2,052 articles · 452 videos found · page 55 of 84
Time+Tide
We've seen tourbillons and minute repeaters aplenty - these watches sport some truly unique mechanical oddities.The post From death prediction to sunrise times, these are the most unique watch complications appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
The Seiko SKX is one of the most popular entry-level mechanical watches ever. There is a good chance that you, as a Fratello reader, have owned one at some point or still do. In any case, this is true for me. However, the original bracelet of that watch has always been controversial. It is infamously […] Visit Upgrade Or Switch Styles With The Forstner Model J And Model O For The Seiko SKX to read the full article.
Fratello
I love to read stories about watch selections that follow a theme. When I spotted Thor’s list of unusual rectangular watches last Saturday, I instantly started to put together a list of my own featuring rectangular vintage watches. Well, here we are! Besides two crazy mechanical complications, you will also find classic style and even […] Visit #TBT A Vintage Take On Alternative Rectangular Cool With Mido, Tissot, Wyler, And Seiko to read the full article.
Fratello
Grand Seiko’s first all-mechanical complicated watch debuted in 2022. It was a timepiece with a movement featuring a tourbillon with an inner carriage rotating at eight beats per second and a constant-force mechanism rotating at one beat per second. Not only was the Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon SLGT003 a complicated and ingenious watch, but […] Visit A Monday Morning With The Grooviest Watch In The World: The Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon “Daybreak” to read the full article.
Deployant
This Sunday, we take a look at the unusual, interesting and sometimes whimsical complications of our little corner of mechanical watches.
Video
Worn & Wound
What was your first watch? Not your first mechanical watch, not your first nice watch, but actually your first watch. If you’re around my age, I’d hazard a guess that it was probably something fun. Neon Shark watches, bright G-Shocks, and outdoorsy Timexes were the thing on my playground growing up, and it’s a recipe that still works just as well approaching (or beyond) 30 as it did approaching 10. All this is to say that colorful and waterproof is a recipe for success, and one brand that really gets this is Vero. I don’t exactly remember the first time I crossed paths with a Vero, but I do remember the minty green dial standing out against the stark black bezel, and that I found myself pretty taken with their line of colorful dive watches from the get. It’s an interest I haven’t really shaken, and one only compounded by the latest iteration of their signature dive watch, the Open Water, now in a 38mm case. The big headline here is a series of subtle refinements to the Open Water model, all of which add up to a stark evolution of Vero’s flagship diver. To look at the new Open Water 38 in isolation, one might be hard-pressed to call out many of these changes but put the old and new models next to each other, and the difference will be clear. The most visually dramatic of these changes is the shift from a black DLC finish on the bezel to a boldly colored Cerakote treatment. A stark black bezel has been a key visual hallmark of the Vero Open Water, so moving...
Monochrome
One of my most memorable experiences when tumbling down the mechanical watchmaking rabbit hole is handling my very first tourbillon watch. I had already been writing for MONOCHROME for a while when it happened, and I knew about the complication and its function, but I had never handled one in person. It was at the […]
Time+Tide
Designed by Gérald Genta, launched as a quartz model, and iterated upon over the next decade, it's a fun-filled model from Omega's past.The post The oddball Gérald Genta-designed Omega that everyone forgets about appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm in 2020 as the smallest-sized option with mechanical movement. Since its debut, AP has expanded the range with several variations, ranging from simple stainless steel to diamond-covered pink gold versions. For 2024, Audemars Piguet added two new models to the Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm series-one […]
Hodinkee
Get ready to glow your mind with more luminous details than ever and a hybrid Meca-quartz movement.
Video
Fratello
Hello there, and welcome to another episode of Fratello Talks. This week, Thomas, Lex, and Nacho discuss Seiko watches. A Seiko is a staple of most watch enthusiasts’ collections, whether it’s a first-ever mechanical watch or an inexpensive curiosity, a vintage rarity in museum-worthy condition, or anything in between. And though there will certainly be […] Visit Fratello Talks: Why Everyone Loves Seiko Watches to read the full article.
