Hodinkee
Introducing: The Ulysse Nardin Freak [X Crystalium]
UN's latest Freak variant uses a controlled crystallization process to create unique dial textures, making each of the 50 pieces completely one-of-a-kind.
35,435 articles · 155 videos found · page 706 of 1187
Hodinkee
UN's latest Freak variant uses a controlled crystallization process to create unique dial textures, making each of the 50 pieces completely one-of-a-kind.
Worn & Wound
Our first meeting at thai year’s Geneva Watch Days might turn out to be one of the best. Renaud Tixier launched during Watches & Wonders week of 2024 with a bold idea: seven revolutionary horological creations, released in a series of watches that will take nearly two decades to complete. Their first watch, the Monday (guess what the others will be called) is an attempt to solve the problem of the micro-rotor. While these small, often heavy rotors are wonderful for creating automatic watches that are nearly as thin as manually wound watches (and for showing off elaborate movement decoration) they are inherently inefficient. The Monday seeks to solve that problem with a completely new horological invention. The Renaud of Renaud Tixier is Dominique Renaud, the legendary watchmaker who was one half of the famed Renaud & Papi firm, who carved out a niche for themselves in the 1980s and 90s by creating ultra high end complications for the most prestigious brands. Renaud Tixier works along similar lines, but of course is a brand unto itself, and Renaud seems free to pursue whatever horological problem solving might be of interest to him. These watches, while incredibly beautiful, are ultimately for the hardcore movement nerds among us. The innovation of this first Renaud Tixier caliber is in the behavior of the micro-rotor. The brand refers to it as “the Dancer” because of the way the mechanism seems to dance at even the slightest jostle. Renaud Tixier’s micro-rotor ...
Monochrome
Since 2001, the Ulysse Nardin Freak has embodied the brand’s boldest ideas, breaking from convention through its orbital carousel construction and pioneering use of silicon. Over the years, it has taken on many forms, from highly complex to artistically playful, always remaining a platform for innovation. In 2019, the Freak X brought Ulysse Nardin’s vision […]
Teddy Baldassarre
London-based watchmaker Christopher Ward has achieved the impossible in its relatively short number of years in the watch game, catapulting from if you know, you-know microbrand to one of the most continuously successful indie watch brands on the market. Its founding principles remain largely unchanged, though its scale has grown in the 24 years since its founding: make high-quality watches while cutting what could be called the luxury tax in the industry with a direct-to-consumer model. But there is one distinct product that put the brand on the map more than any other, and that was the introduction of its own chiming watch at an unheard-of price point, the Christopher Ward Bel Canto. As you might have already guessed by the article title, today, we’re taking a microscopic view of the C1 Bel Canto, exploring what has made the watch such a crowd-favorite, and how it holds up today, four years after its initial release. Christopher Ward Bel Canto History As always, let us begin our horological journey with a history primer on Christopher Ward’s pathway to contemporary success. Luckily for you (and your dear writer), the brand doesn’t have as sweeping a history as many of the centuries-old watchmakers out there, so we can really dive into the microscopic view here. Christopher Ward, whom I would bestow the title of reigning King of Indie Watch Brands, has one of the scrappiest origin stories in the watch world. Founded in 2004 by the trio of Mike France, Peter Ellis,...
Hodinkee
The fourth installment of the brand's constant force showcase comes with a brand new dial execution.
Monochrome
What started as a whimsical project in 2017 with the first Joker watch has turned out into a highly popular series of watches with a striking facial appearance. And even almost a decade later, indie watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin is still brimming with ideas to expand the collection even further. Under the name of Wristmon, he’s […]
Monochrome
Regarded as the most influential 20th-century watch designer and a key figure in the revival of mechanical watchmaking, Gérald Genta (1931-2011) is the name behind countless icons that still hold sway today. In 2023, Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique du Temps (LFT) haute horlogerie division announced the return of Gérald Genta as a standalone brand. Overseen […]
Monochrome
The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds has been one of the Saxon manufacture‘s greatest expressions of chronometric watchmaking since it first appeared in 2016. The debut model, cased in platinum with a solid silver dial, was produced in a 100-piece edition and immediately stood out for its rigorous regulator-style display and its […]
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne has just unveiled the fourth livery for the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, now featuring a pink gold dial. The Jumping Seconds made its debut in 2016, but its unusual feature set and harmonious layout remain impressive nine years later. The new model is a 100-piece limited edition in 18k white gold and features what collectors will no-doubt refer to as a ‘salmon’ dial. But unlike most ‘salmon’ dials that are plated, the dial of the Jumping Seconds is solid 18k pink gold. In other words, its colour is more than skin-deep. Initial thoughts Though it feels like we must be on the tail end of the trend toward salmon dials, Lange’s pink gold dials always look good and might stir up interest in what still feels like an underrated watch. Nearly a decade after launch, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds remains one of the great regulator-style wristwatches. There’s an extraordinary coherence at play between the design, which references a historical German pocket watch and elevates the deadbeat seconds display, and the movement, which features a one-second remontoir and a return-to-zero mechanism. As ever, the Jumping Seconds presents a wearable 39.9 mm case in 18k white gold, and at just 10.6 mm thick it’s pretty sleek for a watch with so much going on inside. Like its stablemates, it features the characteristic Lange case with a brushed case band and faceted lugs that are attached separately. The L094.1 movement fills the case beautifully, and differ...
