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Results for AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants)

3,202 articles · 296 videos found · page 63 of 117

Breguet Connects the Dots between Art and Time at Frieze New York Quill & Pad
Breguet Connects May 31, 2024

Breguet Connects the Dots between Art and Time at Frieze New York

Breguet was an engineer, an astronomer and also a designer. He adapted certain techniques to horology, such as guilloché, for example. The art of Breguet is in the details, in the finishing, and the artworks at Frieze are also all about the details … an artwork is something you have to look at multiple times, and each time, you're going to discover different things.

First Look – Parmigiani Introduces Three Fresh Colours to the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Monochrome
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda went through May 30, 2024

First Look – Parmigiani Introduces Three Fresh Colours to the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph

Designed by Michel Parmigiani, the classic Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda went through a tasteful facelift as an integrated sports watch following the appointment of Guido Terreni at the helm of the brand. The collection quickly proved to be a hit, which was further supported by the introduction of several new models, including the smart and innovative […]

Richard Mille Unveils the RM 27-05 Rafael Nadal SJX Watches
Richard Mille Unveils May 30, 2024

Richard Mille Unveils the RM 27-05 Rafael Nadal

Described by the brand as the “climactic conclusion” of the line of ultra-light watches made for the tennis champion, the RM 27-05 Flying Tourbillon Rafael Nadal weighs just 11.5 g without its strap – or about two sheets of A4 printer paper. Like many of Richard Mille’s watches, the RM 27-05 is cased in carbon composite, specifically Carbon TPT B.4. More compact than the brand’s typical watches, the tonneau-shaped case is a compact 37.25mm by 7.2 mm. And according to Richard Mille, it is shock resistant to about 14,000 g. Initial thoughts Richard Mille was the first to make ultra-light a thing in watches with the RM009 ALUSiC that was introduced almost 20 years ago. The brand took the concept to the extreme with the RM 27 that debuted in 2010. Weighing just 13 g without the strap, it was conceived for Rafael Nadal to wear while playing tennis. The watches have gotten even lighter since then, and the RM 27-05 is the final chapter in the series. Weighing essentially nothing at 11.5 g without the strap, it is as lightweight as it gets for a mechanical watch of this type. Besides being the most extreme example of Richard Mille’s ultra-light philosophy, the RM 27-05 is also quintessential Richard Mille in terms of style. The notched outline and vents on the case, and the hyper-mechanical appearance of the skeleton movement, are very much typical of the brand’s current design ethos. In short the watch is very much Richard Mille. That also holds true for the price, ...

Introducing: The Gérald Genta-Designed Credor Locomotive Makes A Comeback Fratello
Gerald Genta May 30, 2024

Introducing: The Gérald Genta-Designed Credor Locomotive Makes A Comeback

The Credor Locomotive is a fascinating design from the late 1970s. Today, the brand has brought it back to life. Let’s take a first look at this rather special timepiece and find out more. Anything Gérald Genta once touched (or, rather, designed) may as well have turned to gold. We’ve seen many brands leverage his […] Visit Introducing: The Gérald Genta-Designed Credor Locomotive Makes A Comeback to read the full article.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Debuts the Polaris Geographic SJX Watches
Jaeger-LeCoultre Debuts May 30, 2024

Jaeger-LeCoultre Debuts the Polaris Geographic

The newest member of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s line of sports watches, the Polaris Geographic is a dual time zone in a modern “ocean grey” with orange accents with a practical dial layout showing a second time zone, day-night indicator, cities disc for the world time, and the power reserve. Initial thoughts Jaeger-LeCoultre (JLC) first introduced this complication over three decades ago as the Géographique, a full-featured travel watch that stood out from most of the simpler travel watches of the time. But it had a fairly cluttered dial, so the new Geographic is simplified, with the key change being the removal of the date. This streamlines the aesthetic though some might find the date more practical than the power reserve indicator. The movement inside is an upgraded version of the calibre in the 1990s Géographique and now has a three-day power reserve, but is still relatively complex to set. A more useful update would have been a more intuitive time zone-setting function.  The Polaris Geographic retails for US$16,100, which feels steep, particularly since JLC has historically been affordable more affordable watchmaking of good, industrial-artisanal quality.  A diving dual time zone The new Geographic adopts the style of the Polaris line, which is a modern-ish dive watch look with an inner rotation bezel. The layout remains the familiar one found on past generations of the model, with the second time zone in a sub-dial at six and the day-night indicator to its left. A...

