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Results for WOSTEP (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program)

40,087 articles · 238 videos found · page 606 of 1345

Introducing: The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments In Three Mesmeric Colors Fratello
Nov 7, 2025

Introducing: The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments In Three Mesmeric Colors

The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments collection brings together the ancient Japanese art of Raden (inlaying of shell), traditional Vietnamese lacquer, and Swiss watchmaking. The dials comprise hand-laid mother-of-pearl fragments sealed beneath layers of natural lacquer. Offered in three limited editions (Green, Blue, and Pink), these watches showcase Awake’s mission to make metiers d’art available in […] Visit Introducing: The Awake Sơn Mài Fragments In Three Mesmeric Colors to read the full article.

It’s Not Easy Being Green - Except for the Seiko Alpinist SJX Watches
Seiko Alpinist Seiko’s evergreen mountaineering Nov 7, 2025

It’s Not Easy Being Green - Except for the Seiko Alpinist

Seiko’s evergreen mountaineering companion, the Prospex Alpinist, enters its fourth decade with its fourth major update. The 2025 edition gains an a longer power reserve, a scratch-resistant Diashield case coating, and - most notably - the return of vintage styling cues from the first generation, including the italic “Alpinist” signature on the dial. The new generation (refs. SPB503, SPB505, SPB507) debuts in variants including the signature forest green, along with a limited edition of the outgoing generation exclusively for Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Brunei in an icy white (ref. SPB532). Though it commands a slightly higher price than the outgoing model, the enhancements make it a more capable and durable field watch, keeping the value proposition firmly intact. Initial thoughts This year the iconic green-and-gilt Alpinist turns 30, though it seems to have aged gracefully, with the latest generation being the best since its original debut. Though the Prospex “X” emblem and “three days” script depart from the model’s earlier design, the return of the “Alpinist” script is a welcome touch. Personally, I’ve always favoured its bigger brother, the Landmaster, which has higher specs for a higher price. But for most aspiring mountaineers, the much more accessible and conventionally attractive Alpinist is a better option. Since early references of the Alpinist are incredibly difficult to find – at least by Seiko standards – the new ...

In-Depth: Balancing Mainspring Dimensions Inside the Barrel SJX Watches
Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon Concept Nov 7, 2025

In-Depth: Balancing Mainspring Dimensions Inside the Barrel

In a past story, we explained how multiple mainspring barrels can be paired in parallel or in series, for either lengthening a movement’s power reserve or increasing the torque discharged into the going train. In this article we expand on this topic to analyse the inside of the barrel by exploring how mainspring size balancing influences the torque output and power reserve.   Enthusiasts tend to throw around the loosely-defined term “mainspring packing” - especially when criticising a movement’s unsatisfying power reserve. This term refers to how a watchmaker can get a higher power reserve by balancing a spring’s dimensions and the space it occupies inside a barrel. While this sounds simple, the reality is more complicated.  Skeletonised barrel showing the tight coiled mainspring inside the Piaget Altiplano Tourbillon Concept. In order to set the record straight, it’s necessary to analyse the topic thoroughly. This requires getting a bit technical, but an interpretation is included for those less interested in the underlying maths. This theory-heavy deep-dive tries to unravel the concept of mainspring packing and explores why optimisation is not a very straightforward business. The core elements This section covers the basics of mainspring and barrel geometry and establishes their relation with power reserve and torque. In order to see how specific dimensions affect both torque and power reserve, we will resort to some known functions and a little geometric...

Rolex Hulk Review: The All-Green Submariner Teddy Baldassarre
Panerai Nov 6, 2025

Rolex Hulk Review: The All-Green Submariner

The Rolex “Hulk” Submariner is today one of the most collectible luxury sport watches on the secondary market, despite the fact that its green-on-green colorway was quite polarizing when it first hit retailers' shelves in 2010. The watch’s rise to legendary status, interestingly enough, followed a similar path to that of the Marvel character from which it derives its nickname. Here we explore the story of the Rolex “Hulk” and why it occupies a special chapter in the lore of iconic Rolex watches. Rolex Submariner Origins The Rolex Submariner famously arrived on the scene in 1953 but its roots reach much farther - to the historical, waterproof Oyster case that Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf introduced way back in 1926. Named for its pioneering structure -  which combined two threaded, hermetically sealed “shells” that clamped tight to keep water from penetrating, along with a crown that screwed securely into the side of the case - the case achieved a water resistance never before achieved in watches. The Rolex Oyster case made its debut on a watch of the same name (below), and its waterproof design was improved over subsequent decades. Rolex supplied a version of its Oyster case to the Florence-based firm Panerai in the 1930s and ‘40s for use on the Radiomir, one of the very first wristwatches purpose-built for underwater use, worn by Italian military divers.  Fast forward to the early 1950s, and the growing popularity of scuba diving as a recreational p...

