3,780 articles · 2,566 videos found · page 56 of 212
Fratello
Most of us have some level of experience with watch retailers and ADs from a customer perspective. However, few watch enthusiasts can claim to have worked behind the counter, let alone owned a watch shop. Today, Nacho and Thomas are joined by Gerard, a long-time Fratello team member and former owner of Horloge Platform Nederland, […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Tales Of Former Watch Retailers to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Every great collection is a reflection of its owner. In the case of Thomas Engel (1927-2015), the imprint is unmistakable; the mind of an inventor, the discipline of a scientist, and the independence of a man who built his fortune by intuition and sheer will. Engel lived through war, displacement, and postwar scarcity, only to reinvent himself in the 1950s as a pioneer of polymer chemistry. By the time he turned to horology, he had already registered more than a hundred patents, licensed his inventions to multinational firms, and been hailed as a ‘modern Edison.’ The story that follows is drawn from Engel’s own accounts, above all his two books - Breguet: Thoughts on Time and Ein Moderner Thomas Edison - which preserve his memories, methods, and reflections. They allow his voice to guide the narrative, from his earliest mistakes to his most celebrated acquisitions, and from his inventions in plastics to his interpretation of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s works. Engel brought to collecting the same qualities that had defined his scientific career: a commitment to verification, a reliance on systematic method, and an instinct for invention. Each watch he acquired was studied as an instrument, its mechanism understood and its history traced. To hold a Breguet, for Engel, was to engage in dialogue with a fellow inventor across centuries. The man Thomas Paul Engel was born in Leipzig in 1927, amid the uneasy calm between wars. His father, a textile merchant dealing in fin...
Teddy Baldassarre
How much do you really know about Citizen Watches, the tough and stylish Promaster collection, the proprietary Eco-Drive technology, and other signature innovations of the Japanese brand, like the exclusive Super Titanium and the recent series of automatic calibers in the luxurious Series 8 models? In this article, we explore the history of Citizen Watch Company from its founding to the modern day and spotlight a dozen notable watches in today’s Citizen collection that have caught the attention of the Teddy Baldassarre team. By the end, you should be much closer to answering the question of whether Citizen watches are good-quality and whether they're for you. Citizen History and Early Milestones With its very high-tech lineup and avant-garde designs, one might be inclined to think Citizen Watch Company is a relatively new player on the worldwide watch scene. One would be mistaken, however. The company today known as Citizen traces its roots all the way back to 1918, when it was founded as the Shokosha Watch Research Institute by Kamakechi Yamazaki. The name “Citizen” first appeared on the dial of a pocket watch that Shokosha produced in 1924; it is believed to have been suggested by Yamazaki’s close friend Shinpei Goto, then the mayor of Tokyo, who believed such a watch should be universally appealing and accessible to all “citizens” of Japan. Shokosha merged with the Schmid company, a Japan-based manufacturing firm founded by expatriate Swiss watchmaker Rodo...
![Introducing – The Ulysse Nardin Diver [AIR] Ahmed Seddiqi 75th Anniversary Edition](https://monochrome-watches.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Ulysse-Nardin-Diver-AIR-Ahmed-Seddiqi-75th-Anniversary-Edition-5.jpg)
Monochrome
Celebrating 75 years of the United Arab Emirates’ leading watch and jewellery retailer and founder of Dubai Watch Week, Ulysse Nardin releases a special version of its Diver Air for Ahmed Seddiqi. Touted as the world’s lightest mechanical dive watch, the Diver [AIR] surfaces in blue attire to mark the retailer’s anniversary. Introduced earlier this […]
Worn & Wound
It’s hard to overstate the impact that Salvador Dalí-and, by extension, the Surrealist movement-had on popular culture. What might now feel like a strange detour in an art history textbook was, in reality, a radical reimagining of what art could be. Dalí’s obsession with the unconscious, symbolism, and dream logic reframed art as a psychological response to culture, rather than just a mirror of it. In doing so, Surrealism paved the way for the Avant-Garde, Pop Art, and the way we think about art today. It’s no surprise, then, that Dalí’s legacy continues to ripple through design and (not to be dramatic here) time itself. Brands have long used his vision as a jumping-off point for their own explorations of time and perception, most notably, of course, through reinterpretations of some of Dali’s most famous works, like his 1931 The Persistence of Memory. The Cartier Crash, with its iconic “melting clock” case, is probably the most famous representation of this style; but it is not the only one. In fact, Exaequo has been producing its own version of a melting watch since 1990, with its latest references, the Polyhedron series, debuting at Time to Watches in Geneva earlier this year. While there will undoubtedly be comparisons between Cartier’s and Exaequo’s two versions of a wobbly little timepiece, there is a marked difference between the two brands’ approach to the same reference source (not least of all the price). For the Polyhedron, Exaequo...