Louis Erard Unveils Affordable “Grand Feu” Enamel Regulator SJX Watches
Ulysse Nardin May 29, 2024

Louis Erard Unveils Affordable “Grand Feu” Enamel Regulator

Though Louis Erard is best known for its high-profile collaborations with independent watchmakers like Konstantin Chaykin and Cédric Johner, the brand’s specialty is making interesting watchmaking accessible. Its signature complication is the regulator display complication, which has served as the foundation for several limited editions. The brand continues to do that with the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel, a regulator wristwatch featuring a two-part fired enamel dial in striking ivory. Initial thoughts The new release has a subtle ivory dial produced in a traditional manner, resulting in a glossy, nuanced finish feel evocative of dials usually found on pricier timepieces. Its contemporary typeface and numerals complements minimalist style. Dial aside, the latest regulator is identical to the standard model and contains the same Sellita calibre. As a result, despite the elegant styling, it’s a chunky watch that’s almost 14 mm thick. Nevertheless, this keeps the Le Régulateur Grand Feu Enamel affordable at CHF4,400, which is strong value considering that most watches with such dials cost at least twice as much. Ivory enamel Louis Erard once again turned to Donzé Cadrans, the enamel dial specialist owned by Ulysse Nardin, for this grand feu enamel dial. Unsurprisingly Donzé was also the supplier for the ivory enamel dial in Excellence Email Grand Feu in 2021.  The time-only Excellence Email Grand Feu The production of grand feu enamel dials has a high rejection...

Manufacture Visit: Thomas Explores The Vallée De Joux With Jaeger-LeCoultre Fratello
Jaeger-LeCoultre One May 29, 2024

Manufacture Visit: Thomas Explores The Vallée De Joux With Jaeger-LeCoultre

One of the perks of this job is that we get to see where and how watches are made. I love a good manufacture visit as it provides context for the watches, allowing a look into the places and people behind them. It also provides comparability between brands. Once you have a couple of these […] Visit Manufacture Visit: Thomas Explores The Vallée De Joux With Jaeger-LeCoultre to read the full article.

Watch Bracelet Types: Here Are the Most Famous and Popular Styles Teddy Baldassarre
May 28, 2024

Watch Bracelet Types: Here Are the Most Famous and Popular Styles

Among the many decisions facing a prospective watch buyer before pulling the trigger on a new timepiece, is choosing which type of strap or bracelet it should have. We covered the various types of watch straps in this article; read on for our rundown of the most popular watch bracelets, focusing on some of the influential, proprietary styles from brands like Rolex and Breitling, which have impacted numerous other brands’ designs, as well as more niche-oriented options geared to collectors and historical-minded enthusiasts. Oyster Bracelet Rolex’s iconic Oyster bracelet is the template from which many other three-link bracelet styles have been drawn. Its name comes from its association with the Oyster case, which Rolex first introduced in 1926 and for which the original version of this bracelet served as an extension. Oyster bracelets are recognizable for their wide center links bordered by thinner end-links. Rolex patented the design in 1947 and fitted one on a watch in 1948. In the early versions, the links were riveted; these were phased out in favor of a “folding” style in 1967, which eventually gave way to the modern, solid-link style in 1975. Three-link bracelets like the Oyster and its various descendants are particularly popular on sports watches and dive watches.  President Bracelet The Rolex Day-Date appeared on the market in 1956 and with it came a new three-link bracelet called the President. Intended as the epitome of Rolex’s luxurious bracelet optio...

Introducing – New Porsche Design Custom-Built Watches For the New Hybrid Porsche 911 Generation 992.2 Monochrome
Porsche Design Custom-Built Watches May 28, 2024

Introducing – New Porsche Design Custom-Built Watches For the New Hybrid Porsche 911 Generation 992.2

Today is an important moment in the history of a 60-year iconic sports car. The new generation of Porsche 911, dubbed 992.2, has just been revealed and, as anticipated, it comes with hybrid power. Not full hybrid, but more of an electric assistance to boost the performances. What will it give on the road…? That […]

Isotope and Revolution Unveil their “Mercury” Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Isotope May 27, 2024

