460 articles · 35 videos found · page 7 of 17
Revolution
One of the secret episodes in the history of classic horology is the erotic watch: wearable tech - even wearable porn - that is centuries old. The watch with erotic scenes, at first static enamel or engraved pictures concealed behind flaps, later evolved into complex automata with miniature figures performing in meticulous, if mindless, metronomic […]
Revolution
Vacheron Constantin has been a patron of the Ópera National de Paris since 2007 and the partnership has produced some fantastic works of horlogical art, including the Métier d’Art Chagall & L’Opera de Paris “Tribute to Famous Composers” (a unique piece) and as well has released the first two watches in a series of enamel masterpieces […]
SJX Watches
A clock and automaton maker whose timekeepers have taken the form of a running leopard and race car, John-Mikaël Flaux has just unveiled his most complex creation to date. Hand made from brass and steel, Le Cabré is a mechanical sculpture of a rearing Arabian horse with a key-wound clock in its base that doubles as a “mysterious trigger” for the automaton. Initial thoughts Le Cabré is very much mechanical objet d’art – handmade and hand finished, while being complex and extravagant. Automaton-clocks like this have long been part of independent watchmaking, but are typically little appreciated, largely due to their cost (and the necessity of having an office or house grand enough to install one of them). But the craft that goes into creating one is easily understood. Le Cabré is made up of 450 parts, three-quarters hand made by the clockmaker himself, a process that requires 1,500 hours of work according to Mr Flaux. Priced at a little over US$160,000, Le Cabré is substantially more expensive than Mr Flaux’s prior creations, but it is also substantially more complex. At the same time, considerably more lavish automaton clocks that are made of precious metal and decked out in precious stones traditionally have price tags in the millions, making this relatively affordable. Equine ballet Standing 24 cm, or a bit under 10″, Le Cabré is made up of a horse automaton protected by a glass case, sitting on a wood base. It was conceived by Mr Flaux in collaboration...
Hodinkee
Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of hosting our Hodinkee Happy Hour at One Vanderbilt. If you missed it, don't fret! We're excited to announce the next installment of Hodinkee Happy Hour, which will take place at the Watches of Switzerland store in SoHo, just a stone's throw from the Hodinkee office. Expect the same casual format as our Hodinkee Happy Hours, with great food, drinks, and watches. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP using the link below to secure your spot. Our Editor-in-Chief, James Stacey, will be there, along with other members of the Hodinkee team. We'd love for you to join us, whether it's your first time or you've already attended several Hodinkee events. There will be plenty of food from Upside Pizza and beers from our friends at Grotta to go around. Date:Thursday, August 27, 2026, 4:30 - 6:30 PM Location:Watches of Switzerland, SoHo60 Greene StreetNew York, NY 10012 Click here to RSVP.
WatchRider
Swatch has created a new version of the Bioceramic MoonSwatch Mission to the Sun for Spain’s total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026. Called Mission to the Sun Solar Eclipse, reference SSX01J100-1, the watch is available only in Spain and only for 24 hours on the day of the eclipse. Online purchases are limited to three watches per person. The watch is reference SSX01J100-1 and was offered exclusively in Spain for 24 hours. Image: Swatch. A small change with a clear eclipse connection This is not a completely new MoonSwatch. It uses the familiar Mission to the Sun colour scheme with a bright yellow Bioceramic case, white tachymeter bezel and white rubber strap. The gold-coloured dial has a sun-brushed finish, while white hands and hour markers keep the display easy to read. Orange hands add contrast to the chronograph seconds and the three white subdials. The Solar Eclipse edition keeps the yellow and white Mission to the Sun colour scheme. Image: Swatch. The important new detail is the black chronograph pusher at two o’clock. The lower pusher remains yellow, so the dark upper button stands out immediately. It represents the Moon moving in front of the Sun during totality. Swatch has changed only one control, but that contrast gives the watch a direct link to the event without covering the dial in extra text or graphics. The black upper pusher represents the Moon covering the Sun during the total eclipse. Image: Swatch. The new moon appears on the back The other change i...
Video
Did tech culture trick us into thinking careless style is the ultimate status symbol? Gold and two-tone watches are making a massive comeback because they represent actually taking things seriously. Do you agree that...
