40,087 articles · 238 videos found · page 607 of 1345
Deployant
Casio’s CA-500WEBF-1A “Back to the Future” edition is a thoughtful nod to both retro tech and pop culture. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Casio builds on the familiar silhouette of its classic calculator watch, the CA-53W, famously worn by Marty McFly in the original film.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
After years of testing we compare Baltic and Nodus, weighing build, design, and value to help you pick the right affordable microbrand watch.
Monochrome
Urwerk has spent nearly three decades rewriting the rules of how a wristwatch tells time. Since Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner founded the brand in 1997, the core idea has stayed very consistent: wandering satellite hours sweeping past retrograde minutes, executed as a sort of kinetic sculpture. Models like the UR-103 put the satellite carousel […]
Teddy Baldassarre
The world of high-end watches is a bit mysterious, and that is largely by design. Flagship pieces are produced in limited quantities, and pricing generally falls into the "contact us for details" realm for many of the most expensive watch brands. New mechanical innovations make headlines and push the industry and its trends forward, but this comes at a cost, with the best in the game building a certain reputation by doing this consistently over the course of generations. The ultimate value that buyers and enthusiasts will perceive in these watches is created in time, and it goes without saying that this value is quite subjective in nature. There are a multitude of details that become more apparent, and are even demanded, at the higher end of watchmaking, however. There are vast differences in materials, finishing techniques, and even mechanical aspects such as an uncommon escapement design or power reserve delivery that separate the very top brands from what you might find at your local jeweler. Understanding the world’s most expensive brands will mean having a grasp on these differences. This is the kind of knowledge that will also go a long way in appreciating watchmaking as the art form that it is. As great art is more than some canvas over a wood frame, a mechanical watch is far more than some screws, springs, and gears. Within a watch, each of these components offer the watchmaker an opportunity for creative expression in the kinds of materials they chose to use...
Monochrome
Northern Watches, launched by the Norwegian-born and Swiss-based watchmaker Stian Lofstad, arrives with a clear message: show the whole day at a glance, keep the design clean, and build it in Switzerland with proven movement. The debut range splits into two references, the bronze-cased NW1 Bronze Age and the steel NW2 Northerner, but the concept […]
SJX Watches
On Episode 17 of the SJX Podcast, Brandon has just returned from WatchTime New York, an event that has emerged as the flagship watch fair in the United States since its debut in 2015. SJX shares his hands-on impressions of Breguet’s new ref. 7225, which features the return of the brand’s magnetic pivots and is the highlight of the 250th anniversary releases so far. We also examine the hamburger-sized 77 mm J. Player & Son ‘hypercomplication’ at Phillips – one of the most complicated and impressive British watches ever made, before wrapping up with a discussion about some of the pieces from JP Morgan’s own collection coming up in the same auction. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.
SJX Watches
While Aubert and Ramel is a new brand, and the Ouréa is a new watch, Thomas Aubert and Alexis Ramel-Sartori aren’t new to independent watchmaking, both having worked for a prominent name in the space. That experience is evident in a strong – and decidedly on-trend – debut that stands out even in a crowded market. Initial Thoughts It seems there are many finely decorated time-only watches on the market today; the two contributed to some of the better ones in their earlier careers. Now the pair strike out under their own name, and unsurprisingly, their first watch is quite good. Though the duo seem to know that already, as they have priced it close to, just a little below, leading independents. The Ouréa’s “scraped” dial brings to mind the wildly successful Chronomètre Artisans from Simon Brette. That probably isn’t coincidental, as the two both worked for Simon Brette. However, I perceive an even stronger, and more general, influence of Greubel Forsey in the Ouréa. It also calls back to Thomas Aubert’s Séléné, winner of last year’s F.P. Journe young talent competition. The scintillating teal accents, applied by atomic layer deposition, are a nice touch to set the watch apart, and the hands are incredibly well made. Interestingly, the filling in the hands is white lacquer rather than luminous material. That seems like a missed opportunity as the appearance would be nearly identical if it were lumed. It is also a shame that Mr Aubert’s recoiling sho...
