Results for Geneva Watch Days

Why the Seiko Astron Might be the Most Important Watch of the 20th Cen

Among today’s Seiko watch models and collections, it’s fair to say that the Seiko Astron does not receive nearly the amount of love from enthusiasts and collectors as do its contemporaries, like the Prospex and Presage models and even the budget-friendly 5 Sport series. And yet I believe a substantial case can be made that the Astron — at least, the first watch to bear that name, way back at the collection’s inception in 1969 — is the most important watch of the 20th Century. The first watch to the market with a quartz movement, the Seiko Astron was a game-changer for the entire watch industry, with an impact that is still being felt today. When Seiko revived the Astron in 2012 after a long hiatus, it was with the recognition that the model represented a quantum leap in watchmaking technology and the determination to take it to the next level. Seiko has fulfilled that promise with subsequent editions of the modern Astron, which brought GPS technology into watchmaking much as the original brought quartz. Here is the story of the Seiko Astron and its 50-plus-year journey to the cutting edge of technology. The Road to Quartz: 1952 - 1968 The quartz watch movement, as with many other groundbreaking inventions, did not emerge from a single burst of creative vision, but ultimately proved to be the most workable version of many such mechanisms, all aimed toward addressing the same industry-wide challenge. As I explore in greater depth in my article on the History of Tim...

Introducing - The MeisterSinger Pangaea Day Date 365, now with a Grey Dial

While primarily known for its minimalistic watch displaying the time thanks to a single hand (which is used to display the hours mainly, and a deliberately vague indication of the minutes), MeisterSinger is no stranger to additional complications, in particular astronomical and calendar features – admitidely, a great match with slightly old-school and poetical single-hand […]

New releases from Gerald Charles, Greubel Forsey, Swatch x Blancpain + LVMH Watch Week 2025!

LVMH Watch Week dominated watch releases this week, but there was also some great new pieces from non-LVMH brands.The post New releases from Gerald Charles, Greubel Forsey, Swatch x Blancpain + LVMH Watch Week 2025! appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Hands-On With The Surprising Crafter Blue Mechanic Ocean Mark II Dive Watch

The new Crafter Blue Mechanic Ocean Mark II looks like a million bucks. Not literally, of course, but it does look way higher-end than the price tag would suggest. US$449 buys you a watch that punches well above its weight. This intro might read like a conclusion, but there is more to say about this […] Visit Hands-On With The Surprising Crafter Blue Mechanic Ocean Mark II Dive Watch to read the full article.

Reunited With My Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 - Back From A Long-Overdue Watch “Onsen” Session

Sometimes the little chores in life feel like herculean tasks, don’t they? I’m not just talking about lubricating that squeaky hinge on the front door; I’m also referring to taking your beloved watch to a watchmaker for some love and attention. I know what I’m talking about. Not only does the hinge of my front […] Visit Reunited With My Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 - Back From A Long-Overdue Watch “Onsen” Session to read the full article.

My Year in Watches: Defining “Affordable Watch Collector”

My original idea when I was asked to contribute to this series was to focus on my favorite watch acquisitions of the year, explain why they’re noteworthy, and describe my thought process behind purchasing or trading for each. While I was writing about my Universal Geneve Ref. 842116 Tank and Seiko 6139-6002 Pogue, I couldn’t help but notice how far my collection has come over the last year or so. Since the purchase of my first wristwatch in 2012, it’s always been my goal to cultivate watch boxes filled with both timeless classics and rare oddities. Looking at my collection as this year concludes, I’m proud to say I’ve never changed this philosophy. It was with this realization that my plans for this article began to transform into a conversation about watch collecting identity. While 2024 has been quite the successful year for my collection and I, it’s also the year that I went from being an affordable watch collector to being …an affordable watch collector.  You see, the watch collecting hobby is filled with subjective terminology. Words and phrases like “rare,” “new old stock,” “like-new old stock,” “budget-friendly,” and of course “affordable” frequently see usage on online auction platforms, social media, forums, and advertisements. While these are often used as buzzwords for sellers wanting their post to be boosted in search algorithms or by collectors wanting to flaunt their new purchase, I’ve always been fascinated by how pliable...

