3,312 articles · 311 videos found · page 66 of 121
Monochrome
The brainchild of Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, known for his high-end tourbillons or chronographs, Kurono Tokyo is the man’s vision of a more accessible brand. Still driven by an almost obsessive attention to detail, which somehow explains the low availability of these watches, Asaoka is here focussing on design more than watchmaking. Following the […]
Fratello
As watch enthusiasts, we love to look back. We point at history’s legendary watch designers as the high priests of our shared passion. We are so focused on history that we may sometimes overlook today’s talents. Luckily, there still are gifted young professionals coming through the ranks. Today, I would like to put a little […] Visit Three Young Watch Designers To Keep An Eye On to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Announced a year ago as only a computer-generated rendering, the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription finally arrived in tangible form earlier this year with a finished prototype that was exhibited at LVMH Watch Week. At a distance the Tourbillon Souscription is practically indistinguishable from the originals that inspired it. But up close it stands out for the high quality of execution, which in many respects is superior to the originals, as well as the subtle tweaks to the design. The Tourbillon Souscription certainly bodes well for the revival of the brand, though its future will hinge on novel and original creations. Like all future Daniel Roth watches, this was produced by La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the Geneva manufacture owned by Louis Vuitton that has vertically integrated itself at a rapid pace in recent years. Initial thoughts I was surprised when I first examined the Tourbillon Souscription prototype. It manages to capture the feel of the originals, but even surpasses them in some aspects, most notably the guilloche dial. It’s worth noting the dial is done in-house by LFT’s recently-acquired guilloche workshop, though the production examples will have a dial made by Voutilainen. This level of quality certainly raises exceptions for future watches from Daniel Roth and the wider LFT stable, which includes Gerald Genta. Amongst the other visible upgrades are the decoration on the base plate visible below the tourbillon. This reflects the new calibre within that...
Quill & Pad
Koen Simon is a 28-year-old watch collector from The Netherlands. A regular reader of Quill & Pad, he is a fan of high-end watchmaking. He recently sent us this story about how and why he acquired his rare two-tone Orion timepiece by Christiaan van der Klaauw, which we are pleased to share here.
Monochrome
Unveiled in 2022 and already a great success worldwide for the brand, the Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic NJ015 was the direct descendant of another important collection for the Japanese watchmaker, the NH299 series. But above all, the Tsuyosa collection offered the ability for many watch enthusiasts to access the highly desirable sporty-chic integrated style of high-end […]
Monochrome
First presented in 2021, The Citizen Mechanical Caliber 0200 truly impressed us, especially after we had the chance to spend time with it on the wrist. Coming from a brand that we tend to associate with accessible mechanical and solar-powered watches, this high-end, traditional mechanical watch with an integrated bracelet made quite an impact. Developed […]
Fratello
Imagine a statement piece that combines high-end mechanics with animated art to create a wrist-mounted spectacle. Louis Moinet’s Astronef Techno does just that, turning heads for all the right reasons. As an extension of the Astronef family, its flying satellite double tourbillon now perches above a color-bursting, microelectronic dial crafted from silicon wafers. The novelty […] Visit Louis Moinet Presents The Astronef Techno Unique Piece to read the full article.
