Hodinkee
HODINKEE Radio: Previewing Watches & Wonders 2024 With Ben, James, And Danny
Predicting what we'll see from Rolex, Tudor, Patek, and what else we're excited about from the Swiss watch industry's biggest annual trade show.
3,977 articles · 45 videos found · page 78 of 135
Hodinkee
Predicting what we'll see from Rolex, Tudor, Patek, and what else we're excited about from the Swiss watch industry's biggest annual trade show.
Fratello
I am always happy to try a new Zenith watch, especially when it’s made of precious materials. And that’s precisely what this Chronomaster Sport is about, boasting a rose gold case, a spinel-, diamond-, and sapphire-set bezel, and a gold meteorite dial with diamonds. Chronomaster Sport 22.3100.3600/69.M3100 This Zenith Chronomaster Sport in 18K rose gold […] Visit Hands-On With The Rose Gold Zenith Chronomaster Sport Boutique And Online Edition to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
To many people, Roland Murphy is American watchmaking. His company, RGM Watch Co., is revered among watch enthusiasts for producing pieces that rival anything put out by the best Swiss watchmakers, all done in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Murphy was, then, a natural partner for the Cornell Watch Company, a newly revived heritage brand out of Chicago that founder–or re-founder, I suppose–John Warren hopes can help bring attention to the American watch industry and its rich heritage. “I think people don’t know that American companies made more watches between the late 1850s and early 1900s than anywhere in the world,” said Warren in an interview with Worn & Wound. “I don’t think people know that we pioneered the American system of watchmaking that was adopted by the Swiss and the Japanese. I think it’s a story people want to know and it’s worth telling.” Cornell’s story began in 1870, when Paul Cornell and John C. Adams founded the Cornell Watch Company to create railroad pocket watches. Cornell was prolific in timepiece production for a few years, but two tragedies, the Great Chicago Fire and the financial crisis of the Panic of 1873, hit the company hard, and brought it to an end. While an attempt to move Cornell to California to save it was made–along with an attempt at rebranding as the California Watch Company–Cornell shut down not long after. But several Cornell’s pocket watches led to the company having a second life when they were discovered b...
Worn & Wound
Swiss watchmaker Norqain has just released the colorful Freedom 60 Chrono 40mm collection. Showcasing three colorways, this collection is inspired by the idyllic charm of Tuscany, capturing the essence of la dolce vita, mixed with the precision and design elements for which Norqain is known. Each watch in the collection features a 316L stainless steel case in the now familiar Freedom 60 silhouette that evokes classic sports watches from the past. With a diameter of 40mm and a thickness of 14.90mm, these timepieces strike the perfect balance of having presence on the wrist without too much additional bulk. The Freedom 60 Chrono 40 mm collection is available in three new pastel color options: Sky Blue, Pistachio, and Peach, each dial reminiscent of one’s favorite gelateria. Each dial has a darker complementary sub-dial, outer ring, and tachymeter scale to tie the everything together. An anthracite Norqain logo and black counters at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock add depth to the dial, while diamond-cut flat indexes ensure readability in a variety of lighting conditions. The color matched date window, positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock, adds a practical complication, while diamond-cut faceted hour and minute hands, filled with Superluminova, enhance visibility in low-light environments. The Freedom 60 Chrono 40mm collection is powered by the mechanical Norqain caliber N19 (a modified Sellita SW510), offering 62 hours of power reserve. Watches are offered in three strap varie...
Once again we are heading to the biggest watch event of the year, Watches & Wonders. Today our Head of Content, Kat Shoulders, goes through what’s going to be in her photography carry kit during the exhibition. Nailing down the perfect bag for these trips can be grueling as we are constantly on the go and need a quick and light kit to keep things moving. This episode was made possible by our friends at Nomatic. They have graciously lent Kat the new Luma Camera Pack 18L for her travels during Watches & Wonders. If you’ve listened to Kat’s podcast Changing Gears or watched previous episodes of Time to Pack, you know Kat’s been a long time fan of Nomatic. The new Luma collection is both stylish AND functional and keeps all the favorite bits everyone has come to love from Nomatic’s photography line. Get all the details on Kat’s packing style and her professional tools, along with her very own gear hacks and tricks of the trade. We hope that Time to Pack will continue to be that kind of content you didn’t even know you needed-watch-based content that delves into travel gear and packing in rich and robust ways. Enjoy! The post Time to Pack: What’s In My Watches & Wonders Photography Bag appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Monochrome
Released about a year ago, the Jazzmaster Performer collection was Hamilton’s answer for a range of all-rounder, go-anywhere do-anything modern sporty watches. Mostly known for its connection with cinema and its successful vintage/military-inspired watches, the Performer was of a different breed. Sportier, more dynamic, more modern overall and yet sleek, it made a good impression […]
Hodinkee
We made the Top Five!