Fratello
Unless you have lived under a rock for four years, you have probably seen and read about the CIGA Design Blue Planet. The distinctive take on a modern watch garnered excitement from watch fans worldwide and won a GPHG award in 2021. We have seen multiple versions of CIGA Design’s remarkable titanium and stainless steel […] Visit CIGA Design Introduces The Remarkable Moon Walker to read the full article.
Fratello
Today, Oris is releasing two big and bold watches. First is the Big Crown Calibre 113, and second is the Oris × Bamford ProPilot Altimeter “Mission Control.” The Big Crown comes with the 10-day power reserve of Calibre 113, which debuted in 2017. It includes a non-linear power reserve indicator, day and date, plus a […] Visit Introducing: The Oris Big Crown Calibre 113 And Oris × Bamford ProPilot Altimeter “Mission Control” to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Behrens teams up with Vianney Halter for the bold, electric meter-inspired KWH Watch, in white or rose gold. A unit of measurement for electricity, KWH is short for “kilowatt-hour” and refers to the electric meter inspiration for the design. The extremely dense movement combines the brand’s chain-driven hour display with rotating minute and power reserve cylinders, and a surprise on the back. It also represents a new frontier for the Chinese brand, as its most expensive offering yet. Initial Thoughts While Behrens’ watches do not always appeal to me aesthetically, I think the brand is an ideal champion for Chinese watchmaking. Unlike some brands marketing Chinese-built watches to global enthusiasts, Behrens is Chinese owned and operated. The brand’s founder, Lin Bingqiang, cut his teeth making parts and custom modules in Shenzhen for brands down in Hong Kong before starting Behrens in 2012. An exploded view of the 870 part movement. Many Chinese manufacturers excel at the engineering and manufacturing side, but have weak soft skills and lack vision. Behrens is strong on all fronts, and this is the brand’s most ambitious, and expensive, project yet. The brand may be over-reliant on computer-generated imagery, but I can confirm these watches are real, functional, and doing the rounds at Geneva Watch Week. Case On the heels of a collaboration with Konstantin Chaykin, Vianney Halter’s partnership is now with Behrens. This comes only days after Mr Halter’s coll...
SJX Watches
Schaffhausen-based H. Moser & Cie. returns to a complication it once offered with the Pioneer Flying Hours, a new take on the wandering hours. The watch indicates the minutes on a central ring, while the hours seemingly jump from one window to the other. With this intriguing new display, the Flying Hours might just be being one of the most interesting jumping hours on the market. Initial thoughts The Pioneer Flying Hours is not Moser’s first attempt at the wandering hours: the Endeavour Flying Hours was launched some seven years ago and an update on the historical complication. With new Pioneer, however, Moser manages to capture the mystique of both early wandering hours and mysterious clocks with its darting, wandering display. It is a tidy and admittedly novel reinterpretation of the wandering hours, which will surely appeal to collectors. There is something poetic about the minutes scale moving continuously across shuttered apertures, its sweep much like a bridge between points in time, here represented spatially. The combination of the sporty and large Pioneer case is also odd with the wandering hours, historically a complication associated with more formal, slim cases. At almost 43 mm, the case is large even for a sports watch. And to nitpick: if there is anything objectionable from the get-go, that is the name. Strictly speaking, “Flying hours” describes a revolving platform that is only supported from below - like a flying tourbillon. Here the hour disks a...
Worn & Wound
Vianney Halter, the legendary independent watchmaker, has collaborated with Behrens, the Chinese indie that over the last few years has gradually upped the ante in terms of their watchmaking and their own ambitions in the international watch industry. The new watch, the Behrens Master Collection “KWH” Limited Edition, is sure to be one of the most talked about watches of Geneva Watch Days 2025, and should cement Behrens as a real player in the independent watch scene, while reintroducing Halter to a new generation of enthusiasts. Collaborations within the indie watch world are frequent, so it’s worth spending a moment to contextualize the importance of Vianney Halter working with Behrens on this watch in particular. Halter is considered by many to be on the proverbial Mt. Rushmore of indie watchmakers who set the stage for the modern avant-garde watchmaking moment that we’re in the midst of. His Antiqua, a truly radical design upon its release, is still one of the most influential watches of its era, or any other. That he’s chosen to not just lend his name to a Behrens release but actually create an all new caliber for it feels like the strongest possible endorsement, and a signal that he and the young Chinese brand share a certain watchmaking philosophy. The chief aesthetic inspiration behind the new piece is the square shape of antique electricity meters and the concept of “pixel nostalgia” (think video games like Snake and Tetris and you get the idea)....
Hodinkee
On the heels of a Clive Clusser-themed 750T limited edition, the full lineup is finally here.
