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Bamford Drops B80 Collaboration with Ace Jewelers SJX Watches
Rolex watches often Apr 2, 2024

Bamford Drops B80 Collaboration with Ace Jewelers

London-based Bamford Watch Department’s latest is the B80 Limited Edition, a collaboration with Ace Jewelers of Amsterdam. In keeping with Bamford’s vintage-with-a-twist house style, the B80 boasts a “ghost” dial with a gradient finish and numerals inspired by historical military watches. The 39 mm titanium case has a black finished that’s been treated to appear aged. Initial Thoughts There is something about all-black watches that makes them cool. Part of it is the no-nonsense, military-instrument look they evoke. Black-coated watches, at least most of them, suffer from a major drawback - coatings wear off in time, resulting in a worn look that is more often than not unappealing. But here the wear has been done in advance for a fuss-free watch. According to the duo behind the B80, this is a “tool” watch conceived according to the notion “if [the watch is] too perfect, fix it”. Bamford, a company that got its start by modifying Rolex watches, often with vintage inspired styling and black-coated cases, is perhaps poking fun at its roots with the worn-out PVD finish of the B80. Even the dial features a “smoked” patina along with hands and indices with aged lume, thereby creating a “vintage” watch. But as with most Bamford watches – the brand now mostly makes original watches under its own name – the B80 is affordable and imbued with a spirit of fun. The back, for instance, is engraved with “You’re Ace”, and the watch is delivered with a...

Blancpain Finally Gives Fifty Fathoms Fans What They’ve Been Asking For Worn & Wound
Blancpain Finally Gives Fifty Fathoms Apr 1, 2024

Blancpain Finally Gives Fifty Fathoms Fans What They’ve Been Asking For

Last year marked the 70th anniversary of Blancpain’s iconic Fifty Fathoms dive watch, and to celebrate they launched three new watches in three acts. Act One was a contemporary take on the Fifty Fathoms in stainless steel, Act Two was a high-tech modern piece geared toward pro divers in titanium, and Act Three was a historical MIL-SPEC interpretation in 9K Bronze-Gold. Despite the critical acclaim, collectors seemed to have been left wanting. There has been an appetite for a contemporary sub 45mm diameter, non-limited-edition version of the Fifty Fathoms for many years, and for 2024 Blancpain is finally making it happen with new 42mm-diameter Fifty Fathoms Automatic models in the permanent collection. They will be offered in both red gold and corrosion resistant grade 23 titanium. The latter is like grade 5 but has lower oxygen, nitrogen, and iron content. It also has better ductility and fracture toughness, which, according to Blancpain, makes it excellent in saltwater environments. Powering these new Fifty Fathoms is the in-house Blancpain Caliber 1315 automatic movement. Its construction includes three series-coupled barrels that can provide a class leading five days of power-reserve. It is elaborately decorated, at least compared to most divers, and has an 18K red gold oscillating weight sporting an NAC coating, whose design is inspired by the rotor of the original 1953 Fifty Fathoms. All of this, of course, is visible through the screw-down sapphire display back. Th...

First Look – Hamilton Expands its Sporty Jazzmaster Performer Collection with 9 New References Monochrome
Hamilton Expands Apr 1, 2024

First Look – Hamilton Expands its Sporty Jazzmaster Performer Collection with 9 New References

Released about a year ago, the Jazzmaster Performer collection was Hamilton’s answer for a range of all-rounder, go-anywhere do-anything modern sporty watches. Mostly known for its connection with cinema and its successful vintage/military-inspired watches, the Performer was of a different breed. Sportier, more dynamic, more modern overall and yet sleek, it made a good impression […]