The Brew Metric Retro Dial says it’s bean time

The Brew Metric Retro Dial chronograph is an industrial designer's and coffee enjoyer's idea of a watch that teaches you how to pull your shots.The post The Brew Metric Retro Dial says it’s bean time appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The Fratello Watch List: Mike’s Pre-Owned And Vintage Favorites From Cartier, Vacheron, And Rolex

Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed smaller, simpler watches from the ’40s and ’50s. This change in my collecting course has been fun and relatively inexpensive. Does that mean I’ve given up on later vintage and more modern pieces? Absolutely not, but as you’ll see with the majority of today’s pre-owned and vintage favorites, the […] Visit The Fratello Watch List: Mike’s Pre-Owned And Vintage Favorites From Cartier, Vacheron, And Rolex to read the full article.

Live Stream - Watch the GPHG 2024 Ceremony, the Oscars of the Watchmaking Industry

This is it, the 2024 Oscars of the Watchmaking industry, the so-called Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève or GPHG 2024, is about to begin and the best watches introduced during the year are about to be awarded. From ladies’ watches to chronographs and exceptional mechanical proposals, the entire spectrum of watch production is covered. For […]

A New, Smaller, and Even More Advanced Dive Watch from SēL

Arizona’s SēL Instruments have been making, literally, bomb proof watches since 2017. The term overengineered is often thrown around in watchmaking, but no other brand quite embodies this term the way SēL Instruments does. Not only do they engineer their watches from scratch, but they also engineer the equipment to make them, as well as the tools to test them. They even reinvented the watch bracelet with an ingenious clasp system called the Wavlock. According to the brand, their watches appeal to many in the armed forces, police, EMTs, or anyone that lives and works in the harshest environments on earth. You can tell these watches were made by someone that never skips leg days, though just like Adrew McLean’s oversize quads, these watches have always been quite large. That is, until now. Introducing the new OmniDiver Xos 42, a smaller, much more wearable version of their signature OmniDiver. That said, they did not just shrink it. Their focus is on a trifecta feature set for extreme environmental protection in a smaller 42mm case: impact resistance, water resistance, and magnetic resistance.  The original OmniDiver has a water-resistance rating of 6,100 meters, but the new Xos 42 is still no slouch at 2,000 meters. What is even more impressive is that the new one is only 13.7mm thick. To make that happen, they needed to add new Teflon bearings to their already incredibly good ball-bearing bezel bezel assembly. They needed to strengthen their screw-down crown and inv...

Hands-On With The Beaufort Fiordland GMT - An Affordable ’50s-Inspired Travel Watch

Until recently, I had heard of Beaufort but had never gotten the chance to check out the brand’s watches. Well, that changed with the introduction of the brand’s newest creation, the Fiordland GMT. This watch offers a good dose of vintage flair and combines it with a modern flyer-style GMT movement. Beaufort sent us two […] Visit Hands-On With The Beaufort Fiordland GMT - An Affordable ’50s-Inspired Travel Watch to read the full article.

First Look - The New Bulgari Octo Roma Striking 8 Days

Bulgari’s personality is intrinsically shaped by Rome, incorporating elements of the city’s magnificent imperial architecture into its fabulous jewellery and watches. The iconic Octo family, which includes the invincible legion of ultra-thin, record-breaking Octo Finissimo models, welcomes the new Octo Roma Striking 8 Days. If the watch looks familiar, it’s because the movement powering this […]

