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Results for The Quartz Astron Launch

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The Quartz Astron Launch Seiko

Christmas Day 1969: Seiko launches the world\'s first quartz wristwatch and detonates the Swiss watch industry.

The Foundation Haute Horlogerie Expands the FHH Academy by Partnering with the Gemological Institute of America Worn & Wound
Sep 17, 2026

The Foundation Haute Horlogerie Expands the FHH Academy by Partnering with the Gemological Institute of America

In 2014, the Foundation Haute Horlogerie (FHH) introduced the FHH Academy, a series of courses that span the fundamentals of watchmaking to culture and heritage as well as more advanced technical curriculums, catering to both industry professionals and enthusiasts. One of the most unique aspects of the program is that it’s offered entirely online in 11 different languages, resulting in participants across 20 countries worldwide. While accessibility has been at the FHH Academy’s core, there are also select courses offered in-person at the FHH headquarters in Geneva as an extension of the platform. Now, the academy is expanding once again as the FHH announces a new partnership with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The GIA is globally acknowledged as the foremost authority in gemology and a leader in the gem and jewelry sector. Since its founding in 1931, the organization has set the standard, educating more than 200,000 professionals worldwide across its seven campuses throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. With its longstanding commitment to education and the dissemination of specialist knowledge within the luxury jewelry industry along with its global reputation and reach, the GIA presented itself as an incredible partner to expand its offerings into the world of horology and for the FHH to expand its in-person training. The partnership marks the first time the GIA has worked with an external entity and allowed trainers outside the institute to teac...

Introducing - The Kurono Tokyo Calendrier “Small Batch Release” in Saxe Blue Monochrome
Kurono Tokyo Calendrier “Small Batch Release” Sep 17, 2026

Introducing - The Kurono Tokyo Calendrier “Small Batch Release” in Saxe Blue

Hajime Asaoka, the celebrated Japanese master watchmaker, is renowned for his bespoke, high-end handmade watches. Aware that his pieces are beyond the reach of most mortals, Asaoka created Kurono Tokyo, a small independent brand that offers more accessible watches with Seiko or Miyota movements, imbued with a strong Japanese spirit. However, Kurono’s success means its […]

Introducing: Blancpain Celebrates The 70th Anniversary Of The Ladybird Collection With The Mini "Lady B" Revival Hodinkee
Blancpain Celebrates Sep 17, 2026

Introducing: Blancpain Celebrates The 70th Anniversary Of The Ladybird Collection With The Mini "Lady B" Revival

What We Know In 1932, a 36-year-old woman took a massive gamble early in her career at Blancpain. Betty Fiechter, who had worked for the brand since she was 16, faced a dilemma after the sudden death of the brand's owner, Frederic-Emile Blancpain. Together with commercial director Andre Leal, she helped secure loans to buy the company, even navigating the need to rename the manufacture because the Swiss government prevented anyone but someone with that name from using Blancpain. Fiechter would eventually mentor her nephew, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, and together they would inaugurate two of the brand's most successful icons: the Fifty Fathoms and the Ladybird. The original Ladybird Bullet The launch of the Ladybird in 1956 was a big deal, not just because a woman led a manufacturer in an era when women couldn't even vote in Switzerland. Inside the original Ladybird "Bullet" was the R55, the smallest round mechanical movement, and one with extra durability, with a fifth wheel to limit the force on the escapement and a shock protector on the balance wheel. It remains the smallest round mechanical movement to this day. To honor that watch, Fiechter, and the 70th anniversary of the Ladybird, Blancpain is releasing a new Lady B (for bullet, I'm sure, but also Betty and, according to the brand, bijou or "jewel") with very tiny dimensions. The watch measures a tiny 19mm by 13.2mm in either stainless steel or 18k red gold, with a total volume of only 2.9 cm³. Despite its size, it has...

Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph Fratello
Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph Sep 17, 2026

Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph

In a recent discussion I had with someone about Christopher Ward, the question of why the brand doesn’t have any mechanical chronographs in its collection came up. This stands out, as watch enthusiasts tend to love such pieces. But the English brand now has a new series of mechanical chronographs for the enthusiasts. The C63 […] Visit Mechanical Resurrection: The New Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Chronograph to read the full article.

Hot Take: Grand Seiko Introduces The SBGW325 Fratello
Grand Seiko Introduces Sep 17, 2026

Hot Take: Grand Seiko Introduces The SBGW325

Grand Seiko has just added the limited-edition SBGW325 to its Elegance Collection, paying tribute to the SBGW003 from 2001. That model was the first Grand Seiko to feature a manually wound 9S mechanical movement, the Caliber 9S54. The new watch revisits one of its most distinctive details, the blocky Arabic numerals, while introducing a deep […] Visit Hot Take: Grand Seiko Introduces The SBGW325 to read the full article.