The Best Cameras for Watch Photography Worn & Wound
Apr 1, 2024

The Best Cameras for Watch Photography

Fact: your smartphone has a fantastic camera. It’s highly capable of making the photos that you want. Believe it or not, many folks shoot images with their smartphones and then send the images to retouching agencies to be worked on. But if you want to make beautiful images of your watch that speak to people in a love language that only watch enthusiasts understand, you’ve come to the right place. It’s a badge of honor not to need to work on an image in post-production. To do that, you’ll need to embrace a dedicated camera. Truth be told, your lighting is the most important thing in watch photography. Peruse the r/watches subreddit, and you’ll see tons of wrist shots. The angles are perfect: facing the camera, first-person, and slightly angled away from the light source to soften the effects. So why get a dedicated camera? It starts with lens selection, and we then grab our divers watches and plunge into features like image stabilization, film simulations, Real-Time LUT, artistic effects, pixel quality, optical quality, etc. Truly, if you tried to time my explanation of how each feature benefits you on a chronograph, the watch wouldn’t be able to measure it accurately. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, we think that working with south-facing light is best overall. Try to find a window or a spot with southern-light. I mean, plants love it because it’s consistent. When there’s a cloudy day, it’s also appropriately soft yet strong enough to bring out th...

The Breitling Navitimer Evolves into a No-Frills GMT SJX Watches
Breitling Navitimer Evolves into Apr 1, 2024

The Breitling Navitimer Evolves into a No-Frills GMT

To celebrate its 140th anniversary, Breitling is launching the Navitimer Automatic GMT 41. Zooming into the watch, the signature slide-rule bezel is still present, although this Navitimer omits the chronograph and replaces it with a GMT function. Featuring a 41 mm case in either stainless steel or 18k rose gold, it retains the classic Navitimer style, albeit with a cleaner look without the chronograph sub-dials. Initial Thoughts After revamping the Navitimer in 2022, Breitling gave its trademark aviator’s chronograph more vintage-inspired aesthetics, including more compact cases. Given that the Navitimer is synonymous with the chronograph, it’s not unreasonable to criticise the GMT has having lost some of the spirit of the original. However, I dig the cleaner aesthetics without the pushers and the triple registers. And this is also more affordable. Most Navitimer chronographs are equipped with the in-house B01 movement, resulting in an hefty entry price of US$9,600. The Navitimer Automatic GMT 41 is equipped with an ETA calibre, resulting in a slightly more affordable price that starts at US$6,200 on a stainless steel bracelet. Many other brands in this price bracket now utilise in-house or heavily improved movements, which puts this at a disadvantage in terms of mechanics. That puts it in the middle of the pack for accessible GMT watches: not as affordable as a Longines or the same value proposition as a Tudor, but it has the advantage of the classic Navitimer look th...

The Ulysse Nardin Freak – The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part III SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Mar 31, 2024

The Ulysse Nardin Freak – The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part III

An outlandish concept that originally sprang from the mind of Carole Forestier Kasapi, the Ulysse Nardin Freak of 2001 was perfected by Dr Ludwig Oechslin and then made reality thanks to the advent of silicon in watchmaking. Lightweight and magnetism resistant, silicon was used for the escape wheels but that was only the beginning of the story. [This story, the third and final instalment in the series, details the history of silicium, the proprietary Ulysse Nardin silicium hairspring, and the patented Grinder rotor. The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part I covers the origins of the Freak, from its conception to realisation, as well as its distinguishing characteristics, namely the inventive movement construction and unique escapement. Part II deals with the evolution of the unique, high-performance escapement.] Silicon, Silicium, Silinvar Now used interchangeably with silicon, silicium is actually French for “silicon”, but now it is also used as the trade name for the proprietary form of silicon used by Ulysse Nardin for movement components, namely silicon with a hard oxide outer layer that gives the material thermocompensating properties. Silicium was developed by Swiss scientific institute Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) in collaboration with Ulysse Nardin. Notably, the material is also known as Silinvar, which resulted from a separated but related CSEM project backed by a consortium made up of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Swatch Group. As a ...