Monochrome
Any serious watch buff is familiar with the story of Zenith’s El Primero high-frequency automatic chronograph calibre of 1969. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and Zenith’s iconic movement ticks on thanks to upgrades and ever-higher frequencies to track elapsed times. A variant of the brand’s famous Zenith Chronomaster – itself a descendant of the iconic […]
Teddy Baldassarre
Since its landmark release in 1983, the Casio G-Shock has represented perhaps the watch world’s purest expression of high technology blended with trendsetting style. With more than 40 years on the market, the original “world’s toughest watch” today can claim its own hardcore cadre of fans and collectors; its diverse collection spans digital, analog, and ana-digi models, boasts levels of cutting-edge technology that few watch brands can equal, and still offers timepieces at prices accessible to just about everyone. Here is the story of how the G-Shock began, how it rose from humble beginnings to become a pop cultural institution, and why it's now a model that many serious watch collectors have begun to embrace. Foundations of Casio Like many successful businesses, the Casio Computer Company, based in Shibuya, Japan, traces its origins to a resourceful innovator and a niche product that met a heretofore unfilled consumer demand. Originally founded as Kashio Seisakujo in 1946, by a technical engineer named Tadao Kashio (pictured above with his younger brothers, and fellow founders, Toshio, Kazuo, and Yukio), the company’s breakthrough product was the yubiwa pipe, a finger-mounted, ring-shaped cigarette holder that allowed a smoker (of which there were many in Japan) to smoke the cigarette down to its nib without burning one’s fingers. In postwar Japan, cigarettes were a valuable commodity not to be wasted, or to be disposed of before consuming their entirety, ...
Hodinkee
Zenith lightens up its popular high-frequency chronograph.
Fratello
We know Urwerk as a laboratory for very high-end, off-the-beaten-path creations. The latest release from the Genevan brand does not disappoint in either respect. This is the Urwerk UR-100 LS with a rather exotic new complication for those who think beyond our little blue marble. This watch indicates the time required for a sunbeam to […] Visit Introducing: The Urwerk UR-100 LS “LightSpeed” With A Sunbeam-Travel Indicator to read the full article.
Time+Tide
TAG's new range of glasses and sunglasses are just as technical as their high-end watches.The post The most unexpected release from LVMH Watch Week: TAG Heuer eyewear appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Introduced last year as a project, the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives has to be seen as one of the most interesting recent initiatives in the field of independent and high-end watchmaking. Even though backed up by the world’s largest luxury conglomerates, the LV Watch Prize aims to become a biennial prize that […]
Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer marked LVMH Watch Week with some high-end experimental pieces. With fancy watch complications and highly scientific lasers and lab work, the watches represent impressive steps forward in technology in general. They’re also just really cool to look at. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Glassbox uses the same circular brushed finish as the Carrera Chronograph we told you about last week, and the same eye-catching teal green, which TAG Heuer says is meant to pay tribute to vintage racing colors. But the rest of its dial’s details diverge radically from that of the Chronograph. Two registers, one at the 9 o’clock and the other at the 3 o’clock, and an aperture at the 6 o’clock that lets you look into the tourbillon give the watch a very balanced and maximalist look. TAG Heuer knows they’ve got something with the Glassbox crystal design and decided not to mess with a good thing. The Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon has the same domed sapphire crystal that TAG fans have loved in other releases since this form factor debuted a year ago. The exhibition caseback is also sapphire, giving you a good look at the Heuer 02–TH20-09 movement inside. Tourbillon movements are incredibly complex, with a rotating cage surrounding the movement that offsets the effect of gravity on the accuracy of the watch. As a result, the movement is a bit bigger than the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph’s automatic movement, necessitating a 42mm dial with a 48.6mm lug to lug ...
Fratello
Automatic Spring Drive technology turns 20 this year! That seems like a fair reason for celebration. Grand Seiko felt the same and introduced this SBGA497 to mark the occasion. We get a high-intensity titanium creation with a familiar case shape and dial texture. Both pay homage to important references in Spring Drive history. The SBGA497 […] Visit Hands-On With The New Grand Seiko SBGA497 - Celebrating 20 Years Of Automatic Spring Drive Watches to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Increasing demand for timepieces, especially Rolexes, with the Omani emblem is understandable given the high quality, good condition, demonstrable provenance, and rarity of most of these watches, combined with the fact that they had often been presented to their first owners in the 1970s by Sultan Qaboos in person as a token of gratitude for services rendered. Colin Alexander Smith takes a very close look at the meaning behind these rare timepieces and in this updated version of the article debunks one theory behind the dial symbol.