Introducing - The Horologically Unique HU-01, An Appealing, Accessible Watch Inspired by the Calatrava 96 Monochrome
Patek Philippe Calatrava 96 Nov 6, 2025

Introducing - The Horologically Unique HU-01, An Appealing, Accessible Watch Inspired by the Calatrava 96

If we had to name the one model that defined the concept of a dress watch, it would undoubtedly be the Patek Philippe Calatrava 96. This watch, when launched in the early 1930s, was rather revolutionary and has ever since been the blueprint for anything dress watch. Watch enthusiasts have long recognised its beauty and […]

Introducing - The New Awake Son Mai Fragments Limited Editions Monochrome
Nov 6, 2025

Introducing - The New Awake Son Mai Fragments Limited Editions

Awake has built a clear identity around thoughtful materials and craft, moving from early eco-focused projects to last year’s Son Mai lineup, watches that brought traditional Hanoi lacquer work and silver-leaf dials into a permanent, Swiss-powered collection. The Fragments series is the next chapter: three limited editions that fuse Vietnamese Son Mai lacquer with mother-of-pearl […]

Introducing - A Smooth Bezel on a Hanhart…? Meet the New 417 ES Mocha Flyback Date Monochrome
Ming instruments Nov 6, 2025

Introducing - A Smooth Bezel on a Hanhart…? Meet the New 417 ES Mocha Flyback Date

Hanhart’s roots run deep in the history of mechanical chronographs. Founded in 1882 in Germany’s Black Forest, Hanhart became a mid-20th-century reference for timing instruments. Its stopwatches and pilot chronographs set benchmarks for robustness, legibility, and ergonomics, a legacy carried forward by today’s collections, most notably, the 417 ES. First developed for the German armed […]

Tissot Forges Ahead with the PRX 38 mm in Damascus Steel SJX Watches
Tissot Forges Ahead Nov 6, 2025

Tissot Forges Ahead with the PRX 38 mm in Damascus Steel

In just four short years the Tissot PRX has become a runaway success, spawning variants in almost every imaginable size and colour, but the new PRX 38 mm in Damascus steel stands apart. The patterned case and dial give it a tactile, almost artisanal quality rarely seen at this price point, with randomised striations that make each watch unique. Priced at a reasonable premium compared to the standard model, the Damascus steel case and dial of the new PRX are the result of forging and folding multiple steel alloys, which are then etched with acid to reveal a distinctive texture. Initial thoughts The PRX has proven to be widely successful for Tissot, and is now available in countless sizes, colours, and materials. Many are forgettable, but a few stand out. The Damascus steel variant is among the latter. The new PRX in Damascus Steel is one of the best yet, especially in the nearly perfect 38 mm size that will fit well on just about every wrist, big or small. The patterned grey texture found on the case and dial is immediately appealing, and while a full Damascus steel bracelet would have been even better, the leather strap helps keep costs in check and avoids the trap of looking too busy. Like other PRX models, the Damascus steel edition features the Swatch Group’s signature Powermatic 80 movement, which offers a convenient 80 hour power reserve, which should last through the weekend for all but the most sedentary lifestyles. It’s not much to look at, but that’s alright...

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 4 - Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 Vs. Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026 Fratello
Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 Vs Nov 6, 2025

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 4 - Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 Vs. Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026

As we continue our quest to find the definitive dress watch of 2025, it’s time for the fourth match of this first round of Fratello Dress Watch Season. Today, Nacho and Ben go head-to-head with two heritage-inspired contenders from Swatch Group brands. It’s the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 versus the Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina […] Visit Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 4 - Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 Vs. Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026 to read the full article.