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Teddy Baldassarre
Similar to Switzerland at the heart of Europe, Japan has a hierarchy of complexity in its watches, with brands like Grand Seiko often being the first to come to mind in the luxury segment. However, just like the artistic free spirits from Switzerland who uphold centuries-old principles of the craft, there is a brand with tremendous mystique that is quickly emerging as a name to be reckoned with. It simply goes by the name, Credor. A Brief History of Credor Watches Much like Grand Seiko, Credor was born as a luxury offshoot of Seiko, established in 1974 to produce precious metal watches under the "Crêt D'or" name, which translates from French as “pinnacle of gold”. The name evolved to “Credor” in the 1980s, which saw the introduction of the brand's triple-peaked logo capped by three stars. It remained as a co-brand with Seiko on watch dials throughout the ‘90s, was sold mainly in Japan, and appeared on watches that combined luxury with sport, along with select jewelry pieces. The focus on both kinds of watches – the luxury-sport and the jewelry – had one distinct commonality: a specific focus on design with a bent toward capturing a certain opulent fervor of the 1980s and ‘90s. You can see some similarities in these watches as what was coming out of Switzerland by way of a certain Gérald Genta (and the connection between he and Credor doesn’t stop there). Credor In The 1990s The 1990s are something of an inflection point for the brand, when the Seiko...
SJX Watches
Fabian Pellet emerged last year as one of the more interesting and unusual independents with the L’Essentiel. Where most new faces in the field are freshly-graduated watchmaking students, Mr Pellet was previously a watchmaking teacher. A Swiss native working in Tokyo since 2022, Mr Pellet is one independent watchmaker to watch. The new version of L’Essentiel looks virtually identical to the three-piece platinum limited run from 2024. This updated model is now housed in a titanium case, and even though the production is inherently limited, it extends beyond three pieces. Initial thoughts The watch itself appears unassuming at first: a simple time-only model with a white enamel dial and a case defined by fairly plain lines. But when taking a closer look at the finer details, especially when turning the piece over, this can’t be dismissed as just another time-only indie piece. The movement inside the watch is clearly meant to be the center of attention, thoughtfully hidden underneath the simple, pocket watch-like dial. The calibre was crafted fully by hand; Mr Pellet does not use CNC machines even for the cutting of the raw blanks for the mainplate and bridges. The movement is clearly heavily influenced by a historical watches, both visually and in terms of its construction, which adds to its flair. All of its qualities aside, L’Essentiel remains a time-only watch, which has become somewhat of a trope with both new and established independents. It seems like a new ...
Hodinkee
A modern, detail-driven field watch with scratch resistant titanium and a surprising price tag.
SJX Watches
MB&F; has generated a lot of attention this year with a number of new releases celebrating the brand’s own 20th anniversary. Today MB&F; celebrates the 75th anniversary of one of its early champions and long-time retail partners, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, one of the most influential retailers in the Middle East, best known for organising Dubai Watch Week. To mark the occasion, MB&F; has developed two new limited edition models of its groundbreaking perpetual calendar, the Legacy Machine Perpetual EVO, on a sporty rubber strap, and the Legacy Machine Perpetual Baguette Diamonds, which is the first LM Perpetual to feature a gem-set bezel. Both models wear the typical Legacy Machine (LM) look and feature a vibrant blue colour used once before for another Seddiqi collaboration. Each watch is extremely limited; the titanium EVO will be a limited edition of just seven pieces, while only five pieces will be made of the steel version with its baguette-set bezel. Initial thoughts It’s a big year for milestone anniversaries, which is a good thing for watch collectors who are unusually spoiled for choice. That’s especially true for clients of Seddiqi, who can choose between two appealing new variants of one of the most intellectually compelling perpetual calendars on the market. They say it’s good to have friends in high places, but evidently it’s also good to have friends in dry places. Speaking about MB&F;’s long-term relationship with Seddiqi, founder Maximilian Busser noted,...