Monochrome
While not many of us can pull off one of Bulgari’s spectacular high jewellery watches like those presented in the Garden of Eden collection with opulent gemstone flowers winding up the arm, take heart because there are other women’s collections designed for everyday wear. One of these is the best-selling Lucea collection launched by Bulgari […]
Monochrome
Zenith once again demonstrates its mastery of blending a contemporary collection with historically inspired timepieces, and the latest addition, the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar, is poised to receive well-deserved acclaim. In an impressive feat, the Le Locle-based manufacture introduces six new references, showcasing the beloved calendar complication alongside the high-frequency chronograph – a combination not […]
Quill & Pad
November 2018 marked a personal horological high point for GaryG as he took delivery of an “unobtainable” watch, the Patek Philippe Reference 3940P-027. Gary shares his reasons for buying this rare timepiece with us here.
WatchAdvice
What’s it like to own the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M? In our Owner’s Perspective, we find out! This article was originally published as The Owners Perspective: Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Why I Bought It A love of James BondLove the dive watch lookWas a grail piece when I was young The Ownership Reality Bracelet a little outdated and chunky claspWore it on the rubber more than notPolished Ceramic dial can be glary Overall Rating: 8.875/10 Value for money: 9/10Wearability: 9/10Design: 8.5/10Build quality: 9/10 This isn’t the first time that I’ve owned a Seamaster. I had a 2005 quartz version almost 20 years ago. At that point I’d only owned a Tissot PRS 200 as a “good” Swiss watch. As a fan of James Bond, (and what young male isn’t?), I always wanted his watch. I mean how cool was the wave dial, the deep blue bezel and at the time, that unmistakable bracelet. It looked great in the office and on weekends at the beach. I loved it. Financial issues meant I had to sell it about 7 months after buying it, and that hurt. About 15 years and many watches later, I decided it was time to purchase another, this time the latest iteration of the SMP 300. I chose the black polished ceramic dial with the laser etched waves, date at 6 o’clock, glossy, almost silky polished ceramic bezel with white inset dive indicators. And this time, on the steel and opting to add the rubber strap too. Very versatile and with the steel bracelet and rubber strap, two very diff...
Teddy Baldassarre
Since its high-profile launch to international markets outside its native Japan in 2010, and its subsequent relaunch as an independent watchmaker separate from parent brand Seiko in 2017, Grand Seiko has become a Holy Grail for many an avid watch enthusiast. Now firmly established, for many, as an upper-echelon luxury brand on the level of Rolex and Omega, Grand Seiko has cultivated its own loyal core of fans - including many budding collectors new to the watch game who might be initially intimidated by the cost of some of the manufacture’s most exclusive, high-profile timepieces. Fortunately, the price of admission to Grand Seiko ownership is actually more reasonable than you might have been led to believe, at least at the entry-level. Here are five Grand Seiko watches, representing a range of product families and movement styles, that fall on the more affordable side of the luxury spectrum. Cheapest Grand Seiko “Snowflake:” STGF359 ($2,300) Among the most coveted models from Grand Seiko are the so-called ‘snowflake” editions, so nicknamed for their white, elegantly textured dials, made of stamped brass with a silver-plated finish, meant to evoke the blankets of fresh snow on the peaks of the Hokata Mountains that surround Seiko’s Shinshu Watch Studio in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture. The first “snowflake” was the legendary and now very collectible SBGA011, and other models have adopted the motif since then, most of them on the higher end of the brand’...
Fratello
For several years, Artem has made it its mission to provide high-quality alternatives to luxury brands’ OEM straps. Initially focusing on sailcloth straps seen by the brand’s founders as an afterthought (and an expensive one at that), they decided to develop a more affordable alternative without compromising on quality. Since then, the brand’s catalog has […] Visit Artem Straps Are Now Available In The Fratello Shop! to read the full article.
