21,894 articles · 130 videos found · page 687 of 735
Fratello
It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time to fire up the espresso machine and enjoy another heated watch battle. In this week’s showdown, Mike picked the new Tudor Monarch, while Jorg chose the King Seiko Vanac. The former was Tudor’s big release at Watches and Wonders 2026, and people seem to either love or hate […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: King Seiko Vanac Vs. Tudor Monarch to read the full article.
Monochrome
After moving on from its space-themed watches, Awake – the French indie brand founded by Lilian Thibault in 2019 – celebrated its fifth anniversary with the Son Mai, a permanent collection built around craftsmanship. The collection, which features richly decorated dials created using the ancient Vietnamese lacquering technique of Son Mai, now grows with the […]
Fratello
We’ve been following Awake since well before the 2024 introduction of its Sơn Mài collection. The watches, which feature painstakingly layered Vietnamese lacquer over silver leaf, have vaulted the brand into new territory. Each release is greeted with fervor from fans, and the limited editions frequently sell out quickly. Until now, the watches have featured […] Visit Introducing: The New, Smaller Awake Sơn Mài Guilloché Main Lineup to read the full article.
Fratello
When we write about watches at Fratello, we typically have three levels of engagement with the product. First, we have our basic introduction articles, for which we base our writing solely on press materials, keeping it brief and factual. Second, we have our hands-on reviews, which allow us to spend time with the watch before […] Visit Experiencing The A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Honeygold At The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
In their stated mission to prove that Chinese craftsmanship and artisanship can be worthy of attention usually reserved for European brands, French-Chinese watchmakers Atelier Wen have consistently put out intriguing pieces since their debut in 2017. Next on that growing list is the Perception V3, which builds on the reputation for hand-crafted horology that came with the original Perception line in 2022. The new V3 model takes elements of the V1 and V2 watches, particularly the hand-turned guilloché́ dials by renowned artisan Cheng Yucai, and aims to perfect the mechanics and aesthetics of the lineup. Three models are on offer, with two colorways returning from previous iterationts—the Piāo in ice-blue and Xiá in salmon—while a new variant, Yún in bamboo green, joins the pack. The three colors are both vibrant and easy on the eyes, favoring a more muted hue that pairs well with the pagoda-inspired lines of the 904L stainless steel of the case and bracelet. Speaking of the case, it measures in at 40mm in diameter and 47mm lug-to-lug, the same dimensions as the V2, with the exception of the now-thinner 10.4mm case height. A knurled crown and full exhibition caseback give the V3 watches 100 meters of water resistance. The case additionally features more directional brushing and mirror polishing than previous iterations, while the Yún model additionally steps up the craftsmanship with micro-frosting in place of the brushed surfaces. The dials, though, are where At...
Time+Tide
With the release of the Swatch x AP collaboration this week, the other novelties of the week have probably passed under the radar. We’re here to give them the light they deserve, and speaking about light, I’ll start with Ming, which uses two polarised filters as hands to have an ever-changing dial appearance. Oris remoderns … Continued
Hodinkee
Last year's launch of a new Reverso Tribute Monoface "Or Deco" in pink gold (with a gorgeous Milanese mesh bracelet) was probably the most outstanding release from Jaeger-LeCoultre in a while. Its time in the sun was somewhat brief, though, as it was a bit upstaged this year by the new Master Control Chronometre line (for which a Hands-On is forthcoming soon, I promise). Yet, at Watches and Wonders last month, the brand showed it could do more with the "Or Deco" platform, introducing three new Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds "Or Deco Cocktail" watches, including two in a new material. Last year's release is still a stunner. You may have missed these new watches. That's in part because the brand is set to make a more complete announcement in a few weeks, with an immersive pop-up of its "Reverso Stories" series from May 21 to May 31 in the Miami Design District, ahead of the opening of a new boutique there this summer. The idea is to focus on rare pieces, including historic high-jewelry models, and to premiere some new Reverso pieces that play into that concept, including this trio. However, before the watches were shipped to South Beach, we got to see them in New York and get to spill the tea, as the kids say, before their Miami feature debut. The standouts, at least in terms of novelty, are the two new white-gold versions. The framework remains the same, a 45.6 x 27.4 x 7.56mm case, now in white gold, housing a manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 822 movement....
