC Releases from the Last Month

If you think IWC has been catching their breath after reimagining the Ingenieur earlier this year, think again. The Schaffhausen-based brand has been busy dishing out high end watches over the last month – headlined by the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 Tourbillon Markus Bühler – as well as heavy hitters through partnerships with automotive powerhouses. From complications to composite materials, there’s a lot to dig into here. Travel back to winter 2008 for a moment. The global economy is still roiled in recession, the federal funds rate is zero, and IWC marches out one of the rarest and most distinctive references ever: the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Markus Bühler (Ref. 5003). Named after famed IWC apprentice Markus Bühler, the watch featured airplane turbines on the dial and also on its movement. A few years earlier, Bühler’s concept had won the top prize at the Prix IFHH de l’Horlogerie (now known as the Concours IHC), and IWC only made a limited run of twelve pieces. A decade and a half later we meet its successor, the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 Tourbillon Markus Bühler. It’s platinum, it’s 43mm, and it’s a real unit. True to form, the turbine is back but has now been integrated into a flying (haha) tourbillon. IWC has crafted the turbine blades from a titanium alloy for weight saving and even repurposed its upper cage as the regulator. The hairspring is attached to one of the blades, allowing a watchmaker to adjust the zero crossing of the balance simply by ...

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Seiko Recreates the Classic Reference 6117 with the New Prospex Land Mechanical GMT Worn & Wound
Seiko Recreates Oct 3, 2023

Seiko Recreates the Classic Reference 6117 with the New Prospex Land Mechanical GMT

Seiko made some big news this morning, with the long rumored announcement of a new version of their classic 6117 Navigator Timer. That vintage reference is critically important for many Seiko collectors, an early GMT from 1968 in the same familiar design language of many classic Seiko sports watches. With new GMT calibers now in production, many enthusiasts expected the timing was right for a modern rendition of the 6117, and today they got their wish in the form of the SPB411, the Seiko Prospex Land Mechanical GMT Limited Edition. This new reference is a fairly faithful rendition of the classic watch from the 60s, with modern components and design choices only where they’re most appropriate, and plenty of restraint everywhere else (no Prospex logo on the dial!). For GMT fans and Seiko collectors, the SPB411 is a significant new release.  All the hallmarks of the 6117 would appear to be present in the SPB411. Namely, the distinctive cushion case, the rotating 24 hour bezel, and a slate gray dial. The “Navigator Timer” wordmark no longer appears on the dial, but otherwise it’s a solid recreation, with rectangular hour markers and thin, block hands carried over to the new release, as well as a short red arrow GMT hand. That gray dial has a sunray finish, and we get a date window at 3:00 with a contrasting white background. Most importantly for fans of the original, the case size has remained consistent. The SPB411 comes in at 38.5mm in diameter, just about half a mi...

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