Worn & Wound
It’s amazing the way some watches don’t make sense until they do. That was absolutely my experience of the Hanhart Aquasphere when it showed up on my desk a few weeks ago. I mean, I love dive watches, but the Aquasphere was something entirely outside my realm of comfort, and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. At least, I wasn’t sure what to make of it until I realized something fundamental: I was thinking about the Aquasphere in entirely the wrong context. Sure, on paper, the Aquasphere is a strong addition to the stable of sub $2,000 dive watches on offer today, but in practice, the Aquasphere is nothing like the divers I tend to spend my time with. The Hanhart is a watch that’s big, over-designed, and not at all to my typical taste, but that just may be what I came to like so much about it. In a world where the prevailing trend in dive watches has been to look back into the twentieth century for design inspiration, there’s something fundamentally refreshing about a watch that isn’t meant to compete with the Black Bay even a little. Instead, the Aquasphere evokes a design language born in the ‘90s and perfected in the ‘00s, one that may not entirely appeal to many enthusiasts, but will hit square on for those collectors whose taste was formed by watch billboards of the era, and who find their minds drifting towards watches like the Breitling SuperAvenger or TAG Heuer Link. That does mean that this watch certainly won’t be for everyone, but for the...
Teddy Baldassarre
Luxury Sport watches are probably one of the most popular categories out there with no shortage of excellent options from the most mainstream to the most niche independent watch brands. While names like the Rolex Submariner and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak are seen as the staple watches in this category to aspire to, we asked our editorial team here to share their personal picks in this admittedly crowded category. So without further ado, let's take a look at our favorite luxury sport watches. Glashütte Original SeaQ Panorama Date There are dive watches that you wear to go diving and there are dive watches that you wear - well, maybe afterward, to the country club where you go to talk about diving. The Glashütte Original SeaQ is a prime example of a watch that can actually fill both roles. While it was established relatively recently, in 1994, Germany’s Glashütte Original can trace its lineage as far back as 1845, which also happens to be the year that watchmaking essentially arrived as an industry in Germany. As I cover in much greater detail in this article, a full century of horological tradition, centered in the town of Glashütte in the state of Saxony, came to an end with Germany’s defeat in World War II. It was replaced by a new era in which a state-owned conglomerate of once-independent heritage watch manufacturers, the Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe or GUB, shifted focus from artisanal techniques and luxuriously decorative timepieces to mass-produced tool watch...
Monochrome
Every brand from Apple to Zenith touts at least one watch that is “built for adventure”, “to stand the test of time”, or to “take a licking and keep on ticking” (okay, maybe that last one is less current). One look at the watch marketing out there today, and you will be inundated with images […]
Worn & Wound
Nomos has had an incredibly interesting trajectory among watch enthusiasts over the past decade or so. If you got into the hobby at a certain time, Nomos was almost certainly one of the first “forum brands” that you’d be introduced to as a level up from some of the core enthusiast watches that you might be able to scrounge for in your local department store or pick up on Amazon. Nomos (and Sinn, and a handful of other brands) required a bit more expense, and a bit more effort to get your arms around, but once you did, you really felt like you were part of the club (no pun intended). And then things kind of settled. The enthusiasts who cut their teeth on Nomos did what enthusiasts always do, and discovered other cool things as the watch community migrated from the antiquated forums to Facebook and Instagram. Nomos never stopped releasing good watches, but there was a sliver of time when it felt like they were improving rapidly and we’d have exciting new releases from them on a regular basis. It didn’t really turn out that way – they’ve largely iterated on core designs, offering new sizes (usually bigger) and sportier specs (bracelets, and better water resistance). The hypothetical Nomos chronograph that I can recall so many anonymous forum users speculating about never materialized, and it seems like the brand has become very comfortable simply being Nomos and making Nomos watches. Things changed a bit this year at Watches & Wonders with the release of the...