SJX Watches
When it comes to perpetual calendars – perhaps the most objectively useful complication – the MB&F; Legacy Machine Perpetual, or LM QP for short, sits neatly between classical architecture and iconoclastic construction. Now almost a decade old having been launched in 2015, the LM QP is a mechanical marvel coming from the mind of Stephen McDonnell. The LM QP’s beauty lies in Mr McDonnell’s rethinking of the perpetual calendar complication while integrating historical concepts. Rethinking the QP A perpetual calendar, or quantième perpétuel (hence “QP”), is a complex and layered mechanism, which makes it a challenging complication to implement in watches. Naturally, not all perpetual calendars are created equal, some being more innovative and others more classical in their construction. The first-ever serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatch, the Patek Philippe ref. 1526 that debuted in 1940; the basics of the perpetual calendar mechanism would remain largely unchanged for decades after The issue with classical calendar constructions is their vulnerability to wear and tear, shock, or careless operation by the user. Ironically, the most forward-thinking of perpetual calendar mechanisms try to solve these problems, but sometimes suffer from reliability issues rooted in the radical concepts employed. Mr McDonnell’s construction of the LM QP smartly manages to eliminate traditional weaknesses while avoiding new problems. The result is a reliable and innovati...
Deployant
Panerai releases a new mechanical Submersible with a special luminescence dial called the Elux LAB-ID. Here is our hands-on impression of the novelty.
Fratello
Watchmaking is a field steeped in tradition. Big brands pride themselves on boasting centuries of heritage. At the same time, the mechanical watch is, largely, declared technically obsolete in 2024. So it seems only natural that watch brands look to the past for design inspiration. Almost every major brand now has one or several reissue […] Visit Reissue Overload - Why Do Watch Brands Keep Looking To The Past For Good Design? to read the full article.
Monochrome
As we’re obsessed with fine mechanical watches, and preferably independent watchmaking, we feel obliged to showcase never-seen-before projects by people you also may have never heard of. And if it weren’t for me stumbling on an Instagram post by a befriended Japanese journalist, you might never have come across Quiet Club. A bit of an […]
Video
Monochrome
Many may look at the pocket watch as a relic of a bygone era… But what happens if it is reimagined by Daniel Arsham, an artist known for ideating “fictional archaeology” through which he transforms everyday objects into future relics? Well, you get the Hublot Arsham Droplet, a fascinating mechanical sculpture merging the past, present […]
Worn & Wound
This year, Oris is celebrating its 120th anniversary with the release of a special edition timepiece, the Hölstein Edition 2024. Founded in the small village of Hölstein in 1904, Oris has built a legacy of creating high-quality mechanical watches with a devoted fan base that has been steadily growing over the last few years. This new release, a black-on-black Divers Sixty-Five, is an anniversary present Oris is giving itself, showing the subtlety and sophistication of the Swiss brand. The Hölstein Edition 2024 stands out with its distinctive design, marking the first time Oris has ventured into a full black-on-black aesthetic. The watch features a 40mm stainless steel case, bezel, and crown, all plated in black DLC. The hands, hour markers, dial text, date wheel, and lume are also rendered in black, complementing the overall monochromatic theme. The modern design is completed with a black rubber strap and a black-DLC-plated buckle. In terms of functionality and specifications, the Hölstein Edition 2024 is powered by the Oris Calibre 400. This in-house automatic movement boasts a five-day power reserve and superior anti-magnetic properties, ensuring reliable performance. As with previous Hölstein Edition releases, the caseback features an image of the Oris Bear, this time clad in swim trunks. The watch is water-resistant up to 10 bar (100 meters), making it suitable for various aquatic activities. Limited to just 250 pieces on a first-come-first-serve basis, the Höl...