The French Connection: Trilobe’s Parisian Workshop SJX Watches
Breguet Lépine Nov 6, 2025

The French Connection: Trilobe’s Parisian Workshop

Gautier Massonneau didn’t set out to become a watchmaker; he just wanted a nice watch. Nearly a decade later, the thirty-something Frenchman finds himself on the verge of re-establishing industrial watchmaking in the French capital with Trilobe. His partner in this evolution, Volcy Bloch, has helped steer Trilobe from design-led start-up to a vertically integrated enterprise capable of producing its own movements and, increasingly, of charting its own future. Having surrounded himself with an experienced team of watchmakers and engineers in the city’s upscale 9ᵗʰ arrondissement, Mr Massonneau has built something quietly radical: a young brand that began as an idea sketched in a Paris apartment that is now in transition to becoming a full-fledged manufacture. Initial thoughts It’s difficult to discuss the rebirth of French watchmaking without acknowledging the turbulence of the past half-century. France was once a powerhouse of horological innovation, home to Breguet, Lépine, and the great marine chronometer makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, but the industrial base began to erode after the Industrial Revolution and never truly recovered. By the late-twentieth century, the last national movement manufacturers had either collapsed or been acquired, their ambitions thwarted by globalisation and Switzerland’s ascendance. Lip, for example, was an early pioneer in electronic timekeeping, but the company’s head start wasn’t enough to insulate them from the rap...

Hands-on - Deciphering The Oil-Filled Ressence Type 3 BB2 (Incl. Video) Monochrome
Ressence Type 3 BB2 Incl Nov 5, 2025

Hands-on - Deciphering The Oil-Filled Ressence Type 3 BB2 (Incl. Video)

Dressed in all black, the Type 3 BB2 is the perfect representation of what independent watchmaker Ressence is all about. Founded in 2010 by industrial designer Benoit Mintiens, watches by Ressence are pretty much incomparable to anything else on the market thanks to the brand’s out-of-the-box thinking, technical innovation and no hands or crowns. In […]

Introducing - The New, Futuristic Hamilton Ventura Edge Skeleton Monochrome
Hamilton Ventura Edge Skeleton Most Nov 5, 2025

Introducing - The New, Futuristic Hamilton Ventura Edge Skeleton

Most of us associate Hamilton with robust military field watches employed by the US Army during WWII and their successful second lease of life in the Khaki collections. One of the quirkier models to emerge from Hamilton’s American era was the Ventura, the world’s first publicly available battery-powered watch, with a crazy, futuristic, asymmetrical case […]

Seiko Marinemaster SJE101 Review: Divisive But Wears Like A Dream Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko Marinemaster SJE101 Review Divisive Nov 4, 2025

Seiko Marinemaster SJE101 Review: Divisive But Wears Like A Dream

The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SJE101 1965 Diver’s Modern Reinterpretation is definitely a mouthful, but it’s definitely with purpose. Part of the higher-end Seiko Luxe family, the SJE101 evokes two icons - the 62MAS and Marinemaster - but can it live up to those lofty expectations? The answer, as you can imagine, is mixed. What’s for sure, though is that this is a uniquely wearable Seiko Prospex dive watch that measures less than 40mm and has some really impressive finishes. That said, the Marinemaster title carries a lot of expectations with it, and there has been a fair share of discourse about whether it lives up or not. Seiko Marinemaster Context What exactly is the big deal with the Seiko Marinemaster? Let’s take a look at how it came to be such a lauded name in the diver category. The first watch in the collection was actually the Seiko Marinemaster Quartz SBCN005, aka the Transocean from 1999. This was a 44mm-wide titanium watch that was highly functional with barometric pressure measurement and barometric trend display. A year later in 2000, the Marinemaster SBDX001 was released, boasting 300 meters of water resistance and no helium escape valve. The Marinemaster family would continue in production until about 2018, when it began to disappear in favor of the larger Prospex family. But about five years later, the Marinemaster would come back in the form of this collection. More than a couple of people have asked whether this is “really a Marinemaster...

Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s Vortic Military Edition Releases Worn & Wound
Hamilton Nov 4, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About this Year’s Vortic Military Edition Releases

Next week is Veterans Day, which for the last several years has marked an important moment for Vortic, the Colorado based watch brand specializing in repurposing vintage pocket watch movements and dials into wrist worn cases that serve as special tributes to America’s watchmaking past. Each year on Veterans Day, Vortic releases their Military Edition, a special series of watches that incorporate movements and dials sourced from watches commissioned by the United States military. The watches have been a big hit for Vortic since their introduction, usually selling out within minutes of going on sale. They draw not only watch collectors, but of course have a natural appeal to history lovers and collectors of military odds and ends – they really thread the needle perfectly across multiple bands of enthusiasm. This year’s release has some additional special significance as a total of three distinct options will be available when these watches launch, including the first ever Vortic watches running on a vintage Swiss movement.  A quick recap of what the Military Edition actually consists of as a watch is probably the best place to start. Watches in the Military Edition are sourced from the AN5740-1 pocket watch, also known as the “Master Navigational Watch”, built to the specs of the Army Air Corp during World War II by Elgin, Waltham, and Hamilton. As with other historic watches built to military specs, the dials were standardized across all manufacturers, and each M...