Worn & Wound
Last week was a big one for Baltic, as it saw the release of their collaboration with SpaceOne, the Seconde Majeure, which is easily one of our favorite watches of the year so far. With all the teases for that watch in the lead up to its release at the end of the week, you may have missed another Baltic launch that took place right before it. To celebrate the brand’s fourth consecutive year as the official timekeeper of the Tour Auto (the modern version of the classic Tour de France Automobile, which began all the way back in 1899) Baltic has released a limited edition rally timer, a combination stopwatch and dashclock, that in its own way is every bit as idiosyncratic as the Seconde Majeure. This of course is not the first time Baltic has released a limited edition for the Tour Auto (see our coverage of their 2024 and 2025 releases here and here), but it is the first time that release hasn’t included a wristwatch. The 2024 release did include a similar rally timer combo, but not as a standalone effort – it was bundled with a chronograph that surely would have been the main draw for most buyers. Here, Baltic is centering an unusual timing device, but one that is core to racing, much more than a wristwatch. The rally timer as conceived by Baltic consists of two separate instruments. First, a stopwatch, with a light blue dial, which is powered by a manually wound Hanhart caliber with flyback functionality. The flyback mechanism is particularly well suited to racing...
SJX Watches
Recently revived Genevan haute horlogerie brand Niton jumps into the jumping hours market with the Prima — one of the more refined high-end examples of the industry’s latest favourite complication. It features a bespoke, shaped calibre that proudly carries the Poinçon de Genève — true to its inspiration — and is packed with creative choices and features. Initial thoughts Not long ago it seemed like 2025 would go down as the year of the jump hour, but the trend was evidently just getting started. The Niton Prima exemplifies this ongoing trend with surprising elegance and historical fidelity. As a rule of thumb, I view revival brands with a degree of scepticism; I would prefer people make a name for themselves rather than buying one. However, the Niton Prima shows a clear understanding of — and passion for — the source material, so I am satisfied this is not a mere cash-grab. It doesn’t hurt that the watch is excellent inside and out, and while expensive in absolute terms, it is fairly priced for what you get. The movement deserves special mention as the source of much of the appeal, being a true shaped movement — a very handsome one at that — and a competent timekeeper. It is finely finished with a plethora of interesting and clever features, including hidden screws for joining the bridges and mainplate, a small seconds hand that stops itself at 60 after the crown is pulled, and a sonnerie au passage to enhance the sound of the jump hour. Another point i...
SJX Watches
Seiko is reinforcing its entry level collection with the 5 Sports Field Series, a range of new models with compass bezels available in a range of dial colours from instrument-like white to brown, which seems to be a popular colour at the moment. While substantively similar to existing Seiko 5 Sports models and equally well priced, the Field Series watches feature serrated compass bezels with a glittering hobnail motif that is both functional — for enhanced grip — and attractive. Left to right: HDB009, HDB008, HDB006, and HDB007. Image – Seiko Initial thoughts The Seiko 5 Sports collection is perhaps the ultimate gateway to watch collecting. It’s the rare entry level watch that could be someone’s last watch as easily as their first. Not everyone is a collector, and some people just want a watch that does what is asked without asking for much in return. The Seiko 5 Sports fits the bill, while opening the door to the larger world of mechanical watches. The Seiko 5 is tangibly appealing in several respects, being one of the most affordable mechanical watches from a fully integrated manufacture. With Seiko, there’s no wondering who made what — the brand even formulates its own luminous compound for the hands, hour markers, and bezel pip instead of relying on the same suppliers as everyone else. Seiko also understands the aesthetic history of the wristwatch because the brand helped write it. This explains some of the subtle details like the tiny serifs on the hour ...
Worn & Wound
After taking my French lessons in Duolingo for the better part of three years, I’m happy to say that some of those grammar tips are still rolling around in the ol’ noggin when I have to type such names as Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph in Chocolate – hey, if no one else is going to toot my horn, I might as well, right? Now, enough about me. This latest edition from the brand (which, impressively, has been around since 1791) gives the overall appearance of the Laureato model (which, only slightly less impressively, has been around since 1975) a warmer character with a brown hobnail dial, a matching rubber strap, and rose gold details against the slightly colder steel case. The Laureato elements haven’t gone anywhere on this iteration, they’ve just been updated to complement the chocolate tones. The octagonal bezel, crown, and chronograph pushers have all been executed in rose gold. The integrated rubber strap and tonneau-shaped 904L steel case keep the model’s trademark style while working within what Girard-Perregaux has described as “sporty-chic,” a phrase I’m not too fond of, but can’t deny does describe this watch quite well. The real depth and warmth come from the dial itself. Girard-Perregaux uses a brown Clou de Paris hobnail pattern, with matching subdials and rose-gilt baton markers and hands. The rubber strap I briefly mentioned above continues that same Clou de Paris texture, tying the Chocolate colorway together and keeping things in b...
