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Results for Tool Watch vs Dress Watch

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Tool Watch vs Dress Watch

The two ends of the wristwatch axis: utility vs formality. The Submariner / Calatrava extremes and the 1972 Royal Oak hybrid.

Introducing: Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Tribute To The Animal Kingdom Hodinkee
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Tribute Yesterday

Introducing: Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Tribute To The Animal Kingdom

What We Know Last week, Vacheron Constantin presented the latest in their Métiers d'Art collection, the Métiers d'Art Tribute to the Animal Kingdom. The impressive collection, which is based on Vacheron's four-aperture display Métiers d'Art watch, is made up of six watches, each featuring a facsimile of an animal made out of an unexpected blend of materials and construction. Notably, each dial in the series was created not by a watchmaker, but rather by an independent artist. This last part is key to the Métiers d'Art idea, which offers watches as a platform for artistry of all sorts, resulting in a collection unlike any other I can think of. The six watches that make up this collection are the: Feathersnake, which features a snake made of several hundred pieces of Lophophore and Goose feather; Glassoctopus, which features a hand-melted and shaped glass octopus set on a hand-guilloched gold-base coated in dark blue; Oraygami, which sets a fever of origami paper rays again against a hand-guilloched gold-base finished in blue; Tigerbroidery, which renders a tiger through an embroidered silk dial using yellow and white gold wire, black ceramic–coated wire, and British and Japanese silk; Papercroc, which uses paper sculpture to evoke a crocodile; and Woodenwings, which features a marquetry dial rendition of a flacon. To go into the process behind each of these dials would take up far more time and space than is available here (maybe something to go into if ever I get to ...

Introducing: Studio Underd0g 02Series "Mantis" Hodinkee
Studio Underd0g 02Series Mantis What We 6 days ago

Introducing: Studio Underd0g 02Series "Mantis"

What We Know Not even two months on from the initial launch of the updated 02Series Gen 2, Studio Underd0g is jumping headfirst back into limited editions with the Special Edition 02Series Mantis. The headline here is a bright green, full-lume dial, which Studio Underd0g claims is the brightest to ever grace a watch from the brand, but it's also worth reiterating some of the changes that the brand brought to this watch earlier in the summer. The biggest change separating the 02Series Gen 1 and Gen 2 is the new case used for the latter. Upsized by half a millimeter to 37.5mm, the case has also been thinned out and now measures just 11.5mm rather than 12mm, and a full 2.1mm of that comes from the domed sapphire crystal. With lug-to-lug holding steady at 46mm, the updated case finds itself squarely in the Goldilocks zone for many collectors. There are also some meaningful technical updates in the new watch. Tolerances are tighter, and the SW210 movement has been replaced by the SW200-2 M (modified to remove the automatic winding system), which brings with it an accuracy of ±7 seconds per day and 63 hours of power reserve. The whole watch is assembled in-house at the D0ghouse, Studio Underd0g's newly established workshop, and is an evolution of the Horologium. All that said, the real reason to buy this watch is the dial. Like most watches from Studio Underd0g, the 02Series Mantis uses a sapphire sandwich dial construction, with a transparent sapphire disc printed with the min...

Introducing: The AnOrdain Model 1 Porcelain (Live Pics) Hodinkee
Anordain Model 1 Porcelain Live Aug 27, 2026

Introducing: The AnOrdain Model 1 Porcelain (Live Pics)

What We Know Today, Glaswegian brand AnOrdain, known for its handcrafted grand feu enamel dials, introduces the second entry in its porcelain dial series with the Model 1 Porcelain. Counterintuitively, it follows last year's Model 2 Porcelain, which marked the brand's first watch with a porcelain dial. While the dials are still produced by hand in AnOrdain's Glasgow workshop, using a traditional porcelain-making process (no zirconium ceramic sheets or injection-molded clay slurry), the firing of the clay and vitreous glaze at high heat for these porcelain dials can be done at a much larger scale. AnOrdain provides a comparison here of production rates—50 vitreous enamel dials per month across seven enamellers, while one ceramic specialist can produce 30-40 porcelain dials. And though it may be easy to assume porcelain dials are more forgiving and capable of higher yields, the brand notes that the final dials come from an approximate total of 300 produced, meaning there's still a mighty high rejection rate associated with porcelain dialmaking. The Model 1 Porcelain starts with, well, the brand's Model 1 case design in stainless steel. It is a reasonably compact watch, with a diameter of 38mm, a lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm, and a thickness of 11mm. The Model 1 silhouette features a short lug design with broad outer polished faceting, making the lugs feel even slimmer on the wrist. Polishing is also found on the smooth, rounded bezel, while the midcase and screwed-in cas...