Introducing - The New Ressence Art Watch Type 9 x Jules Wittock Monochrome
Ressence Art Watch Type 9 Sep 17, 2026

Introducing - The New Ressence Art Watch Type 9 x Jules Wittock

Founded in 2010 by industrial designer Benoît Mintiens, indie brand Ressence stands out from the crowd with its original and contemporary way of displaying time. Like planets orbiting the Sun, time circles around the dial thanks to the brand’s patented Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS). For the brand’s latest Art Watch, Ressence has teamed up […]

Grand Seiko Revives the 9S Arabic Numeral Dial SJX Watches
Grand Seiko Revives Sep 17, 2026

Grand Seiko Revives the 9S Arabic Numeral Dial

Grand Seiko is marking 25 years of its hand-wind 9S movement with the Elegance Collection SBGW325, a throwback to one of the earliest Grand Seiko limited edition models. The SBGW325 is modelled on the SBGW003, a 2001 limited edition that debuted the first-ever manual-wind 9S movement. Today’s SBGW325 is equipped with the latest generation of the same movement family, the 9S64, while reviving the distinctive dial design sporting raised Arabic numerals. Initial thoughts Grand Seiko rolls out limited edition on a regular basis, so the various editions tend to blend into each other. The SBGW325 manages to stand out because the dial design is distinctive; Grand Seiko has no employed this design on another model aside from the original of 2001. For that reason alone this would be one of the most appealing Grand Seiko limited editions in recent memory. But it’s not just the styling. Although the design is unique in today’s catalogue, the SBGW325 is relatively no frills in terms of movement and materials. The case is compact and steel, while the movement is the time-only 9S64, which makes this quite affordable, further adding to its appeal. Arabic numerals The original SBGW003 combined a cream dial with raised gold Arabic numerals and blued steel hands, resulting in an unusual look for Grand Seiko even today. The new SBGW325 preserves the design but iterates on the colours: the dial is matte blue with raised silver numerals, while the “GS” emblem and seconds hand are gil...

The IWC Ingenieur Celebrates a Big Anniversary Worn & Wound
IWC Ingenieur Celebrates Sep 16, 2026

The IWC Ingenieur Celebrates a Big Anniversary

The watch industry, as we know, never misses an opportunity to celebrate a milestone. This week marks 50 years of Gerald Genta’s Ingenieur, a watch that has existed in a variety of forms over the years, but was relaunched a few years ago in a widely celebrated new guise that feels almost spiritually connected to the original. The new limited editions released this week by IWC are available in both the standard 40mm size and the newer, more compact 35mm case, both with dials that play up the design’s inherent starkness.  The Ingenieur’s dial is most commonly associated with a distinctive grid pattern, but these LEs depart from that playbook for a dial that feels very metallic with vertical brushing and silver plating. It’s a reference, according to IWC, to an obscure Ingenieur reference from the original launch in 1976.  I’m struck by how simple and muted this dial is for a limited edition. We’ve been trained, I think, to think that special releases and limited editions should be louder than this, and recontextualize a watch into something that couldn’t exist in the main collection. This dial execution is about as simple as it gets, and while it presents quite differently than the mainline Ingenieurs with patterned dials, it wouldn’t be a challenge at all to imagine this watch as a permanent part of the IWC collection. It’s a clear play to history, which of course is fitting and expected for a 50th anniversary watch. It’s nice but maybe not particularl...

E.C. Andersson Introduces the Timepod, with a Unique Lug Release System Worn & Wound
Sep 16, 2026

E.C. Andersson Introduces the Timepod, with a Unique Lug Release System

The Swedish brand E.C. Andersson is one of my favorite “IYKYK” watchmakers. They had a modest hit a few years ago with their Mytilus, at least among a very specific type of watch collector who was ahead of the curve on the current trend for industrially finishished, retro-futuristic designs in odd case shapes that are having a moment right now (see: Otsuka Lotec and others). What makes E.C. Andersson compelling to me though is not just their aesthetic and design language, which is certainly very interesting, but their business model, and what they actually do as a brand. They are, essentially, a machine shop, fabricating cases and other components from their own designs, and selling watches off a reservation system. Interested parties add their names to a list, and when a watch is available, you get an email letting you know your watch is ready.  Their new watch, introduced this week, is called the Timepod, and like the Mytilus before it, the case (and crystal integration) set the design apart and make it unique. The quirkiest thing about the Timepod is the lug release system, which allows the user to detach the wire lugs via the push of a button on the caseband. The lugs simply pop out of the square shaped case and (presumably) reattach easily by hand. E.C. Andersson says the system is specifically designed to inhibit debris from entering the case while still allowing ease of access to the movement and other components in the event a service is needed.  Is this lug ...