SJX Watches
Perhaps the most surprising launch from Patek Philippe at Watches & Wonders 2026 was the Celestial Sunrise and Sunset Ref. 6105G-001. The ref. 6105G arrives over a decade after its predecessor, the ref. 6102 (2012), which in turn replaced the ref. 5102 (2002). While the prior model was an incremental evolution over the original, the ref. 6105G is a drastic redesign with its spaceship-inspired aesthetic and 47 mm (!) white gold case that wears unexpectedly well. The ref. 6105G is also an upgrade in mechanical terms with the addition of an elegant and simple sunrise and sunrise display that’s smartly implemented on the date ring, and driven by a clever compliant mechanism. And the ref. 6105G has another trick up its sleeve, a mechanism that accounts for summer and winter time (also known as daylight saving time), which shifts the time display as well as the date ring backwards or forwards as the seasons change. Initial thoughts Put simply, the ref. 6105G is weird but cool. Some of Patek Philippe’s recent experiments with design have been so-so in attractiveness, but the ref. 6105G scores well, maybe even the best amongst the brand’s adventurous designs. It’s unlike any other Patek Philippe ever with its huge case and integrated rubber strap, but it is appealing. Even though the star chart complication is a historical one descended from the Henry Graves Jr. “Supercomplication”, it feels like a perfect match for the sci-fi case. The case is huge at 47 mm, but the ...
Hodinkee
What We Know It's spring, which means it's time for Naoya Hida's annual trunk show, where the brand tours the world to showcase its new watches. If you're in town for one of their few stops (like next week in New York), you can treat it like any tailor's trunk show and find out if the watch is a good fit. And every year, Hida-san and his team unveil a few new styles. In fact, you can see the ten releases on offer below. Some are familiar; others have small tweaks (the Type1 is now the Type1E because of the new domed crystal that makes it 10.9mm). But there are three watches that are so distinctly new that it's worth talking about. Let's go in numerical order, starting with a watch that is essentially just a dial revision, but it's a dramatic one at that. The Type2 series has been around for six years now as the brand's central seconds movement, followed by revisions in 2021 and then the coveted collaboration with The Armoury in 2022, called "The Lettercutter." I know a lot of people fought to get that piece, but there's a new Type2C-2 that's going to get some attention. While a big draw for Naoya Hida is the hand-engraved German or Argentium silver dials (in fact, that's where a lot of the price goes), they've pivoted here to their first-ever porcelain dial. The watch, powered by a Cal. 3020CS manually-wound movement with 45-hour power reserve and 4Hz beat rate, is cased in 37mm by 11.4mm stainless steel with a 44.8mm lug-to-lug. The glass is a curved sapphire crystal with...
SJX Watches
Continuing with a practice that began last year, Tudor has announced a limited edition as this year’s Formula 1 season kicks off. As with last year’s edition, the Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” is modelled on the livery of the racing car of Visa Cash App Racing Bulls (VCARB). It’s otherwise identical to last year’s model, which means it is lightweight, well priced, and equipped with the high-spec MT5813 movement. Initial thoughts The Carbon 26 is essentially last year’s watch with a new dial, but I like the new yellow and white livery than last year’s white and blue. The colours are subjective, but the value proposition of the watch remains objectively excellent (though the price has risen largely due to the strength of the Swiss franc). The Carbon 26 is still competitively priced next to its rivals. As an aside, I hope Tudor will eventually incorporate more design elements from its historical motor racing chronographs, like the Monte Carlo, into its modern-day F1 editions like the Carbon 26. The Carbon 26 is clearly a Black Bay – the “snowflake” hands are a giveaway – but the Black Bay is a dive watch rather than one for the road. Carbon inside and out The Carbon 26 gets its name from the carbon fibre composite case and bezel, which have a patterned surface typical of the material. The type of composite employed here is more subtle appearance-wise compared to other composites used in watchmaking, so at a distance the case appears a flat black. Thoug...