Introducing: Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" Hodinkee
Czapek Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue Aug 20, 2026

Introducing: Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue"

What We Know Today, Czapek has lifted the curtain on a new limited-edition addition to its Promenade line of everyday dress watches. The Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" expands on a design motif first introduced with the Fratello x Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Veridian Green," this time applying the Transparency concept to a wholly in-house-devised model. Here, the "Veridian Green" sapphire-gradient dial has been swapped for a similar "Aqua Blue" variant, with the fumé effect achieved through a special metallization process in which small dots of metallic coating are applied to a sapphire disc. The dots themselves — which measure just eight microns each — are laid out in varying density to achieve the gradient effect, which radiates out from the small seconds subdial at 4:30. Unlike the Fratello limited edition, which had applied markers, the Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" uses light blue 3D Super-LumiNova markers, which match the lume on the handset. Visible through the translucent dial is the SXH7, a skeletonized take on Czapek's in-house SXH5 micro-rotor automatic caliber. The SXH5 was first launched by the brand in 2020, and now finds itself at the heart of a number of watches in the Czapek lineup, including the Antarctique and, as the SXH5.1, in the solid dial Promenade. The SXH7, which is visible from both directions, is handsome, with plenty of modern, somewhat industrial touches (like sandblasted plates) and enough handcraft to keep tradi...

Hands-on - The Yellow Gold Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition 30 Monochrome
Minerva Aug 19, 2026

Hands-on - The Yellow Gold Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition 30

Minerva‘s Unveiled Chronograph series is an exercise in turning conventional watchmaking inside out. Instead of hiding the movement under the dial, which would require taking the watch off the wrist to admire its calibre through the display caseback, the manufacture reverses its architecture, making the chronograph mechanism and its distinctive hand-finished components the main attraction […]

Hands-On: Vario’s Navi Collection Goes International Worn & Wound
Aug 18, 2026

Hands-On: Vario’s Navi Collection Goes International

As I expand my knowledge of microbrands, I was super excited to receive a sample from Vario, a Singapore-based company that’s been going strong for a decade. The brand’s latest offering builds on its Navi collection, which first joined Vario’s catalog in 2021. The line holds firm to its nautical roots with its sleek and refined interpretation of a porthole throughout the case and dial along with its compass and anchor hands and sailor-cap crown. Over the past five years, the Navi has taken a few forms, from the inaugural jump-hour to special editions like the Popeye and Vario’s collaboration with Watch Enthusiasts India (WEI). In 2024, we saw the introduction of a single-hand version, offering a slow-time display with an Engine Order Telegraph (EOT) 12-section dial in which each of the 12 sections is broken down into 15-minute intervals for a general reading of the time rather than one to the exact minute. Now, Vario builds on this design with five new colorways and, for the first time, new languages. With this extension of the Navi collection, Vario is taking the line into international waters starting regionally with Chapter One: Europe. The foundation of the models remains the same as what we saw in the original and now sold-out single hand version. The case is rendered in 316L stainless steel and executed in highly wearable proportions at 38mm in diameter and 11mm in thickness. The lugs strike a good balance of geometry and curvature that allows the model to si...

Timex 1976 Lexington Reissue Inspired Is a Sharp $149 Steel Cartier Tank Alternative WatchRider
Cartier Tank Alternative Timex has Aug 6, 2026

Timex 1976 Lexington Reissue Inspired Is a Sharp $149 Steel Cartier Tank Alternative

Timex has taken the 1976 Lexington Reissue Inspired in the direction I wanted most: away from gold tone and into polished steel. The new TW2Y88200 keeps the compact rectangular shape, vertically brushed silver dial and Roman numerals of the earlier model, then adds metallic blue hands for a little contrast. It is currently listed as a $149 pre-order in the United States, which puts it firmly in the part of the market where a good design matters more than a prestigious logo. A rectangular watch with the right instincts I am a fan of rectangular watches because they make even a simple time-only watch feel considered. A round case can hide lazy proportions. A rectangle cannot. Every line is visible: the width, the length, the dial margins, the shape of the numerals and the relationship between case and strap. That is why the Cartier Tank remains such a powerful reference point, and why an affordable watch needs more than Roman numerals to feel convincing. Timex’s silver dial, blue hands and Roman numerals look clean. This Timex is not trying to be a counterfeit Tank. It earns its place as a nice alternative because it uses the same broad language of a slim rectangular case, an orderly dial and a leather strap, then keeps a personality of its own. If you enjoy this corner of watch design, I have also ranked the Cartier Tank alternatives that have stayed in my collection. The Lexington belongs in that conversation because it offers a clean steel option at a price that makes o...