Isotope and Revolution Unveil their “Mercury” Limited Edition

Growing up in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, there were plenty of things I missed out on. I was too late to see the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, was rarely allowed to sit in rear-facing seats in the back of a car, and Nickelodeon’s Legends of the Hidden Temple was in re-runs before I was old enough to compete. According to my parents, I also missed out on one of the great toys of their youth - quicksilver.  Growing up, they would often tell stories of cracking open a thermometer to play with the mysterious liquid metal inside, before making it very clear that the element also known as mercury was strictly off-limits. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Revolution and Isotope, we all have the opportunity to re-capture some of the fun of that elusive metal. The Isotope x Revolution Mercury draws inspiration from not only the aforementioned element but also the iconic Mercury Streamliner train designed by Henry Dreyfuss and the Roman god Mercury, from whom both the train and the element take their names. The result is a unique watch with a level of polish I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered before - though the Sartory Billard and Grail Watch SB07 “Ghost” sure comes close. The Mercury answers the question of what a dress watch from Isotope would look like. The Art Deco-inspired cushion case of the Mercury measures 38mm across, 44.5mm lug-to-lug, 10mm thick, with a 20mm lug width, and is 100 meters water resistant. It’s also fully mirror-polished. And when...

Hands On: Grand Seiko “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003 SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Birch Bark” SLGW002 May 27, 2024

Hands On: Grand Seiko “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003

Nature-inspired textures are a consistent motif across Grand Seiko’s portfolio, so it comes as little surprise that the brand would choose this familiar theme for the launch of its newest dress watches, the hand-wind and mechanical Evolution 9 “Birch Bark” SLGW002 and SLGW003.  With a dial that features a fresh take on the texture of tree bark, the Birch Bark is also noteworthy for the movement within: the first manually-wound caliber in Grand Seiko’s 9S movement family that hitherto was entirely self-winding. The SLGW002 (left) and SLGW003 Initial thoughts There are few things I like more than a manually wound, chronometer-grade dress watch. With this bias in mind, I am predisposed to like watches like the Birch Bark. But Grand Seiko made things easy by making it attractive as well, with a new iteration of its Evolution 9 design language that is lighter in terms of visual weight. The big news is, of course, the thickness, or rather the lack thereof. The Birch Bark is 1.75 mm (15%) thinner than its automatic siblings like the SLGH003, answering’ calls for slimmer, dressier options in the Grand Seiko catalogue. The watch is also 1.4 mm (3.5%) smaller in diameter, resulting in a form factor that sits comfortably on the average wrist and will slide under most shirt cuffs. Dimensions aside, the Birch Bark in titanium feels smaller and lighter than expected due to the case material. This runs counter to expectations, since most dress watches are in precious metal....

Interview with Parmigiani CEO Guido Terreni on the Raison d’Etre of the new Toric: the Art of Dressing Quill & Pad
Parmigiani Fleurier May 24, 2024

Interview with Parmigiani CEO Guido Terreni on the Raison d’Etre of the new Toric: the Art of Dressing

Since taking over as CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier in 2021, Guido Terreni has leaned into the brand’s legacy as a maker of classic dress watches at the level of high watchmaking. Not by making a dramatic statement piece but by doubling down on refinement. Having reintroduced the Tonda, and picking up a GPHG award for it in 2022, Terreni turned his attention to the Toric, the golden-ratio proportioned flagship dress watch that was Michel Parmigiani’s first design.

Oak & Oscar Introduces the Atwood, their Highly Anticipated New Chronograph Worn & Wound
Oak & Oscar May 23, 2024

Oak & Oscar Introduces the Atwood, their Highly Anticipated New Chronograph

For nearly a decade, Chase Fancher and his team at Oak & Oscar, along with their partners, have not only been creating great and sporty timepieces, but they have also been creating a community. To them, the people that purchase their watches are not customers, they are owners. As such, the community has been asking for a new Oak & Oscar chronograph for quite some time. Especially since their Jackson Big-Eye was discontinued. The Jackson, you’ll recall, was a 40mm x 14mm 30-minute chronograph, with flyback function, and it housed a manual wind Eterna Caliber 39 movement. The community’s prayers have now been answered with the new Oak & Oscar Atwood. Just like its predecessor, it is also a proper Flyback chronograph, but this one can time intervals up to 12-hours. Instead of the Eterna caliber 39, it houses an AMT5100M caliber, which is a product of Sellita’s high-end skunkworks AMT division. It is a 23 jeweled, manually wound chronograph with a 58-hour power-reserve, and with the crisp, tactile satisfaction of its blued column wheel you’ll find excuses to time anything. You will also find all the usual Oak & Oscar refinements, including a sandwich dial, a signature high-contrast extra-long chrono seconds hand, and each subdial features subtle yet bright hints of orange that increase the legibility of the timing function. There is also a subtle nod to their first chronograph, which includes a wrapped tachymeter scale along the rehaut that goes to 54 units. As they li...