Revolution
Gerald Charles, an independent Swiss watch company founded in 2000 by the renowned Mr. Gérald Charles Genta, the most prolific watch designer of the 20th century, is currently under the stewardship of the Ziviani family, close family friends of the Gerald Genta. Known as the ‘Maestro’, Monsieur Genta was not only a prolific artist but […]
SJX Watches
An outlandish concept that originally sprang from the mind of Carole Forestier Kasapi, the Ulysse Nardin Freak of 2001 was perfected by Dr Ludwig Oechslin and then made reality thanks to the advent of silicon in watchmaking. Lightweight and magnetism resistant, silicon was used for the escape wheels but that was only the beginning of the story. [This story, the third and final instalment in the series, details the history of silicium, the proprietary Ulysse Nardin silicium hairspring, and the patented Grinder rotor. The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part I covers the origins of the Freak, from its conception to realisation, as well as its distinguishing characteristics, namely the inventive movement construction and unique escapement. Part II deals with the evolution of the unique, high-performance escapement.] Silicon, Silicium, Silinvar Now used interchangeably with silicon, silicium is actually French for “silicon”, but now it is also used as the trade name for the proprietary form of silicon used by Ulysse Nardin for movement components, namely silicon with a hard oxide outer layer that gives the material thermocompensating properties. Silicium was developed by Swiss scientific institute Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) in collaboration with Ulysse Nardin. Notably, the material is also known as Silinvar, which resulted from a separated but related CSEM project backed by a consortium made up of Rolex, Patek Philippe and Swatch Group. As a ...
Episode 77 of A Week in Watches is going to be slightly different. This episode has two hosts and no script! With the big event happening so soon (the next episode will be made from Watches & Wonders), we figured getting ready with a little Q and A would be fun. That said, two very different watches with prominent moon phase complications were also worth covering. Join Zach Kazan and Zach Weiss in the studio as they discuss the new releases and then answer some fantastic questions from the W&W;+ Slack community. This week’s episode was brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop, which recently added the new Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Tourbillon to the catalog. It is a gorgeous piece of haute horology that showcases Mr. Silberstein’s unique style. Head over to WindupWatchShop.com to check them out, as well as accessories, EDC, clocks, and more. The post A Week in Watches Ep. 77: Mission to Watches & Wonders appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Hodinkee
Diving into the Swiss microbrand with a penchant for rectangular timepieces, and exploring the latest addition to its Stereo capsule collection – Gold Waves.
Fratello
Let’s just say I have too many Honda cars. No, I’m not ready for a full coming-out. However, I am ready to share with you three vintage watches carrying the Honda logo that made my heart skip a beat. Let’s see how many fans of classic Honda cars we have among the Fratelli. Put a […] Visit #TBT Three Honda Watches I Wanted - A Rolex Date, Steering Wheel, And Cheap Quartz F-1 to read the full article.
SJX Watches
In its first stop outside of Japan, Alive in Time Through the Five Senses just concluded in Singapore, with other cities possibly being on the cards. Conceived to present the spirit of the brand by engaging all five senses, the exhibition was made up of five sections: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. The exhibition began with sight, where guests were greeted by watchmakers Satoshi Hiraga and Ikukiyo Komatsu, representing the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi and Shinshu Watch Studio respectively. The former specialises in mechanical movements, while the latter is responsible for Spring Drive, so each watchmaker demonstrated his speciality: Mr Hiraga worked on a 9S automatic calibre while Mr Komatsu on a 9R Spring Drive movement. Also on display was the third Grand Seiko movement family, the 9F Quartz. The visual transitioned to the aural in the sound section where visitors were treated to an immersive film experience depicting the 340 parts of the Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon. Despite the impressive mechanical complexity of the Kodo, one of the distinguishing elements of the movement is its 16-beat rhythm resulting from the overlapping ticks and tocks of both the escapement and the remontoir. The exhibition continued in the area dedicated to touch simulating a precisely prepared Zen garden. Guests could try various Grand Seiko models – and take the obligatory wrist shot against the tranquil beauty of the garden. The taste and smell area concluded the experience with...