Moser’s Repeater is Cosmic, Cylindrical, and Skeleton SJX Watches
H. Moser & Cie has unveiled Jul 31, 2026

Moser’s Repeater is Cosmic, Cylindrical, and Skeleton

While most Swiss watchmakers are taking their summer holidays, H. Moser & Cie. has unveiled the Endeavour Minute Repeater Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Cosmic Rain — the latest variant of the brand’s most complicated movement platform. The Cosmic Rain takes its name from its dial, which features mother-of-pearl inlays on an aventurine glass dial base. Devoid of a brand logo or wordmark — a long-running Moser motif — the dial effectively evokes a night sky filled with streaking comets. Initial thoughts H. Moser & Cie. is probably best known for its minimalist designs, but the Cosmic Rain’s openworked construction reveals another side of the brand. So, too, does its raden dial, which is dressed up with shimmering strips of mother-of-pearl. The Cosmic Rain is quite compact for such a complicated watch at 40 mm in diameter and 14.4 mm thick — barely larger than some time-only watches. These wrist-friendly dimensions, combined with a lightweight titanium case, should make for a comfortable wearing experience. The calibre HMC 909 features an off-centre time display that reveals both the strike train and the tourbillon, which has been elevated — literally and figuratively — with a cylindrical hairspring. Unfortunately, the vestigial centre wheel pinion is unnecessarily exposed, revealing the calibre’s roots as a movement designed for central hour and minutes hands. There’s a lot to like about the Cosmic Rain, but it’s hard to find justification for the CHF...

Hands On: Rolex Day-Date 40 Jubilee Gold SJX Watches
Rolex Day-Date 40 Jubilee Gold Jul 30, 2026

Hands On: Rolex Day-Date 40 Jubilee Gold

Twenty twenty-six has been a milestone year for Rolex, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its signature Oyster case with several commemorative models. While not as innovative as the enamel-dialled Daytona or as surprising as the revised Yacht-Master II, the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 dresses the brand’s flagship time-only watch in a new proprietary gold alloy dubbed “Jubilee” gold and an aventurine stone dial. Initial thoughts Stone dials are everywhere, but as usual Rolex has found a way to stand out by using an unusual mineral. Most brands today source the same few varieties of stone — especially malachite and tiger’s eye — from the same few suppliers, resulting in stone-dialled watches that tend to resemble one another. But with its unusual aventurine dial and muted Jubilee gold case and bracelet, there’s no mistaking the Day-Date 40 for anything else. And this is also actually aventurine stone, rather than the more commonly used and less expensive aventurine glass. The exotic dial and proprietary alloy give the new Day-Date 40 a look that is both distinctive yet coherent with the rest of the collection. Many key Rolex models are perpetually out of stock, underscoring the brand’s commitment to value. While it might seem disingenuous to describe a US$65,700 time-only watch as a good value, the Day-Date 40 in Jubilee gold makes a case for itself. In a perfect world with on-demand availability, this would be a strong value proposition. The A. L...

Keeping Cool During Summer With The Depancel Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue Limited Edition Fratello
Jul 18, 2026

Keeping Cool During Summer With The Depancel Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue Limited Edition

Depancel has made a name for itself by creating affordable racing-inspired watches. But what if the French brand shook the race livery and created a chronograph inspired by a uniquely elegant road car from the 1940s? You’d end up with the Depancel Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue. It’s a fresh take on Depancel’s popular Série-R Chronograph […] Visit Keeping Cool During Summer With The Depancel Série-R Chronograph Ice Blue Limited Edition to read the full article.

Introducing: The New Citizen Promaster Dive Hodinkee
Citizen Promaster Dive What We Jul 16, 2026

Introducing: The New Citizen Promaster Dive

What We Know It's summertime, which means it's perfect weather to spend some time near, in, or under the water. While I love a good hyper-overbuilt mechanical watch (and definitely want this one), I've come to realize that the best dive watches are probably the no-fuss, affordable ones. If I'm flying to the Bahamas and want to go on a quick dive, I'm going to grab a Citizen (oh wait, I did). With a bunch of new Citizen Eco-Drive divers (more like Eco-Dive, am I right?) rated to 200m, I figured it was time to share some great new picks. While four watches were just launched in Japan, the U.S. is getting three of them. There's a blue gradient dial with a dark blue stainless steel unidirectional bezel (my personal pick), a black dial with a black bezel, and a white dial with a black bezel and an orange seconds hand (and black printing, of course). That last one feels very James Stacey, if I had to guess. The watches are cased in a super-reasonable 40.6mm by 11.5mm stainless steel case with brushed surfaces and polished chamfers. Inside is the Eco-Drive Caliber E118, which has an accuracy of +/- 15 seconds per month and 12 months of power on a full light-powered charge. The watches are delivered on BENEBiOL straps, a plant-derived biomass urethane. All three options will be available on the Citizen website in the coming days and weeks as deliveries arrive in their US stock. The retail price is $450, so keep checking their shop to make sure you stay on top of when it's availabl...