The Business of Watches Podcast: Hublot Chief Executive Officer Julien Tornare On Partnering With Jeff Koons And Re-Connecting With The Brand's Founder Hodinkee
Vacheron Constantin Sep 16, 2026

The Business of Watches Podcast: Hublot Chief Executive Officer Julien Tornare On Partnering With Jeff Koons And Re-Connecting With The Brand's Founder

This week on The Business of Watches, a veteran watch industry CEO who is taking on one of the biggest and most demanding challenges of his storied career. Julien Tornare is the head of Hublot, the irreverent and ground-breaking brand controlled by LVMH that's trying to reclaim some of its former glory and role as a trend-setter in industry innovation.  An affable and talented business leader, Tornare has spent almost three decades in the watch world with Vacheron Constantin and Richemont, then as chief executive of Zenith, where he oversaw a dramatic revival and upswing for the El Primero maker. He then had a brief tenure as the CEO of TAG Heuer before joining Hublot as the big boss in 2024.  Julien Tornare.Image: Courtesy Hublot Tornare talks about Hublot's turbulent journey over the past four decades and the spirit reflected in the brand's unconventional, outspoken ambassadors. He also addresses the marque's critics, arguing that the YouTuber shots are largely unjustified.  He also discusses the influence of Hublot's Italian founder Carlo Crocco as the company reconsiders its legacy ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2030. There's also news of a major new partnership with legendary American artist Jeff Koons, who is bringing his artistic vision to the watch brand for the first time through a series of bold collaborations. We also discuss the role that Jean Arnault, long considered the true watch enthusiast in the Arnault clan, now has with the brand.  There's plenty o...

Illuminating The Cosmos: The Louis Moinet Moon Meteor Fratello
Louis Moinet Moon Meteor Today Louis Sep 16, 2026

Illuminating The Cosmos: The Louis Moinet Moon Meteor

Today, Louis Moinet continues its fascination with the cosmos. The brand’s latest creation, the Moon Meteor, is a limited edition of just 12 pieces that turns the dial into a miniature cosmic scene. Hand-painted nebulae, real meteorite fragments, and a precise astronomical moonphase display come together under a domed sapphire crystal in a lightweight Grade […] Visit Illuminating The Cosmos: The Louis Moinet Moon Meteor to read the full article.

Hands-On: The Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog By Jeff Koons Hodinkee
Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog Sep 16, 2026

Hands-On: The Hublot Classic Fusion Balloon Dog By Jeff Koons

Hublot is no stranger to opening its doors to outside creativity, with some of its most memorable (and often infamous) releases of the past few years in collaborations with artists and designers—Takashi Murakami, Daniel Arsham, and Samuel Ross, to name a few. Late last week, the brand dropped the news that the next big name in line for a collaboration would be the contemporary American artist Jeff Koons, most widely known for his series of bright, shiny balloon dog sculptures in a whole range of colors. Image courtesy of Hublot Balloon Dog (Orange) - Image courtesy of Christie's Rabbit - Image courtesy of Christie's Koons' name has reached a certain level of infamy and popularity alike in the art world, as the world's most expensive living artist today. His Balloon Dog (Orange) piece hammered at Christie's in 2013 for a whopping $58.4 million dollars, breaking auction records for an artwork by a living artist. Then, in 2019, his 1986 Rabbit piece shattered that result, selling for more than $91 million and taking the title. To this day, both pieces remain among the top ten most expensive artworks by living artists. Naturally, Koons faces criticism from critics and the wider public, from the overt commercialism and kitchiness of the art to the factory-style production methods he employs. Regardless, it's impossible to deny how iconic and recognizable the Balloon Dog series is worldwide. With that iconic look and a touch of infamy, the Balloon Dog feels like the perfect su...

Singer Reimagined Keeps The GMT Hits Coming With The 1970 DualTrack Fratello
Ming Sep 16, 2026

Singer Reimagined Keeps The GMT Hits Coming With The 1970 DualTrack

About two weeks ago, during Geneva Watch Days, I visited the Singer atelier in Geneva. It’s a beautiful place, slightly hidden on a street near the lake, where Singer Reimagined works on its watches. There, I got a first glimpse of what the brand introduced today — the Singer Reimagined 1970 DualTrack. The Singer Reimagined […] Visit Singer Reimagined Keeps The GMT Hits Coming With The 1970 DualTrack to read the full article.