![Happenings: Join Us For This Month's Hodinkee Happy Hour [RSVP Here]](https://hodinkee.imgix.net/uploads/images/73ccca0a-39f0-4d33-b6d7-ded308570be7/hhh-hero-1.jpg?ixlib=rails-1.1.0&fm=jpg&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&w=2000)
Hodinkee
It's the last week of July, so that means it's time for another Hodinkee Happy Hour! This installment will be held at Watches of Switzerland on Green St in SoHo. Space will be limited, and we may have something new and limited to show you, so please RSVP below if you'd like to join for a couple of hours of excellent local beer, pizza, and a whole lot of watches. Our Editor-in-Chief, James Stacey, will be there, along with members of the Hodinkee team. Whether you've been to several of our events or this is your first, we'd love to have you! It's a great, casual way to get to know members of the Hodinkee team and the watch community here in New York City. Date:Thursday, July 30, 2026, 4:30 - 6:30 PM Location:Watches of Switzerland, SoHo60 Greene StreetNew York, NY 10012 Click here to RSVP.
Time+Tide
Chronoswiss brings us two new jump-hours, the Delphis Art Deco, and the Neo Digiteur Chronos, blending classic design with modern techniquesThe post Chronoswiss flexes its watchmaking muscle and launches a pair of unique jump-hour novelties for 2026 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Watches with jumping hour complications are all the rage these days, with hot-off-the-press contributions from Audemars Piguet and the recently revived specialist brand, Niton. However, the biggest surprise in the jumping hours corner came from Bremont with the introduction of its Terra Nova Jumping Hour models in 2025. A brand associated with rugged, aviation-themed instrument […]
Monochrome
Time is a little more than a measurement of our observable universe. For example, the Earth rotates on its axis counterclockwise every 24 hours, so we measure a day based on this consistency. The Earth also revolves around the Sun every 365 days, so we measure a year based on that consistency. That said, why […]
Quill & Pad
The De Witt Academia Mathematical of 2015 has a digital time display with jumping hours, tens of minutes, and minutes. And although its full numeral carousels are just barely visible under a smoked sapphire crystal dial, Tim Mosso was willing and able to take a closer look.
Video
For over a decade, Silicon Valley tech culture and publications like Hodinkee tricked the watch community into believing that gold and two-tone watches were tasteless, pushing a careless "sweatpants" aesthetic as the...
SJX Watches
A German brand with a specific and quirky focus, Meistersinger produces watches with only one hand that simultaneous indicates the hours and minutes. Having been founded in 2001, Meistersinger has rolled out a variety of one-handed watches in its two decades, but earlier this year it debuted perhaps the most interesting to date, the hour-striking Edition Bell Hora. A chiming watch for surprisingly little money, the Bell Hora strikes a single note at the top of every hour. It accomplishes that with a straightforward chiming module on top of a Sellita base movement, explaining its affordable price tag. First launched earlier this year with a metallic finish dial, the Bell Hora is now given a more classical, white-lacquered dial in a limited edition. Initial thoughts Meistersinger by and large only does one product, but in a vast number of iterations. To appreciate any of them, you have to like a single-handed watch, which is a good idea if executed right. In terms of design, Meistersinger’s offerings have been a mixed bag. The new Bell Hora fortunately gets it right. Bringing to mind vintage “multi-scale” chronographs, the white dial has evokes an old-school medical instruments. The watch is, however, quite large at 43 mm, and also thick at 13 mm high. But the Bell Hora does well where it matters. The base movement is a low-cost Sellita, which isn’t fancy but it is an hour striker: a single note is sounded at the top of every hour. For a bit over US$4,000, it’s...
SJX Watches
Founded almost two decades ago, making one of the pioneers in contemporary watchmaking, Hautlence has long specialised in unusual, or even avant-garde, time display, like the chain-link hours in the Vortex. Boasting a three-dimensional spherical indicator, the new HL Sphere 02 is even more impressive, reimagining the familiar jumping hours complication as few have managed to do. A follow up to the original HL Sphere introduced last year, the HL Sphere 02 is essentially the same watch dressed more formally, replacing the muted blue-and-grey palette of the original version with a solid pink-gold dial. An animation of the transition from 10 to 11 o’clock Initial thoughts Though the HL Sphere 02 isn’t new, its spherical jumping hours remains novel and interesting. While conventional jumping hours operate on a single plane, relying on a flat disc that moves once an hour, the watch interprets the complication in a throughly different manner that is unique in watchmaking. In fact, the spherical jump hour is more impressive than Hautlence gets credit for. It is arguably on par with inventions like Urwerk’s satellite-cube time display, but because Hautlence isn’t as prominent as its peers – perhaps a consequence of changing management over the years – the brand’s complications don’t get as much recognition as they otherwise should. The HL Sphere 02 is almost identical to the original – the white gold, TV-shaped case and movement are the same – with the only ...