Studio Underd0g’s Second-Generation 02Series Becomes An Even More Seriously Fun Collection Fratello
Studio Underd0g s Second-Generation 02Series Becomes Jul 6, 2026

Studio Underd0g’s Second-Generation 02Series Becomes An Even More Seriously Fun Collection

Three years ago, Richard Benc and his Studio Underd0g brand released the 02Series collection. The design was based on the iconic Dirty Dozen field watches, with the addition of Studio Underd0g’s typical playful sauce, of course. That resulted in four versions, all of which shared the same layered dial construction. Except for the matte black […] Visit Studio Underd0g’s Second-Generation 02Series Becomes An Even More Seriously Fun Collection to read the full article.

Hands On: Christiaan van der Klaauw Venus Annual Calendar SJX Watches
Christiaan van der Klaauw Venus Annual Calendar Twenty Jun 22, 2026

Hands On: Christiaan van der Klaauw Venus Annual Calendar

Twenty years since the original Venus’s debut, Dutch independent Christiaan van der Klaauw (CVDK) upgrades the concept with the Venus Annual Calendar featuring a stellar automatic movement and an austere new “astronomical” dial. The Annual Calendar supplements the more traditional Venus Zodiac, which shares the same 38 mm case and upgraded base calibre. Initial thoughts The next generation of CVDK’s Venus comes in two flavours that act as foils to each other, pitched by the brand as representing astronomy and astrology. While the Zodiac variant is a familiar blue aventurine glass affair, much like the original Venus launched back in 2006, the instrument-like white Annual Calendar version is new to the Venus family. Western sun-sign astrology divides the sky into 30° slices, each named after a constellation such as Virgo or Scorpio, with whichever slice the sun occupies being the current sign. CVDK’s planetariums normally include both an annual calendar and the 12 signs of the zodiac, so dropping the latter might seem like a loss for an astronomical watch. The duo would make an ideal set, but are currently only solid individually. However, these popular sun-signs do not match the actual locations nor sizes of the constellations. For example, the slice marked ︎ for Cancer actually contains the Gemini constellation, while Sagittarius (︎) accommodates Sagittarius and Scorpio. In some ways, the zodiacs were just bloat, and separating the two makes both watches st...

Introducing: MING And J.N. Shapiro Team Up For The 37.06 Lightning Hodinkee
Massena Lab Jun 5, 2026

Introducing: MING And J.N. Shapiro Team Up For The 37.06 Lightning

What We Know When Ming, Fleming, and J.N. Shapiro teamed up in 2024 to launch the Alternative Horological Alliance, they did so with a product: a "universal" tantalum bracelet. But I've been waiting to see if the AHA (now including Fears and Massena LAB) would team up in other ways. Today, Ming and J.N. Shapiro announce the 37.06 "Lightning," which blends the dial work Shapiro's team is known for with Ming's signature design language into something that's both new yet familiar. It's not a trick of the light. The dial is really that striking (no pun intended, I promise). Each dial is made from grade-2 titanium and hand-guillochéd in Los Angeles through engine-turning on a traditional rose-engine lathe to create a pattern called "Lightning guilloché." It's a pattern J.N. Shapiro hasn't used on a wristwatch before. The dials are then shipped to Kuala Lumpur, where Ming Thein himself hand-colors each dial by heat-staining it with a butane torch.  It's not as easy as just sticking a torch on a dial. A time too long or too short by even a few seconds, and the color might be uneven. Even if you do it right, the final result might still fail because the guilloché process exposes variations in titanium's crystalline structure. Only one in three dials works out. The dial is still very Ming, as is the rest of the watch, with the flared lugs and engraved crystal that's filled with HyCeram luminous indices. The hands have Super-LumiNova X1. The case is 38mm in diameter, 10.9mm in t...