Monochrome
Young French brand Serica has built a loyal following by incorporating vintage cues into clean, modern tool watches and addressing the details that many brands often ignore. After field-ready divers and GMTs put the Paris-based maker on the map, the Serica Parade Ref. 1174 shifted the conversation to the dress watch category – without abandoning […]
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SJX Watches
Patek Philippe surprises with an off-season launch, the Gondolo Serata Zebra Ref. 4962/200R-010. Based on the curvaceous model launched in 2006, the Zebra features a sapphire crystal dial framed by garnets on the bezel and lugs. The dial motif replicates the cloisonné enamel dial of the Golden Ellipse ref. 5738/50G-023 from the Rare Handcrafts collection of 2022, but here the technique and material are decidedly modern. Despite the radically different look, this is an evolution of the Retrograde Perpetual Calendar ref. 6159G that has a smoked sapphire dial. Here the dial is also clear sapphire, but engraved, varnished, and then metallised to create the striking zebra motif. Initial thoughts The Gondolo Serata has been in Patek Philippe’s catalogue for almost 20 years but it never really gained prominence. Though the case shape is elegant, the dials on the earlier versions were quite plain. The Zebra is the opposite – vivid and striking – and it instantly stands out amongst Patek Philippe’s ladies offerings. The fact that the dial motif is based on the Rare Handcrafts Ellipse is a nice touch, though watch enthusiasts may be disappointed the movement is quartz. Patek Philippe presumably understands its clients and those clients probably want the convenience of a quartz movement. The sapphire dial technique, however, is interesting enough that it is likely to make its way into other models, which will be a good thing. Savannah sapphire The Gondolo Serata is a longsta...
SJX Watches
Piaget pays tribute to the pop-art pioneer and prolific watch collector with the Andy Warhol Watch Collage Limited Edition in the best way it knows how – with an exotic stone dial. Like the watch owned by Warhol himself, the Collage has a black onyx dial, but in between the onyx is yellow serpentine, pink opal, and green chrysoprase, forming a precious stone puzzle carefully assembled by hand. To bring things full circle, this 50 piece limited edition has a yellow gold case, the same alloy Warhol himself wore, and a metal that’s absent from the regular production Any Warhol lineup. Initial Thoughts The first Swiss quartz watches hit the market mere months after the Seiko Astron, powered by the CEH Beta 21 – a large and rectangular movement that gave the oversized watches it powered a distinctive look that I am fond of. Piaget’s ref. 15101, launched in 1972, was one of the most appealing Beta 21 designs by my reckoning. The renowned American artist must have agreed with that assessment as he purchased one in 1973, which Piaget bought back at auction after Warhol’s death. It is also worth noting that Yves Piaget, president of Piaget since 1980, knew Warhol personally. Andy Warhol with Yves Piaget. Image – Piaget The marquetry dial of the Collage puts Piaget’s expertise to good use. It is surprisingly creative, and is not based on a specific Warhol work as already done many times before. Rather, Piaget attempted to recreate Warhol’s process to create a new wor...
Deployant
The Limited-Edition Portugieser Automatic 42 Year of the Horse is a commemorative timepiece released by IWC Schaffhausen to mark the upcoming Lunar New Year. Limited to 500 pieces, it features a 42.4mm stainless steel case, a burgundy dial with gold accents, and the IWC-manufactured 52011 caliber offering a seven-day power reserve. The rotor is shaped like a galloping horse, visible through the sapphire caseback. Pricing for this model is listed at approximately €14,800, though regional availability and final retail prices may vary.