Introducing – The F.P. Journe Chronograph FB, a Classic(ish) Hand-Wound Chrono and the Last of the Limited Editions Monochrome
F.P. Journe Chronograph FB May 23, 2024

Introducing – The F.P. Journe Chronograph FB, a Classic(ish) Hand-Wound Chrono and the Last of the Limited Editions

Let’s get straight to the point, as there are a few important things to know about this watch. This is a new, unprecedented watch, despite being a commemorative and limited piece. It is also the first hand-wound chronograph (no split-seconds) of F.P. Journe. It is released in the frame of the 20th anniversary of the […]

12 Carbon Fiber Watches from Entry-Level to Luxury Teddy Baldassarre
May 23, 2024

12 Carbon Fiber Watches from Entry-Level to Luxury

Since its beginnings, the wristwatch industry has engaged in an ongoing quest for materials that are lightweight yet exceptionally tough - a quest that has led to the mainstreaming of once-experimental materials such as titanium and ceramics. Among the most recent and most high-tech substances adopted for watchmaking are carbon fiber compounds, pioneered by research scientists in the 1950s and ‘60s and first used in the manufacture of automotive and jet engine parts. The first wristwatch with carbon fiber in its case was an IWC Ingenieur in 1980; other watchmakers followed suit in the ensuing decades, some of them even developing new and more resilient substances by combining carbon fibers with other materials. While the watches on this list cover a vast range in terms of pricing, design, and technical complexity, all of them share the core attributes bestowed by carbon fiber and its various derivatives: exceptional lightness, durability, scratch- and corrosion-resistance, and an industrial-chic surface treatment that is sure to spark conversation among fellow watch aficionados. G-Shock Mudmaster GWG2000 Price: $800, Case Size: 61.2mm x 54.4mm, Thickness: 16.1mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Casio Tough Solar Casio’s vast and diverse G-Shock collection offers some of its toughest multifunctional watches in the task-specific “Master of G” collection - like the Mudmaster, which as per its somewhat cartoonish name is aimed at wearers ...

Introducing: The Chronoswiss ReSec Manufacture Series Fratello
Chronoswiss May 21, 2024

Introducing: The Chronoswiss ReSec Manufacture Series

Just two months ago, Chronoswiss announced a new, modern design direction at Watches and Wonders 2024. Don’t worry, hallmark characteristics such as reeded bezels and onion crowns still exist. However, the watches look more contemporary. Today’s three new ReSec Manufacture models continue the theme and bring bold dials for good measure. In late March, Chronoswiss […] Visit Introducing: The Chronoswiss ReSec Manufacture Series to read the full article.

A New Book Highlights Rare Watches and Thirty Years of European Watch Company Worn & Wound
May 21, 2024

A New Book Highlights Rare Watches and Thirty Years of European Watch Company

Being a watch collector sometimes means acquiring many other things that are tangentially related to the hobby. We talk about this stuff all the time on Worn & Wound. It’s not just the watch “stuff” that you’d expect, either. Things like straps, storage, and tools of course will naturally accumulate as a collection grows, but there are seemingly endless additional rabbit holes one can fall down that in one way or another support a watch collecting habit. Anyone who has been to a Windup event (or any large watch meetup for that matter) has surely noticed all of the collectors with nice cameras slung over their shoulders. You have to document these things somehow, right? And the bounds of enthusiasm stretch to things like sneakers, apparel, writing instruments, and EDC related gear, all areas we’ve explored in these pages, and all areas that have embraced watch collectors and that watch collectors, in turn, have welcomed. And then there are the books. Certainly many in this community have built libraries of watch reference volumes over the years. There are many to choose from, and some offer rare glimpses of watches with beautiful photography that gets you as close as you can to a dream watch short of owning it.  Last week saw the release of a new volume that borrows on three decades of tradition and knowledge for a book that is packed with information on some of the rarest watches. The Connoisseur’s Guide to Fine Timepieces is inspired by the life’s work of A...