Monochrome
Piaget is world-famous for its vibrant creations in the field of watches and jewellery. In this video, we are taking a look at an important yet sometimes lesser-known side of the brand: its expertise in the field of movement creation and manufacturing. Everything started in the small village of La Côte-aux-Fées in the Swiss Jura […]
Worn & Wound
If I were to make a gross oversimplification of watches, I’d say they are about three things: provenance, design and specs. The first two are relatively straightforward: Who made a watch, and what does it look like? There are endless rabbit holes to go down with each, and fellow enthusiasts welcome anyone looking to join the conversations. That’s good news for those of us that long ago lost the privilege to ramble about Hans Wilsdorf at the dinner table, and have a limited number of times we can say “concentric circles” before our non-watch friends tune out. But in my initial years of collecting, I shied away from conversations of provenance and design, instead favoring talk of specs. Above all else, specs were what sold me. It’s a trend I’ve noticed fellow enthusiasts follow, which makes sense. Specs are tangible. They are indisputable facts on paper that immediately give an idea of how a watch will wear based on its dimensions, what its beat rate will be, how much abuse its crystal can take, and at what unnecessary depth of water it could out-live its wearer. With some welcome influence from my favorite YouTube reviewers, it was easy as a new collector to discern what specs were considered acceptable by the larger enthusiast community. While we may never agree on which case diameter constitutes the ideal “sweet spot” (but we all know it’s 36-38mm) or what movement is best, one specification seemed to have near universal support in the comment sections: ...
Monochrome
Picture a classic dive watch… It’ll probably be made of steel, with a robust case, a unidirectional bezel with a 60-minute scale, a black dial with large luminous markers and a set of three hands, with an enlarged minute hand and a necessary seconds hand to indicate that your watch is running (basically, I’ve just […]
Monochrome
Ben Küffer hit the ground running with the launch of his start-up watch brand Norqain in 2018. Thanks to a good network of family and friends associated with the watch industry, Ben counted on the support of his father, Marc Küffer, who owned and managed a prominent Swiss private label manufacturer, Ted Schneider, a member […]
Fratello
Well, after much deliberation, I’ve found what I subjectively consider the three best watches under €1,000 today. As Fratello’s resident list nerd, that should be a walk in the park, right? I have made tons of lists, including multiple ones about watches in this price category. But finding the five or ten best currently available […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Under €1,000 - Jorg’s Picks From Serica, RZE, And Traska to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Baltic Hermétique line has been the brand's consciously sized, vintage-inspired dress/field watch with a crown that sits flush with the case. The versatility of the watch, due to its size and the ability to wear it on either wrist with the recessed crown, has made it a fan favorite. Baltic has chosen bold textures for the new limited edition dials but still keeps everything we know and love about the Hermétique line.
Worn & Wound
Years from now, someone will look back on this period and write about rise of affordable independent watchmaking. We are truly in a golden age if you happen to favor small brands who are inclined to do adventurous, experimental things. I wonder if anyone will identify Louis Erard’s collaborations with Alain Silberstein as a defining moment in this era of watch enthusiasm. From my perspective, it certainly seems like this relatively small Swiss brand and niche designer (who many thought, mistakenly, had reached a peak in terms of his popularity and influence) stand at the center of a lot of what’s happening in our world today. Limited edition collaborations, the mixing of the high and low, and a focus on accessible watches that are still undeniably special in some way are a huge focus of what’s driving interest in the hobby right now, and while Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein didn’t get there first, it’s hard to deny that their continued relationship isn’t one of the key stories of the last several years. That relationship continues this week with the launch of the Le Régulateur Tourbillon Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Black. This is the same tourbillon that we saw as part of a limited edition triptych back in October of last year. That watch, and the others in the set, featured an olive green dial, and it was notable that the tourbillon could only be purchased as part of the set, while the other watches were available separately. At the time, the thinkin...
Fratello
Many fans of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms have been yearning for a non-limited edition in a smaller case - a watch like the 42mm Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1 limited edition of last year. Well, steel stays limited, but red gold and titanium iterations are now unlimited, meaning 14 possible variations made their way […] Visit Blancpain Launches 42mm Fifty Fathoms Automatique Watches In The Regular Collection - Have Your Wishes Been Granted? to read the full article.