Time+Tide
Jason Lee is a gold Rolex man, but there's just something about the Crown's iconic travel watch that has him smitten.The post Why the Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” is the only steel Rolex I’d pay over retail for appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
A relatively young brand founded by two close friends, Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al-Marri, Furlan Marri started its life on Kickstarter in 2021 with a nicely designed collection of meca-quartz chronographs. The goal of the brand was to “bring back emotional watchmaking with thoughtful design (…) with details rarely seen at this price point”. And […]
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SJX Watches
More Seiko watches have gone to space than any other brand, save for Omega and Casio, and Seiko brings back the most prolific of them all, the multi-function Rotocall. For the 2025 reissue, the brand has gone for authenticity over reinvention, retaining the original 37 mm case size and bezel-operated function selector, while making a concession for a more practical sapphire crystal. Named for its nifty rotating bezel, the vintage Rotocall was most frequently worn on NASA Space Shuttle missions. The remake is available in three colourways, plus two limited editions for the Japanese market, the reissue of this 1980s favourite delivers a heavy dose of nostalgia. Initial thoughts If the Speedmaster Professional is the “Moon Watch”, the Rotocall may as well be called the “Shuttle Watch”. NASA purportedly flight qualified the Rotocall around 1983 and, according to Robert Jackson, who maintains a database of watches used in space, Rotocalls crossed the Karman line nearly 200 times during the Space Shuttle program, which lasted until 2011. Today, vintage Rotocalls are quite desirable, and unlike NASA-issued Speedmasters, which were government property, astronauts paid for and were allowed to keep their Rotocalls. Sotheby’s sold Kathy Sullivan’s watch, which she took to space twice – and once to the seafloor in the Challenger Deep – for over US$20,000 a few years ago. The Rotocall may be the most faithful of Seiko’s recent reissues; it’s the same diameter – 37...
Teddy Baldassarre
The Zenith Chronomaster Sport debuted back in 2021 and has evolved into one of the brand’s most compelling contemporary chronographs (and that’s saying a lot for Zenith). There was a lot of initial chatter about some similarities to the Rolex Daytona because the collection debuted with a panda and reverse panda dial model with ceramic bezel and, while the comparisons are certainly valid, it does warrant a reminder that the Daytona indeed used to be El Primero-powered. Earlier in 2025, Zenith went all out on the blue theme at this year’s Watches & Wonders in celebration of its 160th anniversary. The star of the show may have been the return of the Caliber 135 in the G.F.J. (see more on that one right here), but the supporting releases didn’t hold back either, boasting bright blue ceramic cases and bracelets. Together, this trio of watches comprise the Zenith 160th anniversary collection, touching on each of the cornerstones of the brand’s modern architecture. The watch I am going to focus on here is the Zenith Chronomaster Sport rendered nearly in its entirety in blue ceramic, showcasing a very different side of the brand’s most popular modern chronograph. Zenith Chronomaster Sport Context The Chronomaster collection has been around since 1994, building on the rather illustrious history of precision timing (outlined in more detail right here) that Zenith is known for. In 2021, Zenith found its modern stride with the release of the Chronomaster Sport with a blac...
SJX Watches
As the first complication launched by the revived Blancpain in 1983, the triple calendar with moon phase is arguably the brand’s signature. Now Blancpain has reveal the latest generation of the model, the Villeret Quantième Complet Phases de Lune. The new version is primarily a cosmetic facelift, which includes a blue ceramic moon phase disc, but it builds on solid foundations. The model retains the innovative and patented under-lug correctors for the calendar that make for easier setting and a clean case outline. The new Villeret Villeret Quantième Complet Phases de Lune (centre) is being launched alongside the the Quantième Phases de Lune, a 33.2 mm model for ladies (left), and Extraplate, the time-and-date base model (right), both of which have been similarly facelifted. Initial thoughts The triple calendar is a simple complication, but functions and aesthetically pleasing in the traditional layout that Blancpain employs. Though it is widely found across brands, Blancpain probably offers the most advanced triple calendar watches on the market thanks to its sophisticated movements. And Blancpain manages to do so at a reasonably competitive price relative to its peers. At a distance, the facelifted models look pretty much identical to the earlier generation – a good thing if you like the look, but the classical style might look dated to some. I find the aesthetic appealing, especially with details like the serpentine date hand and recessed dates scale. The facelift...