Worn & Wound
Part of the fun of Watches & Wonders (in fact, most of the fun of Watches & Wonders) is discovering things you didn’t expect to find, or that slip through the cracks and don’t get nearly the attention you think they should once you see them in person. Let’s face it: the event is dominated by a handful of huge brands that save their absolute best for the show. But for every Tudor, Cartier, and Rolex, there’s a Chronoswiss, Behrens, and Hautlence releasing incredibly impressive watches we simply don’t talk about enough. Here, Zach Kazan and Zach Weiss recap some of their favorite watches at this year’s Watches & Wonders that slipped under the radar for one reason or another. If there’s a release you saw or read about from the show that you think isn’t getting its fair shake, let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear about it. Zach Weiss Hautlence Kubera Hautlence isn’t a brand that does half-measures. Their watches are all in, featuring wild complications executed in intricate fashion, housed in massive, equally exotic cases. I take a meeting with them at Watches + Wonders every year because, while maybe not a brand that is quite in our wheelhouse, I personally find them fun and inspiring. Plus, the brand has a very self-aware attitude that’s refreshing. Well, this year was different because, for the first time ever, Hautlence launched a watch that, while thoroughly strange and unconventional, was also wearable, and priced, for Hautlence, in a ...
Fratello
It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for a nice cup of coffee and an early morning watch battle. On top of that, this is the first one after Watches and Wonders 2026 officially ended. This week has predominantly been one of reflecting on the new introductions and, for the Fratello team members who were […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Vs. Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture to read the full article.
Hodinkee
It was bound to happen. I've written nine Bring a Loupes, covering 38 watches (excluding Strays or Buyer Beware watches). Two weeks back, I picked a clunker of a Doxa Sub 300T, which, among other issues, had the wrong hands (I'd actually been more concerned with the dial), and in my enthusiasm for vintage Doxa divers, I screwed up and included it. My apologies, though, as Coleman Hawkins consoles, "If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't really trying." Scorekeeping the picks from two weeks ago, the Esso Breguet sold for €15,2000, the Juvenia Arithmo's still available, the Blancpain Bund sold for €15,500, the Doxa Sub 300T passed, the Chaumet sells Friday afternoon and has been bid to $12,000 at the time of writing, and the black dialed Seamaster sold for CHF 1,000. Strays A Universal Genève Railrouter. For sale on OmegaForums. A Gübelin Cioccolatone at Monaco Legend this weekend. For absolutely no reason whatsoever, here's a lovely Doxa Sub 300. As Stefon (from SNL) would say, this watch has it all: original (correct!) black hands, no-T dial, signed expandro bracelet and screw-down crown, and, of course, the OG thin case. These early thin-cased Doxa Sub 300s were made for only a year, and aside from minor paint loss on the bezel, this looks like an excellent example. If the Doxa's not your flavor and/or diving's not your bag, maybe this UG Railrouter'll do it for you. I have an overdeveloped fondness for railroad watches, which fondness is equaled by my appreciati...
Monochrome
Parisian watchmaking maison L. Leroy was founded by Basile-Charles Le Roy in 1785 and became the official watchmaker to King Louis XVI and later to Napoleon I and Queen Victoria. Expanding operations to Switzerland, L. Leroy produced marine chronometers for the French Navy and amassed 384 gold medals in chronometry competitions. Iconic masterpieces like the […]
Hodinkee
The new Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin 2500V is a release from the brand at this year's Watches and Wonders that's gotten quite a bit of chatter, deservedly so. After all, it is the brand's thinnest-ever Overseas, thanks to a brand-new in-house movement developed over seven years, which means what I assume to be an ungodly amount of R&D; dollars per millimeter shaved. It's also come at a time when Vacheron seems to be really having a moment - the passion I saw amongst Vacheron collectors when I was in Miami last month for the opening of the brand's largest U.S. boutique was very much an exciting sight to see. But is the final result worth all the effort? Very much so, if we take the new Overseas Ultra-Thin 2500V as an ultra-limited, ultra-expensive halo product to mark the development of this new caliber. This 2500V and the Overseas Dual-Time Cardinal Points released alongside it at Watches and Wonders are already seeing very strong demand, and I think that's a sign of a good showing in Geneva. To many collectors of Vacheron over the years, the previous ultra-thin, time-only Overseas 2000V might feel like it had just come out, but in fact, a decade has passed since its introduction. Coming in white gold, the case measured 40mm in diameter, with a thickness of 7.5mm. Inside was the Vacheron 1120 caliber, a version of the JLC caliber 920 that had found its way in many watches amongst the Holy Trinity of brands, thanks to its superlative of being the thinnest aut...