Fratello
Last year, Aquastar released a modern interpretation of one of its earliest watches, the Model 60. The no-nonsense black dial paired with a utile skin-diver case made it an instant hit. Now a new dial color joins the fray. The limited-production Greenwich Edition has a dark green dial that works well with the design. It […] Visit Hot Take: The Aquastar Model 60 Greenwich Edition to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
The TAG Heuer Carrera is widely regarded as one of the OGs of racing-inspired chronograph wristwatches, and today - decades after both the model and the deadly road race that gave it its name appeared to have been permanently discontinued - it claims a spot atop the leaderboard in the Swiss watchmaker's modern collection. Here's how the Carrera raced to worldwide acclaim, upgraded its engines along the way, and roared back from the Quartz Crisis to engage and energize a new generation of watch enthusiasts. The company we now know as TAG Heuer traces its history to 1860 and its founder Edouard Heuer; “TAG” would be added to the family business’s name in 1985, when the Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG) Group obtained a majority share. From its beginnings, the company placed an emphasis on sports timing and on optimizing the precision of the hand-held and dashboard-mounted chronograph timepieces that were its specialty. Edouard Heuer’s most significant contribution to timekeeping was the oscillating pinion, patented in 1887. This device, which simplified the construction of chronograph calibers by decoupling the stopwatch mechanism from the timekeeping function, is still used commonly in movements today. In 1911, Heuer developed what is regarded as the first dashboard chronograph for cars and aircraft, the “Time of Trip,” and in 1914 released its first wrist-mounted chronograph (which, like many of its contemporaries, was a repurposed pocket watch with its sin...
Worn & Wound
Swiss brand Maurice Lacroix, in collaboration with Label Noir, unveils the latest iteration of its Masterpiece Skeleton, the Masterpiece Skeleton Label Noir. While many in the industry may be getting collab fatigue, it’s hard to deny that this new release isn’t the perfect example of a partnership done right: each party leaning on the other’s strength to make something truly impressive. Building upon the success of their previous collaboration on the AIKON model in 2020, Maurice Lacroix and Label Noir join forces again to recreate the magic that was this original release. The Masterpiece Skeleton Label Noir pushes the boundaries of design even further for Maurice Lacroix, showcasing that a well-crafted timepiece can, at times, venture outside the box to make something that expands the brand’s identity in new ways. With the Masterpiece Skeleton, Maurice Lacroix pays homage to skeleton watches while embracing modern technology. In particular, the Masterpiece Skeleton uses both CNC and CAD technology to bring a level of minute detail to their eye-catching design. In doing so, Maurice Lacroix’s artisans have produced a product in which every detail of the movement is both precise and reliable, while still maintaining its captivating filigreed appearance. The mechanical movement of the Masterpiece Skeleton is the Manufacture ML134 caliber, adorned with Grand Colimaçon, sand-blasted finishing and bridges with polished edges. As with all Maurice Lacroix watches, ...
Fratello
Some 25 kilometers north of Geneva, on the shore of the city’s eponymous lake, lies the town of Nyon. This is the place that Renaud Tixier, the latest Swiss independent watch brand launching today, calls its home. It’s the latest collaborative effort between Dominique Renaud - the renowned watchmaker and co-founder of Renaud & Papi […] Visit Reinventing The Micro-Rotor: Renaud Tixier Makes A Mechanically Innovative Debut to read the full article.
Fratello
Am I being overly dramatic when I think of the word “fratricide” after seeing the two-tone Certina DS Action GMT Powermatic 80? Well, first, this is Fratello, so it is within the theme. And then there’s the watch. Certina’s GMT took me by surprise and made me worry about its “big brother,” the Longines Spirit […] Visit The Two-Tone Certina DS Action GMT Powermatic 80 Took Me By Surprise On A Monday Morning to read the full article.
Monochrome
For most watch enthusiasts, Citizen is probably best known for its wide range of affordable quartz, solar-powered and mechanical watches. Watches like the Promaster series, for instance, have been fan-favourite models for years. More recently, the Tsuyosa collection made quite an impact for its honest yet compelling proposition. There is one collection that, however, delivers […]
Fratello
Swiss brand Genus is known for the quirky extravagance of the GNS1. It won the GPHG award for Mechanical Exception in 2019 and spawned some delightful variations. We also know the challenges of the “second album” for any hot new artist, as well as for wristwear. By introducing the Genus GNS2, I feel the brand […] Visit Introducing: The Genus GNS2 - Radical Chic With A Blue Twist to read the full article.
Fratello
Tiger bites kill, but marmot bites are just a tad annoying. Porsche Design decided to reimagine a military chronograph of the 1970s and position it in a more peaceful, civilian way. So the original U.S. Air Force tiger’s head made way for a screaming marmot. The medium-sized rodent is called a “Mankei” in Pinzgau, Austria. […] Visit Taking The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 Utility LE For A Ride to read the full article.
Monochrome
Five months in as CEO of one of the most luxurious watch brands, Audemars Piguet, Mrs Ilaria Resta offers her view on the current market and how she sees the future of the esteemed Le Brassus-based Maison. Dressed in a green suit with a 38mm purple dial Code 11:59 on the wrist, Italian-Swiss Ilaria Resta […]
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