Time+Tide
A little while ago, I was in Sydney attending a conference for my day job. The opening speaker was Ron Garan Jr, a former NASA astronaut, who’s travelled 71 million miles for work, spent 178 days in space, orbited earth 2842 times and enjoyed a grand total of 27 hours and three minutes taking part in … ContinuedThe post WATCHSPOTTING: Ron’s beaten-up Omega is cooler than yours – or has your Speedmaster X-33 been into space? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Urwerk has spent nearly three decades rewriting the rules of how a wristwatch tells time. Since Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner founded the brand in 1997, the core idea has stayed very consistent: wandering satellite hours sweeping past retrograde minutes, executed as a sort of kinetic sculpture. Models like the UR-103 put the satellite carousel […]
Monochrome
Founded in 2004, Hautlence became part of the MELB Holding Group in 2012 and relocated to Shaffhausen to share premises with sister company H. Moser & Cie. Renowned for its unusual and creative displays of time, often showcased in large rectangular retro TV-shaped cases, Hautlence’s first Vagabonde model with wandering digital hours appeared in 2018 […]
Video
Today’s vlog is a total rollercoaster. We are stopping everything for the World Cup to drink great Sonoma wine, watch the intense Brazil vs. Morocco match, and talk my friend Tory into buying a beautiful blue vignet...
Monochrome
A dangerous menagerie of beasts, with models like the T-Rex and the Cobra, lurks in Urwerk’s collections of avant-garde, mechanically complex timepieces. The indie brand, founded by Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner in 1997, interprets time in a radical, futuristic key through original ways of displaying the passing hours. Wandering satellites bearing the hours combined […]
Monochrome
Following our Buying Guide of watches that go “DING” or even produce an entire orchestra of dings to signal the time, we’re now shifting focus to a very different but equally captivating complication, the Heures Sautantes, or Jumping Hours! This departure from the typical indication of time often relies on a hand or disc to […]
SJX Watches
After a two-decade hiatus, Audemars Piguet has revived the wandering-hours complication with the Code 11:59 Starwheel. The latest addition to the collection installs the distinctive complication in the Code 11:59, a model initially criticised but now often praised, and combines it with a blue aventurine dial that’s matched with a two-tone, black ceramic and white gold case. Initial thoughts The reintroduction of the Starwheel in the Code 11:59 is an interesting proposition that is well timed. It is interesting because it combines the modern proportions and style of the Code 11.59 case with a once-neglected complication. In that sense, the watch embodies a key familiar direction in contemporary watchmaking: reinterpreting of a vintage classic for today. Even though the formula is familiar, the new Starwheel is different enough that it will no doubt be polarising. The relatively large case diameter of 41 mm compared to the compact 1990s models means the new model will probably not appeal to fans of the original, but it will surely bring a new audience to the complication (and perhaps enlarge the pool of clients for the Code 11.59). And it is well timed because Starwheel watches from the 1990s enjoyed a rise in popularity alongside the broader jump in interest in watches of all sorts during the last two years. So the brand’s revival of the Starwheel reflects its awareness of today’s tastes. It also reveals that AP is paying attention to the comings and goings on th...
SJX Watches
Launched in 2014 as a successor to the foundational UR-103, the UR-105 was a more elaborate version of Urwerk’s satellite-disc, wandering-hours watch. After a seven-year run – it’s been replaced by the entry-level UR-100 – the UR-105 series will now be retired. Urwerk is giving the model a grand send-off with the UR-105 TTH, which has the front plate and lid of its case made of tantalum, the bluish-grey metal that Urwerk has only used in one other instance with the UR-110 TTH. Based the UR-105 CT Streamliner with its characteristic hinged lid, the UR-105 TTH is all about its case material. A dense metal with a distinctive colour that’s used for surgical implants, turbine blades, and even artillery shells, tantalum is difficult to machine and finish due to its hardness. Consequently, while tantalum has been used for watch cases since the 1990s, but it is uncommon. Urwerk is one of a handful of brands, alongside Omega and F.P. Journe, to use the metal for a watch case. Initial thoughts All good things must come to an end, and Urwerk is closing the chapter with aplomb. With the distinctive hue of tantalum, the case fits the sci-fi industrial spirit of the brand well. Striking and futuristic, the UR-105 is sleek in tantalum. The metal will make it substantially heavier than the standard steel version of the UR-105, which would make it less easily wearable. Priced at CHF77,000, or about US$86,000, the UR-105 TTH is 20% more expensive the base-model UR-105 CT i...