Hodinkee
'House of Brands,' the group of watchmakers including Breitling, Universal Genéve, and the soon-to-be-revived Gallet, announced executive changes that will see the flagship brand led by new leadership, with Georges Kern becoming the group's Chief Executive Officer. Jean-Marc Pontroué, a long-time Richemont executive and the former CEO of Panerai and Roger Dubuis, is the new Chief Executive Officer of Breitling, the group says in a statement. The changes take effect in May. Georges Kern Georges Kern, who has led Breitling under new ownership since 2017, overseeing a more than doubling of annual sales to above CHF 800 million, according to analyst estimates, and one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern watchmaking, becomes the new CEO of the House of Brands, overseeing the three marques and their leadership in a newly created role.At Universal Genève, which relaunched this month in the high-end segment in what's likely the most ambitious watch brand return and repositioning in decades, Grégory Bruttin remains Managing Director. Meanwhile, at Gallet, the approachable-priced brand known for its Flying Officer and Multichron models, to be revived in August this year, Erwan Rossignol, who is already leading the team preparing the relaunch, becomes Managing Director. The changes confirm the multi-brand ambitions of the private-equity-backed Grenchen, Switzerland-based company, and provide a structure similar to that of other groups with portfolios of several watch bra...
Quill & Pad
We all know that watchmakers love complications. Throughout history, the quest for ever greater chronometric precision has produced a wide range of mechanisms, like the tourbillon, which has been mastered by many and improved. The post Good Vibrations: Armin Strom reveals the Minute Repeater Resonance 12:59 First Edition appeared first on Quill & Pad.
Worn & Wound
“So many Tudors, so little time.” That could be a bumper sticker, a tattoo, and perhaps even the Watches & Wonders motto in almost any year the event takes place. One of the real challenges of the show, at least in the very first moments of it, is deciding which Tudor releases to focus on. As we’ve discussed many times, Tudor is one of the only brands that does not give press early access to news of their new releases. Each of the last few years, their official press release has hit while our team was on the shuttle from our hotel to Palexpo for the first day of the show (where we always meet with Tudor first thing in the morning). Part of those first few hours of Watches & Wonders always involves discussing and trying to predict which of their novelties are going to be of the greatest interest to our readers. This year, it was pretty clear that the new Monarch was going to be the most discussed new Tudor release. It’s a brand new watch, after all, with a new case and bracelet design, and a new movement. Even if it went over like a lead balloon with the public, that’s clearly the most newsworthy release and the one to lead with. The Black Bay 54 in blue also felt like it would generate a lot of discussion. And we wouldn’t have suspected it at the time, but the Royal relaunch is actually pretty major as well – those watches are much better in person than we could have imagined from the press release, and they represent a substantial investment on Tudor’s p...
Fratello
Sometimes we come across projects or brands initiated by unique characters. Christophe Schaefer is one of those people. He is the founder of Schaefer & Companions, which releases special watches in very limited quantities. These timepieces result from Schaefer using his brand as a platform to celebrate human creativity. He does so by collaborating with […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The Schaefer & Companions Solune Antarctica Micro-Painting to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s that day of the week again, Fratelli! This Sunday marks the end of a week that brought us a gazillion new watches, two of which go head-to-head today. For this week’s Sunday Morning Showdown, we put two literal heavyweights up against each other. Jorg puts forward the platinum Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin. Meanwhile, […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Patek Philippe Nautilus 5610 Vs. Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin to read the full article.
Monochrome
The Luminor is in the spotlight this year with several vintage-inspired novelties that celebrate Panerai’s legacy as a supplier of precision instruments to the Italian Navy. Following the first generation of combat diver’s watches in the mid-1930s, glowing with radium-based Radiomir, Panerai developed a less harmful luminous substance known as Luminor, which would eventually denote […]
Monochrome
Chopard’s Mille Miglia collection can best be described as the watchmaking expression of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s lifelong obsession with the classic Italian Mille Miglia road race, which he calls an open-air museum on wheels. As the official sponsor of the race since 1988, Chopard enjoys one of the longest-running partnerships between a watch brand and a […]
Worn & Wound
Deep in the heart of a primeval forest lies a waterfall whose fresh spring waters are unspoilt by man, and whose mystic beauty is an endless source of inspiration - for the band of artisans who quietly engrave by hand some of the most intricately detailed watches in the world. It’s not a Studio Ghibli movie: the Tateshina Falls are real, located in central Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, which is also home to Grand Seiko’s Micro Artist Studio. And at Watches and Wonders 2026, a limited release pays tribute to this serene locale with a Spring Drive model that, according to Grand Seiko, “conveys time’s eternal flow in nature.” The Masterpiece Collection SBGZ011 takes Grand Seiko’s sharp-edged 44GS case - rendered in platinum - and imbues it with hand-engraved lines from lug to lug, around the bezel, and entirely within the dial (save for a thin minute ring). These dashed silver lines flow in colliding swirls, bursting forth and blending into each other with seeming chaos; Grand Seiko suggests that they represent spring water bubbling forth from below the earth’s surface. On the bezel and the case’s flat surfaces and intersecting ridges, the patterns appear even more dramatic, resembling petals of a monochromatic flower. And on the dial, the white-gold hands and markers provide smooth, brilliant contrast, while the Grand Seiko and Spring Drive logos are carved and inset in their own boxes. The manual-winding Caliber 9R02 is Grand Seiko’s thinnest Spri...