Timex and The James Brand Launch their Latest Collaboration: a Traveler’s GMT in Titanium Worn & Wound
Timex May 21, 2024

Timex and The James Brand Launch their Latest Collaboration: a Traveler’s GMT in Titanium

Timex has been on a roll as of late, with multiple successful collaborations with Keith Haring, Jackie Aiche, Seconde/Seconde, and the Peanuts gang to name a few. We recently featured the World-Famous Tennis Player Time x Peanuts on Worn & Wound. Their latest collaboration appears to be an effort to step it up a notch and they have clearly succeeded in doing so.  Introducing the fully titanium Timex x James Brand GMT. And it is not just any GMT, it is a proper traveler’s type, with an independently adjustable local hour hand. Envisioned by renowned Italian watchmaker and Timex Chief Creative Director Giorgio Galli and designed by the team at The James Brand, this all-new co-branded GMT watch has the analog soul of the classic field watch. Why James Brand? They believe that the things you carry say something about you. They design tools that are practical, not tactical, with a modern and minimalist design aesthetic that never feels out of place but is still clearly “James Brand.” That principle has been carried over in the brand’s previous watch releases and continues with this new GMT. This barrel-shaped watch measures 41mm in diameter and has a lug width of 20mm, which is a great size for strap swapping. Likewise, the accompanying titanium bracelet and rubber strap have quick-release spring bars for easy changes. Powering this timepiece is the Miyota 9075 automatic 24 jewel movement, which has a power-reserve of 42-hours, and it can be admired through the screw-d...

Highlights: Complicated Wristwatches at Phillips Hong Kong SJX Watches
Girard-Perregaux Opera Two May 21, 2024

Highlights: Complicated Wristwatches at Phillips Hong Kong

Having covered the highlights from independent watchmakers and historical pocket watches at The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XVIII on May 24 and 25, we now turn to complicated watches past and present. Amongst the historical are an Omega 30I tourbillon wristwatch tested at the Geneva, Neuchatel and Kew observatories, as well as a pair of chronographs with historical movements, an Excelsior Park with the Venus 179 split-seconds chronograph calibre and a Montblanc with the large, 17”’ Minerva monopoussoir chronograph movement. More recent is the Patek Philippe ref. 5059R London edition with applied Roman numerals and the Girard-Perregaux Opera Two, an ultra-complicated watch that’s a value-buy. The auction is scheduled for May 24 (lots 801-934) and May 25 (lots 935-1083), with online bidding and the catalogue available on Phillips.com. The Patek Philippe ref. 5059R made for the Grand Exhibition in London. 822 – Lange Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” Launched in 2021 to overwhelming demand, the Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” was the A. Lange & Söhne’s second luminous digital-display watch after the “Phantom” of 2010. It was a limited edition of 200 watches and based on the second-generation Zeitwerk, which is visually almost identical to the original model but enhanced with several technical upgrades, including a longer, 72-hour power reserve. Like the earlier “Phantom”, the Zeitwerk Honeygold “Lumen” has a tinted sapphire dial that reveals the luminous numer...

Kollokium Returns with their First Official Release Worn & Wound
Louis Erard May 20, 2024

Kollokium Returns with their First Official Release

Back in December, we told you about one of the most curious projects to come across our desks in a long time. A new watch from a new brand, Kollokium, began making the rounds on social media and the watch-internet in the days and weeks following Dubai Watch Week. Everything about it seemed almost intentionally mysterious and vague, and their marketing materials, if you could even call them that, pointed to the watch’s so limited it’s impossible to buy friends and family run, and didn’t even guarantee a second installment. Obviously, this worked hugely in Kollokium’s favor, and watch enthusiasts with adventurous taste have been anxiously anticipating a follow up. Now it’s here, the aptly titled Variant “B”.  A brief refresher on Kollokium for those who need it: it’s the brainchild of Manuel Emch, Barth Nussbaumer, and Amr Sindi, three watch industry veterans who each come from a different side of the larger watch world. Emch will be familiar to many as the CEO of Louis Erard, and has guided that brand to new heights in the last several years with a string of popular limited editions and smart collaborations. Nussbaumer might be less well known by name, but is someone you’ve almost certainly encountered through his watch designs – he’s worked for many brands over the years, including TAG Heuer, Hautlence, Peterman Bedat, Jaquet Droz, and many others. And Sindi is better known by his Instagram alias @thehorophile, one of our favorite spots to look at gr...