Highlights: Phillips Geneva Online Auction Fall 2024

The fall auction season kicks off with online auctions, before the primary live sales that take place in November. Phillips in Geneva just opened its online auction with a 70-lot offering of the familiar and mainstream (think Aquanaut, Royal Oak, and Nautilus), but also the esoteric and independent, ranging from an Alain Silberstein perpetual calendar made by Svend Andersen to a Seiko Izul “bullhead” chronograph. We round up a few highlights from the sale, which runs from September 5-12, 2024, with the catalogue and bidding available online. Lot 9 –  Alain Silberstein Marine Perpetual Calendar by Svend Andersen Part of Alain Silberstein’s Marine series of dive watches, the Marine Perpetual is a COSC-certified perpetual calendar in a case rated to 200 m. It’s equipped with a clever, double-sided perpetual calendar movement developed by Svend Andersen. Built on an ETA 2892, the perpetual calendar has a minimalist display with only the date on the dial that’s decorated in Silberstein’s trademark style with geometric shapes, primary colours, along with a starfish, crescent, and sun. On the reverse is the months and leap year in a single register that is mounted on the periphery of the movement, allowing the rotor to travel below the indicator. The Marine Perpetual was a limited edition of 100 watches, though it is likely fewer were made, since they are rarely encountered. It was one of several collaborations that Alain Silberstein in the 1990s with prominent in...

How To Travel With Your Watch

We are currently in the peak vacation travel season, and for us watch enthusiasts, thinking about traveling with our watches can be stressful. Do you wear your most expensive watch? Should you bring multiple watches? If you bring numerous watches, do you put them in your carry-on luggage? What do you store them in? What about TSA security at the airport? All these questions can be daunting, and we wouldn’t blame you for leaving your nice watches at home. Our timepieces are meant to be enjoyed, worn, and have memories built into them. What better memories are there than traveling on holiday? We are currently in the peak vacation travel season, and for us watch enthusiasts, thinking about traveling with our watches can be stressful. Do you wear your most expensive watch? Should you bring multiple watches? If you bring numerous watches, do you put them in your carry-on luggage? What do you store them in? What about TSA security at the airport? All these questions can be daunting, and we wouldn’t blame you for leaving your nice watches at home. Our timepieces are meant to be enjoyed, worn, and have memories built into them. What better memories are there than traveling on holiday? The post How To Travel With Your Watch appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Evolution of Social Media Watch Photographs Part 3: Storytelling, Collaboration, and a Bunch of Boobs

While GaryG while he lauds the rise to prominence of many more women among the population of online watch shooters and commentators, the emergence of boob shots with a watch hardly "empowers women" . . . or does it?

3 Reasons The Rolex Day-Date 40 Convinced Me: A Very Rolexy Rolex Discussion

Rolex had never called out to Joshua Munchow as a watch that he must have or that would be the pinnacle of his collection. He thinks that this is because of the downsides to it being the most widely known watch brand in the world: forgeries and overexposure abound. So what is it about 2015's Rolex Day-Date 40 that turned him into a convert? Read on to find out.

A New Casio Edifice Pays Tribute to a Motorsport Subculture

Casio is celebrating 50 years of TOM’s Racing with the release of a new racing-inspired chronograph. The Casio Edifice Sospensione TOM’s 50th Anniversary builds on Casio’s long history of technical, multi-function watches to deliver a fittingly contemporary watch that also references half a century of racing history. TOM’s Racing, for those not overly invested in the world of JDM tuner cars or Super GT, is a longstanding aftermarket parts manufacturer and tuner, primarily focused on Toyota and Lexus models. TOM’s Racing has also been heavily involved in competitive racing since day one, often acting as a tuning partner for factory race teams across racing divisions, and they have served as an official tuning shop for Toyota since 1975, just a year after their founding. This latest release from Edifice draws inspiration from one of TOM’s most iconic cars, the KP47 Starlet, which helped launch the brand onto the racing scene, winning touring car series championships in 1975, 1976, and 1978. With its vibrant livery, the KP47 has become somewhat of a mascot for the race house over the last five decades, so there’s no more fitting car for Casio to choose as inspiration for this limited edition. Edifice often gets overlooked by enthusiasts in favor of Casio’s other brand known for technical, multi-function watches, but pay close attention in the real world and you’ll see Edifice watches everywhere. Affordable, capable, and dripping in multi-functional goodness,...

Could the French Neotype LM02 Type C be the ultimate multipurpose tool watch?