Worn & Wound
Hublot has never trafficked in subtlety. The Big Bang chronograph first made its presence known with a 44mm size, hefty ceramic bezel with contrasting screws, and a rare combination of rose gold and rubber, which contrasted different textures with clashing case finishes. So what if it had an ETA movement-which, at the time, seemed more plebeian than the in-house movements of rival luxury chronographs? In that maximalist, McBling era, the stance and the presence were all that mattered. Hublot has only taken its flagship model to more audacious heights. At this year’s Watches & Wonders Geneva, the Big Bang Reloaded enters the collection, following the 20-year anniversary of the Big Bang, by combining the intricate case with Hublot’s in-house chronograph movement, the Unico calibre, bringing together all the things that Big Bang enthusiasts love. The Reloaded exemplifies Hublot’s adherence to high-tech materials: available in titanium, scratch-resistant 18-karat “Magic Gold,” and three options of ceramic: black, blue, and dark green. The strap, still in textured rubber, matches the case colors. Hublot introduced its Unico calibre in 2010, and now the HUB 1280 UNICO makes an appearance from behind a skeletonized and multi-layered dial: redesigned to match the stencil-style numbers, a date window at between 4 and 5 o’clock, and horizontally-placed chronograph registers. It’s an automatic flyback chronograph, with 43 jewels and a power reserve of 72 hour...
Worn & Wound
Oris first introduced its Artelier Complication in 1991 alongside the Caliber 581, which notably featured a moonphase module developed in-house by the brand. The release marked another significant moment for the maison in its commitment to manufacture movements following the quartz crisis. The model’s presence ultimately faded but received new life in 2017 with an updated design that featured a more modern, cleaner style with slimmer, tapered lugs, and a redesigned bezel. At Watches & Wonders, we get the next evolution of the Artelier Complication. The newest incarnation gives us another redesign from the 2017 edition while keeping the focus on highlighting the romantic moonphase. This updated take on the Artelier Complication comes from 24-year-old Lena Huwiler, Oris’s new Product Design Engineer. Huwiler has been able to achieve the perfect balance between honoring the model’s place in the history of the brand and propelling it forward with a design that will resonate with her generation. An old soul at heart, Huwiler admits she does not just find inspiration online but still appreciates architecture, crafts, and interior design. She clearly brings the duality of these sensibilities into her design for the new Artelier Complication. Here, Huwiler has given an Oris classic a modern, urban profile and reworked the moonphase display designed by and for the next generation of watch collectors. The major update here is in the complication and how it is presented thank...
SJX Watches
Following the introduction of the same model (sans bracelet) in 18k pink gold last year, the new ‘cosmic blue’ variant of the Roger Dubuis (RD) Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar offers the brand’s signature retrograde day and date complication in a more accessible stainless steel package. Initial thoughts As a maker of big, bold, avant-garde watches, RD has found itself out of step with mainstream collector culture, which lately has favoured smaller, more elegant designs. The brand seems to understand the implications of these latent trends, and just last year introduced the Hommage La Placide, which was widely praised. The new 40 mm Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is another step in the right direction, bridging the gap between RD’s more flamboyant instincts and contemporary collector preferences. In this context, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is clearly a watch designed to resonate more widely - the 40 mm stainless steel case paired with a blue dial is a commercially popular and almost universally appealing configuration. It works in part because the striking Excalibur design and unmistakeable biretrograde day and date functionality keep it from looking too much like anything else. The stainless steel bracelet is also noteworthy. It’s not the first time the brand has offered a steel bracelet - and it has produced this same design in titanium in the past as well - but it might as well be new since the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar will probably appea...
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