Monochrome
While it might not come across as a particularly high-brow mechanical complication, the power reserve indicator is extremely useful. The equivalent of a petrol gauge on a watch, a power reserve indicator lets you know how much tension is left in the mainspring or, in simple terms, how much fuel is left in the tank. […]
Worn & Wound
It can sometimes be easy to forget that there was a time when finding high-quality, affordable mechanical watches was a bit of a challenge. Back in those days, Seiko was the name of the game, and while plenty of worthy competitors have risen through the ranks to challenge the Japanese brand, Seiko still has a few tricks up its sleeve. Namely, Seiko knows how to make a hell of a dress watch. While there are plenty of iconic tool watches available at a true entry-level price point, finding great dress watches - especially mechanical ones - is harder to do. Since its initial introduction in 2010, the Cocktail Time series has offered collectors a genuinely exciting, and beautiful, dress watch at an almost shocking price. Today, Seiko has expanded its Cocktail Time lineup with the introduction of their latest collaboration with Hisashi Kishi’s famed Ginza watering hole, STAR BAR. This is not the first time Kishi and STAR BAR have collaborated with Seiko either. You might remember that back in 2022, Kishi and Seiko released the SSA455J1 and SSA457J1. That duo, based on the familiar colors of classic cocktails like the Martini, were distinguished by the cutouts in their dials reminiscent of a ripple on the surface of a drink. This time, Kishi and Seiko have released a pair of watches with inspiration taken from proprietary cocktails Kishi has created for STAR BAR inspired by the Tokyo skyline. What results is a pair of watches offered with beautiful gradient dials, perfect ...
SJX Watches
A year after revamping Pilot collection with fresh-faced aesthetics, Zenith releases a pair of boutique editions – the Pilot Automatic and Pilot Big Date Flyback. Both feature blue dials with a linear horizontal pattern inspired by stamped aluminium body panels of vintage aircraft. Initial thoughts Zenith is best known for El Primero of 1969, a high-frequency chronograph calibre now in its second generation, which is the movement found in both new Pilot models, although the former is not a chronograph. Both, however, share the same design that defines the current Pilot line-up. Unveiled last year, the Pilot has a friendlier, more modern face than most aviator’s watches that tend to be military-inspired. It has all of the hallmarks of a pilot’s watch, including large Arabic numerals and legibility, but manages to look distinct from all the other pilot’s watches on the market. Although blue is hardly a novel colour, the new patterned dials adds to the contemporary look, being even less military-esque than last year’s models in conventional black. The Pilot Automatic retails for US$7,500, while the Pilot Big Date Flyback retails for US$11,500. The time-and-date automatic is relatively pricey for a simple watch, although the high-beat, in-house movement helps justify the price somewhat. On the other hand, the chronograph is competitive against similar watches from rival brands, particularly since the calibre inside is the latest generation of the El Primero. Moreov...
Teddy Baldassarre
Raymond Weil, founded in 1975 by its eponym and now owned and operated by the Bernheim family, is one of only a handful of independently owned Swiss watchmaking companies, alongside historic, prestigious maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. The Geneva-based company, however, occupies a different niche than those two high-horology powerhouses, having firmly established itself as a purveyor of “affordable luxury” - producing well-designed watches with wide appeal that nevertheless rarely gain attention in the upper echelons of horological connoisseurship. That all changed in 2023, however, when the sublimely refined design of the brand’s Millesime Small Seconds model took the coveted Challenge award in the year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Genève (GPHG), the watch world’s equivalent of the Oscars. With its sober but meticulously embellished sector dial and slender case, the watch represents a throwback to a style of understatedly elegant dress watch that few seem to be making anymore. I had a chance to wear one for a couple weeks for a hands-on review. (To get Teddy's video take on the watch on our dedicated Reviews channel, click here.) Case: The round stainless steel case of the Millesime (the term comes from the world of fine wine, and appropriately translates to “vintage”) will settle perfectly into many enthusiasts’ sweet spot, at 39mm in diameter, and its thickness of just under 11mm (10.9mm, to be super-precise) will ensure that it set...