Introducing - The new Glashütte Original 70s Collection, a Reworked Take on the Integrated Sports Watch Monochrome
Glashütte Original 70s Collection Sep 16, 2026

Introducing - The new Glashütte Original 70s Collection, a Reworked Take on the Integrated Sports Watch

While Glashütte Original‘s Seventies collection has become associated with its bold, square-shaped chronographs, the German manufacture also once offered Seventies Panaroma Date models without the chronograph function. Revisiting the decade with a substantially reworked watch, the brand returns to that time-and-date simplicity and presents the new 70s collection of integrated sports watches, alongside the existing […]

Do You Have a Soft Spot For The Rubber-Clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch? Fratello
Breguet Sep 16, 2026

Do You Have a Soft Spot For The Rubber-Clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch?

The rubber-clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch is a montre à tact, but not as you know it. The original tactile watch was invented by Breguet in 1799. It was a pocket watch featuring a hand that could be touched, allowing one to read/feel the time. You can touch the new Big Bang all […] Visit Do You Have a Soft Spot For The Rubber-Clad Hublot Big Bang Original Soft Touch? to read the full article.

First Look - The Neode N01 First Edition Brings Architectural Design to Horology Monochrome
Sep 16, 2026

First Look - The Neode N01 First Edition Brings Architectural Design to Horology

Independent watchmaking has attracted designers from outside traditional horology before. Still, few have arrived with such a clearly defined architectural vision as Neode (from neod, an Old English word meaning desire and earnest endeavour). Architect Marius-Daniel Dumitrascu founded Neode, stepping away from architecture to devote himself entirely to developing the timepieces. Driven by a desire […]

A Rolex Icon Returns as the Perpetual Padellone SJX Watches
Rolex Icon Returns as Sep 16, 2026

A Rolex Icon Returns as the Perpetual Padellone

Rolex expands its complicated offerings with the unexpected Perpetual Padellone, a vintage-inspired, instantaneous annual calendar named after the ref. 8171, a saucepan-shaped triple calendar from Rolex’s past. Despite the padellone nickname, first coined by Italian collectors, the Perpetual Padellone is a very different watch from its namesake. It is a modern Rolex through and through, with the quality and functions expected of a modern Rolex. The mechanics are latest generation, with aesthetic choices give the watch a contemporary look, putting the Perpetual Padellone at the intersection between vintage collectors and the wider public. Initial Thoughts Rolex is a forward-looking brand, which explains why this Padellone goes without the namesake sauce pan-esque case, and employs a base movement at the frontier of mechanical timekeeping. The Padellone of today is naturally a far better watch than the ref. 8171 “Padellone” of the 1950s. It is modern and it is a Rolex, which means essentially perfect quality. A very well-preserved 8171 in steel But it is more than just a triple calendar built to Rolex standards. The new Padellone contains an incredible base movement shared with the Land-Dweller, a new calendar that changes instantaneously around midnight and can handle both 30- and 31-day months on its own, and a moon phase that will err by a day in 122 years. Then, there are also the dramatic upgrades to finishing – both outside and in – and build quality, especia...

The Formex Aria Proves The Phrase “Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It” Fratello
Formex Aria Proves Sep 16, 2026

The Formex Aria Proves The Phrase “Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It”

Without a doubt, one of the most talked-about recent releases is the Formex Aria Manufacture Chronometer, or simply Aria, as most people will refer to it. After I wrote the introductory article based on the press info, I was curious to learn more. While the design didn’t necessarily make me swoon, I know Formex well […] Visit The Formex Aria Proves The Phrase “Don’t Knock It ‘Til You Try It” to read the full article.

IWC Marks 50 Years of the Ingenieur SJX Watches
Casio n Sep 16, 2026

IWC Marks 50 Years of the Ingenieur

IWC’s magnetism-resistant Ingenieur SL is now 50 years old so the brand is marking the occasion with the Ingenieur Automatic 50th Anniversary, a pair of limited editions that unsurprisingly take inspiration from a historical model. In 40 mm and 35 mm respectively, the two editions share the same brushed silver dial. The two are otherwise identical to the regular production versions, which means a sharply executed case and bracelet, but an industrial movement that doesn’t live up to the price. Initial thoughts Today’s Ingenieur is a derivative design, being based on Gerald Genta’s original of the 1970s (which explains the resemblance to the Royal Oak et al). But it is still a good looking watch, with a case and bracelet that are tangibly well done. The 50th anniversary edition isn’t creative by any stretch of the imagination, but still appealing in look and feel. But at launch in 2023 the Ingenieur was already pricey, especially considering the industrial, cost-effective ValFleurier movement. Still, the price then was forgivable given the wider landscape and integrated-bracelet-sports-watch fad. Now the larger, 40 mm version is US$15,000, which is pricey and difficult to rationalise. The 40 mm and 35 mm, both of use employ different but equally industrial calibres SL reborn The anniversary editions are based on the standard 40 mm and 35 mm models respectively. The two are essentially identical in design and quality; both contain different but comparable movements....