What does the ultimate tool watch need? French brand Neotype thinks it's cracked the code.The post Could the French Neotype LM02 Type C be the ultimate multipurpose tool watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

New: Blancpain X Swatch - Two New NATO Straps

Swatch welcomes more colors to the Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms Collection. Created more than 70 years ago by a passionate scuba diver, this iconic model revolutionized watchmaking by becoming the first true diver’s watch. The new designs are namely fitted on the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean models.

The Hublot Arsham Droplet Redefines what a Contemporary Pocket Watch Can Be

What does it mean to be a pocket watch enthusiast in 2024? As a pocket watch appreciator (which I think is a distinct thing compared to a bona fide collector or someone who displays a real passion for these objects) I think there are at least two potential answers. The first is the type of enthusiast who is deeply invested in watchmaking history, and sees pocket watches as important historical objects. They are, for the most part, relics of an old way of life, and anachronistic in our contemporary world. But there’s another type of pocket watch enthusiast that is far more focused on the here and now, who can tell you about the rare (but often impressive) pocket watches made by some of the most respected luxury brands and independent watchmakers. Sometimes these pocket watches might be record setters, sometimes they might be contemporary art objects. Hublot, with their partner Daniel Arsham, just unveiled one that falls into the latter camp.  Arsham is a New York City based artist who works in a variety of mediums, including fine art, architecture, live performance, and filmmaking. He is known for using a variety of organic materials in his work, like sand, selenite and volcanic ash, which makes him a natural partner for Hublot, a brand that has famously challenged preconceived notions about what materials belong in a “luxury” watch. The new pocket watch revealed last week, known as the Arsham Droplet, is both a full fledged art piece as well as an example of Hublot...

More MoonSwatch: Omega and Swatch Team Up Again for a “Mission on Earth”

There are only a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and new MoonSwatches being released every five or six months. Yes, as you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, Swatch and Omega have once again taken over your Instagram feed, knocking out three new versions of the MoonSwatch. This release follows a pair of Snoopy themed MoonSwatch moonphases, and of course the Blancpain x Swatch “Scuba” Fifty Fathoms. These new MoonSwatches hew closer to the original idea of the watch, but each is just a little extra, like guacamole on a burrito, which one of them kind of looks like if you squint.  The three watches seen here make up the MoonSwatch “Mission on Earth” series, and as the name would suggest are inspired by earthbound phenomena. The “Desert” variant has a tan BioCeramic case and taupe dial, with an aesthetic inspired by, well, the desert. Slightly more adventurous is the “Lava” MoonSwatch, with a bright red case and an orange chronograph seconds hand that pays homage to the Omega “Ultraman” Speedmaster. The third watch, and the best of the three in my opinion, is the “Polar Lights,” which features a turquoise case and a dial inspired by the aesthetic of aventurine.  As many readers will surely recall, I’m not the biggest fan of the MoonSwatch. What was once a charming idea and perhaps a way to get new enthusiasts into the hobby quickly became something of a money grab. A predictable result, no doubt. But now that there’s a regular cadence to these...

Bravur Adds a New Cycling Inspired Watch to their Growing Collection

Pink is everywhere you look these days. Whether at the movies with Barbie and Mean Girls or on the pitch and track with Inter-Miami and Alpine, pink is undoubtedly experiencing a moment. If you need further proof of this, look no further than Pantone, which has named a shade of pink its ‘Color of the Year’ for not only 2024, but did so for 2023 as well. So it’s no small wonder that we’re seeing pink crop up in watches of all stripes recently. One brand that has made great use of pink over the last few years is Bravur, a Swedish micro-brand making excellent watches inspired by cycling. I finally got to see their collection in person at WindUp Watch Fair in San Francisco recently, and I can attest that they are one of those brands whose watches got stuck in the corners of your mind, persistently refusing to give up space. This latest release from the brand is the Grand Tour La Corsa Rosa IV, a chronograph inspired by the Giro D’Italia (think an Italian version of the Tour de France). Now, I am not the person to dive into the intricacies of international competitive cycling, but I can tell you that, similar to the Tour de France’s yellow jersey, each day’s leader in the Giro D’Italia wears a pink jersey, and that it was this jersey which inspired the black and pink chronograph’s colorway. As the Roman numeral in the name would indicate, this is the fourth release in the Grand Tour La Corsa Rosa line of watches. While the most obvious nod to the race are the ...