Worn & Wound
An all too common refrain from watch collectors is that the experience of buying a watch can be something of a headache. While you might be wined and dined if you buy directly from the boutique of a high end luxury brand, the reality is that most of us are hounding forums and enthusiast marketplaces trying to score a deal. But with the open market comes a lot of uncertainty. How do you know if you’re getting a good deal? And how do you know if the person you’re chatting with is going to send you more than an empty box? The WatchCharts Overall Market Index as of 1/17/24 WatchCharts, the watch market research platform whose primary goal is to bring price transparency to watch consumers, recently launched their own buying and selling platform that seeks to alleviate some of the stress. There are a lot of buying and selling platforms for watches, so the addition of one more to the growing matrix of watch shopping options isn’t necessarily newsworthy, but the involvement of WatchCharts adds a new wrinkle to something that is so familiar to watch collectors that it’s part of the very fabric of the hobby. On the surface, WatchCharts Marketplace looks like any other buy/sell/trade platform. But under the hood, it’s leveraging WatchCharts data that collectors who use the platform will already be familiar with. “We’ve dedicated the better part of five years to collecting, analyzing, and understanding watch market pricing and trends,” said WatchCharts founder Charle...
Monochrome
Hamilton has a particularly rich history in the production of rugged tool watches. Starting with high-precision pocket watches for railroad companies in the late 19th and early 20th century, Hamilton went on to supply the U.S. Armed Forces and Navy in both World Wars with marine chronometers and robust wristwatches. With the advent of aviation, […]
SJX Watches
Six years ago, Omega introduced the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon “Apollo 8”, a distinctive take on the Speedmaster Moonwatch featuring a Moon surface-patterned movement and dial. Basically an amalgamation of the all-ceramic Dark Side of the Moon (DSOTM) with the Moonwatch, the model has now undergone a significant mechanical upgrades with a new METAS-certified calibre, while preserving essentially the same design. Initial thoughts The original Apollo 8 was noteworthy for challenging the traditional concept of the Speedmaster Moonwatch. While it had the same movement and dimensions, the materials, styling, and finishing were entirely different. Visually, it was a major departure from the familiar Moonwatch. The latest version sticks to the same aesthetic, so it doesn’t bring much novelty in terms of appearance, save for a rocket-shaped seconds hand. But it does have an upgraded movement, essentially the next-generation Moonwatch movement finished in the Apollo 8 style. As is often the case with Omega, incremental improvements to existing models are a means to explore new concepts or technologies, which in the case of the original Apollo 8 would have been the textured lunar-surface finishing. This new model would have been more significant if a more developed or advanced version of the texturing had been applied, setting it apart more obviously from its predecessor. Priced at US$14,300, the upgraded Apollo 8 falls sits at the middle of the price range for the cera...
Worn & Wound
A January launch of a new Speedmaster (on a Tuesday, of course) has become a bit of a tradition for Omega over these past few years. Today, Omega has announced a new Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster, which at first glance (and maybe a second and third glance) will look a whole lot like an earlier iteration of the popular ceramic version of the chronograph. The newest addition, though, has a few little updates that are likely to appeal to the most hardcore Speedmaster collectors. “Little” is the operative word here for at least one of them, which also might be the most technically impressive. The Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 is a follow up to the first edition of this watch, which was released in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the mission. That original Apollo 8 watch was an immediate hit. It combined a lot of the modern tech and materials of contemporary ceramic Speedmasters with the familiar and highly regarded manually wound movement that is so much a part of the Speedy’s DNA. The rendition of the lunar surface on the dial was also particularly well executed and impressive. The new Apollo 8 features an updated movement, Calibre 3869, which is analogous to Calibre 1869 used in the previous version. This new movement has been specced to match Calibre 3861, the manually wound caliber at the heart of the current Moonwatch. It’s a significant upgrade from the older movement, and has been fitted with a co-axial escapement and meets all the requir...
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.