Teddy Baldassarre
The independent and microbrands of the watch world are often where the most interesting things are happening, but the landscape is only getting wider and the competition stronger – which is ultimately a good thing. But, with competition only growing fiercer, there are other brands that get knocked out of the spotlight, overshadowed by the current hyped brand/watch/designs of the time. Such is the case with Islander watches. But today, we’re going to help fix that and give a little extra consideration and attention to what I would call an underdog of the independent world. Down below, I’ll be walking you through what Islander Watches are all about, focusing on a case study of a couple of models, and sharing my final conclusions about how this brand fits into the wild world of watches. Some Context Islander Watches hold an interesting position within the industry, as they are actually the house brand of Long Island Watch, and, at its core, Islander is an entirely enthusiast-driven brand. I’m sure there are plenty of those already familiar with Long Island Watch from YouTube or the digital sphere, but for those uninitiated, Long Island Watch is a New York-based watch brand founded in 2003 by Marc Frankel, a mechanical engineer who turned his passion for collecting watches into an online retailer back in 2003. Focussing on offering a really dynamic curation of affordable, hardworking, and interesting watches from nearly all genres (and often from obscure brands), Mar...
SJX Watches
A hit when it was launched a dozen years ago – time does fly – the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was the first-ever Speedmaster in ceramic. Now Omega has refined and reworked the concept – the case is now almost 1 mm thinner – while retaining the all-ceramic construction and distinctive aesthetic. The new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon (DSOTM) makes its debut in four variants. The first two stick closely to the original, right down to the same automatic cal. 9900 movement, but in a slimmer format. More notable is the manual-wind version containing the cal. 9908, the first DSOTM offering with this movement, making it even thinner. And it has no date to boot. Rounding out the quartet is the Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon (GSOTM) that is also manual-wind but powered by the historically-based, Moonwatch-famous cal. 3861. This adopts the lunar-textured surface, front and back, first seen on the Apollo 8 edition. The first manual-wind DSOTM that has a black-and-red livery Initial thoughts Contemporary collectors are spoiled for choice when it comes to the Speedmaster, which is available in seemingly endless configurations. While that’s arguably a criticism, it demonstrates Omega’s industrial prowess, which enables the brand to deliver large volumes of watches that are objectively high quality and equipped with some of the industry’s best chronograph movements, without keeping customers waiting. Regardless of the shade of grey or black, the watches are ins...
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Monochrome
The Carrera Extreme Sport series by TAG Heuer returns for 2025 with three new references: a travel-ready Twin-Time chronograph that merges a true GMT into the openworked Extreme Sport template; a rose-gold chronograph that disrupts the collection’s tool aesthetic using precious metal; and a Tourbillon Extreme Sport F1 75th Anniversary limited edition that celebrates seven-and-a-half […]
Monochrome
Bremont has a solid portfolio of rugged tool watches designed for airborne, seaborne and land exploration. Recently restructured under Davide Cerrato, Bremont’s 2024 Terrra Nova collection was the CEO’s trial by fire. With its cushion-shaped cases, vintage details, and excellent legibility, the Terra Nova collection is designed to capture the elemental spirit of yesteryear’s military […]
Fratello
Citizen recently organized a traveling exhibition showcasing its 55-year history with titanium. I was invited to the Paris edition, so I made my way to the French capital with my camera and notepad. In case you were unaware, Citizen was the first brand to make a wristwatch out of this lightweight metal. While titanium may […] Visit Celebrating 55 Years Of Titanium Watches With Citizen to read the full article.
Hodinkee
A new invention that bridges the gap between fabric straps and metal bracelets.
SJX Watches
Having debuted in Geneva last year, Time Zone to Time Zone now arrives in Singapore come October 24. An exhibition dedicated to the GMT-Master and GMT-Master II, the event is being staged in Singapore by Rolex and retailer Cortina Watch. Slated to run for two weeks, Time Zone to Time Zone takes place in Paragon on Orchard Road, following a stop in Hong Kong earlier in 2025. The exhibition is a journey through the history of the GMT-Master, starting with its origins as a watch for the pilots of Pan Am, the now-defunct American airline that was the world’s largest when the GMT-Master debuted in 1954. Illustrated with period photographs, advertising, and other paraphernalia, the history of the model continues uninterrupted into the modern day with the GMT-Master II. Here the exhibition details the advancements in materials, movements, and manufacturing that make it a Rolex. Hosted by Rolex and Cortina Watch, Time Zone to Time Zone takes place from October 24 to November 2, at the main atrium of Paragon mall located at 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859. The exhibition is free and open to the public, but registration is recommended for the 45-minute guided tour. Register online at Cortinawatch.com. Update October 25, 2026: Venue images added.
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