Worn & Wound
Bremont, Bremont, Bremont. What are we to make of Bremont? It’s been a year now since Bremont first announced their Terra Nova collection alongside a complete corporate rebrand, and while we’ve seen the brand expand the Terra Nova line a few times since then with new colorways and materials, Bremont had - until now, that is - kept the lineup of their field watch fairly restrained. Now, we’re seeing them break away from the trio of models they released last year with a pair of jump hour models; one in bronze, the other in steel. Built around a “unique and exclusive” jumping hour movement developed by Bremont with Sellita, the Bremont Jumping Hour 40.5 Steel and Jumping Hour Bronze are a fun take on what has been a fairly down-the-middle field watch by integrating what is a surprisingly long-standing wristwatch complication. Jumping hour wristwatches have been around since at least the 1920s - Cartier introduced, by way of example, the Tank à Guichets in 1928 - and have remained a constant in the century since. Here, Bremont is offering up two distinct takes on the concept, each in the rough format of the Terra Nova. The stainless steel Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hours 40.5 Steel takes after watches like the Fears Brunswick jump hour, with a traditional sweep seconds hand, and a jump hour and minute window sitting at 9 o’clock. All this is supplemented by a black lacquer dial, with luminous material throughout and the minute track off of a standard Te...
Video
The luxury watch industry has a dark side. Big conglomerates like LVMH don't just sell watches; they market to human insecurity, trying to fill what collectors know is a "god-sized hole." Today, we talk about the brut...
Worn & Wound
The jump hour is a nearly criminally underrepresented type of watch. These semi-digital mechanical devices simplify time telling through more complex movements, a perfect example of watchmaking’s inherent and lovable absurdity. Their unique displays create different layout challenges, leading to unique and fantastic designs, from the sci-fi Space One to the extravagant A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk. As such, a new jump hour is always cause for celebration and temptation. However, the challenge for brands that want to enter the jumping game is a lack of readily available movements and modules. So, what’s a brand to do? For Fears, this is where the power of collaboration comes into play. By teaming up with the industrious Christopher Ward, who developed their in-house jump hour module, the JJ001, back in 2010-11, Fears could access an already proven but exclusive solution. In 2023, they debuted their jump hour as the highly limited Alliance 1 for members of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, and in 2024, their follow-up mainline version, the Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour, which we reported on here. I’m all for watches that provide different and uncommon experiences, whether it be the smooth glide and accuracy of a Spring Drive, the hourly dinging of the Bel Canto, the central minute counter of a Lemania 5100, or the decentralized displays of a regulator. Jump hours stand out even among that crowd by fundamentally changing how time is read. Though most akin t...
SJX Watches
A watchmaker with many excellent movements – and some exceptional calibres – Chopard is instead better known for its jewellery watches or auto-racing chronographs. Now Chopard keeps at its, and has just added to its list of excellent movements with the L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25. Conceived to mark the 25th anniversary of the L.U.C line – made up of the brand’s high horology offerings and named after Louis-Ulysse Chopard – the Quattro Spirit is its first jump hour. Dressed up with a fired enamel dial, it is powered by an impressive and refined eight-day movement. Initial thoughts An instinctively appealing watch, the Quattro Spirit is good looking and size well; most notably, the movement is interesting. While jumping hours isn’t particularly complicated, the leap of the digital display on a mechanical watch is still an intriguing sight. Add to that four barrels that supply a run time of eight days, the cal. L.U.C 98.06-L becomes even more compelling. Assembling one stack of twin barrels Notably, even with the long power reserve, the watch remains relatively compact, just 40 mm wide and 10.3 mm tall. That’s thanks to a clever optimisation of space, with the movement relying on twin stacked barrels, with each stack containing two mainsprings connected in series. Priced at a bit under US$45,000, the Quattro Spirit costs substantially more than other L.U.C watches with the same eight-day base movement without the jumping hours. In fact, the addition of the jump ...