Fratello
Watch fans worldwide were excited when Favre Leuba’s return was announced in August last year. The world’s second-oldest watch brand is a favorite among vintage collectors and has created some absolute classics. Upon the unveiling of the new collection, we quickly learned that Favre Leuba would honor the past with modern versions of these watches. […] Visit Taking A Look At The Current Favre Leuba Catalog to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Farer has managed to carve out its own niche in the new wave of British-founded, Swiss-made brands, with playful (and skillful) use of colour and accessible pricing. Two new additions to the Moonphase collection continue that pattern: the Stratton and Burbidge feature Farer’s signature cushion-shaped case and crisp detailing that gives them an unmistakably contemporary feel despite their traditional inspiration. The Stratton is the second Farer model to feature a natural stone dial, this time in Eisenkiesel quartz, while the Burbidge, limited to just 100 pieces, flaunts trendy Eastern Arabic numerals and a playful blue-and-pink palette. Initial thoughts Farer’s brand identity is rooted in British design and Swiss production; in this respect it’s similar to Christopher Ward and Fears. The brand offers a playful, and often colourful, twist on traditional tool watch motifs. The Moonphase collection is among the brand’s dressier offerings, and the Stratton and Burbidge are each interesting in their own right. The most eye-catching of the pair is the limited edition Burbidge with Eastern Arabic numerals for the dial and date wheel. The blue and pink colourway is charming and the exotic numerals will likely prove to be something of a ‘secret handshake’ among those who are up-to-date with collector culture. The Stratton, named for British astronomer Frederick Stratton OBE, sticks to regular numerals but features a natural stone dial made of Eisenkiesel. The thickness...
Monochrome
A slightly more discreet member of the Nomos family, the Metro is a more youthful, cosmopolitan, and modern take on the brand’s clean design language, compared to the deliberately austere Tangente and the classic Ludwig. Soft in shape, elegant with a twist, the Metro is a watch that deserves more attention. And, with the latest addition to the collection, […]
Fratello
After a series of chronographs, the Dutch-based brand Lebois & Co returns with a trio of three-handers. Please welcome the Heritage Small Seconds collection. The silver Script, blue Baton, and black Numeral Founder’s Launch editions are COSC-certified chronometers with perks for early adopters. A “Chronomètre Lebois & Co” sweater inspired by Parisian streetwear is waiting […] Visit Introducing: The Three-Watch-Strong Lebois & Co Heritage Small Seconds Collection 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...
Monochrome
Creativity, impeccable artisanship, and a good dose of poetic licence are hallmark traits of Hermès watches. With such a rich repertoire of luxury goods, design features often migrate from one product line to another, as seen in the beautiful, handcrafted dials inspired by the brand’s colourful silk scarves. The latest transversal exchange concerns the decidedly […]
Fratello
The Seiko Speedtimer traces its roots back to the 1960s, offering plenty of sports timing and racing pedigree. Today, I got a chance to go hands-on with the line’s latest incarnation, the solar-powered SSC959 limited edition. I say “limited,” but Seiko is producing a whopping 3,000 of these. Perhaps more important than its numerical limitation […] Visit Hands-On With The Seiko Speedtimer SSC959 European Limited Edition to read the full article.
Fratello
Ask enthusiasts to name an affordable and fan-favorite series of dress watches, and chances are that Raymond Weil’s Millesime collection will pop up in several answers. We love the Millesime, a charming line of retro-styled watches with a model for everyone. Now, the brand follows up the highly successful Millesime with the new Toccata Heritage. […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage Series to read the full article.
SJX Watches
The new Citizen Attesa Platinum Shine collection leans into the brand’s two greatest strengths: cutting-edge quartz technology and mastery of titanium. With three limited edition references in a new platinum-coloured hue, Citizen demonstrates why it’s still the leader in titanium watches, 55 years after making the first one. Thanks to a decadent recrystallised titanium bracelet and nearly scratch-proof Duratect coating, the new Attesa proves that quartz can still feel luxurious. Ref. CB0284-66A. Initial thoughts Almost as soon as quartz timekeeping technology began to mature and prices began to fall in the 1980s, makers of quartz watches began to cede the luxury end of market to brands that focused on mechanical watches. But that never stopped a few brands, Citizen and Seiko chief among them, from pursuing the development of ever-better quartz technology and bringing it to market in a premium format. The ultimate expression of this focus is probably the Citizen cal. 0100, the most accurate wristwatch in the world. The Citizen 0100 – the world’s most accurate wristwatch. But quartz is just one part of the equation for Citizen, which has also achieved a leading market position in two specific fields. The first is solar power. Light-powered watches is nothing new, dating back to 1972, but it was Citizen’s advances in the late 1970s that propelled this technology forward. In 1995, the brand debuted Eco-Drive, which remains the leading light in solar-powered timekeep...
