Hodinkee
In-Depth: Massena LAB And Raúl Pagès Created A Proprietary, Hand-Finished Movement For Under $10k – Here's How They Did It
The Magraph is Massena Lab's most ambitious – and successful – watch yet.
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Hodinkee
The Magraph is Massena Lab's most ambitious – and successful – watch yet.
Time+Tide
As watch collectors we all wish to one day stumble on a “barnyard” find. An old watch that’s dug up and sold at an estate sale by an owner who has no idea what it is actually worth. We hear the stories, and they always seem too good to be true. But they definitely happen and, … ContinuedThe post £80k Omega spends 20 years in a drawer until this recent episode of Antiques Roadshow appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Launched to mark 50 years since the original was created by the jeweller’s London workshop, the Cartier Pebble was also perfectly timed to ride the wave of interest in vintage Cartier form watches that began during the pandemic. Looking much like the original but with enough tweaks to set it apart as a modern timepiece, the Pebble reissue is the second commemorative reissue after the Tank Cintrée 100th Anniversary from two years ago. With only six large-size Pebbles made by Cartier London in the 1970s, the original Pebble was long a peculiar watch known only to a few Cartier aficionados. The reissue has changed that, but it is a limited edition of only 150 pieces, a small enough number that it will leave some would-be buyers disappointed. Initial thoughts A hair’s larger than the vintage original, the reissue is a smallish watch by modern standards at 36 mm in diameter but feels larger than that due to the form. In fact, 36 mm is probably the largest it can go without changing the shape; any larger and it will resemble a dinner plate. On the wrist it cuts a striking figure and unlike other vintage remakes, the new Pebble might pass for a modern watch thanks to its novel form. Minor adjustment have been made to the design of the reissue that give it a more refined appearance than the original. The Roman numerals, for instance, have tighter lines. The result is a watch that looks thoughtfully designed. Everything about the reissue is executed well, case to dial to cr...
Deployant
Presenting a new GS44 inspired watch featuring the design language first surfaced in 1967: the Asaborake SBGY011 hand wound Spring Drive Grand Seiko.
SJX Watches
Inspired by the northern lights, the Sarpaneva x Valtteri Bottas “Kilpisjärvi” continues the Finnish’s brands tradition of artfully applied Super-Luminova. This 17-piece limited edition Stepan Sarpaneva’s third model dedicated to Valteri Bottas, a fellow Finn who competes for the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team. Unlike the first pair of Bottas editions that made by Mr Sarpaneva’s more affordable S.U.F. brand, the Kilpisjärvi is a full-fledged Sarpaneva watch so it has an elaborately open-worked dial, unusually shaped case, and in a first for the brand, the Chronode P1003 automatic movement inside. Initial thoughts Born into a family of designers and artists, Stepan Sarpenava unsurprisingly has a strikingly distinct aesthetic. This comes through in all of his work, despite the diversity of his offerings. With its open-worked dial and multi-coloured lume, the Kilpisjärvi might seem similar to his recent releases, but it is notably different. In contrast to the earlier editions that were heavily figurative, the Kilpisjärvi is abstract, especially during the day. In fact, the dial pattern is almost graceful, though the aggressive Sarpaneva styling is still obvious in the hands and case. Only at night when the Super-Luminova glows is the northern lights motif easily apparent. For anyone who enjoys Mr Sarpaneva’s unusual aesthetic, the Kilpisjärvi is easily appealing – with two caveats. One is the size, which at 46 mm is large and places it amongst the biggest Sarp...
Time+Tide
Special edition watches can celebrate anniversaries, achievements or celebrity tie-ins, but sometimes a special edition can just exist because the watch is special. Mido’s latest reference of the Ocean Star GMT applies the classic Pepsi colour scheme to their flagship travelling diver, injecting it with even more of a sporting attitude than it already had. … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The Mido Ocean Star GMT Special Edition is a sporty refresh of the best value Swiss GMT around appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
I recently tackled the new IWC Portugieser Chronograph IW371620, a solid summer watch that brings the youthful summer vibes to a classic and storied collection and manufacture. But a chronograph is not always everyone’s flavour. Unless you are dead-set on using a mechanical and analogue timekeeper for timing cars on the racetrack, or more realistically … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: The IWC Portugieser Automatic IW500715 is handsome and powerful appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Charity auctions can often be some of the watch world’s most exciting events, as brands stretch their creativity for one-off watches that are instantly collectible. Audemars Piguet certainly delivered at the La Cuvée One Drop 2022 event with their Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph “One Drop” raising US$1.1m. Hosted in Las Vegas, the proceeds go towards … ContinuedThe post Audemars Piguet raise $1.1m for charity with the Royal Oak “One Drop” appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
De Bethune’s latest invention aims to customise the regulation of a mechanical watch to suit the individual owner. Dubbed the Sensoriel Chronometry Project, it takes the form of a electronic wrist instrument that measures the wearer’s activities and environmental conditions over a two week period – gathering two million data points per hour according to the brand. With this voluminous quantity of data, De Bethune will then regulate a DB28GS Grand Bleu sports watch specifically for the particular owner, optimising timekeeping based on the wearer’s activities. [Updated to include response from Denis Flageollet.] Initial thoughts On paper the Sensoriel is interesting and impressive, but on reflection it raises several questions. For one, the two million data points recorded per hour – for a two-week period – results in an extraordinary amount of information on the wearer’s activities. Can any mechanical watch be regulated to a fine enough resolution that makes even a fraction of that data useful? My knowledge of watchmaking is certainly inexpert but I am sceptical. Mr Flageollet points out De Bethune utilises an algorithm to process the data and sieve out the “elements specific to the wearer, in a way to bring out a specific chronometric DNA for each wearer”, allowing the watch to be regulated according to a smaller number of data points. The second salient point is more philosophical. Historically the pursuit of chronometry meant good timekeeping regardless...