Monochrome
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s dream of mechanical independence materialised in 1996 with the presentation of Chopard‘s first in-house movement known as calibre 1.96. Produced in Chopard’s Fleurier manufacture, the calibre was fitted inside the first L.U.C 1860 watch, writing a new chapter in the brand’s high-end watchmaking journey. Recognised as one of the finest ultra-thin micro-rotor automatic […]
Fratello
TAG Heuer released the last generation of Aquaracer Professional 300 divers in 2021. That’s not long ago, but the brand must be listening to the market. Updated versions are here today with new dials, smaller cases, and significant mechanical changes. The outgoing models were already compelling, which makes these new versions even more intriguing. TAG […] Visit Introducing: The New TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date And GMT to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A quick write-up and video review of the CWC Sea Falcon-a durable and affordable quartz chronograph packed with features.
Video
Monochrome
Openworked or skeletonised watches are treats for the more mechanical-minded admirers of watchmaking, and the more complex the movement, the better. In 2016, Audemars Piguet increased the viewing pleasure two-fold when it unveiled its Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked ref. 15407. As its name indicates, the movement was equipped with two balance wheels, one […]
SJX Watches
Nature-inspired textures are a consistent motif across Grand Seiko’s portfolio, so it comes as little surprise that the brand would choose this familiar theme for the launch of its newest dress watches, the hand-wind and mechanical Evolution 9 “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003. With a dial that features a fresh take on the texture of tree bark, the Birch Bark is also noteworthy for the movement within: the first manually-wound caliber in Grand Seiko’s 9S movement family that hitherto was entirely self-winding. The SLGW002 (left) and SLGW003 Initial thoughts There are few things I like more than a manually wound, chronometer-grade dress watch. With this bias in mind, I am predisposed to like watches like the Birch Bark. But Grand Seiko made things easy by making it attractive as well, with a new iteration of its Evolution 9 design language that is lighter in terms of visual weight. The big news is, of course, the thickness, or rather the lack thereof. The Birch Bark is 1.75 mm (15%) thinner than its automatic siblings like the SLGH003, answering’ calls for slimmer, dressier options in the Grand Seiko catalogue. The watch is also 1.4 mm (3.5%) smaller in diameter, resulting in a form factor that sits comfortably on the average wrist and will slide under most shirt cuffs. Dimensions aside, the Birch Bark in titanium feels smaller and lighter than expected due to the case material. This runs counter to expectations, since most dress watches are in precious metal....
Time+Tide
A mechanical watch may be the sustainable option for the environment, but does the same apply when it comes to your wallet?The post How much does a lifetime of servicing actually cost? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
A mechanical engineer by trade, Krzysztof Płonka has been making elaborate clocks since the 1990s in his workshop in southern Poland, specialising in regulator-style standing clocks with astronomical complications. One of his most complex creations is the Great Astronomical Skeleton Clock. Requiring a decade to complete – producing the components took six years and assembly a further four years – the clock is unique proposition that combines classical horology with more modern mechanics. Initial thoughts Large standing clocks are a niche of horology far from the mainstream of wristwatch collection. While wrist (and occasionally pocket) watches are well known to enthusiasts, the best clockmakers and their amazing works are mostly neglected. The Great Astronomical Skeleton Clock is a good example of such a hidden horological gem. It’s both curious in construction and comprehensive in terms of complications, a combination that should interest horologists and engineers alike. Built on a precision movement as the base, the clock features a complete perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset times for a fixed location and even a sun declination indication. The mechanics are presented in a beautiful woodworked cabinet almost 3 m tall, with large glass panels generously showing the inner workings. The clock is stark in its open working, with most of the mechanics within on show from all sides. The movement features both classical horological elements and general mechanical c...
Quill & Pad
Swatch stands as a testament to innovation, resilience, and creativity within the watch industry. Born out of the ashes of the Quartz Crisis, Swatch both saved the Swiss watch industry from obsolescence and revolutionized it through its groundbreaking approach to design, manufacturing, and marketing.
Video
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.