Monochrome
As we all know, the connection between Omega and the Olympic – Summer or Winter – Games is one of the strongest when it comes to official timekeeping. Since 1932, the Biel-based brand has fulfilled this role 31 times and is soon to mark its 32nd participation as official timekeeper. Indeed, in exactly 100 days, […]
Monochrome
Following the success of the Millesime collection, a series of vintage-inspired, 1930s-based watches that have been praised by enthusiasts and industry insiders (including us), Raymond Weil is back with yet another “Heritage” collection, despite being a relatively young brand founded in 1976. Surfing on the renewed interest for shaped, classic and dressier timepieces, the brand introduces the […]
Worn & Wound
The Windup Watch Fair, especially the New York City edition, has increasingly become a venue for brands to debut new watches aimed at their enthusiast fans. It makes a lot of sense if you’ve ever been to a Windup – there’s an incredibly high concentration of watch lovers in a single place, and many of them are in what you might call a buying mood. And of course, the new stuff is often the most enticing when that particular mood strikes. This year, Serica got in on the act, debuting new references in the Parade collection, their unexpected but incredibly well executed “dress watch” from last year. “Dress watch” is in scare quotes here because of course it’s quite a bit more complex than that, but it’s perhaps easiest to understand the Parade when you view it as a contrast (and complement) to Serica’s sportier offerings. A quick refresher, in case it’s needed, on the Parade. Serica refers to the case as “stadium” shaped because it’s based on the architecture of the Roman Stadium, with straight sides that blend into an elliptical shape at 12 and 6. On the wrist, it presents as an oval, but a look at the case in profile (or any angle other than top down) reveals the case construction makes this one tough to pigeon hole. It offers 100 meters of water resistance while being just 8.2mm tall thanks to “sandwich” style construction that uses screws that hold the case together from the back and are housed in and protected by the bezel. This is far f...
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 […]
Monochrome
Founded in 1893 and rooted in the Saxon cradle of German watchmaking, Union Glashütte has never shied away from character. The brand´s Belisar series is famous for its automotive-inspired editions, and needless to say, the design cues of the Speedster editions have always been taken from a German car. This year, for the first time, […]
Time+Tide
This week marks the return of Australia's largest enthusiast-run watch and horology convention to Sydney - here's what you need to know.The post Australia’s watch community is gathering in Sydney this week for Watchfest 6! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
The Tudor Black Bay 58 Burgundy was released at this year's Watches & Wonders to nothing short of acclaim by enthusiasts. Not just a fresh color, this is a redesigned Tudor Black Bay 58, essentially from top to bottom. What you’re looking at is the next generation of everybody’s favorite Black Bay size, and it debuts in a color you simply cannot ignore, and one tied to Tudor history. The Burgundy Black Bay 58 took the burgundy color usage of Black Bays from the past while leaning into the bright color scheme much more boldly than before. Rather than just adding another bezel color, Tudor decided to make the whole dial and front of the case a study in this shade of red. Where the past few years have seen Tudor experiment with satin-finished dials in its hardcore sports watches, from the Pelagos to the Black Bay 54, the 58 range has been steadfast in its use of matte or textured dial surfaces. That all changed with this iteration, as we get a punchy, sunburst burgundy dial color. You might think this is an infusion of modernity in a model known to harken back to the past, but it isn’t. It’s just harkening to a different moment in time – to a watch that Tudor never technically released. Indeed, that would be a certain 1990s Tudor Submariner Ref. 79190 prototype that had a similar red bezel/red dial combination. And while that watch never made it to the production stage, it heavily influenced the brand’s decision when it released the very first Black Bay with a bu...
Monochrome
This announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise and was largely anticipated by the industry. Yet, now that the 39% import taxes imposed by the U.S. administration on Swiss goods entering American soil, also known as the tariffs, are effective (since the beginning of August), we clearly see the effects. And yes, there is no other […]
Quill & Pad
“We’re only making two hundred and fifty of them,” they say, causing your ears to perk up like a Doberman’s. “Just two fifty,” you ponder, eyebrows raised. “Correct,” says the salesperson, pulling a well-rehearsed “You don’t see one of these every day” face. Dazzled by the prospect, you throw your credit card down.
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