Quill & Pad
The Corum Golden Bridge Table Clock isn’t just loosely inspired by the Corum Golden Bridge, it is made to be a nearly perfect replica of the watch at the scale of a table, and even doubling as a coffee table!
Hodinkee
We can safely say the holiday party season is nigh, do you have the perfect watch?
Deployant
The new Montblanc Star Legacy Orbis Terrarum is a more classic design with Starwalker, Meisterstuck design cues like the onion crown and step lugs. It is an alternative to the Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum that uses sharper lines on its case with less chamfered edges. The watch is priced at US$7000.
Quill & Pad
“The Holy Trinity,” as any watch nerd knows, refers to the triumvirate of Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin. Colin Smith takes a look at what we mean – or think we mean - when we describe PP, AP, and VC as the “Holy Trinity” of watchmaking and when we describe a timepiece as our “grail watch.”
Hodinkee
A breezy-looking watch that packs plenty of power.
Time+Tide
When you think of a GMT watch with a blue dial, your mind probably goes to one of many sports watch classics. Having almost nothing in common with those is the new Speake-Marin collaboration with Watches of Switzerland - the One & Two Dual Time Limited Editions. Produced to pay tribute to the London origins … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Speake-Marin x Watches of Switzerland One & Two Dual Time appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
If we’re being honest, most watch brands wouldn’t get away with releasing a watch like the Ventura today. It’s unashamedly weird, full of retro-futuristic quirks that wouldn’t look out of place on the wrist of George Jetson, and most of the references carry a taboo quartz movement. But Hamilton are not most brands. Although the … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Hamilton Ventura L 14K Gold Limited Edition appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Having launched several elegant and concise time-only watches this year, Grand Seiko has unveiled something once again simple but still unusual: the first regular-production, manual-wind Spring Drive 44GS, the Heritage Collection SBGY011 “Asaborake”. The SBGY011 combines two of the best elements of Grand Seiko (GS), namely the hybrid Spring Drive movement and the distinctive 44GS case. While the combination has been seen before, the SBGY011 brings something new to the table because the movement is manual wind, instead of self-winding as most Spring Drive calibres are. Initial thoughts I appreciate the SBGY011 because it retains the key features of the original, namely the 44GS case, silver dial, and hand-wind movement – but reinterpreted to incorporate contemporary elements such as the Spring Drive movement and patterned dial. Combined with the 44GS case, the silver dial gives the SBGY011 an aesthetic that’s close to the vintage 44GS of 1967. In fact, it’s essentially a modern, more technically-capable version of the original, which also contained a hand-wind mechanical movement. In fact, the SBGY011 is only the second hand-wind Spring Drive watch with a 44GS case, and the first and only one that’s not a limited edition. The hand-wind movement matters because the 44GS case is exponentially more attractive when it’s thin; in this case it is only 10.5 mm high. In comparison, a typical automatic Spring Drive is around 13 mm thick. Notably, despite being a regul...