Rolex Introduces the Perpetual Padellone, a New Annual Calendar Worn & Wound
Rolex Introduces Sep 15, 2026

Rolex Introduces the Perpetual Padellone, a New Annual Calendar

Big news from Rolex today as the brand has released a complicated dress watch, their first in recent memory. The Perpetual Padellon is an instantaneous annual calendar with a moonphase complication and sits within the 1908 collection, which launched three years ago. This new watch appears to be a very explicit and direct homage to one of the brand’s most revered vintage references, the 8171 “Padellone”. It shares more than a few visual characteristics with that piece, and of course the name of the new watch is lifted straight from the nickname given to the vintage piece by collectors and dealers.  The Perpetual Padellone is available in 18k Everose gold and 950 platinum, and measures 39mm in diameter, 12.2mm tall, and 45.1mm from lug to lug. It’s worth noting that the original 8171 was a fairly large watch for its day, measuring 38mm in diameter, so the new reference comes surprisingly close to being right on the money in terms of sizing if we’re comparing it to the vintage watch.  The biggest difference between the 8171 and the Perpetual Padellone is likely mechanical. The 8171 was not a true annual or perpetual calendar, but a “simple” triple calendar, which was quite common in the 1950s. Each indicator simply advanced in sequence and not in relation to any other, which means a correction is going to be necessary virtually every month. The Perpetual Padellone is a true annual calendar and only needs to be corrected once per year.  The case, whether plati...

Hands-On Impressions of the New Bremont Terra Nova 35mm Jumping Hour Watches Worn & Wound
Bremont Terra Nova 35mm Jumping Sep 15, 2026

Hands-On Impressions of the New Bremont Terra Nova 35mm Jumping Hour Watches

Maybe this would be better saved for a Hot Takes episode of the podcast, but I’ll go ahead and spill it here instead: the new Bremont Terra Nova 35mm Jumping Hour watches are the best they’ve made since the big rebrand a few years ago. The fact that they are part of the Terra Nova collection is itself interesting, as this collection in particular was met with so much skepticism (including by us) when they were launched. But now, over two years removed from the drama of the brand’s big shift, there is a real sense that they’ve settled in, and the watches, when laid out on a table together in the way you experience them at a Geneva Watch Days meeting, feel more coherent.  I’ve always felt that these Terra Nova Jumping Hour watches were charming, but there was something a little ungainly about the size. The smaller montre à guichet style jump hour pieces at 38mm in diameter, wear every bit of that dimension and a little more simply because most of what you see when you look down to check the time is bare metal. The larger 40.5mm Jumping Hour pieces with an aperture arrangement running right to left across the dial felt similarly oversized for a complication that historically is characterized as something kind of delicate.  But when I picked up the new 35mm pieces, particularly the montre à guichet on a bracelet, the size felt really dialed in. I’ve been thinking a lot about the “correct” size for certain watches after reviewing smaller versions of Moser’...

Hot Take: Rolex’s Perpetual Padellone Annual Calendar Takes A Nod From The Past Fratello
Rolex s Perpetual Padellone Annual Sep 15, 2026

Hot Take: Rolex’s Perpetual Padellone Annual Calendar Takes A Nod From The Past

Rolex has added a rather unexpected complication to its Perpetual collection with the new Perpetual Padellone. Taking its name from the vintage reference 8171, the watch combines a 39mm case with an annual calendar and a moonphase display. At first glance, it is perhaps the dial that grabs your attention, particularly the blue enamel moonphase […] Visit Hot Take: Rolex’s Perpetual Padellone Annual Calendar Takes A Nod From The Past to read the full article.

In-Depth - The new Rolex Perpetual Padellone, The Return of an Icon now with Annual Calendar and Dynapulse (Incl. Video) Monochrome
Rolex Perpetual Padellone Sep 15, 2026

In-Depth - The new Rolex Perpetual Padellone, The Return of an Icon now with Annual Calendar and Dynapulse (Incl. Video)

It is not often that Rolex introduces a new watch outside of the industry’s main exhibition, Watches and Wonders (or Baselworld before it). In fact, in recent years, it has only happened on very rare occasions, such as the release of the Daytona Le Mans, the record-breaking Deepsea Challenge in titanium or the Deepsea D-Blue […]