3 Standouts at the Backbone Media Spring Showcase: Gerber, Wiley X, and Thule Worn & Wound
May 20, 2024

3 Standouts at the Backbone Media Spring Showcase: Gerber, Wiley X, and Thule

Backbone Media has been a long-standing force in the outdoor industry as a media and PR agency representing some of our most beloved gear brands. Each spring they bring a curated selection of their clientele to NYC for their Spring Showcase. The Worn & Wound team was on the scene and here are 3 standout products that we couldn’t stop talking about. Gerber – ComplEAT Cook Set  We likely all know the Portland, OR-based brand Gerber for their multitools, as well as their folding and fixed blades. However, their new modular camping cook and dining set was a show-stealer. The 16-piece ComplEAT Cook Set has everything you need to easily feed a group of hungry campers. It features a stock pot and sauté pan, both with generous cooking surfaces. The dining set comes with space-maximizing designs that complement their custom utensil sets perfectly. Best of all, when it’s time to break camp, everything packs together in the storage bag for ultra-compact stowing between destinations. Wiley X – WX Founder Sunglasses It’s not only great to visit Backbone’s Spring Showcase to see what’s new from some of your favorite brands, it’s great for discovering new brands as well. One of those discoveries for us was the sunglasses brand Wiley X out of Texas. They have been creating tactical and safety lenses for military and tactical use since 1987 and now have a stylish line of daily use sunglasses that don’t sacrifice any of the safety and ballistic ratings of their professio...

Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 6119: Dressed For Success Quill & Pad
Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 6119 Dressed May 19, 2024

Patek Philippe Calatrava Reference 6119: Dressed For Success

Designing a new Calatrava may be one of the most difficult tasks a watch designer can be given. As a benchmark model in the dress watch arena, anything less than perfect is unacceptable. The new Reference 6119 highlights the fact that the Calatrava is capable of both changing and remaining true to its roots as Martin Green explains here.

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Rado Did you know May 18, 2024

Graduation Gift Guide: Remembering Their Big Day with Rado

Did you know that Rado was one of the first watch brands to use high-tech ceramics in their timepieces?  In 1986, they launched the Integral, a style icon, which combined sapphire and ceramics. The goal was to create a watch that could withstand the rigors of everyday life and come out unscathed. In the decades that follow, many other brands have adopted this technology, yet Rado remains at the forefront. As the wheels of scholarship and innovation keep on turning, an education, just like high-tech ceramics, can protect and prepare for all of life’s upcoming challenges. In honor of graduation, in this gift guide we have selected 7 Rado watches that would make excellent companions as your graduate enters life’s next chapter. The post Graduation Gift Guide: Remembering Their Big Day with Rado appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Micro-Brand Digest: Italian Divers, Canadian GMTs, and More! Worn & Wound
Casio May 17, 2024

Micro-Brand Digest: Italian Divers, Canadian GMTs, and More!

Welcome to the Worn & Wound Micro-Brand Digest, a semi-monthly roundup of all the new micro-brand news we’re following, from concepts that show promise, to Kickstarter launches to restocks, and everything in between. Small independents, and affordable micro-brands spurred the creation of Worn & Wound over 10 years ago, and they still drive our enthusiasm in a big way. Here’s what’s caught our eye this month. If you’ve come across a project you think qualifies, hit us up at info@wornandwound.com for inclusion. Sherwood Watches U.K. based Glynn Reynolds began his watch journey at a very young age. Like so many of us, his gateway watch brand was Casio and before long, he purchased more watches than he can remember. In the effort to find the perfect watch, and with a background in graphic design, he spent much of his time tweaking existing watches to improve their esthetics. In 2019, Glynn started an Instagram page and his designs started garnering interest from fellow watch enthusiasts, which led him to take the plunge and start his own micro watch brand. Why Sherwood? Pretty simple, as he spent his entire life in Mansfield (Nottinghamshire) England, and the village he currently lives in is a stone’s throw away from Sherwood Forest. Incidentally, the latter happens to be the very forest that provided cover for one of history’s most famous and storied outlaws, Robin Hood. Like Robin Hood or yore, Sherwood (the watch brand) takes most of the money that would have be...