Introducing - Newcomer Indie Brand ALTO and its Inaugural Watch, the 1970s-inspired ART 01

New brands are created almost daily in the watch industry. Still, most of these newcomers or microbrands start with rather generic and accessible watches, powered by outsourced movements. Nothing wrong with that, but we sometimes wish for more. And ALTO, a new brand created in Paris, does bring a lot more. Radical design, out-of-the-box thinking, […]

Norqain Gives Customers 3.5 Million Ways to Build Their Dream Sport Watch

Hands-On: The New Hand-Wound IWC Portugieser Tourbillon Day & Night, A Fun Story Of How One Small Idea Can Turn Into Something Much Bigger

One of IWC's most interesting watches of 2024 was a watch that stood alone among the collection.

Fratello Talks: Waitlists, Limited Editions, And Things That Make A Watch Worthwhile

Welcome to a fresh new episode of Fratello Talks. Today, RJ and Lex join Nacho for a varied chat centered around the topic of things that make a watch worthwhile. From waitlists to limited editions and even watches for special occasions, added value is not really a matter of price. Does a reasonable wait add […] Visit Fratello Talks: Waitlists, Limited Editions, And Things That Make A Watch Worthwhile to read the full article.

Introducing: The Lebond Souto Moura - An Architect’s Take On The Classic Driver’s Watch

Besides my passions for music and watches, I also greatly love architecture. It takes a unique talent and ability to create buildings that seem like they have an actual soul. But what if you combine architecture and watch design? Does that work? The answer came in the spring of last year. The Lebond Siza explored […] Visit Introducing: The Lebond Souto Moura - An Architect’s Take On The Classic Driver’s Watch to read the full article.

Audemars Piguet Lays Its Cards Out For 2024 - Including A Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar John Mayer Limited Edition

Audemars Piguet is making sure its 5134 caliber gets a proper goodbye. The successor of the legendary 2120 movement is being discontinued…but not just in any watch. None other than John Mayer had the honor of coming up with one last dial and case design for a limited-edition Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. In addition to […] Visit Audemars Piguet Lays Its Cards Out For 2024 - Including A Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar John Mayer Limited Edition to read the full article.

A Guide to Modern California Dials

The watch industry is rife with examples of watch brands turning to the past for new releases. The interest in vintage designs has led to some fun and unique long-forgotten or long-inaccessible designs finding a new audience. Consider the Timex World Time 1972 Reissue bringing some 70s funk to the 2020s. Or the Tudor Black Bay 54 giving Rolex Submariner fans the closest thing you can get to an original Sub without spending tens of thousands of dollars. And now, in the last few years watch brands have seen fit to revisit one of the most interesting and obscure vintage designs out there: the California dial. The California dial is the nickname given to watches that have Roman numerals on the upper half of the watch and Arabic on the lower half, typically with lines at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock spots and a triangle at the 12. This unique dial has a strong association with Panerai, which has featured watches with the dial in its catalog for some time now, but, like many developments in watchmaking, it was actually created by Rolex. Patented in 1942, the dial was originally known as the “error-proof” dial, designed to be more easily read because the different style numerals “clearly distinguishes these two halves” of the watch and “the Roman numerals chosen are those which are the simplest to perform and the easiest to read.” (Seems unnecessary, but it certainly wound up looking cool.) The modern PAM01349 The error-proof dial picked up the “California” moniker w...

The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate 900P is just 3.65mm thick yet still looks like an actual watch

I have been very happy to see ultra-thin watchmaking make a comeback as of late, but the race to be the thinnest does have its concessions. For Richard Mille, to achieve the ‘thinnest mechanical watch in the world’ title it, in my opinion, had to sacrifice looking like an actual wristwatch – more like a … ContinuedThe post The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate 900P is just 3.65mm thick yet still looks like an actual watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.