Hodinkee
An unconventional interpretation of a moonphase that's out of this world.
Time+Tide
The legendary designer's favourite complication makes a return in a squircle gold case adorned with a black onyx dial.The post The Gérald Genta brand welcomes back complication with the new Minute Repeater, and it’s painfully beautiful appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Zenith teams with celebrated Swiss furniture maker USM with a colorful El Primero in the original Defy case for the first time and custom USM watch storage.
Monochrome
Bulgari’s Aluminium collection erupted on the scene in 1998. Fusing design elements from earlier models like the 1975 Bvlgari Bvlgari with the twice-emblazoned brand name on the gold bezel, the slick Aluminium with its bold mix of lightweight aluminium and rubber accents was a runaway success. Making its much-awaited comeback in 2020 during Geneva Watch […]
Monochrome
Oris has long defined itself as a maker of mechanical watches for “today’s world citizens”, with a clear commitment to function, value, robust engineering, supported by original looks. The new Big Crown Calibre 113 extends that philosophy by combining the brand’s historic pilot’s watch design with one of its most advanced hand-wound movements. Initially introduced […]
Fratello
I had to look twice at this new MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase Moonshine Gold edition, but it’s a new iteration of the watch introduced last month. In August, for the Sturgeon Moon, the MoonSwatch Mission to Earthphase Moonshine Gold had a net-like design on the gold moon disc. This month, it’ll be a Corn Moon […] Visit Bringing Out The Popcorn With The MoonSwatch Mission To Earthphase to read the full article.
Monochrome
The year 1969 is etched in Zenith’s history as the birth of El Primero, the world’s first high-frequency automatic chronograph calibre. It was also the debut year of the Defy, a rugged sports watch nicknamed the “vault” for its robust construction and avant-garde angular design. Over the past few years, Zenith has revisited these late-1960s […]
Hodinkee
The result of over a decade of work at the TAG Heuer Lab, the "TH-Carbonspring" is a new oscillator that relies on carbon rather than silicon – and it will soon be available in a pair of limited edition models.
Monochrome
Since 1967, the Doxa SUB series has been a benchmark in underwater timekeeping, bringing the cushion-shaped case, patented no-decompression bezel and high-contrast dials to professional and recreational divers alike. In 2002, the brand introduced the SUB 750T, a bolder, oversized companion built for extreme depths. For its 20th anniversary, Doxa paid tribute to one of […]
Fratello
Well, it’s not a huge surprise that Doxa has opted to follow up its recent Sub 750T Clive Cussler limited edition with regular editions of the same model. Still, nothing is guaranteed in life, which is why we jumped at the chance to see the new collection in the metal at Fratello HQ. While we […] Visit Hands-On With The New Doxa Sub 750T to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Naissance d’une Montre 3 by Ferdinand Berthoud is a series of 11 completely hand crafted watches powered by a unique combination of a split bimetallic temperature-compensated Guillaume-type balance wheel and a constant-force fusee-and-chain transmission system.
SJX Watches
The latest iteration of Ulysse Nardin’s most affordable Freak is the Freak X Crystalium, a limited edition that blends the disruptive Freak aesthetic with a novel decorative element in the form of a dial in Crystalium. Though it has an almost organic look, Crystalium is actually the result of crystallised ruthenium deposited via physical vapour deposition (PVD). The advanced, unusual material is decorative, yet harks back to the Freak’s origins as a materials pioneer. Initial thoughts The Freak has been a core collection in Ulysse Nardin’s roster since the first model was launched back in 2001. The line has been defined by disruptive and bold technical construction and a pioneering use of silicon. But lately it feels watered down; the Freak X dials back on the exotic tech to make the iconic design more attainable. And the many iterations of the Freak X don’t help its case. But paradoxically the new Freak X is a return to one of the core values of the Freak series: materials science. Ulysse Nardin experimented with all sorts of materials over the years with the Freak as a platform, ranging from the DIAMonSIL escapement to silicon movement bridges to mono block oscillators. The Freak X Crystalium employs new material, but this time it serves an aesthetic function as opposed to a mechanical one. The large rotating disk which serves as the dial’s foundation is covered in an organic-seeming, quartz-like glittering surface that’s the result of years of research. ...
Time+Tide
Bridging the gap from the SUB 600 to the ultra-deep 1500, the new slimmer 750T strikes a great balance between specs and wearability.The post The Doxa SUB 750T is back, and it’s significantly slimmer appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Monochrome
Now in the hands of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, alongside Daniel Roth, watchmaking brand Gérald Genta came back on the scene last year with one of the boldest and least expected creations, the Gentissima Oursin collection. A watch paying tribute to the man’s bold designs, it will be joined this year by a […]
Monochrome
If you are attending the sixth edition of Geneva Watch Days, don’t miss Bulgari’s retrospective of the Octo Finissimo’s impressive trajectory in the ultra-thin watchmaking arena since 2014. Alongside the record-breaking models is a new Octo Finissimo collaboration model made with Korean artist Lee Ufan, the latest in a long line of artists and architects […]
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.