Diving into the design details of Baltic watches down to half a millimetre with founder Etienne Malec Time+Tide
Furlan Marri Baltic Mar 31, 2024

Diving into the design details of Baltic watches down to half a millimetre with founder Etienne Malec

Editor’s note: Back in January, many of you joined us in our Time+Tide Discovery Studio in Melbourne to celebrate our tenth anniversary. It was a week full of celebrations, events, and even three exclusive launches from three of the most respected microbrands in the game: Furlan Marri, Baltic, and Studio Underd0g. Unfortunately, not everyone was … ContinuedThe post Diving into the design details of Baltic watches down to half a millimetre with founder Etienne Malec appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Swatch Sistem51 - Including A Tour Of ETA In Boncourt Fratello
Swatch Mar 31, 2024

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Swatch Sistem51 - Including A Tour Of ETA In Boncourt

What better way for a watch brand to mark a significant anniversary than to present the result of a project that is equally challenging, ambitious, and just a little bit mad? Swatch introduced its revolutionary Sistem51 mechanical movement in 2013. It did so to mark 30 years since the brand’s inception. The challenge Mr. Nick […] Visit A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Swatch Sistem51 - Including A Tour Of ETA In Boncourt to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium Fratello
Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium It’s Mar 31, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium

It’s Sunday morning! To be more specific, it’s Easter Sunday. So grab a warm cup of coffee with a chocolate bunny, and get ready to vote. In this week’s Sunday Morning Showdown, we decided to revisit a battle that we have had in the past. It’s the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona against the Zenith Chronomaster Sport. […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Vs. Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium to read the full article.

Why You Shouldn’t Get Your Better Half Interested in Watches Quill & Pad
Mar 31, 2024

Why You Shouldn’t Get Your Better Half Interested in Watches

“What, another watch?” she almost screamed in disbelief no sooner than I had opened the front door to our little love nest. Rewind to last week. I had been looking for a Roger Smith Series 1 for some time now, and Jones, my watch dealer, happened to finally locate one. I thought that I had played it pretty safe, so I really don’t know how she could have noticed. But then what happened next changed the rest of my life.

Swatch Art Journey 2024 - Meet The Swatch × Tate Gallery Collection Fratello
Swatch Mar 30, 2024

Swatch Art Journey 2024 - Meet The Swatch × Tate Gallery Collection

The Swatch × Tate collection debuted on March 20th at London’s Tate Modern gallery, home to over 76,000 art pieces. The reason for that is the latest Swatch art collaboration with Tate. There are seven new Swatch × Tate models, each representing a specific artwork - Turner’s Scarlet Sunset, Chagall’s Blue Circus, Miró’s Women and […] Visit Swatch Art Journey 2024 - Meet The Swatch × Tate Gallery Collection to read the full article.

The Unintentional Watch Collector: An Unplanned Watch Collection Spanning Eight Decades Quill & Pad
Casio ns Mar 30, 2024

The Unintentional Watch Collector: An Unplanned Watch Collection Spanning Eight Decades

Colin Alexander Smith never set out to collect watches; in fact, he suspects that deep down he aspires to being a one-watch guy. He has only bought himself a new watch on two occasions in his life. Nevertheless, through a combination of new and used purchases, gifts, hand-me-downs, and inherited pieces, Colin has managed to accumulate a selection of watches that rather neatly spans eight consecutive decades of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Find out what is behind each of these watches remaining in Colin's collection right here.

Brew’s Metric Chronograph is Now Available in Titanium Worn & Wound
Brew s Metric Chronograph Mar 29, 2024

Brew’s Metric Chronograph is Now Available in Titanium

Brew’s Metric line continues to grow, with the introduction of the first version of the Meca-Quartz chronograph in titanium. The Metric, as we’ve seen through several earlier iterations, has proven to be a fantastic canvas for Brew founder Jonathan Ferrer’s design chops, and now the watch takes on another slightly different shape (not literally, it’s the same 36mm case) in a new metal. This marks Brew’s first use of titanium, so they’re breaking the dam a bit here, and we can’t help but wonder what might be coming in our favorite lightweight metal.  But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The new titanium Metric has a subdued black dial with red accents that complement the utilitarian vibe of a titanium sports watch. The overall feeling you get here is one of a certain tactical sensibility, rather than the colorful playground of the earliest Metrics. The subdials are recessed for an added sense of depth, and the word “Titanium” appears, curved over the 6:00 subdial, proudly announcing the use of a new material.  Brew has gone with a simple brushed finish for the case and bracelet of the titanium Metric, which makes a lot of sense for a few reasons. First, this kind of presentation will just always work with titanium, which has an inherently sporty quality to it. Second, it surely keeps costs down. Somehow, the titanium version of the Metric is only priced at only a small premium over the stainless steel versions, coming in at $495. That’s a pr...