SJX Watches
One of De Bethune’s earliest models was a jumping hours wristwatch and now the brand has returned to concept with the DB25 Digitale. While largely similar to the earlier version in terms of function, the latest Digitale is presented in a new format. This is the third iteration of the Digitale – the second was introduced some 12 years ago – and the most elaborate yet in decorative terms. The case is in the wearable DB25 style, but the dial is decorated with the brand’s hallmark techniques, wavy guilloche and star-studded heat-blued titanium. Initial thoughts The DB25 Digitale revives one of De Bethune’s initial concepts, the “digital” time display, but now presented in the De Bethune greatest-hits livery of expansive blued titanium decorated with both the sea and the stars. With its striking, high-contrast colours, the new Digitale looks more current than its predecessor that carried something of an Art Deco pocket watch aesthetic. Admittedly, the DB25 Digitale is a cosmetic makeover and doesn’t add much novelty in technical terms. But it is still very much up to date in technical terms, illustrating the remarkable technical innovation, driven by Denis Flageollet, which continues to serve as De Bethune’s foundations. The DB2144V3 movement remains a sophisticated calibre even though it’s over two decades old. In fact, it arguably boasts substantially more technical content that “new” movements recently debuted by startup independent watchmakers. At CH...
Hodinkee
What We Know While not a part of Geneva Watch Days (which starts this week), Chopard is preempting the show a bit with two new 25-piece limited editions in their L.U.C. line—the brand's in-house haute horlogerie division. The first up (and more expensive of the two) is the L.U.C. 1963 Heritage Regulator, a 40mm by 10.3mm watch in 18k ethical white gold with 30m water resistance. The dial—which conveys hours (in a subdial), regulator-style minutes, GMT, power reserve, running seconds, and date—is a sunburst-finished silver tone with blue-transferred numbers. The caseback showcases the manually wound, four-barrel (in series) L.U.C 98.02-L movement layout that delivers a massive 9 days of power (part of the Chopard Quattro technology). This kind of high-power-reserve movement has become pretty normalized for Chopard and, because of that, I don't think it gets the appreciation it deserves. The movement, running at 4Hz, is also fantastically finished and features a Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark, plus COSC accuracy certification. As mentioned, the L.U.C. 1963 Heritage Regulator is limited to 25 pieces and is now available, retailing for $50,900. On the sportier end of things is the 42mm by 11.48mm 1963 Heritage Chronograph cased in Lucent Steel. It features a deep blue sunburst-polished, galvanic-treated dial, an eggshell-colored printed dial, and Rhodium-plated white gold hands for the hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, and 30-minute and 12-hour counters. The wa...
SJX Watches
For it’s third M.A.D. Edition, MB&F; has reimagined Vincent Calabrese’s signature jumping hours complication. While still allocated via raffle, the M.A.D.3 Vincent Calabrese represents a significant departure for MB&F;’s entry level sub-brand, being the first to fully conceal the winding rotor and the first to be based on a historical design from a notable watchmaker. Initial thoughts Vincent Calabrese is a pioneering independent watchmaker who co-founded the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) alongside Svend Andersen in 1985. Mr Calabrese is perhaps most well known for developing highly original movements for other brands including the Corum Golden Bridge and the first-ever flying tourbillon wristwatch movement for Blancpain in 1989. But Mr Calabrese also produced watches under his own name, including the Baladin that served as the inspiration for M.A.D.3. Maximilian Büsser and Mr Calabrese have been friends for years and discussed collaborating on a watch project many times, but the M.A.D.3 is their first joint effort. The M.A.D.3 is affordable as such things go, at CHF2,900. That’s roughly equivalent to where original Baladins trade on the secondary market, depending on the specifics. But the M.A.D.3 is a worthy remake in a more contemporary size and should prove more reliable and easier to service when the time comes. For better or worse, the solid value proposition almost dictates a mechanism to manage demand, so buying a M.A.D.3 isn’t a...
Video
The watch industry is finally healing. For years since the pandemic, watch collecting devolved into a toxic, clout-chasing game of who could get an allocation for a Rolex Daytona, Patek Philippe Nautilus, or Audemars...
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.