First Look - Vacheron Constantin Releases Unique Les Cabinotiers Pieces for its 270th Anniversary Monochrome
Vacheron Constantin Releases Unique Les Cabinotiers Nov 4, 2025

First Look - Vacheron Constantin Releases Unique Les Cabinotiers Pieces for its 270th Anniversary

When it comes to complications, Vacheron Constantin is a veritable Titan in the arena and has earned its rightful place in the pantheon of high complications. Celebrating its grand 270th anniversary this year, Vacheron has outdone itself in 2025. Following the release of the world’s most complicated pocket watch last year, Vacheron Constantin has pulled […]

Fratello On Air: These Are The Next Watch Trends Fratello
Ming watch trends We take Nov 4, 2025

Fratello On Air: These Are The Next Watch Trends

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we lay it on the line and predict upcoming watch trends. We take educated guesses about what will be hot and what will likely fade. It’s a comprehensive look at everything from materials to sizes and colors. Enjoy the show! This podcast player is […] Visit Fratello On Air: These Are The Next Watch Trends to read the full article.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 3 - Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription Vs. Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P Fratello
Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P Nov 4, 2025

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 3 - Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription Vs. Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P

This is the third match in the Fratello Dress Watch Season contest, our effort to identify the best new dress watch of 2025. The series continues with a beautiful and classical duo. Match three in round one sees RJ defending the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription in yellow gold and Mike making his case for […] Visit Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 3 - Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription Vs. Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P to read the full article.

J.P. Morgan Jr.’s Watches Emerge, Including First-Ever Cartier Mystery Clock SJX Watches
Cartier Mystery Clock Philips’ upcoming Nov 4, 2025

J.P. Morgan Jr.’s Watches Emerge, Including First-Ever Cartier Mystery Clock

Philips’ upcoming sale in Geneva from November 8-9 includes two timepieces owned by John Pierpont Morgan Jr., widely known as Jack Morgan. Heir to a financial empire, Morgan was the first chairman of what is now JPMorganChase, and more pertinently, inherited the sensibilities of his father, J. Pierpont Morgan Sr., in collecting and gifting. Morgan Sr. was a collector on a grand scale, and across categories. The catalogues of his collections spanned volumes – two books for Chinese porcelain, four for miniatures, and a single volume for his watches and clocks, albeit a 350-page tome that weighed almost 6 kg in its original edition. The penchant for collecting was passed on to Jack Morgan, who evidently had sharp tastes in watches and clocks. The two timepieces going on the block at Phillips illustrate that. One is the first-ever Cartier mystery clock, a Model A sold to Morgan in 1913. And the other is one example of the “Morgan caliper”,  a series of minute repeating, split-second chronograph, tourbillon pocket watches made for J.P. Morgan & Co., which were gifted by Morgan Sr. and Jack Morgan to the firm’s partners and important associates. Titans of finance In 1913, Louisiana senator Arsène Pujo formed the Pujo Committee to investigate the growing concentration of financial power in the United States. The committee found that an inner circle of partners at J.P. Morgan & Co. and its two largest proxies held 341 directorship positions across the boards of 34 majo...

Seiko SPB149 Review: The Blue Dial Prospex Diver Teddy Baldassarre
Seiko SPB149 Review Nov 3, 2025

Seiko SPB149 Review: The Blue Dial Prospex Diver

An outsized part of Seiko’s history is within its dive watch heritage, going all the way back to 1965 with the company's first dedicated diver, the 150-meter 62MAS, released as the 6217-8000, and later, its larger-crowned sibling, the 6217-8001. It was the beginning of a lineage that went on to include legendary references like the Willard, the Turtle, the Marinemaster, the Tuna, and the SKX, just to name a small assortment of them. Today, Seiko’s broad dive-watch lineup is well-known for its rugged dependability: from the entry-level Prospex models to the elevated Luxe variants like the Seiko SPB149, there’s a Seiko diver for every enthusiast. Seiko has paid tribute to the 62MAS design in the past with limited editions, but in the 2020s, the brand has seen a slew of regular-production, and short-lived models – like the SPB143, 239, and 149, which stand as the most faithful renderings of the 62MAS, characterized by the brand as the Prospex 1965 Heritage Diver’s Watch. Although this model family came with different dial variants at its 40.5mm case size, today, we’re going to showcase the discontinued SPB149 before looking at the current production SPB143 and other modern day options which continue the 62MAS legacy. We will go through the standard points of its case, wear, dial, and movement, and then share concluding remarks about its overall legacy in 2025.  Seiko SPB149 Context In Spring of 2020, Seiko dropped a quartet of watches - the SPB143, SPB145, SPB1...