Albishorn Introduces the New Type X-Graph Worn & Wound
Ming new features May 28, 2026

Albishorn Introduces the New Type X-Graph

Swiss brand Albishorn is known for their rather daring mission of recreating vintage watches that never existed; a goal that seems confusing until you see their wide swathe of “imaginary vintage” offerings, each of which draws from iconic timepieces of the past while forging their own new identities. It’s an exercise in parallel history with an added touch of impossibility, and it’s what makes Albishorn watches a category of their own. Carrying on that hypothetical tradition is the new Type X-Graph, which borrows elements from the legendary Type 20 design, while adding features that were simply not possible in the era that Type 20 pieces were being built.  Rather than taking a Type 20 silhouette and cramming new features in, Albishorn has taken to imagining what a predecessor “Type 10” may have looked like instead. Calling it a “missing link” in the history of the Type 20, the Type X-Graph is, of course, a pilot chronograph, with stylings from the late 1940s to pre-date the Type 20’s 1950s introduction. A monopusher military chronograph design, the Type X-Graph measures in at 39mm (a first hint of the modern innovations that remind us that it’s of an imagined history) in case diameter, and 20mm in case thickness. The lug width is a democratic 20mm, with the final lug-to-lug measurement coming in at a wearable 47.7mm, and kept slim by the 12mm thickness. But that’s just the boring stuff; the visuals and functionality of the X-Graph are what make it st...

Hands-On: A Triple Review Of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronomètre Collection Hodinkee
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronomètre Collection May 27, 2026

Hands-On: A Triple Review Of The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronomètre Collection

We're a few months removed from Watches & Wonders, which gives us some clarity about what was buzz, what was hype, what fell off the wish lists, and what will be a long-term winner. It's looking like Jaeger-LeCoultre had one of the best releases of the fair with the Master Control Chronomètre series. The Master Control line has largely been a dressy take on traditional design cues for a brand people usually think of first for its Reverso. But now, JLC has shown that Master Control can do more. More than just a new case and bracelet, all watches are in-house chronometer-certified 4Hz, 70-hour power reserve movements (COSC does the certification) with a new High Precision Guarantee (HPG) seal, which supplants the former 1000 Hours Control. That new HPG seal means that the brand trials cased watches on four daily-wear specific issues—shocks, positions, altitude, and temperature—over three days, while guaranteeing eight traditional techniques of quality aesthetic finishing. The watches I photographed were brand new and wrapped in plastic, so you have to look past a bit of that to see the quality, but it certainly is there in person. Now with three models in steel and rose gold, with five SKUs (one watch only comes in steel and not gold), measuring 38mm by 8.4mm or 39mm or 9.2mm with 50m of water resistance, the new line brings a lot to the table. Inspired by the brand's Master Mariner Chronomètre line, launched in 1973 as their offering for an integrated bracelet (or adj...

eBay Finds: A Very Cool Wittnauer, a Classic Diver from Seiko, and Funky Longines Comet Worn & Wound
Grand Seiko 4522-8000  Next up May 8, 2026

eBay Finds: A Very Cool Wittnauer, a Classic Diver from Seiko, and Funky Longines Comet

eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion. Vintage Favre Leuba Chronograph  Got a nice one to start off this week, this vintage Favre Leuba chronograph. The chunky 35mm cushion case is gold plated, and is in excellent condition. Nice edges and original brushed finish with stainless steel back. The back has the cool Favre Leuba hourglass logo engraved. It has a really nice chocolate brown dial with gold hands and applied gold hour markers. The subdials are also the same color brown, with red accents on the 3 o’clock dial. The large winding crown is also signed with the hourglass logo as it should. The gold and brown combo gives it a rich look. The watch is powered by the venerable Valjoux 23 manual wind chronograph movement. I have a chronograph with the same movement, and I can tell you that it is as buttery smooth as they come. The movement is clean and the watch runs well per the seller.  View auction here Grand Seiko 4522-8000  Next up is a fantastic vintage Grand Seiko 4522-8000 hi-beat dress watch. The 36mm steel case is the epitome of Seiko’s “Grammar of Design” aesthetic, with broad flat planes, razor sharp edges, and a mix of brushed and polished finishes. Often these have been polished, and even the slightest...

First Look: Seiko 5 Sports Field Series SJX Watches
Seiko 5 Sports Field Series May 8, 2026

First Look: Seiko 5 Sports Field Series

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 ...

Tudor’s F1 Season Begins with Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26” SJX Watches
Tudor s F1 Season Begins Apr 30, 2026

Tudor’s F1 Season Begins with Black Bay Chrono “Carbon 26”

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...

Bring a Loupe: A White-Gold Vacheron Constantin, An IWC Mark XII, And A Cartier Bamboo Coussin Hodinkee
Vacheron Constantin Apr 24, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A White-Gold Vacheron Constantin, An IWC Mark XII, And A Cartier Bamboo Coussin

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...