Sartory Billard and Grail Watch Collaborate on the New SB07 “Ghost” Worn & Wound
May 17, 2024

Sartory Billard and Grail Watch Collaborate on the New SB07 “Ghost”

The trajectory of Sartory Billard over the last few years has been one of the most unusual and interesting stories in the world of independent watchmaking. The brand had long been established as a leader in fully bespoke watches. The entire premise of the brand was built on the idea that every piece is unique, with wide customization options available to virtually every aspect of the dial. They’ve also been associated with great value, and were generally seen as an affordable option for adventurous fans of independent watchmaking who wanted something literally unique well under five figures. None of that has changed, really, but Sartory Billard’s recent output has seen them upping the ante considerably, with a new tourbillon movement and plans for an even more complex caliber featuring jumping hours and jumping minutes. Another example: a new collaboration with Grail Watch featuring an incredibly ornate and over-the-top mirror finish on nearly every visible surface.  Grail Watch 11, the Sartory Billard SB07 “Ghost,” takes the brand’s integrated bracelet sports watch design and a design motif they’ve become known for and turns the proverbial volume up past the breaking point. Of the many options Sartory Billard offers to customers in their customization program, one particularly popular one is their fully polished dial. The SB07 seen here takes that idea and expands it to the case and bracelet, effectively making the steel components “invisible,” hence the ...

In-Depth: Patek Philippe Grand Complication with Double Split-Chronographs Ref. 767 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Grand Complication May 16, 2024

In-Depth: Patek Philippe Grand Complication with Double Split-Chronographs Ref. 767

One of the most fascinating timepieces in Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction is the Patek Philippe grand complication pocket watch ref. 767. Made in 1950 and sold in 1952, this one-of-a-kind pocket watch boasts a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and double split-seconds chronograph. More accurately, it is a mono-pusher, double split-seconds, or even triple-split seconds. This ref. 767 features not two, but three, chronograph seconds hands. As a result, it can simultaneously measure three elapsed times of up to one minute. The complication is possibly unique amongst Patek Philippe watches. A historically significant watch in itself, this ref. 767 also has notable provenance: it once belonged to Seth Atwood, the American industrialist who founded the now-closed Time Museum. According to Philips, this ref. 767 was Atwood’s everyday watch, not surprising since he was a legendary collector of his day with a collection that included the Patek Philippe Graves Supercomplication and the Duc d’Orléans Breguet Sympathique. Three seconds hands, two in blued steel and one in gold Initial thoughts I’ve been impressed by many pocket watches – some that come to include a Patek Philippe observatory tourbillon and the Philippe Dufour Grande Sonnerie – but I’ve rarely been surprised. This ref. 767 was, however, entirely unexpected. When it was first described to me, I was confused and immediately thought of the Lange Double Split. But as it turns out, this is entirely d...

Collector Profile: Modern Day Patronage with @onlybuyingtime Worn & Wound
May 15, 2024

Collector Profile: Modern Day Patronage with @onlybuyingtime

A few weeks back, I found myself sitting at the end of my kitchen island on a phone call with a man I have never met, but with whose collection I am intimately familiar. After all, CB - better known as @onlybuyingtime - has over 30k followers on Instagram, he is a voting member of the GPHG, and he is the owner and caretaker of, quite frankly, one of the most diverse collections of independent watches I’ve seen anywhere. CB has been collecting for the entirety of his adult life, though his fascination with watches extends back further. As he describes it, CB had “fun watches as a kid,” but it was only in adulthood that he really started collecting in a tangible way. “It wasn’t like I had a parent or anybody that was really into watches. I think I really fell into it as an adult and realized this is something that’s very unique to each man. It tells a lot about a personality. If you are in a sports watch vs. a dress watch; the colors, the make, the models, the complications, all that stuff tells a lot about somebody. And for me, it’s just another level of expression.” Modern Day Patronage One of the great treasures of Philadelphia is the Barnes Foundation which is, for those unfamiliar, one of the world’s stand-out collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern art. When I first moved to Philly in 2022, it took me less than a week to visit the Barnes for the first time, and, in a city filled with great museums, it remains my favorite, and...