Introducing: The Maen × IFL Watches Manhattan After Dark Limited Edition Fratello
Maen × IFL Watches Manhattan Nov 3, 2025

Introducing: The Maen × IFL Watches Manhattan After Dark Limited Edition

IFL Watches and Maen are back at it again! After the success of last year’s Graffiti collaboration, it seems that fans were clamoring for a follow-up. While the first watch focused on the bright, vibrant colors of street art during the day, the new Manhattan After Dark envisions the city when the shadows come out […] Visit Introducing: The Maen × IFL Watches Manhattan After Dark Limited Edition to read the full article.

Complicated Collectors: John Pierpont Morgan SJX Watches
Rado xically one Nov 3, 2025

Complicated Collectors: John Pierpont Morgan

As part of a continuing series on great watch collectors, following the first studies dedicated to Elliott Cabot Lee and Thomas Engel, the third instalment turns to the horological world of John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (1837-1913). Based on the famous 1912 Chiswick Press catalogue, this analysis reflects the range and typological structure of his collection. These watches span devotional and allegorical forms, astronomical instruments, and multi-functional works of mechanical synthesis. While Morgan’s approach has sometimes been described as encyclopaedic rather than selective, the collection itself tells a different story, one in which historical resonance and technical refinement consistently overlap. The selection offers a tangible expression of Morgan’s collecting logic, in which cultural meaning, mechanical ingenuity, and symbolic intent were sought in equal measure. The man In the pantheon of American capitalists, J. Pierpont Morgan occupies a singular place: titan of industry, consolidator of empires, and paradoxically, one of the greatest cultural preservationists of his age. Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1837, the son of an ambitious transatlantic banker, he came of age amid the expanding architecture of American finance. His education, from early childhood, was European. He studied in Switzerland and later in Germany, where a brief period at the University of Göttingen introduced him to the German language and the foundations of art history. These formative ...

Coming To Terms With A Motorbike Crash With My Tudor Heritage Ranger Fratello
Tudor Heritage Ranger I park Nov 2, 2025

Coming To Terms With A Motorbike Crash With My Tudor Heritage Ranger

I park my 1983 BMW R65 beside a quiet bend of the Hawkesbury River, not far from Wiseman’s Ferry. Sunlight reflects off the large 22-liter blue petrol tank. A little mid-morning mist still lingers along the valley, and the air feels soft with dawn‑cool dampness. Ahead lies the old convict road that once linked colonial […] Visit Coming To Terms With A Motorbike Crash With My Tudor Heritage Ranger to read the full article.

The Best Rolex Blue Dial Watches Teddy Baldassarre
Breitling Nov 1, 2025

The Best Rolex Blue Dial Watches

When you think of Rolex, the first colors your mind usually conjures up are green and gold, long the emblematic colors of the Swiss power brand and its world-famous “crown” logo. (Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf is said to have settled on these colors because they symbolized wealth and success.) Blue, on the other hand, is not a color that most watch aficionados readily associate with Rolex, though many will associate it with other watch brands, like Breguet, Breitling, and Rolex’s own little brother, Tudor. However, when Rolex does decide to do blue - whether it’s for dials, bezels, or some combination of both - it does so in a way that really speaks to the brand’s avid fan base. Over the years, some blue-dialed Rolex watches, in fact, are not only popular but have become recognized as classics. Here are seven Rolexes with blue dials - some discontinued and collectible, others still available in the current collection - that have demanded enthusiast attention. (Price estimates for the discontinued models on the list are courtesy of WatchCharts.) Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41, Ref. 126334 ($11,100) Rolex released the Datejust in 1945, and the model is today regarded as one of the world’s most classically elegant dress watches. The Datejust brought two now-familiar elements to the world of watch design, one of which can be found throughout the watch industry, the other being still closely associated with Rolex. The first was the addition of a date disp...