Aquastar’s New Benthos 500 Founder’s Edition is the Release Dive Watch Fans Have Been Waiting For Worn & Wound
Mar 29, 2024

Aquastar’s New Benthos 500 Founder’s Edition is the Release Dive Watch Fans Have Been Waiting For

If you’ve been following the reestablishment of Aquastar over the last few years, today marks an important milestone in the brand’s new chapter. After a series of well regarded divers offering takes on both Aquastar’s actual history and a sort of imagined version of it, we’ve finally come to the Benthos, perhaps the brand’s most famous watch, at least among the cult of divers and sports watch fanatics who have always held the brand in such high regard. This release, the Benthos 500 Founder’s Edition, very much feels like the watch that Aquastar has been building toward for the last few years, and it’s quite impressive in the metal.  First, a little background on the Benthos for those unfamiliar with its history. The Benthos was introduced in 1970 as a diving chronograph, but it uses one of the most uncommon executions of what is a fairly common complication that we can recall. This is a monopusher chronograph with a centrally mounted minute hand, and no chronograph seconds hands. That means that when you activate the chronograph, the user has the strange experience of wondering if anything just happened. But wait a minute, and you’ll see that minute hand tick over to the first minute marker, and the functionality here becomes a little more clear.  For most divers who would need to engage a chronograph underwater, it’s the minutes that truly matter, and a chronograph like this gives you exactly what you need, and none of what you don’t. The other piece...

Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024 on Show in Geneva SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024 Mar 29, 2024

Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024 on Show in Geneva

Continuing its annual tradition, Patek Philippe is exhibiting the year’s Rare Handcrafts its Geneva Salon from April 13 to 27, alongside the final few days of Watches & Wonders. Aside from the 82 watches and clocks – the largest Rare Handcrafts collection ever presented – the engravers and enamellers will be on hand to demonstrate their craft. The timepieces in the exhibition, comprising seven Dome Clocks, three table clocks, nine pocket watches, and 43 wristwatches, showcase the brand’s mastery of traditional techniques, ranging from the familiar like cloisonné and champlevé, to those less often encountered in watchmaking, such as wood marquetry and Longwy enamel on faience. As has long been the case for the Rare Handcrafts collection, all of the timepieces on show are available in theory, but typically allocated to the best clients. The Rare Handcrafts collection will be exhibited in three sections, each grouped according to the particular timepiece form. Upon entering the Salon, guests will encounter a dozen Calatrava wristwatches with enamel dials bearing the constellations of the zodiac, executed in a range of techniques, namely grisaille, cloisonné, and paillonné. The Napoleon room The exhibition continues into the Napoleon room facing Lake Geneva. Here are the watches inspired by nature, including the pocket watch ref. 995/143G-001 “Portrait of a White Egret” with a wood marquetry dial. The ref. 995/143G-001 with its matching stand The last section ...

Introducing: The Orient Star M Collections - A Different Take On Japanese Top-Shelf Horology Fratello
Orient Mar 28, 2024

Introducing: The Orient Star M Collections - A Different Take On Japanese Top-Shelf Horology

If you’re already into watches, Japanese brands have a different design mindset and offer big value. Orient Star is a brand you’ll think of if you’re a seasoned watch geek like me, especially if you actually remember watch forums (ask your dad or an uncle). Most brands have a lot to offer, but with microbrands […] Visit Introducing: The Orient Star M Collections - A Different Take On Japanese Top-Shelf Horology to read the full article.