Revolution
Paying a visit to Bernhard Lederer’s atelier in St. Blaise, Wei nerds out with the German Master Watchmaker about a crucial component in a watch’s movement, the escapement, which has undergone hundreds of years of innovation. Lederer expounds on the efforts by past masters, Abraham-Louis Breguet and George Daniels to develop the perfect escapement and […]
Time+Tide
If you’ve been following Time+Tide closely, you’ll have noticed that Andrew has had some pretty special moments in Switzerland recently. As much as a visit to any Holy Trinity watch manufacturer is going to be a highlight, there seems to be something about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin collection which just makes his eyes glaze … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Trilogy appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Grand Seiko is known for their colorful and textured dials born from natural muses. The Japanese philosophy of translating their surrounding nature into their craft has long distinguished their creations but, in regard to the Grand Seiko catalogue, has resulted in an ample menu of dial flavours to choose from. For the watch geek looking … ContinuedThe post Grand Seiko debuts the manually wound Spring Drive SBGY011 in a 44GS case appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Founded by a group of watch enthusiasts from Singapore and Malaysia, Boldr Supply Co. first got off the ground on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter like many of its peers. Now best known for its affordable sports watches, the brand’s latest has a titanium case containing Seiko movement, but the highlight is something else, or more specifically, nothing else. The Venture Singularity has a dial of infinite blackness thanks to a coating of Musou Black, which absorbs 99.4% of incident light. Made by a Japanese company, Musou Black is similar to better known Vantablack in being blacker than black. Initial thoughts Boldr nails it again with another affordable and fun watch, but the Singularity stands out for its value proposition, one that’s arguably better than Boldr’s other offerings. As watches with ultra-black dial go, this has little competition – comparable watches usually cost much, much more. Boldr isn’t the first microbrand offering such a dial at a modest price but the Singularity is an unusually complete package with its lightweight titanium case and bracelet, along with a useful 200 m water resistance. Granted, the Singularity still looks and feels like it price aside from the dial, but it is something novel amongst watches that are very accessible. Priced at US$445, the Singularity unsurprisingly sold out quickly when the first batch went on sale. But it’s not a limited edition and pre-orders for the second batch are now open with delivery starting in...
Time+Tide
There’s a lesser-known history behind the Waldan name, one that touches on many remarkable moments in the history of the watch industry.The post The astounding history of Waldan Watches unfolds like a Hollywood movie appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Everyone loves black and gold as a colour combination, whether it’s the halls of a glamorous art deco building, a fashionable outfit, or a tastefully detailed watch. The mix of that precious yellow lustre with the ultimate darkness evokes a feeling of sultry class and luxury. Although there are plenty of watches with black and … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Hamilton Black and Gold Capsule collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
For the last few years, watchmaking has really been throwing off the shackles of stylistic repression across independent and large-scale manufacturers, leading to some of the most outlandish designs ever seen. Although an ever-increasing will to experiment can only be a good thing for the industry, the trend towards more eccentric shapes and “fun” colours … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: With a design that’s clean and serene, the Wolter Classic lets every detail breathe appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Despite being over 50 years old, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has never ceased to be a thought provoker. Even though the signature octagonal design has well and truly been accepted into the collective consciousness of watch design, having thousands of copies and homages, there are still so many mysteries surrounding how the physical object … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The truth behind the Royal Oak’s construction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
If it's good enough for the SR-71, it's good enough for a watch. Here are our favorite watches made from the space-age material titanium.
Deployant
Nomos releases a 33mm manual winding Ludwig in black. The smaller case model is designed as a ladies watch with petite secondes.
Quill & Pad
Often with incoming pieces GaryG resists the temptation to wear a watch until he has had the chance to photograph it in pristine condition, but in the spirit of fun he chucked out the principle of restraint and slapped his new Hajime Asaoka Kurono Anniversary Green Mori right on his wrist. When you read Gary's story and see his photos you will know why.
Revolution
In the pantheon of watch brands that should be considered as the all-time greats, Richard Mille can undoubtedly be part of the conversation for the role it has played in breaking every known convention of traditional watchmaking, and its global impact in redefining contemporary collecting culture. Wei caught up with one of the next generation […]
SJX Watches
An Australian rules football player who’s a Zenith ambassador, Lance “Buddy” Franklin recently scored his 1000th goal and is now ranked fifth amongst the all-time highest scorers of the Australian Football League (AFL). To celebrate the occasion, Mr Franklin turned to Zenith to create something special, resulting in the two-piece limited-edition Defy Extreme “Buddy Franklin”. Mr Franklin will keep one watch while the other example is going under the hammer at online auctioneer Loupe This with all proceeds going to the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, a national charity that brings education to marginalised communities. The auction is now live on Loupe This and ends on on November 7, 2022 at 2:00 am GMT-5 (New York) or 3:00 pm GMT+8 (Singapore). Registration for bidding and full lot details can be accessed here. Lance “Buddy” Franklin Initial thoughts A larger and more rugged version of the Defy 21, the Defy Extreme is a big, sporty watch with an open-worked dial – a seemingly familiar formula. But the Buddy Franklin edition is different with its two-tone case and red dial. It moves away from the typical design of such watches and instead has a more restrained aesthetic that helps tame the 45 mm case size. The only downside of the watch is the fact that only one will be publicly available, and at an auction rather than for a fixed priced. But with the estimate being the retail price of the regular production model, the Buddy Franklin editio...
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